WO2024111125A1 - 光ファイバ位置調整装置及び光ファイバ位置調整方法 - Google Patents

光ファイバ位置調整装置及び光ファイバ位置調整方法 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024111125A1
WO2024111125A1 PCT/JP2022/043616 JP2022043616W WO2024111125A1 WO 2024111125 A1 WO2024111125 A1 WO 2024111125A1 JP 2022043616 W JP2022043616 W JP 2022043616W WO 2024111125 A1 WO2024111125 A1 WO 2024111125A1
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Prior art keywords
optical fiber
position adjustment
holding
unit
holding part
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Ceased
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PCT/JP2022/043616
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English (en)
French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
卓威 植松
一貴 納戸
裕之 飯田
和典 片山
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NTT Inc
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Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp
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Priority to JP2024559831A priority Critical patent/JPWO2024111125A1/ja
Priority to PCT/JP2022/043616 priority patent/WO2024111125A1/ja
Publication of WO2024111125A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024111125A1/ja
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
    • G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
    • G02B6/122—Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
    • G02B6/125—Bends, branchings or intersections
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/28—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals

Definitions

  • This disclosure relates to an optical fiber position adjustment device and an optical fiber position adjustment method.
  • Non-patent documents 1 and 2 are related documents of this technology and discuss a side polishing method for optical fibers.
  • optical fibers that have already been installed in a network are referred to as working optical fibers.
  • Optical fibers newly connected to working optical fibers are referred to as branch fibers.
  • Working optical fibers are installed in facilities that build networks, such as utility tunnels and overhead lines. They may be installed either indoors or outdoors. Working optical fibers may already be in use for optical communications in the network, or may be installed and unused.
  • Non-Patent Document 1 polishing the side of the optical fiber is often performed in places with limited working space, such as high up on a utility pole or in a narrow space inside a manhole. Branching work in such places tends to increase the burden on the worker.
  • This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an optical fiber position adjustment device and an optical fiber position adjustment method that can reduce the burden on workers when branching or merging optical fibers.
  • An optical fiber position adjustment device includes a first polishing surface formed on a side of a first optical fiber and a second polishing surface formed on a side of a second optical fiber that are overlapped with each other while being in slidable contact with each other, and includes a first holding part that holds the first optical fiber and a second holding part that holds the second optical fiber, a first driving part that moves the second holding part in a second direction that intersects with a first direction along the second optical fiber, and a position adjustment part that includes a first stopper part that contacts the first holding part from the opposite direction to the second direction, a light source that generates test light that is incident on the second optical fiber, and a light intensity measuring part that measures the intensity of the test light that has passed through the second optical fiber.
  • the optical fiber position adjustment method includes overlapping a first holding part that holds a first optical fiber having a first polishing surface on its side with a second holding part that holds a second optical fiber having a second polishing surface on its side with the first polishing surface and the second polishing surface in slidable contact with each other, measuring the intensity of light that has passed through the second optical fiber, moving the second holding part along the second direction so that the second polishing surface approaches the first polishing surface while restricting the rotation of the first holding part and the movement in the second direction by contacting a stopper from the opposite direction of the second direction that intersects with the first direction along the second optical fiber, and stopping the movement of the second holding part when the intensity reaches a predetermined value due to the movement of the second holding part.
  • the present disclosure provides an optical fiber position adjustment method and an optical fiber position adjustment device that can reduce the burden on workers when branching or merging optical fibers.
  • FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example optical fiber branch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an example of a polishing apparatus.
  • FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the holding portion shown in FIG. 2A.
  • FIG. 3A is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical fiber position adjustment device according to this embodiment.
  • FIG. 3B is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit shown in FIG. 3A.
  • FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the optical fiber position adjustment device according to this embodiment.
  • FIG. 4A is a top view of the operation unit according to the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 4B is a side view of the operation unit shown in FIG. 4A.
  • FIG. 4A is a top view of the operation unit according to the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 4B is a side view of the operation unit shown in FIG. 4A.
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing two polishing surfaces and their surroundings in the initial state.
  • FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the optical fiber position adjustment method according to the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 7A is a top view of an operation unit according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 7B is a front view of the operation unit shown in FIG. 7A.
  • FIG. 8A is a top view of an operation unit according to the third embodiment.
  • FIG. 8B is a front view of the operation unit shown in FIG. 8A.
  • optical fibers that have already been installed in a network are sometimes called current optical fibers.
  • Current optical fibers are installed in facilities that build a network, such as utility tunnels and overhead lines. They may be installed either indoors or outdoors. Current optical fibers may already be used for optical communications in the network, or may be installed and unused.
  • optical fibers that are newly connected to current optical fibers are sometimes called branch fibers. Branch fibers are optical fibers that branch off from a route (transmission route) built by the current optical fiber, or that build a route that merges into that route.
  • the X direction (second direction), Y direction, and Z direction (first direction) are defined as being orthogonal to each other.
  • the X direction and Z direction are, for example, horizontal directions, and are the directions in which one of the two holding parts 41, 42 according to this embodiment approaches the other.
  • the Y direction is, for example, vertical, and is the arrangement direction of the two holding parts 41, 42.
  • the Z direction is also the direction along the two optical fibers 10, 20 (longitudinal direction), and the extension direction of the V groove 34 (see FIG. 2B) formed in each holding part 41 (42).
  • the optical fiber branch 1 is a so-called optical fiber coupler that branches light propagating through one optical fiber into two optical fibers, or merges light propagating through two optical fibers into one optical fiber.
  • FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber branch 1.
  • the optical fiber branch 1 includes an optical fiber (first optical fiber) 10 and an optical fiber (second optical fiber) 20. Note that the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 1 includes the central axis 10a of the optical fiber 10 and the central axis 20a of the optical fiber 20.
  • the optical fiber 10 is, for example, the above-mentioned currently used optical fiber, and has already been laid in a network (not shown).
  • the optical fiber 10 has a core (first core) 11, a cladding (first cladding) 12, and a coating (first coating) 13.
  • the optical fiber 10 is a single-mode optical fiber or a multimode optical fiber.
  • the optical fiber 20 is, for example, the branch fiber described above, and is newly connected to the optical fiber 10 as an additional path of a network (not shown).
  • the optical fiber 20 has a core (second core) 21, a cladding (second cladding) 22, and a coating (second coating) 23.
  • the optical fiber 20 is also a single-mode optical fiber or a multimode optical fiber.
  • the optical fiber 10 has a polished surface (first polished surface) 14 on a side surface 15.
  • the polished surface 14 is formed by polishing the side surface 15. This polishing process can be performed, for example, by a polishing device 30 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B ) described below. By this polishing process, the coating 13 is removed from the polished surface 14, and a part of the cladding 12 remains.
  • the minimum thickness of the cladding 12 from the polished surface 14 to the core 11 is defined as the remaining cladding thickness (first remaining cladding thickness) d lv (see FIG. 5 ).
  • the optical fiber 20 has a polished surface (second polished surface) 24 on a side surface 25.
  • the polished surface 24 is formed by polishing the side surface 25.
  • This polishing process can also be performed by, for example, a polishing device 30 described below.
  • the coating 23 is removed from the polished surface 24, and a part of the cladding 22 remains.
  • the minimum value of the thickness of the cladding 22 from the polished surface 24 to the core 21 is defined as the remaining cladding thickness (second remaining cladding thickness) d br .
  • the optical fiber 10 extends in the Z direction while being bent with a radius of curvature (first radius of curvature) R lv at least in a portion including the polished surface 14.
  • the polished surface 14 is formed by polishing a side surface 15 of the optical fiber 10 placed in a state in which the optical fiber 10 is bent with the radius of curvature R lv . Therefore, when the optical fiber 10 is bent with the radius of curvature R lv , the polished surface 14 forms an elliptical plane extending in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 10.
  • the optical fiber 20 extends in the Z direction while being bent with a radius of curvature (second radius of curvature) R br at least in a portion including the polished surface 24.
