JPS6273209A - Waveguide device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To mass-produce a waveguide device which is reduced in size and weight and enables use in which a connection part is floated in the air without entailing the disconnection of an optical fiber by using a case molded out of synthetic resin. CONSTITUTION:The case 38 consisting of a case body 36 and a lid 37 is a molding of synthetic resin and the care body 36 is manufactured by an injection or extrusion molding method integrally with the connection part consisting of an optical fiber terminal part 30A, a waveguide device body 10, and a terminal part 30B. A snap hole 36a is formed in the top surface of the case body 36 and a snap projection 37a is formed at a corresponding part of the reverse surface of the lid 37 and fitted in the snap hole 36a to integrate the case body 36 and lid 37 with each other. The optical fiber lead-out part of the case body 36 is provided with vertically flexible protection cylinder parts 36b and 36b which are in a rectangular pyramidal cylinder shape having a tapered tip on the whole and short in, specially, bottom surface size while having a thin and a thick part arranged alternately lengthwise.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a waveguide device used as a branch/coupler in optical communications, and more specifically, it is small and lightweight;
Would you like to propose a waveguide device that can be used in a variety of ways and is suitable for mass production? )ノ) is.

[Prior art]

In optical communications, it is necessary to divide and propagate the light that has failed to propagate through the - optical fiber into multiple optical fibers, or conversely, to combine the light that has been propagated from several optical fibers into the - optical fiber. Therefore, a branch/combiner is essential for this purpose. Conventional branching/coupling devices of this type and L2 often use half mirrors (1-7), but if a large number of 51 branches are required, many half mirrors are required! This increases the size and weight of the optical communication equipment, which is a factor that makes optical communication equipment increasingly smaller. Therefore, a device using a waveguide film was developed that made it possible to reduce the size and weight.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1(a), a polycarbonate film 11 containing methyl acrylate monomer as a photosensitizer is made 2, and the film has a desired pattern as shown in FIG. 1(b). The masks 12 are placed together and exposed to ultraviolet light to photopolymerize the methyl acrylate in the exposed areas 13.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(c), the methyl acrylate particles in the non-exposed area 14 are removed by vacuum drying. Then, the unexposed part 14 made of only polycarbonate has a surface layer refractive index, whereas the exposed part 13 in which the methyl acrylate polymer remains has a low refractive index. Like layers, light that enters the municipal building will propagate while remaining confined in the former without leaking into the latter. Then, as shown in FIG. 1(d), a polymer coating i@+5.15 having a lower refractive index than the non-exposed portion 14 is formed on the front and back surfaces of the film 11 to prevent light leakage in the front and back directions. In other words, the coating waste 15 is used as the crack 71 layer in the front and back direction. The non-exposed portion 14 is made into four optical wave paths, and as shown in FIG. 2, a branching pattern is formed to form a branching/combining device.

Furthermore, since such a film form is difficult to handle, a substrate 16 made of epoxy resin or the like is used as shown in FIG.
The waveguide device main body 1o is obtained by pasting the waveguide device body 1o in a 1-inch shape using an adhesive (not shown) between the 16 and 16.

In addition, in Fig. 3, the branched non-exposed part +4°14
In other words, it represents the distance between the terminals of the waveguide, but in reality, it is only slightly larger than the diameter of the optical fiber that is to be optically coupled to it.

Figure 4.5 shows the optical fiber terminal parts 30^, 30B,
FIG. 4 shows one optical fiber, and FIG. 5 shows two optical fibers. The optical fiber cord 31 is coated at the tip end to expose the optical fiber core 32.
The portion from the end to the portion where the coating remains is sandwiched between two substrates 33 and 33 and fixed.

Opposed to each other by the substrates 33 and 33 is an optical fiber core 32.
Alternatively, a groove 34 is formed into which the optical fiber cord 31 is inserted, making positioning easy and reliable when fixing it to the inner substrate 33.33.

Waveguide device body] 0 and optical fiber terminals 30^, 30B
The optical fiber terminal part 30^ is located on the side of one waveguide, and the optical fiber terminal part 30B is located on the side of two waveguides, and the waveguide device main body 1 is placed between both terminals 3OA and 308.
0, and the optical fiber core wire 32 and the waveguide 14 are fixed at the point where they are optically aligned.

