JPH09236728A - Multi-fiber optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the array pitch of optical fibers to be inserted and fixed to the multi-fiber optical connector accurate. SOLUTION: Each optical fiber of optical fibers 6 constituted by belt-shapedly arranging plural optical fibers side by side is inserted as a bare optical fiber by removing a covered part 10 on the tip side thereof into a connector body 2 in which plural optical fiber inserting holes 13 are arranged side by side at a predetermined array pitch, each bare optical fiber 4 is inserted and fixed in each optical fiber inserting hole 13, and a transparent glass frame material 9 surrounding a region 1 formed with the optical fiber inserting holes 13 is disposed on the end face 5 side of the connecting side of the connector body 2. The number of the optical fiber inserting holes 13 is formed 2 pieces more than the number of the cores of the bare optical fibers 4 (8 pieces). The bare optical fibers 4 are not inserted into the surplus optical fiber inserting holes 13 on the both end sides out of the 10 optical fiber inserting holes 13 and a group of the optical fiber inserting holes, in which the bare optical fibers 4 are inserted and fixed, are held with the surplus optical fiber inserting holes 13 from the both sides.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-core optical connector used for optical communication and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 (b) shows an example of a conventional multi-core optical connector. As shown in the figure, the multi-core optical connector 8 includes a plurality of (eight in the figure) optical fiber insertion holes.
It has a connector body 2 as an optical fiber arranging tool in which 13 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined arrangement pitch, and the connector body 2 has a plurality of (eight in the figure) optical fiber core wires as optical fibers. An optical fiber tape 6 formed by arranging 3 in a strip shape is provided with a coating portion 10 (a coating portion 10b of the optical fiber tape and a coating portion 10a of the optical fiber core wire 3) as a coating on the tip side.
(Both of the above) are removed and the bare optical fiber 4 is exposed.

In this multicore optical connector 8, the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 is such that the diameter r of the bare optical fiber 4 is large.
It is formed in 2r which is about twice as large as (r = 125 μm), and the arrangement pitch 2r of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 becomes equal to the outer diameter of the optical fiber core wire 3 including the coating portion 10a. There is. The connector body 2 is a plastic molded body produced by, for example, transfer molding, and an adhesive insertion window 14 is formed on the upper side of the connector body 2, and the adhesive insertion window 14 supplies the adhesive insertion window 14 into the connector body 2. The optical fiber tape 6 is fixed to the connector body 2 by a thermosetting adhesive or the like, and each bare optical fiber 4 is inserted and fixed in each optical fiber insertion hole (molding resin hole) 13. Also,
The end surface of the bare optical fiber 4 is the connection end surface 11 of the connector body 2.
And the connector main body 2
Is exposed on the connection end surface 11 of the.

FIG. 6 (a) shows an example of a multi-core optical connector previously proposed by the present applicant. In this multi-core optical connector 8, a plurality of (eight in the figure) multi-core optical connectors are shown. The insertion hole forming region 1 formed by arranging the optical fiber insertion holes 13 side by side is projected from the connection side end surface 5 of the connector body 2 to the front side.
A glass frame member 9 as a transparent frame member that surrounds the protruding insertion hole forming region 1 is provided on the connection-side end surface 5 side of the connector body 2. The glass frame member 9 is formed of, for example, Pyrex glass, and the connector body 2 is formed by filling the insertion hole forming region 1 with resin so as to be surrounded by the glass frame member 9. In addition, this multi-core optical connector 8
The connection end surface 11 of is a slanted surface inclined at an angle of 8 ° from the surface R perpendicular to the optical axis of the bare optical fiber 4. The multi-core optical connector 8 is configured in the same manner as the conventional multi-core optical connector 8 shown in FIG.

