JP4064987B2 - Assembly method of optical connection parts - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method of assembling the optical connecting parts for fixing the optical fiber in the through hole of the optical connecting parts.

  The ferrule of the optical fiber connector is constituted by a capillary and a flange member bonded to each other. The optical fiber is inserted and fixed in a fixing hole provided on the axis of the flange member. The optical fiber is fixed to the fixing hole by the following procedure using an adhesive. First, an adhesive is injected into the fixing hole of the flange member, and the fixing hole is filled with the adhesive by suction or pressurization. Next, an optical fiber from which the outer sheath has been removed by several mm is inserted through the fixed hole and the axial hole of the capillary. Finally, to cure the adhesive, the ferrule is heated in an oven or the like.

  In addition, a method using an adhesive and a curing agent for fixing the optical fiber to the fixing hole has been proposed (Patent Document 1, Non-Patent Document 1). In this method, first, an adhesive is supplied to the fixing hole of the ferrule, and on the other hand, a curing agent is applied to the optical fiber, and finally the optical fiber is inserted into the fixing hole. The adhesive in the fixing hole is cured by a curing agent attached to the optical fiber.

JP 2004-145030 A IEICE Technical Report (Published by The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers) Vol.104, No.127, pp.39-44, 2004

  The optical fiber connector includes a ferrule and a casing. Conventionally, after fixing the optical fiber to the ferrule, the ferrule is fixed to the casing to assemble the optical fiber connector. In this respect, in order to reduce the working time at the installation work place of the optical fiber cable, it is convenient if the optical fiber can be inserted and fixed to the assembled optical fiber connector in which the ferrule is fixed to the casing in advance. .

  However, in a state where the ferrule is fixed to the casing, the rear end portion of the flange member of the ferrule is disposed at a position that is harder to reach than the rear end portion of the casing. It is difficult to supply the adhesive, and it is also difficult to insert the optical fiber into the fixing hole at the rear end of the flange member.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to facilitate the process of supplying an adhesive to the rear end of the flange member and the process of inserting an optical fiber.

The present invention relates to a method for assembling an optical connection component in which an optical fiber is fixed to the fixing hole of the optical connection component by using an adhesive, the drawing member being bonded to the optical component, Providing an extending member having an engaging portion engageable with an end portion and a through hole extending through the engaging portion and allowing the optical fiber to be inserted; and supplying an adhesive to the engaging portion; A step of engaging the engaging portion with a rear end portion of the optical connecting component so that the through hole is aligned with the fixing hole, and installing the extending member. It is an assembling method of an optical connection component.

  In the present invention, by installing the extending member at the rear end of the optical connection component, the adhesive is supplied to the rear end of the optical connection component, and the optical fiber is guided to the rear end of the optical connection component. A taxiway is provided. Therefore, the process of supplying an adhesive to the rear end portion of the optical connection component and the process of inserting the optical fiber can be facilitated.

The present invention may further include inserting an optical fiber through the through hole of the extending member. In this case, the step of supplying the adhesive may be performed after the step of inserting the optical fiber, or may be performed before the step of inserting the optical fiber. In the case where it further includes the step of inserting a fiber and the step of advancing the optical fiber to a fixed position which is a final position in the fixing hole after the step of installing the drawing member, To the installation of the stretching member can be suppressed.

  Moreover, in this invention, the step which controls the supply amount of an adhesive agent can be further included by changing the length of the engaging part of an extending | stretching member before the step which supplies an adhesive agent. The amount of adhesive supplied needs to be accurately controlled, and it is difficult to supply an accurate amount with a pipette, but it is easy to control the amount of adhesive supplied by changing the length of the engaging part of the stretching member. It becomes possible to do.

  In this invention, you may further include the step which adheres a hardening | curing agent to the inner wall face of a through-hole before the step which inserts an optical fiber. In this case, the overflow of the adhesive to the outside of the extending member can be suppressed by the action of the curing agent on the adhesive.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 3, an optical fiber connector plug 20 (hereinafter referred to as a plug 20) according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a well-known SC type optical fiber connector plug, and JIS C5973 (1993) relating to an F04 type single-core optical fiber connector. ). The plug 20 includes a ferrule 1 and a casing that accommodates the ferrule 1.

