JP4109653B2 - Optical connector, and split sleeve for connection, support member and adapter used therefor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an optical connector, and more particularly to an optical connector that can be easily handled and has a low loss connection without a polishing process in the connection of single-core and multi-core optical fibers. The present invention relates to a split sleeve for connection, a support member, and an adapter.

Japanese Patent No. 2097352 JP 2004-4728 A

  Various optical connectors are currently used for optical connection in optical communication systems. For example, an FC connector having a basic configuration shown in FIG. 18 is often used as an optical connector for connecting single optical fibers such as an SC connector and an MU connector. The optical connector shown in FIG. 18 includes cylindrical plugs 14 and 14 'including ferrules, optical fibers 6 and 6', and a cylindrical split sleeve 4. The cylindrical plug 14 and the cylindrical plug 14 'are cylindrical. The optical fiber 6 and 6 'are optically connected to each other by inserting them from both ends of the split sleeve (FIG. 18 (a)) and bringing the end faces of both plugs into contact with each other (FIG. 18 (b)).

  Also, for connecting a plurality of optical fibers at once, for example, an MT (Mechanically Transferable) type optical connector, an MPO (Multifiber Push On) type optical connector that can be easily connected and disconnected by push-pull operation, etc. Has been proposed (Patent Document 1). FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the connection structure of the MT type optical connector, and FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the connection structure of the MPO type optical connector. As shown in FIG. 19A, the MT type optical connector includes optical fiber tape cores 61 and 61 ', MT connector plugs 5 and 5' made of MT ferrules, and rubber boots 16 and 16 'for protecting the optical fibers. The guide pins 7a and 7b and the clamp spring 17 are connected as shown in 19 (b). As shown in FIG. 20A, the MPO type optical connector includes an optical fiber ribbon 61, an MT ferrule 5, an MPO connector plug 8 including a housing, guide pins 7a and 7b, and a connection adapter 9. Are connected as shown in FIG. 20B (Patent Document 2). In the MT type optical connector and the MPO type optical connector, the MT ferrule is used for the alignment portion of the optical fiber. However, the MT ferrule can easily align the optical fibers with the guide pins, and is highly accurate and lightweight. Therefore, it is an effective technology.

  In order to connect the optical connector described above, it is usually necessary to polish the end face of the ferrule and the optical fiber in order to suppress Fresnel reflection at the optical connecting portion. For example, PC polishing in which the ferrule tip is processed into a convex spherical surface, AdPC (Advanced Physical Contact) polishing in which a strained layer generated in polishing of the optical fiber tip is removed by using a finer silica polishing liquid, and the end surface of the ferrule is 8 APC polishing (Angled Physical Contact) inclined at a degree is performed. However, these polishing processes require a lot of time and expense, and there are problems as a connection method used for general purposes, and the improvement thereof has been a major issue.

  In addition, in a conventional optical connection technology such as an MT type optical connector, there is also a method of using a refractive index matching agent on the end face of the connector plug in order to reduce the optical loss at the connection portion of the optical fiber and to take measures against reflection. Are known. In this method, a refractive index matching agent is applied to the end face of the optical fiber so that the end face of the optical fiber and the ferrule are abutted, thereby preventing air from entering the connection end face, avoiding Fresnel reflection caused by air, and connecting loss. Is reduced. However, in this case, since a silicone or paraffin liquid or grease is generally used as the refractive index matching agent, it is difficult to apply a certain amount of refractive index matching agent to the ferrule end face. is there. If the refractive index matching agent is applied excessively, contamination around the connecting portion and adhesion of dust and the like will become a problem. Furthermore, since the refractive index matching agent generally has a property of easily flowing, it is difficult to obtain optical stability by flowing out from the connecting portion. Furthermore, the MT-type optical connector and the MPO-type optical connector can be attached / detached. However, when a liquid or grease-like refractive index matching agent is used, the refractive index matching agent is wiped off and reapplied every time it is attached / detached. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes a lot of time and work efficiency is poor.