[0005]

By the way, when such a multi-core optical connector 8 is used for optical communication or the like, the multi-core optical connectors 8 are connected to each other, or the multi-core optical connector 8 is, for example, a waveguide. Connection with other optical communication modules (devices) such as chips is performed, but the arrangement pitch of the bare optical fibers 4 of the multi-core optical connector 8, that is, the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 is deviated. If so, the connection loss will increase in the above connection, which is a serious problem. For example, when the deviation amount (axis deviation) of the optical fiber insertion hole 13 from the designed position is 1 μm or more, the connection loss is 0.2 dB.
As described above, usually, the upper limit of the allowable loss in the case of performing optical communication is greatly exceeded. Therefore, in order to prevent such a connection loss from increasing, it is necessary to form the optical fiber insertion holes 13 in an array pitch with a high precision in a sub-μm order.

However, in the conventional multi-core optical connector 8, eight optical fiber insertion holes 13 (13a to 13h) are connected to the ports P1 to P8 (the optical fiber insertion hole 13a is the port P1,
The optical fiber insertion hole 13b is the port P2, ... The optical fiber insertion hole 13h is the port P8), and the ports P1 to P
8, the amount of axis deviation was examined in the X-axis direction, which is the direction parallel to the optical fiber insertion hole 13, and the Y-axis direction orthogonal to this X-axis, and the results shown in FIG. 7 were obtained. It was found that the amount of misalignment between P1 and P8 in the X-axis direction was very large. That is, in FIG. 7, since the axial deviation amounts in the X-axis and Y-axis directions are obtained with the optical fiber insertion hole 13a of the port P1 as a reference, the ports P2 to P8 are obtained.
All have an axial displacement of about 1 μm or more. For example, if the optical fiber insertion hole 13e of the port P5 is used as a reference, the axial displacement of the ports P2 to P7 in the X-axis direction will occur. There is almost no
Fiber insertion holes 13 for ports P1 and P8 at both ends
In both cases a and 13h, an axis shift of about 1 μm occurs in the X-axis direction.

Such a result is the same whether the number of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 is less than eight or more than eight, regardless of the number of the optical fiber insertion holes 13. It was confirmed that the amount of axial deviation in the X-axis direction of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 on both ends was large. When such a multi-core optical fiber 8 is optically connected, the connection loss increases due to the axial misalignment of the bare optical fiber 4 due to the axial misalignment of the optical fiber insertion hole 13 as described above, which is very problematic. Was there.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the invention is to suppress the arrangement pitch deviation of optical fibers due to the axis deviation of a plurality of optical fiber insertion holes arranged in parallel in a multicore optical connector. Therefore, it is possible to provide a multi-core optical connector that can reduce the connection loss with the optical component on the connection partner side.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, the present invention provides means for solving the problems by the following constitution. That is, the present invention provides an optical fiber arranging tool in which a plurality of optical fiber insertion holes are arranged in parallel at a predetermined arrangement pitch, and at least each optical fiber of an optical fiber tape formed by arranging a plurality of optical fibers in a strip shape. What is claimed is: 1. A multi-core optical connector, wherein a coating on a tip side is removed and inserted, and each of the optical fibers is inserted and fixed in each of the optical fiber insertion holes, and the optical fiber insertion hole corresponds to the number of cores of the optical fiber. The number of the optical fiber insertion holes is increased by two or more, and the extra optical fiber insertion holes sandwich the optical fiber insertion hole group in which the optical fibers are inserted and fixed from both sides.

Further, an insertion hole forming region formed by arranging the plurality of optical fiber inserting holes in parallel is provided so as to project forward from the connection side end face of the optical fiber arranging tool, and the protruding insertion hole forming region is transparent. Another feature of the present invention is that the frame member is provided with the end surface on the connection side of the optical fiber arranging tool, and the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the optical fiber with the coating removed. It is designed as a typical structure.

In a multi-core optical connector, an optical fiber arranging tool having a plurality of optical fiber insertion holes arranged side by side is generally formed of a resin (plastic) molded body, and this molded body undergoes some hardening and shrinkage during molding. It is known.

