JPH08292337A - Optical fiber spilicing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an optical fiber splicing device by which optical fibers can be freely attachably and detachably abutted and spliced. CONSTITUTION: This device is provided with a sleeve 7 made of an elastic material, formed almost in the shape of a rod having a split groove 3 opened on a side face 2 and housing abutting parts 6 of a pair of optical fibers 5 in a fiber inserting hole 4 penetrated in the innermost part of the split groove 3 along the axial direction, a sleeve housing 8 having a housing hole 16 for internally housing the sleeve 7, and a pressing means 9 for elastically deforming the sleeve 7 in the direction where the split groove 3 housed in the sleeve housing is opened and closed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector used for butt connection of optical fibers such as mechanical splice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an optical fiber connector has a structure in which two abutted optical fibers are fixed in the same housing. The positioning and aligning structure of the optical fiber connector includes (1) a structure in which optical fibers are inserted into both ends of a precision thin tube (hereinafter, "microcapillary") and abutted against each other; And (3) a structure in which an optical fiber is carried at the center of three precision rods or three precision balls and positioned. In this optical fiber connector, a pair of optical fibers are aligned and abutted with each other in the aligning mechanism to be bonded or mechanically clamped to the aligning mechanism.

[0003]

By the way, in the case of the optical fiber connector as described above, the connected optical fiber cannot be reused, so that the optical fiber cannot be attached or detached, which is effective for connection switching. There was a problem that it could not be used. That is, when the optical fiber is bonded to the aligning mechanism, it is difficult to remove it from the aligning mechanism, and the abutting end is soiled with the adhesive, which makes reuse difficult. In addition, when the optical fiber is mechanically clamped, a strong crimping force acts on the abutting end of the optical fiber, and when the abutting state is released, the refractive index of the abutting end fluctuates, making reuse difficult. The problem arises that

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber connector capable of detachably butt-connecting optical fibers.

[0005]

An optical fiber connector according to a first aspect of the present invention is made of an elastic material, and is formed into a substantially rod shape having a variable cross-sectional shape by a split groove opened on the side surface. A sleeve for accommodating the abutting end portions of a pair of optical fibers in a fiber insertion hole penetrating along the axial direction in the inner part of the sleeve so as to be connectable with each other, and a sleeve housing having an accommodating hole for accommodating the sleeve,
The means for solving the above-mentioned problems is provided with a pressing means for elastically deforming the sleeve in the direction in which the split groove opens and closes by applying or releasing a pressing force to the side surface of the sleeve housed in the sleeve housing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber connector according to the first aspect, wherein the sleeve comprises
The taper portion has a shape in which the distance between both side surfaces along the width direction of the split groove increases from one side in the axial direction to the other side, and the pressing means is engaged with and disengaged from the taper portion. A pressing member that elastically deforms the sleeve in the direction in which the split groove opens and closes by being screwed into the sleeve housing,
The means for solving the above-mentioned problems is provided with a moving screw that moves the pressing member along the axial direction of the sleeve when rotated.

According to another aspect of the optical fiber connector of the present invention, a base having a V groove formed on the upper surface thereof and an optical fiber arranged in the V groove are abutted against each other by being mounted on the upper surface side of the base. An upper lid that presses the end portion toward the V groove back side, and a base that overlaps with each other and a taper-shaped screwing surface formed on the outer surface of the upper lid that are screwed together, and rotate to press the base and the upper lid closer to and away from each other. The provision of a screw is a means for solving the above problems.

[0008]

According to the optical fiber connector of the first aspect, when the optical fibers are butt-connected, the butt end of the optical fiber is inserted into the fiber insertion hole, and the side surface of the sleeve is closed by the pressing means. The optical fiber is gripped in the sleeve by pressing in the direction. At this time, since the contact area between the inner surface of the fiber insertion hole and the abutting end of the optical fiber is sufficiently secured, stress concentration at a specific place of the optical fiber is prevented. On the other hand, when the butt connection between the optical fibers is to be released, the split groove is opened by the elastic force of the sleeve by releasing the pressing force of the pressing means, and the optical fiber is pulled out from the sleeve.

According to the optical fiber connector of the second aspect, when the optical fibers are butt-connected to each other, the moving screw is rotated to fit the pressing member to the sleeve, so that the pressing member is pressed between the pressing members or between the pressing members. The taper portion of the sleeve is pressed against the wall portion in the width direction of the split groove. By shrinking the width of the split groove, the abutting end of the optical fiber is gripped and fixed in the fiber insertion hole. Further, the movable screw is rotated in the opposite direction to move the pressing member from the other side in the axial direction of the sleeve toward one side and separate it from the sleeve to open the split groove, and then pull out the butt end from the inside of the sleeve.

