JP4867590B2 - Optical fiber fusion splicer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber fusion splicer in which an optical fiber support portion on which optical fibers are aligned and placed and an electrode support portion on which a discharge electrode rod is placed are integrally formed.

  In both single-fiber and multi-fiber, optical fiber fusion splicing is usually performed by butting the optical fiber ends together and applying thermal energy to the butted portion by air discharge. In this case, an electrically insulating ceramic is used for the optical fiber support base in which the fiber V-groove for placing the optical fiber aligned and positioned is used from the viewpoint of heat resistance against air discharge and prevention of current leakage. On the other hand, a conductive metal material is used for the material of the electrode support base on which the electrode V-groove on which the electrode bar for discharge is placed is formed, and also serves as an electric terminal for supplying discharge energy.

  However, if the optical fiber support base and the electrode support base are formed separately as described above, it is not preferable because both positions need to be aligned and the alignment mechanism becomes complicated. For this reason, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an optical fiber support base and an electrode support base are integrally formed of ceramic. In this case, a special power supply mechanism for applying a high voltage to the electrode bar for discharge is required.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a power feeding mechanism to the electrode rod disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, and a ceramic support base 2 is installed on a synthetic resin base base 1. The support base 2 is formed integrally with a support portion of the optical fiber and a support portion of the discharge electrode rod 3, and FIG. 4 shows an electrode support portion that supports the electrode rod 3 with the electrode V-groove 2a. The electrode rod 3 is positioned in the electrode V groove 2a of the optical fiber support 2 by an electrode retainer 5 made of an insulating material with a contact plate 4 fixed on the lower surface side, and the electrode retainer 5 is fixed to the base table 1 by a set screw 6. By doing so, it is held in the electrode V-groove 2a.

Since the contact plate 4 is provided integrally with the electrode presser 5, it is brought into electrical contact with the electrode bar 3 by the pressing force. The contact plate 4 is integrally formed with a protruding portion 4a for feeding, and an electric cable is directly connected to the protruding portion, or is provided in the recessed portion 1a of the base 1 as shown in the figure, Electrical contact is made with the contacts 7 connected to the electrical cable 8. In this case, power is supplied to the electrode rod 3 through the electrical contact portion at two locations of the contact 7 and the convex portion 4a of the contact plate 4 and the contact plate 4 and the electrode rod 3.
JP 11-316315 A

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the electrical connection between the rigid bodies using the contact plate 4 and the electrode rod 3 or the contact 7, the fixing of the electrode presser 5 is loosened and becomes insufficient, or dust or the like adheres to the electrical contact portion. Then, the electrical contact in the electrical connection path between the electric cable 8 and the electrode rod 3 becomes insufficient. Since a high voltage that generates an air discharge is applied to the electric cable 8, if there is an insufficient portion in the electric contact portion, a discharge spark is generated in a portion other than the electric connection path, and the components are burned out. Sometimes. If the electric cable is directly connected to the contact plate 4 instead of using the contact 7, the electric cable must be pulled out from the base base when the electrode presser 5 is removed when the electrode bar 3 is replaced, resulting in poor workability. Become.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and has an electrode support mechanism that has good workability at the time of electrode replacement, ensures electrical contact with the electrode rod, and has high electrode position reproducibility. The purpose is to provide an optical fiber fusion splicer.

An optical fiber fusion splicer according to the present invention has a support base on which a fiber V groove for placing optical fibers in alignment and an electrode V groove for placing a discharge electrode rod are formed. The electrode support portion includes an electrode pressing member that presses the discharge electrode rod against the electrode V-groove and a conductive member that supplies power to the discharge electrode rod, and one end of the conductive member is elastically brought into contact with the discharge electrode rod to It is formed of an elastic contact piece that is folded into a U-shape to be connected.

The elastic contact piece having a U-shaped shape is accommodated in a space formed so as to cross the electrode V-groove, for example, and is elastically contacted so as to push up the discharge electrode rod. The elastic contact piece is disposed on the lower surface of the pressing portion of the electrode pressing member and is elastically contacted so as to push down the discharge electrode bar. In this case, the conductive member is fixed to the lower surface side of the electrode pressing member, and the electrode pressing member is attached to be openable and closable.

