JPS6220808Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cap for connecting optical fiber cable terminals.

Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, optical fiber cables 5 are interconnected, each having a structure in which optical fibers 3 are twisted around the outer periphery of a spacer 1 or a central reinforcing body 2, and the surroundings are covered with an outer sheath 4. When connecting the optical fiber 3 to the end of the cable, as shown in FIG. length (e.g. 1.5M)
It is necessary to draw out only the For this reason, the pulled out optical fiber 3 receives concentrated stress from the sharp edges 6 of the cut spacer 1 or the central reinforcing body 2 during the connection operation and even after the connection, often causing the optical fiber to break.

The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and for this reason, the present invention is suitable for connecting an optical fiber cable end portion having a structure in which optical fibers are twisted around the outer periphery of a spacer or central reinforcing body. The cap is attached to a terminal portion, and includes a first portion including a hollow portion having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the cable provided with the outer sheath for accommodating the cable end portion together with the outer sheath; a second section adjacent the section and including a cavity having an inner diameter approximately equal to the inner diameter of the jacket for accommodating the sheathed section of the cable; and a tapered section including a tapered cavity in the second section. and a third portion having a guide groove for loosely accommodating the optical fibers connected to each other and pulled out from the cable one by one in a common plane substantially including the cable axis.

According to the above configuration of the present invention, the cable is fixed to the cap by the first part and the second part,
The optical fiber pulled out from the tip of the cable is connected to the first
Since the optical fibers are loosely accommodated one by one in the guide grooves of the second part and the third part that is integral with the second part, the pulled out optical fibers are placed in the spacer or central reinforcement that is most susceptible to concentrated stress during and after the connection process. The sharp edges prevent extreme bending and protect against external forces (lateral pressure), thereby preventing breakage or damage to the optical fiber at the edges. Moreover, each optical fiber is loosely housed in the guide groove of the third part,
In addition, since the tapered cavity can absorb some movement of the optical fiber, cable connection work can be easily performed.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention, which is a cap for protecting the terminal end of an optical fiber cable having a cross-sectional structure as shown in FIG. The cap 7 has a first portion 8 that generally accommodates the terminal portion of the cable 5 together with the jacket 4.
a second portion 9 adjacent to the first portion for accommodating the peeled portion of the cable; and a guide groove adjacent to the second portion for gently accommodating the optical fibers 3 pulled out from the cable one by one. 10 and a third part 11, which is made of plastic or the like as an integral structure.

The first portion 8 includes a cavity 12 having an inner diameter equal to the outer diameter of the cable 5 and is provided with a sheath 4 so as to accommodate the cable 5 without any gaps, and the second portion 9 accommodates the peeled portion of the cable without any gaps. It includes a cavity 13 having an inner diameter approximately equal to the inner diameter of the outer jacket 4 so as to accommodate the inner diameter of the outer cover 4. The second portion 9 and the third portion 11 are connected by a tapered portion 15 including a tapered cavity 14 . The third part 11 consists of a lower part 11a provided with the guide groove 10 and an upper part 11b provided on the lower part so as to be openable and closable. Guide grooves 10 for accommodating the optical fibers 3 one by one are provided in parallel in a common plane, and the guide grooves are connected to the tapered cavity 14 via a cavity 16. Upper part 11b of third part 11
As shown in the figure, it is moved between open and closed positions by a bendable neck 17, and in the closed position, a claw 18 provided on the side of the upper portion 11b snaps onto the side of the lower portion 11b. It's starting to get stopped. The third portion 11 as a whole is thin and has a highly flexible structure.

The cable 5 fitted with the cap 7 having the above structure is fixed to the cap by the first part 8 and the second part 9, and the optical fiber 3 pulled out further from the end of the cable is inserted into the guide groove of the third part 11. Since the optical fibers 3 are loosely housed one by one in the optical fiber 10, the extracted optical fibers 3 are not subjected to concentrated stress from the sharp edges 6 of the spacer 1 or the central reinforcement 2. In addition, the optical fibers are separated and loosely housed in the guide groove 10, and the cavities 14 and 16 in the middle of the cap provide sufficient space for the movement of the optical fibers. Since the third portion 11 has sufficient flexibility, the cap can sufficiently absorb movement caused by bending of the optical fiber and facilitate cable connection work.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views showing an example of the structure of an optical fiber cable, Figure 3 is a view showing the structure of an end portion processed for cable connection, and Figure 4 is a side view showing an example of the cap of the present invention. , Figure 5 is a plan view of the cap of the present invention attached to the cable terminal part, Figure 6 is
This figure is a sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the same cap, with the third portion shown in a closed state. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Spacer, 2... Center reinforcing body, 3... Optical fiber, 4... Outer cover, 5... Optical fiber cable, 7... Cap, 8... First part, 9... Second part, 10... Guide groove, 11... Third part,
11a... lower part, 11b... upper part.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A cap attached to the terminal part of an optical fiber cable having a structure in which optical fibers are twisted around the outer periphery of a spacer or central reinforcing body in order to connect the terminal part, a first portion including a cavity having an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the cable provided with the outer sheath for accommodating the cable terminal portion together with the outer sheath; A second part including a cavity having an inner diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the outer sheath for accommodating an optical fiber connected to the second part through a tapered part including a tapered cavity and drawn out from the cable. A cap for connecting an end of an optical fiber cable having an integral structure and having a third portion having a guide groove for loosely accommodating each fiber in a common plane substantially including the cable axis. (2) The cap according to item 1, wherein the third portion includes a lower portion provided with the guide groove and an upper portion provided on the lower portion so as to be openable and closable. (3) A cap according to either paragraph 1 or 2, wherein the cap is molded from plastic.