JPH1073727A - Holding structure of optical circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the possibility that the entanglement of optical fibers is resulted, to prevent the disconnection of the fibers, to extremely simplify the structure, to facilitate production and to reduce a cost by arranging plural clamping members on a substrate, holding the parts constituting optical circuits with these clamping members, making it possible to surely hold the respective optical fibers and optical parts and orderly arranging the optical circuits. SOLUTION: Plural pieces of the clamping parts 11 for holding the optical parts and the clamping parts 12 for holding the optical fibers are arranged in the prescribed positions on the substrate 13 in order to package the constituting parts of the optical circuits. Demultiplexers 1, branching devices 2 and filters 3 which are the optical parts are held by the clamping parts 11. The optical fibers 21 to 26 connecting these parts are held at plural points by the clamping parts 12 in a rectilinear form or an in the state of bending the fibers to a large radius of curvature. The ends of the optical fibers 21, 24, 25, 26 are led outer than the ends of the substrate 12 so that these ends may be connected to other members.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a holding structure for manufacturing, mounting, transporting, and storing an optical circuit formed by connecting an optical fiber and various optical components.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As information services to homes through optical communication are about to increase dramatically from now to the future, many optical network units (ONUs) and optical amplifiers have been developed and commercialized. In this product, an optical circuit in which various optical components are connected by an optical fiber is configured.

Here, as one example of optical components, for example, an optical fiber coupler is obtained by fusing a plurality of optical fibers, and has a structure in which optical fibers are connected to both sides of a coupler body. It is used for splitting and combining signals, and for demultiplexing and combining optical signals of a plurality of wavelengths. Other optical components include various filters such as a filter that passes only an optical signal of a certain wavelength, an optical isolator for blocking return light of the optical signal, a light emitting and receiving element that receives and emits an optical signal, and a lens and a beam splitter. There is something.

[0004] By connecting the above-mentioned optical components with an optical fiber, a predetermined optical circuit can be formed. For example, FIG. 5 shows an optical circuit used for an ONU. This optical circuit is used in each home to receive a video optical signal transmitted from a base station and to bidirectionally communicate a control optical signal. First, the optical fiber 21 connected to the base station side is connected to two optical fibers 22 and 23 via a splitter (WDM) 1, and one optical fiber 22 is further connected to two optical fibers via a splitter 2. They are connected to fibers 24 and 25 and connected to a light receiving element 27 and a light emitting element 28, respectively. The other optical fiber 23 is connected to the optical fiber 26 via the filter 3 and is connected to an image device 29.

From the base station side, a control optical signal having a wavelength of 1.31 μm and a wavelength of 1.55 μm are controlled by an optical fiber 21.
Two optical signals of m optical signals are transmitted, and the optical signal is split by the splitter 1 into optical signals of each wavelength. The control optical signal having a wavelength of 1.31 μm is split to the optical fiber 22 side.
, And is converted into an electric signal by the light receiving element 27 via the optical fiber 24. On the other hand, the control optical signal emitted from each home is emitted from the light emitting element 28 and sent to the base station via the optical fibers 25, 22 and 21. An optical signal for video having a wavelength of 1.55 μm is transmitted through an optical fiber 23.
The optical signal having a different wavelength is removed by the filter 3 and sent to the video equipment 29 via the optical fiber 26.

Therefore, it is possible for each home to receive the optical signal for video transmitted from the base station side, and to exchange the optical signal for control between the base station and the home to perform two-way communication. it can.

[0007]

However, when an optical circuit as shown in FIG. 5 is specifically mounted, the optical fiber cannot be bent sharply and can be freely routed like a conventional electric wire. Did not. For this reason, it has been difficult to compactly mount various optical components, which are components of the optical circuit, and optical fibers connecting these components.

Therefore, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-58005, optical fibers connected to various optical components are bundled in a round shape and stored in a box housing, and the entirety of the optical fibers bundled by a cramp portion provided in the housing. Grasp
A structure in which a terminal is provided on a side surface of a housing has been proposed.

