JPWO2016162931A1 - Optical connector and optical connector unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The second optical connector (5) includes a pipe (55) holding a guide pin (44) for positioning the second optical fiber core (41) to the coupling destination optical fiber core (21), and the pipe ( 55) holding a ferrule (40). The front end portion (41a) of the second optical fiber core wire (41) is exposed at the ferrule front end surface (40a), and the guide pin (44) protrudes from the front end surface (40a). In order to couple the second optical fiber core wire (41) of the second optical connector (5) to the coupling destination optical fiber core wire (21), a guide pin (44) is inserted into the mating ferrule side guide hole (25). When inserting, no excessive force is applied to the ferrule (40). Therefore, damage to the ferrule (40) can be avoided.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector and an optical connector unit for optically coupling one or a plurality of optical fibers in optical communication or the like.

  The optical connector includes a ferrule that holds the optical fiber core wire drawn from the tip of the optical fiber in a state where the coating is removed. The ferrule (optical fiber array) described in Patent Document 1 includes a glass V-groove substrate having a V-groove for aligning optical fibers formed on the surface, and a pressing substrate (cover glass) that is stacked on the surface of the V-groove substrate. Have. The optical fiber core wire is accommodated in the V-groove and held by the ferrule while being sandwiched between the V-groove substrate and the holding substrate. The front end surface of the optical fiber core wire is exposed on the front end surface of the ferrule formed by the front end surface of the V-groove base and the front end surface of the holding substrate.

  When optically coupling the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber, a first optical connector having a first ferrule that holds the first optical fiber core of the first optical fiber, and a second optical fiber first A second optical connector having a second ferrule that holds two optical fiber cores is used. The first optical connector and the second optical connector are fastened with the front end face of the first ferrule and the front end face of the second ferrule facing each other.

  In the optical connector unit described in Patent Document 2, the first optical connector includes a guide hole on the front end surface of the first ferrule, and the second optical connector includes a guide pin protruding forward on the front end surface of the second ferrule. When fastening the first optical connector and the second optical connector, the guide pins of the second optical connector are inserted into the guide holes of the first optical connector, whereby the first optical fiber core wire and the second optical fiber core are inserted. Line alignment is performed.

JP 2005-141082 A JP-A-8-184728

  When a guide hole is provided in a ferrule made of a glass substrate, when the guide pin is inserted into the guide hole, the ferrule may be damaged by a force transmitted from the inserted guide pin to the ferrule. In addition, when the guide pin is held by a ferrule made of a glass substrate, when the guide pin is inserted into the guide hole of the optical connector to be fastened, the force transmitted from the held guide pin to the ferrule The ferrule may be damaged.

  In view of this point, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector and an optical connector unit that can prevent or suppress damage to the ferrule even when a guide for axial alignment of the optical fiber core wire is provided on the ferrule. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an optical connector of the present invention includes an optical fiber core, a pipe having a guide hole for positioning the optical fiber core to a coupling destination optical fiber, and the optical fiber. A ferrule for holding the core wire and the pipe, and the ferrule has a ferrule front end surface in which a tip end portion of the optical fiber core wire is exposed and one end of the guide hole is opened. It is characterized by.

  When the guide pin on the side of the coupling destination optical fiber is inserted into the guide hole for axial alignment of the optical fiber core wire, the force from the inserted guide pin is not directly transmitted to the ferrule, but the pipe Is distributed through the ferrule. Therefore, damage to the ferrule, particularly damage to the ferrule made of a glass substrate can be prevented or suppressed.

  The male optical connector of the present invention that can be used as a pair with the female optical connector having the above-described configuration has a configuration in which a guide pin is held on a pipe of the female optical connector. That is, the male-side optical connector includes an optical fiber core, a guide pin for positioning the optical fiber core to a coupling destination optical fiber core, a pipe holding the guide pin, the optical fiber, and the pipe The ferrule has a front end face of the ferrule from which a tip end portion of the optical fiber core wire is exposed and the guide pin protrudes.

  The guide pin is held by the ferrule through a pipe. The force applied to the guide pin is not directly transmitted to the ferrule, but is distributed through the pipe and transmitted to the ferrule. Therefore, damage to the ferrule, particularly damage to the ferrule made of a glass substrate can be prevented or suppressed.

