JPH1048477A - Optical connector and its assembly method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the deformation and breakage of connector members by enhancing the dimensional accuracy of optical fibers and limiting the adhesive surface with a cover at the time of producing the optical connector by using a V-grooved substrate. SOLUTION: This optical connector has a grooved substrate 3 for aligning the optical fibers 2 in the V-grooves 6, a pressing plate 4 for pressing the optical fibers 2 via an adhesive, springs 7 which form guide holes 10 for guide pins and press the guide pins on both sides of the grooved substrate 3 and a cover 5 which houses the grooved substrate 3, the pressing plate 4 and the springs 7. At the time of assembling the connector, the optical fibers 2 are adhered in the state of pressing the optical fibers 2 to the grooved substrate 3 by the pressing plate 4 and, therefore, the high dimensional working accuracy of the grooved substrate 3 may be switched to the position accuracy of the optical fibers 2. Further, multiple grooves, etc., are formed on the base of the cover 5 adhering the grooved substrate 3, thereby, the non-adhesion of the adhesives is limited and the deformation and breakage by the differences in thermal expansion are prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector for optical connection and an assembling method thereof, and more particularly, to an optical connector in which a pair of connector members for aligning and fixing an optical fiber on a substrate via guide pins and an assembling method thereof. About the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, such an optical connector and an assembling method thereof are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-66326.

FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b) are a sectional view of an optical connector and a perspective view of a groove substrate and a plate in the connector, respectively, for explaining such a conventional example. As shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, such an optical connector 1
a is a groove substrate 40 in which a V groove 41 for disposing an optical fiber and a pin guide groove 43 for guiding a guide pin 46 are formed.
And a groove 44 formed in the groove 44 and the guide pin 4
The upper plate 42 for holding the optical fiber provided with the elastic pressing member 45 for pressing the upper plate 6 and the upper plate 42 are covered with a molding resin portion 47. In particular, the same resin material as the molding resin portion 47 to be insert-molded is formed by the groove portion 4 covering the guide pin 46.
4, the resin is used as the elastic pressing member 45, so that the guide pin 46 is pressed against the guide pin groove 43 of the guide groove substrate 40.

On the other hand, an opening 48 is formed in the upper plate 42 to guide a part of the molding resin portion 47 to the groove portion 44 during the insert molding to form the elastic pressing member 45. The opening 48 is formed in the groove 44 with respect to the upper plate 42.
The thin part grooved by
It is formed by removing a part.

[0005] The structure of an optical connector using guide pins is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-256008.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an optical connector showing another conventional example. As shown in FIG. 17, this optical connector 1a forms a triangular fiber hole 41 for aligning optical fibers by bonding a flat plate 51 to a V-groove substrate 40, and an optical fiber is inserted into the fiber hole 41. The cover 49 and the substrate 40 are fixed with an adhesive. In this case, the guide hole 50 for the guide pin is formed on the cover 49 side.

In assembling the optical connector 1a, a predetermined gap is provided between the fiber hole 41 and the optical fiber in order to insert the optical fiber into the formed fiber hole 41 from behind.

[0008] In addition to the above, similar optical connectors are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another conventional optical connector. As shown in FIG. 18, this optical connector 1a has a structure in which a tapered hole following a rear portion of a fiber hole 41 formed by a V-groove substrate 40 and a flat plate 51 put on the substrate 40 is formed by resin molding. It is. In addition, 52 is an opening.

In assembling the optical connector 1a,
After the optical fiber is inserted into the fiber hole 41, the adhesive is flowed through the opening 52 and fixed.

[0011]

In the above-mentioned conventional optical connector and its assembling method, that is, in the example of FIG. 16, an opening is formed in the upper plate in order to inject a resin and form an elastic pressing member. In this case, there is a disadvantage that the reliability of the connector is reduced due to breakage of the upper plate.

The reason is that since the thin portion of the upper plate is partially removed by cutting or the like, the force of the guide pin tends to concentrate on the remaining thin portion.

