JPS5836882B2 - optical coupling device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an optical coupling device for transmitting and receiving optical signals between a large number of fixed terminals and a relatively moving mobile object, and allows the number of branches to be freely increased to the fixed terminals. About what made it possible.

For example, if a multi-core optical cable is used to transmit signals between a submarine probe and a measuring instrument or controller on a ship, the optical cable that connects the submarine probe and the measuring instrument or controller may be Since the length to be fed out has to be changed depending on the shallowness and depth, it is desirable to have an optical cable storage section that allows the optical cable to be easily inserted and removed, is easy to handle, and does not take up exclusive space. It is preferable to wind the material into a drum.

In this case, the problem is the connection of the optical cable (optical fiber) between the rotating drum and the relatively stationary measuring device or controller.

To solve this problem, it is necessary to take special consideration not only in connection of rotation and rest, but also in the connection of optical fibers, and in connection with the connection of each optical fiber in a multi-core optical cable.

Figures 1 and 2 show an example of a conventionally proposed optical coupling device, in which a two-core optical cable 2 is wound around a rotating body 1, such as a drum, and the starting end of the two-core optical cable 2 is attached to a seabed. The probe 3 is connected, and the winding end of the two-core optical cable 2 is guided into the through hole 1a in the drum of the rotating body 1.

Further, the inside of the rotating body 1 is hollow, and a hollow rotating shaft 4 is provided integrally with the rotating body 1 on the side of the rotating body 1.
The end of this rotating shaft 4 is a rotating joint 5.

The rotary joint 5 is a bottomed cylinder 7 whose one end is the end of the rotating shaft 4 and the other end is fixed to the fixed frame 6.

The optical cable 2 guided into the rotating body 1 described above is 2
The optical fiber 2a is branched into a main optical fiber 2a, passes through the rotating shaft 4, and is positioned at the end of the rotating shaft 4 with its axial center.

On the other hand, the other end of the optical fiber 9, one end of which is connected to the fixed terminal device 8, is positioned at the axis of the bottomed cylinder γ of the rotary joint 5.

Since the end of the rotating shaft 4 and the bottom of the bottomed cylinder γ are slightly spaced apart from each other or are in contact with each other at the axial center, the optical fiber 9 and the optical fiber 2a can be preferably coupled for signal transmission.

Moreover, in the figure, 10 is a bearing that rotatably supports the rotating body 1.

However, although the structures shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be applied to two-core optical cables, even if they are applied to multi-core optical cables with three or more fibers, the optical fibers are not twisted at the axis of the rotating body 1. It is practically impossible to apply it because it is combined with other methods.

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention was invented based on a novel idea, with the object of providing an optical coupling device that can suitably connect a rotating body and a fixed terminal even in an optical cable with three or more cores. In order to achieve such an object, the present invention connects the starting end of an optical cable wound around a rotating body to a moving body, guides the winding end into the rotating body, and connects the optical cable wound around the rotating body to the moving body. The optical fiber of the optical cable is connected to the winding end of a dummy fiber that is wound around a dummy bobbin that is added on the same axis as the rotating body and rotates together with the rotating body, and the starting end of this dummy fiber is connected to the It is wound around a coupling bobbin that is on a different axis from the axis of the rotating body, and guided into this coupling bobbin.
The dummy fiber guided into this coupling bobbin is positioned at the axis of a rotary bearing provided at the shaft end of the coupling bobbin, and the optical fiber whose one end is connected to the fixed terminal is placed at the axis of this rotation bearing. It is characterized by having the other end positioned.

Here, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and subsequent figures, and the same parts as in FIGS. 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals.

Figure 3 shows the case using a five-core, nine-core cable.

A five-core optical cable 2 whose starting end is connected to an undersea probe 3 is wound around a rotating body 1 having a rotating shaft 4, and this optical cable 2 is guided into the rotating body 1 from a through hole 1a and is connected to five fibers. It is divided into two optical fibers 2a.

One of the optical fibers 2a is coupled to an optical fiber 9a via a rotary joint 5a provided at the end of the rotating shaft 4, and reaches a fixed terminal 8a.

Further, the other one of the optical fibers 2a is coupled to an optical fiber 9b via a rotary joint 5b provided at the other end of the rotating shaft 4, and reaches a fixed terminal 8b.

The optical fiber 2a and the optical fibers 9a and 9b are connected at the axes of the rotary joints 5a and 5b, as shown in FIG.

