JPH11160580A - Optical connector, capillary constituting the same, and its metal mold - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the inexpensive optical connector which can optically connect with an optical fiber with high accuracy without polishing the tip of the optical fiber and also connect detachably. SOLUTION: This optical connector consists of a 1st capillary 3 for fixing a 1st optical fiber 1 by projecting its tip by specific length, a 2nd capillary 6 for fixing a 2nd optical fiber 2 by inserting it half, and a cylindrical component 8 having two internal surfaces constituted so that the tip of the 1st optical fiber is inserted into the 2nd capillary to abut against the 2nd optical fiber by fixing the 2nd capillary where the 2nd optical fiber is fixed to the internal surface of one end part and inserting the 1st capillary where the 1st optical fiber is fixed by slide engagement with the internal surface of the other end part, and the 1st optical fiber can be connected optically and detachably to the 2nd optical fiber.

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 connecting an optical fiber used for communication using an optical fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an optical connector of this type, FIG.
And what is shown in FIG. 9 is known. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a conventional optical connector, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an optical connector for connecting to a conventional waveguide. First, a configuration of a conventional optical connector for connecting optical fibers will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, 101 and 102 are optical fibers, 103 and 104 are cylindrical capillaries, 105 and 106 are distal end surfaces where the optical fibers 101 and 102 are abutted, and 107 is a connection between the optical fibers 101 and 102. It is a sleeve that is fixed in a state.

More specifically, cylindrical capillaries 103 and 104 whose inner and outer diameters are precisely finished.
The optical fibers 101 and 102 are inserted and fixed, and the end faces 105 and 106 are mirror-polished and manufactured. The cylindrical capillaries 103 and 104 manufactured in this manner are inserted from both ends of a split sleeve 107 having a cut in the cylindrical surface, butted against the end surfaces 105 and 106, and the optical fiber 101 and the optical fiber 102 are optically connected. To be connected.

Next, a case where an optical fiber and an optical waveguide are connected will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, 101 is an optical fiber, 108 and 109 are substrates on which optical fibers are inserted, 110 is an end face of the optical fiber array 111 that contacts the optical waveguide 117, and 115 is an optical fiber array 111 of the optical waveguide 117. The contact end face 111 is a substrate 10 through which a plurality of optical fibers 101 pass.
8, an optical fiber array including 109; 112, a lower cladding layer serving as a substrate of the optical waveguide 117; 113, a waveguide layer serving as a core of optical communication; 114, an upper cladding layer covering the waveguide layer 113; This is a glass block for increasing the bonding area between the fiber array 111 and the optical waveguide 117.

More specifically, the optical fiber 101
When connecting the optical fiber 101 to the waveguide layer 113, the optical fiber 101 is aligned on a substrate 108 provided with a plurality of V grooves in parallel, and the substrate 109 is covered and fixed. The array 111 is configured. Optical waveguide 117
Is composed of a lower cladding layer 112, a waveguide layer 113, and an upper cladding layer 114. The optical fiber array 111 is brought into contact with the end face 115, and is adhered and fixed at a position where the loss is minimized while monitoring the optical output. Was. End face 110 of optical fiber array 111 and end face 1 of optical waveguide 117
15 to increase the bonding area of the upper cladding layer 114.
Is provided with a glass block 116 to increase the adhesive strength.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional optical connector, in order to mechanically reinforce the thin optical fiber to make it easy to handle, the optical fiber is inserted into a capillary and fixed, and the end face or end face is fixed. Had to be mirror polished. Capillaries are expensive because they require extremely high precision such as inner and outer diameters, roundness and concentricity. In addition, since the tip is mirror-polished, it takes a number of polishing steps, and it is difficult to reduce the cost. On the other hand, the optical fiber array has a problem that it takes a long time to assemble since the optical fiber is aligned with the V-groove, the tip is mirror-polished, and the optical axis is adjusted while monitoring the output light at the time of optical coupling. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and optically connects an optical fiber and an optical waveguide with high precision without polishing the tip of the optical fiber, and easily and detachably connects the optical fiber and the optical waveguide. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive optical connector capable of performing the above-described operations.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector comprising: a first capillary for fixing a tip of a first optical fiber by projecting a predetermined length thereof; And a second capillary to which the second optical fiber is fixed and a second capillary to which the second optical fiber is fixed are fixed to the inner surface of one end, and the first capillary to which the first optical fiber is fixed is connected to the other end. A cylindrical part having two inner surfaces configured to insert the distal end of the first optical fiber into the second capillary and abut against the second optical fiber by inserting the inner surface of the portion by sliding fit. The first optical fiber is detachably optically connected to the second optical fiber.

According to the present invention, the first optical fiber fixed to the first capillary is slid along the inner surface of the cylindrical component and inserted into the hole of the second capillary to which the second optical fiber is fixed. By doing so, the number of connection steps is small,
An optical connector that can easily and detachably optically connect an optical fiber with high precision without requiring care of breaking at the time of insertion and without requiring tip polishing is obtained.

An optical connector according to a second aspect of the present invention provides a cap which is detachably attached to the rear of the first capillary so as to engage with a groove of the cylindrical component and cover the rear portion of the cylindrical component. A coil spring compressed between the rear portion of the capillary and the cap is provided, and the tip of the first optical fiber is brought into contact with the second optical fiber with a predetermined force by the restoring force of the coil spring. It was done.

According to the present invention, the second spring is provided by a restoring force of a coil spring provided between the rear portion of the first capillary and the cap.
By contacting the tip of the first optical fiber with a predetermined force against the optical fiber, the number of connection steps is small,
An optical connector that can easily and detachably optically connect an optical fiber with extremely high precision without requiring care to bend at the time of insertion and without the need for tip polishing is obtained.

