JPH11263635A - Optical fiber cutting apparatus and cutting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber cutting apparatus capable of forming a cut surface of optical fiber with good accuracy and reducing the irregularity of cutting in the case of simultaneous cutting of the optical fiber of a multiple core coated optical fiber. SOLUTION: This apparatus has a pair of holding means which consists of a lower clamping member 20 and upper clamping member 25 for parting at least two points of the optical fibers 17 from each other and holding these fibers, guiding means 19 which have fiber arranging grooves 19a for housing and positioning the optical fibers 17, a scoring means 23 which has a cutting edge 22 moving in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the optical fibers 17 between a pair of the holding means and imparts initial scores to the optical fibers 17 and a cutting head 27 which is pressed to the optical fibers 17 from the opposite side of the initially scored portion and cuts the optical fibers 17 by expanding the initial scores.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber cutting device and a cutting method used for connection work and measurement of optical fibers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a quartz optical fiber is cut, a stress rupture method has been used. In this stress rupture method, initial scratches are made on the surface of the optical fiber with a cutting blade for scratching,
Thereafter, bending or pulling or applying a combination of these stresses to the optical fiber enlarges the initial scratches, breaks the optical fiber, and obtains a mirror surface on the fracture surface of the optical fiber. According to this method, a mirror surface can be formed in a short time without polishing the cut surface of the optical fiber with a grindstone or the like. It is effective for

As an apparatus for performing the stress rupture method, there is known an apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-65903. In the device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-65903, as shown in FIG.
After removing the coating, the optical fiber 17 is exposed, at least two portions of the optical fiber 17 are sandwiched and held by the holding means 100 (see FIG. 10A), and after the initial scratch is made using the cutting blade 22, Cutting is performed by the above-described stress rupture method (see FIG. 10B).

[0004]

However, according to the above-described optical fiber cutting device, the optical fiber 17 is held by the holding means 1.
When the optical fiber 17 is held, the position of the optical fiber 17 sometimes fluctuates as shown in FIGS. For this reason, the end face angle α of the distal end of the optical fiber 17 after cutting becomes large, or when the optical fiber 17 is a multi-core optical fiber, the cutting irregular amount W of the optical fiber 17 after cutting becomes large [FIG. c)], which may adversely affect the transmission characteristics.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an optical fiber which can form a cut surface of an optical fiber with high precision, and can reduce the amount of irregularity in cutting when the optical fibers of a multi-core optical fiber core are cut at once. It is an object to provide a cutting device and a cutting method.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a pair of holding means for holding at least two locations of an optical fiber apart from each other and a fiber array groove for housing and positioning the optical fiber are provided. A guide means having a cutting blade which moves in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the optical fiber between the pair of holding means, and a flaw applying means for initial scratching the optical fiber; A cutting head pressed against the optical fiber from the opposite side of the portion to cut the optical fiber by enlarging the initial flaw.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the guide means is disposed further on the proximal end side of the optical fiber than the holding means located on the proximal end side of the optical fiber. It is characterized by:

