JP5358632B2 - Optical fiber connection device and optical fiber connection method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber connecting unit capable of surely preventing breakage of an optical fiber connected to a mechanical splice, and improving handleability. <P>SOLUTION: An optical fiber connecting unit 10 comprises: a splice 20 with an extended optical fiber, for gripping and fixing an extended optical fiber 21 drawn out from a terminal of an optical fiber cable 24 on one end side of a mechanical splice 30, and inserting an insertion member 81 between elements divided into halves on the other end side of the mechanical splice 30; and a unit base 40 for holding the mechanical splice 20 with the extended optical fiber. The unit base 40 includes: a base body 50; a splice holder part 60 provided on the base body 50, for holding the mechanical splice 30; and a sheath gripping part 70 provided on the base body 50, for gripping a sheath 25 of the terminal of the optical fiber cable 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an optical fiber connecting device and an optical fiber connecting method.

Patent Document 1 describes an optical fiber connection tool that inserts an optical fiber held by an optical fiber holder into a mechanical splice (optical fiber connector) and butt-connects the optical fiber.
In Patent Document 2, an insertion member that interrupts between the half-divided elements of the clamp portion of the optical connector and opens between the elements, and is deformed so that the vertical dimension is increased by the lateral pressure from the left and right. An optical connector tool comprising: an insertion member driving unit that pulls out the insertion member from between the optical connector elements disposed on the upper and lower sides by engaging the insertion member with the first movable end on one side of the optical connector. Have been described.

JP 2008-003218 A JP 2006-227575 A

By the way, when handling an optical fiber cable from which a fiber is pulled out from a terminal and attached with a mechanical splice in an optical connection box or the like, it is necessary to pay sufficient attention so that the optical fiber is not damaged. Therefore, the work was not easy.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, reliably preventing breakage of the optical fiber drawn from the terminal, the optical fiber connection device and optical fiber handling properties of the optical fiber cable Ru can be improved It is an object to provide a connection method.

The present invention relates to an optical fiber and a connection box in which the other end of a first optical fiber cable which is a drop cable or an indoor cable having an optical connector attached to one end is pulled out from a second optical fiber cable which is a trunk optical fiber cable. A method of connecting optical fibers to be connected within the optical fiber, wherein the extended optical fiber drawn out from the other end of the first optical fiber cable is held and fixed between the halved elements at one end side in the longitudinal direction of the mechanical splice. And a mechanical splice with an extended optical fiber in which an insertion member is inserted between the half-split elements on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the mechanical splice, a unit base for holding the mechanical splice with the extended optical fiber, and the extended light Matching with the extended optical fiber in a mechanical splice with fiber And a device base having a grip portion for gripping the insertion optical fiber drawn from the second optical fiber cable, said unit base, substrate and the substrate and splice holder portion are integrally molded to hold the mechanical splice And a jacket gripping part formed integrally with the base body and gripping the jacket of the other end of the first optical fiber cable, and the splice holder part and the jacket gripping part are separated from each other. The optical fiber extending between the splice holder part and the outer cover holding part is formed with a deflection, and the device base slides in a direction in which the unit base approaches the holding part. using the optical fiber connection device comprising a rail part which, the unit base which holds the mechanical splice with the extension Idemitsu fiber By sliding movement in a direction approaching to the gripping portion along the rail unit, the insertion optical fiber grasped the grip portion is inserted between the device halves of the mechanical splice, the extension of the tip It provides a method of connecting an optical fiber to connect abutted against the light exiting the fiber.

In the present invention, the optical fiber connecting device further includes a unit holding member that holds the unit base and has a guided portion guided by the rail portion, and the unit base is guided by the unit holding member. A portion is guided by the rail portion, thereby providing an optical fiber connection method that is slid along the rail portion .

The present invention relates to an optical fiber and a connection box in which the other end of a first optical fiber cable which is a drop cable or an indoor cable having an optical connector attached to one end is pulled out from a second optical fiber cable which is a trunk optical fiber cable. An optical fiber connecting device for connecting in an optical fiber, wherein an extended optical fiber drawn from the other end of the first optical fiber cable is gripped and fixed between halved elements at one end side in the longitudinal direction of the mechanical splice. In addition, a mechanical splice with an extended optical fiber in which an insertion member is inserted between halved elements on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the mechanical splice, a unit base for holding the mechanical splice with the extended optical fiber, and the extension Abutting with the extended optical fiber in a mechanical splice with a light emitting fiber That, and a device base having a grip portion for gripping the insertion optical fiber drawn from the second optical fiber cable, said unit base, is molded and the substrate, the substrate and integrally holds the mechanical splice splice A holder portion and a jacket grip portion that is molded integrally with the base body and grips the jacket of the other end of the first optical fiber cable, and the splice holder portion and the jacket grip portion are The extension optical fiber between the splice holder part and the outer cover gripping part is formed with a bend, and the device base moves the unit base closer to the gripping part. includes a rail portion for sliding, the unit base which holds the mechanical splice with the extension Idemitsu fiber, before along said rail section In a direction approaching to the grip portion that is slid, the insertion optical fiber grasped the grip portion is inserted between the device halves of the mechanical splice, connect abutted against the distal end to the extension Idemitsu fiber providing an optical fiber connection device you.

The present invention further includes a unit holding member that holds the unit base and has a guided portion guided by the rail portion, and the guided portion of the unit holding member is guided by the rail portion. Thus, an optical fiber connecting device that is slid along the rail portion is provided .
The splice holder portion has a plurality of projecting wall portions for holding the mechanical splice, and the engaging claw that engages the mechanical splice housed between the projecting wall portions to restrict the lifting to the projecting wall portion. May be projected.

According to the present invention, since the splice holder portion and the jacket holding portion are provided on the common base, the relative position between the end of the optical fiber cable and the splice is always constant. For this reason, an excessive force is not applied to the optical fiber between the terminal and the splice during a storing operation in an optical fiber connection box or the like, and damage can be prevented. Therefore, the handleability is improved.
Moreover, since the optical fiber connecting unit of the present invention has a simple structure and can be miniaturized, it can be used as it is in an optical connection box (optical termination box or the like).

It is a perspective view which shows the optical fiber connection apparatus using the unit for optical fiber connection of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the unit for optical fiber connection of FIG. It is a top view which shows the unit for optical fiber connection of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the tool for splicing from the unit for optical fiber connection of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the unit base of the unit for optical fiber connection of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the mechanical splice of the unit for optical fiber connection of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the structure of the mechanical splice of FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the insertion of a pigtail in the mechanical splice of FIG. 6, and a holding state. 6 illustrates an example of a splice with an insertion member that is opened by interposing an insertion member of a splicing tool between the middle lid member and the base member of the mechanical splice of FIG. 6 and between the front lid member and the base member. FIG. FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing the vicinity of a splicing tool of the splice with an insertion member in FIG. 9. It is a figure which shows the state which open | released between the front-end | tips of a pair of engaging wall part of the tool for splicing of the splice with an insertion member of FIG. It is a side view which shows the unit for optical fiber connection of FIG. It is a top view of a jacket holding part. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the outer gripping portion of FIG. 13, and is a plan view of a state where a lid is opened. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the outer gripping portion of FIG. 13, and is a cross-sectional view of A1-A1 of FIG. 13. FIG. 14 is a rear view of the outer gripping portion of FIG. 13. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the outer gripping portion of FIG. 13. It is a rear view of the other example of a jacket holding part. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of an example of an optical fiber cable. It is a perspective view which shows the base part main body of the optical fiber connection apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the slider of the optical fiber connection apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the fiber holder used for the optical fiber connection apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining operation | movement of the fiber holder of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining operation | movement of the optical fiber connection apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the usage example of the unit for optical fiber connection of FIG.

Hereinafter, an optical fiber connection device 100 using an optical fiber connection unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 12, the optical fiber connection device 100 includes an optical fiber connection unit 10 attached to one end 24a of an optical fiber cable 24, and an extended optical fiber 21 drawn from the end 24a. And an apparatus base 110 that holds a fiber holder 90 that holds the insertion optical fiber 1 that is abutted with the optical fiber.

The optical fiber connecting unit 10 includes a mechanical splice 20 with an extended optical fiber (hereinafter also referred to as a splice 20 with an extended optical fiber) and a unit base 40 that holds the splice 20 with an extended optical fiber.
As shown in FIG. 12, the spliced optical fiber splice 20 includes an extended optical fiber 21 (hereinafter also simply referred to as an optical fiber 21) drawn from one end 24a of an optical fiber cable 24, and a mechanical splice 30 (hereinafter referred to as an optical fiber 21). It is simply held and fixed to a splice).
It is preferable that the optical fiber 21 has sufficient deflection between the terminal 24 a and the splice 30 to obtain a sufficient abutting force against the insertion optical fiber 1.
An optical connector 22 is attached to the other end 24 b of the optical fiber cable 24.

The portion of the optical fiber 21, the optical fiber cable 24, and the optical connector 22 that are extended from one end in the longitudinal direction of the splice 30 may be referred to as a pigtail 23 with a connector. That is, the splicing 20 with an extended optical fiber has a configuration in which a pigtail 23 with a connector extends from the splice 30.
The splice 30 has a splicing tool 80 in which an insertion member 81 is inserted and attached to the half-grip member 34.
The optical fiber connection unit 10 will be described with the upper side in FIGS. 1 and 2 as the upper side and the lower side as the lower side.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 12, the mechanical splice 30 of the splicing 20 with the extended optical fiber is installed in an elongated plate-like base member 31 and arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base member 31. A configuration in which a pressing lid 32 constituted by three lid members 321, 322, and 323 is collectively held inside an elongated clamp spring 33 extending in a U-shaped cross section or a C shape (in the illustrated example, a U-shaped cross section). It has become.
The splice 30 includes a half-grip member 34 composed of a base member 31 (base-side element) and lid members 321, 322, and 323 (lid-side elements). The base member 31 and the lid members 321, 322, and 323 are elastically biased in the closing direction by the elasticity of the clamp spring 33.

