JPH0573001B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a compact and low-cost multi-fiber connector plug that connects a plurality of optical fibers at the same time.

(Prior Art) With the advancement of multi-fiber and high-density technology for optical fiber cables, it is desired to establish a practical multi-fiber connector connection technology. Multi-fiber connectors require precise arrangement of multiple optical fibers within the connector plug, and are also required to be compact and low-cost in practical terms.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are explanatory diagrams of a conventional method for manufacturing a multi-fiber connector plug in which a plurality of single-core optical fibers are assembled. First, as shown in FIG. 8a, the tip of the coated part 2 of the single-core optical fiber 1 is removed to expose the optical fiber 3, and in order to gather the optical fibers in a high density, A terminal forming tool 4 consisting of a grooved substrate and a presser plate is added to the terminal and fixed by adhesive. The optical fibers are sandwiched between the grooved substrate and the holding plate, preliminarily arranged, and assembled at high density.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3b, a multi-core connector plug core is molded using the mold 5. At the bottom of the mold 5 are a V-groove 6 for precisely arranging optical fibers, a V-groove 8 for precisely arranging guide hole forming pins 7, a cavity 9 for plug core molding, and a groove 10 for installing a terminal forming tool. The pins and optical fibers are placed on the V-groove at the bottom of the mold, the top of the mold is covered from above, and the pins and optical fibers are precisely arranged by sandwiching them between the top and bottom of the mold. . After this, molten plastic is injected into the cavity in the mold and allowed to solidify to form the plastic. After molding, the pins are pulled out from the molded product and their end faces are polished to produce a multi-core connector plug core 12 having a pair of guide holes 11 as shown in FIG. 3c.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3d, the plug core 12
is sandwiched between the two halves of the plug housing 13 and fixed with microscrews 14 to complete the production of the multi-core connector plug 15. Multi-core connector connection is performed by inserting pins into guide holes on the end faces of the plugs and butting the plugs together using the pins as guides.

Although the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a multi-fiber connector plug achieves a high-density assembly of the optical fibers themselves, it is necessary to add a terminal former by adhesion, and then attach a plug housing after molding the plug core to make the plug. Because it is manufactured, it has the following disadvantages.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) (1) There are many parts that make up the plug, and the dimensions of the individual parts cannot be made too small from the viewpoint of handling workability and ensuring mechanical strength, and the size of the entire plug The size becomes large.

(2) Since the number of parts and the number of man-hours required to manufacture the plug are large, it takes time to manufacture the plug, and the price of the plug becomes high.

(Means for solving the problems) In order to solve these drawbacks, the present invention
A pre-arranging mechanism is installed in the grooved mold itself to gather the ends of the optical fiber cores in a high density using a V-groove. The core connector plug is integrally molded including the housing.

The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1a to 1c are explanatory diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention, and show an outline of a method for manufacturing a multi-fiber connector plug for a single-fiber optical fiber assembly. 1st
In the figure, a is a perspective view showing the mold structure, b is a perspective view showing the preliminary arrangement process of optical fiber cores on the mold, c
is a perspective view showing the plug structure after completion of manufacturing;
16 is the lower part of the mold, 17 is a V-groove for arranging optical fibers,
18 is a groove for arranging pins for forming guide holes; 19 is a cavity for molding a plug having a shape that integrates a plug core and a plug housing; 20 is a groove for arranging an optical fiber coated portion; 21 is a groove for arranging a guide hole forming pin; A clamp for preliminary arrangement of optical fibers and pins, 22 a clamp for optical fiber arrangement, 23 an upper part of the mold,
24 is a pin for forming a guide hole, and 25 is a multi-core connector plug after manufacturing is completed.

To manufacture a multi-core connector plug, first
In figure a, V grooves 17 and 1 of the mold lower part 16
8. Fit the clamp 21 onto the top of the tip. As a result, a ▽-shaped hole is formed at the tip of the V-groove between the V-grooves 17 and 18 and the clamp 21.

Next, in FIG. 1b, after inserting the pin 24 into the ▽-shaped hole along the V-groove 18, the optical fiber core 1
Line the optical fibers 3 one by one along the V-groove 17 ▽
Insert the optical fiber coated part 2 into the groove 20.
Then, the clamp 22 is fitted from above and the core wire coating is pressed down to complete the preliminary arrangement of the ends of the optical fiber core wires. Next, the mold upper part 23 is fitted into the mold lower part 16. As a result, the optical fibers and pins are sandwiched between the flat part of the upper part of the mold and the V-groove of the lower part of the mold, and arranged precisely. Molten plastic is then injected into the cavity within the mold and allowed to solidify to form a plug. After molding, the pins are pulled out and the end faces are polished to complete the manufacture of the multi-core connector plug 25 shown in FIG. 1c.

In this way, a ▽-shaped hole is formed by the V-groove and the clamp on the extension of the V-groove for arranging the optical fibers and pins on the mold, so that the ▽
Insertion into the shaped hole can be easily carried out by simply sliding it over the V-groove, thereby achieving preliminary alignment of the optical fiber and pin on the V-groove of the mold. In addition, since the optical fiber coated portions are arranged using grooves and clamps provided in the mold, unlike conventional methods, there is no need for an end forming tool, and multiple optical fibers can be fabricated at a high density on the mold. A gathering can be realized. Furthermore, by integrating the cavity shape of the mold and the plug housing, a multi-core connector that can gather optical fibers at a high density at the end of the optical fiber core wire with just one set of molds and one molding process. Plugs can be manufactured.