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the guide means is formed integrally with the holding means, and at least two positions of the optical fiber are positioned and held by the fiber array groove. It is characterized by that.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect of the present invention, the end of the fiber array groove on the cutting edge side is tapered.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the fiber array groove has a bottom portion having a substantially V-shaped cross section.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the surface of the fiber array groove is formed of a hard rubber member or a plastic member.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, diamond abrasive grains are fixed on the surface of the cutting blade.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, an optical fiber is exposed by removing a coating portion from an end portion of an optical fiber core wire, and the exposed optical fiber is guided by a guide means having a fiber arrangement groove into a fiber housing groove. While holding and positioning the optical fiber, the two separated locations of the optical fiber are respectively held by a pair of holding means, and an initial scratch is formed on a side surface of the optical fiber located between the pair of holding means by a wounding means having a cutting blade. The method is characterized in that the optical fiber is formed, and the cutting head is pressed against the optical fiber from the side opposite to the formed initial flaw to enlarge the initial flaw and cut the optical fiber.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, when the optical fiber is held by the pair of holding means, the tip end side of the optical fiber is held after holding the base end side of the optical fiber. It is characterized by holding.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of an optical fiber cutting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber cutting apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a base 11 and a base-side rotating portion 12 pivotally supported by a pivot 14 with respect to the base 11.
a and the first upper case 12, which is composed of
Similarly, it comprises a second upper case 13 and the like pivotally supported on the base 11. A concave portion 15 is formed on the upper surface of the base 11, and a fixing jig 18 for holding a tape-shaped multi-core optical fiber core 16 covered with a resin or the like is fitted into the concave portion 15. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the upper surface of the base 11, two lower clamp members 20 forming a lower portion of the holding means are provided apart from each other. Outside each of the two lower clamp members 20, a guide means 19 having a fiber array groove 19a formed on the surface is provided. When the fixing jig 18 is fitted into the recess 15, the plurality of optical fibers 17 of the optical fiber 16 fixed to the fixing jig 18 are bridged over two sets of guide means 19 and the lower clamp member 20. It is supposed to be.

The guide means 19 has a plurality of parallel fiber arrangement grooves 19a on its surface. The arrangement pitch of the fiber arrangement grooves 19a is the same as the arrangement pitch of the optical fibers 17 to be positioned, and specifically, 0.25 mm. Fiber array groove 19
As shown in FIG. 3 (a), a has a substantially V-shaped cross section, and its bottom also has a substantially V-shaped cross section. When the fiber array groove 19a has a bottom portion having a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional shape, the fiber array groove 19a and the optical fiber 17 come into contact at two points, so that the optical fiber 17 can be stably positioned. .

As shown in FIG. 3B, the cross-sectional shape of the fiber array groove 19a is substantially comb-shaped (the cross-section has a substantially V-shaped bottom, and (A shape having a parallel side wall facing the surface). When the fiber array groove 19a has a substantially comb-shaped cross section, the movement of the optical fiber 17 in the lateral direction can be restricted, so that the optical fiber 17 can be easily arranged. Also,
By bringing the optical fiber 17 into two-point contact with the bottom having a substantially V-shaped cross section, the optical fiber 17 can also be positioned stably.

The surface of the guide means 19 in contact with the optical fiber 17, that is, the surface of the fiber array groove 19a is formed of a hard rubber member or a plastic member. In addition, not only the surface of the fiber arrangement groove 19a but also the entire guide means 19 may be formed of the above-described material. Needless to say, this makes the guide means 19 easier to manufacture.

The rigid rubber member and the plastic member can maintain high dimensional accuracy and can position the optical fiber 17 reliably. Further, since such a material has an elastic modulus smaller than the elastic modulus (Young's modulus) of the optical fiber 17 itself, it does not damage the optical fiber 17. Specifically, the hard rubber member includes NBR (acrylonitrile butadiene rubber) and the like, and the plastic member includes ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PC (polycarbonate).

Since the lower clamp member 20 functions as holding means for holding the optical fiber 17 together with an upper clamp member 25 to be described later, at least the surface thereof is securely held without damaging the optical fiber 17. It is formed of a particularly suitable material, for example, rubber or the like. In addition, the surface of the lower clamp member 20 is used to uniformly scratch the optical fiber 17 with the cutting blade 22 described later.
It is a flat horizontal surface.

A concave portion 21 is formed between the two lower clamp members 20, and an arc-shaped cutting blade 22 is disposed therein. The cutting edge 22 is guided by the guide means 19 and the lower clamp member 20 by the damage means 23 provided in the base 11.
The optical fiber 17 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber 17 placed thereon. Diamond abrasive grains are fixed on the surface of the cutting blade 22.

