JPH0743623A - Light beam path complete group switching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the inexpensive light beam complete group switching device which decreases switching mechanism parts as far as possible, averts the congestion of fibers, is simple in construction and small in size and realizes stable switching operations. CONSTITUTION:This switching device has the first switching mechanism part 4 which is arranged on at least one flank side of an adapter plate 3 for butt connecting many first and second ferrules 32, 33 from both sides of the plate surface, attaches and detaches either of the first and second ferrules to and from a desired connecting port and moves the ferrule in the diametral direction of the adapter plate 3, the second switching mechanism part 5 which clamps either of the first and second ferrules 32, 33 removed from the adapter plate and transfers and receives the ferrule to and from the first switching mechanism part 4, a rotating mechanism part 6 which rotates the adapter plate or the first switching mechanism part 4 in the disposing direction of the many connecting ports and moves either of the first and second ferrules 32, 33 removed from the adapter plate 3 to the desired connecting port position and a control section.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical line monitoring system consisting of a large number of optical fibers, or an optical line complete group switching device for switching optical lines when changing a cable burying route, replacing a new cable or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A crossbar system is known as a system for switching optical lines in an optical line complete group switching device for switching optical lines in an optical line monitoring system including a large number of optical fibers. It will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In the crossbar system, an adapter array plate B _A in which a large number of optical adapters A _OP are arranged on both sides as a switching connection surface is arranged in the middle of a large number of optical lines, and the plate B _A is centered on one side to have a nominal input side. Fiber F
_{The IN} and the nominal _output fiber F _OT are respectively arranged on the other side.
Further, switching mechanism sections for positioning the moving positions of the respective input side fibers F _IN and the output side fibers F _OT and for performing an access operation are respectively arranged on both sides of the adapter array plate B _A. And the input side fiber F _IN is only in the Y direction in the figure,
Further, each of the outgoing fibers F _OT is configured to be movable only in the X direction. Where the adapter array plate B _A
The number of arrayed optical adapters A _OP in N is N × N, and a complete group switching device with N cores can be constructed.

As described above, in the crossbar system, since the moving directions of the fibers are limited on both sides of the adapter array plate, the fibers do not get complicated in any access sequence.

[0004]

By the way, the optical fiber switching system by the crossbar system is suitable for high-speed switching because it has good controllability because the fibers are not complicated and the access sequence is not limited. Further, since the input side fiber and the output side fiber are connected through the optical adapter and the connecting portion is one place per one optical line, there is an advantage that the connection loss can be suppressed low.

However, in the crossbar system, it is necessary to position a moving position of the fiber on each of the input side fiber and the output side fiber, and a mechanism section for performing an access operation.
Further, the adapter array plate requires an area of (PN) ^{2 when} the array pitch of the optical adapters is P, and accordingly, the moving stroke of the fiber becomes large and the mechanism portion becomes large. Therefore, there is a problem that the switching device becomes large in the crossbar system for the above reasons.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned optical line perfect group switching device, the most important problem is that the connection loss in the switching part is low due to its use condition and that the fibers can be prevented from being complicated at the time of switching. Further, as a future subject of the optical line complete group switching device, there is a high-density packaging in which optical adapters can be arranged at a high density, and it is more important how to downsize the device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is possible to reduce the switching mechanism portion as much as possible, avoid the fiber intricacy, have a simple structure and a small size, and realize a stable switching operation. An object is to provide an inexpensive optical line complete group switching device.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the optical line complete group switching apparatus of the present invention, a large number of connection ports are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and the first and second An adapter plate for butt-connecting first and second large numbers of ferrules attached to each end of a large number of optical fibers to each other from both sides of the plate surface, arranged on at least one side surface side of the adapter plate, While attaching and detaching one of the two ferrules from a desired connection port of the plurality of connection ports, the first switching mechanism unit that moves in the radial direction of the adapter plate, cooperates with the first switching mechanism unit, and A second switching mechanism portion that grips one of the first and second ferrules detached from the adapter plate and passes it to and from the first switching mechanism portion, the adapter plate or the first switching mechanism. Part of the above Of the first and second ferrules detached from the adapter plate by rotating in the direction of arrangement of the connection ports, and the operation of each of the mechanism parts. And a control unit for controlling the.