In the optical connector according to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of T-shaped grooves are provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical part so as to be symmetrical with respect to a point.
One end of the cap has projections arranged symmetrically to correspond to the grooves of the cylindrical part, and the projections are engaged with the grooves to lock the cap to the cylindrical part. . The present invention provides a T-shaped groove in which the projection of the cap can be inserted into the left and right of the hollow of the cylindrical component with which the projection of the cap engages, so that the cap can be easily rotated left or right with respect to the cylindrical component. And an optical connector that can be detachably connected to the optical connector.

In the optical connector according to the present invention, a lateral groove is provided in a central portion of the second capillary, a wavelength filter is provided in the lateral groove, and the tip of the second optical fiber is brought into contact with the wavelength filter. And the end of the first optical fiber inserted from the other end is brought into contact therewith. According to the present invention, the first and second optical fibers are abutted from the left and right with a wavelength filter provided at a central portion of the second capillary interposed therebetween, so that the wavelength selectivity depending on the wavelength of the wavelength filter is improved. An optical connector is obtained.

In the optical connector according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a first capillary for fixing the tip of the first optical fiber by protruding a predetermined length and inserting the first optical fiber so as to slightly protrude. An optical waveguide having a second capillary, a waveguide portion optically connected to the first optical fiber, and fixed to one end of the second capillary, and a second capillary fixed to the inner surface of one end of the second capillary Then, the first capillary to which the first optical fiber is fixed is inserted into the inner surface of the other end, whereby the tip of the first optical fiber is inserted into the second capillary and abuts on the waveguide of the optical waveguide. And a coil spring compression-fitted between a rear part of the first capillary and a cap removably mounted to cover the rear part of the cylindrical part. Waveguide section It is obtained so as to detachably optical connection tip of the first optical fiber against.

According to the present invention, a first optical fiber fixed to a first capillary is slid along the inner surface of a cylindrical part to form a hole in a second capillary to which an optical waveguide having a waveguide is fixed. By inserting, the first optical fiber can be detachably optically connected with a reduced number of connection steps, and the coil spring provided between the rear portion of the first capillary and the cap can be connected. By using the restoring force to bring the tip of the first optical fiber into contact with the waveguide with a predetermined force, the number of connection steps is small, there is no need to worry about breaking at the time of insertion, and the tip is not extremely polished. An optical connector capable of easily and detachably optically connecting an optical fiber directly to a waveguide portion with high accuracy is obtained.

The capillary according to the invention of claim 6 is configured such that two substrates having a V-shaped groove extending at the end are stacked. According to the present invention, the capillary is formed by stacking two substrates having a V-shaped groove having a wide end, so that an optical fiber can be easily inserted and a capillary having a precise hole can be obtained.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a capillary having a plurality of V-shaped grooves formed in a substrate. According to the present invention, the capillary is formed by stacking two substrates having a plurality of V-shaped grooves having a wide end, so that even a plurality of optical fibers can be easily inserted, and a precise hole is provided. A porous capillary is obtained.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mold having a V-shaped groove having a symmetrical inverted V-shaped peak, and forming a substrate having a V-shaped groove. According to the present invention, by forming a substrate having an inverted V-shaped peak and having a V-shaped groove, a mold that can be manufactured accurately and easily even with a porous capillary having a long hole is obtained. Can be

The optical connector according to the ninth aspect of the present invention provides a fiber protection component having a plurality of grooves for inserting and fixing the first optical fiber, and a tip protruding from the fiber protection component by a predetermined length. A plurality of fixed first optical fibers and a second optical fiber of the same number as the first optical fibers;
And an optical fiber in which each of the optical fibers is inserted halfway and fixed, and a fiber protection component in which the porous capillary is fixed to the inner surface of one end and the first optical fiber is fixed is inserted into the inner surface of the other end. Thereby, a square hole member having two inner surfaces configured to insert the tips of the plurality of first optical fibers into the porous capillary and abut on the corresponding second optical fibers, and to be detachably attached to the square hole member. A cap having a U-shaped portion that is attached and covers the rear portion of the square hole member. The fiber protection component is pressed from the U-shaped portion of the cap, and the tips of the plurality of first optical fibers are respectively corresponding to the plurality of second optical fibers. An optical fiber is brought into contact with a predetermined force, and a first optical fiber is detachably optically connected to a plurality of second optical fibers.

According to the present invention, there is provided a second porous capillary in which a plurality of first optical fibers fixed to a fiber protection component are slid along the inner surface of a rectangular hole member to fix a plurality of second optical fibers. After inserting the plurality of first optical fibers into the plurality of square holes, the fiber protection component fixing the plurality of first optical fibers
By pressing the second optical fiber toward the second optical fiber by the letter-shaped portion, even a large number of the first optical fibers can be easily pressed against the second optical fiber, respectively, and the polishing can be performed extremely without the need for tip polishing. An optical connector that can be reliably and detachably optically connected with high accuracy is obtained.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the optical connector comprises a plurality of fiber protection parts on which one or more first optical fibers are mounted. According to the present invention, by mounting a plurality of fiber protection components, a flexible optical connector can be obtained when a porous capillary is used.

[0022]

An optical connector according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber to be optically connected to each other, and a tip of the first optical fiber. A first capillary that projects and fixes the second optical fiber by a predetermined length, a second capillary that inserts and fixes the second optical fiber halfway, and a second capillary that fixes the second optical fiber. By inserting a first capillary fixed to the inner surface of one end and fixing the first optical fiber to the inner surface of the other end, the tip of the first optical fiber is inserted into the second capillary. And a cylindrical component having two inner surfaces configured to be brought into contact with the second optical fiber, so that the first optical fiber is detachably optically connected to the second optical fiber. ,
The first optical fiber fixed to the first capillary is slid along the inner surface of the cylindrical component to be inserted into the hole of the second capillary to which the second optical fiber is fixed, so that the connection is established. The number of steps is small, there is no need to bend when inserting, and the optical fiber can be easily and detachably optically connected with high accuracy without requiring tip polishing.