The size of this curing shrinkage varies depending on the type of resin and the size of the molded body. However, a plurality of optical fibers are inserted into the optical fiber arranging tool of the multi-core optical connector of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure. Since the holes are arranged in parallel at a predetermined array pitch, the intervals between the adjacent optical fiber insertion holes are equal, and among the arranged optical fiber insertion holes,
Focusing on the optical fiber insertion holes excluding the optical fiber insertion holes on both ends thereof, the adjacent optical fiber insertion holes are formed on both sides of the optical fiber insertion hole at equal intervals.
Therefore, the amount of resin sandwiched between these optical fiber insertion holes is equal, the degree of curing shrinkage of this resin is also equal, and the arrangement pitch of these optical fiber insertion holes does not cause axial misalignment in the parallel direction. Thought to be formed.

On the other hand, paying attention to the optical fiber insertion holes at both ends of the plurality of optical fiber insertion holes arranged side by side, the adjacent light beams at the predetermined arrangement pitch will be adjacent to one side of the optical fiber insertion holes. Although the fiber insertion holes are arranged side by side, the optical fiber insertion hole is not formed on the adjacent side of the other side.Therefore, the resin on the side where the optical fiber insertion hole is not formed is sandwiched between the optical fiber insertion holes. It is considered that the amount of the resin differs from the amount of the resin that has been cured, for example, the degree of curing shrinkage increases, and as shown in FIG. 8, the optical fiber insertion holes on both end sides are respectively pulled to the end side and cure. Therefore, only the optical fiber insertion holes on both end sides are formed with an arrangement pitch different from that of the other optical fiber insertion holes, and the optical fiber insertion holes on both end sides have a large axial deviation in the arrangement (parallel) direction of the optical fiber insertion holes. Is thought to occur.

In the multicore optical connector of the present invention having the above structure, the number of optical fiber insertion holes of the optical fiber arraying tool is two or more with respect to the number of cores of the optical fiber of the optical fiber tape inserted in the optical fiber arraying tool. Many of them are formed, and this extra optical fiber insertion hole is configured to sandwich the optical fiber insertion hole group in which the optical fiber is inserted and fixed from both sides. Even if the optical fiber insertion holes on both ends of the are displaced from the arrangement pitch of the other optical fiber insertion holes, the optical fibers are not inserted and fixed in at least the optical fiber insertion holes on both ends, and the optical fibers are inserted and fixed. The optical fiber insertion holes are arranged side by side at a predetermined arrangement pitch, and there is almost no axis deviation in the parallel direction of the optical fiber insertion holes. A state hardly axis deviation in the parallel direction, the problem is solved.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the conventional example, and the overlapping description will be omitted. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of essential parts of a first embodiment of a multi-core optical connector according to the present invention. The example of the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the multi-core optical connector 8 shown in FIG. 6A, and the example of this embodiment is different from the multi-core optical connector 8 shown in FIG. 6A. The characteristic is that ten optical fiber insertion holes 13 are formed, two more than the number of cores (8) of the bare optical fiber 4, and the extra optical fiber insertion holes 13 are That is, the optical fiber insertion hole group in which the optical fiber 4 is inserted and fixed is sandwiched from both sides.

That is, in the multi-core optical connector 8 of this embodiment, the bare optical fiber 4 is inserted into each of the eight optical fiber insertion holes 13 of the ten optical fiber insertion holes 13 excluding the two on both ends. And is fixed to each optical fiber insertion hole 13 by an adhesive such as a thermosetting adhesive inserted through an adhesive insertion window 14. The extra optical fiber insertion holes 13 on both ends where the bare optical fiber 4 is not inserted are filled with the adhesive agent inserted through the adhesive agent insertion window 14.

Also in the present embodiment, the connection end face 11 of the multi-core optical connector 8 is arranged with respect to the face R perpendicular to the optical axis of the bare optical fiber 4 in order to prevent Fresnel reflection at the connection end face 11. It is formed with an inclination of 8 °. 10 optical fiber insertion holes
13 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the bare optical fiber 4 (1
μm), and when the bare optical fiber 4 is fixed in these optical fiber insertion holes 13, the clearance between the optical fiber insertion hole 13 and the bare optical fiber 4 is minimized, and the bare optical fiber 4 Can be arranged with high precision.