In short, since the upper plate functions as a member for supporting the guide pins, it receives a large force when the optical connectors 1a are fitted to each other. When the upper plate is damaged by a large force, the holding of the guide pins becomes unstable, the axis of the optical fiber is shifted, and the reliability of the optical connector is reduced.

In the above-described examples of FIGS. 17 and 18, a flat plate is attached to the V-groove substrate to form a fiber hole for aligning the optical fibers, and the optical fiber is inserted into this hole. Although it is fixed with a post-adhesive, such a structure and assembly have the drawback that the alignment accuracy between the optical fibers is reduced and the connection loss is increased.

That is, in such an optical connector, it is necessary to provide a predetermined gap between the fiber hole and the optical fiber. Due to this gap, the optical fiber does not adhere to the fiber hole, so that the distance between the optical fibers varies,
This is because the position accuracy of the optical fiber is lower than the accuracy of the guide groove even if the guide groove is formed with high accuracy of several μm.

As described above, when joining the optical connectors in which the distance between the optical fibers varies in the fiber hole, the positions of the opposing optical fibers are shifted by the amount of the variation, so that the connection loss is large. turn into.

Further, in the optical connector shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the adhesive for fixing the optical fiber passing through the fiber hole is not sufficiently filled in the hole because the adhesive is narrow, that is, the flowability is poor. However, there is a disadvantage that the reliability as an optical connector is reduced.

If the flow of the adhesive is poor and the adhesive cannot be completely filled, air bubbles may remain in the adhesive in the gap between the fiber hole and the optical fiber. If bubbles remain in such an adhesive, the optical fiber itself may be broken inside the fiber hole due to the effect of thermal expansion due to a change in temperature, which may cause a decrease in the reliability of the optical connector.

In the optical connector shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, when the substrate is insert-molded, it is difficult to make the adhesive strength between the substrate and the resin portion constant, the joint surface is peeled off, and the reliability of the connector is similarly reduced. There is a disadvantage that the properties are reduced.

The reason is that, since the material of the substrate and the resin portion forming the cover are different from each other, it is easy to separate them from each other only by molding.

If both of them are separated during the use of the optical connector, the pressing of the guide pins against the groove substrate becomes weak, and at the same time, the alignment of the optical fibers between the optical connectors by the displacement of the guide pins with respect to the groove substrate. Since the displacement occurs, the optical connection loss increases.

Further, in order to prevent the groove substrate and the resin member from being separated from each other, it is necessary to increase an additional step such as bonding, but if such an additional step is increased, the assembly itself becomes complicated.

A first object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector capable of realizing highly accurate alignment of mutually incorporated optical fibers.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector which is durable against temperature changes during use and has high reliability.

It is a third object of the present invention to provide a method for assembling an optical connector which can improve productivity.

[0026]

An optical connector according to the present invention comprises:
In an optical connector that aligns and fixes optical fibers and couples a pair of opposed connector members using guide pins, a V-groove for aligning the optical fibers in the center and a guide groove for guiding the guide pins on both sides are provided. A formed groove substrate, a pressing plate for pressing the optical fiber against the V-groove of the groove substrate via an adhesive to obtain a predetermined positional accuracy, and a pair of pressing the guide pins against the guide grooves of the groove substrate. And a U-shaped cover for accommodating and fixing the groove substrate to which the optical fiber is fixed by the holding plate and the pair of substantially U-shaped spring members.

The U-shaped cover of the optical connector according to the present invention is integrally formed of resin, and has an adhesive surface for fixing the groove substrate and the substantially U-shaped spring member on the bottom surface.

The pair of substantially U-shaped spring members of the optical connector according to the present invention each have a plurality of convex portions for pressing the guide pins against the guide grooves of the groove substrate.

In the optical connector according to the present invention, the U-shaped cover has an adhesive surface for fixing the groove substrate and the spring member on a bottom surface, and limits the spread of the adhesive around the adhesive surface. A groove is formed, and a protrusion sandwiched between adjacent grooves is formed slightly higher than the bonding surface.