  • the polished surface 24 is formed by polishing a side surface 25 of the optical fiber 20 placed in a state in which the optical fiber 20 is bent with the radius of curvature R br . Therefore, when the optical fiber 20 is bent with the radius of curvature R br , the polished surface 24 forms an elliptical plane extending in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 20.
  • a refractive index matching agent (not shown) is interposed between polished surface 14 and polished surface 24.
  • the refractive index matching agent may be a viscous liquid or a deformable solid.
  • the refractive index of the refractive index matching agent is smaller than the refractive indexes of cladding 12 and cladding 22. This prevents an increase in insertion loss.
  • the polished surface 14 and the polished surface 24 are in contact with each other via a refractive index matching material (not shown). Therefore, the cores 11 and 21 are positioned relative to each other with a core distance d (see FIG. 5 ).
  • the core distance d is the distance between the cores 11 and 21, and its minimum value is the sum of the remaining cladding thickness d lv of the cladding 12, the remaining cladding thickness d br of the cladding 22, and the thickness of the refractive index matching material (not shown).
  • the core spacing d By making the core spacing d sufficiently small, evanescent coupling between core 11 and core 21 is obtained. That is, core 11 and core 21 are optically coupled, enabling the multiplexing or demultiplexing of light, which is the function of optical fiber branch 1.
  • the coupling efficiency between core 11 and core 21 depends on the core spacing d.
  • the core spacing d at which 100% coupling efficiency is obtained depends on the wavelength of light. For example, when the wavelength of light is 1260 nm, the core spacing d at which 100% coupling efficiency is obtained is 2.6 ⁇ m or less.
  • FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an example of a polishing device 30 used to form the polishing surface 14 (24).
  • FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the holding part 32 shown in FIG. 2A.
  • the polishing device 30 includes a polishing table 31 and a holding part 32.
  • the formation of the polishing surface 14 will be described as an example.
  • the polishing table 31 has a flat upper surface 31a, and the polishing sheet 33 is placed on this upper surface 31a.
  • the holding part 32 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the first direction.
  • the holding part 32 has a flat surface 32a facing the upper surface 31a of the polishing table 31, and a V-shaped groove 34 curved with a radius R is formed on this flat surface 32a.
  • the radius R is slightly smaller than the radius of curvature Rlv .
  • the material of the polishing table 31 and the holding part 32 is, for example, optically transparent glass.
  • the V-groove 34 is formed so that its depth from the plane 32a is shallowest near the center of the plane 32a. Also, as shown in Fig. 2B, the minimum depth of the V-groove 34 is set to a value that allows the cladding 12 to have a remaining cladding thickness d lv .
  • the polishing process of the optical fiber 10 using the polishing device 30 is performed at the site where the optical fiber 20 is connected to the optical fiber 10.
  • a state is prepared for measuring the leaked light from the optical fiber 10. Specifically, the optical fiber 10 is bent while laser light (for convenience, referred to as propagating light) is propagating through the optical fiber 10, and the intensity of the laser light (for convenience, referred to as leaked light) leaking from the bent portion is measured with a light intensity meter (not shown).
  • the optical fiber 10 is an optical fiber in use. Therefore, the light propagating through the optical fiber 10 is either communication light 81 propagating through the network or pseudo communication light introduced using a specified light source. In either case, a bend that causes a loss that does not affect communication is imparted to the optical fiber 10, and the intensity of the leaked light from the bent portion is measured until polishing is completed.
  • adhesive 35 (see FIG. 5) is filled into the V-groove 34 of the holding portion 32, and the optical fiber 10 is fixed in the V-groove 34.
  • the adhesive 35 hardens and the optical fiber 10 is fixed in the V-groove 34, a part of the side surface 15 of the optical fiber 10 is exposed from the flat surface 32a of the holding portion 32 (see FIG. 2B).
  • the flat surface 32a of the holding portion 32 is opposed to the polishing sheet 33 placed on the polishing table 31. After that, the side surface 15 of the optical fiber 10 exposed from the flat surface 32a of the holding portion 32 is pressed against the polishing sheet 33 and polished.