[0009] Preferably, one of the first and second ferrules that are butt-connected at the plurality of connection ports is fixed by a fixing pin to the optical line complete group switching device, and the insertion / removal of the fixing pin is performed. Provide a mechanical section. Further preferably, in the optical line complete group switching device, with respect to a large number of ferrules of any one of the first and second large numbers of ferrules, the ferrule to be moved passes between optical fibers adjacent in the circumferential direction. A space forming mechanism section for forming a space for forming is provided.

[0010]

The first and second ferrules attached to the respective ends of the first and second optical fibers are respectively attached to the plurality of connection ports provided in the circumferential direction of the adapter plate in advance on the plate surface. Insert from both sides and butt-connect to each other. The first switching mechanism attaches and detaches one of the first and second ferrules to and from a desired connection port of the plurality of connection ports, and moves the adapter plate in the radial direction of the adapter plate.

The second switching mechanism portion cooperates with the first switching mechanism portion to hold one of the first and second ferrules detached from the adapter plate when the desired ferrule is moved. At the same time, the optical fiber is delivered to and from the first switching mechanism to prevent the optical fiber from being complicated due to the movement of the ferrule. The rotation mechanism unit rotates the adapter plate or the first switching mechanism unit in the direction in which a large number of connection ports are arranged, and moves the ferrule removed from the adapter plate to the position of the desired connection port.

The control unit controls the operation of each of the above mechanical units,
Achieve smooth movement when switching ferrules. At this time, if one of the ferrules that are butt-connected to each other is fixed to the adapter plate with a fixing pin and this fixing pin is inserted and removed with the slide mechanism part, the ferrule will be securely resisted against the pressing force that accompanies the butt connection. It becomes possible to fix it to the adapter plate.

Further, when a space forming mechanism section for forming a space through which the ferrule to be moved passes is provided between the optical fibers adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, between the first switching mechanism section and the second switching mechanism section. The delivery of the ferrule in the above step is smoothly performed without being hindered by the optical fiber.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
It will be described in detail based on 2. The optical line complete group switching device (hereinafter referred to as “switching device”) 1 includes an adapter plate 3 arranged in a housing 2 as shown in FIGS.
The first switching mechanism unit 4, the second switching mechanism unit 5, the rotation mechanism unit 6,
The pin insertion / removal mechanism section 7, the space forming mechanism section 8 and the control section 9 are provided, and the illustrated state shows the initial state before the start of the switching operation.

The housing 2 includes side plates 2a, 2b and side plates 2
Three columns 2c and side plates 2a, 2 which are bridged between a and 2b
It has a housing plate 2d attached to b and surrounding the outer peripheries of the mechanism parts 4 to 6, a second switching mechanism part 5, a pin removing mechanism part 7 and a base 2e supporting the space forming mechanism part 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the adapter plate 3 is a disk-shaped member rotatably supported by a support member 30 via a bearing 31, and the support member 30 has a shaft 30a and a support plate 30b. There is. The shaft 30a has one end fixed to the side plate 2a and the other end to which a support plate 30b is attached. The adapter plate 3 has a large number of connection ports 3a arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction.
As shown in FIG. 4, the first and second ferrules 32, 33
Is detachably inserted from both sides of the plate surface. here,
The number of connection ports 3a is at least one port larger than the number of switching cores, that is, the number of ferrules 32 and 33, and square holes 3b and 3c are formed in the open portions on both sides of the plate surface.

In the following description, the adapter plate 3
With respect to the above, the side on which the first ferrule 32 is inserted is called the front side, and the side on which the second ferrule 33 is inserted is called the back side. The first ferrule 32 is attached to the end of the first fiber 34 on the inlet side, and the second ferrule 33 is attached to the end of the second fiber 35 on the outlet side, respectively, and the split sleeve 36 (inserted into the connection port 3a is attached. (See FIG. 4), the shafts are aligned with each other and are butt-connected.