As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 and FIG. 12, the end of the optical fiber 21 of the splice 20 with an extended optical fiber extends from one longitudinal end of the elongated half-shaped gripping member 34 of the splice 30 to the longitudinal center. Has been inserted.
The optical fiber 21 is hereinafter referred to as an extended optical fiber, and the portion of the optical fiber 21 inserted between the base member 31 constituting the half-gripping member 34 and the pressing lid 32 is hereinafter also referred to as an insertion end. .

  In the present specification, the splice 30 will be described with the side in which the connector-attached pigtail 23 extends in the longitudinal direction as the rear and the opposite side as the front. The connector-attached pigtail 23 extends from the rear end of the half-grip member 34 of the splice 30.

  Of the three lid members (lid-side elements) 321, 322, and 323 constituting the holding lid 32 of the splice 30, the lid member with the reference numeral 321 located at the rearmost side is hereinafter referred to as the rear lid member and located at the frontmost side. Hereinafter, the cover member denoted by reference numeral 323 is also referred to as a front cover member. In addition, the lid member indicated by reference numeral 322 positioned between the rear lid member 321 and the front lid member 323 is hereinafter also referred to as an inner lid member.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the clamp spring 33 having a U-shaped cross section is formed by molding a single metal plate from both sides of the elongated plate-like back plate portion 33 a. The side plate portion 33b is formed so as to protrude perpendicularly to the back plate portion 33a over the entire length in the longitudinal direction. The base member 30 and the three lid members 321, 322, and 323 of the splice 30 have opposed surfaces 31 a, 321 a, 322 a, and 323 a that are substantially perpendicular to the interval direction of the pair of side plate portions 33 b of the clamp spring 33. It is held between the pair of side plate portions 33b in the direction. One of the pair of side plate portions 33 b contacts the base member 31, and the other side plate portion 33 b contacts the holding lid 32.

The end of the insertion end of the extended optical fiber 21 is disposed between the base member 31 and the inner lid member 32 of the splice 30, and the portion on the optical connector 22 side (extension end side) from the tip is the splice 30. The base member 31 and the rear lid member 31 are gripped and fixed.
The splicing 20 with an extended optical fiber inserts the optical fiber 1 between the base member 31 and the inner lid member 32 from the front side of the splice 30, so that the tip of the optical fiber 1 (hereinafter also referred to as an insertion optical fiber) is inserted. It can be butt-connected to the tip of the extended optical fiber 21 (tip of the insertion end). The splicing 20 with an extending optical fiber is formed between the extending optical fiber 21 and the half of the splice 30, that is, between the base member 31 (base-side element) and the pressing lid 32 (lid-side element). The optical fiber abutted against the optical fiber 21 can be held and fixed by the elasticity of the clamp spring 33.

As shown in FIG. 18, for example, the optical fiber cable 24 is embedded in a resin coating material 25 (hereinafter also referred to as a jacket) together with a pair of linear strength members 26 vertically attached to the optical fiber 21. And an optical fiber cable having a substantially rectangular cross section, and is used as an optical drop cable, an optical indoor cable, or the like.
The optical fiber 21 is disposed at the center of the cross section of the optical fiber cable 24, and the pair of strength members 26 are disposed at positions separated from the optical fiber 21 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the optical fiber cable 24. The optical fiber 21 is a coated optical fiber such as an optical fiber core or an optical fiber.

The extension optical fiber 21 and the insertion optical fiber 1 are coated optical fibers such as an optical fiber core and an optical fiber. In the illustrated example, a single-core optical fiber is used as the extended optical fiber 21 and the insertion optical fiber 1.
A bare optical fiber 21 a is led out at the distal end (front end) of the insertion end of the extended optical fiber 21. Butt connection between the extended optical fiber 21 and the insertion optical fiber 1 at the splice 30 is performed by a butting between the bare optical fiber 1a led out at the tip of the insertion optical fiber 1 and the bare optical fiber 21a at the tip of the insertion end of the extension optical fiber 21. Realized.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the base member 31 of the splice 30 is formed with an opposing surface 31 a that faces the lid members 321, 322, and 323 extending over the entire length in the longitudinal direction. At the center in the longitudinal direction (extending direction) of the facing surface 31 a of the base member 31, a bare optical fiber 21 a led to the tip of the extended optical fiber 21 and a bare optical fiber 1 a led to the tip of the inserted optical fiber 1 are provided. Are aligned with each other with high precision so that they can be connected to each other (optical connection). The alignment groove 31 b is a V groove formed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the base member 31. However, the aligning groove 31b is not limited to the V-groove, and for example, a semicircular cross-sectional groove or a U-groove can be employed.

The alignment groove 31b is formed in a portion of the base member 31 that faces the inner lid member 323 of the facing surface 31a.
Cover portion insertion grooves 31c and 31d having a groove width larger than that of the alignment groove 31b are formed in a portion of the base member 31 facing the rear lid member 321 and a portion facing the front lid member 323. Has been. The covering portion insertion grooves 31 c and 31 d are formed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the base member 31 on both sides of the alignment groove 31 b in the longitudinal direction of the base member 31.
Between the covering portion insertion grooves 31c and 31d and the aligning groove 31b, tapered taper grooves 31e and 31f having a groove width that decreases from the covering portion insertion grooves 31c and 31d toward the aligning groove 31b are formed. Has been. Each coating | coated part insertion groove | channel 31c, 31d is connected with the alignment groove | channel 31b via the said taper groove | channel 31e, 31f.
In the illustrated splice 30, the covering portion insertion grooves 31c and 31d are V-grooves (see FIG. 9 for the covering portion insertion groove 31d). However, the covering portion insertion grooves 31c and 31d are not limited to V-grooves, and for example, semi-circular grooves or U-grooves can be employed.

The insertion end portion of the extended optical fiber 21 is formed on the opposing surfaces 31a and 321a of the back cover member 321 and the base member 31 facing each other, with the covering portion being the portion where the outer periphery of the bare optical fiber 21a is covered with the covering 21b. The bare optical fiber 21a which is inserted into the covering portion insertion grooves 31c and 321b and protrudes from the end of the covering portion is inserted into the alignment groove 31b, and is provided between the base member 31 and the pressing lid 32. .
The insertion end portion of the extended optical fiber 21 is gripped and fixed by the elasticity of the clamp spring 33 between the rear cover member 321 and the base member 31.

  The covering portion insertion groove 31 c of the rear cover member 321 is formed at a position corresponding to the covering portion insertion groove 31 c of the base member 31 on the facing surface 321 a of the rear cover member 321. Further, the covering portion insertion grooves 31 c and 321 b of the rear cover member 321 and the base member 31 are formed between the rear cover member 321 and the base member 31 in view of the outer diameter of the covering portion of the extending optical fiber 21. The depth is adjusted so that the covering portion can be firmly held and fixed. In other words, the depths of the covering portion insertion grooves 31c and 321b of the rear lid member 321 and the base member 31 are adjusted so that the total depth is smaller than the outer diameter of the covering portion of the extended optical fiber 21. Yes.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the covering portion insertion groove 31d formed on the front side of the alignment groove 31b has a covering portion that is a portion where the outer periphery of the bare optical fiber 1a of the insertion optical fiber 1 is covered with the covering 1b. Is inserted.
Further, the splice 30 in the illustrated example has a covering portion insertion groove in which the covering portion of the insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted into the facing surface 323a of the front lid member 323 at a position corresponding to the covering portion insertion groove 31d of the base member 31. 323b is formed. The insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted into the covering portion insertion grooves 31d and 323b from the front side of the splice 30 in a state where the bare optical fiber 1a is previously extracted at the tip thereof.

As shown in FIG. 10, the splicing tool 80 has two insertion members 81.
One of the two insertion members 81 (indicated by reference numeral 81A in the figure) is inserted between the front end portion of the inner lid member 322 of the splice 30 and the base member 31, and the other (indicated by reference numeral 81B in the figure). Is inserted between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31. The space between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 of the splice 30 and between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 are opened against the elasticity of the clamp spring 33 by the insertion members 81A and 81B. .
The insertion member 81 is not interposed between the rear lid member 321 and the base member 31 and between the rear end portion of the middle lid member 322 and the base member 31.
The insertion member 81A inserted between the front end portion of the middle lid member 322 of the splice 30 and the base member 31 is hereinafter referred to as a first insertion member, between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31. Hereinafter, the inserted insertion member 81B is also referred to as a second insertion member.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 are separated (opened) from the front side of the splice 30 so that the covering portion of the insertion optical fiber 1 can be easily inserted into the covering portion insertion grooves 31d and 323b. Has been. The front end portion of the inner lid member 322 and the base member 31 are separated (opened) to such an extent that the bare optical fiber 1a led out from the distal end of the insertion optical fiber 1 can be easily inserted into the alignment groove 31b.

In the insertion member 81 of the splicing tool 80 in the illustrated example, a tip portion 81 a formed in a plate shape is inserted between the base member 31 of the splice 30 and the pressing lid 32.
The amount of opening between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 and between the front end portion of the middle lid member 322 and the base member 31 is set by the thickness dimension of the plate-like distal end portion 81 a of the insertion member 81.
The separation distance between the front end portion of the inner lid member 322 and the base member 31 opened by the first insertion member 81A is such that the bare optical fibers 21a and 1a are aligned with the alignment groove 31b and the facing surface 322a of the inner lid member 322. It is set in a range that does not leave the space.
The separation distance between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 opened by the second insertion member 81B is a range in which the insertion optical fiber 1 (its covering portion) does not separate from between the covering portion insertion grooves 31d and 323b. Set to

In addition, as an insertion member, the front-end | tip part (insertion piece part) to be interrupted between the base member 31 of the splice 30 and the pressing lid 32 is not limited to a plate shape.
As an insertion piece part of an insertion member, a sheet-like thing, a rod-like thing, etc. are employable, for example.