According to the optical fiber connector of the third aspect, by rotating the pressing screw in the radial direction of the screwing surface, the base and the upper lid are brought close to each other and the optical fibers arranged in the V groove are butted. The end is gripped between the base and the top lid. By rotating the pressing screw in the opposite direction, the base and the upper lid are separated from each other, and the grip of the abutting end is released.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2A and 2B. Reference numeral 1 in the figure is an optical fiber connector of this embodiment. This optical fiber connector 1 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (b).
As shown in FIG. 3, the groove 3 is made of an elastic material and is formed into a substantially rod shape whose sectional shape is variable by the groove 3 opened on the side surface 2. The groove 3 is formed in the inner part of the groove 3 along the axial direction. And a sleeve housing 8 for accommodating the abutting ends 6 of the pair of optical fibers 5 in the fiber insertion hole 4 such that they can be abutted and connected to each other, a sleeve housing 8 having a later-described accommodating hole 16 for accommodating the sleeve 7, and the sleeve. It is provided with pressing means 9 for elastically deforming the sleeve 7 in the direction in which the split groove 3 opens and closes by applying or releasing a pressing force to the side surface 2 of the sleeve 7 housed in the housing 8.

As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the sleeve 7 is an elongated spindle-shaped member having a thick section 10 at the center in the longitudinal direction and a circular cross section. Thick part 1 of sleeve 7
Between 0 and both ends in the longitudinal direction, from the end to the thick part 10
On both sides 2 along the width direction of the split groove 3
The taper portion 11 has a shape in which the distance between them increases. Here, the illustrated tapered portion 11 is obtained by reducing not only the space between both side surfaces 2 along the width direction of the split groove 3 but also the entire diameter dimension of the cross section, but both side surfaces perpendicular to the width direction of the split groove 3. Only the distance between the two may be reduced. In addition,
The sleeve 7 can be widely applied to metals such as stainless steel and resins such as plastic as long as it has sufficient rigidity and appropriate elasticity.

The split groove 3 is formed in the side surface 2 of the sleeve 7 and has a shape whose width does not change until it reaches the fiber insertion hole 4. The fiber insertion hole 4 has a sleeve 7
Since it is located on the central axis of the
Extends along any radius of the cross section. Here, the illustrated split groove 3 extends from the side surface 2 of the sleeve 7 to the fiber insertion hole 4, but may have a shape that passes through the fiber insertion hole 4 and extends further to the back side. Further, the sectional shape of the illustrated split groove 3 may be such that the opening amount increases as it approaches the side surface 2. Furthermore, the sectional shape of the split groove 3 may be bent in the middle. At both ends of the fiber insertion hole 4, taper openings 4a for easily inserting the abutting ends 6 of the optical fibers 5 into the fiber insertion hole 4 are provided.
Is provided. The inside diameter of the fiber insertion hole 4 is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the abutting end 6 of the optical fiber 5.

The sleeve housing 8 is a substantially cylindrical member made of resin such as hard plastic. A clamp screw portion 13 for screwing a clamp screw 12 for fixing the abutting end portion 6 of the optical fiber 5 when the optical fiber connector 1 is completed is protrudingly provided at one end portion in the axial direction of the sleeve housing 8. . The central axis of the screw threaded on the outer circumference of the clamp screw portion 13 is the sleeve housing 8
It is on the central axis of. A fiber insertion hole 14 into which the abutting end 6 of the optical fiber 5 is inserted is formed on the central axis of the entire sleeve housing 8 including the clamp screw portion 13. The clamp screw portion 13 is composed of a plurality of portions movable in the radial direction of the cross section by a through groove (not shown) penetrating inside and outside the fiber insertion hole 14, and is provided inside the clamp screw 12 by tightening the clamp screw 12. The tapered portion 12a is brought into contact with the taper portion 12a to reduce the cross-sectional shape so that the optical fiber 5 in the fiber insertion hole 14 is clamped. A taper hole 15 for inserting the butt end 6 of the optical fiber 5 into the fiber insertion hole 14 is penetrated through the central portion of the clamp screw 12. The taper hole 15 has a mortar shape in which the base end side is communicated with the fiber insertion hole 14 and the tip end side is opened to the outer end surface of the clamp screw 12, and the butt end 6 is inserted into the fiber insertion hole 14. Is to facilitate.