According to the present invention, compared to the conventional multi-core connector plug manufacturing method, the number of parts can be reduced to 1 in the present invention, compared to 5 in the conventional method even excluding small parts such as microscrews. In addition, while the conventional method required about 90 minutes to manufacture the plug, excluding polishing the end face of the plug, the present invention requires the time-consuming adhesive fixing process when forming the end of the conventional method, and the minute screws of the plug housing. Since the process of assembling parts, such as the installation by hand, can be omitted, the time can be significantly reduced to 20 to 30 minutes. Furthermore, since the present invention requires only one-piece molding, the plug dimensions can be reduced to approximately 1/2 in terms of outer diameter and approximately 1/4 in cross-sectional area compared to conventional plugs that are assembled into parts.

In the explanatory drawings of the above embodiments, the shape of the plug is circular in cross section, but by changing the shape of the cavity in the mold, it can be made into any shape, such as a plug with a rectangular cross section, as shown in Figure 2a. It is possible to manufacture plugs with cross-sectional shapes. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the case of a multi-core multi-core connector plug in which a plurality of single-core optical fibers are assembled is shown, but as shown in FIG. It can also be effectively applied to the production of multi-core connector plugs for.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, the present invention allows an optical fiber to be inserted into a ▽-shaped hole formed by a V-groove for precision alignment of a mold and a clamp for preliminary alignment provided above the tip of the V-groove. Since the optical fiber is fixed in advance, the optical fiber will not move when placing the upper part of the mold. Furthermore, since the present invention makes it possible to pre-arrange multiple optical fibers by using the V-groove for precise arrangement of the mold, optical fibers can be prepared in one molding process using one set of molds. It is possible to manufacture multi-fiber connector plugs in which optical fibers are assembled at high density directly at the ends of the core wires, including the housing, making it possible to miniaturize multi-fiber connector plugs, shorten manufacturing time, and improve manufacturing yields, which was previously difficult. There are advantages in that improved performance and cost reduction can be achieved.

This advantage is more effectively exhibited in the connector connection of multi-core, high-density optical fiber cables.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a is a perspective view showing a mold structure, b is a perspective view showing a preliminary arrangement process of wire ends on a mold, c.
2 is a perspective view showing the manufacture of a plug after completion of manufacture, and FIGS. 2a and 2b are explanatory views of other embodiments of the present invention, in which a is a perspective view showing the manufacture of a plug having a square cross section, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a plug molded at the end of a high-density core, and FIGS. 3a to 3d are explanatory diagrams of a conventional method for manufacturing a multi-fiber connector plug for aggregating single-fiber optical fibers. , a is a perspective view showing the process of adding an end forming tool to the core wire end, b is a perspective view showing the process of forming the plug core, c is a perspective view showing the structure of the plug core, and d is the plug after completion of manufacturing. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Single optical fiber core, 2...Optical fiber coated portion, 3...Optical fiber, 4...Terminal forming tool, 5...Conventional mold, 6...V groove for arranging optical fibers , 7...Pin, 8...V groove for pin arrangement, 9...
...Cavity, 10...Groove for installing terminal forming tool,
11...Guide hole, 12...Plug core, 13...
...Plug housing, 14...Minute screw, 15...
... Conventional plug, 16 ... Mold lower part of the present invention, 1
7... Groove for arranging optical fibers, 18... Groove for arranging pins, 19... Cavity, 20... Groove for arranging core wire covering portions, 21... Clamps for preliminary arrangement of optical fibers and pins, 22... Optical fiber array clamp, 23... upper part of the mold, 24... pin,
25...Plug according to the present invention, 26...High density core wire.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Using a mold with multiple V-grooves for arranging a plurality of optical fibers and a pair of guide hole forming pins, the optical fibers are arranged at equal intervals by plastic molding, and a pair of guide hole forming pins are arranged on both sides of the mold. In a method for manufacturing a multi-fiber connector plug having a guide hole formed therein, a clamp for pre-arranging optical fibers and pins is placed above the tip of a V-groove provided at the bottom of the mold, and a V-groove is formed on the extension of the V-groove. A ▽-shaped hole is formed by the groove and the clamp, and the optical fiber and pin are inserted into the ▽-shaped hole along the V-groove to be prearranged on the V-groove, and then the optical fiber core provided at the bottom of the mold is inserted into the ▽-shaped hole. After arranging the optical fiber coated parts using the wire coated part arrangement groove and the optical fiber coated part arrangement clamp placed above this groove, the optical fibers and pins are inserted into the V groove at the bottom of the mold. , an optical fiber multi-core connector plug characterized in that the multi-core optical fiber connector plug is produced by sandwiching and precisely arranging the optical fibers with a flat part provided on the upper part of the mold, and molding the optical fibers directly onto the ends of the plastic. Production method.