  • the polishing of the side surface 15 is performed while monitoring the intensity of communication light 81 leaking from the bent portion downstream of the holding unit 32. As the polishing progresses, the polished surface approaches the core 11 (i.e., the remaining cladding thickness d lv decreases), and the intensity of the leaked light being measured gradually decreases. Then, when the intensity of the leaked light reaches a predetermined value, the polishing is stopped and the bend that was applied to monitor the leaked light is released. Through this series of steps, the formation of the polished surface 14 is completed.
  • the polished surface 24 of the optical fiber 20 having the remaining cladding thickness d br is also formed through the same process as described above.
  • the polished surface 24 is formed using a holding part 32 in which a V-groove 34 having a radius R slightly smaller than the radius of curvature R br is formed.
  • the polished surface 24 may be formed in advance at a remote location such as a factory. In this case, more precise processing is possible than on-site processing.
  • optical fiber position adjustment device 40 An optical fiber position adjustment device 40 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
  • the optical fiber position adjustment device 40 will be simply referred to as the position adjustment device 40.
  • FIG. 3A is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the position adjustment device 40 according to this embodiment.
  • FIG. 3B is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 50 shown in FIG. 3A.
  • FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the position adjustment device 40.
  • FIG. 4A is a top view of the position adjustment device 40.
  • FIG. 4B is a side view of the position adjustment device 40 shown in FIG. 4A. Note that FIGS. 4A and 4B show the arrangement of the holding unit 41 and the holding unit 42 in the initial state when the process of the optical fiber position adjustment method described below is performed.
  • the position adjustment device 40 includes a holding unit (first holding unit) 41, a holding unit (second holding unit) 42, a light source 43, a light intensity measurement unit 44, and a position adjustment unit 45.
  • the holding unit 41 is the same as the holding unit 32 that holds the optical fiber 10.
  • the holding unit 42 is the same as the holding unit 32 that holds the optical fiber 20. That is, the holding unit 41 is the holding unit 32 in which the V-groove 34 having a radius R slightly smaller than the radius of curvature Rlv is formed, and the holding unit 42 is the holding unit 32 in which the V-groove 34 having a radius R slightly smaller than the radius of curvature Rbr is formed.
  • the holding portion 41 holds the optical fiber 10 after the above-mentioned polishing process has been completed. That is, the holding portion 41 holds the optical fiber 10 with the polished surface 14 exposed on the plane 41a.
  • the plane 41a is parallel to the XZ plane.
  • the holding portion 42 holds the optical fiber 10 with the polished surface 24 exposed on the plane 42a.
  • the plane 42a is also parallel to the XZ plane.
  • the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42 hold the corresponding optical fiber with the polished surface 14 and the polished surface 24 in slidable contact with each other. In other words, the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42 are overlapped in the Y direction with their respective planes 41a, 42a (i.e., the polished surface 14 and the polished surface 24) in slidable contact with each other.
  • the light source 43 is a laser light source having a known configuration, and generates test light 80 to be incident on the optical fiber 20.
  • the test light 80 may be incident on either end of the optical fiber 20.
  • the optical fiber 10 is an active optical fiber
  • the light source 43 is connected to the end of the optical fiber 20 (i.e., the branch fiber) located on the opposite side of the optical fiber branch 1 from the optical network unit (ONU) on the telecommunications carrier side that connects to the optical fiber 10.
  • the light source 43 may be controlled by the control unit 50.
  • the optical line terminal on the subscriber side may be used as the light source 43.
  • the optical line terminal on the subscriber side is usually installed indoors and operates on power supplied from a commercial power source.
  • this optical line terminal is used as the light source 43, there is no need to prepare a separate dedicated light source. In other words, the position adjustment device 40 can be made smaller.
  • the light intensity measuring unit 44 is a so-called light intensity meter, and includes a light receiving unit 46 that receives the test light 80 that has passed through the optical fiber 20.
  • the light intensity measuring unit 44 measures (calculates) the intensity of the test light 80 received by the light receiving unit 46, and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 50.
  • the position adjustment unit 45 includes an operation unit 48A and a control unit 50 that controls the operation unit 48A.
