JPH07174936A - Optical connector ferrule supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a device capable of continuously carrying out a work at an insertion process by setting plural optical connector ferrules and boots in a holder and successively transferring the optical connector ferrules and boots to a grasping part side by using a transfer mechanism. CONSTITUTION:A ferrule transfer mechanism 6 and a boot transfer mechanism 7 are respectively movable by motors 8a and 8b and motor shafts 9a and 9b, and then, the optical connector ferrule 3 and the boot 4 are transferred toward the connector grasping part 12 and the boot grasping part 13. A ferrule holder 1 is movable by a ferrule holder moving table 10 in the vertical direction, and also, a boot holder 2 is movable by a boot holder moving table 11 in the vertical direction by the motors 8c and 8d and motor shafts 9c and 9d respectively. As for the connector grasping part 12 and the boot grasping part 13, the hatched parts are respectively moved by the motors 8e and 8f and the motor shafts 9e and 9f, then, the optical connector ferrule 3 and the boot 4 can be grasped at a prescribed position.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector ferrule supplying device for supplying an optical connector ferrule to an optical fiber insertion portion when an optical connector for connecting an optical fiber is assembled.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, in order to provide broadband services such as CATV and high-definition television, the construction of a subscriber optical line network connecting a telephone station and a user is actively under way. This subscriber optical line uses an optical fiber tape in which a plurality of optical fiber element wires are collectively covered as shown in FIG.

As a result of research and development of a multi-core collective connection technology for connecting them at the same time, a multi-core collective connection becomes possible and the construction efficiency of the optical line network is improved. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the coated optical fiber, and FIG. 7 shows an example of the optical fiber tape.
A cross-sectional view of a 4-fiber optical fiber tape in which books are arranged in a straight line and collectively covered is shown.

Here, 20 is an optical fiber, 22 is an optical fiber coating, and 23 is a collective coating. Generally, as a method of connecting optical fibers, there are fusion splicing and optical connector connection.
Fusion splicing is a method of melting and connecting optical fibers by electric discharge, and optical connector connection is performed by inserting and fixing the optical fiber in a connector plug made with high precision, and using these two plugs with pins or the like. This is a method of connecting the axes.

FIG. 8 shows an example of connection of a multi-fiber optical connector. In FIG. 8, 3 is an optical connector ferrule, 4 is boots,
21 is an optical fiber tape, 24 is a pin hole, 25 is a fitting pin, 26 is an optical connector end face, 27 is an optical connector window, 2
8 is a V groove, 29 is a fiber hole, 30 is a connector clip, and V grooves are provided in the same number as the number of optical fibers in the optical fiber tape.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, two optical connector ferrules are butted against each other through the fitting pin 25 in the direction of the arrow and fastened with a connector clip, whereby a plurality of optical fibers can be connected together.

The assembly of this multi-core optical connector includes four assembly steps of removing the optical fiber tape coating, inserting the optical fiber tape into the optical connector ferrule, heating / curing the adhesive, and polishing the end surface.

Among them, the step of inserting the optical fiber tape into the optical connector ferrule is performed by using the optical fiber inserting tool shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an optical fiber insertion tool. In FIG. 9, 25 is a fitting pin, 31 is an insertion tool main body,
32 is a movable slide, 33 is a connector fixing base, and 34 is a tape groove.

The movable slide 32 can move in a direction indicated by a dashed arrow. The pin hole 24 of the optical connector ferrule 3 is inserted into the fitting pin 25 of the insertion tool main body 31 in the direction of arrow A, and the optical fiber tape 21 from which the collective coating and the optical fiber coating have been removed is moved along the tape groove 34. By sliding the slide 32 in the arrow B direction, the optical fiber tape 21 also slides in the arrow B direction at the same time.

As a result, the optical fiber can be inserted into the optical connector ferrule 3. Further, in order to automate this process, a multi-fiber optical fiber insertion device as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-206989 has been devised.

FIG. 10 shows a plan view of this device. Figure 10
Inside, 3 is an optical connector ferrule, 4 is a boot, 12 is a connector holding part, 14 is a guide, 15 is a guide hole, 16 is a guide opening / closing part, 17 is an optical fiber holding part, 18 is an optical fiber tape holding part, 19a and 19b is a rail, 20
Is an optical fiber, and 21 is an optical fiber tape.

The optical fiber tape gripping portion 18 can move back and forth on a rail 19a provided below as shown by a dotted line, and the optical fiber holding portion 17 can also move left and right on the rail 19b.

The guide hole 15 provided in the guide 14 is tapered toward the boot so that the optical fiber can be easily inserted therein, and the connector grip portion side has substantially the same width as the boot inlet portion.

