JP5250498B2 - Boot, optical connector, and optical connector manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a boot, an optical connector, and a method for manufacturing the optical connector.

  An optical connector for connecting optical fibers to each other by PC (PC is an abbreviation for Physical Contact) is known. In such an optical connector, a rubber cylindrical boot is used in order to prevent the optical fiber from being damaged by bending stress applied to the optical fiber extending to the outside.

JP 2007-193181 A JP 2001-133660 A

  In a multi-fiber optical connector capable of connecting a large number of optical fibers at once, a plurality of optical fibers of an optical fiber ribbon are inserted into an optical fiber hole of a ferrule. However, the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon may vary depending on the coating conditions and coating tolerances. If the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon changes, the position and orientation of the optical fiber in the ferrule may change significantly.

  As a result, an abrupt bending stress is applied to the optical fiber in the ferrule, and the optical fiber may be damaged. On the other hand, if the ferrule is designed so that the optical fiber is not damaged regardless of the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon, a great constraint is imposed on the design.

  An object of the present invention is to suppress changes in the position and posture of an optical fiber within a ferrule even when the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon is changed.

The main invention for achieving the above object, a first end surface, a second end surface, boots optical fiber ribbon for insertion and a through-hole penetrating between the first end surface and said second end face A first clamping portion and a second clamping portion for sandwiching the optical fiber ribbon from the thickness direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the inner surface of which is the first end face side opening of the through hole A first sandwiching portion and a second sandwiching portion that face each other at an interval narrower than the interval in the thickness direction and whose outer surfaces oppose each other at an interval narrower than the interval in the thickness direction on the outer periphery of the first end surface. A first deforming portion that is elastically deformed so that the first holding portion can be displaced in the thickness direction, and a second deforming portion that is elastically deformed so that the second holding portion can be displaced in the thickness direction. This is a boot characterized by that.

  Other characteristics of the present invention will be made clear by the description and drawings described later.

  According to the present invention, even if the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon is changed, changes in the position and posture of the optical fiber in the ferrule are suppressed.

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view for explaining a connection state of an optical connector. FIG. 1B is a perspective view for explaining a connection state of the optical connector. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an optical connector 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ferrule 10. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a ferrule 10. FIG. It is a perspective view of the boot of a comparative example. 6A and 6B are explanatory views of the state of the optical fiber when the boot of the comparative example is used. It is an orthographic view of the boot 5 of this embodiment. 8A and 8B are perspective views of the boot 5 as viewed obliquely from behind. FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are perspective views of the boot 5 as viewed obliquely from the front. 10A and 10B are explanatory views of the state of the optical fiber when the boot 5 of this embodiment is used. It is a processing flow figure of the manufacturing method of an optical connector. It is explanatory drawing of the modification of the front side end surface of a ferrule.

  At least the following matters will be apparent from the description and drawings described below.

A boot having a through hole for inserting an optical fiber ribbon, and a first sandwiching portion and a second sandwiching portion for sandwiching the optical fiber ribbon from the thickness direction of the optical fiber ribbon The first sandwiching portion and the second sandwiching portion that are opposed to each other at an interval narrower than the interval in the thickness direction of the inlet side opening of the through hole, and the first sandwiching portion can be displaced in the thickness direction. Thus, a boot comprising the first deformable portion that is elastically deformed and the second deformable portion that is elastically deformed so that the second holding portion can be displaced in the thickness direction is clarified.
According to such a boot, even if the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon is changed, changes in the position and posture of the optical fiber in the ferrule are suppressed.

  The first clamping part and the second clamping part are provided at the outlet side opening of the through hole, and the outlet side opening side of the first clamping part is not constrained by the first deformation part. It is desirable that the outlet side opening side of the second clamping part is not restrained by the second deforming part. Thereby, a clamping part becomes easy to displace.

  It is desirable that the first sandwiching portion, the second sandwiching portion, the first deforming portion, and the second deforming portion are provided within a range to be inserted into the ferrule. Thereby, when it inserts in a ferrule, it becomes difficult to produce a clearance gap between the outer periphery of boots and a ferrule.

  It is desirable that the first clamping part and the first deformation part, and the second clamping part and the second deformation part have symmetrical shapes. As a result, when the optical fiber ribbon is inserted, the optical fiber ribbon can be sandwiched by being positioned at the center of the boot.

