JPS62169107A - Doubled light branching and coupling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the number of parts to be used for an optical branching and coupling device and the man-hour required for adjusting the device, by connecting two sets of input-output optical fibers with the optical branching and coupling device so as to share a part of the parts. CONSTITUTION:Two rectangular parallelepipidic glass blocks 36 and 37 which are closely in contact with each other by a contacting surface 73 are provided with parallel two surfaces 71 and 72 and vertilal two surfaces 74 and 75. Half mirrors 38 and 39 having partially translucent and partially reflective characteristics and provided inside the glass blocks 36 and 37 provided at an angle of 45 deg. with the contacting surface 73. Paired condensible lenses 53 and 62, 63 and 52, 61 and 54, and 64 and 51 are used for making incident rays of light parallel rays of light or parallel rays of light outgoing rays of light and are formed under an integrated state. The paired lenses 53 and 62, 63 and 52, 61 and 54, and 64 and 51 are respectively fitted to the surfaces 71, 72, 74 and 75 of the glass blocks 36 and 37. Since one set of two lenses is constituted in one body, alignment of optical axis can be made simultaneously to the two lenses when the alignment is made to one of the paired lenses. Moreover, the same can be said to the adjustment for fixing the direction of the half mirror 38 or 39 at 45 deg. against the optical axis.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial application field The present invention is an optical LAN (local area network)
The present invention relates to a duplex optical branching coupler used in applications such as the following.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIG. 2 shows the input/output relationship of an optical branching/coupling device used at a station-to-loop coupling section in a dual optical LAN or the like. In the figure, 1.1a is a passing input, 2.2a is a passing output, 3.3a is a branch output, 4.4a is an insertion input, and 1.
~4, the double loop left optical branching coupler 5, and 1a
4a also constitute a left optical branching coupler 5a, and two optical branching couplers are often used in a double loop for the left system, and two optical branching couplers for the left system.

FIG. 3 shows a specific example of the configuration of the above-mentioned optical branching coupler.
In Fig. 3, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are optical fibers for input and output, and each focusing rod lens 15 (
The light from the input optical fiber is condensed into parallel light, or the parallel light is condensed into the output optical fiber. 16 and 17 are rectangular parallelepiped glass blocks having a half mirror inside, which splits or combines parallel light.

Each lens 15 is connected to the side surface of a glass block 16.17.

Next, the operation of the above conventional example will be explained. In FIG. 3, the light propagating through the optical fiber 13 is turned into parallel light by the lens 15, and is split by the No.-7 mirror of the glass block 16. One of the lights is condensed into the optical fiber 14 by the lens 15, and the other is made of parallel light by the glass block 16. After passing through the half mirror of the block 17, the light is focused onto the optical fiber 12 by the lens 15. optical fiber 11
The input light is converted into parallel light by the lens 15, reflected by the No.-7 mirror of the glass block 17, and then condensed by the lens 15 onto the optical fiber 12.

When the optical fibers 11.14 are connected to the station, the station and the loop are connected.

When constructing a double loop system, two optical branching couplers shown in FIG. 3 are required, but a double loop system can also be constructed by preparing two sets of the conventional optical branching couplers described above.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional optical branching coupler described above, two sets of optical branching couplers must be prepared for a double loop system, resulting in an increase in cost.

The present invention is intended to solve these conventional problems.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a multiplexed optical branching coupler.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides two sets of input/output sections, branch outputs, insertion inputs, etc. in each of the - optical branch couplers, and shares a glass block, etc. It is configured to incorporate two sets of optical branching couplers.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to simplify the configuration and reduce the adjustment effort by sharing a part of the configuration in the optical branching coupler.

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, which is electrically (optically) equivalent to the configuration shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 1, numerals 31 to 34 are double-loop left-handed input/output optical fibers, and 41 to 44 are left-handed input/output optical fibers. 36 and 37 are two rectangular parallelepiped glass blocks that are in close contact with each other at a contact surface 73, and have two mutually parallel surfaces 71 and 72 and two perpendicular surfaces 74 and 75. Reference numerals 38 and 39 designate half mirrors that are partially transparent and partially reflective and are provided inside the glass blocks 36 and 37 so as to form an angle of 45 degrees with the contact surface 73. 53 and 62.63 and 52
．． 61 and 54. 64 and 51 are a pair of light-condensing lenses that convert incident light into parallel light beams or parallel light beams into output light, and are integrally formed. Faces 71.72 of block 36.37.
Mounted on 74.75.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained. optical fiber 3
The incident light from 3 becomes a parallel beam at the lens 53, a part of the light is reflected by the half mirror 38, the parallel beam is condensed by the lens 54, and the light is branched and output to the optical fiber 34. Further, the transmitted light of the half mirror 38 passes through the contact surface and enters the glass blocks 36 to 37, is combined with the inserted light from the optical fiber 31, and is outputted to the optical fiber 52 via the lens 52.

Similarly, the input from the optical fiber 43 is output to the optical fiber 44 as a branched output, and combined with the inserted light from the optical fiber 41, the transmitted output is output to the optical fiber 42. That is, in the above configuration, two sets of optical branching couplers corresponding to the left system and the left system double loop are combined with some parts being shared.

In the above configuration, since the two side assemblies of the lens are integrally constructed, if the optical axis alignment is performed for one side of the lens, the other side will be aligned at the same time. Further, the same can be said about adjustment to align the half mirror 38 or 39 at 45 degrees with respect to the optical axis.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, the present invention is configured such that two sets of input/output optical fibers are connected to an optical branching coupler, thereby making some parts common, resulting in a reduction in parts. Since the effect of reducing adjustment labor can be obtained, it is particularly suitable for use in fields where miniaturization is required.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a duplex optical branching coupler in an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a connection diagram for explaining the connection in a duplex system, and Fig. 3 is a conventional FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an optical branching coupler. 31-34... Optical fiber, 41-44... Optical fiber, 51-54... Lens, 36.37... Glass block, 38.39... Half mirror-171,7
2...Parallel surface, 73...Contact surface, 74.75...
・Vertical surface. Figure 1
31;, 37...force 1 rasf'D, /f 38
．． 39... Half mirror 4t-44-L Fufuihapa 5 no 54... Lenspa Gll; 4--- Lens. Figure 2, 9R Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] two rectangular parallelepiped glass blocks that are in close contact with each other at the contact surface and have two surfaces parallel to and perpendicular to the contact surface; Two partially translucent and partially reflective panels forming a 45 degree angle to each other.
half mirrors, and a set of two integrated light-converging rod lenses provided respectively on the parallel and perpendicular surfaces, and partially branching the light incident from the parallel surfaces;
There are two optical branching couplers that combine the added light and pass through and output the remaining light.
Dual optical branching coupler installed as a set.