  As described above, various problems as described above have occurred in the optical connection between optical fibers using ferrules. Therefore, the present invention aims to solve these problems. That is, the object of the present invention is a simpler structure than the conventional means, the connection member can be brought into close contact with the optical fiber, excellent in optical stability regardless of whether or not polished, and more easily attachable / detachable. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector with good workability and an optical connecting member therefor.

The optical connector of the present invention has at least one optical fiber alignment hole, and a pair of ferrules in which the optical fiber is fixed in the optical fiber alignment hole, or a pair of plugs including the ferrule, An optical connector optically connected across a connecting member having refractive index matching, using a sheet-like adhesive material consisting of a single layer as the connecting member, the connecting member being sandwiched between the pair of fail, The connecting member is compressed and deformed, and is supported by one end of a support member made of a cylindrical member. It is characterized by.

  The optical connector of the present invention may include an alignment member for aligning the ferrules or the plugs. Further, the alignment member may be a split sleeve, and ferrules or plugs may be abutted with each other with the connection member interposed in the split sleeve.

  In the optical connector of the present invention, the alignment member is a guide pin, the ferrule or the plug has a guide pin hole, and the ferrule or the plug is aligned by inserting the guide pin into the opposite guide pin hole. May have been performed.

Their to, the support member supporting the connecting member may be mounted within the split sleeve.

Also, the thickness after the connection at the connection point of the connecting member is preferably not 50μm or less.

  The split sleeve for connection used in the optical connector of the present invention is characterized in that a connection member made of a sheet-like adhesive material having refractive index matching is held inside the split sleeve. In that case, the connection member may be held alone inside the split sleeve, or may be held inside the split sleeve while the connection member is supported by the support material.

  The support member for the connection member for use in the optical connector of the present invention comprises a cylindrical member, and an adhesive sheet made of a single layer having refractive index matching as a connection member is supported at one end of the cylindrical member. The other end of the cylindrical member is an open end for fitting into the ferrule or adapter.

  In this invention, it is preferable that the thickness of the connection member which consists of a sheet-like adhesive material after the end surfaces of a ferrule are faced | matched is 50 micrometers or less. If it is larger than 50 μm, the distance between the ferrules that are abutted with each other is too large, resulting in an increase in optical loss, which is not suitable as an optical connector for optical transmission. A more preferable thickness is 5 μm or more and 30 μm or less.

  The replacement of the connection member made of the sheet-like adhesive material may be appropriately performed when, for example, dust or dust adheres to the surface. In addition, a protective film may be attached to prevent foreign matter from being mixed before replacement. In addition, after attaching the dust and the dust adhering to the ferrule end face to the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material, the connecting member is replaced, and the ferrule end face can be used as a cleaning means.

  In the present invention, the connection member made of a sheet-like adhesive material is a member that comes into close contact with the ferrule end with an appropriate tackiness when contacting the ferrule and the optical fiber. Any material can be used as long as it has detachability. Preferably, a material in which the adhesive substance of the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material does not adhere to the removed ferrule is used. Specifically, polymer materials such as acrylic, epoxy, vinyl, silicone, rubber, urethane, methacryl, nylon, bisphenol, diol, polyimide, fluorinated epoxy, fluorinated A sheet made of various pressure-sensitive adhesives such as acrylic can be used. Among them, silicone and acrylic are generally preferably used from the viewpoint of environmental resistance and adhesiveness. Moreover, a crosslinking agent, an additive, a softening agent, or the like may be added to the above material to arbitrarily adjust flexibility, and water resistance or heat resistance may be added. Depending on the material, it may have a porous structure, but by applying an appropriate pressing force to the connecting member made of adhesive during connection, air can be eliminated if the connecting member compresses, affecting light loss. Don't give. Furthermore, it is preferable to select a material having resilience when it is attached and detached.

  Moreover, the connection member which consists of a sheet-like adhesive material used for this invention needs to have refractive index matching. In this case, the refractive index matching means the degree of proximity between the refractive index of the connecting member and the refractive index of the optical fiber. Therefore, the refractive index of the connecting member used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is close to the refractive index of the optical fiber. However, in terms of transmission loss due to avoidance of Fresnel reflection, the difference in refractive index is ± 0. Is preferably within 1 and more preferably within ± 0.05. If the refractive indexes of the optical fibers to be connected are different, it is desirable that the average value of the refractive indexes of the optical fibers and the refractive index of the connecting member are close within the above range.