  The ferrule includes a stacked first substrate and a second substrate, and a first groove and a second groove formed between the first and second substrates, and the ferrule front end surface is a first, The front end face of the second substrate is formed, the front end face of the ferrule is open at the front ends of the first and second grooves, the optical fiber core wire is held in the first groove, and the pipe is It is desirable that the second groove is held.

  The first groove and the second groove can be manufactured on one or both surfaces of the first and second substrates by simultaneous processing. Therefore, the guide hole can be provided in the ferrule with the same accuracy as the optical fiber core wire. Further, when the guide pin is held in the guide hole, the guide pin can be attached to the ferrule with high accuracy. The combination of these guide holes and guide pins makes it possible to accurately align the two optical fiber cores to be joined.

  The first substrate projects from the front substrate surface forming the first groove and the second groove between the first substrate and the rear side opposite to the ferrule front end surface from the second substrate. A rear substrate surface is provided, and the optical fiber core wire drawn from the first groove along the rear substrate surface is covered with an adhesive layer. Is desirable.

  In this case, when the adhesive is applied to the optical fiber core wire, if the adhesive enters the guide hole which is the center hole from the rear end of the pipe, the guide hole is filled with the adhesive by capillary action, and the guide hole is formed. It will be blocked. Therefore, it is desirable that the pipe rear end opposite to the ferrule front end surface of the pipe is located at a position protruding from the adhesive layer. Thereby, the penetration | invasion of the adhesive agent in a guide hole can be avoided. In the case where there is no risk of the adhesive entering, a pipe shorter than the substrate length can be used. For example, when the rear end of the pipe is blocked, the rear end may be located in the adhesive layer.

  Since the ferrule is generally composed of a glass substrate that is easily brittle and fractured, the pipe may be a resin, metal, or ceramic pipe.

  Next, an optical connector unit according to the present invention includes a first optical connector including a first ferrule that holds the first optical fiber core and a second optical fiber that includes a second ferrule that holds the second optical fiber core. And the first optical connector is a female optical connector having the above-described configuration including a pipe that does not hold a guide pin, and the second optical connector includes a pipe that holds a guide pin. The male optical connector having the above-described configuration, wherein the first optical fiber core wire and the second optical fiber core are formed by inserting the guide pins of the second optical connector into the guide holes of the first optical connector. It is characterized in that the line is positioned.

  According to the present invention, when the first optical connector and the second optical connector are coupled, by inserting the guide pin on the second optical connector side into the guide hole on the first optical connector side, Axis alignment of the first optical fiber core and the second optical fiber core of the second optical connector can be performed. The guide hole is defined by the pipe, and the guide pin is held by the pipe. On either side of the first and second optical connectors, no excessive force acts on the ferrule when the guide pin is inserted into the guide hole. Therefore, it is prevented or suppressed that the ferrule is damaged in the coupling operation of both optical connectors.

  Further, the first ferrule and the second ferrule differ only in the presence or absence of guide pins, and the other structures are the same. Therefore, these components can be shared between the first optical connector and the second optical connector, and the manufacturing cost of the optical connector unit can be suppressed.

It is a side view of the optical connector unit to which this invention is applied. It is a perspective view of the 1st optical connector and the 2nd optical connector. It is explanatory drawing of the ferrule holding a guide pin and a pipe.

  Embodiments of an optical connector unit to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Optical connector unit)
FIG. 1 is a side view of an optical connector unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A shows a state in which a first optical connector and a second optical connector constituting the optical connector unit are fastened, and FIG. The state which the fastening of 1 optical connector and 2nd optical connector was cancelled | released is shown. FIG. 1B shows the nut of the first optical connector in cross section. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the first optical connector, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing the second optical connector.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the optical connector unit 1 includes a first optical connector 3 to which a first optical fiber 2 is connected and a second optical connector 5 to which a second optical fiber 4 is connected. The first optical connector 3 and the second optical connector 5 are fastened coaxially. When the first optical connector 3 and the second optical connector 5 are fastened, the first optical fiber 2 and the second optical fiber 4 are optically coupled. For example, the first optical fiber 2 is composed of a 32-core optical fiber group composed of two 16-core optical fiber cables, and the second optical fiber 4 is also a 32-core light composed of two 16-core optical fiber cables. A group of fibers.

