JPH08179165A - Method for coupling optical cable with optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a coupling method for an optical cable with an optical connector which is reduced in external diameter and can connect many coated optical fibers at a time. CONSTITUTION: Optical connectors connected to the coated optical fibers of optical cables 1a and 1b are supported by two housings 2a and 4a, and 3b and 4b respectively. Projections 9a and 10a, and 9b and 10b of the housings re positioned at grooves 11b and 11a, a substrate 2b is slid on a substrate 2a up to an expected connector coupling surface where connector end surfaces are coupled to insert a guide pin 5b into a guide pin hole 5a and a guide pin 6a into a guide pin hole 6b. In this process, the positions of the housings 3a and 3a to the housing 3b and 4b are determined in the direction perpendicular to the length direction of the cables, and then connector pins are inserted into connector pin holes to determine the relative positions between the optical connectors to be coupled, thereby making batch connections.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical cable with an optical connector for collectively connecting optical connectors connected to ends of optical fiber cores drawn out from optical cable terminals of two optical cables facing each other. It is about the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When connecting optical cables with optical connectors, it is necessary to set aside extra length for connection at the ends of the optical cables. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the coupling structure of the cable end portion before connection. In the figure, 20a is an optical cable, 21a is an optical fiber tape,
22a is extra length, 23a is an optical connector, 24a is a connector,
Reference numeral 25 is a protective tube, and 26 is a pulling end. Optical cable 20a
Contains a plurality of optical fiber tapes 21a. At the terminal portion, an optical connector 23a is connected to the tip after taking an extra length 22a. The connector 24a is attached to the terminal portion of the optical cable 21a. Connection tool 2
4a, the protective tube 25 is attached to the optical fiber tape 21.
accommodates a. A tow end 26 is attached to the tip of the protective cylinder 25. The optical connector 23 a is held inside the pulling end 26.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for connecting such optical cables to each other. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 20b is an optical cable, 21b is an optical fiber tape, 22b is an extra length, 23b
Is an optical connector, 24b is a connector, and 27 is a closure. A wire is attached to the pulling end 26 of the coupling structure of the optical cable terminal portion described in FIG. 4, and the optical cable is laid in the conduit by, for example, being pulled through the cable conduit buried in the ground to the manhole. The coupling structure is disassembled at the manhole at the connection position, the ends of the optical cables 20a and 20b passed from the opposite sides are opposed to each other, and the connectors 24a and 24b are attached to the closure 27 that is a protective case, and the optical cables 20a and 20b are attached. To fix. Then, in the connection area surrounded by the dotted line, the extra lengths 22a, 22
b, the optical connector 23a at the end of the optical fiber tape 21a and the optical fiber tape 21 on the other side
The optical connector 23b at the tip of b is connected to each other and housed in the closure 27.

However, in the case where the connection work is carried out in the manhole, it is very troublesome and the workability is poor if the optical connectors are connected one by one to connect the optical cables.

Therefore, in order to improve the workability of connecting optical cables, a method of collectively connecting a plurality of optical connectors has been considered. For example, Tadashi HAIBA
RA et al. 'High-Speed, Low-l
oss connection Techniques
for High-Count Pre-Cone
customized Cables' (Internat
ional Wire & Cable Symposs
ium Proceedings 1991, pp.
296-302. The method will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 6, 31a and 31b are housings, 32a is a guide pin, 32b is a guide pin hole, and 33.
a and 33b are optical connector arrays, 34 is a housing 31
It is an end face of b. Optical connector arrays 33a and 33b in which a plurality of optical connectors are accurately arranged are attached to housings 31a and 31b provided at the respective cable ends. The optical connectors of the optical connector arrays 33a and 33b are attached so as to allow some movement. One of the optical connectors connected to face each other has a connector pin, and the other has a connector pin hole. ing. Connector pins and connector pin holes are not shown. The end faces of the housings 31a and 31b and the end faces of the optical connector arrays 33a and 33b are on the same plane. Housing 31a and housing 31b
A guide pin 32a and a guide pin hole 32b are provided on each end surface of the. Optical connector array 33
The optical connectors constituting a and 33b are, for example, 8-core optical connectors, to which 8-fiber optical fiber tapes are respectively connected.