An optical connector according to a second aspect of the present invention is detachably attached to the rear of the first capillary so as to engage with the groove of the cylindrical component and cover the rear portion of the cylindrical component. And a coil spring compressed and disposed between the rear portion of the first capillary and the cap, and the restoring force of the coil spring causes the first optical fiber to return to the second optical fiber. The distal end of the first optical fiber is brought into contact with the second optical fiber by a restoring force of a coil spring provided between the rear portion of the first capillary and the cap. By contacting the optical fiber with a predetermined force, the number of connection steps is small, there is no need to worry about breaking at the time of insertion, the optical fiber is easily and detachably optically connected with extremely high precision without requiring tip polishing. This It has the effect that it is.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector, a plurality of T-shaped grooves are provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical component so as to be symmetrical with each other, and one end of the cap is provided with a groove of the cylindrical component. A cylindrical part having projections arranged correspondingly symmetrically with each other, wherein the projections are engaged with the grooves to lock the cap to the cylindrical part, and the projections of the cap are engaged with the cylindrical parts. The T-shaped groove in which the projection of the cap can be inserted is provided on the left and right sides of the recess, so that the cap can be easily locked regardless of whether the cap is rotated left or right with respect to the cylindrical part, and the optical connector is detachably connected. It has the effect of being able to.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector, wherein a lateral groove is provided in a central portion of the second capillary, a wavelength filter is provided in the lateral groove, and a tip of the second optical fiber is provided. Fixed by contacting the wavelength filter,
The tip of the first optical fiber inserted from the other end of the second capillary is brought into contact with the second capillary.
A thin-film wavelength filter is provided at the center of the capillary, and the first and second optical fibers are abutted from the left and right with the wavelength filter interposed therebetween. The optical connector has an effect of being able to be used.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector, wherein a first optical fiber to be optically connected to the waveguide is fixed by protruding a tip of the first optical fiber by a predetermined length. A first capillary, a second capillary inserted so as to slightly protrude the tip of the first optical fiber, and a waveguide portion to be optically connected to the first optical fiber. An optical waveguide fixed to one end and the second capillary fixed to the inner surface of one end, and the first capillary fixed to the first optical fiber is inserted to the inner surface of the other end. A cylindrical component having two inner surfaces configured to insert the tip of the first optical fiber into the second capillary so as to abut on the waveguide of the optical waveguide, and at the rear of the first capillary. Engage with the groove of the cylindrical part A cap removably attached to cover the rear part of the cylindrical part, and a coil spring compressed between the rear part of the first capillary and the cap. An optical fiber having a waveguide is formed by sliding a first optical fiber fixed to a first capillary along an inner surface of a cylindrical part by detachably connecting an end of the first optical fiber. Since the optical path is inserted into the hole of the second capillary to which the optical path is fixed, the first optical fiber can be detachably optically connected with a reduced number of connection steps.
The tip of the first optical fiber is brought into contact with the waveguide with a predetermined force by the restoring force of the coil spring provided between the rear portion of the capillary and the cap. There is an effect that the optical fiber can be easily and detachably optically connected directly to the waveguide portion with extremely high precision without the need to polish the tip and without the need for tip polishing.

A capillary according to a sixth aspect of the present invention has a V-shaped groove extending at an end.
The substrate is formed by stacking two substrates, and the capillary is formed by stacking two substrates having a V-shaped groove that spreads at the end, thereby facilitating insertion of an optical fiber, It has the effect that a capillary having precise holes can be obtained.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a capillary having a plurality of V-shaped grooves formed in the substrate, wherein the capillary has a V-shaped groove extending at an end. Since two substrates having a plurality of grooves are stacked, a plurality of optical fibers can be easily inserted, and a porous capillary having precise holes can be obtained.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mold having a symmetric inverted V-shaped peak in the V-shaped groove according to the sixth or seventh aspect. Having an inverted V-shaped peak,
Forming a substrate having a V-shaped groove has an effect that even a porous capillary having a long hole can be manufactured accurately and easily.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector, comprising: a fiber protection component having a plurality of grooves into which the first optical fiber is inserted and fixed; A first optical fiber array consisting of a plurality of first optical fibers protruding and fixed by a length, and a second optical fiber consisting of the same number as the first optical fibers and being optically connected to each other. An optical fiber array, a perforated capillary for inserting and fixing each of the second optical fibers halfway, and a fiber protection component for fixing the first optical fiber by fixing the perforated capillary to the inner surface of one end thereof Are inserted into the inner surface of the other end, whereby the tips of the plurality of first optical fibers are inserted into the porous capillary, and the corresponding second optical fibers are respectively inserted. A rectangular hole member having two inner surfaces configured to abut against the fiber protection component, and a U-shaped member which is detachably attached to the groove of the rectangular hole member behind the fiber protection component so as to cover a rear portion of the rectangular hole member. And a cap having a U-shaped part formed on the fiber, and pressing the fiber protection component from the U-shaped part of the cap to cause the tips of the plurality of first optical fibers to correspond to the plurality of second lights respectively. The first optical fiber is detachably optically connected to the plurality of second optical fibers, and the plurality of second optical fibers are fixed to the fiber protection component. After the first optical fiber is slid along the inner surface of the square hole member and inserted into the plurality of square holes of the second multi-hole capillary to which the plurality of second optical fibers are fixed, the plurality of first light fibers Fiber By using the U-shaped portion of the cap to press the cover protection component toward the second optical fiber, even a large number of the first optical fibers can easily be pressed against the second optical fiber, respectively, and This has the effect that the optical connection can be made reliably and detachably with extremely high precision without the need for polishing.

