JPH08194134A - Optical transmitter/receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an optical transmitter/receiver which has mass productivity, allows realization with high accuracy and has an optical coupling part having high durability. CONSTITUTION: This optical transmitter/receiver has the optical coupling part 20A1 having a sleeve 26 which is formed of ceramics and fits into a ferrule of an optical connector, a light emitting element unit 32, a sleeve mounting part 29a for mounting a sleeve 26a and a position regulating member 34 which is integrally formed of a transparent resin with a holder 25 for fixing this light emitting element unit 32 and regulates the positional relation of the light emitting element unit 32 relative to the ferrule and a pawl member for fitting to the optical connector. After a UV curing resin 35 is applied on the light emitting element unit 32, the unit is inserted into a holder 25 and is aligned. The resin is then irradiated with UV rays and is thereby cured, by which the light emitting element unit 32 is fixed to the holder 25.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical transmitter / receiver in a communication system using an optical fiber as a transmission medium, and relates to an optical transmitter / receiver having excellent mass productivity, high accuracy and high durability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 shows the structure of a conventional optical transceiver. The optical transmitter / receiver 200 includes a light-emitting side sleeve (see FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 described later) and a light-emitting element (see FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 described later) which are fitted to a ferrule (not shown) on the light-emitting side of the optical connector. Emission side optical coupling section 20B _{1 having}
And a light-receiving side sleeve (see FIG. 5 or 6 described later) that fits into a ferrule (not shown) on the light-receiving side of the optical connector, and a light-receiving element (see FIG. 5 or 6 described below) The side optical coupling portion 40B ₁ , the electronic circuit board 50 connected to the optical coupling portions 20B ₁ and 40B ₁ by the leads 51 and 52, the claw member 60 that is fitted to the optical connector by the claw 61, and these are housed. It is configured to include a case 10 and a lid 11 that covers the case 10.

Each of the above optical coupling parts 20B ₁ or 40B ₁
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the detailed configuration of the above. FIG. 5 shows the light emitting side optical coupling portion as an example. The light-receiving side optical coupling portion has the same configuration except that the light-receiving element is provided instead of the light-emitting element.

The light emitting side optical coupling portion 20B ₁ shown in FIG.
A member in which the holder 21 and the sleeve 22a are integrated, and a light emitting element unit 32 having a light emitting element 30 and a lens 31.
And an adapter 23. Holder 2
The member in which 1 and the sleeve 22a are integrated is created by cutting out from a stainless material. Light emitting element unit 3
2 is attached to the holder 21 via an adapter 23. When the light emitting side optical coupling portion 20B ₁ is created, the light emitting element unit 32 and the adapter 23 are attached to the holder 21.
After that, the axis of the optical system is accurately positioned by sliding it back and forth, left and right, and up and down (hereinafter referred to as "centering"), and then fixed by YAG welding.

In the light emitting side optical coupling portion 20B ₁ , since the sleeve 22a is formed by cutting out the stainless material, the sleeve 22a can be finished with high accuracy. Further, since each part is fixed by YAG welding, the reliability against changes in temperature and humidity is high.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the detailed structure of another example 20B ₂ of the above-mentioned optical coupling portions. Also in the case of FIG. 6, the light emitting side optical coupling portion is shown as an example. The light-receiving side optical coupling portion has the same configuration except that the light-receiving element is provided instead of the light-emitting element.

The light emitting side optical coupling portion 20B ₂ shown in FIG.
A member in which the holder 24 and the sleeve 22b are integrated, and a light emitting element unit 32 including a light emitting element 30 and a lens 31.
It is comprised including. Holder 24 and sleeve 22
The member integrated with b is formed by molding a plastic material. The light emitting element unit 32 is fixed to the holder 24 with an adhesive 33. When fixing the light emitting element, the light emitting element 30 is aligned with the ferrule (not shown) inserted in the sleeve 22b, and the adhesive 33 is applied in that state.
Apply and cure.

In this method, since the holder 24 is a molded component made of a plastic material, the component can be molded more easily than the member shown in FIG. Further, since the light emitting element 30 is directly fixed to the holder 24 with the adhesive 33, there is an advantage that the number of parts can be reduced.