The connection section consisting of the optical fiber terminal sections 3OA, 30B and the four-wave device main body 10 is housed in a metal case so that the optical fiber cord 3I is pulled out in the evening to protect it from external forces and shocks. I was doing everything I could.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

These metal cases were heavier, larger, and more expensive than the parts that made up the connections.Also, these cases required a long time to assemble, and their weight was high when handling them. The optical fiber could break due to this.

Furthermore, since the case was %1fjt, it was necessary to place it in a flat part or to use it in a fixed manner.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and by using a synthetic resin molded case,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a waveguide device for FM that can be made smaller and lighter, can be mass-produced at low cost, does not cause the cutting of optical fibers, and can also be used by positioning the connection part in the air.

The waveguide device according to the present invention includes a waveguide device main body that is laminated with a substrate to reinforce a film that has a continuous portion with a relatively low refractive index as a waveguide, and an end portion of an optical fiber. In the waveguide device, an optical fiber end portion fixed to a substrate is housed in a case with adhesive bonded to align the positions of the waveguide end surface and the optical fiber end surface and optically couple them. The case is characterized by being a synthetic resin molded product.

The case further includes a reinforcing plate housed in the case to extend over and cover at least two surfaces of the waveguide device main body and the optical fiber terminal portion. It is also characterized by having a flexible protection tube.

[Effect]

In this way, by making the case a synthetic resin molded product, the case can be made smaller and lighter, and it can also be mass-produced easily and provided at low cost. Also, since it is lightweight, the optical fiber will not be cut during handling due to its weight. Furthermore, by using an optical fiber to obtain the suspension support L7, it becomes possible to use it in a suspended state, and the applications of this type of waveguide device are expanded.

〔Example〕

1 Below, the present invention will be described in detail based on drawings showing embodiments thereof.

The waveguide device of the present invention has a waveguide device main body 10 as shown in FIG. 3, and optical fiber terminal portions 30A and 30B as shown in FIGS. As shown in Fig. 7, the pieces glued together with one piece aligned with each other have a cross-sectional shape of 17, and have a length D'' equal to the total length of the terminal part 3OA, the four-wave path device main body 10, and the terminal part 3OR. The reinforcing plate 35 is housed in the case body 36 with the reinforcing plate 35 attached to the bottom and side faces thereof, and the lid 3 is
This is what was covered in 7.

As shown in FIG. 8, a case 38 consisting of a case body 36 and a lid 37 is a synthetic resin molded product.
is manufactured by an injection molding or extraction molding method so as to be integrated with a connecting portion consisting of the optical fiber terminal portion 30A, the waveguide device main body 10, and the terminal portion 30R. Case body 3
A snap hole 36a is formed on the top surface of the lid 3.
A snap protrusion 37a is formed at a corresponding portion on the lower surface of the case body 36, and the case body 36 and the lid 37 are integrated by fitting the snap protrusion 37a into the snap hole 36a. The optical fiber lead-out part of the case body has an overall cylindrical shape in the shape of a rectangular trapezoid with a tapered end, and thick and thin parts are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction, so that Protective cylindrical portions 36b and 36h are provided which are short in length and have flexibility in the vertical direction.

The reinforcing plate 35 is used to protect the internal connections when bending force, pressing force, or impact force is inadvertently applied to the device of the present invention. is not necessary. In addition, as shown in Figure 7, a configuration that covers at least two sides of the connection part may be sufficient, but a configuration that covers three sides of the bottom and side surfaces of the J-section as shown in Figure 9 provides a higher protection function. It can be fitted into the connection part from the side and can be handled freely during manufacturing.

On the other hand, the case 38 is not limited to the above embodiment. First, the material may be a hard synthetic resin as mentioned in the case of the reinforcing plate 35. Further, the shape may not be a two-part structure consisting of the lid 37 and the main body 36, but may be a structure in which the connecting portion is integrally enclosed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the lid 37 may be provided with a flange and attached to the case body 36.

