WO2023112910A1 - Fusion splicer - Google Patents

Abstract

A fusion splicer according to the present invention can reduce additional operations for removing foreign matter.　A fusion splicer for fusion splicing optical fibers comprises: a base member (11) having a V-groove in which the optical fibers are installed; and a fiber clamp (21B) having a lower surface (26) that faces an upper surface of the base member. A portion of a region facing a region in which the V-groove is formed in the upper surface of the base member within the lower surface of the fiber clamp includes one or more recessed portions (25) and one or multiple planar portions that are on the same plane.

Description

fusion splicer

This disclosure relates to a fusion splicer.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Application No. 2021-204600 filed on December 16, 2021, and incorporates all the content described in the Japanese application.

Conventionally, there is known a fusion splicer that positions an optical fiber to be spliced in a V-groove and presses it with a fiber clamp to perform fusion splicing (see Patent Document 1).

WO2020/162044

A fusion splicer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a fusion splicer for fusion splicing optical fibers, and includes a base member having a V-groove in which the optical fiber is installed, and a base member facing the upper surface of the base member. a portion of the lower surface of the fiber clamp facing the region in which the V-groove is formed on the upper surface of the base member includes one or more It includes a recess and one or more coplanar planar portions.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a fusion splicer. FIG. 2A is a top view of a portion of a fusion splicer. FIG. 2B is a top view of a portion of the fusion splicer. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of part of a fusion splicer. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system for controlling the fusion splicer. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of part of a fusion splicer. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the fusion splicer. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a fiber clamp; FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the fiber clamp. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of part of a fusion splicer. FIG. 8A is a bottom view of the fiber clamp. FIG. 8B is a bottom view of the fiber clamp. FIG. 8C is a bottom view of the fiber clamp. FIG. 8D is a bottom view of the fiber clamp. FIG. 8E is a bottom view of the fiber clamp. FIG. 8F is a bottom view of the fiber clamp.

[Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure]
Patent Document 1 discloses the operation of a fusion splicer for removing foreign matter adhering to an optical fiber. However, this fusion splicer needs to perform an operation for positively removing the foreign matter in addition to the normal fusion splicing operation. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize additional operations for foreign matter removal.

[Effect of the present disclosure]
The above-described fusion splicer can reduce additional operations for removing foreign matter.

[Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]
First, the embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described.

(1) A fusion splicer according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a fusion splicer for fusion splicing optical fibers, comprising: a base member having a V-groove in which the optical fiber is installed; a fiber clamp having a lower surface facing an upper surface, wherein part of the area of the lower surface of the fiber clamp that faces the area in which the V-groove is formed on the upper surface of the base member is one Alternatively, it may include a plurality of recesses and one or a plurality of planar portions on the same plane. With this configuration, by forming a recess in the lower surface of the fiber clamp, it is possible to reduce the probability of foreign matter being caught between the lower surface of the fiber clamp and the upper surface of the base member or the optical fiber installed in the V-groove. . This is because there is a higher probability that the foreign matter will be contained in the concave portion. Therefore, this configuration brings about the effect that the optical fiber installed in the V-groove and the fiber clamp can be appropriately brought into contact with each other. In other words, this configuration has the effect of preventing the optical fiber installed in the V-groove from coming into contact with the fiber clamp at all. As a result, this configuration has the effect of suppressing the occurrence of the problem that the optical fiber is not properly pressed by the fiber clamp and the optical fiber is displaced from the predetermined position. The portion of the optical fiber that is installed in the V-groove is the portion where the coating material is removed and the glass fiber is exposed, and is also called a bare fiber portion. Moreover, the portion coated with the coating material is also called an optical fiber bare wire or an optical fiber core wire.

(2) The recess may be formed to extend in a direction non-parallel to the extending direction of the V-groove formed in the base member. This configuration has the effect of ensuring that the optical fiber is pressed against the base member 11 by a portion of the lower surface of the fiber clamp (the portion where the recess is not formed). Therefore, this configuration has the effect that the optical fiber placed in the V-groove and the fiber clamp can be brought into proper contact, and thus the optical fiber can be accurately positioned within the V-groove.

(3) The recess may be configured such that at least one end opens to the side surface of the fiber clamp. This configuration brings about an effect that a worker who cleans the recess can easily discharge foreign matter adhering to the recess with a cotton swab or the like along the extending direction of the recess. As such, this configuration can, for example, reduce the number of contaminants that can adhere to the optical fiber when it is installed in the V-groove, which in turn reduces the amount of foreign matter that can adhere to the optical fiber installed in the V-groove and the lower surface of the fiber clamp. It brings about an effect that it is possible to suppress foreign matter from being sandwiched between. As a result, this configuration has the advantage that the optical fiber is accurately positioned within the V-groove.

(4) The fiber clamp may be configured to be swingable around an axis parallel to the extending direction of the V-groove formed in the base member. This configuration is for maintaining parallelism between the upper surface of the base member and the lower surface of the fiber clamp even when the dimensional tolerance of members such as the fiber clamp and the base member is large. Further, even when the fiber clamp is configured to be able to oscillate, the concave portion formed on the lower surface of the fiber clamp is a light beam installed on the lower surface of the fiber clamp and the upper surface of the base member or the V-groove. It is possible to reduce the probability that a foreign object will be caught between the fibers. This is because there is a higher probability that the foreign matter will be contained in the concave portion. Therefore, the concave portion formed on the lower surface of the fiber clamp brings about the effect that the optical fiber installed in the V-groove and the fiber clamp can be properly brought into contact with each other. As a result, the concave portion formed on the lower surface of the fiber clamp can prevent the optical fiber from being displaced from the predetermined position due to the optical fiber not being properly pressed by the fiber clamp. effect.

[Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure]
A specific example of a fusion splicer 1 and an optical fiber splicing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing part of the fusion splicer 1. FIG. In FIG. 1, X1 represents one direction of the X-axis forming the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and X2 represents the other direction of the X-axis. Y1 represents one direction of the Y-axis forming the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and Y2 represents the other direction of the Y-axis. Similarly, Z1 represents one direction of the Z-axis forming the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and Z2 represents the other direction of the Z-axis. In this embodiment, the X1 side of the fusion splicer 1 corresponds to the front side (front side) of the fusion splicer 1, and the X2 side of the fusion splicer 1 corresponds to the rear side (back side) of the fusion splicer 1. side). The Y1 side of the fusion splicer 1 corresponds to the left side of the fusion splicer 1 , and the Y2 side of the fusion splicer 1 corresponds to the right side of the fusion splicer 1 . The Z1 side of the fusion splicer 1 corresponds to the upper side of the fusion splicer 1 , and the Z2 side of the fusion splicer 1 corresponds to the lower side of the fusion splicer 1 . The same applies to other drawings.

The fusion splicer 1 is a device configured to fusion splice a plurality of pairs of optical fibers arranged with their end faces facing each other by arc discharge. In the illustrated example, the fusion splicer 1 is configured to be capable of fusion splicing four optical fiber pairs. Specifically, the fusion splicer 1 includes a pair of electrode rods 5 (rear electrode rod 5B and front electrode rod 5F), a pair of base members 11 (left base member 11L and right base member 11R), and a pair of It includes a fiber clamp assembly 21 (a left fiber clamp assembly 21L and a right fiber clamp assembly 21R) and a pair of fiber holders 31 (a left fiber holder 31L and a right fiber holder 31R). The pair of base members 11 (the left base member 11L and the right base member 11R) may be integrally formed as one component.

The pair of electrode rods 5 includes a rear electrode rod 5B and a front electrode rod 5F that are spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction. The pair of electrode rods 5 are arranged such that the tip 5Ba of the rear electrode rod 5B and the tip 5Fa of the front electrode rod 5F face each other in the X-axis direction. In the illustrated example, the rear electrode rod 5B includes a conical portion whose diameter decreases toward the tip 5Ba. The same applies to the front electrode rod 5F.

A plurality of pairs of optical fibers arranged on the pair of base members 11 are glass fibers and arranged between the rear electrode rod 5B and the front electrode rod 5F for generating arc discharge. Also, among the plurality of pairs of optical fibers, the portions placed on the pair of base members 11 are bare fiber portions where the coating material is removed and the glass fibers are exposed.

Specifically, the plurality of pairs of bare fiber portions are a bare fiber portion of the left optical fiber group 3L that constitutes the left optical fiber ribbon 4L and a bare fiber portion of the right optical fiber group 3R that constitutes the right optical fiber ribbon 4R. including. In the following description, the left optical fiber group 3L and the right optical fiber group 3R may be referred to as the optical fiber group 3 for convenience of explanation.

A tape core wire is made by arranging multiple optical fibers (optical fiber strands) in parallel and coating them collectively with, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin (coating material). Each of the left optical fiber ribbon 4L and the right optical fiber ribbon 4R in the illustrated example is a four-fiber tape core in which four optical fibers (optical fiber bare wires) are arranged in parallel and collectively coated with an ultraviolet curable resin (coating material). is a line.

The pair of base members 11 are members for supporting a plurality of pairs of optical fibers, and include a left base member 11L and a right base member 11R arranged so as to sandwich the pair of electrode rods 5 in the Y-axis direction. That is, the pair of electrode rods 5 are arranged between the left base member 11L and the right base member 11R which are arranged apart from each other in the Y-axis direction. The illustrated right base member 11R has a right V-groove group 17R, also referred to as a right optical fiber placement portion or right groove portion, and the left base member 11L is also referred to as a left optical fiber placement portion or left groove portion. It has a left V groove group 17L. Note that, hereinafter, the left V-groove group 17L and the right V-groove group 17R may be referred to as the V-groove group 17 for convenience of explanation.

The left V-groove group 17L has a plurality of V-grooves for arranging a plurality of optical fibers (left optical fiber group 3L), and the right V-groove group 17R has a plurality of optical fibers (right optical fiber group 3R). ) for arranging a plurality of V-grooves. In the illustrated example, the left V-groove group 17L has four V-grooves for arranging four optical fibers. The four V-grooves are arranged at equal intervals in the X-axis direction and formed to extend linearly along the Y-axis direction. Similarly, right V-groove group 17R has four V-grooves for arranging four optical fibers. The four V-grooves are arranged at equal intervals in the X-axis direction and formed to extend linearly along the Y-axis direction.

The plurality of V-grooves in the right V-groove group 17R and the plurality of V-grooves in the left V-groove group 17L are configured so that positioning of a plurality of optical fiber pairs can be performed simultaneously. In the illustrated example, the four V-grooves in the right V-groove group 17R and the four V-grooves in the left V-groove group 17L are arranged to face each other in the extending direction (Y-axis direction), forming four optical fiber pairs. are configured to be positioned at the same time.

As a result, the four optical fibers positioned by the four V-grooves in the right V-groove group 17R and the four optical fibers positioned by the four V-grooves in the left V-groove group 17L are connected to the right base member 11R. (Right V-groove group 17R) and Left base member 11L (Left V-groove group 17L) abut against each other.

