JPH09325223A - Optical juncture housing tray - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to obtain sufficient holding power and to anchor optical fibers without affecting their optical transmission characteristics by projectingly providing the surfaces of respective clamping walls facing the other side with projections to be pressed to the flanks of the optical fibers and curving the optical fibers at the radius of curvature above the stipulated radius of curvature, thereby clamping the optical fibers. SOLUTION: The central part of the parallel curved wall 25 and side wall 26 of through-holes 31 for inserting the optical fibers 4 into a tray is provided with a partition wall 34 for partitioning the through-holes 31 to two retaining grooves 33. Bulging parts 35 which project to the retaining grooves 33 on both sides are formed at both ends in the axial line direction of the retaining grooves 33 of the partition wall 34. The inside surface side of the curved part 25 and side wall 26 facing the partition wall 34 is projectingly provided with contact projections 36 to be pressed to the flanks of tubes 32. These contact projections 36 are formed in the positions corresponding to the center in the parting direction of both bulging parts 35 of the partition wall 34. The bulging parts 35 and the projections 36 are projectingly disposed by shifting the positions in the axial line direction of the optical fibers in such a manner, by which the optical fibers 4 are curved and clamped at the radius of curvature above the stipulated radius of curvature.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connection part for optically connecting optical fibers to each other and an optical connection part storage tray for accommodating a connection extra length thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical connection section for optically connecting optical fibers and an optical connection section storage tray for storing a connection extra length thereof are applied to, for example, a connection terminal box for optical fiber cables. Hereinafter, a connection terminal box for an optical fiber cable to which a conventional optical connection part storage tray is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the optical fiber cable connection terminal box holds the optical fiber cable 3 by the holding metal fittings 2 installed at both ends of the sleeve 1 in the axial direction, respectively, and holds the pair of held optical fibers. Optical fiber tape core wires 4 (hereinafter “tape core wires”) derived from each of the cables 3 are connected to each other via an optical connecting portion 5, and the optical connecting portion 5 and its extra connection length 6 are connected to each other between the holding metal fittings 2. Plural sheets are stacked and stacked on the connecting rods 8 to be connected, and are housed in a thin plate-shaped optical connection part storage tray 7 (hereinafter referred to as “tray”).

As shown in FIG. 7, adjacent trays 7 are rotatably connected at one side to each other by a hinge (not shown) which rotatably supports an axis parallel to the axis of the sleeve 1. . As the optical connecting portion 5, a fusion splicing portion, an optical connector or the like is applied. The tape core wire 4 is
It is protected by the tube 10 (see FIG. 8). Tray 7
Insertion holes 9 for inserting the tape core wires 4 in the tray 7 are opened one by one on the side portions of the. Inside the insertion hole 9, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the bottom plate 11 of the tray 7 is provided.
A pressing plate 12 for pressing the tube 10 is provided between and. At a plurality of positions on the inner surface side of the side wall 13 of the tray 7, pressing plates 14 for pressing the tape core wires 4 laid on the bottom plate 11 between the tray 7 and the bottom plate 11 are projected. Between the pressing plate 12 and the bottom plate 11, a pressing member 15 made of rubber, urethane or the like that holds the end of the tube 10 is inserted. The pressing member 15 accommodates the tube 10 in a groove 16 formed by penetrating the insertion hole 9 in the axial direction, and stabilizes the tube 10 against external force such as pulling due to frictional resistance generated between the tube 10 and the surface thereof. It is designed to hold. When performing work such as connection switching of the tape core wire 4 for the target tray 7, the work surface of the target tray 7 is exposed by utilizing the relative rotation of the tray 7 around the hinge.

[0004]

By the way, in the case of the tray 7 as described above, the following problems occur due to the structure in which the pressing member 15 presses and holds the tube 10. That is, in order to obtain sufficient frictional resistance between the pressing member 15 and the surface of the tube 10, it is necessary to increase the pressure contact force of the pressing member 15 with respect to the tube 10. However, when the pressure contact force increases, stress is applied to the tape core wire 4. In addition, the transmission loss of the optical signal may increase. Conversely, if the pressure contact force is weak, it will be difficult to obtain sufficient frictional resistance,
The tube 10 is easily removed. In order to provide the pressing member 15 that can obtain an appropriate pressure contact force, it is necessary to manufacture various kinds of pressing members 15 in accordance with the diameter of the tube 10, the tensile force acting on the tube 10, etc. However, there is a problem that the cost increases. Further, since the pressing member 15 is a separate member from the tray 7, it takes time and labor to attach the pressing member 15 to the tray 7 and causes a cost increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides an optical connection part accommodating tray capable of stably fixing an optical fiber inserted in an insertion hole without changing the optical transmission characteristics. That is the purpose.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connection part storage tray, wherein in order to solve the above problems, an optical connection part for optically connecting optical fibers to each other and an optical connection part storage for accommodating a connection extra length thereof. A tray, comprising a pair of clamp walls for clamping the optical fiber inserted into the insertion hole in the vicinity of the insertion hole for introducing the optical fiber coated with the coating material into the tray, and the other side of each clamp wall On the side facing
A protrusion that is brought into contact with the side surface of the optical fiber disposed between the clamp walls is provided so as to relatively shift the position of the optical fiber in the axial direction, and the optical fiber is bent with a bending radius larger than a predetermined value and clamped. This is the means for solving the above problems.