The insertion member main body 83 of the insertion member 81 illustrated in FIG. 9 has a plate-shaped tip portion 81a as the insertion piece portion. Hereinafter, the plate-like distal end portion 81a of the insertion member main body 83 is also referred to as an insertion piece portion.
The portion other than the insertion piece portion 81a of the insertion member main body 83 is formed in a plate shape having a larger plate thickness (thickness dimension) than the insertion piece portion 81a.
The plate-like insertion piece 81a of the insertion member 81 has a tapered shape with a tapered tip. After the insertion member 81 is removed from the half gripping member 34 of the splice 30, the insertion piece portion 81a is pushed between the base member 31 and the pressing lid 32 to be inserted (splice with an insertion member). Can be assembled).
Further, the optical fiber connecting unit 10 is supplied to the site with the insertion member removed from the splice 30, and at the site, between the middle lid member 322 of the splice 30 and the base member 31, and the front lid member 323. A splice with an insertion member may be assembled by inserting an insertion piece portion of the insertion member between the base member 31 and the base member 31.

  The covering portion insertion grooves 31d and 323b of the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 are arranged such that when the insertion member 81B is removed from between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31, the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 The depth is adjusted in view of the outer diameter of the covering portion of the insertion optical fiber 1 so that the covering portion of the insertion optical fiber 1 can be firmly held and fixed between the two. That is, the depths of the covering portion insertion grooves 31d and 323b of the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 are adjusted so that the total depth is smaller than the outer diameter of the covering portion of the inserted optical fiber 1. Yes.

In the splice 30 of the illustrated example, the covering portion insertion grooves 321b and 323b of the rear lid member 321 and the front lid member 323 are V-shaped grooves (see FIG. 9 for the covering portion insertion grooves 323b of the front lid member 323). However, the covering portion insertion grooves 321b and 323b are not limited to V-grooves, and for example, semicircular cross-section grooves, U-grooves, and the like can be employed.
Further, the covering portion insertion groove is not necessarily formed in both of the rear cover member 321 and the base member 31 facing each other. As the splice, a configuration in which a covering portion insertion groove is formed in one of the facing portions of the rear cover member 321 and the base member 31 can be employed.
The same applies to the portions of the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 that face each other. As the splice, a covering portion insertion groove is formed on one of the portions of the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 that face each other. A configuration can also be employed.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the inner lid member 322 is formed in an elongated plate shape whose longitudinal direction is the direction along the longitudinal direction of the base member 31. As described above, the front end portion of the inner lid member 322 is opened to the base member 31 by the first insertion member 81A. An insertion member is not interposed between the portion on the rear side from the front end portion of the inner lid member 322 and the base member 31. As shown in FIG. 8, the inner lid member 322 is inclined with respect to the base member 31 such that the distance from the base member 31 increases from the rear side to the front side. For this reason, the bare optical fiber 21 a led out to the distal end of the insertion end portion of the extended optical fiber 21 is between the rear end portion of the elongated plate-shaped inner lid member 322 along the longitudinal direction of the base member 31 and the base member 31. Although it is gripped and fixed, it is not gripped and fixed between the portion on the front side from the rear end portion of the inner lid member 322 and the base member 31.

As shown in FIG. 6, the insertion member 81 is inserted into the side surface of the half gripping member 34 of the splice 30 that is exposed on the side opposite to the back plate portion 33 a of the clamp spring 33 (hereinafter, open side). The insertion member insertion hole 35 for opening is opened. As shown in FIG. 7, the insertion member insertion hole 35 is formed at positions corresponding to each other on the opposing surfaces 31a, 321a, 322a, and 323a of the base member 31 and the three lid members 321, 322, and 323. The member insertion grooves 31g, 321c, 322c, and 323c are secured between the base member 31 and the lid members 321, 322, and 323.
The insertion member insertion hole 35 is formed at a depth that does not reach the alignment groove 31b and the covering portion insertion grooves 31c, 31d, 321b, and 323b from the open side of the half-gripping member 34.
Moreover, as the insertion member insertion hole 35, the structure ensured by the insertion member insertion groove formed only in one side of the base member 31 and the cover members 321, 322, and 323 is also employable.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the illustrated splice 30, the insertion member insertion hole 35 includes two locations corresponding to the rear end portion and the front end portion of the inner lid member 322, the rear lid member 321, and the front lid member 323. The base member 31 is formed at a total of four positions at positions corresponding to the central portion in the front-rear direction along the longitudinal direction. The insertion members 81 </ b> A and 81 </ b> B have insertion member insertion holes 35 (indicated by reference numeral 35 a in FIG. 6) formed at positions corresponding to the front end portion of the inner lid member 322 among the four insertion member insertion holes 35. The insertion member insertion hole 35 (indicated by reference numeral 35b in FIG. 6) formed at a position corresponding to the front-rear direction center of the front lid member 323 is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a flat facing surface 322 a is formed at a portion of the inner lid member 322 facing the alignment groove 31 b of the base member 31. When the first interposing member 81 </ b> A inserted between the inner lid member 322 and the base member 31 is removed, the inner lid member 322 is attached to the tip of the extended optical fiber 21 by the elasticity of the clamp spring 33. The bare optical fiber 21a and the bare optical fiber 1a of the insertion optical fiber 1 abutted against the tip of the bare optical fiber 21a can be pressed by the facing surface 22a and pressed into the alignment groove 31b.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the pair of side plate portions 33 b of the clamp spring 33 is divided into three portions corresponding to the three lid members 321, 322, and 323 of the holding lid 32 of the splice 30, respectively. The side plate portion 33b (upper side plate portion 33b in FIGS. 7 and 8) that contacts the holding lid 32 is a boundary between the rear lid member 321 and the middle lid member 322, and a boundary between the middle lid member 322 and the front lid member 323. Are divided into three portions corresponding to the three lid members 321, 322, and 323, respectively, by slit-shaped cut portions 33 d formed at positions corresponding to. The side plate portion 33b that comes into contact with the base member 31 has three lid members 321, 322, and 323 formed by a cut portion 33d that is formed at a position corresponding to the cut portion 33d of the side plate portion 33b that comes into contact with the cover members 321, 322, and 323. It is divided into three parts corresponding to.

The clamp spring 33 includes a first clamp spring portion 331 that holds the rear lid member 321 and the base member 31, a second clamp spring portion 332 that holds the middle lid member 322 and the base member 31, and a front lid member 323. And a third clamp spring portion 333 that holds the base member 31. The first to third clamp spring portions 331 to 333 function as clamp springs independent of each other.
7 and 8, the pair of side plates of the first clamp spring portion 331 has a reference numeral 331 b, the pair of side clamp portions of the second clamp spring portion 332 has a reference number 332 b, and the pair of side plates of the third clamp spring portion 333. Reference numeral 333b is added to the part.

The splice 30 has three clamp portions corresponding to the three clamp spring portions.
That is, the splice 30 includes a first clamp portion that holds the rear lid member 321 and the base member 31 inside the first clamp spring portion 331, and an intermediate lid member 322 and a base member inside the second clamp spring portion 332. And a third clamp part that holds the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 on the third clamp spring part 333 side.
Each of the three clamp portions has an optical fiber between the halved elements (base member 31 (base side element) and lid member (lid side element)) due to the elasticity of the clamp spring portion corresponding to each clamp portion. Can be gripped and fixed.

  The first clamp portion of the splice 30 is in a state in which the covering portion of the extended optical fiber 21 is held and fixed between the rear cover member 321 and the base member 31 by the elasticity of the first clamp spring portion 331. For example, even if the splicing member 30 is opened and closed by inserting and removing the insertion member between the inner covering member 322 and the base member 31 (that is, opening and closing of the second clamping portion), The holding and fixing state of the extended optical fiber 21 is maintained stably. In addition, the opening and closing of the third clamp portion by inserting and removing the insertion member does not affect the gripping and fixing state of the extended optical fiber 21 of the first clamp portion.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the splicing tool 80 includes two insertion members 81 each having a distal end portion (insertion piece portion 81 a) interposed between the base member 31 of the splice 30 and the pressing lid 32. And a sleeve-like insertion member driving unit 82 to which the insertion member 81 is attached.
The insertion member 81 has a plate-like insertion member main body 83 that protrudes outside the insertion member drive unit 82 through a notch 82 a formed in the insertion member drive unit 82. The insertion piece portion 81a of the insertion member 81 constitutes a distal end portion of the insertion member main body 83 that protrudes to the outside of the insertion member drive portion 82 through the notch portion 82a.
The splicing tool 80 has a pressure receiving wall portion that is a wall portion where the notch portion 82a is formed in the insertion member driving portion 82 on the base end side opposite to the insertion piece portion 81a of the insertion member 81. It is the structure attached to the locking wall part 85 which faces 86. FIG.

The pressure receiving wall portion 86 has a configuration in which a projecting protruding wall portion 86b that protrudes toward the outside of the insertion member driving portion 82 is provided on the flat plate-like main wall portion 86a in which the cutout portion 82a is formed. It has become.
The abutment protruding wall portion 86b of the pressure receiving wall portion 86 is formed at the center of the plate-like main wall portion 86a extending along the front-rear direction of the insertion member driving portion 82. It is a rib-like projecting wall projecting perpendicular to the extending direction (front-rear direction) of the portion 86a. Further, the projecting wall portion 86b for abutment includes a pressure receiving wall portion 86 (specifically, a plate-like main wall portion 86a) and a locking wall portion 85 (more specifically, a plate-like main wall described later) in the insertion member driving portion 82. And extending in the left-right direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 9), which is the distance direction of the drive unit side wall portions 88 on both sides connecting the portion 85a).

The notch portion 82a is formed on the plate-like main wall portion 86a of the pressure receiving wall portion 86 so as to extend from the both ends in the front-rear direction to be elongated along the front-rear direction. The abutment protruding wall portion 86 b of the pressure receiving wall portion 86 is located between the front and rear cutout portions 82 a in the front-rear direction of the insertion member drive portion 82.
The two insertion members 81 of the splicing tool 80 are provided such that the insertion member main body 83 is passed through the front and rear cutout portions 82a through the abutting projection wall 86a.

