KR20060124504A - Mechanical splice for plastic optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

A mechanical splice for a plastic optical fiber is provided to firmly couple the plastic optical fiber with the splice by fixing the plastic optical fiber between upper and lower members of the splice, and to reduce the time required for coupling and connecting the core. A mechanical splice for a plastic optical fiber includes a lower member(100), an upper member(120), a coupling member(130), and a fixing member. Grooves for aligning and guiding the plastic optical fiber are formed on the lower member. The upper member presses the plastic optical fiber, which is arranged on the groove of the lower member, from an upper position to a lower position. The coupling member is fixed on one of the upper and lower members and protruded to be inserted into the other of the upper and lower members. The fixing member is coupled with a penetrated end of the coupling member and prevents the coupling member from being separated from the splice.

Description

Mechanical splice for plastic optical fiber

The following drawings, which are attached to the present specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and together with the detailed description of the present invention, the present invention provides a further understanding of the technical idea of the present invention. It should not be construed as limited to.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a typical plastic optical fiber.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a mechanical optical connector according to the prior art;

3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a mechanical optical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a fixing member coupled to the fastening member of FIG. 3.

5 is a view showing a coupling process of the fastening member and the fixing member.

6 is a perspective view showing a coupling state of a mechanical optical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Major Reference Marks in Drawing>

100 Lower member 120 Upper member 130 Fastening member

140 ... fixed member 10 ... plastic fiber core

The present invention relates to a mechanical optical connector for plastic optical fibers, and more particularly to a mechanical optical connector for plastic optical fibers having a fastening means for coupling the optical connector body to prevent the plastic optical fiber from being separated from the optical connector by an external force. It is about.

In general, plastic optical fiber (POF) is mainly manufactured using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or polycarbonate-based polymer, and is 5 to 10 times thicker than quartz glass optical fiber and transmits signals. It is as short as 200m. In addition, the transmission loss of the initial plastic optical fiber in the transmission loss was thousands of dB / km, but now lowered to several tens of dB / km level.

Due to the above advantages, the plastic optical fiber is mainly used for short-distance communication in a factory, office, or equipment, such as for short-range networks, transmission of image screens of very short optical microscopes, and control of precise control devices.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a general plastic optical fiber. The plastic optical fiber has a structure of an optical fiber core 10 composed of a core 10a and a clad 10b, a kevlar 11 for having mechanical properties, and an outer shell 12 for protecting the core.

The structure and connection method of the mechanical optical connector according to the prior art among the optical connector for connecting the plastic optical fiber will be described with reference to FIG.

Referring to Figure 2, after peeling the outer shell of the plastic optical fiber core wire, the upper member 20 for pressing the plastic optical fiber from the top, the lower member 10 for aligning and guiding the optical fiber and the fastening member 30 for fixing the plastic optical fiber core wire ) To fix it.

The method of connecting a plastic optical fiber by the mechanical optical connector of the above structure is demonstrated.

In order to connect the plastic optical fiber to the optical connector, the end of the plastic optical fiber must be cut to a predetermined length to remove the coating. Next, the plastic optical fiber without the coating is aligned with the lower member 10 having the guide groove 31a formed therein and guided along the guide groove 31a. Then, the upper member 20 is placed on the lower member 10 so that the inserted plastic optical fiber does not move. When the above-described operation is completed, in order to secure the coupling of the lower member 10 and the upper member 20, a fastening member 30 having a clamping shape having a metallic elastic property is used, the structure of the fastening member 30 The protruding shape 31b is provided along the longitudinal direction of the plastic optical fiber in the center to fix the upper and lower portions of the lower member 10 and the upper member 20.

However, when fixing the plastic optical fiber core wire in the same way as described above, when a tensile force of about 600g is applied, the fastening member 30 is unable to play a fixed role, so that the plastic optical fiber is coupled and connected to the lower member 10 and the upper member 20. Separation occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a mechanical optical connector having a structure in which a fastening member for preventing the plastic optical fiber from being separated from the optical connector is provided integrally with the optical connector body. .

Mechanical optical connector for a plastic optical fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the technical problem, the lower member is formed with a groove for the alignment and guide of the plastic optical fiber; An upper member for pressing the plastic optical fiber disposed in the groove of the lower member from the top; A fastening member that is fixed to either one of the lower member or the upper member and protrudes to fit through the other side; And a fixing member coupled to the penetrating tip of the fastening member to prevent the fastening member from falling off.

Preferably, the groove of the lower member has a 'V' shaped groove structure.

The fastening member preferably has a rod structure integrated with the upper member.

Preferably, the engaging groove is formed along the outer periphery near the distal end of the fastening member, the fixing member may be composed of a substantially horseshoe-type pin structure that is elastically biased in the direction to be pinched by the coupling groove.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to the common or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to explain their invention in the best way. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

3 is a diagram showing the configuration of an optical connector connecting apparatus for plastic optical fibers according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 3, the mechanical optical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower member 100 for aligning the plastic optical fiber, and the upper member for pressing the plastic optical fiber disposed in the groove of the lower member 100 from the top 120, a fastening member 130 that is fixed to either the lower member 100 or the upper member 120 and protrudes to fit through the other, and a fixing member 140 coupled to the front end of the fastening member. ).