At the other end of the sleeve housing 8,
The sleeve 7 is formed inside the sleeve housing 8.
An end portion of a storage hole 16 for storing the insertable / detachable is opened. The storage hole 16 is for supporting the sleeve 7 inserted therein with its axis aligned with the axis of the sleeve housing 8, and is formed in such a shape that the back side 17 (16) substantially matches the outer surface of the sleeve 7. The opening side 18 (16) is formed into a cylindrical shape having a larger diameter than the outer surface of the sleeve 7. The rear side 17 of the storage hole 16 is formed in a shape that fits with about half of the sleeve 7 in the longitudinal direction and that allows the cross-sectional shape of the sleeve 7 to be deformed at least when the split groove 3 of the sleeve 7 is opened and closed. There is. The opening side 18 of the storage hole 16 is
It is formed by an inner wall surface of a cylindrical surface centering on the axis of the sleeve housing 8. An end portion of the sleeve housing 8 forming the opening side 18 of the storage hole 16 is a screwing wall 20 on which a moving screw 19 described later is screwed with the same axis as the sleeve housing 8.

The pressing means 9 is inserted from the tip end of the taper portion 11 toward the base end (the end portion near the thick portion 10) so as to elastically deform the sleeve 7 in the direction of opening and closing the split groove 3. The member 21 and the moving screw 19 that is screwed into the sleeve housing 8 and is rotated to move the pressing member 21 along the axial direction of the sleeve 7.
Is provided. In the present embodiment, the pressing member 21 has a tapered sleeve portion 22 having an inner surface shape that is substantially the same as the outer surface shape of the tapered portion 11 of the sleeve 7 and is slightly smaller than the outer surface shape of the tapered portion 11. In addition, the taper portion 11 of the sleeve 7 is a metal component configured to be deformable in cross-sectional shape. This pressing member 21
Includes a taper sleeve portion 22 fitted with the taper portion 11 of the sleeve 7, and a clamp screw portion 23 provided coaxially with the base portion of the taper sleeve portion 22. At the base of the clamp screw portion 23, an engaging protrusion 24 is provided on the outside of the clamp screw portion 23 so as to engage with the moving screw 19 arranged coaxially with the pressing member 21 so as to be relatively rotatable. By the engagement between the engaging projection 24 and the moving screw 19, the pressing member 21 is allowed to move freely in the axial direction of the sleeve housing 8 as the sleeve housing 8 moves in the axial direction as the moving screw 19 rotates. Has become. Like the clamp screw portion 13 of the sleeve housing 8, the clamp screw portion 23 has a variable cross-sectional shape by a through groove (not shown) penetrating in and out of the fiber insertion hole 25, and the clamp screw 12 is tightened to insert the fiber. The optical fiber 5 in the hole 25 can be clamped.

A clamp screw 12 similar to the clamp screw 12 screwed into the clamp screw portion 13 of the sleeve housing 8 is screwed into the clamp screw portion 23. The taper sleeve portion 22 and the clamp screw portion 23 of the pressing member 21 are also provided with fiber insertion holes 25 which are continuous with the fiber insertion holes 14 of the sleeve housing 8 when the pressing member 21 is screwed into the sleeve housing 8. ing. Here, the pressing member 21 is the taper portion 1 of the sleeve 7.
As long as the width of the split groove 3 of the sleeve 7 can be opened and closed by fitting with 1, the tweezers or the like may be used.

In order to butt-connect a pair of optical fibers 5 by means of the optical fiber connector 1, first, the sleeve housing 8 and the pressing member 21 are separated and a storage hole 16 is opened, and the sleeve is inserted into the storage hole 16. Insert 7. Next, one clamp screw 12 is screwed to the clamp screw portion 13 of the sleeve housing 8, and the other clamp screw 12
Is screwed onto the clamp screw portion 23 of the pressing member 21, and the butted ends 6 of the optical fibers 5 to be butt-connected using the taper holes 15 of the clamp screws 13 and 23 are connected to the sleeve housing 8 or the fiber of the pressing member 21. Insertion hole 2
Insert in 5. By doing so, the tips of the abutting ends 6 are easily inserted into the fiber insertion holes 14 of the sleeve housing 8 or the fiber insertion holes 25 of the pressing member 21, respectively.