  When the first optical connector 3 is described, the direction of the axis L is the front-rear direction X, the side from which the first optical fiber 2 is drawn is the rear X2, and the opposite direction is the front X1. When the second optical connector 5 is described, the direction of the axis L is the front-rear direction Y, the side from which the second optical fiber 4 is drawn is the rear Y2, and the opposite direction is the front Y1. For convenience of explanation, the upper and lower directions in the figure are the up and down directions of the optical connectors 3 and 5, and the direction perpendicular to the axis L direction and the up and down directions are the left and right directions of the optical connectors 3 and 5.

(First optical connector)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the first optical connector 3 includes a cylindrical first housing 11, a nut 12 that is coaxially attached to a front end portion of the first housing 11, and a first housing 11. It has the ring 13 fixed to the outer peripheral side. A pair of front spacers 22 and 23 are attached to the front opening of the first housing 11, and a pair of rear spacers 14 and 15 are attached to the rear opening of the first housing 11. In this example, the first housing 11, the nut 12, the ring 13, the front spacers 22 and 23, and the rear spacers 14 and 15 are metal parts, but these are made of a material such as resin or ceramic. Is also possible.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the front opening edge of the first housing 11 is provided with a flange portion 16 that extends to the outer peripheral side. The flange portion 16 defines a limit of movement of the nut 12 toward the front X1 and functions as a retaining member for the nut 12. The ring 13 is fixed to a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the first housing 11 on the front end side, and defines a limit of movement of the nut 12 to the rear X2. The nut 12 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the first housing 11 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction X and rotatable about the axis L. An outlet 17 is formed between the rear spacers 14 and 15 attached to the rear opening of the first housing 11. The first optical fiber 2 is drawn backward from the outlet 17.

  The first housing 11 holds the first ferrule 20. The first ferrule 20 holds the first optical fiber core wire 21 drawn from the tip of the optical fiber 2 in a state where the coating is removed. The first ferrule 20 is held in the first housing 11 between a pair of front spacers 22 and 23 attached to the front opening thereof. The front end surfaces 22a and 23a of the front spacers 22 and 23 and the front end surface (ferrule front end surface) 20a of the first ferrule 20 are located on the same plane orthogonal to the axis L.

  The front end surface 20 a of the first optical fiber core wire 21 is exposed at the front end surface 20 a of the first ferrule 20. Further, on the front end surface 20a of the first ferrule 20, ferrule side guide holes 25 are provided on both sides of the first optical fiber core wire 21 in the left-right direction. Two spacer-side guide holes 26 are provided in the front end surface 22a of the front spacer 22 located on the upper side. The two spacer-side guide holes 26 are arranged at positions separated in the left-right direction.

  An antireflection film 27 is formed on the front end surface 20 a of the first ferrule 20. The antireflection film 27 is made of resin and has elasticity. The antireflection film covers at least the region where the optical fiber core wire 21 is exposed on the front end face 20 a of the first ferrule 20.

(Second optical connector)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B, the second optical connector 5 includes a cylindrical second housing 31. A pair of front spacers 42 and 43 are attached inside the front opening of the second housing 31, and a pair of rear spacers 32 and 33 are attached inside the rear opening. A male screw 34 that can be screwed with the female screw 12a of the nut 12 is formed on the outer peripheral surface portion of a certain length from the front end of the second housing 31 toward the rear Y2. An outlet 35 is formed between the rear spacers 32 and 33 to draw out the second optical fiber 4 from the inside of the second housing 31 to the outside.

  A second ferrule 40 is held in the front opening of the second housing 31 between the upper and lower front spacers 42 and 43. The second ferrule 40 holds the second optical fiber core wire 41 drawn from the tip of the optical fiber 4 with the coating removed. The front end surface 42a of the front spacer 42 positioned on the upper side, the front end surface 20a of the second ferrule 40, and the front end surface 43a of the front spacer 43 positioned on the lower side are positioned on the same plane orthogonal to the axis L.