Since both the first ferrule 32 and the second ferrule 33 have the same shape, only one of the first ferrules 32 will be described, and the other second ferrules 33 will have corresponding portions in the figure. And the description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, in the first ferrule 32, a square flange 32b is formed substantially at the center of a cylindrical main body 32a, and a chamfered portion 32c having a quadrangular cross section is formed at the rear end from which the first fiber 34 extends. A grip portion 32d is formed at a portion adjacent to the chamfered portion 32c, and the main body 32
The tip of the first fiber 34 exposed on the tip surface of a is end-polished by micro-lapping or the like. The square flange 32b engages with the square hole 3b and restricts the rotation of the ferrule 32 when the first ferrule 32 is inserted into the connection port 3a.

Here, in the butt connection of the ferrules 32 and 33 via the split sleeve 36, the reference of axial center alignment is the outer shape of the ferrules 32 and 33. However, between the axial center of the ferrule outer shape and the core centers of the fibers 34 and 35 of the ferrules 32 and 33, at the current state of the art, a slight axial deviation occurs due to processing accuracy and the like. Therefore, in the butt connection between the ferrules 32 and 33, when the ferrules 32 and 33 rotate, the connection loss due to the butt connection changes due to the axial deviation. Therefore, in the butt connection of the ferrules 32 and 33 via the split sleeve 36, the rotation of the ferrules 32 and 33 is restricted by the square flange 32b in order to stabilize the connection loss.

The outer periphery of the surface of the adapter plate 3 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the ring-shaped support member 37 is attached and the rear end side of the first ferrule 32 is supported. The support member 37 has a large number of support holes 37a formed in the circumferential direction at the same intervals as the connection ports 3a. As shown in FIG. 4, the first support member 37 is provided with spring support members 37b that are detachably inserted into the support holes 37a. The rear end side of the ferrule 32 is inserted and attached, and a spring 38 is interposed between the square flange 32b and the spring receiver 37b. As a result, the first ferrule 3
No. 2 is pressed to the second ferrule 33 side with a pressing force of about 1 kg · f, and the connection loss due to the butt connection is reduced. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the second ferrule 33 is attached to the outer periphery of the adapter plate 3 toward the center and is a detachable stopper pin 39 penetrating the square hole 3c.
Thus, it is fixed to the adapter plate 3 against the pressing force of the spring 38 from the first ferrule 32. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the stopper pin 39 is formed with an engaging groove 39a in the circumferential direction at the extending end extending from the adapter plate 3.

The first switching mechanism section 4 is arranged on the back surface of the adapter plate 3 and the second ferrule 33 is connected to the desired connection port 3.
It is detached from a and is moved in the radial direction of the adapter plate 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the switching mechanism section 4 includes a fixed block 40, a slide table 41, a first drive means 42, a second drive means 43, and a slide block 4.
It is equipped with 4.

The fixed block 40, as shown in FIG.
The first drive means 42 is fixed to the support plate 30b, and the slide table 41 is movably installed in the radial direction via slide guides 40a and 41a slidably engaged with each other. A fiber guide 45 is attached to the fixed block 40, and guides a large number of second fibers 35 so as not to interfere with the first switching mechanism section 4 when the adapter plate 3 rotates.

The slide table 41 is a slide plate 41.
b and the support plate 4 which is erected at the end of the slide plate 41b
1c, and a slide guide 41a is attached to the back surface of the slide plate 41b, and a slide guide 41d is attached to the front surface thereof. The first drive means 42 moves the slide table 41 in the radial direction of the adapter plate 3, and the first drive motor 42 supported by the fixed block 40.
a, a gear 42b rotated by this motor 42a,
The gear 42b is supported by the fixed block 40 via a bearing.
The gear 42c meshes with the gear 42c, and the feed screw 42d for moving the slide table 41 in the radial direction by transmitting the rotation of the gear 42c.