It is desirable to insert a plurality of optical fiber ribbons. When inserting a plurality of optical fiber ribbons, the variation in the overall thickness of the laminated optical fiber ribbons is large, so the effect when using a boot is great. A ferrule having a boot insertion port, a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber hole being inserted into the optical fiber hole, and a boot inserted into the boot insertion port. The first and second sandwiching portions that sandwich the optical fiber ribbon from the thickness direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the first sandwiching portion are elastically deformed so that the first sandwiching portion can be displaced in the thickness direction. An optical connector comprising a first deformable portion and a boot having a second deformable portion that is elastically deformed so that the second sandwiching portion can be displaced in the thickness direction is clarified.
According to such an optical connector, even if the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon is changed, changes in the position and posture of the optical fiber in the ferrule are suppressed.

A boot having a through hole for inserting an optical fiber ribbon, and a first sandwiching portion and a second sandwiching portion that sandwich the optical fiber ribbon from the thickness direction of the optical fiber ribbon; A boot having a first deforming portion that is elastically deformed so that the first holding portion can be displaced in the thickness direction, and a second deforming portion that is elastically deformed so that the second holding portion can be displaced in the thickness direction. Inserting the optical fiber tape core wire into the through hole of the boot, and sandwiching the optical fiber tape core wire from the thickness direction of the optical fiber tape core wire. And a step of inserting an optical fiber of the optical fiber ribbon into an optical fiber hole of the ferrule.
According to such an optical connector manufacturing method, even if the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon is changed, the change in the position and posture of the optical fiber in the ferrule is suppressed.

=== Basic configuration of optical connector ===
<Overall configuration>
In the following description, the entire unit in which a member such as an optical fiber or a boot is attached to the ferrule is referred to as an “optical connector”, and the ferrule alone or the ferrule portion of the optical connector before attaching another member such as an optical fiber or a boot. This is sometimes simply called “ferrule”.

  FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view for explaining a connection state of an optical connector. FIG. 1B is a perspective view for explaining a connection state of the optical connector.

  The optical connector of this embodiment is an MT connector corresponding to a JIS C 5981 type F12 type multi-core optical fiber. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an F15 type optical fiber connector of JIS C 5984 may be used.

  The optical connector in which the guide pin 2 is inserted into the guide pin hole in advance is the male optical connector 1M, and the guide pin 2 of the male optical connector 1M is inserted into the guide pin hole of the female optical connector 1F. Thereby, the male side optical connector 1M and the female side optical connector 1F are positioned, and the optical fibers are aligned with each other. In this state, the male side optical connector 1M and the female side optical connector 1F are fastened with a predetermined pressure by the clamp spring 3. As a result, the optical fibers hit each other, and the optical fiber PC connection (PC is an abbreviation for Physical Contact) is in a stable connection state.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the optical connector. The optical connector 1 is mainly composed of a ferrule 10, a boot 5, and an optical fiber ribbon 4.

  The ferrule 10 has a boot insertion opening (not shown in FIG. 2). The boot 5 is inserted into the boot insertion opening.

  The boot 5 is a member for preventing the optical fiber from being damaged by bending stress applied to the optical fiber. The boot 5 may be called a strain relief. The shape of the boot 5 will be described later in detail, but is approximately cylindrical. The optical fiber ribbon 4 is inserted into the through hole of the boot 5. In FIG. 2, only one optical fiber ribbon is drawn, but in this embodiment, four optical fiber ribbons 4 are inserted into the boot 5.

  The optical fiber ribbon 4 is covered with a plurality of optical fibers 4A all together. In the present embodiment, a 12-fiber optical fiber ribbon is formed by collectively covering 12 optical fibers 4A. The tip of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is stripped and the optical fiber 4A is exposed. Each optical fiber 4A is inserted into the optical fiber hole of the ferrule 10 and fixed with an adhesive. In the optical connector of this embodiment, four 12-core optical fiber ribbons are inserted into the ferrule 10, and a total of 48 optical fibers are fixed to the ferrule 10.