The shape of the lower member 100 is not limited to that shown in the drawings, the material is preferably made of metal, ceramic or glass.

The upper surface of the lower member 100 is formed with a guide groove 102 for aligning the plastic optical fiber and the cross section of the guide groove 102 is polished to be perpendicular to the axis of the unfinished plastic optical fiber core wire 10 It is.

In addition, the lower member 100 is provided with a cylindrical fastening hole 101 to penetrate the fastening member having a unitary rod structure to be described later.

The guide groove 102 is to minimize the coupling loss of the plastic optical fiber core wire 10, the structure is preferably formed of a V-shaped groove, it may be provided on the plastic material by a method such as grinding or mold. . However, the structure of the guide groove according to the present invention is not limited to the V-shape, and various other equivalents may of course be employed.

Here, the V-shaped groove 102 minimizes the flow of the plastic optical fiber, and enhances the fixing force of the plastic optical fiber core wire to the optical connector body.

Like the lower member 100, the upper member 120 is made of a material of a metal, ceramic or glass, the shape may be, for example, a flat plate structure, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The upper member 120 is integrally installed with a fastening member 130 for fixing the plastic optical fiber.

Preferably, the fastening member 130 is made of a rod structure, the coupling groove 131 is formed along the outer periphery near the tip. The coupling groove 131 is formed so that the width thereof corresponds to the thickness of the following fixing member 140, and provides a step for suppressing the fastening member 130 is dropped when the fixing member 140 is fitted. .

Fixing member 140 preferably has a horseshoe-shaped pin structure that can be elastically coupled to the coupling groove 131 of the fastening member 130. That is, the fixing member 140 is made of a plastic or metal material having elasticity, and when the fixing member 140 is coupled to the coupling groove 131 of the fastening member 130, the fixing member 140 is opened. It is preferable to be elastically biased (see the arrow in FIG. 4) in the direction of contracting.

5 is a view showing a coupling process of the fastening member and the fastening member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, when the fastening member 130 integrated with the upper member 120 passes through the groove of the lower member 100, the plastic optical fiber core line aligned with the V-shaped groove 102 of the lower member ( 10, the upper member 120 and the lower member 100 are coupled to each other. In this state, when the fixing member 140 is inserted into the coupling groove 131 near the tip of the fastening member 130 penetrating the lower member 100, the coupling between the upper member 120 and the lower member 100 is fixed. do.

Next, an example of use of the mechanical optical connector for plastic optical fibers according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

As described above, the fastening member 130 has a rod structure integrated with the upper member 120, and a coupling groove 131 is formed along the outer circumference near the tip thereof. First, the plastic optical fiber 150 to be connected is disposed in the guide groove 102 of the lower member 100, and then the lower member 100 passes through the fastening hole 101 of the lower member 100. When the upper member 120 is covered over the upper member 120, the upper member 120 and the lower member 100 are coupled to each other while the plastic optical fiber is fixed to the guide groove 102.

When the upper member 120 and the lower member 100 are coupled, the fastening member 130 penetrates through the lower member 100 so that the tip portion thereof exits the lower surface of the lower member 100, wherein the exposed coupling groove ( When the fixing member 140 is inserted into the fixing member 131, the horseshoe-shaped pin structure of the fixing member 140 is coupled while being elastically biased in the retracting direction, thereby preventing the fastening member 130 from falling back again.

When the upper member, the lower member and the plastic optical fiber core are completely combined using the integrated fastening member as described above, the mechanical optical connector according to the prior art has a tensile force of 700 g or more required for the mechanical properties of the plastic optical fiber core for 10 seconds or more. Although it is not endurable and the plastic optical fiber core is separated, the present invention can withstand 10 seconds or more even in the tensile force of 1000g.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the limited embodiment and drawing, this invention is not limited by this and is within the equal range of a common technical idea in the technical field to which this invention belongs, and a claim described below. Of course, various modifications and variations are possible.

As described above, according to the present invention, by using the integral fastening member fixed to the upper member or the lower member and the fixing member corresponding thereto, the plastic optical fiber is firmly fixed between the upper member and the lower member, thereby ensuring stable optical connection of the plastic optical fiber. It can provide the tensile properties required for.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the construction cost and time by reducing the time required for coupling and connecting the optical fiber core wire.

Claims (4)

A lower member having a groove for aligning and guiding the plastic optical fiber; An upper member for pressing the plastic optical fiber disposed in the groove of the lower member from the top; A fastening member that is fixed to either one of the lower member or the upper member and protrudes to fit through the other side; And And a fixing member coupled to the penetrating tip of the fastening member to prevent the fastening member from falling off. The method of claim 1, The groove of the lower member is a mechanical optical connector for plastic optical fiber, characterized in that the 'V' shaped groove. The method of claim 1, The fastening member is a mechanical optical connector for a plastic optical fiber, characterized in that it has a rod structure integrated with the upper member. The method of claim 3, wherein A coupling groove is formed along an outer periphery near the distal end of the fastening member, and the fixing member is a pin of a substantially horseshoe-shaped structure that is elastically biased in a direction to be pinched by the coupling groove.

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