  According to the present invention, by removing the electrode pressing member, it is possible to easily replace the discharge electrode rod, improve workability, and provide a good electrical contact state between the discharge electrode rod and the conductive member by the elastic contact piece. The discharge electrode rod can be positioned with good reproducibility.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining another example. In the figure, 11 is an optical fiber (multi-fiber tape fiber), 12 is a discharge electrode rod, 13 is a support base, 14 is an optical fiber support, 15 is an electrode support, 16 is a fiber V groove, 17 is an electrode V groove, 18 is a space, 19 is an opening, 20 is a mounting recess, 21 is a conductive member, 22 is an elastic contact piece, 23 is a terminal piece, 24 is a bent piece, 25 is a cable connection terminal, 26 is an electrode pressing member, and 27 is A set screw, 28 is an insulation protection member, 29 is an electric cable, 30 is a base base, and 31 is a mounting base.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the support base 13 used in the present invention is formed of a heat-resistant material having electrical insulation such as ceramic, and an optical fiber support portion 14 and an electrode support portion 15 are integrally formed. The thing of the structure which was made is used. The optical fiber support 14 is configured by forming a plurality of fiber V grooves 16 on a flat surface on which the optical fiber 11 is placed. The fiber V-groove 16 is for aligning and positioning a plurality of optical fiber core wires, and is held and fixed by placing the optical fiber and pressing it with a clamp member (not shown). In the figure, as the optical fiber 11, an example is shown in which a plurality of optical fiber cores arranged in a row and covered in a lump are used as the optical fiber 11, but one single fiber or a plurality of optical fiber cores are used. Single core wires may be used.

  The electrode support portion 15 has an electrode V groove 17 for positioning the discharge electrode rod 12 so as to be orthogonal to the axial direction of the optical fiber 11. The pair of discharge electrode rods 12 is formed with an acute tip portion 12a suitable for generating air discharge at the tip portion, and an electrically insulating knob 12b is attached to the rear end portion for gripping the electrode position. ing. The discharge electrode rod 12 is placed so that the fusion splicing end portion of the optical fiber 11 is sandwiched from the optical fiber arrangement direction, and is held and fixed to the electrode V groove 17 by an electrode pressing member described later.

In addition, the conductive member 21 for supplying electric power that gives discharge energy to the discharge electrode rod 12 is configured to be in elastic contact with and electrically connected to the discharge electrode rod 12. For this reason, the space part 18 which accommodates the elastic contact piece 22 of the electrically-conductive member 21 is provided in the intermediate part of the electrode support part 15, for example.
An opening 19 is provided in the central portion of the support base 13 to form a space portion for generating an air discharge and performing fusion splicing. An attachment recess 20 is provided for removably fixing the support base 13 to the base base or the like with screws or the like.

FIG. 2 shows an electrical connection configuration with the conductive member 21 for supplying power while the discharge electrode rod 12 is held and fixed by the electrode pressing member 26. The conductive member 21 is selected in view of strength, elasticity, and corrosivity in addition to conductivity. For example, a belt-like conductive plate having a spring property such as beryllium copper can be formed by being bent into a predetermined shape. The conductive member 21, the end portion of the hand is a resilient contact piece 22 elastically is granted curved in U-shape, is the other end a plate-like terminal piece 23, the elastic contact piece 22 An intermediate part for adjusting the positional relationship of the terminal piece 23 is formed by an inclined bent piece 24. Alternatively, only the elastic contact piece 22 of the conductive member 21 may be formed of a conductive plate having a spring property, and the other part may be formed of a conductive plate having no spring property.

  The elastic contact piece 22 is given elasticity by curving the end portion of the conductive member 21 in a U shape, the side surface following the bent piece 24 contacts the discharge electrode rod 12, and the side surface of the folded free end side is It arrange | positions so that the bottom part of the space part formed in the lower part of the electrode support part 15 may be contacted. The discharge electrode rod 12 is set in a state of being placed on the elastic contact piece 22 and is electrically contacted with the lower surface of the discharge electrode rod 12. When the discharge electrode bar 12 is pressed from above by the electrode pressing member 26, the discharge electrode bar 12 is positioned in contact with the groove surface of the electrode V-groove 17, and elastically so that the elastic contact piece 22 pushes the discharge electrode bar 12 upward. Contact to form an electrical contact.

  The terminal piece 23 provided at the other end of the conductive member 21 is for connecting an electric cable 29 for power feeding, and has a shape that allows the electric cable 29 to be easily connected using a normal cable connection terminal 25, for example. Can be formed. Further, since the conductive member 21 does not need to be removed when the discharge electrode rod 12 is replaced, it can be fixedly provided on the base table 30. In this case, the terminal piece 23 may be fixed on the base table 30 using the cable connection terminal 25 or the like. Alternatively, the bent piece 24 may be covered with a sleeve that also serves as electrical insulation, and fixed with an adhesive or the like.