  • the position adjustment unit 45 moves one of the holding unit 41 (i.e., the polishing surface 14) and the holding unit 42 (i.e., the polishing surface 24) relative to the other until the intensity of the test light 80 reaches a predetermined target value P rf.
  • the predetermined target value P rf is the intensity of the test light 80 measured by the light intensity measurement unit 44 when the optical branching ratio set in the optical fiber branch 1 is obtained, and is stored in advance in a storage 53 of the control unit 50 described later.
  • the control unit 50 is, for example, a general-purpose computer.
  • the computer serving as the control unit 50 comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit, processor) 51, memory 52, storage 53 (HDD: Hard Disk Drive, SSD: Solid State Drive), a communication unit 54, an input unit 55, and an output unit 56.
  • the memory 52 and storage 53 are storage devices.
  • the CPU 51 executes a specific program loaded onto the memory 52, thereby realizing various functions of the position adjustment device 40, such as measuring the intensity of the test light 80 and controlling the operation unit 48A.
  • the programs executed by the control unit 50 may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory, a Compact Disc (CD), or a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), and may be distributed to the control unit 50 via a network.
  • a computer-readable recording medium such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory, a Compact Disc (CD), or a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), and may be distributed to the control unit 50 via a network.
  • the computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium.
  • the operating unit 48A operates the position of the holding unit 41 or the holding unit 42. Below, an example will be described in which the object of operation of the position adjustment unit 45 is the holding unit 42. As shown in FIG. 4A, the operating unit 48A includes a guide unit 57, a linear actuator 58 as a first drive unit, and a stopper (first stopper unit) 59.
  • the guide portion 57 holds the holding portion 42 so that it can move in a direction intersecting the Z direction, and regulates the movement of the holding portion 42 in the Z direction and the rotation around the Y direction.
  • the direction intersecting the Z direction is, for example, the X direction (second direction).
  • the guide portion 57 is formed on the stage 60 (see FIG. 4B) and has a guide groove 61 that extends along the X direction.
  • the width of the guide groove 61 is approximately equal to the width of the holding portion 42 along the Z direction.
  • the guide portion 57 may be a pair of side walls provided on the stage 60 and extending in the X direction. In this case as well, the distance between the pair of side walls is approximately equal to the width of the holding portion 42.
  • the linear actuator 58 is composed of, for example, a motor and a micrometer head, and is controlled by the control unit 50.
  • the drive shaft 58a of the linear actuator 58 extends in the X direction, and moves the holding part 42 placed in the guide groove 61 in the X direction.
  • the stopper 59 When viewed from the Y direction, the stopper 59 is provided on the opposite side of the linear actuator 58 across the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42, and contacts the holding portion 41 from the opposite direction of the X direction (second direction).
  • the stopper 59 includes a wall portion 62 that extends in the Y direction and the Z direction, and a plurality of pins 63 that extend from the wall portion 62 in the opposite direction of the X direction.
  • the multiple pins 63 are spaced apart in the Z direction within a range that allows them to come into contact with the holding portion 41 in the Z direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 4B, the multiple pins 63 are located at the same height as the holding portion 41 in the Y direction. In other words, the multiple pins 63 extend from the wall portion 62 toward the holding portion 41. There are two or more pins 63. However, as shown in FIG. 4A, when viewed from the Y direction, the multiple pins 63 are located on both sides along the central axis 58b of the drive shaft 58a of the linear actuator 58.
  • the holding portion 41 placed on the holding portion 42 also moves in the X direction.
  • the holding portion 41 comes into contact with the multiple pins 63, restricting further movement of the holding portion 41.
  • the pins 63 are provided on both sides of the central axis 58b of the drive shaft 58a. Therefore, the multiple moments centered on each contact point with the multiple pins 63 are approximately offset, and rotation of the holding portion 41 around the Y direction is also restricted.
  • Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the polished surface 14 and the polished surface 24 and their surroundings in the initial state.
  • Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the optical fiber position adjustment method according to this embodiment.