The second drive means 43 is a slide block 4
4 is operated to move toward and away from the adapter plate 3, and the second drive motor 43a supported by the support plate 41c of the slide table 41, the gear 43b rotated by this motor 43a, and the support plate 41c via the bearing 43c. And a feed screw 43e for moving the slide block 44 along the slide guide 41d by transmitting the rotation of the gear 43d that meshes with the gear 43b.

The slide block 44 is connected to the main body 44a and the main body 44a so as to extend toward the second switching mechanism 5 side.
The arm 44b has a bifurcated tip, and a guide 44d that is attached to the tip of the arm 44b via a leaf spring 44c and has a bifurcated tip. Here, guide 4
4d is provided with a quadrangular protrusion P _j on the back surface that abuts against the chamfered portion 33c and holds the second ferrule 33 for rotation prevention and positioning (see FIG. 12). This block 44 is normally retracted to the initial position shown in FIG. 2, and at the time of operation, it is a part that bifurcates at the tips of the arm 44b and the guide 44d, and elastically grips the grip portion 33d of the second ferrule 33. Then, it is detached from the adapter plate 3. Here, the arms 44b and the guides 44d have a gripping portion 33 of the second ferrule 33 whose inner width is a bifurcated portion.
It is set to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of d.

The second switching mechanism section 5 is supported by the base 2e and cooperates with the first switching mechanism section 4 to show the second ferrule 33 removed from the adapter plate 3 by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. The second fiber 35 is passed between the first switching mechanism unit 4 and the second fiber 35 so that the second fiber 35 does not get confused with other second fibers 35 when it is moved in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the switching mechanism section 5 has a housing 50 and hand arms 51, 51.
Has a built-in motor (not shown) for opening and closing the hand arms 51, 51. Each hand arm 51
Is a concave portion 51a for accommodating the square flange 33b of the second ferrule 33, and the concave portion 51a.
A V-shaped groove 51b for gripping the main body 33a is provided on the inner side adjacent to
Each is formed. Therefore, in the switching mechanism section 5, the second ferrule 3 is operated by the hand arms 51, 51.
3 is gripped, the square flange 33b causes the recess 51a,
The ferrule 33 is housed in 51a and positioned at a regular position.

The rotating mechanism 6 rotates the adapter plate 3 in the direction in which the plurality of connection ports 3a are arranged, and moves the second ferrule 33 removed from the adapter plate 3 to the position of the desired connection port. As shown in FIG. 8, the rotation mechanism section 6 includes a control motor 60 and internal gears 61 and 62. The control motor 60 includes the shaft 30 a of the support member 30.
Is supported by a motor bracket 63 attached to the output shaft 6
The gear 60b attached to 0a meshes with the internal gears 61 and 62. The internal gears 61 and 62 are mounted on the surface of the adapter plate 3 with a slight mounting angle deviation with respect to the gear 60b so as not to rattle, and are supported by the rotational force of the control motor 60 transmitted from the gear 60b. Rotate the adapter plate 3 around 30b. Further, a fiber guide 64 is attached to the shaft 30a near the control motor 60 as shown in FIG. 2, and guides so that a large number of the first fibers 34 do not interfere with the rotation mechanism portion 6 when the adapter plate 3 rotates. is doing.

The control motor 60 has an output shaft 60a.
A motor having a controllable rotation amount, such as a pulse motor or a servomotor, is used to prevent the second fiber 35 on the output side from being twisted more than necessary.
Is rotated about one revolution in the forward and reverse directions. Pin removal mechanism 7
Is the second ferrule 3 desired by the first switching mechanism unit 4.
When the plug 3 is inserted into or removed from the adapter plate 3, the stopper pin 39 is pulled out from the adapter plate 3 to release the fixation of the ferrule 33. As shown in FIG. 4, the slide mechanism 7 includes a drive motor 70, a slide block 71, a slide arm 72, and an electromagnetic solenoid 73.