  On the front end face (ferrule front end face) 40a of the second ferrule 40, the tip end face (tip end) 41a of the second optical fiber core wire 41 is exposed. The second ferrule 40 includes two ferrule side guide pins 44 protruding forward from the front end face 40a. More specifically, the front end surface 22a of the second ferrule 40 is provided with ferrule side guide holes 45 on both sides of the second optical fiber core wire 41 in the left-right direction, and each ferrule side guide pin 44 is arranged on the rear side. The portion is inserted into each ferrule side guide hole 45 and fixed by adhesion. Two spacer-side guide pins 46 projecting forward Y1 are provided on the front end surface 42a of the upper front spacer 42. The two spacer-side guide pins 46 are at positions separated in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 1B, the protruding amount of the spacer side guide pin 46 from the front end surface 40a of the second ferrule 40 is larger than the protruding amount of the ferrule side guide pin 44 from the front end surface 40a of the second ferrule 40. large.

  The male screw 34 of the second housing 31 constitutes a fixing mechanism 38 (see FIG. 1) that fixes the first optical connector 3 and the second optical connector 5 together with the nut 12 of the first optical connector 3. By the fixing mechanism 38, the first housing 11 of the first optical connector 3 and the second housing 31 of the second optical connector 5 are fastened in a state where they are pressed against each other along the direction of the axis L. Thereby, the front end surfaces of the first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 exposed on the front end surfaces of the first housing 11 and the second housing 31 are joined in a state where they are pressed against each other.

(Fastening operation of the first and second optical connectors)
An operation for fastening the first optical connector 3 and the second optical connector 5 will be specifically described. First, the front end surface 20a of the first ferrule 20 where the front end surface 21a of the first optical fiber core wire 21 is exposed faces the front end surface 40a of the second ferrule 40 where the front end surface 41a of the second optical fiber core wire 41 is exposed. Let

  The spacer-side guide pin 46 of the second optical connector 5 is positioned in the spacer-side guide hole 26 of the first optical connector 3 and inserted in the direction along the axis L. As a result, the ferrule side guide pin 44 of the second optical connector 5 is inserted into the ferrule side guide hole 45 of the first optical connector 3. With the two sets of guide pins and guide holes, each first optical fiber core wire 21 of the first optical connector 3 and each second optical fiber core wire 41 of the second optical connector 5 are accurately aligned.

  Next, when the nut 12 of the first optical connector 3 is screwed into the male screw 34 of the second optical connector 5, the front end surface 20 a of the first ferrule 20 of the first optical connector 3 and the second end of the second optical connector 5 are obtained. The front end face 40 a of the ferrule 40 abuts through the antireflection film 27. When the nut 12 is tightened, the first housing 11 of the first optical connector 3 and the second housing 31 of the second optical connector 5 are pressed against each other in the direction of the axis L. As a result, the first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 are pressed against each other with the front end surfaces positioned. That is, the antireflection film 27 formed on these front end surfaces is elastically deformed and pressed. As a result, the first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 abut on each other in an airtight state, and the first optical fiber 2 and the second optical fiber 4 are optically coupled.

(Ferrule)
The first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the second ferrule 40 as viewed from the front and obliquely above, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the second ferrule 40 taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 3C is a front view of the second ferrule 40 as viewed from the front. Since the first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 have the same basic configuration, the basic configuration of the second ferrule 40 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the second ferrule 40 includes a first substrate 50 and a second substrate 53 that are stacked. The second ferrule 40 holds the second optical fiber 4, a pair of pipes 55, and a pair of ferrule side guide pins 44.

  The first substrate 50 is made of glass. The first substrate 50 includes a front substrate portion (front substrate surface) 50c in which a plurality of first V grooves 51 and a pair of second V grooves 52 are formed on the surface 50a, and a front substrate portion 50c continuous with the rear Y2 thereof. ing. The plurality of first V grooves 51 are for holding the plurality of second optical fiber core wires 41 in alignment. The plurality of first V grooves 51 are formed at regular intervals in the left-right direction and extend in parallel in the front-rear direction. Each first V-groove 51 extends rearward Y2 from the front end face 50b of the first substrate 50, and the front end of each first V-groove 51 is open on the front end face 50b of the first substrate 50. Each second optical fiber core wire 41 is composed of a core and a clad, and has a circular cross section. Each second optical fiber core wire 41 is accommodated and fixed in the first V-groove 51.