  • the object of operation of the position adjustment unit 45 is the holding unit 42.
  • the holding unit 42 is placed on the guide unit 57, and the holding unit 41 is placed on the holding unit 42.
  • the holding units 41 and 42 are overlapped with the polishing surface 14 and the polishing surface 24 in slidable contact with each other (step S1).
  • a refractive index matching agent (not shown) has been applied in advance to the flat surface 41a of the holding unit 41 or the flat surface 42a of the holding unit 42.
  • the holding part 42 When the holding parts 41 and 42 are placed, as shown in FIG. 4B, the holding part 42 is placed closer to the linear actuator 58 than the holding part 41. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the polished surface 24 is closer to the linear actuator 58 than the polished surface 14. As described in Non-Patent Document 2, even if the polished surfaces are misaligned by several mm in the Z direction, the effect on the light branching rate is small. Therefore, when placing the holding part 41 on the holding part 42, which has a substantially identical shape, it is sufficient to perform an operation such as aligning the centers of the holding parts 41 and 42.
  • the light source 43 generates a test light 80 having a preset intensity P in , and the intensity of the test light 80 passing through the optical fiber 20 is measured using the optical intensity measurement unit 44 (see FIG. 3C).
  • the optical intensity measurement unit 44 outputs the intensity P th of the test light 80 incident on the light receiving unit 46 to the control unit 50. Note that, when evaluating the optical branching ratio, it can be estimated from the result of using the formula expressed as 1-(P th /P in ).
  • the intensity measurement of the test light 80 by the optical intensity measurement unit 44 continues until the intensity of the test light 80 reaches a predetermined target value by the movement of the holding unit 42.
  • the communication light 81 may or may not propagate through the optical fiber 10. In other words, the optical fiber position adjustment method according to this embodiment does not interfere with optical communication using the optical fiber 10.
  • the control unit 50 operates the linear actuator 58 to move the holding unit 42 in the X direction (step S2). That is, the holding unit 42 is moved so that the polishing surface 24 approaches the polishing surface 14.
  • the holding unit 41 placed on the holding unit 42 also tries to move. However, the holding unit 41 comes into contact with the pin 63 of the stopper 59, and further movement in the X direction is restricted. At this time, the holding unit 41 comes into contact with the pin 63 at multiple points along the Z direction. Therefore, the rotation of the holding unit 41 around the Y direction is also restricted. That is, while the holding unit 42 is moving, the holding unit 41 is stationary.
  • the control unit 50 acquires the intensity Pth of the test light 80 from the light intensity measuring unit 44 and compares the intensity Pth with a predetermined target value Prf (step S3).
  • the core spacing d decreases. Therefore, the light branching ratio increases. In other words, while the holding unit 42 is moving in the X direction, the intensity Pth of the test light gradually decreases.
  • the control unit 50 determines that the desired light branching ratio has not been obtained, and continues to move the holding unit 42 by the linear actuator 58. On the other hand, if the intensity Pth is equal to the target value Prf (YES in step S3), the control unit 50 determines that the desired light branching ratio has been obtained, and stops moving the holding unit 42.
  • the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42 are joined while maintaining the above-mentioned optical branching ratio.
  • adhesive or ultraviolet curing resin is applied to the side of the holding portion 41 and the side of the holding portion 42 and then cured. This restricts the relative movement of the two portions and fixes them to each other.
  • the adhesive or ultraviolet curing resin may be applied between the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42.
  • the optical fiber branch 1 (see Figure 1) held by the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42 is completed.
  • the position adjustment device 40 is withdrawn with the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42 remaining joined to each other.
  • the optical fiber position adjustment method of this embodiment when manufacturing the optical fiber branch 1, mutual alignment can be completed simply by moving the holding part 42 in the X direction relative to the holding part 41. Since the holding part 42 only needs to move in one direction, the optical fiber position adjustment device can be constructed with a simple configuration. Therefore, the optical fiber position adjustment device can be made smaller and lighter, and its operation is also simple. In other words, the burden on the worker in the branching or merging work of optical fibers can be reduced.