The drive motor 70 is supported by a support bracket 74 attached to the base 2e of the housing 2, and a pinion (not shown) is attached to the output shaft. The slide block 71 is fixed to a slide guide 76 that slidably engages with a guide rail 75, and the guide rail 75 is a support wall 2f integrally provided on the base 2e.
Is attached to. The slide block 71 has a rack (not shown) that meshes with the pinion of the drive motor 70, and is moved in the direction in which the stopper pin 39 is inserted and removed. As shown in FIG. 9, the block 71 includes a fixed plate 71 a fixed to the slide guide 76 and a support plate 71.
It has guide shafts 71c and 71c that are installed between the b and fixed plate 71a and the support plate 71b.

The slide arm 72 is slidably supported by the guide shafts 71c and 71c of the slide block 71 in a direction orthogonal to the plate surface of the adapter plate 3, and the slide plate 72a and an arm portion extending at a right angle from the plate 72a. 72 b, and the tip of the arm portion 72 b is bifurcated so as to engage with the engagement groove 39 a of the stopper pin 39.

In the electromagnetic solenoid 73, the output shaft 73a is extended against the urging force of the spring 73b only when energized, and drives the slide arm 72. The electromagnetic solenoid 73 is supported by the support plate 71b of the slide block 71, and the output shaft 73a. The slide plate 72a of the slide arm 72 is connected to the tip of the slide arm 72, and the position shown in FIG.

The space forming mechanism portion 8 passes the second ferrule 33 to be moved between the first switching mechanism portion 4 and the second switching mechanism portion 5 when the second fiber 3 adjacent in the circumferential direction is passed.
A space through which the second ferrule 33 passes is forcibly formed between 5 and 35. As shown in FIGS. 4, 10 and 11, the space forming mechanism portion 8 is provided on the base 2e of the housing 2 adjacent to the pin removing mechanism portion 7, and is driven by the drive motor 80 and the motor 80. Scraping arm 81
have.

The drive motor 80 is supported by a bracket 82 attached to the base 2e, and the separating arm 81 is pivotally attached to the output shaft 80a of the drive motor 80. The separating arm 81 is an arm that is bent at the center and has a slit 81a having a width sufficient for the second fiber 35 to pass through at the tip. As shown in FIG.
Is set to be slightly smaller than the width between the adjacent second fibers 35, 35.

The control section 9 is an electronic control unit (ECU) for controlling the operation of the above-mentioned mechanism sections 4 to 8 and is provided adjacent to the housing 2. Here, the control unit 9 may be arranged outside the housing 2 and electrically connected to the respective mechanical units 4 to 8 of the switching device 1 by a cable or the like.
The switching device 1 of the present invention is configured as described above, and among the many ferrules 32 and 33 butt-connected to each other at each connection port 3a of the adapter plate 3, a desired second ferrule 33 is connected to another connection port 3a. It is used as follows when switching and connecting to the first ferrule 32.

Here, for convenience of description, in the initial state shown in FIG. 1, the connection port 3a located at a position facing the arm 44b of the first switching mechanism 4 is used as a reference, and this port 3 is used.
The position number of a is 1, and the position numbers of the respective ports 3a viewed in the clockwise direction in the figure are 2, 3, 4 ... N (N is 1
The above natural numbers). In the figure, reference symbol P ₀ is a spare port to which the ferrules 32 and 33 are not connected, and is a port in which the second ferrule 33 is temporarily temporarily placed when switching.

When the adapter plate 3 is rotated to move the desired second ferrule 33, a connection port having a position number smaller than the position number of the connection port 3a in which the desired second ferrule 33 is inserted. When moving beyond 3a, it is held by the first switching mechanism unit 4 and moved inward in the radial direction. On the other hand, when moving beyond the connection port 3a having a large position number, the second ferrule 33 to be moved is transferred to the second switching mechanism section 5 side and moved outward in the radial direction. As a result, it is possible to avoid complication between the plurality of second fibers 35 due to the desired switching of the second ferrule 33. The control unit 9 compares the size of the position number of the connection port 3a, and the second ferrule 33 is transferred between the switching mechanism units 4 and 5 based on the comparison result.