The embodiment is constructed as described above, and the bare optical fiber 4 is inserted and fixed in the ten optical fiber insertion holes 13 of the multi-core optical connector 8 of the embodiment. The optical fiber insertion hole 13 is replaced with the optical fiber insertion hole 13a.
.About.13h, the optical fiber insertion hole 13a is the port P1, and the optical fiber insertion hole 13b is the port P2, the optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13h (ports P1 to P8) are deviated from the design position (axis deviation). 2) was obtained in the same manner as in the conventional example in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction as in the conventional example, and the results shown in FIG. 2 were obtained.

As is clear from the figure, in this embodiment, all the optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13h are X-shaped.
The amount of axial deviation in both the axial and Y-axis directions is very small,
It was confirmed that each of the optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13h did not substantially deviate from the designed position. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the bare optical fibers 4 inserted and fixed in the respective optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13h are aligned with high precision on the order of sub-μm at a predetermined array pitch as designed, and therefore The multi-core optical connectors 8 of the embodiment are optically connected to each other, or the multi-core optical connector 8 of the present embodiment and the waveguide chip are connected.
Even when optical connection is made with other optical components such as 15, optical connection can be performed in a state with small connection loss.

Further, in this embodiment, the connector body 2
Since the transparent glass frame material 9 is provided on the connection side end face 5 side of, the optical waveguide including the waveguide clad 18 and the waveguide core 19 is formed on the substrate 20, as shown in FIG. A waveguide chip 15 covered with a transparent cover 21 is prepared, and when the waveguide chip 15 and the multicore optical connector 8 of the present embodiment are connected, the connection end face 11 of the multicore optical connector 8 and the waveguide An ultraviolet curing adhesive is provided between the end surface 17 of the chip 15 and
If ultraviolet rays are transmitted through the glass frame material 9 and applied to the ultraviolet curable adhesive, the multicore optical connector 8 and the waveguide chip 15 can be connected very easily and quickly.
Further, the optical components other than the waveguide chip 15, for example, other optical components such as a multi-core optical connector and the multi-core optical connector 8 of the present embodiment can be similarly and easily and quickly connected. .

Further, according to the present embodiment, the connecting end surface 11 of the multi-core optical connector 8 is formed as an inclined surface inclined by 8 ° from the surface R perpendicular to the optical axis of the bare optical fiber 4. , When the communication light propagating through the bare optical fiber 4 is reflected by the connection end face 11, the reflected light is reflected in a direction deviating from the optical axis of the bare optical fiber 4, so that the reflected light is incident on the communication light incident side. It is possible to prevent an adverse effect on optical communication due to returning.

In the present embodiment, the applicant considers the reason why the optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13h are aligned and formed with almost no axis deviation as described above. 8A shows the insertion hole forming region 1 of the multi-core optical connector 8 of the present embodiment example, and FIG. 8B shows the insertion hole formation region of the multi-core optical connector 8 of the conventional example. Region 1 is shown. The optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13h shown in these figures are all the optical fiber insertion holes 13 for inserting and fixing the bare optical fibers 4, respectively, and the optical fibers at both ends of (a) in FIG. The insertion hole 13x is an extra optical fiber insertion hole 13 into which the bare optical fiber 4 is not inserted and fixed.

In FIG. 3B, the optical fiber insertion holes 13b to 13g excluding the optical fiber insertion holes 13a and 13h on both ends.
In each case, the adjacent optical fiber insertion holes 13 are formed on both sides of the connector body 2 with a space therebetween. Therefore, in the optical fiber insertion holes 13b to 13g, the connector main body 2 is formed.
The resin forming the same exists on both sides of the optical fiber insertion holes 13b to 13g by the same thickness. Generally, it is known that when a molded body made of resin such as the connector body 2 is formed, curing shrinkage occurs, and the magnitude of this curing shrinkage depends on the type and amount of resin. Therefore, when the resin has the same thickness and the same volume as the resin on both sides of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 to 13g, the curing shrinkage becomes almost the same, and the optical fiber insertion holes 13 in the molded body after curing are the same.
The arrangement pitches of b to 13 g are formed to be almost equal.