The details of the V-groove group 17 in which the four optical fiber pairs are positioned will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. 2A and 2B are top views of part of the fusion splicer 1. FIG. Specifically, FIGS. 2A and 2B are top views of the electrode rod 5 and the base member 11. FIG. More specifically, FIG. 2A shows the state before the optical fiber group 3 is installed in the V-groove group 17, and FIG. 2B shows the state after the optical fiber group 3 is installed in the V-groove group 17. show. In addition, in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a dot pattern is added to the groove surface of the V groove group 17 for clarity. Also, in FIG. 2A, the bottom of each V-groove is indicated by a dashed line.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the left V-groove group 17L includes a first left V-groove 17AL, a second left V-groove 17BL, a third left V-groove 17CL, and a fourth left V-groove 17DL, and a right V-groove group 17R. includes a first right V-groove 17AR, a second right V-groove 17BR, a third right V-groove 17CR, and a fourth right V-groove 17DR. The first left V-groove 17AL and the first right V-groove 17AR form a first V-groove pair 17A, the second left V-groove 17BL and the second right V-groove 17BR form a second V-groove pair 17B, The third left V-groove 17CL and the third right V-groove 17CR constitute a third V-groove pair 17C, and the fourth left V-groove 17DL and the fourth right V-groove 17DR constitute a fourth V-groove pair 17D.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2B, the left optical fiber group 3L includes a first left optical fiber 3AL, a second left optical fiber 3BL, a third left optical fiber 3CL, and a fourth left optical fiber 3DL as bare fiber portions. Including, the right optical fiber group 3R includes a first right optical fiber 3AR, a second right optical fiber 3BR, a third right optical fiber 3CR, and a fourth right optical fiber 3DR as bare fiber portions. The first left optical fiber 3AL and the first right optical fiber 3AR constitute a first optical fiber pair 3A, and the second left optical fiber 3BL and the second right optical fiber 3BR constitute a second optical fiber pair 3B. The third left optical fiber 3CL and the third right optical fiber 3CR constitute a third optical fiber pair 3C, and the fourth left optical fiber 3DL and the fourth right optical fiber 3DR constitute a fourth optical fiber pair 3D. do.

Next, the movement of the pair of fiber clamp assemblies 21 (left fiber clamp assembly 21L and right fiber clamp assembly 21R) will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of part of the fusion splicer 1. FIG. Specifically, FIG. 3 is a view of the cross section including the section line III-III in FIG. 2B viewed from the X1 side as indicated by the arrow. In addition, the cross section in FIG. 2B includes the cross section of the base member 11 .

The fiber clamp assembly 21 is configured so that the optical fiber group 3 installed in the V-groove group 17 can be pressed against the V-groove group 17, as shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, the fiber clamp assembly 21 includes an arm portion 21A, a fiber clamp 21B, a connecting pin 21C, and a clamp block 21D. The fiber clamp assembly 21 is arranged above the V-groove group 17 and configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction. The fiber clamp 21B is attached to the lower end of the arm portion 21A via a connecting pin 21C. In the illustrated example, the fiber clamp 21B is made of heat-resistant ceramics such as zirconia. The arm portion 21A is attached to the lower end of the clamp block 21D via an elastic body (not shown) such as a spring.

Specifically, the left fiber clamp assembly 21L is configured to be able to press the left optical fiber group 3L installed in the left V-groove group 17L against the left V-groove group 17L. Similarly, the right fiber clamp assembly 21R is configured to be able to press the right optical fiber group 3R installed in the right V-groove group 17R against the right V-groove group 17R. In the illustrated example, the left fiber clamp assembly 21L includes a left arm portion 21AL, a left fiber clamp 21BL, a left connecting pin 21CL (see FIG. 3), and a left clamp block 21DL, and a right fiber clamp assembly 21R includes a right arm portion 21AR. , a right fiber clamp 21BR, a right connecting pin 21CR, and a right clamp block 21DR. The left fiber clamp assembly 21L is arranged above the left V-groove group 17L, and the right fiber clamp assembly 21R is arranged above the right V-groove group 17R. Also, the left fiber clamp assembly 21L and the right fiber clamp assembly 21R are configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction. The left fiber clamp 21BL is attached to the lower end of the left arm portion 21AL via a left connecting pin 21CL, and the right fiber clamp 21BR is attached to the lower end of the right arm portion 21AR via a right connecting pin 21CR. In the illustrated example, the left fiber clamp 21BL is movable in the Z-axis direction together with the left arm portion 21AL, and the right fiber clamp 21BR is movable in the Z-axis direction together with the right arm portion 21AR. In the state shown in FIG. 3, the left fiber clamp 21BL is separated from the left optical fiber group 3L installed in the left V-groove group 17L. can contact the left optical fiber group 3L and press the left optical fiber group 3L toward the left V-groove group 17L. The same applies to the right fiber clamp 21BR.

The left fiber clamp assembly 21L may be configured so that the fiber clamp pressure can be changed. The fiber clamp pressure is the pressure that the left optical fiber group 3L placed in the left V-groove group 17L receives from the left fiber clamp 21BL of the left fiber clamp assembly 21L. Specifically, an elastic body such as a spring may be arranged between the left arm portion 21AL and the left clamp block 21DL to urge the left arm portion 21AL downward. In this case, the left fiber clamp assembly 21L can control the fiber clamp pressure by controlling the position of the left clamp block 21DL in the Z-axis direction. The same is true for the right fiber clamp assembly 21R.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the left fiber holder 31L is configured to hold the left optical fiber group 3L, and the right fiber holder 31R is configured to hold the right optical fiber group 3R. Specifically, the left fiber holder 31L is configured to hold the left ribbon core 4L including the left optical fiber group 3L, and the right fiber holder 31R is configured to hold the right ribbon core 4R including the right optical fiber group 3R. configured to hold. More specifically, the left fiber holder 31L includes a left fiber holder main body 31La having a recess (not shown) for accommodating the left ribbon fiber 4L, and a left lid attached to the left fiber holder main body 31La. 31 Lb. Similarly, the right fiber holder 31R includes a right fiber holder main body 31Ra having a recess (not shown) for accommodating the right fiber ribbon 4R, and a right lid 31Rb attached to the right fiber holder main body 31Ra. have.