  Further, the shape of the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected according to the ambient environment and specifications of the connecting portion. For example, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a square shape, a triangular shape, and the like can be given. Further, the size of the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material is not limited, but may be a size that covers at least the core diameter of the optical fiber fixed to the ferrule, and is large enough to be placed partially on the ferrule end face. It may be. Further, the optical connector of the present invention using the MT ferrule as shown in FIG. 2 is preferably of a size that can be placed between two guide pin holes so as not to prevent the insertion of the guide pins.

  The connection member used in the present invention is a single-layer sheet-like adhesive material, and is a connection member having a solid refractive index matching, so there is no risk of causing contamination or dust around the connection part, Further, it can be reliably placed on the ferrule end face. Further, since the connecting member used in the present invention has a refractive index matching and a very simple structure consisting of a single layer, it is possible to make a low-loss connection without causing reflection in the connecting member. it can. Further, since the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material has flexibility, the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material is hardly damaged by the burr on the end face of the optical fiber. Furthermore, since both surfaces have tackiness, it can be easily adhered to the end faces of the two ferrules to be abutted, and the adhesive force maintains the adhesion with the optical fiber to be connected, At the same time, since the refractive index matching is achieved, a good optical connection can be obtained. Further, the end face of the ferrule or optical fiber is not easily cracked, broken or scratched by the pressing. Furthermore, since it has removability, it can be used repeatedly even if it is attached and detached multiple times. Furthermore, the optical fiber can be stably optically connected even if there is vibration of the optical fiber or a thermal shape change due to the adhesive force of the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material.

  In addition, the optical connector of the present invention has the advantage that an existing ferrule can be used, and good optical connection can be obtained without polishing the ferrule tip for the above reasons.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, although this invention is demonstrated concretely based on embodiment below, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned later, Of course, it can change variously in the range which does not deviate from the summary. .

  The ferrule referred to in the present invention has an alignment hole for aligning optical fibers, and fixes the optical fiber in the alignment hole. The ferrule is used for protecting the optical fiber and connecting the optical fiber. Is. An MT ferrule is well known as such a ferrule. Further, the plug is used to fix a ferrule such as an MT ferrule, improve handling at the time of connection, and improve fitting property with other connecting members, for example, an adapter, an FC connector plug, MPO connector plugs and the like are known.

  The optical fiber to be optically connected in the optical connector of the present invention is not limited in any way, and may be appropriately selected according to its use. For example, the types of optical fiber include a single mode fiber and a multimode fiber. As the material, an optical fiber made of a material such as quartz or plastic can be used. The number of optical fibers used in the present invention is not limited at all.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of an optical connector according to the present invention when a single-core optical fiber is connected. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing components of the optical connector, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a connected state. In FIG. 1, 1 is a connection member made of a single-layer sheet-like adhesive material, 2 is an FC connector plug, 3 is an FC connector ferrule, and 4 is a split sleeve. Cover the tip and remove the cleaved optical fiber 6 into the through hole 3a of the ferrule of the FC connector, adjust the position so that the end of the ferrule 3b and the end of the optical fiber are substantially aligned, and place the adhesive in the through hole The optical fiber is fixed by pouring an epoxy resin (Epotech 353 manufactured by Epoxy Technology Inc.) and thermosetting. Next, the connection member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material using an acrylic adhesive resin with a film thickness of 25 μm is placed on the ferrule end face in close contact so that air does not enter one ferrule end face, and this is connected to the ferrule diameter. The ferrules are inserted into a split sleeve having a diameter corresponding to the above and the ferrules facing each other are connected to each other to form the optical connector connection structure of the present invention (FIG. 1B).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the optical connector of the present invention when connecting multi-fiber optical fibers, in which FIG. 2 (a) is a diagram showing components of the optical connector, and FIG. 2 (b). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a connected state. FIGS. 3A to 3C are explanatory views showing a connection process of the optical connector of FIG. 2 and 3, 1 is a connecting member made of a sheet-like adhesive material, 5 and 5 'are MT ferrules, 61 and 61' are optical fiber ribbons, and 7a and 7b are guide pins. In addition, although the figure shows the case where a four-fiber optical fiber ribbon is used, the number of optical fibers is not limited to this.