<Ferrule 10>
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ferrule 10. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ferrule 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the side connected to the mating connector may be expressed as “front” and the opposite side as “rear”. The “forward direction” may be expressed as the “insertion direction” of the optical fiber or the optical fiber ribbon. Further, the direction in which the optical fiber holes 12 are arranged may be expressed as “left-right direction”. Further, the side of the surface on which the adhesive filling window 15 is provided may be expressed as “upper” and the opposite side as “lower”. The “vertical direction” may be expressed as the “thickness direction” of the optical fiber ribbon.

  On the front end surface 11A of the ferrule 10, two guide pin holes 13 for inserting guide pins are opened. The two guide pin holes 13 are parallel to the front-rear direction and are formed side by side.

  Further, 48 optical fiber holes 12 are opened between the two guide pin holes 13 on the front end face 11A. Here, 12 optical fiber hole 12 rows (hereinafter referred to as “optical fiber hole row”) arranged in the left-right direction are arranged in four rows (four steps) in the vertical direction. That is, the openings of 48 optical fiber holes 12 are two-dimensionally arranged on the front end face 11A.

  The twelve optical fiber holes 12 constituting the optical fiber hole array respectively correspond to the twelve optical fibers included in the twelve-core optical fiber ribbon. Here, since there are four optical fiber hole arrays, a total of 48 optical fiber holes 12 respectively correspond to a total of 48 optical fibers of four 12-fiber optical fiber ribbons. Each optical fiber hole 12 is formed parallel to the front-rear direction.

  The interval D between the optical fiber hole rows arranged in the vertical direction is 250 μm. Since the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon is varied in the range of about 250 μm to 340 μm, the distance D does not necessarily match the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon.

  On the rear end face 11B of the ferrule 10, a boot insertion opening 14 (see FIG. 4) for inserting the boot 5 is opened. The boot 5 inserted into the boot insertion opening 14 will be described in detail later.

  An adhesive filling window 15 for filling the adhesive is opened on the upper surface 11C of the ferrule 10. The lower surface 11D of the ferrule 10 has no opening. In the ferrule 10, the optical fiber hole 12, the adhesive filling window 15, and the boot insertion port 14 communicate with each other.

  Inside the ferrule 10, a contact portion 16 for restricting the amount of insertion of the boot 5 is formed. The boot 5 is inserted into the boot insertion port 14 until it abuts against the abutting portion 16. The abutting portion 16 is formed at a position separated from the rear end surface 11B of the ferrule 10 by a length L1. As a result, the boot 5 is inserted into the ferrule 10 by a predetermined length L1.

=== Comparative Boots ===
Before describing the boot 5 of the present embodiment, a boot of a comparative example will be described.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a boot of a comparative example.
The boot 5 ′ of the comparative example has a constant cross-sectional shape. As already described, the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon varies depending on the coating conditions, coating tolerances, and the like. In this case, the core wire insertion hole of the boot 5 'needs to be formed in accordance with the thickest optical fiber tape core wire. For example, when the thickness varies in the range of 250 μm to 340 μm, a through hole having a height of 1360 μm (= 340 μm × 4) is formed in the boot so that four optical fiber ribbons having a thickness of 340 μm can be inserted. There is a need. And since the cross-sectional shape is constant in boot 5 'of a comparative example, the height (space | interval of an up-down direction) of a through hole is also constant at 1360 micrometers.

  6A and 6B are explanatory views of the state of the optical fiber when the boot of the comparative example is used.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is 340 μm (when relatively thick), the boot 5 ′ can support the four optical fiber ribbons 4 in the vertical direction. . For this reason, the vertical position of the four optical fiber ribbons 4 is determined at a predetermined position.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is 250 μm (relatively thin), a gap is generated between the boot 5 ′ and the optical fiber ribbon 4. For this reason, the vertical position of the four optical fiber ribbons 4 is indefinite (in FIG. 6B, the four optical fiber ribbons 4 are depicted as being laminated from below, The position of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is not necessarily such a position). As a result, the position and posture of the optical fiber 4A in the ferrule 10 may fluctuate, and a sudden bending stress may be applied to the optical fiber 4A in the ferrule 10. For example, in the state shown in FIG. 6B, the bending of the optical fiber 6A is steeper than in the state shown in FIG. 6A.