The insertion member main body 83 of the insertion member 81 has an abutting wall portion 83a that is brought into contact with the locking wall portion 85 from the pressure receiving wall portion 86 side on the base end side opposite to the insertion piece portion 81a. Have
The locking wall portion 85 of the insertion member drive portion 82 of the splicing tool 80 in the illustrated example is formed on the plate-like main wall portion 85a formed in parallel to the plate-like main wall portion 86a of the pressure receiving wall portion 86. A protruding wall portion 85 b protruding from the main wall portion 85 a toward the pressure receiving wall portion 86 is provided.
The abutting wall portion 83a of the insertion member 81 can abut on the end surface of the projecting wall portion 85b of the locking wall portion 85 from the pressure receiving wall portion 86 side.

  The insertion member 81 extends from the proximal end portion (abutment wall portion 83a) of the insertion member main body 82 to the side opposite to the insertion piece portion 81a (the proximal end side of the insertion member 81). It has the engagement piece 84 taken out. The insertion member 81 passes the engaging piece 84 through a through hole 85c that penetrates the locking wall portion 85, and on the outside of the locking wall portion 85 (on the side opposite to the pressure receiving wall portion 86). An insertion claw 84a protruding from the side surface of the tip end (extension end) of the protruding engagement piece 84 is disposed so as to be engageable with the locking wall portion 85, and the insertion member drive unit 82 is attached.

  One end of the through hole 85c of the locking wall portion 85 of the insertion member driving portion 82 of the splicing tool 80 in the illustrated example is open to the end surface of the protruding end of the protruding wall portion 85b. The other end of the through hole 85c opens into a recessed portion 85d formed in the locking wall portion 85 so as to be recessed from the outer surface of the plate-like main wall portion 85a (the surface opposite to the inside of the insertion member driving portion 82). . The recess 85d is formed in a hole shape in which the other end of the through hole 85c is expanded. The engagement claw 84a of the engagement piece 84 of the insertion member 81 is an engagement piece 84 that protrudes outward from the step surface 85e at the boundary between the other end of the through hole 85c and the recess 85d. It protrudes on the side of the tip. The engaging claw 84a can be engaged with the step surface 85e from the side opposite to the pressure receiving wall portion 86.

  In the illustrated insertion member 81, the length (axial dimension) of the through hole 85c of the locking wall portion 85 between the engagement claw 84a of the engagement piece 84 and the contact wall portion 83a. A slightly longer separation distance is secured than Accordingly, the insertion member 81 secures a slight movable range in the axial direction of the through hole 85c with respect to the locking wall portion 85, so that the insertion member drive portion 82 (specifically, the locking wall portion 85). ).

  As a splicing tool, the separation distance between the engaging claw 84a of the engaging piece 84 of the insertion member 81 and the contact wall portion 83a is made equal to the length of the through hole 85c of the locking wall portion 85. A configuration in which the insertion member 81 is attached to the insertion member drive unit 82 (specifically, the locking wall portion 85) is also employed. In the case of this configuration, the insertion member 81 sandwiches the locking wall portion 85 between the engagement claw 84a of the engagement piece 84 and the abutting wall portion 83a, thereby inserting the insertion member drive portion 82 (specifically, the engagement member portion 82a). It attaches in the state which controlled the displacement to the axial direction of the said through-hole 85c with respect to the stop wall part 85).

The two insertion members 81 </ b> A and 81 </ b> B are attached to the insertion member drive unit 82 so as to be separated from each other in the direction of the axis (center axis Q).
The splicing tool 80 will be described below in which the axial direction of the insertion member driving unit 82 is the front-rear direction. The insertion member 81 is attached to the insertion member drive unit 82 such that the thickness direction of the plate-like insertion member main body 83 is perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the insertion member drive unit 82.

The splicing tool 80 interrupts the tip of the insertion member 81 that protrudes outside the insertion member driving portion 82 of the insertion member main body 83 between the base member 31 of the splice 30 and the pressing lid 32. And attached to the splice 30. The splicing tool 80 is provided with its front-rear direction aligned with the front-rear direction of the splice 30.
The insertion member main body 83 is gripped between the base member 31 and the pressing lid 32 with a relatively strong force by the elasticity of the clamp spring 33 of the splice 30.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the half gripping member 34 of the splice 30 protrudes from the clamp spring 33 to the open side (the side opposite to the back plate portion 33a). The splicing tool 80 is attached to the splice 30 with the abutment protruding wall portion 86 b of the pressure receiving wall portion 86 abutting against the half-grip member 34 of the splice 30.

This splicing tool 80 has a cross section perpendicular to the direction of the axis (center axis Q) of the insertion member driving portion 82, and both sides (left and right in FIG. 9; left and right in FIG. 9) through the insertion member 81. Hereinafter, the pressure receiving wall portion 86 and the locking wall of the insertion member driving portion 82 are pressed by pressing (applying a side pressure P) the portions located in the left and right direction of the splicing tool 80). The separation distance from the part 85 increases. As a result, the splicing tool 80 can remove the insertion member 81 from the splice 30 (specifically, the half gripping member 34).
For example, the operator can remove the insertion member 81 from the splice 30 by applying a lateral pressure P to the insertion member drive unit 82 to bring the left and right side portions closer to each other. You can hold it.

The splicing tool 80 is inserted through the notch 82a of the pressure receiving wall 86 on both sides, that is, through the notch 82a in a direction perpendicular to the pressure receiving wall 86. A pair of engaging wall portions 87 projecting outward from the insertion member driving portion 82 in a direction parallel to the insertion member main body 83 from both sides (right and left sides in FIG. 9).
Then, the splicing tool 80 is configured such that the protruding claws 87a protruding from the protruding end portions of the pair of engaging wall portions 87 toward the inner surfaces facing each other of the pair of engaging wall portions 87 The slider is engaged with the lower end of 122 and attached to the slider 120. The splicing tool 80 is less likely to be displaced with respect to the slider 120 by engaging the engaging wall portion 87 with the slider 120.

However, the splicing tool 80 applies the lateral pressure P to the insertion member driving portion 82 from both the left and right sides, and performs the operation of removing the insertion member 81 from the splice 30. Even after the separation distance between the wall portion 86 and the locking wall portion 85 becomes the maximum, the deformation of the insertion member driving portion 82 by the lateral pressure P is continued, so that the pair of engagement wall portions 87 The engagement with the slider 120 can be released.
Engagement and disengagement of the pair of engagement wall portions 87 with respect to the slider 120 will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the unit base 40 of the optical fiber connecting unit 10 includes a substrate part 50 (base body) and a splice holder part 60 that detachably holds the splice 30 of the splice 20 with the extended optical fiber. The optical fiber cable 24 has a jacket gripping portion 70 (terminal gripping portion) that detachably grips the jacket 25 of the terminal 24a.
The substrate part 50 is an elongated plate-like body, and can be, for example, a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.

As shown in FIG. 5, the splice holder portion 60 includes a pair of one-side protruding wall portions 62 erected on one side edge 51a of the substrate portion 50 and a pair of other-side protrusions erected on the other side edge 51b. A wall 63, a pair of front projecting walls 64 provided on both sides of the front end of the substrate 50, and a pair of rear projecting walls 65 provided on both sides of the rear end of the one projecting wall 62 And have.
The protruding wall portions 62 to 65 are formed to protrude toward the upper surface 50 a (one surface) of the substrate portion 50.
The splice holder portion 60 stores the splice 30 by storing the splice 30 in a splice storage space 67 secured between the one side protruding wall portion 62 and the other side protruding wall portion 63.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the pair of one-side protruding wall portions 62, 62 are formed at intervals in the front-rear direction. The one-side protruding wall portion 62 closer to the front is referred to as one-side protruding wall portion 62A, and the one-side protruding wall portion 62 closer to the rear is referred to as one-side protruding wall portion 62B.
A pair of other side protrusion wall parts 63 and 63 are formed at intervals in the front-rear direction. The other side protruding wall portion 63A closer to the front is located closer to the rear than the one side protruding wall portion 62A, and the other side protruding wall 63B closer to the rear is located closer to the front than the one side protruding wall portion 62B. Yes.

A locking claw 62 c that protrudes toward the inner surface is formed on the inner surface of the one-side protruding wall 62. Similarly, a locking claw 63c protruding to the inner surface side is formed on the inner surface of the other protruding wall portion 63. The lifting of the splice 30 can be restricted by the locking claws 62c and 63c.
The splice 30 enters the lower side of the locking claws 62c and 63c by being pushed into the splice storage space 67, and the upward lifting is restricted.

The pair of front projecting wall portions 64 is formed further forward than the one side projecting wall portion 62A. Front stopper protrusions 64a are formed on the inner surfaces of the front protruding wall portion 64 that face each other.
The pair of rear protruding wall portions 65 are formed further rearward than the one protruding wall portion 62B.
The separation distance between the front projecting wall portion 64 and the rear projecting wall portion 65 is set according to the longitudinal dimension of the splice 30, and the splice 30 is a substrate formed by the front projecting wall portion 64 and the rear projecting wall portion 65. The positional deviation in the front-rear direction with respect to the portion 50 is restricted.

When the insertion member 81 </ b> B inserted between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 is removed from the splice 30, the third clamp portion of the splice 30 has the third clamp spring portion 333 of the clamp spring 33. Since the separation distance between the pair of side plate portions 333 b is reduced, the splice 30 can be easily taken out from the splice holder portion 60.
For this reason, the splice holder part 60 can hold | maintain the splice 30 so that attachment or detachment is possible.
The release of the locking of the splice 30 by the locking claws 62c and 63c of the one-side protruding wall portion 62 and the other-side protruding wall portion 63 is performed, for example, by the operator with the fingers. It can also be performed by elastically deforming the parts 63 in directions away from each other.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, in the splice 30, the direction perpendicular to the facing surface 31 a of the base member 31 is hereinafter also referred to as the width direction.
The engagement surfaces 31k and 323e on both sides of the front end engagement protrusion of the half-split member 34 of the splice 30 are the width direction sides of the front end engagement protrusion, and the engagement surfaces 31i and 321e on both sides of the rear end engagement protrusion are It is located on both sides in the width direction of the rear side engaging protrusion. Further, the side plate portions 33 b on both sides of the clamp spring 33 are arranged on both sides in the width direction via the half-grip members 34.