On the other hand, a jig presser 24 is provided on the lower surface of the base-side rotating portion 12a pivotally supported on the base 11 so as to correspond to the recess 15 formed in the base 11. I have. Further, corresponding to the two sets of guide means 19 and the lower clamp member 20 provided on the base 11, the upper surface of the holding means is provided on the lower surface of the proximal rotation part 12a and the distal rotation part 12b. Upper clamp members 25 are provided separately from each other.

When the first upper case 12 is swung and covers the base 11, the fixing jig 18 is pressed against the bottom of the concave portion 15 by the jig presser 24 and is fixed firmly. The optical fiber 17 from which the coating has been removed is sandwiched between the clamp members 20 and 25, and is firmly held. The upper clamp member 25 is also made of rubber or the like, like the lower clamp member 20, and has a flat surface.

The first upper case 12 is formed with a U-shaped notch 26 between the upper clamp members 25. The first upper case 12 is divided at the lowermost portion of the U-shape. In addition, the above-described proximal rotation portion 12a and distal rotation portion 12b can swing independently. A cutting head 27 protruding from the second upper case 13 is inserted into the notch 26. The surface of the cutting head 27 is made of a flexible material such as rubber.

Next, an optical fiber cutting method using the above-described optical fiber cutting apparatus will be described.

First, the coating of the optical fiber core 16 is removed by a predetermined length using a heating remover or the like to expose the optical fiber 17, and the coating debris remaining on the surface of the optical fiber 17 is removed with alcohol or the like. Remove with. Fixing the optical fiber core 16 with the optical fiber 17 exposed at the tip
8 and fix the fixing jig 18 to the recess 15 on the base 11.
Fit into

After the fixing jig 18 is fitted into the concave portion 15, the plurality of optical fibers 17 are respectively housed in the fiber arrangement grooves 19a on the pair of guide means 19, and first,
By rotating the proximal rotation portion 12 a of the first upper case 12, the proximal end of the optical fiber 17 is sandwiched and held between the lower clamp member 20 and the upper clamp member 25. At this time, the base end side of each optical fiber 17 is pressed downward by the upper clamp member 25, so that the V
It is in two-point contact with the bottom having a U-shaped cross section to be accurately positioned and aligned.

Next, the distal end rotating portion 12b of the first upper case 12 is rotated so that the distal end of the optical fiber 17 is sandwiched and held between the lower clamp member 20 and the upper clamp member 25. At this time, the tip side of each optical fiber 17 also comes into two-point contact with the bottom having a V-shaped cross section of the fiber array groove 19a, and is accurately positioned and aligned. Since the optical fiber 17 is positioned at two positions separated by the guide means 19, the optical fiber 17 is held in an accurate alignment state.

As described above, when the base end side of the optical fiber 17 is first held and then the tip end side of the optical fiber 17 is held, the lower clamp member 20 and the upper clamp member 2 are held.
The bending of the optical fiber 17 in the range between the pair of holding means 5 can be suppressed. Optical fiber 17
If the optical fiber 17 is bent at an initial time when the optical fiber 17 is bent, the initial damage may not be reliably formed.
When a plurality of optical fibers 17 are cut at once, there is a possibility that precise cutting may not be performed because initial scratches of each optical fiber 17 may vary. Further, if the bending of the optical fiber 17 is suppressed, the initial scratches of the optical fiber 17 in a stable linear state are enlarged, so that the end face angle after cutting can be stabilized.

After the optical fiber 17 is maintained in the correct alignment, the cutting blade 22 is moved by the scratching means 23 to the optical fiber 17.
Is moved in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction. The optical fiber 17 is initially scratched on its side by the moving cutting blade 22. When the cutting blade 22 has passed below the optical fiber 17, the movement of the cutting blade 22 is stopped.

When the optical fiber 17 is initially scratched by the cutting blade 22, the optical fiber 17 is slightly bent upward by the pressing of the cutting blade 22, so that the initial scratch is made. At this time, since the abrasive grains of diamond are fixed to the cutting blade 22, even if the pressure for pressing the cutting blade 22 against the optical fiber 17 is low, the initial flaw can be reliably formed, and the bending amount of the optical fiber 17 is small. Therefore, the size of the initial flaw can be minimized.