When connecting an optical cable, first, the relative position between the housings is determined by inserting the guide pin 32a of the one housing 31a into the guide pin hole 32b of the other housing 31b. Next, the relative positions of the connectors coupled to each other, guided by the movement restricted by the guide pin 32a and the guide pin hole 32b, are determined by inserting the connector pin into the connector pin hole, and the connector array 33a. And the optical connectors of the connector array 33b are coupled to each other.

According to the above method, a large number of connectors can be inductively joined together by simply inserting the guide pin 32a into the guide pin hole 32b, so that workability can be improved.

However, in the technique of collective connection by such a method, the outer diameter of the connecting portion of the cable with respect to the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the optical cable is limited by the size of the manhole or the conduit, so that the collective connection is performed. There is a problem that the number of optical fibers that can be formed is determined.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has a small outer diameter and is capable of connecting a large number of optical fiber cores together. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for connecting an optical cable with an optical connector.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector connected to an end of an optical fiber core drawn out from each cable end of two optical cables facing each other. In a method of connecting optical cables with an optical connector for collectively connecting two cables, each cable terminal has two or more housings for supporting a plurality of optical connectors, and the housings are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the cable. 2 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of
It is characterized in that the connectors of the optical fiber cores drawn out from the two cable terminals facing each other on one or more coupling surfaces are collectively coupled.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method for coupling the optical cable with the optical connector according to the first aspect, one of the housings for supporting the optical connectors provided at the cable ends facing each other. The front face is provided with a guide pin, and the other front face is provided with a guide pin hole. By inserting the guide pin into the guide hole, the end faces of the cable ends are aligned, and thereby the optical connectors are inductively connected to each other. However, it is characterized in that they are collectively joined by being positioned by the connector guide pins provided in each optical connector.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for coupling the optical cable with the optical connector according to the first or second aspect, the housing for supporting the optical connectors provided at the cable ends facing each other is provided. A convex portion is provided on the upper surface, and a concave groove is provided on the front side of the bottom surface of the housing, and the convex portion is guided by the concave groove to position the end surface of the cable terminal. is there.

[0014]

According to the present invention, even when the outer diameter of the connecting portion of the cable with respect to the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable is limited by the size of the manhole or the conduit, it is possible to ensure that it is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable. Compared to the case where there is only one coupling surface as in the past, the connectors at the ends of the optical fiber cores drawn from one cable end facing each other on two or more coupling surfaces are coupled together. Thus, more connectors can be connected at once.

Further, a guide pin is provided on one front surface of the housing for supporting the optical connector and a guide pin hole is provided on the other front surface, or a convex portion is provided on the upper surface of the housing, and the guide pin is provided in front of the bottom surface of the housing. By providing the concave groove, alignment becomes easy.

[0016]

1 to 3 are views for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view before connection, and FIG.
Is a perspective view of a connected state, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a completed connection state. In the figure, 1a and 1b are optical cables, 2a and 2b are substrates, 2a 'is a mounting portion, 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b are housings, 5a and 6b are guide holes, 5b and 6a are guide pins, and 7a, 7b and 8a. , 8b are optical connectors, 9a, 9
b, 10a, 10b are protrusions, 11a, 11b are grooves, 1
2, 13 is a connector coupling surface, 14 is a connector coupling portion, 1
Reference numerals 5a and 15b are fastening rings, and 16 is a coupling assisting member. The state before fastening will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 (A),
FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a pair of connecting portions to be connected, and FIG.
Is an end view of the housing 3a, and FIGS. 1D and 1E are end views of the housings 3b and 4b. 1 (A), (B)
As shown in FIG. 3, substrates 2b and 2a are attached to the end portions of the optical cables 1b and 1a.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the optical cable 1a
Housings 3a and 4a are provided side by side in the axial direction on the side substrate 2a. Although the board 2a is formed separately from the attachment portion 2a 'to the terminal portion of the optical cable 1a, these may be integrally formed. Although the housings 3a and 4a are formed separately from the substrate 2a, they may be formed integrally. The housing 3a is provided with a guide hole 5a, and the housing 4a is provided with a guide pin 6a. Each of the housings 3a and 4a has a plurality of optical connectors 7
a and 8a are accurately arranged and attached. The optical connectors 7a and 8a are attached so as to allow some movement, and one of the optical connectors connected to face each other has a connector pin, and the other has a connector pin hole.