Next, the butt end 6 inserted into the fiber insertion hole 14 of the sleeve housing 8 is further pushed toward the back side of the fiber insertion hole 14. At this time, the sleeve 7 is inserted into the storage hole 16 so that the tapered portion 1
1 is fitted into the rear side 17 of the housing hole 16 to insert its own fiber insertion hole 4 and the fiber housing hole 14 of the sleeve housing 8.
And the fiber insertion hole 25 of the pressing member 21 are positioned on the same axis, the fiber insertion hole 14 of the sleeve housing 8 and the fiber insertion hole 25 of the pressing member 21.
The tip of the butt end 6 that has passed through is easily inserted into the fiber insertion hole 4 of the sleeve 7. Further, in the fiber insertion hole 4 of the sleeve 7, when the pressing force does not act in the direction of closing the split groove 3, the tapered opening 4a is largely opened, so that the abutting end 6 can be inserted smoothly. Done.

Next, the fiber insertion hole 25 of the pressing member 21.
The butt end portion 6 inserted into the optical fiber 5 is pushed toward the inner side of the fiber insertion hole 14 to bring the butt end portions 6 of the two optical fibers 5 into a butt state. At this time, since the sleeve 7 is positioned by the pressing member 21 and the fiber insertion hole 25 of the pressing member 21 is positioned coaxially with the fiber insertion hole 4 of the sleeve 7, the end portion of the sleeve 7 that abuts on the fiber insertion hole 4. Insertion of 6 is easy. The abutting end portions 6 of the sleeve 7 that are abutted against each other in the fiber insertion hole 4 are inserted into the fiber insertion hole 4 in the reverse order to the abutting end portion 6 inserted into the fiber insertion hole 25 of the pressing member 21. You may.

When the abutting of the end faces of the abutting end 6 is completed, the clamp screws 12 at both ends of the optical fiber connector 1 are pressed while pressing both optical fibers 5 in the direction of pushing them into the sleeve 7. 13,
Then, the optical fiber 5 is clamped in the fiber insertion holes 14 and 25 of the clamp screw portions 13 and 23. By doing so, the abutting force between the abutting ends 6 can be maintained.

Next, the moving screw 19 is fastened to the threaded wall 20, and the pressing member 21 is pushed into the inner side of the hole 6 of the sleeve housing 8. By doing so, the amount of fitting of the taper sleeve portion 22 of the pressing member 21 with the taper portion 11 gradually increases with the movement of the moving screw 19 to the inner side of the storage hole 16, and the sleeve 7 in the cross-sectional direction thereof. The split groove 3 is deformed in a direction in which the width thereof is reduced. As a result, in the sleeve 7, the two abutting end portions 6 are connected to the fiber insertion hole 4 while maintaining the abutting state of the front end surfaces of the abutting end portions 6.
Grasp and fix inside. At this time, the storage hole 16 of the moving screw 19
The movement to the back side increases the abutting force between the abutting ends 6 of the optical fibers 5, but
Is clamped by the clamp screw portions 13 and 23, the butt force does not decrease. When the pressing force of the abutting end portions 6 on the pressing member 21 side to the other side is strong, when the abutting end portions 6 come into contact with each other,
The abutting end 6 on the sleeve housing 8 side may move in the retracting direction, and this action prevents an excessive abutting force from acting on the tips of the abutting end 6.

In the optical fiber connector 1 of this embodiment, the moving screw 19 is rotated to be detached from the threaded wall 20, so that the abutting end portion 6 of the optical fiber 5 is removed from the fiber insertion hole 4 of the sleeve 7. It can be pulled out, and the pulled out butt end 6 can be reused. Therefore, the butted ends 6 of the pair of optical fibers 5 are detachably butted and connected. That is, the optical fiber connector 1 butt-connects the butt ends 6 of the optical fiber 5 according to the procedure described above, and releases the butt connection between the butt ends 6 by operating the moving screw 19 and the clamp screw 12. .

To release the butt connection of the butt ends 6, first, the moving screw 19 fastened to the screw wall 20 is rotated in the direction of separating from the screw wall 20. By doing so, the restraining force of the taper sleeve portion 22 of the pressing member 21 in the direction of closing the split groove 3 is gradually relaxed, and the grip fixing force of the abutting end portion 6 in the sleeve 7 is removed as the width of the split groove 3 expands. Be done. At this time, the sleeve 7
Restores its original cross-sectional shape by its elasticity. In this state, if the clamp screw 12 is rotated to be removed from the clamp screw portions 13 and 23, the clamp of the optical fiber 5 in these clamp screw portions 13 and 23 is also released, and the abutting end portion 6 is inserted into the fiber insertion hole of the sleeve 7. Four
Can be extracted from When the butt end 6 inserted into the fiber insertion hole 25 of the pressing member 21 is pulled out, the pressing member 2 is caused to move the sleeve 7 to the outside of the housing hole 16.
1 regulates, so the work is easy.