The left fiber ribbon 4L is held by the left fiber holder 31L by closing the left lid body 31Lb while the left fiber ribbon 4L is housed in the left fiber holder main body 31La. The left fiber holder 31L is fixed to a movable stage (not shown) and is movable in the direction along the axial direction of the left optical fiber group 3L. That is, the left fiber holder 31L can move along the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the left V-groove group 17L. When the left fiber holder 31L holding the left optical fiber group 3L moves, the held left optical fiber group 3L can move along the left V-groove group 17L.

Similarly, the right fiber ribbon 4R is held in the right fiber holder 31R by closing the right cover 31Rb while the right fiber holder main body 31Ra accommodates the right fiber ribbon 4R. The right fiber holder 31R is fixed to a movable stage (not shown) and is movable in the axial direction of the held right optical fiber group 3R. That is, the right fiber holder 31R is movable along the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the right V-groove group 17R. When the right fiber holder 31R holding the right optical fiber group 3R moves, the held right optical fiber group 3R can move along the right V-groove group 17R.

Next, a control system for controlling the fusion splicer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system for controlling the fusion splicer 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the fusion splicer 1 includes an imaging device 51, a fusion device 52, a fiber clamp driving device 53, a fiber holder (stage) driving device 54, a display device 55, and a control device 60. In this embodiment, the imaging device 51 , the fusion device 52 , the fiber clamp driving device 53 , the fiber holder (stage) driving device 54 and the display device 55 are controlled by the control device 60 .

The imaging device 51 includes, for example, a pair of cameras (X camera and Y camera). Both the X camera and the Y camera can simultaneously image the end of the left optical fiber group 3L installed in the left V-groove group 17L and the end of the right optical fiber group 3R installed in the right V-groove group 17R. are arranged as Also, the imaging direction of the X camera and the imaging direction of the Y camera are orthogonal to each other. The control device 60 can identify the position of the optical fiber group 3 based on the images of the optical fiber group 3 captured from two different directions by the pair of cameras.

The fusion splicer 52 is a device that fusion splices the end of the left optical fiber group 3L and the end of the right optical fiber group 3R. In this embodiment, the pair of electrode rods 5 are included in the fusion device 52 .

The fiber clamp driving device 53 is a device for pressing the optical fiber group 3 against the V groove group 17. In the present embodiment, the fiber clamp driving device 53 serves as an actuator for moving the left clamp block 21DL forming the left fiber clamp assembly 21L and the right clamp block 21DR forming the right fiber clamp assembly 21R in the Z-axis direction. include.

The fiber holder (stage) driving device 54 is a device for moving the optical fiber group 3 in the axial direction (Y-axis direction). In this embodiment, the fiber holder (stage) driving device 54 includes an actuator that moves the left fiber holder 31L fixed to the stage in a direction along the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the left optical fiber group 3L, and a stage and an actuator for moving the right fiber holder 31R fixed to the right optical fiber group 3R along the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the right optical fiber group 3R.

The display device 55 is a device for displaying various information. In this embodiment, the display device 55 is configured to display the image captured by the imaging device 51 . In this embodiment, the display device 55 is a liquid crystal display.

The control device 60 is a device for controlling each of the imaging device 51, the fusion splicing device 52, the fiber clamp driving device 53, the fiber holder (stage) driving device 54, and the display device 55. In this embodiment, the control device 60 is a computer including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), a communication module, and an external storage device.

Specifically, the control device 60 acquires an image captured by the imaging device 51 by controlling the imaging device 51 . The control device 60 can cause the display device 55 to display the acquired image, for example. In addition, the control device 60 can determine the state of one or more pairs of optical fibers by performing image processing on the acquired image. Further, the control device 60 can generate an arc discharge between the rear electrode rod 5B and the front electrode rod 5F by controlling the fusing device 52 . Further, the control device 60 can move the left clamp block 21DL of the left fiber clamp assembly 21L and the right clamp block 21DR of the right fiber clamp assembly 21R in the Z-axis direction by controlling the fiber clamp drive device 53. Under the control of the control device 60, the left fiber clamp assembly 21L can change the pressing state of the left optical fiber group 3L arranged in the left V-groove group 17L, and the right fiber clamp assembly 21R is arranged in the right V-groove group 17R. It is possible to change the pressing state of the right optical fiber group 3R. Further, the controller 60 can control the positions of the left fiber holder 31L and the right fiber holder 31R in the Y-axis direction by controlling the fiber holder (stage) driving device 54 . Specifically, the control device 60 moves the stage (not shown) to which the left fiber holder 31L is fixed in the Y-axis direction, thereby moving the left optical fiber group 3L held by the left fiber holder 31L in the Y-axis direction. By moving the stage (not shown) to which the right fiber holder 31R is fixed in the Y-axis direction, the right optical fiber group 3R held by the right fiber holder 31R is moved in the Y-axis direction. be able to.

As described above, the fiber clamp 21B is used to press the optical fiber group 3 to be fusion-spliced against the V-groove group 17, but foreign matter adheres to the lower surface (Z2 side surface) of the fiber clamp 21B. If so, the optical fiber group 3 may not be properly pressed against the V-groove group 17 . The foreign matter is, for example, dust in the ambient atmosphere, glass or coating material residue adhering to the optical fiber group 3 to be fusion spliced, or residue from the previous fusion splicing.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, problems caused by the fiber clamp (left fiber clamp 21BLX) as a comparative example will be described. A left fiber clamp 21BLX as a comparative example has a flat lower surface (surface on the Z2 side). 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of part of a fusion splicer including a left fiber clamp 21BLX as a comparative example. Specifically, FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views of the left base member 11L in which the left V-groove group 17L is formed, the left optical fiber group 3L, and the left fiber clamp 21BLX. The cross section including V is viewed from the Y2 side as indicated by the arrow. Although the following description with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B relates to the left fiber clamp 21BLX, it is equally applicable to the right fiber clamp (not shown) having a flat lower surface (Z2 side surface).