  The projecting dimensions of the rear end protruding portion 31h and the front end protruding portion 31j from the back surface with which the side plate portion 33b of the clamp spring 33 of the base member 31 of the splice 30 abuts are the thickness of the side plate portion 33b of the clamp spring 33. It is slightly larger than. Further, the projecting dimension of the rear end protruding portion 321d from the back surface where the side plate portion 33b of the clamp spring 33 of the rear lid member 311 is in contact, and the side plate portion 33b of the clamp spring 33 of the front lid member 323 are in contact. The protruding dimension of the front end protruding portion 323d from the rear surface is also slightly larger than the plate thickness of the side plate portion 33b of the clamp spring 33.

The thickness of the plate-shaped inner lid member 322, that is, the distance between the opposing surface 322a of the inner lid member 322 and the back surface against which the side plate portion 33b of the clamp spring 33 abuts, and the rear end protruding portion of the rear lid member 321 The thickness of the plate-like portion other than 321d and the thickness of the plate-like portion other than the front end protruding portion 323d of the front lid member 323 are aligned with each other.
The splice 30 (splice with an insertion member) in a state where the insertion members 81A and 81B are inserted between the middle lid member 322 and the base member 31 and between the front lid member 323 and the base member 31 is a first splice. In the third clamp portion, the front end engaging protrusion of the third clamp portion is a portion having the largest width dimension.

As shown in FIG. 5, the width direction dimension (maximum value of the width dimension) of the front end engaging protrusion of the third clamp portion in the splice with the insertion member is the width between the protrusion walls 62 and 63 of the splice holder 60. It can be the same as the directional distance. The width direction dimension of the splice with the insertion member is slightly larger than the distance between the protruding ends of the locking claws 62c and 63c protruding from the protruding wall portions 62 and 63, and the width between the protruding wall portions 62 and 63. It can be a dimension that is less than the directional distance.
The width direction dimension of the second clamp part from the rear end engaging projection in the first clamp part of the splice with the insertion member and the width direction dimension of the second clamp part from the front end engaging protrusion in the third clamp part Smaller than dimensions.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the front cover member 323 and the base member 31 are tapered at the front end of the half gripping member 34 of the splice 30 as they taper from the front end surface to the rear side. A tapered opening 34a made of a formed recess is opened. The rear end (back end) of the tapered opening 34a communicates with the covering portion insertion grooves 323b and 31d.
As shown in FIG. 4, the front stopper protrusion 64a abuts from the rear side thereof the lip portion around the tapered opening portion 34a of the half gripping member 34 of the splice 30. In addition, the pair of front stopper protrusions 64a is not disposed at a position overlapping the tapered opening 34a, which obstructs insertion of the insertion optical fiber 1 from the tapered opening 34a into the covering portion insertion grooves 323b and 31d. There is no.

Further, between the pair of front stopper protrusions 64a, the insertion optical fiber 1 to be inserted into the covering portion insertion grooves 323b and 31d of the splice 30 held by the splice holder portion 60 from the front side of the splice holder portion 60 is connected to the splice 30. A fiber introduction recess 66 that smoothly guides to the tapered opening 34a that opens to the front end is secured. The fiber introduction recess 66 is a groove formed in a taper shape in which the groove width decreases from the front side toward the rear side.
The insertion optical fiber 1 inserted into the splice 30 from the front side of the substrate part 50 can be guided to the splice 30 held by the splice holder part 60 through the fiber introduction recess 66.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rear cover member 321 and the base member 31 are formed at the rear end of the half gripping member 34 of the splice 30 so as to taper as they go from the rear end surface to the front side. A tapered opening 34b made of the recessed portion is opened. The front end (back end) of the tapered opening 34b communicates with the covering portion insertion grooves 321b and 31c.
As shown in FIG. 4, the peripheral edge of the tapered opening 34 b at the rear end of the base member 31 is brought into contact with the rear protruding wall portion 65 from the front side.

The outer gripping portion 70 is formed on the upper surface 50 a side of the substrate portion 50 at a position separated from the splice holder portion 60.
Specifically, it is formed at a position spaced rearward from the splice holder portion 60 formed at a position including the front end portion of the substrate portion 50. In the illustrated example, the jacket gripping portion 70 is formed on the upper surface 50 a at a position including the rear end portion of the substrate portion 50.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the jacket gripping portion 70. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the jacket gripping portion 70 in a state where the lid 72 is opened. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the envelope gripping part 70, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. FIG. 16 is a rear view of the jacket gripping portion 70. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the envelope gripping part 70.
As shown in FIGS. 13 to 17, the jacket gripping portion 70 includes a gripping base 71 having a U-shaped cross section formed with a cable fitting groove 71 a into which the optical fiber cable 24 is fitted, and cable gripping of the gripping base 71. A pressing lid 72 pivotally attached to one of the side wall portions 71b and 71c on both sides in the groove width direction of the groove 71a.

  The outer jacket gripping portion 70 includes a plurality of gripping projections 71f provided on the opposing surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 71b and 71c of the grip base 71, and the outer sheath of the optical fiber cable 24 fitted in the cable fitting groove 71a. The optical fiber cable 24 can be gripped and fixed between the pair of side wall portions 71b and 71c. The grip base 71 is a U-shaped member in which a cable fitting groove 71a is secured between a pair of side wall portions 71b and 71c protruding from one side of the bottom wall portion 71d. The groove width direction of the cable fitting groove 71a indicates the interval direction between the side wall portions 71b and 71c on both sides facing each other through the cable fitting groove 71a. The gripping projection 71f of the jacket gripping portion 70 in the illustrated example is a protrusion having a triangular cross section extending in the depth direction of the cable fitting groove 71a.

  The outer cover gripping portion 70 is fixed by fitting the grip base 71 to the end of the optical fiber cable 24 in an open state in which the press cap 72 is separated from the side wall portion 71 c, and then fixing the press cap 72 to the side wall portion 71 b of the grip base 71. , 71c is rotated to a closed position for closing the opening of the cable fitting groove 71a between the upper end portions, and the holding lid 72 is locked to the side wall portion 71c to be attached to the end of the optical fiber cable 24.

  The envelope gripping portion 70 in the illustrated example is an integrally molded product made of plastic. The pressing lid 72 is connected to the protruding end of one of the pair of side wall portions 71b and 71c (first side wall portion 71b) via a thin portion 73 that functions as a hinge portion. The pressing lid 72 is pivotally attached to the first side wall portion 71b of the grip base 71 by the thin-walled portion 73 along the axis line along the extending direction of the cable fitting groove 71a. The other of the pair of side wall portions 71c of the grip base 71 is also referred to as a second side wall portion 71c.

  The holding lid 72 of the jacket holding part 70 in the illustrated example is formed in an L-shaped plate shape. The presser lid 72 has a top plate portion 72a pivotally attached to the first side wall portion 71b of the grip base 71 via the thin wall portion 73, and a ceiling plate 72a from the end opposite to the thin wall portion 73 of the top plate portion 72a. And a locking plate portion 72b formed perpendicular to the plate portion 72a. When the top cover 72a is placed at a closed position where the top plate 72a abuts against the protruding ends of the pair of side walls 71b and 71c of the grip base 71 and the opening of the cable fitting groove 71a is closed, 72b can be superimposed on the outer surface of the second side wall 71c of the grip base 71 opposite to the cable fitting groove 71a. The presser lid 72 allows the locking claw 71e protruding from the outer surface of the second side wall 71c of the grip base 71 to enter the locking window hole 72c formed in the locking plate 72b. Therefore, the closed state with respect to the grip base 71 can be stably maintained.

The envelope gripping portion 70 (retention fixing member) in the illustrated example has a pair of front-side protruding wall portions 75 protruding from one end in the front-rear direction along the extending direction of the cable fitting groove 71 a of the grip base 71. . The pair of front projecting wall portions 75 are formed in a plate-like shape that protrudes from the side wall portions 71 b and 71 c on both sides of the grip base 71 so as to extend the side wall portions 71 b and 71 c along the front-rear direction of the grip base 71. Yes.
As shown in FIG. 14, when the terminal 24a of the optical fiber cable 24 is fitted into the cable fitting groove 71a, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the surfaces (inner surfaces) of the pair of side walls 71b and 71c facing the cable fitting groove 71a. The provided claw 71f contacts the side surface of the jacket 25 of the optical fiber cable 24, and the terminal 24a of the optical fiber cable 24 is held and fixed between the pair of side wall portions 71b and 71c.
Further, as described above, the L-shaped plate-like lid body 72 is locked by the locking claws 71e on the outer surface of the second side wall portion 71c to maintain the closed state, so that the pair of side wall portions 71b of the grip base 71 is maintained. , 71c, and separation of the optical fiber cable 24 from the cable fitting groove 71a can be surely prevented, and the fixing state of the outer gripping portion 70 to the terminal 24a of the optical fiber cable 24 can be kept stable. Can do.
The jacket gripping part 70 can be removed from the optical fiber cable 24 by opening the lid 72 and taking out the optical fiber cable 24 from the cable fitting groove 71a. That is, the jacket gripping part 70 can be attached to and detached from the optical fiber cable 24.
The envelope gripping part 70 is preferably an integrally molded product made of plastic.

It is preferable that the jacket holding part 70 is formed integrally with the substrate part 50. For example, the jacket gripping portion 70 and the substrate portion 50 can be formed as an integrally molded product made of plastic. By integrally forming the jacket gripping portion 70 and the substrate portion 50, the optical fiber cable 24 can be securely fixed, the optical fiber 21 can be prevented from being damaged, and the reliability can be improved.
The jacket gripping portion 70 is not limited to integral molding, and can be separated from the substrate portion 50 as long as it has a structure that can be firmly fixed to the substrate portion 50.
The unit base 40 is preferably formed integrally including the splice holder portion 60. For example, the unit base 40 can be an integrally molded product made of plastic.