[0031] In the optical connector according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the fiber protection component may include one or more first connectors.
A plurality of fiber protection parts equipped with optical fibers are provided.By mounting a plurality of fiber protection parts, a flexible optical connector can be obtained when a porous capillary is used. It has the action of:

Hereinafter, based on the attached drawings and FIGS. 1 to 7,
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an optical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external view of a cylindrical part constituting the optical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. A) is a front view, (B) is a side sectional view, FIG. 3 shows an outer shape of a cap constituting an optical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a front view, (B) FIG. 4 is a side sectional view, FIG. 4 is a view showing a connection structure at the tip of an optical fiber of an optical connector component constituting an optical connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an optical connector for connecting to a waveguide according to an embodiment, and FIG. 6 shows the manufacturing and structure of a capillary used for an arrayed optical connector according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Is a view showing a structure of a mold for manufacturing a capillary, (B Is a diagram illustrating a capillary which is formed by stacking the two grooves aligned substrates produced, FIG. 7 shows a configuration of an array of optical connector according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, (A)
Is an upper sectional view, and (B) is a side sectional view.

(First Embodiment) First, a configuration of an optical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 1 and 2 denote first and second optical fibers, 3 denotes a first capillary, 4 denotes a hole provided in a second capillary 6, and 5 denotes a lateral hole for air release provided in a second capillary 6. , 6 is a second capillary made of glass, 7 is a flat portion provided at an end of the first capillary 3, 8 is a cylinder for slidably housing the first capillary 3 and fixing the second capillary 6. Parts 9, 9 and 10 are the inner surfaces of the cylindrical parts, 11 is a recess for inserting the projection 13 of the cap 12, 12 is a cap that covers the optical connector from the rear, 13 is a projection, 14
Is a coil spring for pressing the first optical fiber 1 against the second optical fiber 2, 15 is the bottom surface of the cap 12, 16 is the jacket of the first optical fiber 1, 17 is the substrate of the semiconductor laser 18, and 18 is Semiconductor laser (LD chip), 19
Is a resin.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1, the details of the configuration of the optical connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention and how to assemble it will be described. First, the first optical fiber 1 whose tip is creep cut from the flat portion 7 of the first capillary 3 is inserted. That is, the first optical fiber 1 is inserted and fixed from the first capillary 3 to a length projecting slightly longer than half of the second capillary 6. On the other hand, the second optical fiber 2 is inserted halfway into the second capillary 6 and fixed with the resin 19, and the second capillary 6 is press-fitted and fixed to the inner surface 9 of the cylindrical component 8. Therefore, the first optical fiber 1 and the first capillary 3 together with the inner surface 1
0 and is brought into contact with the tip of the second optical fiber 2 in the second capillary 6. The center axis of the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical component 8 and the center axis of the hole 4 of the second capillary 6 coincide with each other, and the first capillary 3 inserted into the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical component 8 is fitted by sliding fit. Is almost none. Therefore, when the first capillary 3 is inserted into the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical component 8, the first optical fiber 1 is inserted into the hole 4 of the second capillary 6.

A coil spring 14 is provided at the rear of the flat portion 7 of the first capillary 3, the cap 12 is covered, and the projection 13 provided at the tip of the cap 12 is inserted into the recess 11 of the cylindrical component 8.
To fit. When the coil spring 14 sandwiched between the flat portion 7 and the cap bottom surface 15 of the cap 12 is compressed and contracted, a repulsive force is generated. This repulsive force is applied to the tip of the first optical fiber 1, and the first optical fiber 1 and the second optical fiber 2 are abutted in the hole 4 and optically coupled. Most of the first optical fiber 1 protruding from the first capillary 3 enters the second capillary 6, but a part of the first optical fiber 1 is exposed without entering the second capillary 6. In addition, the first optical fiber 1
Is applied in the axial direction, but since the force is smaller than the rigidity of the first optical fiber 1, no force is applied to the exposed first optical fiber 1 from the side, and the exposed portion does not break.

In this manner, by inserting the first capillary 3 into the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical component 8, the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical component inserts the first optical fiber 1 into the second capillary 6. The first optical fiber 1 can be easily inserted into the hole 4 of the second capillary 6 without breaking the first optical fiber 1. Also, since the first optical fiber 1 and the second optical fiber 2 are axially aligned and connected using the second capillary 6, components such as a conventional so-called ferrule or split sleeve are not used, and furthermore, A detachable optical connector can be configured without polishing the tip.

Although the second capillary 6 is made of glass, it goes without saying that the material of the second capillary 6 may be any other material, for example, a resin such as a ceramic or a resin containing a filler. Further, the second capillary 6 is press-fitted into the inner surface 9 of the cylindrical component 8, but may be resin-bonded.