Under the above switching conditions, FIG.
A case will be described below in which the second ferrule 33 at the i-th connection port 3a indicated by the reference symbol P _i is switched to the first connection port 3a. First, the control motor 6
The internal gear 61 meshing with the gear 60b by the operation of 0,
62 rotates, which causes the adapter plate 3 to move to the support plate 30b.
Rotate clockwise around.

The tip of the arm 44b, which is bifurcated into the slide block 44, has the first connection port 3a.
When the centers of the two match, the control motor 60 is stopped. At this time, the adapter plate 3 is restricted from rotating in the clockwise direction by a stopper (not shown). Next, the space forming mechanism section 8 starts to operate, and the drive motor 80 rotates the separating arm 81 to adjoin the second ferrules 33, 33.
A space through which the ferrule 33 passes is formed between the second fibers 35, 35 extending from the.

Next, the first switching mechanism section 4 starts to operate, and the rotation of the first drive motor 42a rotates the gears 42b and 42c.
Is transmitted to the feed screw 42d via the to move the slide table 41 radially outward. As a result, the slide block 44 moves forward from the initial position, and the grip portion 3 of the second ferrule 33 inserted into the first connection port 3a is attached.
3d is elastically gripped.

Thereafter, the pin insertion / removal mechanism portion 7 starts to operate, the electromagnetic solenoid 73 is energized, the output shaft 73a is extended against the urging force of the spring 73b, and the tip of the slide arm 72 is stopped by the stopper pin 39. Engages with the engaging groove 39a. In this state, the drive motor 70 starts to operate, the slide guide 76 is moved along with the slide block 71 along the guide rail 75, and the second ferrule 33 inserted into the first connection port 3a is moved to the adapter plate 3. The stopper pin 39, which is fixed to, is pulled out as shown in FIG.

Next, the second drive motor 43a rotates, the feed screw 43e rotates via the gears 43b and 43d, and the slide block 44 retreats in the direction away from the adapter plate 3 along the slide guide 41d. This allows
The second ferrule 33 inserted into the first connection port 3a is pulled out from the adapter plate 3 as shown in FIG.

At this time, when the second ferrule 33 is pulled out from the adapter plate 3, the pin removing mechanism 7 causes the stopper pin 39 fixing the ferrule 33 to the adapter plate 3 to operate in the opposite manner to the above. Insert it in its original position.
From this state, the second ferrule 33 pulled out from the adapter plate 3 is moved to the spare port P ₀ , but the adapter plate 3 is restricted from rotating in the clockwise direction. For this reason,
The control motor 60 rotates in the opposite direction to rotate the adapter plate 3 counterclockwise around the support plate 30b by one pitch of the connection port 3a to move the second ferrule 33.

Then, the control unit 9 sequentially compares the position numbers of the respective connection ports 3a in the clockwise direction from the first connection port 3a to the spare port P ₀ , and based on the comparison result, the switching mechanism unit. The second ferrule 33 is transferred between the fourth and fifth fibers to prevent the second fibers 35 from getting complicated. At this time, when the position number of the second ferrule 33 to be moved is smaller than the position number of the clockwise connection port 3a, the slide block 44 of the first switching mechanism unit 4 holds the second ferrule 33 and reaches the initial position. Retreat,
The second ferrule 33 moves inside the large number of second ferrules 33 arranged on the adapter plate 3.

On the other hand, when it is larger than the position number of the connection port 3a in the clockwise direction, the slide block 44 of the first switching mechanism unit 4 advances and is moved to the second ferrule 33.
Are transferred from the first switching mechanism unit 4 to the second switching mechanism unit 5. At this time, the arm 44 of the slide block 44
The second ferrule 33, which is elastically gripping the grip portion 33d by the tip of the guide b and the guide 44d, has the second switching mechanism portion 5
While being held by the hand arms 51, 51, they move outside the large number of second ferrules 33. In this case, the slide block 44 of the first switching mechanism unit 4 that has transferred the second ferrule 33 to the second switching mechanism unit 5 retracts to the initial position.