A driven pulley 11 is further attached to the rotating shaft 4, and this driven pulley 11 is fixed to the shaft of the motor 12. It is connected by a drive pulley 13 and a drive belt 14, and the rotating shaft 4 and thus the rotating body 1 are rotated by the drive of the motor 12.

Furthermore, three dowel bobbins 15x, 15y are attached to the rotating shaft 4.
, 15z is installed and three pulleys 1 6x
, 1 6y , 16z are attached and rotate together with the rotating shaft 4.

The remaining three optical fibers in the rotating body 1 reach the through holes 15a of the dowel bobbins 15x, 15y, and 15z, respectively.

Dummy fibers 17x, 1γy, and 17z are wound around the dummy bobbins 15x, 15y, and 15z, and the ends of each winding are connected to the three optical fibers from the aforementioned rotating body 1 through the through hole 15a, while Dummy fiber 11
The starting end of X, 17y, 17z is the dowel bobbin 1 5 x s
Coupling bobbin 18x corresponding to 15y, 15z,
18y, 18z, and reach the through holes 18a of the coupling bobbins 18x, 18y, 18z.

The coupling bobbins 18x, 18y, 18z are added to be rotatable on rotational axes 4x, 4y, 4z different from the rotational axis 4,
One end of each of the rotating shafts 4xs4y, 4z is provided with a rotary joint 5x, 5y, 5z, and the other end is provided with a slip joint 19x, 19y, 19z. Driven pulley 20X, 2
0y, 20z are connected, and this driven pulley 20X, 20
y and 20z are connected to the aforementioned pulleys 16x, 16y, and 16z by belts 21x, 21y, and 21z, respectively.

Also, the bottomed cylinders γx, ? of the rotary joints 5x, 5y, 5z, ?
The other end of an optical fiber 9xs9yt9'z, one end of which is connected to the fixed terminals 8x, 8ys8z, is connected to y, γ2.

And the coupling bobbins 18 are attached to the rotary joints 5x, 5y, and 5z.
The fibers 17x, 17y, 17z that have reached the through holes 18a of
4y, 4z, and this dummy fiber 17
x, 1γy, and 17z are coupled to optical fibers 9x, 9y, and 9z.

As a result, the five-core optical cable 2 connected to the submarine exploration vehicle 3 is wound around the rotating body 1, branched into optical fibers 2a within the rotating body 1, and the two cables reach rotary joints 5a and 5b. , the other three are dummy pobbins 15x, 15y, 15z
The dummy fibers connected to the dummy fibers 1γx, 17y, 17z and entered into the coupled fibers 18x, 18y, 18z? Bars 1γx, iγy, 1γ2 are rotary joints 5x, 5
y, 5z, and rotary joints 5a, sb, 5x
, 5y, 5z to optical fibers 9a*9b, 9x, 9
Fixed terminal 8a*8b, 8x, 8y via y, 9z
, 8z.

As the rotating body 1 rotates, the optical cable 2 to the submarine probe 3 is unwound or wound up, but the optical fiber 2a inside the rotating shaft 1 only rotates together with the rotating body 1.
Similarly, as the rotating body 1 rotates, the dummy bobbins 15x, 15
Although the dummy fibers 17X, 1γy, 1γ2 are transferred between the coupling bobbins 18X, 18y, 18z and the coupling bobbins 18X, 18y, 18z, the dummy fibers 11x, 1γy, 17z in the coupling bobbins 18x, 18y, 18z are connected to the coupling bobbins 18x, 1.
It simply rotates along with 8y and 18z.

Therefore, the optical fiber 2as and the dummy fiber 1
No problems such as twisting occur in 1x, 1γy, and 17z.

Note that in this embodiment, the optical fiber 2a of the optical cable 2 and the goo fibers 17x, 17y, and 17z are explained as being different, but the optical fiber 2a of the optical cable 2 is stretched and connected to the dummy hobbins 15X, 15y, 15z and the coupling pobin. By winding the fibers 18x, 18y, and 18z, the fibers 1γX, 1γy, and 1γ2 become unnecessary.

Further, the winding direction of the dummy fibers 17x, 1γy, 1γ2 wound around the dummy pobbins 15x, 15y, 15z may be the same as or opposite to the winding direction of the optical cable 2 wound around the rotating body 1.

In other words, when the above-mentioned winding directions are the same, when the optical cable 2 is unwound from the rotating body 1, the dummy bobbins 15x, 15
Dummy fibers 17x, 1γy, 1γ2 are fed out from y, 15, and in the opposite direction, when the optical cable 2 is fed out, the dummy fibers 1 to dummy pobbins 15x, 15y, 15z are fed out.
γx, 17y, 1γ2 are transferred.