If the amount of deflection at the time of initial scratching is large,
The bent state is maintained even after the initial flaw is formed, and when the initial flaw is enlarged and cut thereafter, the angle of the end face of the cut optical fiber 17 may be increased. In the case where a plurality of optical fibers 17 are cut at a time, for example, the amount of irregularities at the ends of the optical fibers 17 may be increased. If diamond abrasive grains are fixed to the cutting blade 22, the optical fiber 1 can be used for making initial scratches.
7 can be reduced, and as a result, the optical fiber 17 can be cut with high precision.

If the size of the initial flaw is large, the mark of the initial flaw is largely left on the end face of the optical fiber 17 after cutting, which may adversely affect the transmission characteristics. I want to go. If diamond abrasive grains are fixed to the cutting blade 22, the size of the initial scratch can be minimized, and the transmission characteristics of the optical fiber 17 after cutting can be improved. If diamond abrasive grains are fixed to the cutting blade 22, there is also an advantage that the durability of the cutting blade 22 is improved.

Next, the second upper case 13 is swung with respect to the base 11, and the cutting head 27 is pushed downward to come into contact with the optical fiber 17, thereby bending the optical fiber 17 downward. Thus, the initial scratches on the optical fiber 17 are enlarged, and the optical fiber 17 is broken. After the optical fiber 17 is broken, the second upper case 13 is swung upward. Then, the first upper case 12 (the base end side rotating portion 12a
Also, the tip side rotation part 12b) is also swung upward, and the optical fiber 17 is released from the upper and lower clamp members 20, 25,
The fixing jig 18 is taken out of the recess 15.

After the fixing jig 18 is taken out, the cutting blade 2
2 is returned to the starting point position before the optical fiber 17 is initially scratched, and the entire device is mounted on the fixing jig 18 by the concave portion 15 of the base 11.
It returns to the initial state before it is fitted into.

According to the optical fiber cutting apparatus and the cutting method of the first embodiment described above, when the optical fiber 17 is separated and held at two positions when the optical fiber 17 is cut, the optical fiber 17 is guided by the guide means 19. Can be positioned accurately. By accurately positioning the optical fiber 17,
The optical fiber 17 can be cut accurately, and the end face angle of the cut optical fiber 17 can be reduced. Further, when a plurality of optical fibers 17 of the multi-core optical fiber 16 are cut at one time, by accurately positioning the optical fibers 17, it is possible to reduce the cut irregularity of the cut optical fibers 17. it can.

Next, a second embodiment of the optical fiber cutting apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The cutting device of the second embodiment differs from the cutting device of the first embodiment only in the arrangement of the guide means 19. Therefore, in the second embodiment, only the arrangement of the guide means 19, the lower clamp member 20 forming the lower part of the holding means, and the cutting blade 22 is shown in FIG.
Shown in The other parts are configured in exactly the same manner as the cutting device of the first embodiment described above, and can be used in accordance with the cutting method of exactly the same procedure.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a guide means 19 is provided on the lower clamp member 20 located on the base end side of the optical fiber 17 and further on the optical fiber 1.
7 is provided only on the base end side.

Variations in the position of the optical fiber 17 are largely caused by the fact that the tip of the optical fiber 17 is expanded due to, for example, warpage of the end of the coating portion (FIG. 10).
(a)). Therefore, in order to accurately position the optical fiber 17 of the multi-core optical fiber 16, it is most effective to position the optical fiber 17 at a position close to the exposed portion of the optical fiber 17. In the second embodiment, the guide means 19 is provided only at the position most effective for positioning the optical fiber 17 described above, and the optical fiber 17 is positioned most effectively.