  In FIG. 6B, the vertical distance D (= 250 μm, see FIG. 3) of the optical fiber holes and the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4 are the same. For this reason, the bending method of the four optical fibers 4A arranged in the vertical direction in FIG. 6B is the same. Here, assuming that the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is smaller than the distance D, when the four optical fiber ribbons 4 are laminated from the bottom as shown in FIG. The bending of the optical fiber 4A becomes particularly rapid. Thus, in the case of a ferrule in which the optical fiber holes 12 are two-dimensionally arranged, when the plurality of optical fiber ribbons 4 are inserted into the ferrule 10 using the boot 5 ′ of the comparative example, the bending of the optical fiber 4A is particularly May be sudden.

  On the other hand, if the ferrule is designed so that the optical fiber 4A is not damaged regardless of the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4, the optical fiber is formed when a gap is formed between the boot 5 'and the optical fiber ribbon 4. It is necessary to prevent a sudden bending stress from being applied to the optical fiber 4A regardless of the position of the tape core wire 4. However, this is a great constraint when designing the ferrule 10.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is reduced, a gap is hardly formed between the boot and the optical fiber ribbon 4, and the vertical direction of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is increased. The position of is determined.

=== Boots of this Embodiment ===
<Boot shape>
FIG. 7 is an orthographic view of the boot 5 of the present embodiment. The figure which looked at the boot 5 from the right side is made into the front view. In the front view and the top view, the boot 5 is shown as being half-sectioned along the center line. 8A and 8B are perspective views of the boot 5 as viewed obliquely from behind. FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are perspective views of the boot 5 as viewed obliquely from the front.

  The boot 5 is a cylindrical body having a through hole. The opening (inlet side opening) in the rear end surface 51B of the boot 5 is referred to as a core wire insertion port 52B, and the opening (outlet side opening) in the front side end surface 51A is referred to as a core wire outlet 52A. Further, the upper member constituting the cylindrical shape is called an upper wall portion 53A, the lower member is called a lower wall portion 53B, and the left and right members of the boot are called side wall portions 53C. The upper wall portion 53A, the lower wall portion 53B, and the left and right side wall portions 53C are integrally formed of an elastic body (elastomer) such as rubber or plastic.

  The left and right widths of the core wire insertion opening 52 </ b> B correspond to the width of the optical fiber tape core wire 4. The vertical height of the core wire insertion opening 52B (the distance between the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall portion 53A and the inner surface (upper surface) of the lower wall portion 53B) is approximately 1360 μm. This corresponds to the thickness when four optical fiber ribbons 4 having a thickness of 340 μm (the thickest optical fiber ribbon in the range of variation) are bundled.

  In the boot 5 of the present embodiment, a trapezoidal recess 54 is formed on the core wire outlet 52A side (front side) of the upper wall portion 53A and the lower wall portion 53B. And by forming the recessed part 54 in a trapezoidal shape, the upper wall part 53A and the lower wall part 53B are respectively provided with a clamping part 55 (first clamping part and second clamping part) and a deformation part 56 (first deformation part and Second deformation portion) is formed.

  The upper and lower holding portions 55 are for holding the optical fiber ribbon 4. For this reason, the inner surface of the clamping part 55 serves as a contact surface 55A that comes into contact with the optical fiber ribbon 4. The contact surface 55A is a plane whose normal is the vertical direction, and the contact surfaces 55A of the upper and lower clamping portions 55 are opposed to each other. The contact surface 55A of the upper clamping portion 55 is located below the lower surface of the upper wall portion 53A on the side of the core wire insertion port 52B. Further, the contact surface 55A of the lower holding portion 55 is located above the upper surface of the lower wall portion 53B on the side of the core wire insertion port 52B. For this reason, the interval between the contact surfaces 55A of the upper and lower clamping portions 55 is the vertical height of the core wire insertion port 52B (the interval between the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall portion 53A and the inner surface (upper surface) of the lower wall portion 53B). Narrower than.

  Further, the outer surfaces of the upper and lower clamping portions 55 are recessed from the outer surfaces of the upper wall portion 53A and the lower wall portion 53B. In other words, the upper surface of the upper clamping portion 55 is located below the upper surface of the upper wall portion 53A, and the lower surface of the lower clamping portion 55 is located above the lower surface of the lower wall portion 53B. This is to enable the holding portion 55 to be displaced outward.