  The ferrule 1 includes a capillary 2 and a flange member 3 that are bonded to each other. The capillary 2 is made of, for example, silicon dioxide, has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a through hole 2a is provided through the axis. The flange member 3 is made of, for example, stainless steel, is generally cylindrical, and is provided with a fixing hole 3a through the axis. A flange 3b extending in the radial direction is formed at the front end of the flange member 3, and the remaining portion of the flange member 3 is a cylindrical portion 3c. The rear end portion of the capillary 2 is fitted and bonded to the front end portion of the flange member 3.

  The casing of the plug 20 includes a plug frame 21 and a sliding sleeve 40 slidably attached to the outside of the plug frame 21. The plug frame 21 is generally cylindrical and has a substantially rectangular outer shape in cross section. On the left and right side surfaces of the plug frame 21, recesses 21a are formed.

  The sliding sleeve 40 has a generally rectangular tube shape formed by injection molding, and an opening 43 for exposing the concave portion 21a to the outside is formed on the left and right side surfaces thereof. Convex portions 43 a and concave portions 43 b are formed at the mouth edges of the left and right openings 43, respectively. The internal dimension of the sliding sleeve 40 is slightly larger than the external dimension of the distal end portion of the plug frame 21, and the sliding sleeve 40 is slidably mounted on the outside of the plug frame 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the extending member 60 is a cylindrical body having a circular cross section, and is made of a soft material such as rubber. A through hole 61 having a circular cross section is formed through the axial center of the extending member 60. The inner diameter of the through hole 61 is preferably substantially equal to the inner diameter of the fixed hole 3a of the flange member 3 or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the fixed hole 3a. An engaging portion 62 having an inner diameter larger than the through hole 61 is formed at the distal end portion of the extending member 60.

  The engaging portion 62 has an annular cross section, and the inner diameter thereof is substantially equal to the outer shape of the rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 3 c of the flange member 3. Since the through hole 61 is positioned at the axial center of the engaging portion 62, when the engaging portion 62 is engaged with the cylindrical portion 3 c of the flange member 3, the through hole 61 and the fixing hole 3 a of the flange member 3 are connected. Will match. The longitudinal dimension of the extending member 60 is set so that the optical fiber cord 5 can be easily inserted when the engaging portion 62 is engaged with the cylindrical portion 3c of the flange member 3 as shown in FIG. It is preferable to do this. Specifically, it is preferable that the rear end portion of the stretching member 60 is disposed in the vicinity of the rear end portion of the sliding sleeve 40 when assembled, and further, the rear end of the stretching member 60 is used. It is particularly preferable that the portion is set to protrude rearward from the rear end portion of the sliding sleeve 40.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the optical fiber cord 5 used in the present embodiment has a resin layer 7 made of polyamide resin, a fibrous tensile strength layer 8, and the like outside the optical fiber 6 made of a core and a cladding layer. An outer casing 9 such as PVC is formed. A state in which the jacket 9 and the tensile strength layer 8 are removed from the optical fiber cord 5 is referred to as a core wire. Both the inner diameter of the fixing hole 3 a of the flange member 3 and the inner diameter of the through hole 61 of the extending member 60 are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the core wire, that is, the outer diameter of the resin layer 7. As will be described later, in the assembly method of the present embodiment, fixing to the ferrule 1 is performed with the optical fiber 6 exposed from the tip of the resin layer 7.

  An assembly method for fixing the optical fiber cord 5 to the fixing hole 3a of the ferrule 1 using an adhesive will be described.

  First, the semi-assembled plug 20 shown in FIG. 3 is prepared in advance. That is, the ferrule 1 is accommodated in the plug frame 21 and the coil spring 23 is set so as to contact the flange 3b. Next, by fixing the stop ring 21b from the rear end side (upper side in the figure), the ferrule 1 is constantly urged toward the front end side (lower side in the figure). Further, the sliding sleeve 40 is fitted to the outside of the plug frame 21. The assembly process of the plug 20 so far may be performed at the site of installation work, or may be performed in advance at a remote location such as a factory and transported to the site of installation work.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the adhesive A is supplied to the engaging portion 62 of the extending member 60. This supply can be performed by, for example, a pipette, or can be performed by immersing the extending member 60 in the liquid level of the adhesive accommodated in a container (not shown) for the length of the engaging portion 62. .

  Next, the extending member 60 is inserted into the plug 20 in the semi-assembled state from the rear end opening of the sliding sleeve 40 in the direction of arrow a, and as shown in FIG. The extending member 60 is coupled to the rear end of 3c. During this connection, the engaging portion 62 of the extending member 60 is engaged with the rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 3c, whereby the fixing hole 3a of the flange member 3 and the through hole 61 of the extending member 60 are connected. Aligned with each other. Moreover, when the adhesive agent accommodated in the engaging part 62 contacts the cylindrical part 3c of the flange member 3, the adhesive flows into the cylindrical part 3c, and the lower part of the cylindrical part 3c, that is, by the self-weight and the capillary force, Accumulate on the front end.