(Second Embodiment) Next, FIGS.
The configuration of the optical connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the cylindrical part shown in FIG. 2 and the cap shown in FIG. 3 are different from those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2A and 2B, reference numeral 8-1 denotes a cylindrical part having a different structure from the cylindrical part 8 shown in FIG. 1, and reference numeral 20 denotes a projection 23 of the cap 12-1.
A T-shaped groove 21 extending vertically (or left and right) behind the groove 20. 3A and 3B, reference numeral 12-1 denotes a cap having a different structure from the cap 12 shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 22 denotes an arm protruding from the cap 12-1, and reference numeral 23 denotes a center from the tip of the arm. It is a protruding projection.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the details of the configuration of the optical connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention and how to assemble it will be described. In the first embodiment shown in FIG.
The protrusion 13 of the cap 12 fits into the groove 11 provided in the cylindrical component 8, and applies a compressive force to the coil spring 14 sandwiched between the flat portion 7 provided on one side of the first capillary 3 and the cap bottom surface 15. I try to give. When the cap 12 is put on the cylindrical component 8, the cap 12 is combined with the cylindrical component 8 so that the projection 13 is inserted into the groove 11. The cap 12 is pushed in from behind the flat portion 7 while compressing the coil spring 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cylindrical part 8-1 and the cap 12-1 in the present embodiment are also the same as the cylindrical part 8 and the cap 12 in the first embodiment. Is the flat part 7 of the first capillary 3
Of the cylindrical part 8- while compressing the coil spring 14 from behind
It is pushed so as to cover 1. Then, when the projection 23 reaches the position of the T-shaped groove 21 at the back of the groove 20 through the groove 20, the cap 12-1 is rotated to make the projection 23 into the T-shaped groove 2.
Hook on the wall of No. 1. In this way, the cap 12-1 is pushed from behind the flat portion 7 of the first capillary 3 and rotated to rotate the cap 12-1 to the cylindrical part 8-
Fix to 1. Since the T-shaped groove 21 is located above and below (or left and right) of the groove 20, the protrusion 23 inserted into the groove 20 is inserted into the T-shaped groove 21 irrespective of turning to the left or right, so that the locking can be reliably performed.

Further, since the arms 22 are located at the symmetrical positions, as can be seen from FIG. 1, even if the cap 12-1 receives the repulsive force of the coil spring 14, the forces are evenly applied to the two arms 22. There is no worry that only one will come off.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a configuration of an optical connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A feature of the present embodiment is that a connection portion of a capillary for connecting an optical fiber is different from that of the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, 1, 2
Denotes a first and second optical fiber, 4 denotes a hole through which the first and second optical fibers 1 and 2 pass, and 6 denotes a second capillary into which the first and second optical fibers 1 and 2 are inserted and connected. , 19 are a resin, 25 is a groove for inserting a wavelength filter 26, and 26 is a wavelength filter for passing light of a desired wavelength.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the details of the configuration of the optical connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention and how to assemble it will be described. The second capillary 6 has a width of 100 μm in advance.
A groove 25 cut to a certain degree is provided, and a thin-film wavelength filter 26 is attached to one side of the wall of the groove 25. Then, the second optical fiber 2 is inserted up to the wavelength filter 26 and fixed with the resin 19. Further, the first optical fiber 1 is inserted into the hole 4 of the second capillary 6 up to the wavelength filter 26 from the opposite side.

With this configuration, the first optical fiber 1 and the second optical fiber 2 have the same central axis through the hole 4, and the tips of the first optical fiber 1 and the second optical fiber 2 are , Since they face each other with the wavelength filter 26 interposed therebetween,
The distance between the first and second optical fibers 1 and 2 is as narrow as 20 μm, and the loss is as small as 0.3 dB or less. Furthermore, since the tip of the second optical fiber 2 is positioned on one side of the wavelength filter 26, the first optical fiber 1 always stays at the same position no matter how many times the optical fiber 1 is inserted. small. In this manner, when the wavelength filter 26 is inserted into the joint between the first optical fiber 1 and the second optical fiber 2, a detachable optical connector having wavelength selectivity can be configured.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, the configuration of an optical connector according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the sectional view of the optical connector shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, 3 is a first capillary, 4 is a hole through which an optical fiber 24 provided in the second capillary 6 is passed, and 6 is an optical fiber 2
A second capillary holding the connection portion of 4, a flat portion provided at an end of the first capillary 3, and a slidably accommodated first capillary 3 for fixing the second capillary 6 The cylindrical parts 9 and 10 are the inner surfaces of the cylindrical parts, and 11 is a recess into which the projection 13 of the cap 27 is inserted.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a projection of the cap 27, 14 denotes a coil spring for pressing the optical fiber 24 against the waveguide 32, 16 denotes a jacket of the optical fiber 24, 24 denotes an optical fiber, and 27 denotes an optical connector from the rear. A cap to cover, 28 is a bottom surface of the cap of the cap 27, 29 is an arm of the cap 27, 30 is an optical waveguide having a function of connecting and branching optical communication by the optical fiber 24, and 31 is a silicon of the optical waveguide 30, for example, silicon. , A waveguide 32 (also referred to as a core) through which light passes, and 33 a clad that covers the waveguide 32.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the details of the configuration of the optical connector according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention and how to assemble it will be described. The optical waveguide 30 is configured by providing a waveguide portion 32 on a substrate 31 and providing a clad 33 thereon. The end face of the waveguide 32 is mirror-polished. Then, the substrate 31 is fixed to the second capillary 6. At this time, the positioning is adjusted so that the hole 4 of the second capillary 6 and the central axis of the waveguide section 32 coincide, and then the second capillary 6 and the substrate 31 are bonded and fixed. In such a state, the second capillary 6 is press-fitted and fixed to the inner surface 9 of the cylindrical part.

Next, the optical fiber 24 is inserted and fixed in the first capillary 3, and in this state, the optical fiber 24 is inserted from the rear portion of the cylindrical component 8 along the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical component. Then, the tip of the optical fiber 24 passes through the hole 4 of the second capillary 6 and is inserted into the second capillary 6 so as to protrude by a specific length from the second capillary 6. Since the center axis of the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical component and the center axis of the hole 4 of the second capillary 6 coincide with each other, when the first capillary 3 is inserted into the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical component, the optical fiber 24 is mechanically moved to the second capillary. 6 is inserted into the hole 4. Also,
The optical fiber 24 has a specific length from the second capillary 6;
That is, since the projection is made slightly longer than the length of the second capillary 6, the tip of the optical fiber 24 and the center axis of the end face of the waveguide section 32 are butted together without looseness.