Further, the guide opening / closing portion 16 allows the guide 1
4 has a structure that opens and closes. Further, the connector holding part 12 has a structure in which the optical connector ferrule 3 is fixed, and the optical fiber tape holding part 18 fixes the optical fiber tape 21 in between.

Then, the optical connector ferrule 3 is fixed to the connector holding portion 12, and further, the optical fiber tape 21 from which the optical fiber coating 22 and the collective coating 23 at the tip portion are removed in advance is fixed to the optical fiber tape holding portion 18. , The optical fiber tape gripping portion 18 is pushed toward the guide hole 15 of the guide 14.

Connector window portion 2 of the optical connector ferrule 3
When the optical fiber 20 comes on the V groove portion 28 of 7, the optical fiber pressing portion 17 is slid on the connector window portion 27,
Place on the V groove.

As a result, the optical fiber 20 fits in the V groove 28 in the optical connector ferrule 3 and can be inserted into the fiber hole by further pushing in the optical fiber tape grip 18.

[0018]

By the way, in practice, most of the above-mentioned optical connector assembling is carried out in a severe working environment such as on a telephone pole or in a manhole. Moreover, the conventional optical connector assembling work is not automated, and there are many parts depending on the skill of the operator.

Due to the above reasons, the assembling efficiency of the optical connector is not improved, which is one of the factors for lowering the construction efficiency of the optical line network. Therefore, there is a strong demand for automatic device assembly of optical connectors.

On the other hand, in order to automate the optical fiber insertion process, the multi-fiber optical fiber insertion device has been devised. However, even if the multi-fiber optical fiber inserting device as described in the prior art is used, it is necessary to set the optical connector ferrules one by one in the connector grip portion.

Therefore, the work efficiency is not improved and the work cannot be performed continuously. Therefore, a device capable of automatically supplying the optical connector ferrule is required.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector ferrule supply device capable of mounting and supplying a plurality of optical connector ferrules and boots one by one, and capable of performing continuous work in the insertion step.

[0023]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in an optical connector ferrule supply device used for automatic assembly of optical connector parts, a hole for holding a plurality of optical connector ferrules arranged side by side in the vertical direction. A ferrule holder having, a boot holder having a hole for holding a plurality of boots arranged side by side in the vertical direction, a boot holder moving mechanism for moving the boot holder in the vertical direction, and a ferrule holder that penetrates through the hole of the ferrule holder to A ferrule transfer mechanism for transferring one by one, a boot transfer mechanism for horizontally transferring each boot by penetrating the hole of the boot holder, and a grip for each boot transferred by the ferrule transfer mechanism The ferrule grip and the boots transferred by the boot transfer mechanism. Optical connector ferrule supply apparatus characterized by being composed of a boot gripping portion for gripping each number is provided.

More specifically, according to the present invention, the ferrule for fixing the optical connector ferrule in the optical connector ferrule supply device in the step of inserting the optical fiber into the optical connector ferrule at the time of assembling the optical connector for connecting the optical fibers. A holder, a boule holder for fixing the boot, a holder guide for fixing the ferrule holder and the boot holder, a ferrule transfer mechanism for transferring the optical connector ferrule set in the ferrule holder to a connector grip, and the boot holder. A boot transfer mechanism for transferring the set boot to the boot gripping part, a connector holder moving table and a boot holder moving table for vertically moving the holders for continuously supplying the optical connector ferrule and the boot, and the optical device. connector And a connector gripping unit for gripping the ferrule composed of a boot gripping portion for gripping the boot, each transfer mechanism and the moving base, the motor and the motor shaft to be a drive source of each gripping portions.

Then, a plurality of optical connector ferrules and boots are set in the ferrule holder and boot holder, and the optical connector ferrules and boots are transported to the respective gripping portions using the transfer mechanism.

Further, the connector gripping portion for gripping the optical connector ferrule and the boot gripping portion for gripping the boot have been transported from each transfer mechanism by opening and closing the gripping portions by the motor and the motor shaft that are drive sources. Hold the optical connector ferrule and boot in place. After that, by operating each movable table, the next optical connector ferrule and boot can be supplied.

[0027]

According to the optical connector ferrule supply device of the present invention, a plurality of optical connector ferrules and boots are set in the holder, and the optical connector ferrules and boots are sequentially conveyed to the gripping portion side using the transfer mechanism. It is possible to automatically supply the insertion device.

Then, the grip portion is opened and closed by a motor or the like,
The optical connector ferrule and boot from the supply device can be automatically set in position. Further, by providing the holder moving base, a plurality of optical connector ferrules and boots can be supplied one by one, and automation can be achieved in the insertion process of the optical connector assembly.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a ferrule holder and a boot holder used in the optical connector ferrule supply device of the present invention, respectively.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a ferrule holder, 2 is a boot holder, and each is an optical connector ferrule,
It has a structure having a plurality of rack-shaped holes 1a, 2a in the middle so that a plurality of boots can be vertically arranged and held.