Next, the drive motor 8 of the space forming mechanism section 8
0 operates to return the separating arm 81 to its original position. In this way, while transferring the second ferrule 33 between the first switching mechanism unit 4 and the second switching mechanism unit 5, the second ferrule 33 inserted into the first connection port 3a is transferred to the spare port P ₀ . Move to position.

When the second ferrule 33 is moved to the position of the spare port P ₀ , finally the first switching mechanism section 4
Holds the second ferrule 33, and the pin removing mechanism portion 7 operates again to pull out the stopper pin 39 at the position of the spare port P ₀ . Next, the first switching mechanism unit 4
The retained second ferrule 33 is inserted into the spare port P ₀ , and the stopper pin 39 is inserted into the original position by the pin removing mechanism 7.

Next, the slide block 44 of the first switching mechanism section 4 is retracted to the initial position, and the second ferrule 33 inserted into the first connection port 3a is replaced with the spare port P.
_The work of moving to the ₀ position is completed. After that, the second ferrule 33 at the i-th connection port 3a indicated by the symbol P _i is moved to the position of the first connection port 3a.

In this case, first, the adapter plate 3 is rotated counterclockwise until the tip of the arm 44b which is bifurcated into the slide block 44 is aligned with the center of the i-th connection port 3a. Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, the space forming mechanism section 8 starts to operate, and the drive motor 80 rotates the separating arm 81 to adjoin the adjacent second ferrules 33, 33.
A space through which the ferrule 33 passes is formed between the second fibers 35, 35 extending from the.

Then, the first switching mechanism 4 starts to operate, and the second ferrule 33 inserted into the i-th connection port 3a is elastically gripped by the grip 33d. Then, the pin removal mechanism 7 is used to connect the i-th connection port 3
The stopper pin 39 fixing the second ferrule 33 inserted in a to the adapter plate 3 is pulled out.

Next, the first switching mechanism section 4 pulls out the second ferrule 33 inserted into the i-th connection port 3a from the adapter plate 3. Next, while rotating the adapter plate 3 clockwise by one pitch of the connection ports 3a, the position numbers of the connection ports 3a are sequentially compared with each other. Based on the comparison result, the second ferrule 33 is transferred between the switching mechanism units 4 and 5, and the second ferrule 33 is transferred.
To the position of the first connection port 3a.

Then, after moving the second ferrule 33 to the position of the first connection port 3a, while holding the ferrule 33 by the first switching mechanism section 4, the second ferrule 33 is moved to the first connection port 3a. Insert into 3a. In this way, in the switching device 1, complete group switching of the optical lines is realized by repeating the above procedure.

At this time, when the second ferrule 33 is transferred between the first switching mechanism section 4 and the second switching mechanism section 5, the chamfered section 33c contacts the projection P _{j of the} guide 44d,
Further, since the square flange 33b is engaged with the square hole 3c of the adapter plate 3 to prevent rotation, the butt connection with the first ferrule 32 at the connection port 3a of the adapter plate 3 is stably performed, and the connection loss is reduced. Can be kept small.

Further, in the present embodiment, it goes without saying that a cover may be provided on the outer periphery of the adapter plate 3 to prevent the stopper pin 39 from coming off. Further, the spare port P ₀ is not provided with a stopper pin, the pin removal mechanism portion 7 holds the stopper pin 39 pulled out from the adapter plate 3, and the second ferrule 33 is attached to the new connection port 3 a. Sometimes, the stopper pin 39 may be used. In this way, it is not necessary to newly provide a cover for retaining.

Further, in the switching device 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the spare port P ₀ formed on the adapter plate 3 is one place,
Since the backup port P ₀ is a port in which the second ferrule 33 is temporarily placed, it is preferable that the number of backup ports P ₀ is large in consideration of the operation time associated with the switching of the second ferrule 33. Further, if an optical component such as a SELFOC lens is used for connecting the first ferrule 32 and the second ferrule 33, it is not necessary to apply a pressing force at the butt connection. Therefore, the first ferrule 32
Spring 38 and spring receiver 37 that apply pressing force to
In addition to eliminating the need for b, the stopper pin, and hence the pin removal mechanism 7, is also unnecessary.