Next, a third embodiment of the optical fiber cutting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The cutting device according to the third embodiment is different from the cutting device according to the first embodiment only in the arrangement of the lower clamp member forming the lower portion of the guide means and the holding means. In the cutting device of the third embodiment, the guide means and the lower clamp member forming the lower part of the holding means are integrally formed (hereinafter, a member in which the guide means and the lower clamp member are integrated). The guide clamp member 1
90). For this reason, in the third embodiment, only the arrangement of the guide clamp member 190 and the cutting blade 22 is shown in FIG. The other parts are configured in exactly the same manner as the cutting device of the first embodiment described above, and can be used in accordance with the cutting method of exactly the same procedure.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting device of the third embodiment has the above-described guide clamp member 190, and the fiber arrangement groove 19a is formed on the guide clamp member 190. According to the cutting device of the third embodiment, the optical fiber 17 is positioned and held by the pair of guide clamp members 190. At this time, the optical fiber 17 is guided from the upper side by the upper clamp member 25 to the guide clamp member 19.
It is pressed against the bottom of the fiber array groove 19a on the top surface having a substantially V-shaped cross section to make two-point contact, and is positioned and held.

In the cutting device according to the third embodiment, the end of the fiber array groove 19a on the side of the damage means 23 is tapered as shown in FIG. The optical fiber 17 is pushed by the cutting head 27 from the side opposite to the initial scratch to enlarge the initial scratch and
Is cut, the optical fiber 17 bends downward. Therefore, when the end of the fiber arrangement groove 19a is formed in such a tapered shape, contact between the end of the fiber arrangement groove 19a and the optical fiber 17 is suppressed, and concentration of stress on the optical fiber 17 can be avoided. Damage to the optical fiber can be prevented.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the optical fiber cutting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The cutting device according to the fourth embodiment is different from the cutting device according to the first embodiment only in the form of the first upper case 12. For this reason, in the second embodiment, the same components as those in the above-described cutting device of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the cutting device according to the fourth embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 7, the first upper case 12 is not divided, and both sides of the notch 26 are swung integrally.
Therefore, the first upper case 12 is swung so that the optical fiber 1
When the optical fiber 17 is held, the proximal end and the distal end of the optical fiber 17 are held at the same time. In this case, there is an advantage that the structure of the device can be simplified and the cutting procedure can be simplified. The procedure other than this point is exactly the same as the procedure of the cutting method in the above-described cutting apparatus of the first embodiment.

The optical fiber cut by the optical fiber cutting device and the cutting method of the present invention and the optical fiber cut by the conventional cutting device and the cutting method were compared in terms of the end face angle after cutting.

As the optical fiber cutting apparatus of the present invention, the above-described cutting apparatus of the fourth embodiment was used. Further, the conventional cutting device is obtained by removing the guide means 19 from the cutting device in the above-described fourth embodiment, and performs exactly the same procedure except that the positioning of the optical fiber 17 by the guide means 19 is not performed. The optical fiber was cut.

Measurement result of the end face angle of the optical fiber cut by the cutting apparatus of the present invention (total number of measured cores: 40)
Is shown in FIG. On the other hand, FIG. 8B shows a measurement result (total number of measured cores 39) of the end face angle of the optical fiber cut by the conventional cutting device.

As is clear from FIG. 8, the end face angle of the optical fiber cut by the cutting apparatus and the cutting method of the present invention has an average value of 0.40 °, whereas the end angle of the optical fiber cut by the conventional cutting apparatus and the cutting method. The average value of the end face angles of the obtained optical fibers is 0.54 °. That is, according to the cutting apparatus and the cutting method of the present invention, the optical fiber can be cut with high accuracy, and an optical fiber having good transmission characteristics can be obtained. Further, as is apparent from FIG. 8, the end face angle of the optical fiber cut by the cutting apparatus and the cutting method of the present invention has less variation.

Next, a case where a plurality of optical fibers in a multi-core optical fiber core are cut at once by the optical fiber cutting device and the cutting method of the present invention, and a case where the multi-core optical fiber core is cut by the conventional cutting device and the cutting method. A comparison was made between the amount of irregular cutting after cutting and the case where a plurality of optical fibers were cut at once.