However, this structure has a problem that the module itself cannot be manufactured at low cost because the internal structure of the box housing including the optical fiber clamp is complicated. Also, when the optical fiber is clamped in the box housing, the whole is bundled and gripped, so that it is difficult to arrange the wiring neatly, and the optical fiber floats on the way and is re-clamped, or the optical fiber is entangled and the wire is broken. There were also problems such as.

[0010] In addition to the case where the optical circuit is mounted, the problem that the holding structure is difficult in, for example, a process of manufacturing the optical circuit and a process of transporting and storing the obtained optical circuit. was there.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of gripping members are arranged on a substrate, and components of the optical circuit are detachably held by the gripping members. Also,
The holding structure of the present invention is used for mounting and transporting an optical circuit.
It can be applied during storage.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the optical circuit components can be arranged neatly by holding the components of the optical circuit individually with the plurality of gripping members provided on the substrate, and each of them can be securely held. Also, there is no fear that the optical fiber is entangled. Further, since only the substrate and the gripping member are necessary for holding, a very simple structure can be achieved.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a structure in which the optical circuit shown in FIG. In this optical circuit, two optical fibers 22 and 23 are connected to an optical fiber 21 connected to the base station side via a splitter 1, and one optical fiber 22 is connected to an optical fiber 21 24, 25. One optical fiber 23 is connected to the optical fiber 26 via the filter 3. As described above, using this optical circuit, a control optical signal having a wavelength of 1.31 μm and a video optical signal having a wavelength of 1.55 μm are communicated, and the ONU is used.
Home terminal. As described above, this optical circuit uses the optical fibers 21 to 26, the duplexer 1, the splitter 2, and the filter 3 as components.

In order to mount the components of this optical circuit,
A plurality of grips 11 for holding an optical component and a plurality of grips 12 for holding an optical fiber are provided at predetermined positions on a substrate 13. Then, the gripper 11 allows the optical components of the duplexer 1, the splitter 2, and the filter 3 to be used.
And the optical fibers 21 to 2 connecting them.
Reference numeral 6 denotes a straight or bent state having a large radius of curvature, and a plurality of positions are held by the gripping members 12.
The ends of the optical fibers 21, 24, 25, and 26 are led out of the end of the substrate 13 so that they can be connected to other members. Alternatively, another member may be arranged inside the substrate 13 and connected to the optical fibers 21, 24, 25, and 26.

As described above, since each optical fiber or optical component, which is a component of the optical circuit, is individually held by the holding members 11 and 12, it is sufficient to hold each component in turn during the mounting, and to hold each component in turn. The optical circuit can be held neatly and securely, so that the optical fiber can be prevented from being entangled.

Further, since the only members necessary for mounting are the substrate 13 and the holding members 11 and 12 arranged at predetermined positions on the substrate 13, a very simple structure can be obtained, and the device can be easily manufactured at low cost. be able to. If necessary, a case or a housing that covers the substrate 13 may be provided to protect the optical circuit.

As shown in FIG. 2A, for example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the gripping member 11 is formed of an elastic material such as a resin, and the optical components such as the branch 2 and the filter 3 are formed. It is only necessary to form a concave portion 11a having substantially the same diameter as the above and an inlet portion 11b narrower than this. Then, by fitting the branch 2 and the filter 3 from the inlet 11b, the gripping member 11 can be elastically deformed, and the branch 2 and the filter 3 can be held in the recess 11a.

As shown in FIG. 2B, a concave portion 11a having substantially the same diameter as that of the branching device 2 is formed in the holding member 11, and a slit 11c having a width enough to allow an optical fiber to pass therethrough.
Can be formed in advance. When the branch 2 is held, the optical fiber is inserted into the recess 11a through the slit 11c.
Into the recess 11 by sliding the switch 2 sideways.
a.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2C, the concave portion 11a of the holding portion 11 can be enlarged to hold a plurality of optical components at the same time. In the figure, three optical components of a duplexer 1, a splitter 2, and a filter 3 are simultaneously recessed 11a.
, And can be held firmly by three-point support.

In any case, the optical component can be easily removed by an operation opposite to that for holding the optical component. In the above example, the gripping member 11 is formed integrally with the substrate 13, but as will be described later in detail, the gripping member 1
1 may be formed as a separate body and detachably attached to a predetermined position on the substrate 13.