On the other hand, the optical fiber insertion holes 13 on both ends are provided.
Focusing on a and 13h, the optical fiber insertion holes 13b and 13g are formed on the side adjacent to one side thereof, respectively, but the optical fiber insertion hole 13 is not formed on the side adjacent to the other side. It is considered that the volume of the resin on the side where the optical fiber insertion hole 13 is not formed is significantly different from the volume of the resin sandwiched between the optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13h, and the degree of curing shrinkage is also different. Therefore, for example, the resin on the side where the optical fiber insertion hole 13 is not formed largely contracts, so that the optical fiber insertion holes 13a and 13h are in a state of being largely pulled outward, respectively, and the light formed after curing is formed. It is considered that the fiber insertion holes 13a and 13h are formed so as to be largely displaced from the design positions 13a 'and 13h', respectively.

The above can be said in the same manner in the present embodiment, but in the present embodiment, the extra optical fiber insertion holes are inserted so that the eight optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13h are sandwiched from both sides. Since the holes 13x are formed, like the optical fiber insertion holes 13a and 13h in which the positional deviation occurs due to the curing shrinkage in the multicore optical connector 8 of the conventional example, the optical fiber in which the positional deviation occurs in the present embodiment example. Insertion hole
Reference numeral 13 is an optical fiber insertion hole 13x on both end sides, and the remaining optical fiber insertion holes 13a to 13a except this optical fiber insertion hole 13x.
It is considered that 13h is formed with almost no deviation from the predetermined arrangement pitch, and results as shown in FIG. 2 are obtained.

When the applicant of the present invention changes the number of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 and finds the axial deviation of each optical fiber insertion hole 13, the deviation amounts of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 on both ends are shown. Is large, and the arrangement pitch of the remaining optical fiber insertion holes 13 hardly deviates from the predetermined arrangement pitch.

FIG. 4 shows the essential structure of a second embodiment of the multi-core optical connector according to the present invention. This example of the embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the example of the first embodiment,
The overlapping description is omitted. The present embodiment example is different from the first embodiment in that the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 is the outer diameter of the optical fiber core wire 3 from which the coating is removed, that is, the diameter r of the bare optical fiber. Approximately matches 127
That is, it is formed to have a thickness of μm.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, a first optical fiber tape 6a is formed by arranging four (4 cores) first optical fiber core wires 3a side by side in a strip shape. And a second optical fiber tape 6b, which is formed by arranging four second optical fiber core wires 3b side by side in a strip shape, are arranged so as to overlap with each other, and the front end sides of these respective optical fiber tapes 6a and 6b are arranged. The first bare optical fibers 4a and the second bare optical fibers 4b, which are exposed by removing the covering portion 10 (10a) of the above, are array-converted so as to be arrayed alternately. As shown in (b) of the same figure, this array conversion is performed by removing the coating portion 10 so that the space is formed between the bare optical fibers 4a (twice the coating ≈ 125 μm), The second bare optical fiber 4a is inserted into the first bare optical fiber 4a.
And the second naked optical fiber 4b are alternately crossed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connector body 2
On the rear end face 12 side of the connection, the optical fiber tape 6a,
The optical fiber tape insertion portion 22 formed for inserting the first optical fiber tape 6b allows the first optical fiber tape 6a and the second optical fiber tape 6b to be inserted in a superposed state. It is formed at a height corresponding to the total thickness of the thickness of 6a and the thickness of the second optical fiber tape 6b.

The example of the present embodiment is configured as described above, and in the example of the present embodiment, as in the case of the example of the first embodiment, the total of eight bare optical fibers 4 (4a, 4b) are optically transmitted. The number of the fiber insertion holes 13 is increased by two to ten, and the extra optical fiber insertion holes sandwich the optical fiber insertion hole group in which the bare optical fiber 4 is inserted and fixed from both sides.
In addition, since the transparent glass frame member 9 is provided on the connection side end surface 5 side of the connector body 2 and the connection end surface 11 of the multi-core optical connector 8 is a sloped surface, it is similar to the first embodiment. The effect of can be produced.