Further, in the optical connector of the present invention, an optical fiber is aligned and fixed, and a pair of connector members facing each other are connected by using a guide pin. A groove substrate having guide grooves formed on both sides for guiding the guide pins,
A holding plate for pressing the optical fiber against the V-groove of the groove substrate via an adhesive and forming a locking groove on an upper surface in a direction orthogonal to the V-groove to obtain predetermined positional accuracy; A locking portion formed with a projection engaging with the locking groove of the plate is formed at the center of the upper surface side, and a pin pressing portion for pressing the guide pin against the guide groove of the groove substrate is provided on both sides of the upper surface. And a box-shaped cover that houses and fixes the groove substrate and the holding plate.

In the optical connector of the present invention, an optical fiber is aligned and fixed, and a pair of connector members facing each other are connected by using a guide pin. A groove substrate having guide grooves formed on both sides thereof for guiding the guide pins, and the optical fiber is pressed against the V-groove of the groove substrate with an adhesive, and the guide pins are pressed against the guide grooves of the groove substrate. Pin pressing portions are formed on both sides of the upper surface, and an upper / lower split type cover for accommodating and fixing the groove substrate is provided.

The upper and lower split type covers in the optical connector of the present invention are formed by resin, respectively, and the upper split type cover forms the pin pressing portions on both sides thereof and also functions as a holding plate for the optical fiber. In addition, the lower split type cover has an adhesive surface for fixing the groove substrate and multiple grooves formed around the adhesive surface.

On the other hand, the method of assembling the optical connector of the present invention
When bonding the holding plate to the groove substrate, a step of aligning the optical fibers with the groove substrate, a step of applying an adhesive on the groove substrate and the optical fiber, and the groove substrate while sandwiching the adhesive Curing the adhesive while pressing the optical fiber with the pressing plate.

The method for assembling an optical connector according to the present invention comprises:
When bonding the groove substrate and the spring member to the resin-molded cover member, the adhesive is cured while pressing the groove substrate and the spring member against the convex portion of the multiple groove formed in the cover member, and the convex portion of the multiple groove is formed. Is configured to be compressed and deformed.

Further, in the method for assembling an optical connector according to the present invention, a groove substrate in which optical fibers are aligned and a holding plate provided with a locking groove are inserted into a box-shaped cover provided with a locking portion and a pin pressing portion. It is configured to be locked.

[0036]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment shows only one side,
Forming a V-groove 6 for arranging the optical fiber 2 in the center,
A groove substrate 3 having guide grooves 10 formed on both sides for guiding the guide pins, a pressing plate 4 for pressing the optical fiber 2 against the groove substrate 3, and an inward convex portion 8 are formed. A pair of substantially U-shaped springs 7 pressed against the groove substrate 3
And a U-shaped cover 5 for adhering and housing the groove substrate 3 and the spring 7 on the bottom surface. The V-groove 6 of the groove substrate 3
A tapered portion 9 is formed on an end face of the guide groove 10 formed in parallel with the optical connector, that is, on an optical connector joining face to facilitate insertion of the guide pin.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the optical connector shown in FIG. 1 is connected. As shown in FIG. 2, the optical connector 1 is configured such that two end faces of an optical fiber 2 face each other, and
The guide pins 11 are fixed by penetrating the optical connector 1. That is, the same members are housed in the U-shaped covers 5A and 5B, respectively, and two guide pins 11 are mounted through the guide holes 12 at the bottom of the covers to perform mechanical coupling, thereby forming the optical fiber 2. Optical connection is made. The guide pins 11 in these optical connectors 1 are:
It is fixed by the spring 7 and the projection 8.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of components of the optical connector shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, in this optical connector, the groove substrate 3 has a V-groove 6
Then, a guide groove 10 for guiding the guide pin 11 is formed, and the optical fiber 2 is fixed by a flat pressing plate 4. The assembled groove substrate 3 is housed in the U-shaped cover 5 together with a pair of substantially U-shaped springs 7 formed with two or more projections 8 for pressing the guide pins 11. 5, a substrate bonding surface 13 and a spring bonding surface 14 are formed.
5 are formed. Also, at the bottom of the U-shaped cover 5,
As described above, the guide holes 12 for penetrating and holding the guide pins 11 are provided at predetermined positions.