Note that the outer gripping portion is not limited to the configuration in the illustrated example. As the outer cover gripping portion, for example, a holding lid having a structure in which the locking plate portion 72b is omitted and the top plate portion 72a is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the protruding end of the second side wall portion 71c of the gripping base 71 is also provided. It can be adopted. In addition, as the outer cover gripping part, a configuration including only a gripping base can be employed. Moreover, as a jacket holding | grip part, it is not limited to a plastic integral molded product, The thing assembled by the multiple member is also employable.
The jacket gripping part may be, for example, a member that is fixed to the outer periphery of the end of the optical fiber cable 24 by adhesive fixing with an adhesive, heat welding, or the like.

FIG. 18 shows another example of the jacket gripping portion. The jacket gripping portion 70A does not include a lid, and the side wall portions 71b and 71c on both sides are connected to the bottom plate portion via the cable fitting groove 71a. This is different from the jacket gripping portion 70 shown in FIG. 16 and the like in that the gripping base 71A protrudes in parallel with each other on 71d.
At the protruding ends (upper ends in FIG. 18) of the side wall portions 71b and 71c, a disconnection preventing projection 74 is formed that protrudes inward and prevents the optical fiber cable 24 from being disconnected by restricting the upward movement of the optical fiber cable 24. Yes.
The outer gripping portion 70A having this configuration has a simple structure because there is no cover, and an operation for fitting the optical fiber cable 24 into the cable fitting groove 71a is easy. Further, since the structure is simple, the manufacturing is easy and the cost can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 20, the device base 110 of the optical fiber connection device 100 holds a fiber holder 90 that holds the insertion optical fiber 1, and includes a substantially tray-shaped base main body 130, and a base main body. And a slider 120 that is slidably mounted on the slider 130.
The base body 130 includes a main part 131, a first rail part 132 extending in one direction from the main part 131, and a second rail part 142 extending from the main part 131 in a direction opposite to the first rail part 132. And have.
The main portion 131 is formed with an elastic locking piece 136 for locking the slider 120 and an elastic locking piece 146 for locking the fiber holder 90.

The first rail portion 132 has a schematic configuration in which guide wall portions 135 and 135 for guiding the slider 120 are respectively provided on both side edges of a base portion 134 on which a slide surface 133 for sliding the slider 120 is formed. Yes.
The pair of guide wall portions 135 are formed to extend in the forming direction (front-rear direction) of the first rail portion 132, and the side edge portions 121 a of the substrate portion 121 of the slider 120 placed on the slide surface 133 are in contact with each other. By making contact, the slider 120 can be positioned in the width direction.

The elastic locking piece 136 is a mechanism in which the locking protrusion 127 of the slider 120 enters the tip of the curved plate portion 136a protruding to the slide surface 133 side from the overhanging portion 138 protruding on both sides of the main portion 131 in the width direction. A plate-like engagement piece portion 136b in which a joint recess 136c is formed is projected.
The curved plate portion 136a is formed in an arc plate shape that is curved with an axis line along the front-rear direction of the first rail portion 132. The protruding end of the curved plate portion 136 a is located above the slide surface 133 formed from the first rail portion 132 to the main portion 131.
The engagement piece portion 136b is projected on the slide surface 133 inward from the protruding end of the curved plate portion 136a.

The engagement recess 136c of the engagement piece portion 136b is formed in a notch shape that is recessed from the protruding end of the engagement piece portion 136b at the front and rear central portions of the engagement piece portion 136b.
The elastic locking piece 136 moves in the front-rear direction of the slider 120 relative to the first rail portion 132 when the locking protrusion 127 of the slider 120 enters the engaging recess 136c and engages with the locking protrusion 127. Can be regulated.
In this state, the elastic locking piece 136 sandwiches the slider 120 by the elasticity of the curved plate portion 136a, and stably holds the slider 120.
The elastic locking piece 136 functions as a splice locking mechanism that engages with the slider 120 advanced along the first rail portion 132 and restricts the backward movement.

Side wall portions 137 and 137 are erected on both side edges of the first rail portion 132.
The side wall portion 137 is formed in a partial range in the length direction of the first rail portion 132, and a groove portion 137 a that restricts the lifting of the slider 120 is formed on the lower inner surface of the side wall portion 137. The groove portion 137a is formed along the formation direction (front-rear direction) of the first rail portion 132, and when the both side edge portions 121a of the substrate portion 121 enter, the lift of the slider 120 can be restricted.

The second rail portion 142 has a schematic configuration in which a pair of guide wall portions 145 for guiding the fiber holder 90 are provided on both side edges of the base portion 144 on which the slide surface 143 for sliding the fiber holder 90 is formed. Yes.
The pair of guide wall portions 145 are formed to extend in the forming direction (front-rear direction) of the second rail portion 142, abut against both side edges of the fiber holder 90 placed on the slide surface 143, and hold the fiber holder 90. Can be positioned in the width direction.

In the elastic locking piece 146, the locking projection 98 of the fiber holder 90 enters the tip of the curved plate portion 146 a that protrudes toward the slide surface 143 from the overhanging portion 148 that protrudes on both sides in the width direction of the main portion 141. A plate-like engagement piece 146b in which an engagement recess 146c is formed protrudes.
The curved plate portion 146a is formed in an arc plate shape that is curved with an axis along the longitudinal direction of the second rail portion 142. The protruding end of the curved plate portion 146a is located above the slide surface 143 formed from the second rail portion 142 to the main portion 141.
The engaging piece portion 146b projects on the slide surface 143 from the protruding end of the curved plate portion 146a inward.

The engagement recess 146c of the engagement piece portion 146b is formed in a notch shape recessed from the protruding end of the engagement piece portion 146b in the front and rear central portion of the engagement piece portion 146b.
The elastic locking piece 146 is formed in the longitudinal direction of the fiber holder 90 with respect to the second rail portion 142 when the locking protrusion 98 of the fiber holder 90 enters the engaging recess 146c and engages with the locking protrusion 98. Can be controlled.
In this state, the elastic locking piece 146 sandwiches the fiber holder 90 by the elasticity of the curved plate portion 146a and stably holds the fiber holder 90.
The elastic locking piece 146 functions as a splice locking mechanism that engages with the fiber holder 90 advanced along the second rail portion 142 and restricts the retreat thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 21, the slider 120 includes a pair of substrate parts 121, a pair of side wall parts 122 erected on the inner edge part 121 b, and a bottom plate part 123 formed between the side wall parts 122. And have.
The slider 120 functions as a unit holding member that holds the optical fiber connection unit 10 by storing the optical fiber connection unit 10 in the unit storage space 126 secured between the side wall portions 122.
The slider 120 and the optical fiber connecting unit 10 held by the slider 120 constitute a moving unit 160 that is slidable on the first rail portion 132 (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

A pair of positioning protrusions 124 </ b> A and 124 </ b> B are formed on the outer surface of the side wall portion 122 at an interval in the front-rear direction. The engaging wall portion 87 of the splicing tool 80 is disposed between the positioning protrusions 124A and 124B, and the positioning protrusions 124A and 124B define the position of the engaging wall portion 87 in the front-rear direction.
On the outer surface of the side wall portion 122, a locking projection 127 that engages with the engagement recess 136 c of the elastic locking piece 136 of the base body 130 is formed to protrude outward from the positioning projection 124 </ b> A. Has been. The shape of the locking projection 127 in a plan view is preferably a tapered shape (for example, a triangular shape, see FIG. 21) in which the front-rear dimension increases from the protruding end toward the proximal end.
A long hole 125 into which the engaging wall portion 87 is inserted is formed in the substrate portion 121.

As shown in FIG. 9, the splicing tool 80 has a pair of engaging wall portions 87 inserted into the long holes 125 and the protruding claws 87 a of the engaging wall portions 87 are engaged with the lower ends of the side wall portions 122. Are attached to the optical fiber connecting unit 10 and the slider 120.
By attaching the splicing tool 80 to the optical fiber connecting unit 10 and the slider 120, the optical fiber connecting unit 10 is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction with respect to the slider 120 and is positioned.

As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the optical fiber holder 90 is a holder for holding an optical fiber, and includes a base portion 91 and a lid 92 that is rotatably coupled to the base portion 91 by a hinge portion 91a. The insertion optical fiber 1 on the base portion 91 can be held and fixed to the base portion 91 by the lid 92.
A first holding wall portion 93 having a positioning recess 93 a for accommodating the insertion optical fiber 1, a second holding wall portion 94 having a positioning recess 94 a, and a pair of positioning projections 95 are formed on the upper surface 91 b of the base portion 91. Has been.
The second holding wall portion 94 is formed in front of the first holding wall portion 93 and spaced from the first holding wall portion 93, and the positioning projection 95 is in front of the second holding wall portion 94 and the second holding wall portion 94. It is formed away from.
On the upper surface of the base portion 91, a linear positioning groove 96 that passes between the pair of positioning projections 95 from the positioning recess 93a through the positioning recess 94a is formed. The positioning groove 96 is a groove portion for positioning the insertion optical fiber 1 and may be, for example, a substantially V-shaped cross section, a substantially U-shaped cross section, a semicircular cross section, or the like.
On the outer surface of the base portion 91, a locking projection 98 that engages with the engagement recess 146 c of the elastic locking piece 146 of the base body 130 is formed to protrude outward (see FIGS. 1 and 23). reference). The shape of the locking projection 98 in plan view is preferably a tapered shape (for example, a triangular shape) in which the front-rear dimension increases from the protruding end toward the proximal end.

As shown in FIG. 23, when the lid 92 is placed on the upper surface 91 b of the base portion 91 (closed state), the lid 92 is arranged between the holding wall portions 93 and 94.
A locking protrusion 92c formed on the distal end 92b side which is the end opposite to the base end 92a provided with the hinge 91a of the lid 92 is a locking recess (not shown) formed on the base 91. ) Can be freely engaged and disengaged.
In a state where the upper surface 91b of the base portion 91 is covered (closed state), the engaging protrusion 92c is engaged with an engaging recess (not shown) of the base portion 91, whereby the inserted optical fiber 1 is pressed onto the base portion 91. Can be gripped and fixed.