  Since the first optical fiber 2 in this example has 32 cores, 32 first V grooves 51 are formed. In FIG. 3, in order to display the minute V-groove 51 in an easy-to-understand manner, the number of grooves smaller than the actual number is enlarged.

  The pair of second V grooves 52 are formed on both sides of the plurality of first V grooves 51 on the surface of the first substrate 50. The second V groove 52 is for holding the pipe 55. Each second V-groove 52 extends in parallel with each first V-groove 51. Each second V-groove 52 extends from the front end face 50b of the first substrate 50 to the rear Y2, and the front end face 50b of the first substrate 50 is open at the front end of each second V-groove 52. The second V-groove 52 is significantly larger than the first V-groove 51, but in FIG. 3, the first V-groove 51 is drawn larger for easy understanding.

  Each pipe 55 is made of resin, metal or ceramic, and its center hole functions as a ferrule side guide hole 45 into which the guide pin can be inserted without rattling. Each pipe 55 is a cylindrical pipe and has a length dimension corresponding to the length dimension of the first substrate 50 in the front-rear direction Y. Each pipe 55 is accommodated in each second V-groove 52 and fixed by adhesion.

  The second substrate 53 is superposed on the surface of the front substrate portion 50 c and sandwiches each second optical fiber core wire 41 and the pipe 55 between the first substrate 50. The second substrate 53 is fixed to the first substrate 50 with an adhesive filled between the first substrate 50 and the second substrate 53.

  In a state where the second substrate 53 is bonded and fixed to the first substrate 50, the front end surface 53a of the second substrate 53 and the front end surface 50b of the first substrate 50 are located on the same plane, and these front end surfaces 53a and 50b A front end surface 40a of the second ferrule 40 is configured. When the second substrate 53 is fixed to the first substrate 50, the front core portion 41b of the second optical fiber core wire 41 is sandwiched between the second substrate 53 and the front substrate portion 50c, and the rear side The core portion 41c is pulled out to the rear Y2 along the rear substrate portion (rear substrate surface) 50d. Similarly, the front pipe portion 55a of the pipe 55 is sandwiched between the second substrate 53 and the front substrate portion 50c, and the rear pipe portion 55b extends rearward Y2 along the rear substrate portion 50d.

  In a state in which the second substrate 53 is fixed to the first substrate 50, the front core portion 41b of each second optical fiber core wire 41 includes a pair of left and right inclined surfaces defining the first V groove 51, and a second It is inscribed in the lower surface of the substrate 53, and the arrangement position is defined by these surfaces. The front end surface 41 a of the second optical fiber core wire 41 is located on the same plane as the front end surface 40 a of the second ferrule 40 and is exposed to the front end surface 40 a of the second ferrule 40.

  The front pipe portion 55a of each pipe 55 is inscribed in a pair of left and right inclined surfaces defining the second V groove 52 and the lower surface of the second substrate 53, and the accommodation position is defined by these surfaces. The front end 55 c of the pipe 55 is located on the same plane as the front end surface 40 a of the second ferrule 40 and is exposed to the front end surface 40 a of the second ferrule 40. That is, the center hole of the pipe 55 opens in the front end surface 40 a of the second ferrule 40. Therefore, a pair of ferrule side guide holes 45 are formed in the front end surface 40 a of the second ferrule 40 by the center hole of the pipe 55.

  The rear core portion 41c of each second optical fiber core 41 and the rear pipe portion 55b of the pipe 55 are formed from the rear end of the second substrate 53 as shown in FIGS. A portion having a constant width toward the rear Y2 is covered with the adhesive layer 57 and fixed to the rear substrate portion 50d.