FIG. 2 is an overall plan view of the optical connector ferrule supply device according to the present invention, and the inside of the dotted line frame is the main part of the present invention. 2, 1 is a ferrule holder, 2 is a boot holder, 3 is an optical connector ferrule, 4 is a boot, 5a and 5b are holder guides, 6 is a ferrule transfer mechanism, 7 is a boot transfer mechanism, and 8a and 8b, 8c, 8
d, 8e, 8f are motors, 9a and 9b, 9c, 9d,
9e and 9f are motor shafts, 10 ferrule holder moving bases, 11 is a boot holder moving base, 12 is a connector holding part, 13 is a boot holding part, 14 is a guide, 15a and 1a.
5b is a guide hole, 16 is a guide opening / closing part, 17 is an optical fiber pressing part, 18 is an optical fiber tape gripping part, 19a and 19b are rails, 20 is an optical fiber, and 21 is an optical fiber tape.

The holder guides 5a and 5b support the holders 1 and 2, respectively. The ferrule transfer mechanism 6,
The boot transfer mechanism 7 is movable by the motors 8a and 8b and the motor shafts 9a and 9b, respectively, and conveys the optical connector ferrule 3 and the boot 4 toward the connector grip 12 and the boot grip 13.

The ferrule holder moving table 10 is the ferrule holder 1, the boot holder 11 is the boot holder 2, and the motors 8c and 8 are respectively provided.
It can be moved up and down by the motor shafts 9c and 9d.

The connector gripping portion 12 and the boot gripping portion 13 are respectively provided with the motors 8e and 8f and the motor shaft 9e.
With 9f, the shaded portion moves, and the optical connector ferrule and boot can be held at a predetermined position.

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the transfer mechanism portion of the present invention. The ferrule transfer mechanism 6 can move in the direction of arrow C by the rotation of the motor 8a and the motor shaft 9a.

That is, the optical connector ferrule 3 set in the ferrule holder 1 is sandwiched between the concave portions at the tip,
Further moving to the back allows the optical connector ferrule 3 to be transported in the direction of the connector grip 12.

Similarly, the boot transfer mechanism 7 also has a motor 8b,
By rotating the motor shaft 9b, the motor shaft 9b moves in the direction of arrow D, the convex portion of the selection portion holds the boot 4, and the boot 4 can be conveyed toward the boot grip portion 13.

The ferrule holder moving base 10 can be moved in the direction of arrow E by the rotation of the motor 8c and the motor shaft 9c, and the connector holder 1 on the moving base 10 can also be moved vertically.

As a result, all the optical connector ferrules 3 set in the ferrule holder 1 can be transported to the connector gripping portion 12 by the ferrule transfer mechanism 6.

Similarly, the boot holder fixing base 11 can also be moved in the direction of the arrow by the rotation of the motor 8d and the motor shaft 9d, whereby the boot 4 as a whole is held by the boot gripping portion 1 as well.
It is possible to carry to 3.

FIG. 4 is an operation image diagram of the optical connector ferrule supply device according to the present invention, and shows an operation in which the boot transfer mechanism 7 conveys the boot 4. The operation of each part will be described in detail below.

(1) A plurality of boots 4 are mounted on the boot holder 2. (2) Set the boot holder 2 on the holder guide 5b. [FIG. 4 (a)] (3) The boot transfer mechanism 7 moves to the boot holder 2 side by the rotation of the motor 8b and the motor shaft 9b. [Fig. 4
(B)] (4) Moving further, the convex portion of the tip of the boot transfer mechanism 7 holds the boot 4 of the first step, and the boot gripping portion 13
Carry to. [FIG. 4C] Then, the boot 4 is set at a predetermined position of the boot grip 13.

(5) The left side portion of the boot grip portion 13 is moved to sandwich the boot 4. Thereafter, the motor 8b and the motor shaft 9b rotate in the reverse direction, whereby the boot transfer mechanism 7 returns to the initial position. [Fig. 4 (d)] (6) The boot holder moving base 11 moves upward due to the rotation of the motor 8d and the motor shaft 9d, and the boot holder 2 also moves upward accordingly. [FIG. 4 (e)] As a result, the boots 4 on the second stage can be transported.

After that, by repeating the same operation, the boot 4 can be continuously conveyed and supplied. The optical connector ferrule 1 is transported and supplied in the same manner as in the boot.

Next, the operation on the side of each of the holding parts 12 and 13 will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the grip portions 12 and 13 used in the present invention. 3 is an optical connector ferrule, 4 is a boot, 8e and 8f are motors, 9e and 9f are motor shafts,
Reference numeral 12 is a connector grip portion, and 13 is a boot grip portion.