  First, the coating of the tip is removed, and each of the four cleaved optical fibers 6a to 6d and 6a 'to 6d' is inserted into the through-holes of the MT ferrules so that the ferrule end face 5a and the optical fiber end portion substantially coincide with each other. The optical fiber is fixed by pouring the epoxy resin from the adhesive application holes 5b and 5b 'and curing it (FIG. 3A).

  Next, the guide pins 7a and 7b are inserted into the guide pin hole 5c of one MT ferrule, and the connecting member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material is placed on the end face 5a of the MT ferrule (FIG. 3B). . Next, the MT ferrule 5 and the other MT ferrule 5 ′ are connected via the guide pins 7a and 7b, and the optical connector connection structure of the present invention is formed (FIG. 2B, FIG. 3). c)).

  As described above, the optical connector of the present invention is capable of connecting a plurality of optical fibers at once using a connecting member made of a single sheet-like adhesive material. A good optical connection can be obtained.

  The optical connector of the present invention can also be applied to a ferrule in which the end face of an optical fiber used for ordinary connector connection is polished. That is, with reference to FIG. 3, even if the connection is made using the polished end surface of the MT ferrule 5a and the end face of each optical fiber, good optical characteristics can be obtained, and special design and processing are performed. The known ferrule can be used as it is.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing components of an optical connector when the present invention is applied to an MPO type optical connector. 5 is a diagram for explaining a connection state in the MPO type optical connector of FIG. 4, in which FIG. 5 (a) is a state before connection, and FIG. 5 (b) is a plan view showing a state after connection. is there. The present invention can be used for adapters and connector plugs including MT ferrules such as MT-RJ, MPX, Mini-MT, Mini-MPO which are existing multi-core connectors in addition to the following MPO type optical connectors. Is possible.

  In FIG. 4, the MPO type optical connector includes a connecting member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material, an optical fiber ribbon 61, an MT ferrule 5 for aligning and holding optical fibers, and a housing that is attached and detached by a push-pull mechanism. It comprises an MPO connector plug 8 and a connection adapter 9 for connecting a pair of MPO connector plugs. To connect the optical fiber, first, the connecting member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material is placed on the end face of the MT ferrule 5, and the guide pin 7a is inserted into the guide pin hole on the end face of the MT ferrule 5 fixed to the MPO connector plug 8. 7b are inserted (FIG. 5A). Next, alignment with the MT ferrule 5 'is performed by inserting a guide pin into the guide pin hole of the opposing MT ferrule 5', and the MPO connector plugs 8, 8 'and the connection adapter 9 are connected by the housing ( FIG. 5B). Note that the end surface of the MT ferrule may not be polished. At the time of optical connection, the MT ferrule end faces are brought into close contact with each other through a connecting member made of an adhesive material inside the adapter, thereby forming an optical connection structure.

  As described above, in the optical connector of the present invention, even when an MPO connector plug is used, a low-loss connection is possible without performing a polishing process. Moreover, since the MPO connector plug is a push-pull type, it can be easily attached and detached.