  The deformation portion 56 is a portion that is elastically deformed so that the holding portion 55 can be displaced outward. The deformed portion 56 on the upper wall portion 53A side is formed between the upper wall portion 53A and the sandwiching portion 55 so that the sandwiching portion 55 can be displaced upward. The deformed portion 56 on the lower wall portion 53B side is formed between the lower wall portion 53B and the sandwiching portion 55 so that the sandwiching portion 55 can be displaced downward.

  The deformation part 56 is provided so as to surround the sandwiching part 55 from three sides (right side, left side, and rear side). Compared to the case where the deforming portion 56 surrounds the sandwiching portion 55 from four sides, one of the front sides of the sandwiching portion 55 is not constrained by the deforming portion 56, so that the sandwiching portion 55 is easily displaced up and down.

  Since the trapezoidal recess 54 is formed on the core wire outlet 52A side, the vertical height (interval between the contact surfaces 55A of the upper and lower clamping portions 55) at the center of the core wire outlet 52A is approximately 1000 μm. This corresponds to the thickness when four optical fiber ribbons 4 having a thickness of 250 μm are bundled (the thinnest optical fiber ribbon in the range of variation). However, the vertical height at the central portion of the core wire outlet 52A can be expanded to 1360 μm by the action of the deforming portion 56.

  The vertical height (space between the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall portion 53A and the inner surface (upper surface) of the lower wall portion 53B) other than the concave portion 54 on the core wire outlet 52A side is the upper and lower heights of the core wire insertion port 52B. Similar to the height, it is approximately 1360 μm. This corresponds to the thickness when four optical fiber ribbons 4 having a thickness of 340 μm (the thickest optical fiber ribbon in the range of variation) are bundled. The left and right widths of the core wire outlet 52 </ b> A correspond to the width of the optical fiber ribbon 4.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the recess 54 is formed in a range of a length L2 from the front end surface 51A of the boot 5. The length L2 is shorter than the length L1 (see FIG. 4) from the rear end surface 11B of the ferrule 10 to the abutting portion 16. For this reason, when the boot 5 is inserted into the ferrule 10 until the front end face 51A of the boot 5 abuts against the abutting portion 16 of the ferrule 10, the recess 54 of the boot 5 is hidden inside the ferrule 10 and is not exposed to the outside. As a result, when the boot 5 is inserted into the ferrule 10, there is no gap between the boot insertion port 14 and the outer periphery of the boot 5 on the rear end face 11 </ b> B of the ferrule 10. Thereby, when the adhesive is filled from the adhesive filling window 15 of the ferrule 10, leakage of the adhesive from the recess 54 can be prevented.

  Further, since the length of the boot 5 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length L1, the rear side of the boot 5 protrudes from the rear end surface of the ferrule 10 when the boot 5 is inserted into the ferrule 10. Since the portion protruding from the ferrule can be elastically deformed without being constrained by the boot insertion opening, it is possible to prevent a large bending stress from being applied to the optical fiber ribbon extending outside the optical connector. That is, this part performs the original function of the boot.

  The boot 5 of this embodiment has a vertically symmetrical shape. In other words, the upper and lower recesses 54 are formed vertically symmetrical. That is, the upper and lower clamping portions 55 and the deformable portion 56 are formed vertically symmetrical. Thereby, when a thing with a thickness of 1000 μm or more (for example, a bundle of four optical fiber ribbons) is inserted into the boot 5, the upper and lower deformable portions 56 are uniformly deformed. It can be held in the center of

<Situation after insertion of optical fiber ribbon>
10A and 10B are explanatory views of the state of the optical fiber when the boot 5 of this embodiment is used.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, when the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is 340 μm (relatively thick), the gap between the two clamping portions 55 is expanded, and the clamping portion 55 of the boot 5 is divided into four pieces. The optical fiber ribbon 4 is supported in the vertical direction. For this reason, the vertical position of the four optical fiber ribbons 4 is determined at a predetermined position.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10B, even when the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is 250 μm (relatively thin), the two sandwiching portions 55 of the boot 5 have four optical fiber ribbons 4. Can be supported in the vertical direction. For this reason, the vertical position of the four optical fiber ribbons 4 is determined at a predetermined position.

  In contrast to FIG. 6B of the comparative example, when the boot 5 of this embodiment is used as shown in FIG. 10B, no gap is generated between the boot 5 and the optical fiber ribbon 4. For this reason, in this embodiment, the position and attitude of the optical fiber 4A in the ferrule 10 are stable.