  • the polishing process of the optical fiber 10 is performed at the site where the optical fiber is branched or merged, whereas the polishing process of the optical fiber 20, which is a branched fiber, can be performed in advance at a remote location such as a factory. In other words, the polishing process of the optical fiber 20 at the work site can be omitted, further reducing the burden on the worker.
  • optical fiber position adjustment device 40 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
  • the optical fiber position adjustment device 40 according to this embodiment can be configured by adding a Z-direction movement mechanism to the operation unit 48A according to the first embodiment. Therefore, among the configurations of the second embodiment, configurations that overlap with the configurations of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.
  • FIG. 7A is a top view of the operating unit 48B according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 7B is a front view of the operating unit 48B shown in FIG. 7A.
  • the operating unit 48B includes a linear actuator 65 as a second drive unit in addition to the configuration of the operating unit 48A.
  • the linear actuator 65 is also composed of, for example, a motor and a micrometer head, and is controlled by the control unit 50.
  • the linear actuator 58 is installed at the same height as the holding unit 42 in the Y direction
  • the linear actuator 65 is installed at the same height as the holding unit 41 in the Y direction. Therefore, the drive shaft 65a of the linear actuator 65 extends in the Z direction, moving the holding unit 41 placed on the holding unit 42 in the Z direction.
  • Changes in the optical branching ratio in optical fiber branch 1 occur both when there is a relative axial misalignment between core 11 and core 21 along the X direction, and when there is a relative axial misalignment between core 11 and core 21 along the Z direction.
  • changes in the optical branching ratio are more dependent on the relative axial misalignment along the X direction than on the relative axial misalignment along the Z direction.
  • the optical branching ratio changes more rapidly with an axial misalignment along the X direction than with an axial misalignment along the Z direction. Therefore, although it depends on the movement resolution of operation unit 48A, it may be difficult to fine-tune the optical branching ratio by simply adjusting the position of holding unit 42 along the X direction.
  • the position adjustment of the holding unit 42 by the linear actuator 58 is regarded as a coarse adjustment
  • the position adjustment of the holding unit 41 by the linear actuator 65 is regarded as a fine adjustment, and these adjustments are used in combination.
  • the position adjustment of the holding unit 42 along the X direction shown in steps S1 to S3 of Fig. 6 is performed using the linear actuator 58, and the intensity Pth is brought closer to the target value Prf .
  • the position adjustment of the holding unit 41 along the Z direction is performed using the linear actuator 65 until the intensity Pth reaches the target value Prf .
  • the following process is executed.
  • the position of the holding unit 42 is adjusted by the linear actuator 58.
  • the processing of steps S1 to S3 shown in Fig. 6 is executed. That is, the control unit 50 operates the linear actuator 58 to move the holding unit 42 in the X direction while monitoring the intensity Pth of the test light 80.
  • the processing is limited to only bringing the intensity Pth close to the target value Prf .
  • the position of the holding part 41 is adjusted by the linear actuator 65.
  • the holding part 41 has already come into contact with the multiple pins 63 of the stopper 59 due to the movement of the holding part 42 in the X direction, and further movement in the X direction and rotation around the Y direction are restricted.
  • the control unit 50 operates the linear actuator 65 to move the holding unit 41 in the Z direction while monitoring the intensity Pth of the test light 80. Even if the holding unit 41 moves in the Z direction, only the holding unit 41 moves in the Z direction because the holding unit 42 is held by the guide unit 57.
  • the control unit 50 stops the operation of the linear actuator 65 and ends the position adjustment. Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42 are joined together, and the position adjustment device 40 is withdrawn.
  • the holding part 42 is placed on the holding part 41 in advance so that the polishing surface 14 is closer to the linear actuator 65 than the polishing surface 24. Therefore, when the holding part 41 is moved in the Z direction by operating the linear actuator 65, the polishing surface 14 moves along the Z direction so as to approach the polishing surface 24.
  • the holding part 41 Before operating the linear actuator 65, the holding part 41 has already been brought into slidable contact with the multiple pins 63 of the stopper 59 due to the movement of the holding part 42 in the X direction by operating the linear actuator 58, and movement along the X direction and rotation around the Y direction are already restricted.