Here, the cut irregularity amount means a difference in length between the shortest optical fiber and the longest optical fiber when a plurality of optical fibers in a multi-core optical fiber core are cut at once. . In other words, the optical fibers cut so that the lengths of the plurality of optical fibers are all the same have an irregular cutting amount of 0 (μm). For the convenience of the measurement, the cutting device and the cutting method of the present invention are measured when the optical fiber of the four-core optical fiber is cut at once, and the conventional cutting device and the cutting method are measured with the five-core optical fiber. The measurement was performed when the optical fiber of the core wire was cut at once. Also,
The optical fiber cutting device of the present invention and the conventional cutting device are used for measuring the above-mentioned end face angle.

The measurement results of the irregular cutting amount of the optical fiber cut by the cutting apparatus of the present invention (the measured total number of cores)
60) is shown in FIG. 9 (a). On the other hand, FIG. 9 (b) shows the measurement results (measured total number of cores: 60) of the irregular cutting amount of the optical fiber cut by the conventional cutting device.

As is apparent from FIG. 9, the irregular cutting amount of the optical fiber cut by the cutting apparatus and the cutting method of the present invention has an average value of 4 μm (maximum value 10 μm / minimum value 0 μm), An average value of the irregular cutting amount of the optical fiber cut by the conventional cutting device and the cutting method is 9 μm (the maximum value is 28 μm / the minimum value is 2 μm). That is, according to the cutting apparatus and the cutting method of the present invention, when cutting a plurality of optical fibers of a multi-core optical fiber core at once, the ends of the plurality of optical fibers can be precisely aligned, and An optical fiber having excellent transmission characteristics can be obtained. Further, as is clear from FIG. 9, the unevenness of the cutting of the optical fiber cut by the cutting apparatus and the cutting method of the present invention is small.

The optical fiber cutting device and the cutting method of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the upper clamp member 25
Has a size corresponding to both the guide means 19 and the lower clamp member 20, but may have a size corresponding to only the lower clamp member 20. Also in this case, the optical fiber 17 is sandwiched and held by the upper and lower clamp members 20 and 25, and at the same time, is positioned in contact with the bottom of the fiber array groove 19a of the guide means 19, so that there is no problem. The optical fiber 17 can be cut without the need. Further, the optical fiber cutting apparatus and the cutting method of the present invention not only cuts a plurality of optical fibers of a multi-core optical fiber core at once, but also cuts one optical fiber in a single optical fiber core. It can also be used in cases.

[0059]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the position of the optical fiber can be accurately positioned by the guide means, and the optical fiber can be cut while being held by the holding means. By reducing the angle of the end face of the fiber, the cut surface can be formed with high accuracy. In addition, when a plurality of optical fibers of a multi-core optical fiber core are cut at once, the optical fiber can be cut while maintaining the position of the optical fiber accurately while maintaining the position. The amount of irregularity in fiber cutting can be reduced. As a result, the cut optical fiber has excellent transmission characteristics.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when holding the optical fiber, the base end side of the optical fiber, which causes variation in the position of the optical fiber, can be reliably positioned, and the most effective method can be achieved. The optical fibers can be aligned.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the guide means and the holding means are integrally formed, the number of parts is reduced, and the manufacture of the apparatus is facilitated.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the end of the fiber array groove on the cutting edge side is expanded in a tapered shape, it is possible to enlarge the initial flaw applied to the optical fiber when cutting it. Even if the optical fiber is bent, contact between the optical fiber and the end of the fiber arrangement groove is suppressed, concentration of stress on the optical fiber can be avoided, and damage to the optical fiber can be prevented.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the bottom of the fiber array groove for positioning the optical fiber has a substantially V-shaped cross section, and the optical fiber is pressed against the bottom from above to make two-point contact with the bottom. This makes it possible to easily and accurately position the optical fiber.