More specifically, FIG. 5A shows an example of the state of the left optical fiber group 3L installed in the left V-groove group 17L when no foreign matter adheres to the lower surface (Z2 side surface) of the left fiber clamp 21BLX. , and FIG. 5B shows an example of the state of the left optical fiber group 3L installed in the left V-groove group 17L when foreign matter G adheres to the lower surface (Z2 side surface) of the left fiber clamp 21BLX. .

As shown in FIG. 5A, when no foreign matter adheres to the lower surface of the left fiber clamp 21BLX, the four optical fibers (first left optical fiber 3AL to fourth left optical fiber 3DL) installed in the left V-groove group 17L contacts the lower surface of the left fiber clamp 21BLX. That is, the left fiber clamp 21BLX can appropriately press all four optical fibers (the first left optical fiber 3AL to the fourth left optical fiber 3DL) installed in the left V-groove group 17L.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, when foreign matter G adheres to the lower surface of the left fiber clamp 21BLX, the left fiber clamp 21BLX tilts (rocks) around the left connecting pin 21CL as indicated by an arrow AR1. end up The left fiber clamp 21BLX is configured to tilt (swing) around the left connecting pin 21CL so as to maintain parallelism between the upper surface of the left base member 11L and the lower surface of the left fiber clamp 21BLX. is. In this case, one of the four optical fibers (fourth left optical fiber 3DL) contacts the lower surface of the left fiber clamp 21BLX, while the remaining three (first left optical fiber 3AL to third left optical fiber 3CL ) do not contact the lower surface of the left fiber clamp 21BLX. That is, the fusion splicer 1 cannot properly press the left optical fiber group 3L against the left V-groove group 17L. As a result, the optical fiber that is not in contact with the lower surface of the left fiber clamp 21BLX is not properly pressed by the left fiber clamp 21BLX, and may deviate from the V-groove. For example, if the first left optical fiber 3AL deviates from the first left V-groove 17AL, a deviation occurs between the axial direction of the first left optical fiber 3AL and the axial direction of the first right optical fiber 3AR. As a result, the fusion splicer 1 may not be able to properly fusion-splice the first left optical fiber 3AL and the first right optical fiber 3AR. Note that the typical size of the actual foreign matter adhering to the V-groove is smaller than the size of the foreign matter G as shown in FIG. 5B. However, even such a small-sized foreign object still hinders the realization of proper fusion splicing. Moreover, such a problem may occur similarly even in a configuration in which the left fiber clamp 21BLX does not tilt (oscillate).

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, recesses 25 are formed in the lower surfaces 26 of the fiber clamps 21B in the fusion splicer 1 according to this embodiment.

6A and 6B are diagrams showing a configuration example of the fiber clamp 21B that constitutes the fusion splicer 1 according to this embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the left fiber clamp 21BL when viewed obliquely from below, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the right fiber clamp 21BR when viewed obliquely from above. 21BR is a perspective view. In the illustrated example, the left fiber clamp 21BL and the right fiber clamp 21BR have the same shape and size.

The recess 25 is a portion (structure) formed on the lower surface 26 of the fiber clamp 21B. In this embodiment, the concave portion 25 is formed at a position higher than the optical fiber group 3 installed in the V-groove group 17 so that the foreign matter G and the lower surface 26 of the fiber clamp 21B are less likely to come into contact with each other.

Specifically, the recess 25 includes a left recess 25L formed in the left fiber clamp 21BL and a right recess 25R formed in the right fiber clamp 21BR.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the left concave portion 25L includes three grooves (a first left groove 25AL, a second left groove 25BL and third left groove 25CL). The lower surface (lower left surface 26L) of the left fiber clamp 21BL is generally a rectangular plane surrounded by four inclined surfaces (rear slope CB, front slope CF, left slope CL, and right slope CR). is. Specifically, the left lower surface 26L has a length L1 in the X-axis direction and a width W1 in the Y-axis direction, and is divided into four portions (flat portions). It is The four portions (flat portions) are: a first left portion 26AL separated by the left slope CL and the first left groove 25AL; a second left portion 26BL separated by the first left groove 25AL and the second left groove 25BL; It includes a third left portion 26CL defined by the left groove 25BL and the third left groove 25CL, and a fourth left portion 26DL defined by the third left groove 25CL and the right slope CR. The first left portion 26AL, the second left portion 26BL, the third left portion 26CL, and the fourth left portion 26DL are coplanar.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 6B, the right concave portion 25R includes three grooves (first right groove 25AR, first right groove 25AR, second right groove 25BR and third right groove 25CR). The lower surface (lower right surface 26R) of the right fiber clamp 21BR is generally a rectangular plane surrounded by four inclined surfaces (rear slope CB, front slope CF, left slope CL, and right slope CR). is. Specifically, the lower right surface 26R has a length L1 in the X-axis direction and a width W1 in the Y-axis direction, and is divided into four portions (flat portions). It is The four portions (flat portions) are: a first right portion 26AR separated by the left slope CL and the first right groove 25AR; a second right portion 26BR separated by the first right groove 25AR and the second right groove 25BR; It includes a third right portion 26CR defined by the right groove 25BR and the third right groove 25CR, and a fourth right portion 26DR defined by the third right groove 25CR and the right slope CR. The first right portion 26AR, the second right portion 26BR, the third right portion 26CR, and the fourth right portion 26DR are coplanar.