As shown in FIG. 12, as the optical connector 22, for example, a connector having a configuration including a connector main body 22a and a retaining mechanism 22b for holding the optical fiber cable 24 to the connector main body 22a can be used.
The connector body 22a includes a housing 22d that houses an optical ferrule 22c (hereinafter simply referred to as a ferrule 22c), and a knob 22e that is mounted on the outside of the housing 22d.
In the housing 22d, for example, a connection mechanism (not shown) for connecting the built-in optical fiber of the ferrule 22c and the optical fiber drawn from the optical fiber cable 24 by a butt connection or the like is provided.
The retaining mechanism 22f includes a main body (not shown), a cable gripping tool (not shown) that grips the end of the optical fiber cable 24, and a retaining cover 22g that holds the cable gripping tool.
The connector body 10 includes, for example, an SC type optical connector (see JIS C 5973), an LC type optical connector (trademark of Lucent), an MU type optical connector (see JIS C 5983), and an SC2 type optical connector (from the SC type optical connector). It is possible to adopt a structure such as

Next, an operation (optical fiber connection method) for connecting (optical connection) the extended optical fiber 21 and the insertion optical fiber 1 using the optical fiber connection device 100 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the insertion optical fiber 1 is disposed in the positioning groove 96 of the base portion 91 and is pressed and fixed to the base portion 91 by the lid 92. The insertion optical fiber 1 is secured to the fiber holder 90 with a predetermined forward projecting length.
As shown in FIG. 1, the insertion optical fiber 1 has a splice of the optical fiber connection unit 10 in a state where the coating of the tip of the portion protruding forward from the fiber holder 90 is removed and the bare optical fiber 1a is opened. It is used for insertion into the splice 30 held by the holder portion 60 and butt connection with the extended optical fiber 21.
The protruding length of the insertion optical fiber 1 from the fiber holder 90 is slightly longer than the distance from the extended optical fiber 21 in the splice 30 to the bare optical fiber 21a, so that the elasticity of the deflection formed in the insertion optical fiber 1 is increased. In addition, the bare optical fibers 1a and 21a can be butted and connected to each other by securing the abutting force between the bare optical fibers 1a and 21a.

  The fiber holder 90 is placed on the slide surface 143 of the second rail portion 142 of the base body 130, and the locking protrusion 98 is engaged with the engagement recess 146 c of the elastic locking piece 146. As a result, the fiber holder 90 is positioned on the slide surface 143 in a state where the fiber holder 90 is sandwiched by the elastic locking pieces 146 and stably held.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber connection unit 10 and the slider 120 that accommodates the optical fiber connection unit 10 are placed on the slide surface 133 of the first rail portion 132 of the base body 130. The slider 120 is positioned in the width direction by bringing both side edge portions 121 a of the substrate portion 121 into contact with the guide wall portions 135 on both sides in the width direction of the first rail portion 132.
The slider 120 on the first rail portion 132 is advanced toward the fiber holder 90.

  In the process of moving the optical fiber connecting unit 10 and the slider 120, the both side edge portions 121a of the substrate portion 121 enter the groove portions 137a formed on the inner surface of the side wall portion 137, so that the lift of the slider 120 is restricted. Accurate positioning with respect to the fiber 1 is possible.

By the advancement of the optical fiber connecting unit 10, the insertion optical fiber 1 can be inserted into the covering portion insertion grooves 31 d and 323 b of the splice 30 through the fiber introduction recess 66 opened at the front end of the splice holder portion 60.
The bare optical fiber 1a led out at the distal end of the insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted into the alignment groove 31b via the covering portion insertion grooves 31d and 323b and abuts against the distal end of the extension optical fiber 21 (butt connection) can do.

As shown in FIG. 24, the optical fiber connecting unit 10 and the slider 120 are further advanced, and the locking protrusion 127 is engaged with the engaging recess 136 c of the elastic locking piece 136. As a result, the fiber holder 90 is positioned on the slide surface 143 in a state where the fiber holder 90 is sandwiched by the elastic locking pieces 146 and stably held. The positions of the optical fiber connecting unit 10 and the slider 120 are called advance limit positions.
When the optical fiber connecting unit 10 reaches the forward limit position, the bare optical fiber 1a inserted into the alignment groove 31b of the splice 30 is abutted against the tip of the bare optical fiber 21a of the extended optical fiber 21, and the covering portion insertion groove It will be in the state by which the coating | coated part was inserted in 31d and 323b.
The insertion optical fiber 1 is bent, and the elasticity of the insertion optical fiber 1 ensures the abutting force between the bare optical fibers 1a and 21a, so that the bare optical fibers 1a and 21a can be butt-connected.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, a lateral pressure P is applied to the insertion member driving portion 82 of the splicing tool 80 from both the left and right sides, and the insertion members 81 </ b> A and 81 </ b> B are removed from the splice 30.
When the insertion members 81A and 81B are removed from the splice 30, the second clamp portion of the splice 30 is caused by the elasticity of the clamp spring 33 (specifically, the second clamp spring portion 332) and the base portion 31 and the inner lid member 322. In the meantime, the bare optical fibers 1a and 21a are held and fixed while keeping the butted state. Further, the third clamp portion grips and fixes the covering portion of the inserted optical fiber 1 between the base portion 31 and the front lid member 323 by the elasticity of the clamp spring 33 (specifically, the third clamp spring portion 333). . Thereby, the operation | work which butt-connects the optical fiber 21 and the insertion optical fiber 1 with the splice 30 (optical connection) is completed.
The extended optical fiber 21 and the insertion optical fiber 1 that have been connected are gripped and fixed to the half gripping member 34 of the splice 30. As a result, the butted state of the bare optical fibers 1a and 21a can be stably maintained.

As described above, the splicing tool 80 deforms the insertion member driving portion 82 with the lateral pressure P from the left and right, and the separation between the pressure receiving wall portion 86 and the locking wall portion 85 of the insertion member driving portion 82. By increasing the distance, the insertion members 81A and 81B can be removed from the splice 30.
As shown in FIG. 9, the drive member side wall portions 88 on both the left and right sides connecting the pressure receiving wall portion 86 and the locking wall portion 85 of the insertion member drive portion 82 of the splicing tool 80 are driven by the insertion member. The three plate portions 88a arranged in the circumferential direction of the portion 82 are connected via a thin portion 88b. Moreover, the drive part side wall part 88 and the pressure receiving wall part 86 and the drive part side wall part 88 and the locking wall part 85 are also connected via the thin part 88b.
In addition, each plate part 88a of the locking wall part 85, the pressure receiving wall part 86, and the drive part side wall part 88 is formed in the elongated plate shape extended in the axial direction in the sleeve-like insertion member drive part 82. .

The lateral pressure P that deforms the insertion member drive unit 82 is a portion of the drive unit side wall portions 88 on both the left and right sides that has the largest protrusion to the left and right sides via the central axis Q of the insertion member drive unit 82, that is, drive. Of the three plate portions 88a constituting the partial side wall portion 88, the central plate portion 88a between the plate portions 88a at both ends in the circumferential direction of the insertion member drive portion 82 is caused to act. Hereinafter, the central plate portion 88a is also referred to as a pressing plate portion. Further, reference numeral 88c in the figure is added to the pressing plate portion.
The insertion member drive unit 82 applies the lateral pressure P to the left and right pressing plate portions 88c from both the left and right sides to reduce the separation distance between the left and right pressing plate portions 88c, so that the thin portion 88b is hinged. As a result, the separation distance between the pressure receiving wall portion 86 and the locking wall portion 85 increases.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the insertion member drive unit 82 has a maximum separation distance between the pressure receiving wall portion 86 and the locking wall portion 85 by applying the lateral pressure P from the left and right. By continuing the deformation of the insertion member driving portion 82 by the side pressure P, the left and right driving portion side wall portions 88 are deformed into a generally arcuate shape having the pressing plate portion 88c as the portion closest to the central axis Q. And the insertion member drive part 82 deform | transforms the pressure receiving wall part 86 in the circular arc plate shape in which the center part is located in the outer side of the insertion member drive part 82 compared with the circumferential direction both ends of the insertion member drive part 82. As a result, in the splicing tool 80, as the pressure receiving wall portion 86 is deformed, the relative orientation between the pair of engagement wall portions 87 changes so as to increase the distance between the tips (protrusions). The engagement of the engagement wall portion 87 with respect to the side wall portion 122 is released.
The splicing tool 80 can be easily removed if the engagement of the pair of engaging wall portions 87 with the side wall portion 122 is released.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the splicing tool 80 in the illustrated example causes the abutting wall portion 83a of the insertion members 81A and 81B to abut against the locking wall portion 85 (specifically, the protruding end of the protruding wall portion 85b). The separation distances c1 and c2 between the engaging claw 84a of the engaging piece 84 of the insertion member 81 and the locking wall portion 85 (specifically, the step surface 85e) of the insertion member drive unit 82 are They are not the same, but different from each other. In the illustrated splicing tool 80, the separation distance c1 of the first insertion member 81A inserted into the second clamp part of the splice 30 is set to the separation distance c1 of the second insertion member 81B inserted into the third clamp part. It is shorter than the distance c2.

  For this reason, when the insertion member driving portion 82 is deformed by the lateral pressure P from the left and right sides, the splicing tool 80 has the third insertion portion 81A after the first insertion member 81A is removed from the second clamp portion of the splice 30. The removal of the second insertion member 81B from the clamp portion is completed. This splicing tool 80 realizes the time difference removal, in which the removal of the first insertion member 81A from the second clamp portion is performed prior to the removal of the second insertion member 81B from the third clamp portion. it can.