  The electrode pressing member 26 is formed of an electrically insulating synthetic resin or the like, and is attached and fixed so that the discharge electrode rod 12 is held in the electrode V groove 17 using a set screw 27. Further, the electrode pressing member 26 is shaped to cover the bent piece portion of the conductive member 21 so as to have a function of protecting the operator from an electric shock accident. In addition, the terminal portion 23 that is not protected by the electrode pressing member 26 is insulated by using an insulation protection member 28. The electrode holding member 26 can be easily removed and attached by rotating the set screw 27. When replacing the discharge electrode rod 12, only the electrode holding member 26 needs to be attached and detached, so that the work with little experience is performed. Even a person can easily perform the replacement work.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention, but the usage pattern of the conductive member is different from the example of FIG. As in the example of FIG. 2, the conductive member 21 of FIG. 3 is formed by, for example, bending a belt-shaped conductive plate having spring properties such as beryllium copper into a predetermined shape. As in the example of FIG. 2 , the conductive member 21 is formed as an elastic contact piece 22 with one end folded back into a U shape and provided with elasticity, and the other end as a plate-like terminal piece 23. The intermediate portion for adjusting the positional relationship between the elastic contact piece 22 and the terminal piece 23 is formed by an inclined bent piece 24.

  The elastic contact piece 22 in FIG. 3 is given elasticity by bending one end of the conductive member 21 in a U shape like FIG. 2, but the side surface following the inclined piece 24 is the electrode holding member 26. 2 is different from the configuration of FIG. 2 in that it is arranged so as to be in contact with the lower surface and the side surface of the folded free end side is in contact with the discharge electrode rod 12. The discharge electrode rod 12 is set in a state of being placed on the electrode V-groove 17, and is pressed from above by the electrode pressing member 26 via the conductive member 21. Thereby, the discharge electrode rod 12 is positioned in contact with the groove surface of the electrode V-groove 17 by the elastic force of the elastic contact piece 22 and elastically so that the elastic contact piece 22 pushes the discharge electrode rod 12 downward. In contact, a good electrical connection is formed.

  Similarly to the example of FIG. 2, the terminal piece 23 is formed in a shape that allows easy connection of a cable using, for example, a normal cable connection terminal 25. Further, the elastic contact piece 22 of the conductive member 21 may be fixed to the lower surface side of the electrode pressing member 26. In addition, various means, such as an adhesive agent, a screw, and embedding, can be used for fixing the elastic contact piece 22. By fixing the conductive member 21 to the lower surface side of the electrode pressing member 26, when replacing the discharge electrode rod 12, it is not necessary to set the conductive member 21 one by one and workability can be improved.

  Further, as described above, the electrode pressing member 26 and the elastic contact piece 22 are fixed, and the terminal piece 23 of the conductive member 21 is fixed to the base piece 23 using the cable connection terminal 25 or the like as in the case of FIG. You may make it fix on the stand 30. FIG. When configured in this manner, the inclined portion 24 of the conductive member 21 acts as an elastic foldable hinge portion by utilizing its flexibility, and the electrode pressing member 26 and the conductive member 21 are attached to the electrode support portion 15. On the other hand, it can be opened and closed. According to this configuration, it is possible to replace the discharge electrode rod 12 in a state where the electrode pressing member 26 and the conductive member 21 are coupled to the base base 30, and the workability is good and the electrode pressing member 26 and the conductive member 21 are lost. Nor.

  By using the electrical connection and fixing structure of the discharge electrode rod described above, the discharge electrode rod can be easily replaced, and workability can be improved. Further, since the elastic contact piece of the conductive member contacts the discharge electrode rod with a slight sliding action, the contact surface is cleaned to form a good electrical contact and maintain the electrical contact state. Can do.

It is a figure explaining the outline of the present invention. It is a figure explaining an example of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the other example of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Optical fiber (multi-fiber tape fiber), 12 ... Discharge electrode rod, 13 ... Support stand, 14 ... Optical fiber support part, 15 ... Electrode support part, 16 ... Fiber V groove, 17 ... Electrode V groove, 18 ... Space , 19 ... opening, 20 ... mounting recess, 21 ... conductive member, 22 ... elastic contact piece, 23 ... terminal piece, 24 ... bent piece, 25 ... cable connection terminal, 26 ... electrode pressing member, 27 ... set screw, 28 ... Insulation protection member, 29 ... Electric cable, 30 ... Base base, 31 ... Mounting base

Claims (4)

An optical fiber fusion splicer having a support base on which a fiber V-groove for aligning and placing optical fibers and an electrode V-groove for positioning a discharge electrode rod are formed,
An electrode pressing member that presses the discharge electrode rod against the electrode V-groove and a conductive member that supplies electric power to the discharge electrode rod, and one end of the conductive member is elastically brought into contact with the discharge electrode rod An optical fiber fusion splicer having an electrode support portion formed of an elastic contact piece folded back into a U-shape to be connected. 2. The optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic contact piece is housed in a space portion formed so as to cross the electrode V-groove, and elastically contacts the discharge electrode rod so as to push it upward. Fusion splicer. 2. The optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic contact piece is disposed on a lower surface of the pressing portion of the electrode pressing member, and elastically contacts the discharge electrode rod so as to press down. 3. . The optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 3 , wherein the conductive member is fixed to the lower surface side of the electrode pressing member and is attached to the electrode pressing member so as to be openable and closable.

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