Both the left fiber clamp 21BL and the right fiber clamp 21BR are configured to have a substantially U-shaped cross section when viewed from the front. Specifically, the left fiber clamp 21BL has a base portion BS, a left wall portion WL, and a right wall portion WR, as shown in FIG. 6A. Between the left wall portion WL and the right wall portion WR, a recess RS is formed to receive the projecting portion of the left arm portion 21AL. is formed along the Y-axis direction. The same applies to the right fiber clamp 21BR shown in FIG. 6B.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the effects of the fiber clamp 21B according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of fusion splicer 1 including fiber clamp 21B according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the left base member 11L in which the left V-groove group 17L is formed, the left optical fiber group 3L, and the left fiber clamp 21BL. More specifically, the upper diagram of FIG. 7 corresponds to a diagram of a cross section including the cutting line VV in FIG. 3 as viewed from the Y2 side as indicated by an arrow, and corresponds to FIG. 5A. The lower diagram of FIG. 7 corresponds to the cross section including the section line VII-VII in the upper diagram of FIG. 7 as viewed from the X2 side as indicated by the arrow. 7, the foreign matter G in the upper diagram of FIG. 7 and the foreign matter G in the lower diagram of FIG. 7 (the same foreign matter G in the upper diagram of FIG. 7) are associated with each other by broken lines. there is Also, the following description with reference to FIG. 7 relates to left fiber clamp 21BL, but applies equally to right fiber clamp 21BR.

In the illustrated example, the left V-groove group 17L is configured to have a length L2 in the X-axis direction, as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. Note that each of the four V-grooves (first left V-groove 17AL, second left V-groove 17BL, third left V-groove 17CL, and fourth left V-groove 17DL) has the same width WD. The length L2 of the left V-groove group 17L corresponds to the total width of each of the four V-grooves.

In the illustrated example, the left concave portion 25L is configured such that the length L1 in the X-axis direction is longer than the length L2 of the left V-groove group 17L. Specifically, the left concave portion 25L protrudes forward (in the X1 direction) by a length L11 from the front edge (the edge on the X1 side) of the left V-groove group 17L, and is positioned behind the left V-groove group 17L. It is configured to protrude backward (in the X2 direction) from the edge (the edge on the X2 side) by a length L12. In addition, in the illustrated example, the length L11 and the length L12 are the same. However, the length L11 and the length L12 may be different from each other. In addition, the left concave portion 25L may be configured such that the length L1 in the X-axis direction is the same as the length L2 of the left V-groove group 17L, and is configured to be smaller than the length L2. may

Also, each of the three grooves (the first left groove 25AL, the second left groove 25BL, and the third left groove 25CL) forming the left concave portion 25L is located inside the left fiber clamp 21BL as shown in FIG. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped space having a width WC, a length L1, and a height (depth D1) is formed in the inner wall. That is, each of the three grooves includes a flat ceiling surface extending along the X-axis direction and two wall surfaces extending along the Z-axis direction. The two walls are flat vertical surfaces and include a left side (Y1 side wall) and a right side (Y2 side wall). However, the three grooves forming the left recessed portion 25L may be grooves having other shapes such as V grooves or U grooves.

In the illustrated example, each of the three grooves is configured such that its depth D1 is smaller than the depth D2 of the left V-groove group 17L. However, each of the three grooves may be configured such that its depth D1 is greater than or equal to the depth D2 of the left V-groove group 17L.

Each of the three grooves is configured such that the width of the opening and the width of the ceiling surface are both the width WC, but the width of the opening and the width of the ceiling surface are different from each other. good too. For example, each of the three grooves may be configured such that the width of the opening is larger than the width of the ceiling surface. Also, each of the three grooves is configured so that one end opens to the front slope CF and the other end opens to the rear slope CB. However, one end of each of the three grooves may be configured so as not to open on the front slope CF. That is, each of the three grooves may be configured to have a front side surface (wall surface on the X1 side). Alternatively, each of the three grooves may be configured so that the other end does not open to the rear slope CB. That is, each of the three grooves may be configured to have a rear side surface (wall surface on the X2 side). In this case, each of the three grooves may be configured such that the length of the opening in the X-axis direction is longer than the length of the ceiling surface in the X-axis direction. Alternatively, each of the three grooves may be configured such that the ceiling surface is a curved surface that is convex upward. This is so that the foreign matter adhering to the groove can be easily scraped out with a cotton swab or the like.

Next, another configuration example of the recess 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8F. Each of Figures 8A to 8F is a bottom view of the left fiber clamp 21BL with the left recess 25L formed therein. Specifically, FIG. 8A is a bottom view of the left fiber clamp 21BL shown in FIG. 8B to 8F are bottom views of the left fiber clamp 21BL in which left recesses (left recesses 25L1 to 25L5) having shapes different from the left recesses 25L shown in FIG. 7 are formed. In addition, in each of FIGS. 8A to 8F, a dot pattern is attached to the ceiling surface of the left concave portion 25L for clarity. Also, the following description with reference to each of FIGS. 8A to 8F relates to left fiber clamp 21BL, but applies equally to right fiber clamp 21BR having lower right surface 26R (Z2 side surface).

The left concave portion 25L1 shown in FIG. 8B is formed so as to obliquely cross the short direction (Y-axis direction) of the left bottom surface 26L, and vertically cross the short direction (Y-axis direction) of the left bottom surface 26L. It is different from the left recessed portion 25L shown in FIG. 8A, which is formed so as to In addition, the left concave portion 25L1 shown in FIG. 8B includes ten grooves (first left groove 25AL to tenth left groove 25JL) arranged in the Y-axis direction, and three grooves (first left groove 25JL) arranged in the Y-axis direction. It differs from the left recessed portion 25L shown in FIG. 8A which includes grooves 25AL to third left grooves 25CL). 8B, one end (front end) of the first left groove 25AL is not open to the front slope CF, and the other end (rear end) of the tenth left groove 25JL is the rear slope CB. One end (front end) of each of the three grooves is open to the front slope CF, and the other end (rear end) is open to the rear slope CB. different from A portion (flat portion) of the left lower surface 26L other than the left concave portion 25L1 is on the same plane.