FIGS. 4A to 4D are cross-sectional views taken along the line AA shown in the order of steps for explaining the procedure for assembling the board of the optical connector in FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, in assembling the substrate, a preparation for removing the end coating of the optical fiber 2 and aligning it with the V groove 6 of the groove substrate 3 is performed. In addition, 10 is a guide hole.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the coated optical fiber 2 is aligned with the V-groove 6 of the groove substrate 3.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, an adhesive 1 for bonding the holding plate 4 onto the arranged optical fibers 2 is used.
6 is applied while dripping from above.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4D, the adhesive 16 is cured while the optical fiber 2 is pressed from above the adhesive 16 by the pressing plate 4, thereby obtaining the substrate assembly 17 in a sub-assembly state. .

FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views taken along the line AA shown in the order of steps for explaining the procedure for assembling the optical connector in FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the board assembly 17 and the spring 7 in the sub-assembly state are provided.
When bonding to the U-shaped cover 5, the substrate bonding surface 1
3, an adhesive 18 is applied to each of the spring bonding surfaces 14, and the substrate assembly 1 in a sub-assembly state is
7 and the spring 7 are inserted into the U-shaped cover 5.

Here, regarding the multiple groove 15 formed around the bonding surface 13 of the U-shaped cover 5, a first concave portion 15A surrounding the bonding surface 13 from the center and a second concave portion formed outside the first concave portion 15A. A concave portion 15B is provided, and a convex portion 15B is provided therebetween.
C is formed. In addition, this convex portion 15C is
3 and a tapered shape with a wide root and a narrow tip. The same applies to the multiple groove 15 formed around the spring bonding surface 14.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), when the board assembly 17 and the spring 7 are pressed against the bottom of the U-shaped cover 5, the tip of the projection 15C comes into close contact with the board assembly 17 and the spring 7. The adhesive 18 is deformed until it becomes the same height as the adhesive surface 13 while receiving a force, and the adhesive 18 is cured while the deformed portion 19 remains.

In the optical connector according to the present embodiment, the adhesive 16 is cured while the optical fiber 2 is pressed against the V groove 6 of the substrate 3 by the pressing plate 4. The high dimensional accuracy of the groove 6 is directly converted to the high positional accuracy of the optical fiber 2. Therefore, when the optical connector is connected, the optical connector 2 can be realized with a small displacement between the opposing optical fibers 2 and a small connection loss.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a partial enlarged sectional view taken along the line AA and a partial sectional view taken along the line BB for explaining the relationship between the guide pin and the spring of the optical connector in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, since the spring 7 has two or more convex portions 8, the guide pins 11 are formed.
The contact point between the spring and the spring 7 is limited to the protrusion 8. For this reason, the spring 7 can press the guide pin 11 against the groove substrate 3 reliably and without inclining, and when the optical connector is connected, the positional deviation between the opposing optical fibers 2 is small and the light having a small connection loss. A connector can be realized.

The U-shaped cover 5 is formed by resin molding in a single step (separate step), so that the first concave portion 15A, the convex portion 15C and the second Can be formed.

As a result, the adhesive 18 is bonded to the bonding surfaces 13, 1
4 and spread thinly in the space between the groove substrate 3 and the spring 7,
Excess adhesive 18 is projected from the adhesive surfaces 13 and 14 to the convex portions 15C.
Flows into the first concave portion 15A surrounded by the convex portion 15C.
Are deformed portions 19 and are in close contact with the groove substrate 3 and the spring 7, so that the adhesive 18 does not flow out of the deformed portions 19 to the second recess 15B side.