Since the butt end 6 pulled out from the sleeve 7 is fixed by the gripping force of the sleeve 7 in the fiber insertion hole 4 of the sleeve 7, unlike the case where it is fixed by an adhesive, the cleanliness of the tip is maintained. ing. Further, the gripping force of the sleeve 7 is dispersed and acts on the entire outer surface of the abutting end portion 6 to prevent stress concentration at the abutting end portion 6, so that the refractive index and the like of the abutting end portion 6 are maintained. As a result, the butt end 6 pulled out of the sleeve 7 can be used again for butt connection with almost no post-treatment.

In order to butt-connect the abutting end 6 pulled out from the sleeve 7 again in the optical fiber connector 1, the abutting end 6 is clamped by screw threads 13, 23.
Is inserted into the fiber insertion hole 4 of the sleeve 7 from the fiber insertion holes 14 and 25 opening at the ends of the sleeve 7, the clamp screw 12 is tightened to the clamp screw portion 13 while applying a pressing force to the inner side of the sleeve 7, and the moving screw 19 Is fastened to the threaded wall 20. At this time, since the sleeve 7 is restored to the original shape by its elasticity, the fiber insertion hole 14, which opens the butt end 6 to the end of the clamp screw portions 13 and 23,
It is easy to insert from 25 into the fiber insertion hole 4 of the sleeve 7.

Therefore, according to the optical fiber connector 1 of this embodiment, the butt end 6 of the optical fiber 5 in the sleeve 7 can be freely held and released by operating the moving screw 19 and the clamp screw 12. So
It is possible to butt-connect the optical fibers 5 so that the connection can be switched.

A second embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In the figure, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2A and 2B are designated by the same reference numerals to simplify the description. Reference numeral 30 in the figure denotes an optical fiber connector of this embodiment. The optical fiber connector 30 is made of an elastic material and has a rod-shaped sleeve 31 having a circular cross-section whose diameter gradually increases from one end to the other end, and a storage hole 32 capable of storing the sleeve 31. Sleeve housing 33
And a pressing means 34 for disconnecting and deforming the sleeve 31 in the direction of opening and closing a not shown split groove formed in the sleeve 31 by applying or releasing a pressing force to the side surface of the sleeve 31 housed in the sleeve housing 33. I have it.

The other end of the sleeve 31 has a thick portion 35.
The entire portion other than the thick portion 35 is tapered 36.
It has been. Inside the sleeve 31, a fiber insertion hole 37 is formed coaxially with the central axis of the sleeve 31. The split groove of the sleeve 31 is the sleeve 3
It is formed as a straight groove extending from the side surface of No. 1 to the fiber insertion hole 37. The pressing means 34 includes a pressing member 39 having a tapered sleeve portion 38 whose inner surface shape is slightly smaller than the outer shape of the sleeve 31.
The other part of the pressing means 34 has the same structure as the pressing means 9 of the first embodiment. The sleeve housing 33 is the same as the sleeve housing 8 of the first embodiment.
The storage hole 32 is formed in a shape capable of storing the sleeve 31 instead of the storage hole 16, and the other portions are the first
It has the same structure as the sleeve housing 8 of the embodiment.

According to the optical fiber connector 30 of the present embodiment, since the taper portion 37 extends substantially over the entire length of the sleeve 31, the sleeve 31 is pressed by the pressing member 39 in the direction of closing the split groove. In this case, the pressing force from the pressing member 39 acts substantially uniformly over the entire longitudinal direction of the sleeve 31, and the opening and closing of the split groove of the sleeve 31 can be stably performed over the entire longitudinal direction. Therefore, when a pressing force is applied in the direction of closing the split groove, twisting of the sleeve 31 due to uneven distribution of the pressing force is prevented, and the butt end 6 of the optical fiber 5 in the fiber insertion hole 37 of the sleeve 31 is gripped and fixed. When doing so, it is possible to prevent stress concentration at the specific location of the abutting end portion 6, and to more reliably prevent a variation in the refractive index of the abutting end portion 6.

In each optical fiber connector, the fiber insertion holes formed in the sleeve, the sleeve housing, and the pressing member may be on the same axis, and the central axes of the sleeve, the sleeve housing, and the pressing member are not necessarily required. It does not have to be on the line.