  Next, the core wire of the optical fiber cord 5 is inserted into the through hole 61 of the extending member 60 from the rear end portion. The optical fiber 6 passes through the through hole 2a of the capillary 2, and the front end portion of the resin layer 7 is in contact with the rear end portion of the capillary 2 which is the fixing position. Before the insertion of the core wire, the height of the upper end of the adhesive A was L1 (see FIG. 4), and the adhesive A in the fixing hole 3a was pushed by the insertion of the core wire, and the upper end of the adhesive A The height rises to L2 (see FIG. 5) after inserting the core wire. As the adhesive A is cured, the optical fiber cord 5 is fixed to the capillary 1.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the tensile strength layer 8 of the optical fiber cord 5 is sandwiched and fixed between the outer peripheral surface of the stop ring 21 b at the rear portion of the plug frame 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the crimp ring 26. The jacket 9 of the optical fiber cord 5 is fixed between the outer peripheral surface of the crimp ring 26 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 27. A cylindrical boot 25 having a taper in the axial direction is fitted into the stop ring 21b.

  The assembled optical connector plug 20 is coupled to an adapter or receptacle (not shown). The optical connector plug 20 is coupled to the adapter or the receptacle when the latching claws of the two elastic locking pieces (not shown) provided on the adapter or the receptacle are engaged with the recess 21a of the plug frame 21. . When the optical connector plug 20 is removed, the user operates the sliding sleeve 40 of the optical connector plug 20. By the relative movement of the sliding sleeve 40 and the plug frame 21, the locking claw of the elastic locking piece provided on the adapter or the receptacle is operated so as to be separated from the recess 21a, and the plug 20 is removed from the adapter or the receptacle with a small pulling force. Can be extracted.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, by installing the extending member 60 at the rear end portion of the ferrule 1 (optical connection component), the supply of the adhesive A to the rear end portion of the flange member 3 of the ferrule 1, and A guide path for guiding the optical fiber 6 to the rear end of the flange member 3 is provided. Therefore, the process of supplying the adhesive A to the rear end portion of the flange member 3 and the process of inserting the optical fiber 6 can be facilitated.

  In the above embodiment, the step of supplying the adhesive A is performed before the step of inserting the optical fiber. However, the step of supplying the adhesive A may be performed after the step of inserting the optical fiber. Good.

  Further, as a modification of the assembly method of the above embodiment, the optical fiber 6 is inserted after the step of inserting the optical fiber 6 halfway through the through hole 61 before the step of supplying the adhesive and the step of installing the extending member 60. Advancing to a final fixed position. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 6, the core of the optical fiber cable 5 is inserted in the middle of the through hole 61 to a position where the optical fiber 6 does not reach the engaging portion 62. Hold with B. Next, the adhesive A is supplied to the engaging portion 62 while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the extending member 60 and the optical fiber cable 5. Next, the extending member 60 is inserted into the rear end portion of the casing, and the engaging portion 62 is engaged with the rear end portion of the flange member 3 to install the extending member 60. Finally, the optical fiber 6 is advanced to a final fixing position (that is, a position where the front end portion of the resin layer 7 contacts the rear end portion of the capillary 2). When this method is used, the time from the supply of the adhesive A to the installation of the stretching member 60 can be suppressed.

  Further, the supply amount of the adhesive A may be controlled by changing the length of the engaging portion 62 of the extending member 60 before the step of supplying the adhesive A. Since the optimum amount of adhesive A varies depending on its reactivity, viscosity, etc., the amount of adhesive A supplied needs to be accurately controlled, and it is difficult to supply an accurate amount with a pipette or the like. By changing the length of the joint portion 62, it becomes possible to easily control the supply amount of the adhesive A that is substantially measured by the internal volume of the engaging portion 62.