A protrusion 9 is provided on the top of the housing 3a, 4a.
a and 10a are formed, and a groove 11a is formed in the substrate 2a. When the housings 3a and 4a are formed separately from the substrate 2a, the housings 3a and 4a
Projections are formed symmetrically on the bottom of the housing 3a,
When the 4a is fixed with an adhesive or the like, the protrusion at the bottom is fitted into the groove 11a to facilitate the positioning. FIG.
(C) shows a cross section of the substrate 2a and the mounting portion 2a 'and an end surface of the housing 3a. In this example, the guide hole 5a is located on the diameter.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the optical cable 1b
The side has the same configuration, but the substrate 2b and the housings 3b and 4b are integrally formed including the attachment portion to the cable end. Of course, you may employ | adopt the same structure as the optical cable 1a side. The substrate 2b and the housings 3b and 4b are arranged symmetrically with the optical cable 1a side, and the optical connector 7
It holds b and 8b. Protrusions 9b and 10b are formed on the tops of the housings 3b and 4b, and a groove 11b is formed on the substrate 2b. As shown in FIG. 1D, the housing 3b is provided with a guide pin 5b, and as shown in FIG. 1E, the housing 4b is provided with a guide hole 6b.

At the time of connection, the protrusions 9a and 10a are formed in the groove 11
b, the projections 9b and 10b are fitted in the groove 11a, the guide pin 5b is in the guide hole 5a, and the guide pin 6a is in the guide hole 6
b, the end surface of the housing 3a and the housing 3b
Of the housing 4a and the end surface of the housing 4a
The end faces of b match.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1 (A), a fastening ring 15b is attached to the optical cable 1b.
Although a fastening ring is also attached to the optical cable 1a side, it is not shown in FIG. 1 (B). A screw that is screwed into the joining assisting member is cut on the base plate side of the fastening ring.
Before joining both joints, the joining assisting member 16 is provided on one side.
Is inserted. In this example, the fastening ring 16 is inserted on the optical cable 1a side, but the fastening ring is moved so that the joining auxiliary member 16 can be inserted prior to the insertion of the joining auxiliary member 16.

In order to hold the optical connectors 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b in the housings 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, the optical connectors 7a, 7b in the housings 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b are required.
Appropriate methods such as forming a hole into which b, 8a, 8b can be inserted and retaining with a lock pin can be adopted. In addition, from the optical cables 1a and 1b to the optical connector 7a,
Although the optical fiber core wires to 7b, 8a, and 8b are not shown, the optical fiber core wires are provided in a space between the substrate 2a and the mounting portion 2a ', or in an appropriate portion such as a groove for inserting the optical fiber core wire in the substrate itself. It is possible to form a space for inserting the fiber core wire.

In this embodiment, the optical connectors are collectively connected in the following procedure. First, the protrusion 9
The a, 10a, 9b, and 10b are aligned with the positions of the grooves 11b and 11a, and the board 2b is slid on the board 2a to the connector coupling surface where the connector end surface is to be coupled. In this process, the guide pin 5b becomes the guide pin hole 5a.
By inserting the guide pin 6a into the guide pin hole 6b, the positions of the housings 3a and 4a with respect to the housings 3b and 4b in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable are determined, and then the connector pin is inserted into the connector pin hole. The relative position of the optical connectors to be coupled is determined by inserting the optical connector into the optical connector.