Further, when members having different coefficients of linear expansion are bonded to each other, the members may be deformed or damaged by a change in temperature. However, as described above, the adhesive 18 can be used only in a necessary range. Therefore, the effect of the force acting between the members can be minimized, and a highly reliable optical connector free from a decrease in positional accuracy due to deformation and breakage of the members can be realized.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, although the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment also shows only one side,
Forming a V-groove 6 for arranging the optical fiber 2 in the center,
A groove substrate 3 having guide grooves 10 formed on both sides for guiding guide pins, a pressing plate 22 for pressing the optical fiber 2 against the groove substrate 3, and a groove substrate 3 bonded and accommodated on the bottom surface, On the upper surface, a box-shaped cover 21 having a locking portion 23 for engaging with the pressing plate 22 at the center and a pin pressing portion 24 for pressing the guide pin against the groove substrate 3 on both sides is provided. Further, a tapered portion 9 is formed on an end face of the guide groove 10 formed in parallel with the V-shaped groove 6 of the groove substrate 3, that is, on an optical connector joining surface to facilitate insertion of a guide pin.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where the optical connector shown in FIG. 7 is connected. As shown in FIG. 8, this optical connector 1 is also fixed with two guide pins 11 penetrating through the optical connector 1 with the end faces of the optical fiber 2 facing each other. That is, the same members are respectively housed in the box-shaped covers 21, and two guide pins 11 are mounted through the guide holes 12 at the bottom of the cover, thereby performing mechanical coupling and optically connecting the optical fibers 2. It is carried out. The guide pins 11 in these optical connectors 1 are fixed to the groove substrate by the pin pressing portions 24 of the box-shaped cover 21.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the components of the optical connector shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 9, in this optical connector, the groove substrate 3 has a V groove 6 on which the optical fiber 2 is arranged.
And a guide groove 10 for guiding the guide pin 11, and the optical fiber 2 is fixed by a flat pressing plate 22. The holding plate 22 is formed with a locking groove 25 for engaging with a projection provided below the locking portion 23 of the box-shaped cover 21 in a direction orthogonal to the V-groove 6, and The end opposite to the end forming the groove 25 is chamfered.

FIGS. 10A to 10D are cross-sectional views taken along the line C-C shown in the order of steps for explaining the procedure for assembling the optical connector in FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), when assembling the substrate, the optical fiber 2 is passed through the bottom side of the cover 21 and is aligned with the V-groove 6 of the groove substrate 3, and is placed on the arranged optical fiber 2. The adhesive 16 for bonding the holding plate 22 is applied. As described above, the holding plate 22 is formed with the locking groove 25 that engages with the projection 27 of the locking portion 23, and the chamfered portion 26 is provided to make it easier to get over the projection 27. .

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the adhesive 16 is cured while the optical fiber 2 is pressed from above the adhesive 16 by the pressing plate 22 to obtain the substrate assembly 28 in a sub-assembly state. .

Further, as shown in FIG. 10C, after the adhesive 16 is cured, the substrate assembly 28 in the sub-assembly state is placed on the box-shaped cover 21 through which the optical fiber 2 has been previously passed from the chamfered portion 26 side. insert.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10D, the board assembly 28 is housed and fixed in the cover 21 by fitting the projection 27 into the locking groove 25 of the holding plate 22.

FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are enlarged cross-sectional views taken along line DD of the optical connector of FIG. 8 with and without guide pins. First, FIG.
As shown in (a), even when the board assembly 28 is housed and fixed in the cover 21, a pin integrally formed with the cover 21 so as to form an inscribed circle 29 indicated by a dotted line smaller than the cross section of the guide pin. A pressing portion 24 is formed. That is,
The pin pressing portion 24 is internally tensioned by the elasticity of the material itself, and has the same function as the spring 7 in the above-described first embodiment.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), when the guide pin 11 is inserted, the pin pressing portion 24 pressing the guide pin 11 expands, pressing the guide pin 11 against the groove substrate 3 and connecting the connectors. Are mechanically coupled to optically couple the optical fibers 2 with each other.

In the optical connector of this embodiment, the optical fiber 2 is held in the V-groove 6 of the groove substrate 3 by the pressing plate 22.
The applied adhesive 16 is cured while being pressed, so that the high dimensional accuracy of the V-groove 6 formed on the groove substrate 3 is directly converted to the high positional accuracy of the optical fiber 2. Therefore, when the optical connector is connected, the optical connector 2 can be realized with a small displacement between the opposing optical fibers 2 and a small connection loss.