A third embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) (b) and 6. Reference numeral 50 in the figure denotes an optical fiber connector of this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and FIG. 6, this optical fiber connector 50 is mounted on a base 53 having a V groove 52 formed on an upper surface 51 and on the upper surface 51 side of the base 53. As a result, the upper lid 56 that presses the abutting end 55 of the optical fiber 54 arranged in the V groove 52 to the inner side of the V groove 52, the base 53 and the upper lid 56 that are overlapped with each other.
It is provided with a pressing screw 58 which is screwed by a tapered screwing surface 57 formed on the outer surface of and is rotated to move the base 53 and the upper lid 56 toward and away from each other.

The base 53 and the upper lid 56 are shown in FIG.
As shown in (a) and (b), each member is an elongated member having a semicircular cross section and a circular cross section when combined. The joint surface with the upper lid 56 of the base 53 is the upper surface 51. The V groove 52 extends in the central portion in the width direction of the upper surface 51 over the entire length of the upper surface 51 in the longitudinal direction. The joint surface of the upper lid 56 with the base 53 is a pressing surface 59 for pressing the abutting end 55 of the optical fiber 54 arranged in the V groove 52 toward the inner side of the V groove 52.

The threaded surface 57 is formed on the outer surfaces of the central portions of the base 53 and the upper lid 56 in the longitudinal direction. The threaded surface 57 is continuous in the outer peripheral direction of the base 53 and the upper lid 56, and one side in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber connector 50 (see FIG. 5).
It is formed in a conical surface shape whose diameter gradually increases from (a) left side) to the other side. In the vicinity of the threaded surface 57 in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber connector 50, the base 5 is provided.
A C ring 60 for temporarily fixing the 3 and the upper lid 56 together is attached. At both ends of the base 53 and the upper lid 56 in the longitudinal direction, a tightening portion 62 is provided to which a clamp nut 61 that fixes the base 53 and the upper lid 56 in an integrated state is screwed. A fiber insertion hole 63 extends through the clamp nut 61 along the axis of screwing. In addition, inside the clamp nut 61, the base 53 and the upper lid 56 are tightened by tightening the tightening portion 62.
A taper portion 61a is provided that presses and in a direction of being pressed against each other. A mortar-shaped tapered hole 64 for assisting the insertion of the tip of the abutting end 55 into the V-shaped groove 52 is formed on both end surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the tightening portion 62. A portion of the V groove 52 extending from the tapered hole 64 to a position slightly deeper than the tightening portion 62 is an expansion portion 66 having an opening width expanded so as to accommodate the coating portion 65 of the optical fiber 54.

In order to butt-connect the abutting ends 55 of a pair of optical fibers 54 with the optical fiber connector 50, first, the pressing screw 58 is placed on one side of the screwing surface 57 to connect the base 53 and the upper lid 56. Loosen the crimping force of the
Is screwed or removed beforehand, and the butt end 5
The tip of 5 is inserted into the V groove 52 from the taper holes 64 at both ends of the optical fiber connector 50 via the fiber insertion hole 63 of the clamp nut 61, and brought into a butted state. At this time, the optical fiber 54 is inserted so that the covering portion 65 is inside the expanded portion 66 of the V groove 52. Also, the butt end 5
Apply grease to the tip of 5.

Next, the clamp nut 61 is tightened while applying a butting force in the opposite direction to the two butt ends 55, but the butt ends 5 are
Holds the butting force between the five. Next, press screw 58
To the other side of the threaded surface 57 to tighten the base 53 and the upper lid 56.
Integrate with. By doing so, the pressing surface 59 of the upper lid 56 presses the butt end portion 55 inserted into the V groove 52 to the back side of the V groove 52, and the butt end portions 55 are joined to each other in the V groove 5.
It is fixed in the state where it is accurately aligned and positioned within 2. At this time, the pressing surface 59 of the upper lid 56 abuts on the entire one side surface of the abutting end 55, and the V groove 52 also abuts the entire one side surface of the abutting end 55 on the longitudinal side.
Since a large contact area can be secured, no distortion or the like due to stress concentration occurs at the butt end portion 55.

The butt end 55, which is butted and connected in the V groove 52, can be pulled out from the optical fiber connector 50 by loosening the tightening of the pressing screw 58 and the clamp nut 61, and again, the butt connection. It is possible.

Therefore, according to the optical fiber connector 50 of the present embodiment, the butt end 55 of the butt-connected optical fiber 54 is not damaged or soiled,
Since the connection of the optical fiber 54 can be freely switched and the number of parts is small and the structure is simple, the manufacturing is easy. Further, since the optical fiber 54 is fixed inside together with the covering portion 65, the proof stress against the tensile force acting on the optical fiber 54 is improved.