Next, the optical connectors 7a and 7b and the optical connector arrays 8a and 8b are joined at the joining surfaces 12 and 13, and the connector joining portion 14 is formed as shown in FIG. In advance, optical cable 1a
By moving the coupling assisting member 16 inserted through the side to the connector coupling portion 14, and coupling the coupling assisting member 16 with the fastening ring 15a and the fastening ring 15b, as shown in FIG. In the longitudinal direction of the cable, the end of the optical cable 1a and the optical cable 1b
The position is fixed to the terminal and the connection is completed.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the plurality of connectors are coupled to each other on the two coupling surfaces 12 and 13 which are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable, there is only one coupling surface in the longitudinal direction of the cable. It is possible to connect a larger number of connectors at once as compared with the conventional method. In addition, in this embodiment, two housings are provided and the optical connectors are coupled to each other at the two coupling surfaces, but it goes without saying that the number may be three or more.

Further, in FIG. 3, when the optical cable 1a is pulled to the left side, the tension is applied from the optical cable 1a to the fastening ring 15a, the coupling assisting member 16 and the fastening ring 1.
5b and the optical cable 1b.
Therefore, the coupling assisting member 16 and the fastening ring 15
If a and 159b are made of a metal having a relatively large tensile strength, such as stainless steel, alloy steel, or carbon steel,
The portion where the optical cable is connected by the connector can also be drawn through the conduit. In addition, it is possible to expect an economic effect such as making it possible to make a standard size cable with connectors at both ends. In order to prevent the fastening rings 15a and 15b from moving with respect to the optical cables 1a and 1b, a non-slip ring is attached to the outer sides of the fastening rings 15a and 15b, or is attached to the outer sides of the fastening rings 15a and 15b. Alternatively, a method such as winding a vinyl tape may be taken.

[0027]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a plurality of connectors are coupled to each other on two or more coupling surfaces that are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable. There is an advantage that more connectors can be connected at a time than in the conventional case where there is only one surface. Further, since the housing is provided with the position regulating member, there is an effect that the optical connectors can be smoothly coupled.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state before coupling in an embodiment of a method for coupling an optical cable with an optical connector of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a coupled state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a completed connection state.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a coupling structure of a cable terminal portion before connection of a conventional optical cable with an optical connector.

5 is an explanatory view of a state where the optical cables with optical connectors of FIG. 4 are connected to each other.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional collective connection method.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a, 1b ... Optical cable, 2a, 2b ... Substrate, 2a '...
Mounting portions 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b ... Housing, 5a,
6b ... Guide holes, 5b, 6a ... Guide pins, 7a, 7
b, 8a, 8b ... Optical connector, 9a, 9b, 10a, 1
0b ... Protrusion, 11a, 11b ... Groove, 12, 13 ... Connector coupling surface, 14 ... Connector coupling part, 15a, 15b ... Fastening ring, 16 ... Coupling auxiliary member.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tatsuhiko Katsu 1 Taya-cho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Yokohama Works (72) Toru Yamanishi 1 Taya-cho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Sumitomo Electric Ki Industry Co., Ltd. Yokohama Works (72) Shinji Nagasawa 1-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nihon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Mikio Tsutsumi 1-1-1 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No. 6 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method of connecting optical cables with an optical connector, wherein optical connectors connected to end portions of optical fiber cores drawn from respective cable ends of two optical cables facing each other are collectively connected. There are two or more housings for each cable end to support the optical connector,
By arranging the housings along the longitudinal direction of the cable, the connectors of the optical fiber cores drawn out from the two cable ends facing each other at one or more coupling surfaces that are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable are bundled together. A method for connecting an optical cable with an optical connector, which comprises connecting the optical cables with each other. 2. A guide pin is provided on one front surface of the housing for supporting an optical connector provided on cable ends facing each other, and a guide pin hole is provided on the other front surface of the housing. By inserting the pins into the guide holes, the end faces of the cable ends are aligned, and thereby each optical connector is inductively positioned by the connector guide pin provided in each optical connector, so that they are joined together. The method for connecting an optical cable with an optical connector according to claim 1, wherein 3. A convex portion is provided on an upper surface of the housing that supports optical connectors provided on cable terminals facing each other, and a concave groove is provided on a front side of a bottom surface of the housing. 3. The method of coupling an optical cable with an optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the end face of the cable end is positioned by guiding the groove with the groove.