Furthermore, the lengths of the fibers 17x, 1γy, and 17z wound around the dummy bobbins 15x, 15y, and 15z are calculated using the length of the optical cable 2 wound around the rotating body 1 as l, and the diameter of the winding body of the rotating body (effective diameter) is D, and the winding drum diameter (effective diameter) of the dummy bobbins 18X, 18y, 18z is d.
In this case, if the length L satisfies L=lld/D or more, even if the optical cable 2 of the rotating body 1 is completely fed out, the dummy bobbins 15x, 15y, and 15z will have a goo fiber 17.
Do you have even a little bit of x, 1γy, 1γ2 left? Therefore, the problem of shortage of dummy fibers 17x, 1γy, and 1γ2 does not occur.

Regarding the driving of the dummy bobbins 15x, 15y, 15z and the coupling pobbins 18x, 18y, 18z, not only the dummy bobbins 15X, 15y, 15z rotate with the rotation of the rotating body 1, but also the pulleys 16x, 16x, By the rotation of 16y and 16z, the belt 21x,
Driven pulleys 20x, 20y, 2 via 21y, 21z
0z rotates, and the coupling bobbins 18x, 18y, and 18z rotate.

In this case, the rotational speed of the driven pulleys 20x, 20y, 20z is as follows:
The rotation speed is slightly higher than 8 z, and the driven pulley') 2 0
x , 2 0 y , 20z and combined pobbin 18x,
The rotation speed difference between 18y and 18z is due to the slip joint 19x and 19y.
, supplemented by sliding with 19z, dummy bobbin 15x
, 15y, 15z.
, 1γy, and 17z are fed into the connecting bobbins 18x, 18y, and 18z with tension related to the sliding torque.

In addition, dummy fibers 1γx,
When sending 17y, 1γ2, use slip joints 19x, 19y
, 19z are separated, and the combined pobins 18x, 18y, 18
This is done with a tension corresponding to the rotational torque of z.

In this latter case, the connecting bobbins 18x, 18y, 1
If you install a brake on the 8z, controllability will improve.

In the above example, the rotational force of the rotational shaft 4 causes the rotational shafts 4x, 4y
, 4z, but this is just an example, and the driving method for the rotating shafts 4x, 4y, 4z is not limited to this.

In this way, multiple fixed terminals 8a*8b+8x+8y
, 8z and the submarine probe 3 can be easily connected.

In addition, as a modified example, as shown in FIG.
The rotating shaft 4 may be made eccentric when connecting the y.

Further, the dummy fibers 1γX, 1γy, 17z and the optical cable 2 are connected to the da-pobins 15x, 15y, 15z, the coupling hobbins 18x, 18y, 18z1, and the rotating body 1.
Since the optical fiber, optical cable, and their sheaths move back and forth while being wound around each other, it is necessary to pay attention to the mechanical strength of the optical fibers, optical cables, and their sheaths.

As explained above in the embodiments, according to the present invention, optical coupling between a moving object and a fixed terminal can be easily and suitably performed for a multi-core optical cable having three or more cores, and also a dummy bobbin and a coupling bobbin can be used. By appropriately adjusting the size of d/D as described above, the entire structure can be made compact, resulting in a multi-dog effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show an example of a conventional optical coupling device,
FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view, FIG. 2 is a sectional view, FIGS. 3 to 5 show an embodiment of the optical coupling device according to the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a simplified structural diagram, FIG. 4 is a simplified perspective view, and FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view. In the drawing, 1 is a rotating body, 2 is an optical cable, 2a, 9a, 9
b, 9x, 9y, 9z are optical fibers, 5a, 5b, 5x
, 5y, 5z are rotation bearings, 8assb, 8x, 8y
, 8z is a fixed terminal, 15x, 1 5y, 1 5
z is a dummy bobbin, 1γxs1γy, 17z are dummy fibers, and 18x, 18y, 18z are coupling bobbins.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Connect the starting end of the optical cable wound around the rotating body to the moving body, guide the winding end into the rotating body, and attach the optical fiber of the optical cable guided into the rotating body coaxially with the axis of the rotating body. The end of the dummy fiber is wound around a dummy bobbin that rotates together with the rotating body, and the starting end of the fiber is wound around a coupling bobbin that is on a different axis from the axis of the rotating body. The dummy fiber guided into the bobbin is positioned at the axis of a rotating bearing provided at the shaft end of the coupling bobbin, and one end is connected to the fixed terminal at the axis of the rotating bearing. An optical coupling device in which the other end of the optical fiber is positioned.