[0009]

However, in the optical coupling portion shown in FIG. 5, since the holder 21 is formed by shaving a stainless material, there is a problem that it takes a long processing time and is inferior in mass productivity. there were. Especially the sleeve 2
Since it is necessary to process the inner surface of 2a with extremely high accuracy, the processing requires a lot of time. Further, since the adapter 23 needs to slide smoothly with the holder 21 and the light emitting element unit 32, it has been required to be accurately made of a stainless material or the like.

On the other hand, in the optical coupling section shown in FIG.
Since the light emitting element unit 32 is directly fixed to the holder 24 with the adhesive 33, it is necessary to hold each component in an aligned state and wait until the adhesive 33 is cured. When a type of adhesive that solidifies at high temperature is used as this adhesive, there is a problem that the aligned optical axis and the like may be displaced by applying high temperature. Also, the sleeve 22
Since the part b is formed by molding a plastic material, it is difficult to achieve high precision, and there is a problem that the optical coupling efficiency between the optical fiber and the light emitting element 30 is easily changed by inserting and removing the ferrule. Furthermore, the sleeve 22b
Since it is made of a plastic material, its inner surface is easily damaged by the ferrule, and its durability is poor.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical transmitter / receiver having an optical coupling portion which is excellent in mass productivity, can realize high accuracy, and has high durability.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an optical transceiver according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a sleeve which is made of ceramic or metal and which fits into a ferrule of an optical connector, and a light to the ferrule. An optical element unit having an optical element that emits light or receives light from the ferrule, a sleeve mounting portion to which the sleeve is attached, and a holder that fixes the optical element are integrally formed of a transparent resin material, and the ferrule is provided. An optical transceiver comprising a position regulating member for regulating the positional relationship of the optical element unit, and a claw member for fitting into the optical connector,
After applying the ultraviolet curing resin to the optical element unit,
The optical element unit is fixed to the holder by aligning and aligning with the inside of the holder and irradiating ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet curable resin. An optical transmitter / receiver according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a sleeve formed of ceramic or metal and fitted into a ferrule of an optical connector, and an optical element that emits light to the ferrule or receives light from the ferrule. The optical element for the ferrule, which is integrally formed of a transparent resin material and has an optical element unit, a sleeve mounting portion for mounting the sleeve, a holder for fixing the optical element, and a claw portion for fitting with the optical connector. A position regulating member that regulates the positional relationship between the optical element unit and the optical element unit, which is then aligned with the holder for alignment and irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet curable resin. With this configuration, the optical element unit is fixed to the holder.

[0013]

According to the present invention having the above structure, the holder of the position regulating member is made of a transparent resin material and transmits ultraviolet rays. Therefore, when ultraviolet rays are radiated from the outside of the holder, the ultraviolet curable resin inside the holder is exposed. When the ultraviolet ray reaches, the ultraviolet curable resin is cured by the ultraviolet ray, and the optical element unit aligned with the holder is fixed at a position aligned with the ferrule. Further, since the sleeve used in the present invention is made of ceramic or metal, it has high wear resistance. Further, according to the second invention, the claw portion for fitting into the optical connector is provided integrally with the position regulating member, so that the claw member in the first invention can be omitted.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the first embodiment of the optical transceiver according to the present invention is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, this optical transceiver 100
Includes a sleeve on the light emitting side (see FIG. 2 described below) that fits into a ferrule (not shown) on the light emitting side of an optical connector (not shown) and a light emitting element (see FIG. 2 described below) that is an optical element. The light emitting side optical coupling portion 20A ₁ provided, a light receiving side sleeve (see FIG. 2 described later) to be fitted to a light receiving side ferrule (not shown) of an optical connector (not shown), and a light receiving element which is an optical element. (See FIG. 2 to be described later) and a light receiving side optical coupling section 40A ₁ and each of these optical coupling sections 20A ₁ and 40A ₁
Electronic circuit board 50 connected to leads via leads 51, 52
A claw member 60 having a claw 61 for fitting into an optical connector (not shown), and a case 10 for housing these.
It is configured to include a lid 11 that covers the case 10. FIG.
The optical transceiver 100 shown in FIG. 4 differs from the conventional optical transceiver 200 shown in FIG. 4 in the configuration.
Optical coupling portions 20A ₁ and 40 instead of ₁ and 40B ₁
It is a point equipped with A ₁ .