Here, a modification of the switching device will be described below. In the following description, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In order to reduce the operation time associated with the switching of the optical line, the switching device of the present invention includes the first switching mechanism unit 4, the second switching mechanism unit 5, and the space forming mechanism unit 8 as shown in FIG. Two sets may be provided on each of the front and back sides.

Further, like the switching device shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the adapter plate 3 side may be fixed and the first switching mechanism section 4 side may rotate. In this case, as the first switching mechanism section 4 rotates, the second switching mechanism section 5,
The pin insertion / removal mechanism portion 7 and the space forming mechanism portion 8 are also provided on the housing 2 side and configured to be rotated by the control motor 20 that rotates in synchronization with the control motor 60 of the rotation mechanism portion 6.

[0056]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the switching mechanism can be reduced as much as possible, fiber intricacy can be avoided, the structure is simple and compact, and stable switching operation can be performed. An inexpensive optical line complete group switching device that can be realized is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an optical line complete group switching device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

3 is a perspective view of ferrules used for the first and second ferrules of the switching device of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing enlarged main parts of an adapter plate, a second switching mechanism part, a pin removal mechanism part, and a space forming mechanism part.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a first switching mechanism section.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the hand arm of the second switching mechanism section and the slide block of the first switching mechanism section with the hand arm widened.

7 is a front view of the second switching mechanism of FIG. 6 with the hand arm closed.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a rotation mechanism section.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a pin removal mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the space forming mechanism portion.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the first and second ferrules and the space forming mechanism part that are inserted into the adapter plate.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an operating state of a first switching mechanism section and a pin removal mechanism section.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the main parts of another modification of the switching device of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a front view showing still another modified example of the switching device of the present invention.

15 is a cross-sectional view of the switching device shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a conventional optical line switching method,
It is a perspective view explaining a crossbar system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Switching Device 2 Housing 3 Adapter Plate 3a Connection Port 4 First Switching Mechanism Section 5 Second Switching Mechanism Section 6 Rotation Mechanism Section 7 Pin Removal Mechanism Section 8 Space Forming Mechanism Section 9 Control Section 32 First Ferrule 33 Second Ferrule 34 First fiber 35 Second fiber 39 Stopper pin

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hideo Kobayashi 1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nihon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Masao Tachizo 1-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No. Japan Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A large number of connection ports are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and a first and a second large number of ferrules attached to each end of the first and a second large number of optical fibers are provided on a plate surface. Adapter plates to be butt-connected to each other from both sides of the adapter plate, the adapter plate being disposed on at least one side surface side of the adapter plate, and one of the first and second ferrules being attached to and detached from a desired connection port of the plurality of connection ports, A first switching mechanism that moves in the radial direction of the plate, cooperates with the first switching mechanism, holds one of the first and second ferrules removed from the adapter plate, and A second switching mechanism portion to be delivered to and from the one switching mechanism portion, the adapter plate or the first switching mechanism portion is rotated in the arrangement direction of the plurality of connection ports, and is removed from the adapter plate. First and foremost And a rotation mechanism section for moving one of the second ferrule to a desired connection port position, and a control section for controlling the operation of each of the mechanism sections. 2. The optical fiber complete group switching device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first and second ferrules that are butt-connected at the plurality of connection ports is fixed with a fixing pin, and the fixing pin is inserted / removed. The optical line perfect group switching device according to claim 1, further comprising a section. 3. The optical line complete group switching device is characterized in that, regarding a large number of ferrules of either the first or second large number of ferrules, the ferrule to be moved is between optical fibers adjacent in the circumferential direction. The optical line complete group switching device according to claim 1, further comprising a space forming mechanism that forms a space through which the optical path completes.