  FIG. 6 is an example of an adapter used when the present invention is applied to an MPO type optical connector, and is a perspective view in a state where the adapter is separated into two. In the case of FIG. 6, the connecting member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material that is gripped in the vertical direction by an appropriate member is disposed in the vicinity of the center where the MT ferrule in the adapter abuts. That is, an adapter is prepared in which the connecting member 1 is arranged on one of the two separated MPO adapters 91 and the other one 92 is coupled by a screw or the like to arrange the connecting member therein. As described above, when the connection member made of the sheet-like adhesive material is disposed in the adapter in advance, the connection member is not contaminated by the surrounding environment, dust or the like, and the connection member is placed on the ferrule end face. Since it is not necessary, workability is improved, which is preferable.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an example of an adapter used when the present invention is applied to an MPO type optical connector. The MPO adapter 9 has a groove 9a having an open top in the vicinity of the center where the MT ferrule abuts. Have. A connecting member can be placed in this groove by inserting a connecting member made of a sheet-like adhesive material gripped in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. When the adapter has a mechanism for mounting the connection member supported by the support member in this manner, it is easy to replace the support member and workability is improved. In addition, one adapter can be used a plurality of times for optical connection, which is economical.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an adapter to which the present invention is applied to an FC type optical connector. In FIG. 8, the split sleeve 4 is attached to the adapter 11, and the connection member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material is disposed near the center of the split sleeve. As the connecting member, a film-like member formed by pouring and curing a curable adhesive material from the split portion of the split sleeve before attaching the split sleeve to the adapter is used. As described above, when the connection member made of the sheet-like adhesive material is provided in advance in the split sleeve in the adapter, the connection member can be surely placed on the end surface of the ferrule, and the workability is improved.

  The means for fixing the connection member made of the sheet-like adhesive material is not particularly limited, such as being fixed by curing in the split sleeve as described above, but it is preferable that the connection member is always used in a fixed state. For example, a support member as shown below may be used. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the connection member made of the sheet-like adhesive material in the present invention is supported by the support member, and the support member 10 is a circle having the same cross-sectional shape as the ferrule, and the sheet-like adhesive material The connecting member 1 made up of is supported by the outer periphery of the support member 10. FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining a state in which the connection member supported by the support member shown in FIG. 9 is mounted in the split sleeve. The connecting member 1 supported by the support member 10 is placed perpendicularly to the split sleeve 4 and is pushed into the split sleeve by a cylindrical pressing member 12 having the same diameter as the inner diameter of the split sleeve. Placed on. As described above, the connection member made of the sheet-like adhesive material can be easily attached to the ferrule by being supported by the support member. In addition, the replacement of the connection member made of sheet-like adhesive can be easily removed from the split sleeve by pushing the support member with the pressing member 12 after the ferrule is taken out. Is possible.

  FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a case where a failure is abutted using the above-described split sleeve. As shown in FIG. 11, a pair of ferrules 3 and 3 ′ to which optical fibers 6 and 6 ′ are fixed are inserted into the split sleeve 4 to which the connecting member supported by the support member is mounted. These ferrules have a convex tip shape. Therefore, a gap is generated between the convex portion and the convex portion at the front end of the ferrule that is abutted when optically connected. The support member 10 is positioned in the gap between the generated ferrules so as not to interfere with the contact between the connection member 1 made of the sheet-like adhesive material and the ferrule end face, thereby forming an optical connection structure. The

  12 (a) to 12 (d) are explanatory views showing a connection process when a connection member made of an adhesive material provided with a support member is used in the case of an optical connector using an MT ferrule according to the present invention. 13 is a front view of a guide pin support member used in the connection step shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 12A and 13, the two guide pins 7 a and 7 b are held by the guide pin support member 13, and both ends of the connection member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material are connected to each guide. The connection member 1 is bonded to the vicinity of the center of the pin, and thereby the connection member 1 is supported by the two guide pins 7a and 7b. The guide pin support member 13 has two guide pin insertion grooves 13a and 13b, and the protruding flat plates 15a and 15b are slidably inserted into slit-like holes communicating with the guide pin insertion grooves from both side surfaces. . When the projection flat plate is pushed after the guide pin is placed in the guide pin insertion groove, the projection flat plate is pushed into the guide pin insertion groove, and the guide pin is gripped by surrounding the groove portion with the projection flat plate. Since the guide pin support member 13 has a cavity 13c inside, when the guide pin is placed, a connecting member made of a sheet-like adhesive material is positioned in the cavity, and the guide pin support member is There is no contact with the connecting member.