  When the adhesive is applied to the optical fiber core 41 to form the adhesive layer 57, if the adhesive enters the ferrule side guide hole 45, which is the center hole, from the rear end of the pipe 55, the ferrule side is caused by capillary action. The guide hole 45 is filled with an adhesive, and the ferrule side guide hole 45 is blocked. In this example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the rear end 55d of each pipe 55 is in a position protruding rearward Y2 from the adhesive layer 57. Therefore, when the adhesive layer 57 is formed, it is possible to prevent the adhesive from adhering to the rear end 55d of the pipe 55. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the adhesive from entering the ferrule side guide hole 45.

  The rear end portion of each ferrule side guide pin 44 is inserted into each ferrule side guide hole 45 and held by the second ferrule 40. Each ferrule side guide pin 44 has an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the center hole of each pipe 55. Therefore, each ferrule side guide pin 44 inserted into the pipe 55 is fitted in the center hole of the pipe 55.

  Next, the first ferrule 20 of the first optical connector 3 is different from the second ferrule 40 in that the ferrule side guide pin 44 is not provided. The first ferrule 20 is different from the second ferrule 40 in that an antireflection film 27 is laminated on the front end face 20a. In other configurations, the first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 are the same.

  In other words, the first ferrule 20 includes a first substrate 50 having a plurality of first V grooves 51 and a pair of second V grooves 52 formed on the surface, and a second substrate overlapped on the surface of the front substrate portion 50c of the first substrate 50. A substrate 53 is provided. The first ferrule 20 holds the first optical fiber 2 (first optical fiber core wire 21) and a pair of pipes 55. The first substrate 50 of the first ferrule 20 and the first substrate 50 of the second ferrule 40 are the same member. The second substrate 53 of the first ferrule 20 and the second substrate 53 of the second ferrule 40 are the same member. The pipe 55 held by the first ferrule 20 and the pipe 55 held by the second ferrule 40 are the same member.

  In the state where the second substrate 53 is fixed to the first substrate 50, the front end surface 53a of the second substrate 53 and the front end surface 50b of the first substrate 50 are located on the same plane, and the front end surfaces 53a and 50b are used to A front end face 20a of one ferrule 20 is configured. The front end surface 21 a of the first optical fiber core wire 21 is located on the same plane as the front end surface 20 a of the first ferrule 20 and is exposed to the front end surface 20 a of the first ferrule 20. A pair of ferrule side guide holes 25 is formed in the front end surface 20a of the first ferrule 20 by opening a central hole of the pipe 55.

  In the first ferrule 20, the ferrule side guide hole 25 opens in the front end face 20a. The ferrule side guide hole 25 defined by the center hole of the pipe 55 receives the guide pin 44 of the second optical fiber 4 to position the optical fiber core wire 21 on the optical fiber core wire 41 of the second optical fiber 4. .

  The first V-groove 51 and the second V-groove 52 may be formed on the surface (lower surface) of the second substrate 53 to hold the first optical fiber core wires 21 and 41 and the pipe 55. Further, when the first V groove 51 and the second V groove 52 are formed on both surfaces of the first substrate 50 and the second substrate 53 and laminated, the first V groove 51 of the first substrate 50 and the first V groove of the second substrate 53 are formed. The first optical fiber core wires 21 and 41 are held in the holes formed by 51, and the pipe 55 is held in the hole formed by the second V groove 52 of the first substrate 50 and the second V groove 52 of the second substrate 53. May be.

  Further, the antireflection film 27 may be provided on the front end face 40 a of the second ferrule 40, or may be provided on both the front end face 20 a of the first ferrule 20 and the front end face 40 a of the second ferrule 40. Further, instead of the antireflection film 27, a transparent resin film having elasticity may be provided.

(Operational effects of the embodiment)
A ferrule side guide pin 44 protruding from the front end surface 40a of the second ferrule 40 of the second optical connector 5 is inserted into the ferrule side guide hole 25 formed in the front end surface 20a of the first ferrule 20 of the first optical connector 3. The first optical fiber core 21 of the first optical connector 3 and the second optical fiber core 41 of the second optical connector 5 can be aligned with each other. The force applied to the ferrule side guide pin 44 when the first optical connector 3 and the second optical connector 5 are fastened is distributed via the pipe 55 and transmitted to the ferrules 20 and 40. Therefore, it can prevent or suppress that each ferrule 20 and 40 which consists of a glass substrate breaks.