The box-shaped cover 21 is formed by resin molding in a separate step, so that the guide pins 11 are formed on the groove substrate 3 by the elasticity of the locking portions 23 corresponding to the locking grooves 25 formed on the holding plate 22 and the material itself. The pin pressing portion 24 for pressing the box-shaped cover 21
Since the step of bonding the groove substrate 3 and the box-shaped cover 21 can be integrated into a locking structure, labor saving can be achieved. Moreover, since the groove substrate 3 and the box-shaped cover 21 are not bonded, the curing process of the adhesive can be limited to only one time, and the number of components can be reduced by eliminating the spring member.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an optical connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, although the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment also shows only one side, a V groove 6 for arranging the optical fiber 2 is formed at the center, and guide pins are guided on both sides. Guide groove 1 for
0, and divided type covers 30A, 3 sandwiching the grooved substrate 3 from above and below in a sandwich manner.
0B. The upper split mold cover 30A forms a pin pressing portion 31 for pressing the guide pin, and the upper split mold cover 30A and the groove substrate 3 form the guide groove 10. Note that a tapered portion 9 is formed at these ends.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where the optical connector shown in FIG. 12 is connected. As shown in FIG. 13, this optical connector 1 is also fixed such that two end faces of the optical fiber 2 face each other and two guide pins 11 penetrate the optical connector 1. That is, the first and second split covers 30A,
30B accommodates the same members, and guide holes 1
By attaching two or more guide pins 11, mechanical connection is performed and optical connection is performed.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the components of the optical connector shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 14, in this optical connector, the first divided cover 30A and the second divided cover 30B are resin-molded in a single step.
The first split cover 30A includes a pin pressing portion 31 similar to the pin pressing portion 24 for pressing the guide pin 11 in the above-described second embodiment, and the guide pin 11 is formed on the groove substrate 3 by the elasticity of the material itself. And a function of pressing the optical fiber 2 against the groove substrate 3. Further, the second divided cover 30B has an adhesive surface 13 for fixing the groove substrate 3 at the center of the bottom surface and a multiple groove 15 surrounding the adhesive surface 13. The structure of the concave and convex portions forming the multiple groove 15 is the same as the structure in the above-described first embodiment.

FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b) are cross-sectional views taken along the line EE for explaining the procedure of assembling the optical connector in FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 15A, the optical fibers 2 are aligned on the groove substrate 3, and an adhesive 16 is applied thereon. At this time, the bonding surface 13 of the second divided cover 30B and the first divided cover 30
An adhesive 18 is applied to the four corners connected to A. Thereafter, the grooved substrate 3 and the optical fiber 2 are sandwiched between the first divided cover 30A and the second divided cover 30B from above and below, and the adhesive 16 and the adhesive 18 are cured while being pressed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15B, when these covers 30A and 30B are pressed, the first split cover 30A is pressed so that the optical fiber 2 comes into close contact with the groove substrate 3, and the second split cover 30A is pressed. 30B is pressed against the groove substrate 3 until the tip of the convex portion 15C becomes the deformed portion 19 having the same height as the bonding surface 13. The excess of the adhesive 18 applied to the adhesive surface 13 stops at the first concave portion 15A formed on the second divided cover 30B, and the second concave portion 15B
Never leak out. As described above, the bonding of the first and second divided covers 30A and 30B is performed simultaneously with the bonding of the groove substrate 3.

In the optical connector according to the present embodiment, the adhesive 1 is applied while pressing the optical fiber 2 into the V-groove 6 of the groove substrate 3 by the first split cover 30A.
Since the hardening of the optical fiber 2 is performed, the high dimensional accuracy of the V-groove 6 processed on the groove substrate 3 is directly converted to the high positional accuracy of the optical fiber 2. Therefore, when the optical connector is connected, the optical connector 2 can be realized with a small displacement between the opposing optical fibers 2 and a small connection loss.