  In the present invention, a step of attaching a curing agent to the inner wall surface of the through hole 61 may be further included before the step of inserting the optical fiber 6. That is, the inner wall surface of the through-hole 61 is preliminarily filled with a hardener solution by a pipette or the like, and the solvent is evaporated from the hardener solution filled in the through-hole 61 by leaving, heating, depressurizing, or a combination thereof. A curing agent can be attached to the inner wall surface of the hole 61. The curing agent solution is preferably a solution obtained by dissolving an amine curing agent in an alcohol solvent (for example, ethanol). The concentration of the curing agent solution is preferably 10% by weight or more, for example. In this case, in the assembling process, when the core A is inserted, the liquid level of the adhesive A rises from the inside of the fixing hole 3a and reaches the through hole 61 of the extending member 60. By the action of the agent, the overflow of the adhesive A to the outside of the extending member 60 can be suppressed, and it can withstand handling such that the connector is placed horizontally or upside down immediately after the optical fiber 6 is inserted.

  In addition, the extending member 60 for inserting the optical fiber 6 can be sold as it is or in a state where a curing agent is attached to the inner wall surface of the through hole 61 in advance. By using such an optical connection component, the step of supplying the adhesive A to the rear end portion of the fixing hole 3a and the step of inserting the optical fiber 6 can be facilitated. Further, according to the optical fiber connector configured to include the extending member 60 as described above, the assembling work can be promoted.

  Moreover, it is particularly preferable that the cross-sectional dimension of the rear end portion of the through hole of the extending member 60 is larger than the cross-sectional dimension of the core of the optical fiber. In this case, the optical fiber can be easily inserted into the through hole of the extending member. Further, a taper for facilitating insertion of the optical fiber core wire may be provided at the rear end portion of the through hole of the extending member 60.

  Moreover, since the cross section of the engaging part 62 is annular, and the inner diameter thereof is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the rear end part of the tubular part 3c of the flange member 3, the leakage of the adhesive A can be suppressed. When the outer shape of the cylindrical portion 3c is not circular, the same effect can be obtained by making the cross-sectional shape of the inner surface of the engaging portion 62 substantially equal to the outer shape of the cylindrical portion 3c.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, since the extending | stretching member 60 was formed with the elastic body, the engaging part 62 closely_contact | adheres to the cylindrical part 3c, the leakage of the adhesive agent A can be suppressed, and the optical fiber 6 through-hole 61 is provided. It is also possible to maintain the relative positional relationship between the optical fiber 6 and the stretching member 60 by pinching the stretching member 60 with fingers in the state of being inserted halfway. However, the material of the extending member 60 in the present invention may be hard.

  In each of the above embodiments, an example in which the present invention is applied to an SC type optical fiber connector has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to other types such as an MU type (according to JIS C5983 (2001) relating to an F14 type optical fiber connector). The present invention can also be applied to types of optical fiber connectors and other types of optical connection components.

It is a perspective view which shows the extending | stretching member in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the longitudinal cross-section of an extending | stretching member. It is sectional drawing which shows the assembly process of the optical fiber connector in 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the optical fiber connector of the state which installed the extending | stretching member. It is sectional drawing which shows the optical fiber connector of the state which the assembly process was completed. It is sectional drawing which shows the holding | maintenance state of the extending | stretching member in another assembly process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ferrule 2 Capillary 3 Flange member 3c Cylindrical part 5 Optical fiber cord 6 Optical fiber 7 Resin layer 8 Tensile layer 9 Cover 20 Optical connector plug 21 Plug frame 40 Sliding sleeve A Adhesive B Finger

Claims (4)

An assembly method of an optical connection component for fixing an optical fiber using an adhesive in a fixing hole of the optical connection component,
An extending member that is bonded to the optical connection component, and includes an engagement portion that can be engaged with a rear end portion of the optical connection component, and a through hole that extends through the engagement portion and allows the optical fiber to be inserted therethrough. Providing a stretch member;
Supplying an adhesive to the engaging portion;
Engaging the engaging portion with a rear end portion of the optical connecting component so that the through hole is aligned with the fixing hole, and installing the extending member. Assembly method for connecting parts. The method for assembling an optical connecting component according to claim 1,
Inserting the optical fiber halfway through the through hole prior to supplying the adhesive; and
Advancing the optical fiber to a fixed position which is a final position in the fixing hole after the step of installing the extending member;
A method for assembling an optical connecting component, further comprising: An assembly method for an optical connecting component according to claim 1 or 2,
Before the step of supplying the adhesive, the step of controlling the supply amount of the adhesive by changing the length of the engaging portion of the extending member is further included. Assembly method. An assembly method for an optical connecting component according to claim 2 ,
The method of assembling an optical connection component further comprising the step of attaching a curing agent to the inner wall surface of the through hole before the inserting step.

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