The right portion of the connector grip portion 12 can be moved in the direction of the arrow by the rotation of the motor 8e and the motor shaft 9e, and the optical connector ferrule is sandwiched and gripped.

Similarly, the boot gripping portion 13 has a motor 8f,
The left side portion is movable in the direction of the arrow by rotation of the motor shaft 9f, and the boot is sandwiched and gripped. Both gripping parts are initially open.

In this state, it operates as follows. (1) The boot 4 held by the convex portion of the boot transfer mechanism 7 reaches the grip portion of the boot grip portion 13.

(2) By rotating the motor 8f and the motor shaft 9f, the right side portion of the boot gripping portion is moved to sandwich the boot. After this, the boot transfer mechanism 7 returns to the initial position. (3) The optical connector ferrule 3 held by the tip convex portion of the ferrule transfer mechanism 6 arrives at the grip portion of the connection clause other grip portion 12.

(4) By rotating the motor 8e and the motor shaft 9e, the right side portion of the connector gripping portion is moved to sandwich the optical connector ferrule. After that, the ferrule transfer mechanism 6 returns to the initial position.

After that, by repeating the same operation, the boot 4 and the optical connector ferrule 3 can be continuously held. As described above, the optical connector ferrule supply device according to the present invention can supply a plurality of optical connector ferrules and boots one by one, and can continuously supply them.

As a result, it is possible to automatically and continuously insert the optical fiber into the optical connector ferrule.
The work efficiency of the optical connector assembly is improved. The reason for dividing the connector grip portion and the boot grip portion is to increase the success rate of insertion of the optical fiber into the optical connector ferrule, and this device has a higher success rate than the conventional multi-fiber optical fiber insertion apparatus. Improved.

As described above, according to the optical connector ferrule supply device of the present invention, since a plurality of optical connector ferrules and boots are sequentially conveyed to the respective gripping parts by using the transfer mechanism, they can be inserted into the insertion device. Automatic supply is possible.

Then, the grip portion is opened and closed by a motor or the like,
The optical connector ferrule and boot can be automatically set in position. Further, since a plurality of optical connector ferrules and boots can be supplied one by one and continuously, the insertion process of the optical connector assembly can be automated, and the efficiency of the optical connector assembly work can be improved. .

[0055]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical connector ferrule supply device capable of mounting and supplying a plurality of optical connector ferrules and boots one by one, and performing continuous work in the inserting step. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ferrule holder and a boot holder used in an optical connector ferrule supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall plan view of an optical connector ferrule supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of a transfer mechanism portion used in the device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an operation image diagram of the optical connector ferrule supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a grip portion used in the device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an optical fiber.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a 4-core optical fiber tape.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a connection example of a multi-fiber optical connector.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional optical fiber insertion tool.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a conventional multi-fiber optical fiber inserting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Ferrule holder, 2 ... Boot holder, 3 ... Optical connector ferrule, 4 ... Boot, 5 ... Holder guide, 6 ... Ferrule transfer mechanism, 7 ... Boot transfer mechanism, 8
... Motor, 9 ... Motor shaft, 10 ... Ferrule holder moving base, 11 ... Boot holder moving base, 12 ... Connector gripping part, 13 ... Boots gripping part, 14 ... Guide, 15 ... Guide hole, 16 ... Guide opening / closing part, 17 ... optical fiber pressing portion, 18 ... optical fiber tape gripping portion, 19 ... rail, 2
0 ... Optical fiber, 21 ... Optical fiber tape, 22 ... Optical fiber coating, 23 ... Collective coating, 24 ... Pin hole, 25 ... Fitting pin, 26 ... Optical connector end face, 27 ... Optical connector window, 28 ... V groove , 29 ... Fiber hole, 30 ... Connector clip, 31 ... Insertion tool body, 32 ... Movable slide,
33 ... Connector fixing base, 34 ... Tape groove.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical connector ferrule supply device used for automatic assembly of optical connector parts, wherein a ferrule holder having holes for holding a plurality of optical connector ferrules in a vertical direction and a plurality of boots are held in a vertical direction. A boot holder having a hole, a ferrule holder moving mechanism for moving the ferrule holder in a vertical direction, a boot holder moving mechanism for moving the boot holder in a vertical direction, and a ferrule holder penetrating through the hole of the ferrule holder for each ferrule. A ferrule transfer mechanism that transfers the individual boots, a boot transfer mechanism that horizontally transfers the boots through the holes of the boot holder, and a ferrule transferred by the ferrule transfer mechanism that holds the ferrules individually The ferrule grip portion and the boot transfer mechanism Optical connector ferrule supply apparatus characterized by being composed of the boot has been transferred from the boot gripping portion for gripping each one Te.