According to another aspect of the optical connecting part storage tray,
The means for solving the above-mentioned problems is to provide a frictional resistance generating means for increasing the frictional resistance against the movement of the optical fiber in the axial direction on the contact surface of the projection that contacts the side surface of the optical fiber.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of an optical connection part accommodating tray of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the figure, the same components as those in FIGS. 5 to 9 are designated by the same reference numerals to simplify the description. Reference numeral 20 in the figure denotes an optical connection unit storage tray (hereinafter referred to as "tray") of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the tray 20 is formed of an elastic material such as plastic in the shape of an elongated flat plate. Circular extra length storage portions 22 are formed at both longitudinal ends of the bottom plate 21 of the tray 20. The extra length storage 22 is
The extra connection length 6 of the tape core wire 4 is accommodated while maintaining the bending radius larger than the specified value. A plurality of optical connection parts 5 (not shown in FIG. 1) for connecting the tape core wires 4 to each other so as to be switchable are installed in the central portion of the bottom plate 21. These optical connecting portions 5 are gripped by flange-shaped connector gripping claws protruding from the bottom plate 21.

At the edges of the extra length storage portions 22 of the bottom plate 21,
Flange-shaped curved wall 2 that curves along the extra length storage portion 22
5 are installed vertically. At both sides of the bottom plate 21 in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1), the amount of protrusion from the bottom plate 21 is equal to that of the curved wall 25.
Is formed with a flange-shaped side wall 26. Outside the one side wall 26, the trays 20 stacked one above the other are provided.
A hinge 27 that rotatably connects the two is projected.
The pair of trays 20 connected by the hinges 27 is configured such that the upper tray 20 is superposed on the lower tray 20 to close the opening of the lower tray 20. On the side wall 26 facing the hinge 27,
Engaging claws 28 that manually connect the vertically stacked trays 20 so that they can be engaged and disengaged, and locking recesses 29 that lock the engaging claws 28 are formed. Further, on the inner surface side of the curved wall 25 and the side wall 26, the tape core wire 4 laid on the bottom plate 21 is provided.
The pressing claws 30 for accommodating between the bottom plate 21 and the bottom plate 21 are provided at a plurality of locations. The curved wall 25, the side wall 26, and the engaging claw 28 are integrally formed with the bottom plate 21.

At the boundary between the curved wall 25 and the side wall 26 on the hinge 27 side, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an insertion hole 31 for inserting the tape core wire 4 into the tray 20 is opened. There is. The insertion hole 31 is a portion in which the curved wall 25 and the side wall 26 are arranged in parallel with each other via a clearance. As shown in FIG. 3, the central portions of the curved wall 25 and the side wall 26 that are parallel to each other extend along the axial direction of the insertion hole 31 to form the insertion hole 3
A partition wall 34 for partitioning 1 into two holding grooves 33 is provided. The partition wall 34 is a flange projectingly provided on the bottom plate 21, and is parallel to the curved wall 25 and the side wall 26. A tube 32 (covering material) that covers the tape core wire 4 can be inserted into each pressing groove 33. Curved wall 25
The side wall 26 and the partition wall 34 function as a clamp wall that clamps the tube 32 inserted into the holding groove 33. The partition wall 34 may be formed so as to be close to either the curved wall 25 or the side wall 26. in this case,
Since the holding grooves 33 having different cross-sectional shapes are formed, it is possible to cope with the introduction of the tape core wires 4 having different numbers of cores.

Swelling portions 35 projecting into the holding grooves 33 on both sides of the partition wall 34 are formed at both ends in the axial direction of the holding groove 33 of the partition wall 34. Contact protrusions 36 (protrusions) that come into contact with the side surfaces of the tube 32 are provided on the inner surfaces of the curved wall 25 and the side wall 26 facing the partition wall 34. The contact protrusion 36 is formed at a position corresponding to the center of the bulging portions 35 of the partition wall 34 in the separating direction. Abutment surfaces 37 and 3 of the bulging portion 35 and the abutment projection 36 that abut the tube 32.
The curved surface 8 has the largest protrusion amount in the central portion. The tube 32 inserted into the holding groove 33 has the bulge 3
5 and the contact protrusion 36 are bent and clamped at three places. The curve of the tube 32 is such that the curve radius of the tape core wire 4 is equal to or larger than a specified radius. The bulging portion 35 and the contact protrusion 36 correspond to the protrusion described in claim 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the bulging portion 35 and the contact projection 36 are provided with small projections 39 on the contact surfaces 37 and 38 to increase the frictional resistance against the axial movement of the tube 32. May be. Small protrusion 3
9 corresponds to the frictional resistance generating means. As the frictional resistance generating means, it is also possible to apply grooves, demon eyes, etc. other than the small projections 39.