The left concave portion 25L2 shown in FIG. 8C includes ten grooves (first left groove 25AL to tenth left groove 25JL) aligned in the Y-axis direction, and three grooves (first left groove 25AL) aligned in the Y-axis direction. 8A including the third left groove 25CL). The left concave portion 25L2 shown in FIG. 8C is the other end (rear end) of each of the first left groove 25AL, the third left groove 25CL, the fifth left groove 25EL, the seventh left groove 25GL, and the ninth left groove 25IL. is not open to the rear slope CB, and one end (front end) of each of the second left groove 25BL, fourth left groove 25DL, sixth left groove 25FL, eighth left groove 25HL, and tenth left groove 25JL is located forward. The left shown in FIG. 8A where one end (front end) of each of the three grooves is open to the front slope CF and the other end (rear end) is open to the rear slope CB, in that they are not open to the slope CF. It is different from the concave portion 25L. A portion (flat portion) of the left lower surface 26L other than the left concave portion 25L2 is on the same plane.

The left concave portion 25L3 shown in FIG. 8D is formed so that the surface of the left lower surface 26L of the left fiber clamp 21BL forms a twill pattern, and the surface of the left lower surface 26L of the left fiber clamp 21BL forms a stripe pattern. It is different from the left recessed portion 25L shown in FIG. The left recessed portion 25L3 shown in FIG. 8D may be a recess formed by subjecting the surface of the left lower surface 26L of the left fiber clamp 21BL to surface processing such as flat knurling. A portion (flat portion) of the left lower surface 26L other than the left concave portion 25L3 is on the same plane.

The left recessed portion 25L4 shown in FIG. 8E is formed to be a twilled groove, and the left recessed portion shown in FIG. 8A is formed to be a linear groove extending along the X-axis direction. Different from 25L. A portion (flat portion) of the left lower surface 26L other than the left concave portion 25L4 is on the same plane.

The left concave portion 25L5 shown in FIG. 8F includes six grooves (first left groove 25AL to sixth left groove 25FL) aligned in the Y-axis direction, and three grooves (first left groove 25AL to sixth left groove 25FL) aligned in the Y-axis direction. It is different from the left concave portion 25L shown in FIG. 8A including the third left groove 25CL). Also, the left recessed portion 25L5 shown in FIG. 8F differs from the left recessed portion 25L shown in FIG. 8A in which each of the three grooves is straight (not curved) in that each of the six grooves is curved. A portion (planar portion) of the left lower surface 26L other than the left concave portion 25L5 is on the same plane.

The left recess 25L, which can have various configurations as shown in each of FIGS. 8A to 8F, includes a left optical fiber 26L mounted on the left lower surface 26L of the left fiber clamp 21BL and the upper surface of the left base member 11L or the left V-groove group 17L. It is possible to reduce the probability that a foreign object will be caught between the group 3L. Therefore, the left concave portion 25L can appropriately bring the left lower surface 26L of the left fiber clamp 21BL into contact with each of the left optical fiber group 3L installed in the left V-groove group 17L. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the respective positions of the left optical fiber group 3L from deviating from predetermined positions. This is because it is possible to prevent a situation in which at least one optical fiber in the left optical fiber group 3L installed in the left V-groove group 17L and the left lower surface 26L of the left fiber clamp 21BL do not come into contact at all.

In addition, in the examples shown in FIGS. 8A to 8F, the plurality of grooves or recesses forming the left recess 25L are formed so that the intervals between the plurality of grooves or recesses are equal. However, the plurality of grooves or recesses forming the left recessed portion 25L may be formed such that the intervals between the plurality of grooves or recesses are unequal.

As described above, the fusion splicer 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured so that optical fibers can be fusion spliced. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the fusion splicer 1 has a left base member 11L having a left V-groove group 17L in which the left optical fiber group 3L is installed, and an upper surface of the left base member 11L. , and a left fiber clamp 21BL having a left lower surface 26L. A region (length L1 , region of width W1) includes one or more recesses and one or more coplanar planar portions. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a left concave portion 25L is provided in a part of the area (area of length L1 and width W1). The same applies to the lower right surface 26R of the right fiber clamp 21BR.

In this configuration, by forming the concave portion 25 in the lower surface 26 of the fiber clamp 21B, foreign matter is prevented between the lower surface 26 of the fiber clamp 21B and the upper surface of the V-groove group 17 or the optical fiber group 3 installed in the V-groove group 17. can reduce the probability of getting caught. Therefore, this configuration can prevent the fiber clamp 21B from being unable to properly press the optical fiber group 3 due to, for example, foreign matter adhering to the fiber clamp 21B. That is, this configuration can bring the optical fiber group 3 placed in the V-groove group 17 into proper contact with the fiber clamp 21B. In other words, this configuration can prevent a situation in which one or more of the optical fibers 3 installed in the V-groove group 17 do not come into contact with the fiber clamp 21B at all. As a result, this configuration has the effect of suppressing the occurrence of a problem that the optical fiber is not properly pressed by the fiber clamp 21B and the position of the optical fiber deviates from the predetermined position.