The arm 29 provided on the cap 27 is turned inward when the cap 27 is inserted into the cylindrical component 8, and when the projection 13 comes to the position of the recess 11 in the cylindrical component 8, the projection of the cap 27 13 is a depression 11 of the cylindrical part 8
And the cap 27 is fixed to the cylindrical component 8 in a straight line. At this time, the coil spring 14 provided between the flat portion 7 of the first capillary 3 and the cap bottom surface 28 of the cap 27 is contracted, and a repulsive force is applied.
Of the optical fiber 24 to press against the end face of the waveguide 32. When the arm 13 of the cap 27 is turned inside and the projection 13 is removed from the recess 11, the cap 27 can be pulled out from the optical connector, and further, the optical connector 1 can be pulled out from the second capillary 6.

As described above, the inner surface 10 of the cylindrical part
By inserting the first capillary 3 which is thick and hard to break, the optical fiber 24 is inserted into the hole 4 of the second capillary 6 using the inner surface 10 of this cylindrical part as a guide surface, so that the optical waveguide 30 The optical connector can be configured to be detachable from the optical connector. The arm 2 of the cap 27
9 is inserted inside the cylindrical part 8, and the protrusion 13 and the cylindrical part 8 are inserted.
The cap 27 is put on the outside of the cylindrical component 8, and the projection provided on the tip of the arm 29 is fitted in the recess provided on the outside of the cylindrical component 8. It may be.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a configuration of an optical connector according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a porous capillary shown in FIG. The feature of the present embodiment is that the capillary is a porous capillary that can connect a plurality of optical fibers. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 34 denotes a porous capillary in which two grooves are aligned to form a capillary by stacking two, and 35 is a groove-aligned substrate that is manufactured separately to form the porous capillary 34, and 36 is a porous capillary. A square hole for passing an optical fiber; 37 is a V-groove for passing an optical fiber formed on the groove alignment substrate 35;
38 is a tapered portion at the end of the square hole 36 for facilitating insertion of the optical fiber, 39 is a mold for forming the V groove 37, and 40 is a mold for forming the V groove 37 provided in the mold 39. It is a protrusion.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, details of the configuration of the optical connector according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention and how to manufacture it will be described. In FIG. 6A, the mold 39 has a V-shaped projection 40 having a large width and a high height at an end portion.
When it is transferred to a groove alignment substrate 35 made of glass or the like,
The V groove 37 having a wider and deeper shape is formed as it goes to the end. Groove alignment substrate 3 created using mold 39
5 have the same shape, and therefore have the same shape V-groove 37.

Next, in FIG. 6B, when two groove alignment substrates 35 are overlapped, the V-grooves 37 are overlapped to form a porous capillary 34 having a square hole 36. Since the square holes 36 are formed by overlapping the V-shaped grooves 37, long square holes 36 can be formed. Also, since the end of the square hole 36 is wide, the optical fiber is connected to the square hole 3.
6 can be easily inserted.

As described above, as described above, 2
By forming a plurality of groove alignment substrates 35 and stacking two of them to manufacture a porous capillary 34 having a plurality of square holes 36, a porous capillary 34 having high-precision porosity can be manufactured. . In addition, since the square hole 36 is formed in a square shape as described above, an accurate hole through which a plurality of optical fibers can pass can be formed even in a long hole.

(Sixth Embodiment) Next, a configuration of an optical connector according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A feature of the present embodiment is that a porous capillary capable of connecting a plurality of optical fibers is used as the capillary. 7, reference numerals 41 and 42 denote first and second optical fibers, and 43 denotes a plurality of first optical fibers 41.
A first multi-hole capillary (also referred to as a fiber protection component), a second multi-hole capillary (simply referred to as a multi-hole capillary) as shown at 34 in FIG.
The square hole 45 provided in the perforated capillary 46 is a horizontal hole for venting provided in the second perforated capillary 46. The first and second optical fibers 41 and 42 are each composed of a plurality of optical fibers, and are used as first and second optical fiber arrays.

Reference numeral 47 denotes a flat portion provided at an end of the first porous capillary 43, and reference numeral 48 denotes a first porous capillary 43.
Slidably accommodates the second porous capillary 46 and fixes the second porous capillary 46, 49 and 50 are inner surfaces of the square hole member, 51 is a recess into which the projection 53 of the cap 52 is inserted, and 52 is a cover for covering the optical connector from the rear. A cap 53, a projection 53 of the cap 52, a U-shaped part 54 for closing the rear part of the optical connector and pressing the first optical fiber 41 against the second optical fiber 42, and a reference numeral 56 of the first optical fiber 41. The jacket 59 is a resin for fixing the second optical fiber 42 to the second porous capillary 46.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the details of the configuration of the optical connector according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention and how to assemble it will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the second multi-hole capillary 46 is formed by pressing a mold to produce a groove alignment substrate having an array of V grooves, and stacking two groove alignment substrates to form a multi-hole capillary. It is. The plurality of second optical fibers 42 are inserted into the second perforated capillary 46 and fixed with the resin 59. All of the second optical fibers 42 are configured such that their tips extend to the vicinity of substantially the center of the second porous capillary 46. The second porous capillary 46 thus configured is inserted and fixed to the inner surface 49 of the square hole member 48.

On the other hand, the first porous capillary 43 is also formed by a press process using a mold. The hole of the first porous capillary 43 has a two-stage structure of a V-groove (similar to 37 in FIG. 6B) for passing the first optical fiber 41 and a hole for passing the jacket 56 (FIG. 7B). And has a flat portion 47 that is more protruding than plate-shaped. Therefore, the plurality of first optical fibers 41 are inserted into the first multi-hole capillary 43, and the tip of each first optical fiber 41 is separated from the first multi-hole capillary 43 by a specific length (the second multi-hole capillary 46). And protrude so as to make the same contact with the tip of the second optical fiber 42).