The operation and effect of the tray 20 will be described below. The tray 20 can regulate the movement of the tube 32 in the axial direction without applying stress to the tape core wire 4 by inserting and clamping the end of the tube 32 covering the tape core wire 4 into the holding groove 33. It is like this. That is, the tube 32 inserted into the holding groove 33
Is bent at three points by the bulging portion 35 and the contact protrusion 36, and therefore the tensile force acting in the axial direction of the tube 32 acts on the bulging portion 35 and the contact protrusion 36 in the axial direction to be supported. It As a result, a sufficient holding force is obtained even when the clamping force between the bulging portion 35 and the contact protrusion 36 is small, and the movement of the tube 32 in the axial direction is restricted. When the small protrusion 39 is provided on the contact surfaces 37 and 38 of the bulging portion 35 and the contact protrusion 36, the bulging portion 3
5, the frictional resistance of the tube 32 against the contact projection 36 is increased, and the holding force is further strengthened.

The tip of the tube 32 introduced into the tray 20 through the insertion hole 31 is arranged between the pressing groove 33 and the pressing claw 30 which is located closest to the extension of the axial line of the pressing groove 33, and extends from the tube 32. The pulled-out tape core wire 4 is pressed by the nearest pressing claw 30.

Therefore, according to the tray 20 of the present invention, a sufficient holding force can be obtained even when the clamping force of the tube 32 between the bulging portion 35 and the contact protrusion 36 is small, so that the tape core can be obtained. The tube 32 can be retained without affecting the optical transmission characteristics of the wire 4. Also,
Since the entire tray 20 can be integrally molded, the manufacturing efficiency can be significantly improved.

The positions where the insertion hole 31 and the holding groove 33 are formed are not limited to those described in the above embodiment. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to optical connection part storage trays of various optical equipment other than the connection terminal box. Further, the present invention can be applied to an optical fiber coated with a coating material other than the tube.

[0016]

As described above, according to the optical connecting part accommodating tray of the first aspect, the optical connecting part accommodating tray for accommodating the optical connecting part for optically connecting the optical fibers and the extra connection length thereof is provided. A pair of clamp walls for clamping the optical fiber inserted into the insertion hole in the vicinity of the insertion hole for introducing the optical fiber coated with the coating material inside, and a surface facing each other of the clamp walls. , A protrusion that is brought into contact with the side surface of the optical fiber disposed between the clamp walls is projected with the position of the optical fiber in the axial direction relatively displaced, and the optical fiber is bent with a bending radius larger than the specified radius. Since the clamping is performed, a sufficient holding force can be obtained even when the clamping force of the covering material between the protrusions is small, and the optical fiber can be retained without affecting the optical transmission characteristics.

According to another aspect of the optical connecting part accommodating tray, the contact surface of the projection, which contacts the side surface of the optical fiber, is provided with frictional resistance generating means for increasing frictional resistance against movement of the optical fiber in the axial direction. Therefore, the holding force of the optical fiber is improved, and the clamping force between the protrusions for holding the optical fiber can be further reduced, which has an excellent effect of improving the reliability of the optical transmission characteristic of the optical fiber.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an optical connection part storage tray of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an embodiment of the optical connection part storage tray of the present invention, and is an enlarged side view showing an insertion hole.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an embodiment of the optical connection part storage tray of the present invention, and is an enlarged plan view showing an insertion hole.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an embodiment of the optical connection part accommodating tray of the present invention, which is an enlarged side view showing end resistance generating means.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a connection terminal box.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional optical connection part storage tray.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an operation of a conventional optical connection part storage tray.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an operation of a conventional optical connection part storage tray.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing a pressing member applied to a conventional optical connection part storage tray.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 ... Optical fiber (optical fiber tape core wire), 5 ... Optical connection part, 6 ... Extra connection length, 20 ... Optical connection part storage tray (tray), 25 ... Clamp wall (curved wall), 26 ... Clamp wall (side wall) ), 31 ... Insertion hole, 32 ... Covering material (tube),
34 ... Clamp wall (partition wall), 35 ... Protrusion (bulging part),
36 ... Projections (contact projections), 37 ... Contact surfaces, 38 ... Contact surfaces, 39 ... Friction resistance generating means (small projections).

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An optical connection part storage tray (20) for accommodating an optical connection part (5) for optically connecting optical fibers (4) with each other and a connection extra length (6) thereof, the cover being provided with a covering material (32). A pair of clamp walls (2) for clamping the optical fiber inserted in the insertion hole (31) in the vicinity of the insertion hole (31) for introducing the coated optical fiber into the inside.
5, 26, 34), and the projections (35, 3 3) abutting on the side surface of the optical fiber arranged between the clamp walls, on the surface of each clamp wall facing the other side.
(6) is provided so that the position of the optical fiber in the axial direction is relatively shifted, and the optical fiber is bent at a bending radius larger than a predetermined value to be clamped. 2. The optical connection part accommodating tray according to claim 1, wherein the abutment surfaces (37, 38) abutting on the optical fiber side surface of the protrusion.
An optical connection part storage tray, characterized in that a frictional resistance generating means (39) for increasing the frictional resistance against the movement of the optical fiber in the axial direction is provided.