Further, the concave portion 25 may include grooves formed so as to extend in a direction non-parallel to the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the V-groove group 17 formed in the base member 11 . For example, in the example shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A, the left concave portion 25L extends in a direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the left V-groove group 17L formed in the left base member 11L. It includes three grooves (first left groove 25AL to third left groove 25CL) formed as follows. This configuration allows proper contact between the optical fiber group 3 installed in the V-groove group 17 and the fiber clamp 21B, so that the optical fiber group 3 is accurately positioned within the V-groove group 17. have the effect of becoming The recesses 25 are formed in the base member 11 as long as the lower surface 26 of the fiber clamp 21B is in contact with at least a part of each optical fiber installed in each V-groove to prevent the positional deviation of each optical fiber. It may include grooves formed so as to extend parallel to the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the V-groove group 17 . For example, recess 25 may include a groove formed to extend parallel to first left V-groove 17AL along part of the length of first left V-groove 17AL.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the recess 25 may be configured such that one end (front end) opens to the side surface of the fiber clamp 21B. For example, in the example shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A, one end (front end) of the left recessed portion 25L opens onto the front slope CF forming a part of the side surface (front surface) of the left fiber clamp 21BL, and the other end (rear end) of the left recessed portion 25L opens. is configured to open to a rear slope CB forming part of another side surface (rear surface) of the left fiber clamp 21BL. This configuration has the effect that the operator who cleans the left recessed portion 25L can easily discharge the foreign matter adhering to the left recessed portion 25L with a cotton swab or the like to the outside along the extending direction (X-axis direction) of the left recessed portion 25L. bring.

Also, the fiber clamp 21B may be configured so as to be swingable around an axis parallel to the extending direction of the V-groove formed in the base member 11 . For example, in the example shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 7, the left fiber clamp 21BL has a left connecting pin 21CL whose axis is parallel to the extending direction (X-axis direction) of the left V-groove group 17L formed in the left base member 11L. is configured to be swingable around the In this configuration, the left concave portion 25L formed in the left lower surface 26L of the left fiber clamp 21BL is located on the left lower surface of the left fiber clamp 21BL even when the left fiber clamp 21BL is configured to be swingable in this manner. 26L and the upper surface of the left base member 11L or the left optical fiber group 3L installed in the left V-groove group 17L, the probability of a foreign object being caught between them can be reduced.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims rather than the above-described embodiments, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope of claims and equivalents. That is, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications or replacements may be applied to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, each of the features described with reference to the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate as long as they are not technically inconsistent.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the fusion splicer 1 includes the left base member 11L formed with a plurality of V-grooves and the right base member 11R formed with a plurality of V-grooves. However, the fusion splicer 1 may include the left base member 11L having only one V-groove and the right base member 11R having only one V-groove. That is, the fusion splicer 1 may be a device for fusion splicing a single optical fiber.

Reference Signs List 1 fusion splicer 3 optical fiber group 3A first optical fiber pair 3AL first left optical fiber 3AR first right optical fiber 3B second optical fiber Pair 3BL... Second left optical fiber 3BR... Second right optical fiber 3C... Third optical fiber pair 3CL... Third left optical fiber 3CR... Third right optical fiber 3D... Fourth optical fiber pair 3DL Fourth left optical fiber 3DR Fourth right optical fiber 3L Left optical fiber group 3R Right optical fiber group 4L Left ribbon fiber 4R・Right ribbon core wire 5... Electrode bar 5B... Rear electrode bar 5Ba... Tip 5F... Front electrode bar 5Fa... Tip 11... Base member 11L... Left base member 11R. Right base member 17 V groove group 17A First V groove pair 17AL First left V groove 17AR First right V groove 17B Second V groove pair 17BL Second left V groove 17BR Second right V groove 17C Third V groove pair 17CL Third left V groove 17CR Third right V groove 17D Fourth V groove pair 17DL Fourth left V-groove 17DR Fourth right V-groove 17L Left V-groove group 17R Right V-groove group 21 Fiber clamp assembly 21A Arm part 21AL Left Arm portion 21AR...Right arm portion 21B...Fiber clamp 21BL...Left fiber clamp 21BR...Right fiber clamp 21C...Connecting pin 21CL...Left connecting pin 21CR...Right connecting pin 21D ... clamp block 21DL ... left clamp block 21DR ... right clamp block 21L ... left fiber clamp assembly 21R ... right fiber clamp assembly 25 ... recess 25AL ... first left groove 25AR First right groove 25BL Second left groove 25BR Second right groove 25CL Third left groove 25CR Third right groove 25DL Fourth left groove 25EL 5th left groove 25FL 6th left groove 25GL 7th left groove 25HL 8th left groove 25IL 9th left groove 25JL 10th left groove 25L, 25L1 to 25L5 Left concave portion 25R Right concave portion 26 Lower surface 26AL First left portion 26AR First right portion 26BL Second left portion 26BR Second right portion 26CL Third left portion 26CR Third right portion 26DL Fourth left portion 26DR Fourth right portion 26L Lower left surface 26R Lower right surface 31 Fiber holder 31L Left fiber holder 31La Left fiber holder main body 31Lb Left lid 31R Right fiber holder 31Ra Right fiber holder main body 31Rb Right lid 51 Imaging device 52 Fusion splicing device 53 Fiber clamp drive device 54 Fiber holder drive device 55 Display device 60 Control device BS Base CB Back slope CF Front slope CL ... Left slope CR... Right slope G... Foreign matter RS... Recess TH... Through hole WL... Left wall WR... Right wall

Claims (4)

1. A fusion splicer for fusion splicing optical fibers,
   a base member having a V-groove in which the optical fiber is installed;
   a fiber clamp having a lower surface facing the upper surface of the base member;
   Of the lower surface of the fiber clamp, a part of the area facing the area where the V-groove is formed on the upper surface of the base member is one or more coplanar with one or more recesses. including a plane of
   Fusion splicer.
2. The recess is formed to extend in a direction non-parallel to the extending direction of the V-groove formed in the base member,
   The fusion splicer according to claim 1.
3. At least one end of the recess is configured to open to a side surface of the fiber clamp,
   The fusion splicer according to claim 1 or 2.
4. The fiber clamp is configured to be swingable around an axis parallel to the extending direction of the V-groove formed in the base member,
   The fusion splicer according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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