  The pipe 55 is fixed to the ferrules 20 and 40 by using V-grooves formed on the surface of the glass substrate (first substrate 50), similarly to the optical fiber cores 21 and 41. The first V groove 51 and the second V groove 52 can be manufactured on the surface of the first substrate 50 by simultaneous processing. The pipe 55 can be held on the first substrate 50 with the same accuracy as the optical fiber core wires 21 and 41. Therefore, the ferrule side guide hole 25 can be provided with the same accuracy as the optical fiber core wires 21 and 41. Since the ferrule side guide hole 45 can be provided with the same accuracy as the optical fiber core wires 21 and 41, the ferrule side guide pin 44 inserted into the ferrule side guide hole 45 can be protruded in a specified direction with high accuracy. it can.

  The first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 differ only in the presence or absence of the guide pin 44, and the other structure is the same. Therefore, these components can be shared between the first optical connector 3 and the second optical connector 5, and the manufacturing cost of the optical connector unit 1 can be suppressed.

  When the first optical connector 3 and the second optical connector 5 are fastened, the first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 are pressed against each other in the direction of the axis L, and are interposed between the first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40. The antireflection film 27 is crushed in the direction of the axis L. As a result, the first ferrule 20 and the second ferrule 40 abut on the airtight state via the antireflection film 27. There is no need to form an airtight state by the first housing 11 of the first optical connector 3 and the second housing 31 of the second optical connector 5.

Claims (9)

An optical fiber core,
A pipe provided with a guide hole for positioning the optical fiber core wire to the optical fiber core wire to be coupled;
A ferrule that holds the optical fiber core and the pipe;
Have
The ferrule is an optical connector provided with a ferrule front end face in which a tip end portion of the optical fiber core wire is exposed and one end of the guide hole is opened.   The optical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a guide pin held by the pipe and protruding from the front end surface of the ferrule. The ferrule is
A stacked first substrate and second substrate;
A first groove and a second groove formed between the first and second substrates;
With
The ferrule front end face is formed by front end faces of the first and second substrates, and the front ends of the first and second grooves are open on the ferrule front end face.
The optical fiber core wire is held in the first groove,
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the pipe is held in the second groove. The first substrate is
A front substrate surface forming the first groove and the second groove between the second substrate and the second substrate;
A rear substrate surface protruding rearward from the second substrate on the side opposite to the ferrule front end surface;
With
The optical fiber core wire is provided with a core wire portion drawn from the first groove along the rear substrate surface and covered with an adhesive layer;
The optical connector according to claim 3, wherein a pipe rear end opposite to the ferrule front end face of the pipe is located at a position protruding from the adhesive layer. The ferrule is composed of a glass substrate,
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the pipe is a resin, metal, or ceramic pipe. A first optical connector having a first ferrule for holding a first optical fiber core;
A second optical connector having a second ferrule for holding the second optical fiber core;
Have
The first optical connector is the optical connector according to claim 1,
The second optical connector is the optical connector according to claim 2,
An optical connector unit in which the first optical fiber core wire and the second optical fiber core wire are positioned by inserting the guide pins of the second optical connector into the guide holes of the first optical connector. Each of the ferrules of the first and second optical connectors is
A stacked first substrate and second substrate;
A first groove and a second groove formed between the first and second substrates;
With
The ferrule front end face is formed by front end faces of the first and second substrates, and the front ends of the first and second grooves are open on the ferrule front end face.
The first or second optical fiber core wire is held in the first groove,
The optical connector unit according to claim 6, wherein the pipe is held in the second groove. The first substrate is
A front substrate surface forming the first groove and the second groove between the second substrate and the second substrate;
A rear substrate surface protruding rearward from the second substrate on the side opposite to the ferrule front end surface;
With
The first or second optical fiber core is provided with a core wire portion that is drawn out from the first groove along the surface of the rear substrate and covered with an adhesive layer;
The optical connector unit according to claim 7, wherein a pipe rear end opposite to the ferrule front end surface of the pipe is located at a position protruding from the adhesive layer. The ferrule is composed of a glass substrate,
The optical connector unit according to claim 6, wherein the pipe is a resin, metal, or ceramic pipe.