A fourth embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 70 in the figure denotes an optical fiber connector of this embodiment. The optical fiber connector 70 of the present embodiment has a base 73 having a V groove 72 formed on an upper surface 71 and an optical fiber arranged in the V groove 72 by being mounted on the upper surface 71 side of the base 73. Fiber 7
4, the upper lid 76 that presses the butt end portion 75 of the No. 4 toward the rear side of the V groove 72, the V of the base 73 and the upper lid 76 that are overlapped
The groove 72 is provided with a pressing screw 78 which is screwed respectively by two tapered screwing surfaces 77 formed on the outer surface of the groove 72 in the axial direction and is rotated to move the base 73 and the upper lid 76 toward and away from each other. It was done.

The base 73 and the upper lid 76 are formed by dividing a slender spindle-shaped member having a circular cross section into two. The surface of the upper lid 76 on the base 73 side is a pressing surface 79 for pressing the optical fiber 74 arranged in the V groove 72 to the inner side of the V groove 72. The V groove 72 penetrates the upper surface 71 of the base 73 in the longitudinal direction thereof. A C-ring 80 for temporarily fixing the base 73 and the upper lid 76 in the longitudinal direction at the center is attached. At both ends of the base 73 and the upper lid 76 in the longitudinal direction, a clamp nut 81 is screwed from the outside in a state where they are overlapped with each other, and an optical fiber 74 arranged in the V groove 72 is provided at the base 73. A tightening portion 82 is provided that is tightened and fixed between the upper cover 76 and the upper cover 76. When the clamp nut 81 is screwed to the tightening portion 82, the clamp portion 81 presses the base 73 and the upper lid 76 toward each other by the tapered portion 81a formed inside.

Since the optical fiber connector 70 of this embodiment is provided with the pressing screws 78 for gripping and releasing the optical fiber 74 independently of each other, the optical fiber connector 70 is provided at two locations spaced from each other in the central portion. The connection switching work of 74 can be performed efficiently. That is, the optical fiber connector 70 includes the butt ends 75 of the pair of optical fibers 74.
By tightening the pressing screw 78 and the clamp nut 81 in a state where they are butted against each other in the V groove 72,
These butt ends 75 are held in a butt connection state, but by rotating the pressing screw 78 and the clamp nut 81, which are responsible for gripping one optical fiber 74, in the direction to release the tightening, the other optical fiber 74
One optical fiber 7 without affecting the gripping state of
4 can be pulled out. Here, instead of the pulled-out optical fiber 74, another optical fiber 74 is inserted into the V groove 72 and held between the base 73 and the upper lid 76, so that the optical fiber connector 70 is held in the optical fiber connector 70. It can be butt-connected to the optical fiber 74.

In order to butt-connect the optical fiber 74 still held in the optical fiber connector 70 and the optical fiber 74 newly inserted in the V groove 72, the optical fiber 74 is first connected to the base 73. It is inserted from the taper hole 83 opened at the end of the upper lid 76 in the longitudinal direction, abuts on the tip of the optical fiber 74 which is still held in the V groove 72, and the tightening portion 82 is applied with a pressing force. The clamp nut 81 is tightened to hold the abutting force, and then the pressing screw 78 is tightened. By doing this,
The optical fibers 74 can be brought into the butted state again with a proper butting force applied.

Therefore, according to the optical fiber connector 70 of the present embodiment, the connection between the optical fibers 74 can be switched without releasing the grip of one optical fiber 74, and the abutting state of the optical fibers 74 can be changed. When reconfiguring, since it is sufficient to perform the gripping work only for the optical fiber 74 newly inserted in the optical fiber connector 70,
The work efficiency of switching work is improved.

[0044]

As described above, according to the optical fiber connector of the first aspect, the optical fiber connector is made of an elastic material, and is formed into a substantially rod shape whose sectional shape is variable by the split groove opened on the side surface. A sleeve for accommodating abutting end portions of a pair of optical fibers in a fiber insertion hole penetrating along the axial direction in the inner part of the split groove so that they can be abuttingly connected, and a sleeve having a housing hole for accommodating the sleeve A housing and a pressing means for elastically deforming the sleeve in a direction in which the split groove is opened and closed by applying or releasing a pressing force to the side surface of the sleeve housed in the sleeve housing, and abutting the optical fiber with the fiber insertion hole. Insert the end and press the side surface of the sleeve in the direction to close the split groove by the pressing means, so that the optical fiber is aligned in the sleeve. Since part configured to secure the,
By operating the pressing force of the sleeve by the pressing means to open and close the split groove, it is possible to freely hold and release the abutting end of the optical fiber in the sleeve, which is excellent in that connection between optical fibers can be switched. Produce an effect.