  In particular, since the boot 5 of this embodiment has a vertically symmetric shape, regardless of the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 4, the bundle of four optical fiber ribbons is positioned at the center of the optical fiber insertion opening 52 </ b> B. Can be made. As a result, bending stress applied to the optical fiber 4A in the ferrule 10 can be suppressed.

  Further, when the boot 5 of the present embodiment is used, the position of the optical fiber ribbon 4 is stabilized, so that it becomes easy to design the ferrule 10 so that a sudden bending stress is not applied to the optical fiber 4A.

=== Method of Manufacturing Optical Connector ===
FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram of an optical connector manufacturing method.

  First, pre-processing of the optical fiber ribbon is performed (S101). Specifically, the operator removes the coating of the optical fiber ribbon 4 with a predetermined dimension, cleans the optical fiber 4A from which the coating has been removed, and cuts the optical fiber 4A by a predetermined length.

  Next, the operator inserts the boot 5 into the boot insertion port 14 of the ferrule 10 (S102). This process may be performed in parallel with the process of S101, or may be before or after the process of S101. At this time, the operator inserts the boot 5 into the boot insertion port 14 from the side where the recess 54 is formed until the front end surface 51A of the boot 5 abuts against the abutting portion 16 of the ferrule 10. Since the recess 54 is recessed from the outer surfaces of the upper wall portion 53A and the lower wall portion 53B, when the boot 5 is inserted into the boot insertion port 14 of the ferrule 10, the boot 5 is sandwiched inside the boot insertion port 14. A gap is formed outside the portion 55 (after insertion of the optical fiber ribbon 4 but the gap is also shown in FIG. 10B). Since there is this gap, even after the boot 5 is inserted into the ferrule 10, the clamping portion 55 can be displaced outward.

  Next, the operator inserts the optical fiber ribbon 4 from the core insertion opening 52B of the boot 5, and inserts each optical fiber 4A into the corresponding optical fiber hole 12 (S103). At this time, the operator inserts the optical fiber ribbons 4 one by one in order, and inserts the optical fibers 4A in order from the lower optical fiber hole 12 of the ferrule 10. Before inserting the optical fiber 4A into the optical fiber hole 12, the optical fiber hole 12 is filled with an adhesive in advance, and the optical fiber 4A is inserted into the optical fiber hole 12 filled with the adhesive.

When the insertion of the four optical fiber ribbons 4 is finished, the operator performs a sealing process for preventing leakage of the adhesive (S104). There are mainly two places where the sealing process is performed.
The first sealing point is a gap between the optical fiber ribbon core pinched by the pinching portion 55 and the upper wall portion 53A or the lower wall portion 53B. In other words, the gap is formed on the left and right sides of the sandwiching portion 55. This is to prevent the adhesive from leaking outside through this gap when the adhesive is filled. For this reason, an operator fills and packs this gap with a filling before filling with an adhesive.
The second sealing point is between the optical fiber ribbons. This is because when heated after filling the adhesive, the viscosity of the adhesive becomes low, and the adhesive easily leaks from between the optical fiber ribbons due to capillary action. For this reason, the worker applies a sealing paint between the optical fiber ribbons before heating at the latest.

  Next, the adhesive is filled from the adhesive filling window 15 (S105). After the adhesive is filled, the optical fiber 4A is fixed to the optical fiber hole 12 by heating the ferrule 10 to cure the adhesive.

  Finally, finishing of the optical connector is performed (S106). For example, the front end surface 11A of the ferrule 10 is mirror-finished by polishing. Since the optical fiber 4A made of quartz glass has higher hardness than the resin ferrule 10, the optical fiber 4A is removed from the front end face 11A of the ferrule 10 after polishing the front end face 11A of the ferrule 10 into which the optical fiber 4A is inserted. Protruding state. Thereby, when connecting the optical connector, the optical fibers 4A protruding from the front end face 11A of the ferrule 10 come into contact with each other, and the PC connection (PC is an abbreviation of Physical Contact) of the optical fiber 4A becomes a stable connection state.