  Next, both ends of the guide pin held by the guide pin support member are inserted into the guide pin insertion holes 5c and 5c 'of the pair of MT ferrules 5 and 5' to which the optical fibers 6 and 6 'are fixed. The MT ferrule is pushed in until it comes into contact with the support member 13 (FIG. 12B). As a result, the MT ferrules 5 and 5 'facing each other are aligned by the guide pin, so that the guide pin support member is removed from the guide pin by releasing the protruding flat plate of the guide pin support member (FIG. 12C). The MT ferrule is abutted and connected (FIG. 12 (d)). By supporting the connecting member made of a sheet-like adhesive material on the guide pin as described above, there is no risk of damaging the connecting member made of the adhesive material at the tip of the guide pin when the guide pin is inserted, and there is no dust or dust. Can also be prevented.

  In the present invention, the support member only needs to be able to contact the ferrule end face when the connection member made of a sheet-like adhesive material is connected, and can be held in any shape as long as the connection member can be held without wrinkles or sagging, and at least both ends thereof can be fixed. It may be a thing. The material constituting the support member is not particularly limited, but a material having good mechanical properties such as polyacetal resin, stainless steel, trifluoroethylene resin, tetrafluoroethylene resin or other non-corrosive resin, or chemical A material having low reactivity with respect to a substance or a solvent is preferable. Further, the number of members constituting the support member is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected and used depending on the use environment and the use method.

  FIG. 14 shows support members of various shapes. For example, the support member having a fixed shape in the vertical direction as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), or a U-shape with three directions fixed. Although it may have a shape, it is preferably a window shape or a circular shape as shown in FIGS. 14 (c) and 14 (d), which can be stably held in the vertical and horizontal directions. Moreover, you may provide the holding | maintenance part 10a so that a support member may be hold | maintained easily like FIG.14 (e) and FIG.14 (f). In the case of a support member having such a holding portion, in the optical connector of the present invention using the split sleeve, it is possible to insert the support member into the split sleeve while holding the hold portion and install it near the center. is there.

  FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another example of the support member. The support member 10 shown in FIG. 15 is preferable when an MT ferrule is used, and is composed of a cylindrical member having a frame-like cavity having substantially the same shape as the outer periphery of the MT ferrule. A connecting member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive sheet is attached. Further, the other end surface is a release end for fitting the MT ferrule.

  FIGS. 16A to 16C are perspective views showing components and connection steps of an optical connector in which the present invention is used for a four-fiber MT ferrule. As shown in FIG. 16 (a), the support member 10 is a cylindrical member having a frame-like cavity having substantially the same shape as the outer periphery of the MT ferrule, and has a lateral width of 1.5 mm near the center of one end thereof. A connecting member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material is placed. The other end is an open end, and the inside of the cylindrical member is hollow. By fitting the MT ferrule 5 with the optical fiber fixed into the hollow, a sheet-like adhesive is attached to the end face of the MT ferrule 5. The connecting member 1 made of a material is placed (FIG. 16B). Then, with the support member fitted into the ferrule fixed to the side surface of the ferrule, it is abutted against the opposing MT ferrule 5 ′ to form an optical connection structure of the connector (FIG. 16C). Thus, by fitting the support member to the ferrule, the connection member can be easily attached to the MT ferrule, and after the connection is completed, it is only necessary to remove the support member from the MT ferrule. be able to.

  FIG. 17 is a side view showing the connecting portion of the optical connector of the present invention, where the end portions of the MT ferrule 5 and the MT ferrule 5 ′ are abutted with each other via the connecting member 1 made of a sheet-like adhesive material. Shows a state in which is compressed and deformed flexibly. In this way, the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material can be brought close to the end face between the two ferrules even when the thickness of the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material is deformed to some extent. Can be thickened to some extent, and its handling becomes very simple. Also, even if the angle of the ferrule end face to be attached or the shape of the end face is deformed, the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material is indented and deformed while closely contacting the ferrule end face. It is difficult for air to enter, and low-loss optical connections can be realized without using high-precision polishing technology. Furthermore, the end face of the optical fiber is not damaged due to the flexibility of the surface of the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material, and the handling property at the time of optical connection is very good. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable that the end face of the ferrule and the end face of the optical fiber coincide with each other. However, if the difference is about several microns, the connecting member made of the sheet-like adhesive material is deformed flexibly, so that the optical loss is reduced. It becomes difficult to get up.