Further, according to this embodiment, the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the bare optical fiber 4, and this arrangement pitch is the arrangement pitch of the conventional multi-core optical connector. Since it is about half the size, a very small multicore optical connector 8 can be formed.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the bare optical fibers 4a and 4b forming the first optical fiber tape 6a and the second optical fiber tape 6b, respectively, are the end faces 11 of the multicore optical connector 8 side. Since the arrangement is converted so that they are arranged alternately in one row and arranged in one column, for example, as shown in FIG.
(B), the light of wavelength λ ₁ is incident on each optical fiber core wire 3a of the _first optical fiber tape 6a, and the second optical fiber core wire 3b of the second optical fiber tape 6b is irradiated with the light. When the light of wavelength λ ₂ is incident, the light of wavelength λ ₁ and the light of wavelength λ ₂ respectively propagate through the first optical fiber core wire 3a and the second optical fiber core wire 3b, and the bare optical fiber 4a , 4
The wavelengths λ ₁ and λ _{2 in the} conversion unit in which b is array-converted
The propagation path of the light is also array-converted. The tip ends of the bare optical fibers 4a and 4b (the connection end face 5 side of the multicore optical connector)
From the wavelength λ emitted from the first naked optical fiber 4a.
₁ light and the wavelength λ emitted from the second naked optical fiber 4b
The light of _{2 and} the light of ₂ are emitted in a state where they are alternately arranged.

Therefore, if a waveguide chip 15 in which a plurality of optical waveguides are arranged in parallel is connected to the connection end face 5 side of the multi-core optical connector 8, for example, odd-numbered optical waveguides such as 1, 3, 5 are obtained. Is the light of wavelength λ _{1 and} the light of wavelength λ ₂ is incident on the even-numbered optical waveguide.
The light of wavelength λ _{1 and} the light of wavelength λ ₂ can be made to enter alternately in the arrangement order of the optical waveguides arranged in parallel.

On the contrary, the light having the wavelength λ _{1 and} the light having the wavelength λ ₂ are alternately emitted from the respective optical waveguides of the waveguide chip 15 in which a plurality of optical waveguides are arranged in parallel in the arrangement order of the optical waveguides. When this waveguide element is connected to the multi-core optical connector of this embodiment, for example, light of wavelength λ ₁ is incident on the first bare optical fiber 4a and light of wavelength λ ₂ is incident on the _second bare optical fiber 4a. It enters the naked optical fiber 4b.

Then, similarly to the above, the bare optical fiber 4a,
Since the light propagation path is converted in the array conversion unit 4b,
The light propagating through the first bare optical fiber 4a is collected and emitted from the first optical fiber tape 6a, and the light propagating through the second bare optical fiber 4b is collected and emitted from the second optical fiber tape 6b. To be done. As described above, by using the multi-core optical connector 8 of the present embodiment example, the light beams of different wavelengths emitted from the waveguide chip 15 and the like in parallel are alternately emitted from the first optical fiber tape 6a side and the second optical fiber tape 6a side. It can be distributed to the fiber tape 6b side and taken out collectively.

Further, for example, the first optical fiber tape 6a and the second optical fiber tape 6b are arranged adjacent to each other, and the first bare optical fibers 4a of the first optical fiber tape 6a and the second bare optical fiber 4a are arranged. The second bare optical fibers 4b of the optical fiber tape 6b are brought into contact with each other without a gap, and the first
When the naked optical fibers 4a and the second naked optical fibers 4b are arranged in a row, the naked optical fibers 4 located outside
Although the bending force received by a and 4b becomes large, in the present embodiment, the large bending force as described above is generated.
It is also possible to prevent adverse effects due to a large bending force without being added to a and 4b.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modes of implementation can be adopted. For example,
In the above embodiment, ten optical fiber insertion holes 13 are provided, but the number of optical fiber insertion holes 13 is not particularly limited, and corresponds to the number of cores of the bare optical fiber 4 inserted into the connector body 2. The number of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 is two or more with respect to the number of cores of the bare optical fiber 4. For example, when the number of cores of the bare optical fiber 4 is 16, 18 or more optical fiber insertion holes 13
When the bare optical fiber 4 has 32 cores, 34 or more optical fiber insertion holes 13 are formed. It should be noted that the number of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 should be two or more with respect to the number of cores of the bare optical fiber 4, but in consideration of miniaturization of the multi-core optical connector 8, the number of cores of the bare optical fiber 4 is considered. It is preferable to form +2 optical fiber insertion holes 13.