According to the optical fiber connector of claim 2, in the optical fiber connector of claim 1, the sleeve has both sides along the width direction of the split groove from one side in the axial direction to the other side. A pressing member comprising a tapered portion having a shape in which a distance between the surfaces increases, and the pressing means elastically deforms the sleeve in a direction in which the split groove is opened and closed by being fitted into and disengaged from the tapered portion; And a moving screw that is screwed into the sleeve housing and is rotated to move the pressing member along the axial direction of the sleeve.
Since the butt end of the optical fiber is grasped or released in the sleeve by operating the moving screw,
It has an excellent effect that it can be easily used for the work of attaching and detaching the butt ends, the work of switching the connection between the optical fibers, and the like.

According to the optical fiber connector of the third aspect, the base having the V groove formed on the upper surface thereof and the optical fiber arranged in the V groove by being mounted on the upper surface side of the base. The upper lid that presses the butted end portion toward the rear side of the V groove, and the base and the upper lid that are overlapped with each other are screwed together with the taper-shaped screwing surface formed on the outer surface of the upper lid, and the base and the upper lid are separated from each other by rotating. Since the butt end of the optical fiber arranged in the V groove is grasped and released between the base and the upper lid by the operation of the pressure screw, the butt connection of the butt-connected optical fibers is performed. It is easy to manufacture because the end part is not damaged or soiled, the optical fiber connection can be switched freely, and the number of parts is small and the structure is simple. It exhibits an excellent effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of an optical fiber connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a first embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention, (a) is a front sectional view showing a sleeve,
(B) is a side view showing a sleeve.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a second embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention and is a front sectional view showing a sleeve.

5A and 5B are views showing a third embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention, in which FIG. 5A is a front sectional view, and FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a third embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the optical fiber connector of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical fiber connector, 2 ... Side surface, 3 ... Split groove, 4 ... Fiber insertion hole, 5 ... Optical fiber, 6 ... Butt end, 7
... sleeve, 8 ... sleeve housing, 9 ... pressing means,
11 ... Taper part, 16 ... Storage hole, 19 ... Moving screw, 21
... pressing member, 23 ... clamp screw part, 30 ... optical fiber connector, 31 ... sleeve, 32 ... storage hole, 33 ... sleeve housing, 34 ... pressing means, 36 ... taper part, 39
... pressing member, 50 ... optical fiber connector, 51 ... upper surface, 5
2 ... V groove, 53 ... Base, 54 ... Optical fiber, 55 ... Butt end, 56 ... Top lid, 57 ... Screw surface, 58 ... Press screw, 70 ... Optical fiber connector, 71 ... Top surface, 72 ... V
Grooves, 73 ... Base, 74 ... Optical fiber, 75 ... Butt end, 76 ... Top lid, 77 ... Screw surface, 78 ... Press screw.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber connector (1, 30) for butt-connecting optical fibers (5) to each other, comprising a split groove (3) made of an elastic material and opened on a side surface (2).
A pair of optical fibers having abutting ends (6) in a fiber insertion hole (4) formed in a substantially rod shape having a variable cross-sectional shape and penetrating in the inner part of the groove along the axial direction. And a sleeve housing (8) having a housing hole (16) for housing the sleeve, and a side surface of the sleeve housed in the sleeve housing. An optical fiber connector, characterized in that it comprises a pressing means (9) for elastically deforming the sleeve in the direction in which the split groove opens and closes. 2. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve (31) has an increased separation dimension between both side surfaces along the width direction of the split groove from one side in the axial direction toward the other side. And a pressing member (39) for elastically deforming the sleeve in a direction in which the split groove opens and closes when the pressing means (34) is engaged with and disengaged from the tapered part. A moving screw (1) that is screwed into the sleeve housing (33) and is rotated to move the pressing member along the axial direction of the sleeve.
9) An optical fiber connector comprising: 3. An optical fiber connector (50, 70) for butt-connecting optical fibers (54, 74) to each other, wherein V-grooves (52, 72) are formed on an upper surface (51, 71). And a base (53, 73) and an upper lid (55, 75) that is attached to the upper surface side of the base and presses the abutting ends (55, 75) of the optical fibers arranged in the V-groove to the back side of the V-groove. 56, 76) and a pressing screw (57, 77) screwed together with the overlapped base and the taper-shaped screwing surface (57, 77) formed on the outer surface of the upper lid to rotate the base and the upper lid toward and away from each other. 58, 78), and an optical fiber connector.