The split covers 30A and 30B described above
The resin is molded in a single step, so that the pin pressing portion 31 for pressing the guide pin 11 against the groove substrate 3 by the elasticity of the material itself is integrally formed with the first divided cover 30A, and further, the second divided cover is formed. Adhesion surface 1 with groove substrate 3 on 30B
For example, a multi-groove 15 can be formed in the vicinity of the third groove 3.

As described above, in the present embodiment, by providing the groove substrate 3 with a function of pressing the optical fibers 2 and the guide pins 11, the curing step of the adhesives 16 and 18 used for assembling the optical connector can be performed in one step. It is also possible to limit the number of times, and by integrally forming the pin pressing portion 31 for pressing the guide pins 11 on the groove substrate 3, the spring member can be made unnecessary and the number of parts can be reduced.

Further, when members having different linear expansion coefficients are bonded to each other, the members may be deformed or damaged due to a change in temperature. However, as described above, the adhesive 18 can be used only in a necessary range. Therefore, the effect of the force acting between the members can be minimized, and a highly reliable optical connector free from a decrease in positional accuracy due to deformation and breakage of the members can be realized.

[0072]

As described above, according to the optical connector and the method of assembling the same according to the present invention, the optical fiber is bonded to the V-groove of the groove substrate while being pressed by the pressing plate, and housed and fixed in covers of various structures. By joining the sides with the guide pins, the high dimensional processing accuracy obtained by the groove substrate can be converted into the positional accuracy of the optical fiber, and the optical connection loss can be reduced.

In the optical connector and the method of assembling the same according to the present invention, when aligning and bonding the optical fiber to the V-groove of the groove substrate, the adhesive is dropped on the optical fiber aligned with the V-groove. The state of filling of the adhesive in the optical fiber and the V-groove can be checked, that is, the optical fiber can be moved freely, and the adhesive can flow into the gap surrounded by the V-groove and the optical fiber. Even when air bubbles are mixed in, it is easy to detect and easily remove the air bubbles, and furthermore, there is an effect that the reliability can be improved so as not to include air bubbles by gently pressing the holding plate against the optical fiber and bonding.

Further, in the optical connector and the method of assembling the same according to the present invention, the grooved substrate and the molded resin member such as the cover are securely adhered with the adhesive, but the molded resin member such as the cover is molded alone. A groove for retaining adhesive and a flow-stop projection can be provided on the bonding surface between the grooved substrate and the cover, and the bonding strength between the grooved substrate and the resinous member can be stably maintained by bonding the molded resin members together in a later process. Therefore, there is an effect that the reliability can be improved so that the optical connection does not shift. In short, such a groove for accumulating the adhesive and the protrusion of the flow stopper can restrict the adhesion of the adhesive to a portion that needs to be bonded, and can prevent deformation and breakage due to thermal expansion between the bonded foreign members beforehand. Therefore, highly reliable optical connection can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the optical connector shown in FIG. 1 is connected.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of components of the optical connector in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in the order of steps for explaining the procedure for assembling the board of the optical connector in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line AA shown in the order of steps for explaining the procedure for assembling the optical connector in FIG. 2;

6 is a diagram showing a partial enlarged cross section taken along line AA and a partial cross section taken along line BB for explaining a relationship between a guide pin and a spring of the optical connector in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an optical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view showing a state where the optical connector shown in FIG. 7 is connected.

9 is an exploded perspective view of parts of the optical connector in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line C-C shown in the order of steps for explaining the procedure for assembling the optical connector in FIG. 8;

11 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line DD of the optical connector of FIG. 8 with and without guide pins.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an optical connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where the optical connector shown in FIG. 12 is connected.