Next, the structure of the holding member 12 for an optical fiber will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, a vertically long recess 1 having a slit 12b in the holding member 12 is provided.
2a is formed, and a lower end is provided with a mounting portion 12c. The holding member 12 is press-fitted with a mounting portion 12c into a mounting hole provided at a predetermined position on the substrate 13 and is detachably mounted. When holding the optical fiber 21, it is held in the recess 12a through the slit 12b. The optical fiber 21 does not need to be firmly held in the concave portion 12a, but may be of such a degree that the optical fiber 21 does not easily come off from the concave portion 12a.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a slit 12 having a width smaller than that of the optical fiber 21 is formed above the gripping member 12.
The optical fiber 21 can be held in the recess 12a by fitting the optical fiber 21 from the slit 12b and elastically deforming the gripping member 12. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3C, a narrow slit 12b is provided on the upper part of the gripping member 12, and a pressing portion 12d provided on a side portion is provided.
The optical fiber 21 may be inserted into the concave portion 12a in a state in which the slit 12b is expanded by pushing the finger with the finger, and the slit 12b may be closed to prevent the optical fiber 21 from coming off when the pressing portion 12d is returned.

In any of the examples, the optical fiber 21 can be easily removed by operating the optical fiber 21 in the opposite direction to the operation when the optical fiber 21 is held.

In the example shown in FIGS.
Although the optical components and optical fibers are separately shown as 1 and 12, both can be used as well. In any case, the holding members 11 and 12 only need to be able to easily and detachably hold optical circuit components such as optical components and optical fibers, and are limited to the shapes shown in FIGS. Not something. Further, the holding members 11 and 12 may be formed integrally with the substrate 13 or may be formed separately and attached to a predetermined position.

When the gripping members 11 and 12 are formed separately, for example, the substrate 13 may be provided with a large number of mounting holes 13a as shown in FIG. Then, the mounting portion 12c of the gripping member 12 can be press-fitted into the predetermined mounting hole 13a. In this way, the substrate 13 and a large number of gripping members 11 and 12 are prepared in advance, and the gripping members 1 are placed at predetermined positions according to the optical circuit to be mounted.
The optical circuits can be mounted by mounting the optical circuits 1 and 12.
Further, if the holding members 11 and 12 are detached and disassembled, they can be used for mounting different optical circuits.

In the above example, the gripping members 11, 12,
Various materials such as resin, metal, ceramics, and glass can be used as the material forming the substrate 13. In the case of utilizing elastic deformation, an elastic resin or metal may be used.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an ONU optical circuit, but the present invention can be used for mounting various other optical circuits. That is, the present invention can be applied to the mounting of various optical components such as optical fiber couplers, filters, isolators, light receiving / emitting elements, lenses, and optical fibers connecting these components.

Further, in the above embodiments, the case where the optical circuit is mounted has been described, but the holding structure of the present invention can be applied to other cases. For example, when an optical circuit is manufactured, it can be easily manufactured by connecting various optical components using the holding structure. Alternatively, when the completed optical circuit is transported or stored, the holding structure can be used to hold the optical fiber neatly without getting entangled.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of gripping members are arranged on a substrate, and components constituting an optical circuit are held by the gripping members. In addition, the optical circuits can be arranged neatly, and there is no risk of the optical fiber getting entangled, and disconnection can be prevented. In addition, since only the substrate and the gripping member are required for holding, the structure can be made extremely simple, the manufacturing can be made easy and the cost can be reduced, and the optical circuit can be mounted, manufactured, transported and stored. And the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an optical circuit holding structure of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are side views showing various embodiments of a gripping member used in the holding structure of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are side views showing various embodiments of a gripping member used in the holding structure of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a substrate used in the holding structure of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an optical circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Demultiplexer 2: Splitter 3: Filter 11: Holding member 12: Holding member 13: Substrate 21-26: Optical fiber

Claims (1)

[Claims] An optical circuit holding structure in which a plurality of holding members are arranged on a substrate, and components of the optical circuit are detachably held by the holding members.