  In this embodiment, after the boot 5 is inserted into the ferrule 10 (S102), the optical fiber ribbon 4 is inserted from the core insertion opening 52B of the boot 5, and each optical fiber 4A is inserted into the optical fiber hole 12. (S103). If the optical fiber 4A is inserted into the optical fiber hole 12, the boot 5 is once inserted into the optical fiber ribbon 4 and the optical fibers 4A of the four optical fiber ribbons 4 are optically transmitted. When the boot 5 is inserted into the boot insertion port 14 of the ferrule 10 after being inserted into the fiber hole 12, the optical fiber 4 </ b> A further moves forward when the boot 5 is inserted. In this case, the optical fiber 4A is damaged when the coated portion of the optical fiber ribbon 4 hits the optical fiber hole 12 or the optical fiber 4A that has moved forward is pulled back to the original position. There is a possibility that air bubbles may enter the optical fiber hole 12 (the optical fiber hole 12 is pre-filled with an adhesive) from the front end face 11A. According to the processing procedure of this embodiment, these problems do not occur.

=== Others ===
The above-described embodiments are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About Ferrule 1>
In the embodiment described above, the front end surface 11A of the ferrule is perpendicular to the guide pin hole 13 and the optical fiber hole 12. However, the front end face 11A is not limited to this.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a modification of the front end face of the ferrule. The front end surface of the ferrule 10 ′ is an inclined surface inclined at 8 degrees. The end face of the optical fiber is also polished so as to be inclined by 8 degrees with respect to the vertical plane of the optical fiber axis. This is to suppress an increase in connection loss due to Fresnel reflection.
The boot 5 described above may be applied to such a ferrule.

<About Ferrule 2>
In the above-described embodiment, the ferrule has four stages of optical fiber hole arrays, and four optical fiber ribbons are inserted into the ferrule and the boot. However, it is not limited to this. For example, two or other optical fiber ribbons may be inserted into the ferrule and boot. In this case, the dimensions of the ferrule boot insertion opening and the boot core wire insertion opening and the core wire outlet may be appropriately changed according to the number of optical fiber ribbons to be inserted.

  Further, the number of optical fiber ribbons inserted into the ferrule and boot is not limited to a plurality, and may be one. Even if the number of optical fiber ribbons to be inserted is one, if the above-mentioned boot is used, the optical fiber ribbons are clamped from above and below by the clamping portion, so regardless of the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon, The vertical position of the optical fiber ribbon is determined to be a predetermined position.

  However, when only one optical fiber ribbon is inserted, the effect of using the above-described boot may be small because the influence of variations in the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon is small. On the other hand, when a plurality of optical fiber ribbons are inserted, the variation in the overall thickness of the laminated optical fiber ribbons becomes large, so that the effect of using the above-described boot is great.

<About boots 1>
In the above-described embodiment, the deformable portion 56 is formed so as to surround the three sides of the sandwiching portion 55. However, the deforming portion 56 is not limited to this.
For example, the deformation part 56 may be formed so as to surround the four sides of the sandwiching part 55. However, in this case, it may be difficult to increase the amount of vertical displacement of the clamping portion 55.
Further, the deforming portion 56 on the rear side of the sandwiching portion 55 may be omitted, and the sandwiching portion 55 may be supported only by the left and right deforming portions 56. Alternatively, the left and right deformation portions 56 of the sandwiching portion 55 may be omitted, and the sandwiching portion may be supported only by the rear deformation portion 56.
Further, a slit may be formed in the deforming portion 56 to facilitate the deformation.

<About boots 2>
In the above-described embodiment, the upper and lower clamping portions and the deformation portion are formed vertically symmetrical. However, it may not be vertically symmetrical. However, when the upper and lower clamping parts and the deforming part are asymmetric, the inserted optical fiber tape core wire cannot be clamped at the center of the boot and is biased to either the upper or lower side. In addition, considering that the optical fiber hole of the ferrule is normally formed in a vertically symmetrical position, the upper and lower clamping parts and the deforming part are more symmetrical as in the above-described embodiment than the asymmetrical. desirable.

<About optical connector manufacturing method>
In the above-described embodiment, the optical fiber tape core wire is inserted after the boot is inserted into the ferrule. However, it is not limited to this. For example, before the optical fiber is inserted into the optical fiber hole, the boot is once inserted into the optical fiber ribbon, and after inserting each optical fiber of the optical fiber ribbon into the optical fiber hole, the boot is inserted. You may insert in the boot insertion port of a ferrule. However, in this case, care must be taken so that the optical fiber does not move forward when the boot once inserted to the back of the optical fiber ribbon is inserted into the ferrule.