14 is an exploded perspective view of components of the optical connector in FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE shown in the order of steps for explaining the procedure for assembling the optical connector in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a cross section of an optical connector and a perspective view of a groove substrate and a plate in the connector for explaining an example of the related art.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an optical connector showing another conventional example.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an optical connector showing another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical connector 2 Optical fiber 3 (V-groove) board 4, 22 Holding plate 5 U-shaped cover 6 V-groove 7 Spring 8 Convex part 9 Tapered part 10 Guide groove 11 Guide pin 12 Guide hole 13 Board bonding surface 14 Spring bonding surface 15 Multi-groove 15A First concave portion 15B Second concave portion 15C Convex portion 16, 18 Adhesive 17, 28 Board assembly 19 Deformation portion 21 Box-shaped cover 23 Locking portion 24 Pin pressing portion 25 Locking groove 26 Chamfering portion 27 Projection 29 Inscribed circle 30A, 30B Divided cover 31 Pin pressing part

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An optical connector for aligning and fixing an optical fiber and connecting a pair of opposed connector members using a guide pin, wherein a V-groove for aligning the optical fiber in the center and the guide pin on both sides are provided. A groove substrate formed with a guide groove for guiding, a pressing plate for pressing the optical fiber against the V groove of the groove substrate via an adhesive to obtain a predetermined positional accuracy, and a groove formed on the guide groove of the groove substrate. A pair of substantially U-shaped spring members for pressing the guide pins, a U-shaped cover for accommodating and fixing the groove substrate and the pair of substantially U-shaped spring members to which the optical fibers are fixed by the holding plate. Characteristic optical connector. 2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped cover is integrally molded with resin, and has a bottom surface formed with adhesive surfaces for fixing the groove substrate and the substantially U-shaped spring member. 3. A pair of substantially U-shaped spring members each using a leaf spring formed with a plurality of convex portions for pressing the guide pins into guide grooves of the groove substrate.
Optical connector as described. 4. The U-shaped cover has an adhesive surface for fixing the groove substrate and the spring member on a bottom surface, and a multiple groove for limiting the spread of the adhesive around the adhesive surface. 2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion sandwiched between the adjacent grooves is slightly higher than the adhesive surface. 5. An optical connector for aligning and fixing an optical fiber and connecting a pair of opposed connector members using a guide pin, wherein a V-groove for aligning the optical fiber in the center and the guide pin on both sides are provided. A groove substrate formed with a guide groove for guiding, and a predetermined position where the optical fiber is pressed against the V groove of the groove substrate via an adhesive, and a locking groove is formed on an upper surface in a direction orthogonal to the V groove. A holding plate for obtaining accuracy and a locking portion formed with a projection engaging with the locking groove of the holding plate are formed at the center on the upper surface side, and the guide pin is pressed against the guide groove of the groove substrate. An optical connector, comprising: a pin pressing portion formed on both sides of an upper surface; 6. An optical connector for aligning and fixing an optical fiber and coupling a pair of opposed connector members using a guide pin, wherein a V-groove for aligning the optical fiber in the center and the guide pin on both sides are provided. A groove substrate formed with a guide groove for guiding, and a pin pressing portion for pressing the optical fiber against the V-groove of the groove substrate via an adhesive and pressing the guide pin against the guide groove of the groove substrate on an upper surface; And an upper / lower split type cover formed on both sides of the groove and accommodating and fixing the groove substrate. 7. The upper and lower split type covers are formed of resin, respectively, and the upper split type cover forms the pin pressing portions on both sides thereof and also functions as a holding plate for the optical fiber. 7. The optical connector according to claim 6, wherein the mold cover has an adhesive surface for fixing the groove substrate and a multiple groove formed around the adhesive surface. 8. A step of aligning an optical fiber with the groove substrate when bonding the holding plate to the groove substrate, a step of applying an adhesive on the groove substrate and the optical fiber, and sandwiching the adhesive. And curing the adhesive while pressing the optical fiber against the groove substrate with the pressing plate. 9. When bonding the groove substrate and the spring member to the resin-molded cover member, the adhesive is cured while pressing the groove substrate and the spring member against the convex portions of the multiple grooves formed in the cover member. A method for assembling an optical connector, comprising: compressing and deforming a convex portion of a multiple groove. 10. A light, characterized in that a groove substrate in which optical fibers are aligned and a holding plate having a locking groove are inserted into and locked by a box-shaped cover having a locking portion and a pin pressing portion. How to assemble the connector.