When the thus-formed first porous capillary 43 is inserted into the inner surface 50 of the square hole member 48, the first
The optical fiber 41 is mechanically connected to the second porous capillary 46.
Is inserted into the square hole 44. The first optical fiber 41 is the second
Projecting from the end of the first multi-hole capillary 46 by half the length of the multi-hole capillary 46, the tip of the first optical fiber 41 inserted into the square hole 44 of the second multi-hole capillary 46 is It contacts the optical fiber 42. Also,
The air discharged when the first optical fiber 41 is inserted into the second multi-hole capillary 46 escapes from the horizontal hole 45.

A cap 52 made of plastic is put on the square hole member 48, and a projection 53 provided at the tip of the cap 52 is provided.
Is fitted into the depression 51 of the square hole member 48. At this time, the U-shaped portion 54 of the cap 52 hits the flat portion 47 of the first porous capillary 43 and tries to be pushed open. Since the U-shaped portion 47 has elasticity, a force repelling the force pushed and opened by the flat portion 47 is generated, and the first porous capillary 43 is pushed from the flat portion 47 and the first optical fiber 43 The tip acts to press against the second optical fiber 42.

As described above, a detachable optical connector can be formed for an optical fiber array by using a precision-machined porous capillary as the capillary. Further, by forming the U-shaped cap with such a resilient material, a spring effect can be obtained, and exclusive elastic parts such as coil springs can be reduced. Note that a soft transparent resin may be inserted into the horizontal hole 45 before or after the insertion of the first optical fiber 41. In addition, although the first porous capillary 43 in the present embodiment uses the first optical fiber 41 as one body, the first porous capillary 43 may be separated into a plurality of ones. A cut may be made in the U-shaped portion 54 of the cap 52 corresponding to the place where the porous capillary 43 is separated, and the pressing force of the U-shaped portion 54 may be individually applied.

[0062]

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is constructed as described above, and in particular, the first optical fiber fixed to the first capillary is slid along the inner surface of the cylindrical component. By inserting the second optical fiber into the hole of the second capillary to which the second optical fiber is fixed, the number of connection steps is small, there is no need to worry about breaking at the time of insertion, and high precision without the need for tip polishing, The optical fiber can be easily and detachably optically connected.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is constructed as described above, and in particular, the second optical fiber is provided by a restoring force of a coil spring provided between the rear portion of the first capillary and the cap. By contacting the tip of the first optical fiber with a predetermined force, the number of connection steps is small, there is no need to bend at the time of insertion, and the optical fiber has extremely high precision without requiring tip polishing. Can be easily and detachably optically connected.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is configured as described above, and in particular, a T-shaped groove into which the projection of the cap can be inserted is provided on the left and right of the hollow of the cylindrical part with which the projection of the cap engages. With this configuration, the optical connector can be easily locked and detachably connected to the cylindrical part regardless of whether the cap is rotated left or right.

The invention according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is configured as described above, and in particular, is provided with a thin-film wavelength filter in the central portion of the second capillary, and the left and right wavelength filters are sandwiched between the two filters. Since the first and second optical fibers are abutted, a detachable optical connector having wavelength selectivity depending on the wavelength of the wavelength filter can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 5 of the present invention is configured as described above, and in particular, the first optical fiber fixed to the first capillary is slid along the inner surface of the cylindrical component to guide the waveguide. By inserting the optical waveguide having the portion into the hole of the second capillary to which the first optical fiber is fixed, the number of connection steps can be reduced, and the first optical fiber can be optically connected detachably. Since the leading end of the first optical fiber is brought into contact with the waveguide portion with a predetermined force by the restoring force of the coil spring provided between the rear portion of the first capillary and the cap, the number of connection steps is small, The optical fiber can be easily and detachably optically connected directly to the waveguide section with extremely high precision without the need to bend at the time of insertion and without the need for tip polishing.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention is constructed as described above, and in particular, by forming the capillary by stacking two substrates having a V-shaped groove extending at the end. The grooves having different depths can be formed at the same time, so that the optical fiber can be easily inserted and a capillary having a highly accurate hole can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 7 of the present invention is configured as described above, and in particular, the capillary is formed by stacking two substrates having a plurality of V-shaped grooves extending at the ends. Accordingly, a plurality of optical fibers can be easily inserted, and a porous capillary having a highly accurate hole can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 8 of the present invention is constituted as described above, and in particular, by forming a substrate having an inverted V-shaped peak and a V-shaped groove,
Even a porous capillary having a long hole or a groove having a different depth can be manufactured accurately and easily at the same time.

The invention according to claim 9 of the present invention is configured as described above, and in particular, a plurality of first optical fibers fixed to a fiber protection component are slid along the inner surface of a square hole member. A second optical fiber to which a plurality of second optical fibers are fixed;
After inserting the plurality of first optical fibers into the plurality of square holes of the perforated capillary, the U-shaped portion of the cap presses the fiber protection component to which the plurality of first optical fibers are fixed, thereby forming a coil. The number of springs can be reduced, and even a large number of first optical fibers can be easily pressed into contact with the second optical fibers, and the optical connection can be made reliably and detachably.