It is a top view explaining an example of the optical connector of this invention using the ferrule of FC connector. It is a perspective view explaining an example of the optical connector of this invention using MT ferrule. It is explanatory drawing which shows the connection process of the optical connector of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining an example of the optical connector of this invention using a MPO connector plug. It is a top view explaining the connection state of the MPO connector of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the MPO adapter used for the optical connector of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of the MPO adapter used for the optical connector of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the adapter which comprised the split sleeve used for the optical connector of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the supporting member which supported the connection member used for the optical connector of this invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the connection member supported by the support member of FIG. 9 is attached to the split sleeve. It is sectional drawing which shows the connection state of the optical connector of this invention at the time of using the split sleeve of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the connection process of another example of the optical connector of this invention using MT ferrule. It is a front view of the guide pin support member used for the connection process shown in FIG. It is the top view and perspective view which show the other various examples of the supporting member which supported the connecting member used for the optical connector of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows another example of the supporting member which supported the connection member used for the optical connector of this invention. It is a perspective view explaining an example of a connection process of an optical connector of the present invention using an MT ferrule. It is a figure which shows an example of the connection state of the optical connector of this invention using MT ferrule. Sectional drawing explaining the connection state of the conventional FC connector is shown. The perspective view explaining the connection state of the conventional MT connector is shown. The perspective view explaining the connection state of the conventional MPO connector is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connection member which consists of a sheet-like adhesive material, 2 ... FC connector plug 3, 3 '... Ferrule, 4 ... Split sleeve 5, 5' ... MT ferrule (MT connector plug), 5a ... MT ferrule end surface, 5b ... Adhesive coating hole, 5c ... guide pin hole, 6, 6 '... optical fiber, 61, 61' ... optical fiber ribbon, 7a, 7b ... guide pin, 8, 8 '... MPO connector plug, 9, 91, 92 ... MPO adapter, 9a ... Adapter groove, 10 ... Support member, 11 ... Adapter, 12 ... Pressing member, 13 ... Guide pin support member, 13a, 13b ... Guide pin insertion groove, 13c ... Cavity, 14, 14 '... Cylinder Shape plugs, 15a, 15b ... projecting flat plates, 16, 16 '... rubber boots, 17 ... clamp springs.

Claims (8)

Connection having a refractive index matching between a pair of ferrules having at least one optical fiber alignment hole and fixing the optical fiber in the optical fiber alignment hole, or between a pair of plugs including the ferrule An optical connector optically connected across a member,
Using a sheet-like adhesive material composed of a single layer as the connecting member, the connecting member is compressed and deformed by being sandwiched between the pair of failures ,
The connection member is supported by one end of a support member made of a cylindrical member, and the other end of the cylindrical member is fitted to the ferrule or an adapter to which the ferrule or plug is attached. A featured optical connector.   The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein an alignment member is provided to align the ferrules or the plugs.   The optical connector according to claim 2, wherein the alignment member is a split sleeve, and ferrules or plugs are abutted with each other with the connection member interposed in the split sleeve.   The alignment member is a guide pin, the ferrule or plug has a guide pin hole, and the ferrule or the plug is aligned by inserting the guide pin into the opposite guide pin hole. The optical connector according to claim 2.   The optical connector according to claim 3, wherein a support member that supports the connection member is mounted in the split sleeve.   The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a thickness after connection at a connection point of the connection member is 50 µm or less.   4. A connection split sleeve for use in the optical connector according to claim 3, wherein a connection member made of a sheet-like adhesive material having refractive index matching is held inside the split sleeve. sleeve.   A support member for a connection member for use in the optical connector according to claim 1, comprising a cylindrical member, and having a single layer having a refractive index matching property as a connection member at one end of the cylindrical member. An adhesive material is supported, and the other end of the cylindrical member is an open end for fitting with the ferrule or adapter.

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