The lid 37 and the case body 36 are not fixed by the snap structure shown in FIG. 7, but may be fixed by other means such as screwing or ultrasonic welding.

Further, the structure is not limited to molding the case body 36 or the entire case 3B so as to be integrated with the connection part, but a structure in which the case body 36 is molded separately, the connection part is fitted into it, and the lid 37 is covered may be used.

〔effect〕

By using the apparatus of the present invention as described above, the following effects can be obtained. First of all, the weight has been reduced by changing the material, and each connection part can be integrally molded, so in this case, there is no need for extra allowance when storing the connection parts in the case. Can be made smaller. For this reason, it is important to reduce the speed of small 1f2 equipment that uses this type of equipment a lot.
Becomes J Noh. Masato: Synthetic resin molding included @41. Since the present invention is suitable for industrial use, the device of the present invention can be provided at a low cost due to its small size and light weight.

Also, even if one of the case parts falls off during connection work with other equipment, it will still be covered with light nitrogen, so there will be no need to worry about light fumes. There is no chance that Iha will be disconnected.

Furthermore, since the case is lightweight, it is possible to suspend it on an optical fiber, so it is possible to hang the optical fiber containing the device of the present invention around it like a wide harness. It is also possible to do so, and there is no need to place it on a flat surface or to fix it to an object that supports the 1% beam, unlike in the conventional case.

Furthermore, by providing a reinforcing plate, it exhibits strength comparable to conventional metal cases against I force. Also, protection tube 361)
By providing this, the force that the optical fiber receives from the penetrating portion of the case 38 during bending can be alleviated.

Furthermore, excessive heat is applied to the end of the molded product during injection molding, but if such protective tubes 36h, 36h are to be provided, the end of the molded product should be placed in the protective tube 3 with a small cross-sectional area.
6 hours, the thermal stress exerted on the coating of the optical fiber is extremely small, and is effective in protecting the performance of the optical fiber.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a manufacturing drawing of the waveguide device main body, Fig. 2 is a plan view showing one pattern of the waveguide, Fig. 3 is a partially broken 11i perspective view of the waveguide device main body, and Fig. 4.5 is the optical 6 is a schematic plan view of the waveguide device, FIGS. 7 and 9 are schematic sectional views of the waveguide device of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an open view of the waveguide device of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing a lid state. 10... 4-wave path device main body 13... Exposure section 14.
...Non-exposed portion 16.33...Substrate 31...Optical fiber two node 32...Optical fiber core wire 35...Reinforcement plate 36...Case body 37...Lid 38...Case Patent Applicant Dainichi Nippon Cable Co., Ltd. Agent Patent Attorney Noboru Kono Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A waveguide device main body that is laminated with a substrate to reinforce a film that has a continuous portion with a relatively high refractive index as a waveguide, and an end of an optical fiber that is attached to the substrate. In a waveguide device in which a fixed optical fiber end portion is glued and housed in a case in order to align the positions of the waveguide end face and the optical fiber end face and optically couple them, the case is A waveguide device characterized by being a resin molded product. 2. The main body of the waveguide device, which is laminated with a substrate to reinforce the film, which has a continuous portion with a relatively high refractive index as a waveguide, and the optical fiber, the end of which is fixed to the substrate. A waveguide device in which a terminal portion is housed in a case by adhering the waveguide end face and the optical fiber end face so that the positions of the waveguide end face and the optical fiber end face are aligned and optically coupled, the case is a synthetic resin molded product, A waveguide device comprising a reinforcing plate housed in a case to cover at least two sides of the waveguide device main body and the optical fiber terminal portion. 3. The main body of the waveguide device, which is laminated with a substrate to reinforce the film, which has a continuous portion with a relatively high refractive index as a waveguide, and the optical fiber, the end of which is fixed to the substrate. A waveguide device in which a terminal portion is housed in a case by adhering the waveguide end face and the optical fiber end face so that the positions of the waveguide end face and the optical fiber end face are aligned and optically coupled, the case is a synthetic resin molded product, A waveguide device characterized in that an optical fiber lead-out portion on an outer circumferential surface thereof is provided with a flexible protective tube.