The invention according to claim 10 of the present invention is constructed as described above, and particularly, by using a plurality of fiber protection parts, it is possible to provide an easy and flexible detachable optical connection. It can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIGS. 2A and 2B are external views of a cylindrical part constituting an optical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A is a front view, FIG.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show an outer shape of a cap constituting an optical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a connection structure at an end of an optical fiber of an optical connector component constituting an optical connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an optical connector for connecting to a waveguide according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing and structure of a capillary used for an arrayed optical connector according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
(A) is a diagram showing a structure of a mold for manufacturing a capillary,
(B) is a diagram showing a capillary configured by stacking two manufactured groove alignment substrates,

FIGS. 7A and 7B show the configuration of an arrayed optical connector according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG.
Is a side sectional view,

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional optical connector.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an optical connector for connecting to a conventional waveguide.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 41 1st optical fiber 2, 42 2nd optical fiber 3 1st capillary 4 hole 5 side hole 6 2nd capillary 7, 47 Flat part 8, 8-1 Cylindrical part 9 Inner surface 10 of cylindrical part 10 Cylindrical Inner surface of part 11, 51 Depression 12, 12-1, 27, 52 Cap 13, 23, 53 Projection 14 Coil spring 15, 28 Cap bottom 16, 56 Jacket 17, 31 Substrate 18 Semiconductor laser 19, 59 Resin 20, 25 Groove 21 T-shaped groove 22, 29 Arm 23, 40 Projection 24 Optical fiber 26 Wavelength filter 30 Optical waveguide 32 Waveguide section 33 Cladding 34 Porous capillary 35 Groove alignment substrate 36, 44 Square hole 37 V-groove 38 Tapered section 39 Mold 43 1 perforated capillary 45 lateral hole 46 second perforated capillary 48 square hole member 49 inner surface of square hole member 50 square hole Inner surface of material 54 U-shaped portion 101, 102 Optical fiber 103, 104 Cylindrical capillary 105, 106 Tip surface 107 Sleeve 108, 109 Substrate 111 Optical fiber array 110, 115 End surface 116 Glass block 117 Optical waveguide

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A first optical fiber and a second optical fiber to be optically connected to each other, a first capillary for fixing a tip of the first optical fiber by projecting a predetermined length, and a second capillary. 2nd optical fiber is inserted halfway and fixed
And the second capillary to which the second optical fiber is fixed is fixed to the inner surface of one end, and the first capillary to which the first optical fiber is fixed is inserted into the inner surface of the other end. A cylindrical component having two inner surfaces configured to insert the distal end of the first optical fiber into the second capillary and abut against the second optical fiber,
An optical connector characterized in that the first optical fiber is detachably optically connected to the optical fiber. 2. A cap which is detachably attached to the rear of the first capillary so as to engage with a groove of the cylindrical component and cover a rear portion of the cylindrical component, and a rear portion of the first capillary and a cap. A compression spring disposed between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber by a restoring force of the coil spring. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein 3. A plurality of T-shaped grooves are provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical part so as to be symmetrical with respect to a point, and one end of the cap has projections arranged symmetrically with respect to the grooves of the cylindrical part. The optical connector according to claim 2, wherein the projection is engaged with the groove to lock the cap to the cylindrical component. 4. A lateral groove is provided in a central portion of the second capillary, a wavelength filter is provided in the lateral groove, and a tip of a second optical fiber is fixed by contacting the tip of the second optical fiber with the wavelength filter.
4. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein an end of said first optical fiber inserted from the other end of said second capillary is abutted. 5. A first optical fiber to be optically connected to a waveguide, a first capillary for projecting and fixing a tip of the first optical fiber by a predetermined length, and A second capillary inserted so as to protrude slightly from the tip, an optical waveguide having a waveguide to be optically connected to the first optical fiber and fixed to one end of the second capillary; Is fixed to the inner surface of one end, and the first capillary to which the first optical fiber is fixed is inserted into the inner surface of the other end, whereby the tip of the first optical fiber is set to the second end. A cylindrical component having two inner surfaces configured to be inserted into a capillary and abutted on a waveguide portion of the optical waveguide; and a rear portion of the cylindrical component that is engaged with a groove of the cylindrical component behind the first capillary. Removably attaches to cover And a coil spring compressed and mounted between the rear portion of the first capillary and the cap, and detachably optically connects the tip of the first optical fiber to the waveguide of the optical waveguide. An optical connector characterized in that: 6. A 2 having a V-shaped groove extending at the end.
A capillary composed of a stack of substrates. 7. A capillary according to claim 6, wherein said capillary is made of a porous material having a plurality of V-shaped grooves. 8. A die for forming a substrate having a V-shaped groove, wherein the V-shaped groove according to claim 6 or 7 has a symmetrical inverted V-shaped crest. 9. A fiber protection component having a plurality of grooves for inserting and fixing a first optical fiber, respectively, and a plurality of first light beams each having a tip projecting a predetermined length from the fiber protection component and fixed. A first optical fiber array of fibers, a second optical fiber array of the same number as the first optical fibers, and second optical fibers each of which is optically connected to the first optical fiber; A porous capillary that is inserted halfway and fixed, and the porous capillary is fixed to the inner surface of one end, and the fiber protection component to which the first optical fiber is fixed is inserted into the inner surface of the other end. Square hole having two inner surfaces configured to insert the tip of the first optical fiber into the perforated capillary so as to abut against the corresponding second optical fiber. A member having a U-shaped portion formed in a U-shape so as to engage with the groove of the square hole member at the back of the fiber protection component and to be detachably attached to cover a rear portion of the square hole member; The fiber protection component is pressed from the U-shaped portion of the cap so that the tips of the plurality of first optical fibers abut against the corresponding plurality of second optical fibers with a predetermined force, respectively. For the second optical fiber
An optical connector characterized in that said optical fiber is detachably optically connected. 10. The fiber protection component according to claim 1, wherein the fiber protection component comprises one or more first fibers.
10. An optical connector according to claim 9, comprising a plurality of fiber protection parts to which said optical fiber is mounted.