The optical fiber connection unit 10 that has completed the connection work between the extension optical fiber 21 and the insertion optical fiber 1 can be taken out from the apparatus base 110 and used. Specifically, after the optical fiber connecting unit 10 and the slider 120 are removed from the base body 130, the optical fiber connecting unit 10 can be taken out from the slider 120 and used.
The splicing 20 with an extended optical fiber can be connected to another optical fiber by using an optical connector 22. Thereby, the insertion optical fiber 1 and the optical fiber with another connector can be optically connected via the splice 20 with the extended optical fiber.

FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining a usage example of the optical fiber connecting unit 10 and the splice 20 with the extended optical fiber.
The inserted optical fiber 1 drawn out from the optical fiber cable 140 is connected to the splice 20 with the extended optical fiber by the above connection method.
The optical fiber cable 140 is, for example, a trunk optical fiber cable laid in a vertical hole (for example, an elevator hoistway) extending over each floor in a building having a plurality of floors.

The optical fiber connection unit 10 to which the insertion optical fiber 1 is connected is housed in an optical fiber connection box 150 (for example, a so-called optical termination box), and another optical fiber (not shown) is connected to the optical connector 22 as necessary. By connecting the connectors, the insertion optical fiber 1 and another optical fiber with a connector (not shown) can be optically connected.
The other optical fiber (not shown) to be connected to the optical fiber connection unit 10 is not particularly limited, and may be an optical fiber wired indoors, an optical fiber wired to an optical composite electronic device, or the like.

In the optical fiber connecting unit 10, since the splice holder 60 and the jacket gripping part 70 are provided on the common substrate part 50, the relative position between the terminal 24 a of the optical fiber cable 24 and the splice 30 is always constant. .
For this reason, an excessive force is not applied to the optical fiber 21 between the terminal 24a and the splice 30 during the storing operation in the optical fiber connection box or the like, and damage can be prevented. Therefore, the handleability is improved.
The optical fiber connection unit 10 is simple in structure and can be miniaturized, so that it can be used as it is in an optical connection box (optical termination box or the like).

In the optical fiber connecting unit 10, since the splice holder 60 and the jacket gripping portion 70 are both provided on the upper surface 50 a side of the substrate portion 50, the structure is simple and the size can be reduced. .
Moreover, since the external force from the lower surface side of the board | substrate part 50 becomes difficult to reach the splice holder part 60, the jacket holding part 70, and the optical fiber 21, durability can be improved.

  The optical fiber connection unit 10 can efficiently and easily realize connection between optical fibers using mechanical splices (connection between the insertion optical fiber 1 and the extended optical fiber 21). Further, the optical fiber connecting unit 10 can easily realize the simplification of the structure and the cost reduction as compared with the optical fiber connecting tool described in Patent Document 1 described above.

  Further, the optical fiber connection unit 10 can be easily reduced in size, which is advantageous for insertion into a narrow space. The operation of connecting the extended optical fiber 21 to the optical fiber (inserted optical fiber 1), and the extension The present invention can be widely applied to work (optical fiber relay connection method) for connecting optical fibers via a splice 20 with a light emitting fiber.

  Further, the configuration in which the insertion member 81 of the splicing tool 80 described above is employed as the insertion member of the splice with the insertion member, the sleeve-like insertion member driving portion 82 of the splicing tool 80 is provided from both sides thereof. Since the insertion member 81 can be removed from the splice 30 by being deformed by the side pressure P, the removal operation of the insertion member from the splice 30 can be realized only by securing a small space on the splicing tool 80. it can. That is, the use of the splicing tool 80 is, for example, a splice as compared to a case where an operator uses a structure in which an operator directly pulls the splicing 30 away from the splice 30 with his / her fingers. A small space is ensured on the tool 80. This is advantageous in that the optical fiber connecting unit 10 is inserted into a narrow space and used to connect the extended optical fiber 21 and the inserted optical fiber 1.

In addition, as the insertion member of the splice with the insertion member, a structure in which the operator pulls the splice 30 away from the splice 30 by pulling it directly with fingers is possible. As the insertion member of this configuration, for example, the base end side opposite to the insertion piece portion on the distal end side inserted between the base member 31 and the pressing lid 32 of the splice 30 is protruded from the splice 30. It is possible to adopt a part provided with a removal gripping part for an operator to grip the insertion member with fingers and pull it in a direction away from the splice 30.
Examples of the gripping part for removal include, for example, the insertion member main body at the proximal end portion of the insertion member main body that extends toward the proximal end side that protrudes outward from the insertion piece portion on the distal end side. A protrusion or the like that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction can be employed.

In the above connection method, after the insertion optical fiber 1 is positioned with respect to the base body 130, the optical fiber connection unit 10 is brought close to the insertion optical fiber 1 to connect the optical fiber 21 and the insertion optical fiber 1. In the present invention, conversely, after positioning the optical fiber 21 with respect to the base main body 130, the fiber holder 90 is slid in the direction approaching the optical fiber 21 on the second rail portion 142, so Connection to the fiber 1 can also be performed.
That is, after the optical fiber connecting unit 10 and the slider 120 are advanced to the advance limit position, the fiber holder 90 is slid on the second rail portion 142 in a direction approaching the optical fiber connecting unit 10. it can.

Although the present invention has been described based on the best mode, the present invention is not limited to the above-described best mode, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, the specific configurations of the mechanical splice, the splice with an extended optical fiber, the insertion member, the optical connector, and the fiber holder are not limited as long as they conform to the technical idea of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Insertion optical fiber, 10 ... Optical fiber connection unit, 20 ... Mechanical splice with extension optical fiber, 21 ... Extension optical fiber, 21a ... Bare optical fiber, 22 ... Optical connector, 30 ... Mechanical splice, 31 ... Element (base) Member, base side element), 32 ... pressing lid, 321 ... element (lid side element, rear lid member), 322 ... element (lid side element, middle lid member), 323 ... element (lid side element, front lid member) , 40 ... Unit base, 50 ... Substrate part (base), 60 ... Splice holder part, 62 ... One side protruding wall part, 63 ... Other side protruding wall part, 62c, 63c ... Locking claw, 70 ... Jacket Gripping part (terminal gripping part), 80 ... splicing tool, 81 ... insertion member, 81A ... insertion member (first insertion member), 81B ... insertion member (second insertion member), 90 ... fiber holder 110 ... device base, 20 ... slider (unit holding member), 132 ... first rail portion, 142 ... second rail section, 160 ... mobile unit.

Claims (5)

The other end of the first optical fiber cable, which is a drop cable or indoor cable with an optical connector attached to one end, is connected to the optical fiber drawn from the second optical fiber cable, which is a trunk optical fiber cable, in the junction box. An optical fiber connection method,
The extended optical fiber drawn from the other end of the first optical fiber cable is gripped and fixed between the half-split elements on one end side in the mechanical splice longitudinal direction and half-split on the other end side in the mechanical splice longitudinal direction. A mechanical splice with an extended optical fiber in which an insertion member is inserted between the elements of
A unit base for holding the mechanical splice with the extended optical fiber;
An apparatus base having a gripping part for gripping an insertion optical fiber drawn from the second optical fiber cable, which is abutted with the extension optical fiber in the mechanical splice with the extension optical fiber , and
The unit base is formed integrally with the base, a splice holder portion that is formed integrally with the base and holds the mechanical splice, and is formed integrally with the base and grips the outer cover of the other end of the first optical fiber cable. An outer gripping portion,
The splice holder part and the jacket gripping part are formed apart from each other, and a deflection is formed in the extended optical fiber between the splice holder part and the jacket gripping part,
The apparatus base includes a rail portion that slides the unit base in a direction approaching the grip portion.
Use fiber optic connection equipment,
The unit base which holds the mechanical splice with the extension Idemitsu fiber, by sliding in a direction approaching to the gripping portion along the rail unit, the insertion optical fiber grasped the grip portion of the mechanical splice and inserted between half of the elements, the connection method for the optical fiber that connects to abut against the front end to the extension Idemitsu fiber. The optical fiber connection device further includes a unit holding member that holds the unit base and has a guided portion guided by the rail portion,
The optical fiber connection method according to claim 1 , wherein the unit base is slid along the rail portion when the guided portion of the unit holding member is guided by the rail portion . The other end of the first optical fiber cable, which is a drop cable or indoor cable with an optical connector attached to one end, is connected to the optical fiber drawn from the second optical fiber cable, which is a trunk optical fiber cable, in the junction box. An optical fiber connecting device for
The extended optical fiber drawn from the other end of the first optical fiber cable is gripped and fixed between the half-split elements on one end side in the mechanical splice longitudinal direction and half-split on the other end side in the mechanical splice longitudinal direction. A mechanical splice with an extended optical fiber in which an insertion member is inserted between the elements of
A unit base for holding the mechanical splice with the extended optical fiber;
An apparatus base having a gripping part for gripping an insertion optical fiber drawn from the second optical fiber cable, which is abutted with the extension optical fiber in the mechanical splice with the extension optical fiber , and
The unit base is formed integrally with the base, a splice holder portion that is formed integrally with the base and holds the mechanical splice, and is formed integrally with the base and grips the outer cover of the other end of the first optical fiber cable. An outer gripping portion,
The splice holder part and the jacket gripping part are formed apart from each other, and a deflection is formed in the extended optical fiber between the splice holder part and the jacket gripping part,
The apparatus base includes a rail part that slides the unit base in a direction approaching the grip part ,
The unit base which holds the mechanical splice with the extension Idemitsu fiber, by sliding in a direction approaching to the gripping portion along the rail unit, the insertion optical fiber grasped the grip portion of the mechanical splice and inserted between half of the device, the optical fiber connection device that connects to abut against the front end to the extension Idemitsu fiber. A unit holding member that holds the unit base and has a guided portion guided by the rail portion;
The optical fiber connection device according to claim 3, wherein the unit base is slid along the rail portion when the guided portion of the unit holding member is guided by the rail portion.
The splice holder portion has a plurality of projecting wall portions for holding the mechanical splice, and the engaging claw that engages the mechanical splice housed between the projecting wall portions to restrict the lifting to the projecting wall portion. The optical fiber connection device according to claim 4, wherein a projection is provided.

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