The detailed structure of the light-emitting side optical coupling portion 20A ₁ is shown in a sectional view in FIG. The light-receiving side optical coupling portion has the same configuration except that the light-receiving element is provided instead of the light-emitting element.

The light emitting side optical coupling portion 20A ₁ shown in FIG.
The holder 25 and the sleeve mounting portion 29a are integrated with each other, a position regulating member 34, a sleeve 26a, a light emitting element 30 and a light emitting element unit 32 having a lens 31.

The position regulating member 34 is formed by molding a transparent resin material. The transparent resin material includes a polyolefin resin,
Examples thereof include fluororesin, polystyrene resin, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin and PMMA resin. The sleeve 26a is made of zirconia ceramic, is inserted into the sleeve mounting portion 29a, and is then bonded to the sleeve mounting portion 29a with an adhesive or the like.

The light emitting element unit 32 is made of the ultraviolet curable resin 3
The light emitting element 30 is fixed to the holder 25 by means of the position regulating member 3 and the positional relation of the light emitting element 30 with respect to the ferrule (not shown).
The light-emitting element 30 is fixed by 4, and can accurately emit light toward the ferrule. Light emitting element unit 3
For fixing 2, the ultraviolet curable resin 35 is applied to the side of the light emitting element unit 32, then inserted into the holder 25 for alignment, and the ultraviolet curable resin 3 is irradiated by irradiating ultraviolet rays from the outside of the holder 25.
It is performed by curing No. 5.

The member in which the holder 25 and the sleeve mounting portion 29a are integrated is a molded product of a plastic material, and since there is no portion requiring high dimensional accuracy, it can be easily mass-produced. The material of the sleeve 26a is
Since the zirconia ceramic has high wear resistance, even if the optical connector (not shown) is repeatedly inserted and removed, the inner surface thereof is not damaged by the ferrule (not shown). Further, since the holder 25 is made of a transparent plastic material and transmits ultraviolet rays, it is possible to use an ultraviolet curable resin having a curing time shorter than that of an ordinary adhesive agent for fixing the light emitting element unit 32, and the light emitting element 30 is fixed. It is possible to shorten the time until curing in an aligned state. Further, since the ultraviolet curable resin does not require a high temperature for curing, there is no fear that the axis of the aligned optical system is displaced.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The optical transceiver (not shown) of the second embodiment differs from the optical transceiver 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the claw member 60 is omitted and an optical connector (not shown) is used. The point is that the claw portion (see FIG. 3 described later) for fitting is provided integrally with the holder of the optical coupling portion (see FIG. 3 described later).

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the detailed structure of the light-emitting side optical coupling portion 20A ₂ of the optical transceiver according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The light-receiving side optical coupling portion has the same configuration except that the light-receiving element is provided instead of the light-emitting element.

The light emitting side optical coupling portion 20A ₂ shown in FIG.
The holder 27, the sleeve attachment portion 29b, and the claw portion 28 are integrated into a position regulating member 36, the sleeve 26b, and the light emitting element unit 32 having the lens 31 of the light emitting element 30.

The position regulating member 36 is formed by molding a transparent resin material. The transparent resin material includes a polyolefin resin,
Examples thereof include fluororesin, polystyrene resin, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin and PMMA resin. The sleeve 26b is made of zirconia ceramic, is inserted into the sleeve mounting portion 29b, and then is bonded to the sleeve mounting portion 29b with an adhesive or the like.

The light emitting element unit 32 is made of ultraviolet curable resin 3
The position of the light emitting element unit 32 with respect to the ferrule (not shown) is regulated by the position regulating member 36 by 5 so that the light emitting element 30 can emit light accurately toward the ferrule. To fix the light emitting element unit 32, after applying the ultraviolet curable resin 35 on the side of the light emitting element unit 32, the ultraviolet curable resin 35 is inserted into the holder 27 for alignment, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the outside of the holder 27 to cure the ultraviolet curable resin 35. By doing.