Further, in the above embodiment, the connecting end face 11 of the multi-core optical connector 8 is a slope inclined by 8 ° from the face R perpendicular to the optical axis of the bare optical fiber 4, but the connecting end face 11 is the above face. R
It may be an inclined surface inclined by 8 ° or more, or a surface perpendicular to the optical axis of the bare optical fiber 4. However, the connection end face 11
Is inclined by 8 ° or more from the surface R, the connection end surface 11
In order to prevent Fresnel reflection at the connection end face
It is desirable that 11 is a slope inclined by 8 ° or more from the surface R.

Further, in the above embodiment, the glass (Pyrex glass) frame member 9 as a transparent frame member is provided on the connection side end surface 5 side of the connector body 2, but the transparent frame member is not necessarily a glass frame member of Pyrex glass. The glass frame material is not limited to 9, and may be a glass frame material other than Pyrex glass, for example, synthetic quartz, or a transparent frame material formed of a transparent material other than glass. Further, this transparent frame material can be omitted. However, if a transparent frame material is provided and the connecting end face 11 side of the multi-core optical connector 8 is formed of a transparent frame material, the multi-core optical connector 8 and the optical component on the other end of the connection are connected using an ultraviolet curing adhesive. It is desirable to provide a transparent frame member because it can be performed easily and quickly.

Further, in the above embodiment, the extra optical fiber insertion hole 13 in which the bare optical fiber 4 is not inserted and fixed is provided.
Although x is filled with the adhesive, the optical fiber insertion hole 13x is not always filled with the adhesive.

Further, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the first optical fiber tape 6a and the second optical fiber tape 6b are arranged so as to overlap each other, and each of these optical fiber tapes is arranged. The first bare optical fiber 4a and the second bare optical fiber 4b exposed by removing the coating portion 10 on the tip side of 6a, 6b are alternately array-converted to obtain the bare optical fiber 4
Although the bare optical fibers 4a and 4b were alternately inserted and fixed in the optical fiber insertion holes 13 formed with an arrangement pitch substantially matching the outer diameter of the optical fiber insertion holes 13, the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes 13 was made equal to the outer diameter of the bare optical fiber 4. When the bare optical fibers 4a and 4b are formed so as to substantially coincide with each other, the array conversion of the bare optical fibers 4a and 4b is not always performed alternately.

For example, the first and second optical fiber tapes 6
a and 6b are arranged in parallel, and the first bare optical fiber 4a is inserted and fixed in the left half of the plurality of optical fiber insertion holes 13, and the second bare optical fiber 4b is inserted and fixed in the right half. You may do it. However, as in the above embodiment,
When the optical fiber tapes 6a and 6b are arranged so as to overlap each other and the bare optical fibers 4a and 4b are alternately array-converted, the size of the multi-core optical connector 8 can be made smaller than when the optical fiber tapes 6a and 6b are arranged in parallel. Moreover, the bending force applied to the bare optical fibers 4a and 4b can be reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, the optical fibers are not inserted and fixed in the optical fiber insertion holes at both ends, but there are cases where unused optical fibers are inserted and fixed. It is included.