According to the invention of claim 6, by forming the surface of the fiber array groove with a hard rubber member or a plastic member, the optical fiber can be accurately positioned without damaging the optical fiber. it can.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the initial scratches can be reduced by fixing the abrasive grains of diamond to the cutting blade, thereby preventing the transmission characteristics of the cut optical fiber from being adversely affected. be able to. In addition, the amount of bending of the optical fiber at the time of initial scratching is reduced, and the optical fiber can be cut with high accuracy. Further, there is an advantage that the durability of the cutting blade is improved.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the position of the optical fiber is accurately positioned by the guide means and the optical fiber is cut while being held by the holding means. By reducing the size, the cut surface can be formed with high accuracy. In addition, when a plurality of optical fibers of a multi-core optical fiber are cut at once, the optical fiber is cut while keeping the position of the optical fiber accurately while maintaining the position. The amount of irregularity can be reduced. As a result, the cut optical fiber has excellent transmission characteristics.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, by holding the optical fiber from the base end side and then holding the distal end side, the optical fiber is cut in the range where the optical fiber is cut, that is, the light positioned between the pair of holding means. The fiber can be held without bending. As a result, the optical fiber can be cut with high accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a cutting blade, holding means and guide means in the apparatus shown in FIG.

3A is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 2, and FIG.
Is a modified example thereof.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of cutting blades, holding means and guide means in a second embodiment of the optical fiber cutting apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement of cutting blades, holding means and guide means in a third embodiment of the optical fiber cutting device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a portion A in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the optical fiber cutting device of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are graphs showing the distribution of the end face angles of the cut optical fibers, wherein FIG. 8A is a graph relating to the cutting apparatus of the present invention, and FIG.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are graphs showing distributions of irregular cutting amounts of cut optical fibers, wherein FIG. 9A is a graph relating to the cutting apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 9B is a graph relating to a conventional apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an optical fiber cutting process using a conventional optical fiber cutting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... base, 12 ... first upper case, 13 ... second upper case, 16 ... optical fiber core, 17 ... optical fiber, 18 ...
Fixing jig, 19 guide means, 19a fiber arrangement groove, 20 lower clamp member (holding means), 22 cutting blade,
23: injury means, 25: upper clamp member (holding means),
27 cutting head.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Keiji Osaka 1-chome, Taya-cho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Yokohama Works

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A pair of holding means for holding at least two places of an optical fiber apart from each other, a guide means having a fiber arrangement groove for housing and positioning the optical fiber, and A pair of cutting blades which move in a direction perpendicular to the optical fiber between the pair of holding means, and an incision means for making initial damage to the optical fiber; A cutting head for cutting an optical fiber by enlarging a flaw. 2. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, wherein said guide means is disposed further on the proximal end side of the optical fiber than said holding means located on the proximal end side of the optical fiber. 3. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the guide means is formed integrally with the holding means, and at least two positions of the optical fiber are positioned and held by the fiber array groove. 4. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 3, wherein an end of the fiber array groove on the side of the cutting blade is tapered. 5. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the fiber array groove has a bottom having a substantially V-shaped cross section. 6. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of said fiber arrangement groove is formed of a hard rubber member or a plastic member. 7. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, wherein diamond abrasive grains are fixed on the surface of the cutting blade. 8. The optical fiber is exposed by removing the covering portion from the end of the optical fiber core wire, and the exposed optical fiber is housed and positioned in the fiber housing groove by guide means having a fiber arrangement groove. At the same time, two spaced apart optical fibers are respectively held by a pair of holding means, and an initial flaw is formed on a side surface of the optical fiber located between the pair of holding means by a wounding means having a cutting blade. An optical fiber cutting method, wherein the cutting head is pressed against the optical fiber from the side opposite to the initial scratch to enlarge the initial scratch and cut the optical fiber. 9. The optical fiber cutting method according to claim 8, wherein, when holding the optical fiber by the pair of holding means, holding the proximal end of the optical fiber and then holding the distal end of the optical fiber.