The member in which the holder 27, the sleeve mounting portion 29b, and the claw member 28 are integrated is a molded product of a plastic material, and since there is no portion requiring high dimensional accuracy, mass production can be easily performed. . Also, the sleeve 26b
Since the material is a zirconia ceramic with high wear resistance, even if the optical connector (not shown) is repeatedly inserted and removed, the inner surface thereof is not damaged by the ferrule (not shown). Further, since the holder 27 is made of a transparent plastic material and transmits ultraviolet rays, it is possible to use the ultraviolet curable resin 35 having a curing time shorter than that of a normal adhesive for fixing the light emitting element unit 32, and the light emitting element 30. It is possible to shorten the time required for curing in the state of being aligned. Further, since the ultraviolet curable resin does not require a high temperature for curing, there is no fear that the axis of the aligned optical system is displaced.

Further, in addition to the above, since it is not necessary to prepare a claw member for fitting the optical transmitter / receiver to an optical connector (not shown) as a separate component, the number of components can be reduced and the holder Since 27 is a plastic molded product, the cost is almost unchanged even if the shape becomes a little complicated, so that the manufacturing cost of the entire optical transceiver can be reduced. Further, when the claw portion 28 is formed integrally with the holder 27, the positional relationship between the sleeve 26b and the claw portion 28 becomes more accurate, so that accurate fitting with an optical connector (not shown) can be easily realized.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention, and any device having the same function and effect can be realized by the present invention. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example of using zirconia ceramic as the sleeve material has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other fine ceramics, hard engineering plastics, or metal can be used as the sleeve material. Etc. may be used.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the optical element unit is fixed to the holder of the position regulating member by using the ultraviolet curable resin, the curing time is shorter than that of the conventional adhesive and the mass productivity is improved. Also, since the sleeve that requires high accuracy is made of ceramic or metal and the position regulating member is made of transparent resin,
Mass productivity improves as a whole. Since high temperature is not required to cure the resin, there is no fear that the aligned optical axis will be displaced, and high accuracy can be realized. Further, since ceramic or metal is used for the sleeve portion that requires high precision, high precision can be secured in this respect as well. Since the sleeve is made of ceramic or metal, it has high wear resistance and improved durability. Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the claw member for fitting the optical connector can be omitted, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an optical transmitter / receiver according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a detailed configuration of an optical coupling section shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a detailed configuration of an optical coupling section in an optical transmitter / receiver according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional optical transceiver.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a detailed configuration of the optical coupling section shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the detailed configuration of the optical coupling section shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 case 11 lid _{20A 1, 20A 2, 20B 1} , 20B 2 emission-side optical coupling section 21 holder 22a, 22b sleeve 23 adapter 24 Holder 25 Holder 26a, 26b sleeve 27 holder 28 claw portion 29a, 29b sleeve mounting portion 30 light-emitting element 31 lens 32 light emitting element unit 33 adhesive 35 ultraviolet curable resin 34, 36 position regulating member 40A ₁ , 40A ₂ , 40B ₁ , 40B ₂ light receiving side optical coupling portion 50 electronic circuit board 60 claw member 100, 200 optical transceiver

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A sleeve which is made of ceramic or metal and fits into a ferrule of an optical connector, an optical element unit having an optical element for emitting light to the ferrule or receiving light from the ferrule, and the sleeve. For fitting to the optical connector, a position restricting member that is integrally formed of a transparent resin material and that has a sleeve mounting portion for mounting and a holder that fixes the optical element unit, and that restricts the positional relationship of the optical element with respect to the ferrule, and the optical connector. And a claw member of, after applying an ultraviolet curable resin to the optical element unit,
An optical transceiver, wherein the optical element unit is fixed to the holder by aligning and aligning with the holder and irradiating ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet curable resin. 2. A sleeve which is made of ceramic or metal and fits into a ferrule of an optical connector, an optical element unit having an optical element which emits light to the ferrule or receives light from the ferrule, and the sleeve. A position for restricting the positional relationship of the optical element with respect to the ferrule, which is integrally formed of a transparent resin material and has a sleeve mounting portion for mounting, a holder for fixing the optical element unit, and a claw portion for fitting with the optical connector. With a regulating member, after applying an ultraviolet curable resin to the optical element unit,
An optical transceiver, wherein the optical element unit is fixed to the holder by aligning and aligning with the holder and irradiating ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet curable resin.