[0044]

According to the present invention, the number of the optical fiber insertion holes is increased by two or more with respect to the number of cores of the optical fibers inserted and fixed in the optical fiber insertion holes arranged in parallel in the optical fiber arranging tool. Since the extra optical fiber insertion hole is configured to sandwich the optical fiber insertion hole group in which the optical fiber is inserted and fixed from both sides, when forming the optical fiber insertion hole in the optical fiber arranging tool, For example, due to the difference in the curing shrinkage ratio of the optical fiber arranging tool formed of a resin molded body, the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes on both ends of the plurality of optical fiber insertion holes arranged in parallel is the remaining center side. Even if the optical fiber insertion holes are formed with a deviation from the arrangement pitch, the optical fibers are not inserted and fixed in the displaced optical fiber insertion holes, and the optical fiber insertion holes in which the optical fibers are inserted and fixed are fixed. Arrangement pitch of formed at the correct pitch without deviating little from the design position.

Therefore, when connecting the multi-core optical connectors of the present invention to each other, or when connecting the multi-core optical connector of the present invention to an optical component of a connection partner such as a waveguide chip,
Since it is possible to connect multiple optical fibers arrayed at an accurate array pitch to the optical components on the other side of the connection, it is possible to make optical connections with low connection loss, and to face each optical fiber and each optical fiber. The uniformity of the connection loss of the optical component with the optical path can be improved.

Further, the insertion hole forming region formed by arranging the plurality of optical fiber insertion holes in parallel is provided so as to project forward from the connection-side end face of the optical fiber arranging tool, and the protruding insertion hole forming region is surrounded. According to the present invention in which the frame member is provided on the connection side end face side of the optical fiber arranging tool, when the multicore optical connector of the present invention is connected to the optical component of the connection partner side, for example, ultraviolet curing is performed between the connection end faces. Since the adhesive can be interposed and ultraviolet rays can be transmitted through the transparent frame material to irradiate the ultraviolet curable adhesive to cure the adhesive, it is possible to easily and quickly connect with the optical component of the connection partner. The connection can be made.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the optical fiber with the coating removed. A conventional multi-core optical connector formed with a diameter (generally twice the outer diameter of an optical fiber with a coating removed) can be miniaturized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment example of a multi-core optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the amount of axial deviation of each optical fiber insertion hole 13 in which the bare optical fiber 4 is inserted and fixed in the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a method for connecting the multi-core optical connector 8 and the waveguide chip 15 of the above-described embodiment and a connection end face of the multi-core optical connector 8.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing the communication light reflection operation in 11.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a second exemplary embodiment of a multi-core optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of arranging optical fibers in the multi-core optical connector of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a conventional multi-core optical connector.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing an axial deviation amount of each optical fiber insertion hole 13 arranged in parallel in a conventional multi-core optical connector.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the cause of the axis deviation of the optical fiber insertion hole 13 of the multi-core optical connector, which is considered by the present applicant.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 insertion hole forming region 2 connector body 4, 4a, 4b bare optical fiber 6, 6a, 6b optical fiber tape 8 multi-core optical connector 9 glass frame material 13, 13a to 13h, 13x optical fiber insertion hole

Front page continued (72) Inventor Manki Watanabe 2-6-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Innovator Nobuo Tomita 3-19-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber arranging tool in which a plurality of optical fiber insertion holes are arranged side by side at a predetermined arrangement pitch, and at least the end of each optical fiber of an optical fiber tape formed by arranging a plurality of optical fibers in a strip shape. Remove the side coating and insert
A multi-core optical connector in which the respective optical fibers are inserted and fixed in the respective optical fiber insertion holes, wherein the number of the optical fiber insertion holes is two or more larger than the number of cores of the optical fibers. A multi-core optical connector characterized in that the extra optical fiber insertion holes sandwich an optical fiber insertion hole group in which the optical fibers are inserted and fixed from both sides. 2. An insertion hole forming region formed by arranging a plurality of optical fiber inserting holes in parallel is projectingly provided forward from an end face of a connecting side of an optical fiber arranging tool, and a transparent frame surrounding the protruding inserting hole forming region. 2. The multi-core optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the material is provided on the end surface side of the connection side of the optical fiber arranging tool. 3. The multi-core optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement pitch of the optical fiber insertion holes is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the optical fiber with the coating removed.