1 optical connector, 1M male optical connector, 1F female optical connector,
2 guide pins, 3 clamp springs,
4 optical fiber ribbon, 4A optical fiber, 5 boots,
10 Ferrule,
11A front side end face, 11B rear side end face, 11C top face, 11D bottom face,
12 Optical fiber hole,
13 Guide pin hole,
14 boot insertion port, 15 adhesive filling window, 16 abutment part,
51A front end face, 51B rear end face,
52A core wire outlet, 52B core wire insertion port,
53A upper wall part, 53B lower wall part, 53C side wall part,
54 recess, 55 clamping part, 55A contact surface, 56 deformation part

Claims (7)

A first end surface, a second end surface, a boot of the optical fiber ribbon for insertion and a through-hole penetrating between the first end surface and said second end surface,
A first clamping portion and a second clamping portion for clamping the optical fiber ribbon from the thickness direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the inner surface of which is the thickness of the first end face side opening of the through hole A first sandwiching portion and a second sandwiching portion that face each other at an interval narrower than the interval in the vertical direction and whose outer surfaces oppose each other at an interval narrower than the interval in the thickness direction on the outer periphery of the first end surface ;
A first deforming portion that elastically deforms so that the first sandwiching portion can be displaced in the thickness direction;
A boot comprising: a second deforming portion that elastically deforms so that the second holding portion can be displaced in the thickness direction. The boot according to claim 1,
The first clamping part and the second clamping part are provided in the second end face side opening of the through hole,
The second end face side opening side of the first clamping part is not restrained by the first deformation part,
A boot characterized in that the second end face side opening side of the second clamping part is not restrained by the second deforming part. The boot according to claim 1 or 2,
A boot characterized in that the first sandwiching portion, the second sandwiching portion, the first deforming portion, and the second deforming portion are provided within a range to be inserted into the ferrule. The boot according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The boot characterized by the said 1st clamping part and the said 1st deformation | transformation part, and the said 2nd clamping part and the said 2nd deformation | transformation part being symmetrical shapes. The boot according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A boot characterized in that a plurality of optical fiber ribbons are inserted. A ferrule having a plurality of optical fiber holes and a boot insertion port;
A plurality of optical fibers, the optical fiber ribbon which each fiber optic can be inserted into the optical fiber holes,
A first end face; a second end face; and a through hole penetrating between the first end face and the second end face, wherein the optical fiber ribbon is inserted into the through hole, and the second end face side And a boot inserted into the boot insertion port,
The boots
A first sandwiching portion and a second sandwiching portion that sandwich the optical fiber ribbon in the thickness direction of the optical fiber ribbon , the inner surface of which is the thickness of the first end face side opening of the through hole A first sandwiching portion and a second sandwiching portion that face each other at an interval narrower than the interval in the direction and whose outer surfaces oppose each other at an interval narrower than the interval in the thickness direction on the outer periphery of the first end surface ;
A first deforming portion that elastically deforms so that the first sandwiching portion can be displaced in the thickness direction;
An optical connector comprising: a second deforming portion that elastically deforms so that the second holding portion can be displaced in the thickness direction. A first end surface, a second end surface, a boot of the optical fiber ribbon for insertion and a through-hole penetrating between the first end surface and said second end surface, the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon A first sandwiching portion and a second sandwiching portion for sandwiching the optical fiber ribbon from the vertical direction , the inner surface of which is narrower than the spacing in the thickness direction of the first end face side opening of the through hole. A first sandwiching portion and a second sandwiching portion that face each other and whose outer surfaces face each other at an interval narrower than the interval in the thickness direction of the outer periphery of the first end surface, and the first sandwiching portion in the thickness direction A step of inserting a boot having a first deformable portion that is elastically deformed so that it can be displaced and a second deformable portion that is elastically deformed so that the second holding portion can be displaced in the thickness direction into the boot insertion port of the ferrule. When,
Inserting said optical fiber ribbon into the through hole of the boot, by sandwiching the optical fiber ribbon from the thickness direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the optical fiber of the optical fiber ribbon And a step of inserting into the optical fiber hole of the ferrule.

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