  • the intensity Pth can be adjusted to the target value Prf with high accuracy even if the movement resolution of the linear actuators 58 and 65 is relatively large. In other words, high-precision adjustment is possible until a desired optical branching ratio is obtained.
  • optical fiber position adjustment device 40 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
  • the optical fiber position adjustment device 40 according to this embodiment can be configured by replacing the guide unit 57 in the operation unit 48A according to the first embodiment with a two-axis stage, and using the linear actuator 58 in the first embodiment and the linear actuator 65 in the second embodiment to drive the two-axis stage. Therefore, among the configurations of the third embodiment, configurations that overlap with the configurations of the first and second embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.
  • FIG. 8A is a top view of an operating unit 48C according to the third embodiment.
  • FIG. 8B is a front view of the operating unit 48B shown in FIG. 8A.
  • the operating unit 48C has a biaxial stage (XY stage) 70 instead of the guide unit 57 in the operating unit 48A.
  • the operating unit 48C also has linear actuators 58, 65 that change the operating object to a biaxial stage (XY stage).
  • the operating direction of the linear actuators 58, 65 in the third embodiment is the same as the operating direction of the same actuators in the second embodiment.
  • the two-axis stage 70 comprises a first stage 71 that is slidable in the X direction, and a second stage 72 that is slidable in the Z direction.
  • the first stage 71 is located above the second stage 72, and is operated in the X direction by a linear actuator 58.
  • the second stage 72 is located below the first stage 71, and is operated in the Z direction by a linear actuator 65.
  • the upper surface 71a of the first stage 71 is parallel to the XZ plane.
  • the holding part 41 or the holding part 42 is placed on this upper surface 71a.
  • the holding part 42 is placed on the first stage 71.
  • the holding part 42 may be temporarily fixed to the upper surface 71a with an adhesive or the like having a relatively weak adhesive strength.
  • the operating unit 48C includes a stopper (second stopper portion) 66 in addition to the stopper (first stopper portion) 59.
  • the stopper 66 When viewed from the Y direction, the stopper 66 is provided on the opposite side of the linear actuator 65 across the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42, and contacts the holding portion 41 from the opposite direction of the Z direction (first direction).
  • the stopper 66 includes a wall portion 67 extending in the X direction and the Y direction, and at least one pin 68 extending from the wall portion 67 in the opposite direction to the Z direction.
  • the stopper 66 includes multiple pins 68, the multiple pins 68 are arranged at intervals in the X direction.
  • the pin 68 is provided at a position where it can come into contact with the holding portion 41 in the X direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 8B, the pin 68 is located at the same height as the holding portion 41 in the Y direction. In other words, the pin 68 extends from the wall portion 67 toward the holding portion 41.
  • the relative position adjustment of the holding parts 41 and 42 in this embodiment is the same as the position adjustment in the second embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, the position adjustment of the holding part 42 by the linear actuator 58 is regarded as a coarse adjustment. However, the subject of the position adjustment by the linear actuator 65 is the holding part 42, not the holding part 41. In this embodiment, the position adjustment of the holding part 42 by the linear actuator 65 is regarded as a fine adjustment. Then, these coarse and fine adjustments are used together.
  • the position of the holder 42 is adjusted by the linear actuator 58.
  • the processes of steps S1 to S3 shown in Fig. 6 are executed. That is, the control unit 50 operates the linear actuator 58 to move the first stage 71 of the biaxial stage 70 in the X direction while monitoring the intensity Pth of the test light 80.
  • the process in step S3 is limited to bringing the intensity Pth closer to the target value Prf .
  • the position of the holding part 42 is adjusted by the linear actuator 65.
  • the holding part 41 has already come into contact with the multiple pins 63 of the stopper 59 due to the movement of the first stage 71 in the X direction, and further movement in the X direction and rotation around the Y direction are restricted.
  • the control unit 50 monitors the intensity Pth of the test light 80 while operating the linear actuator 65 to move the second stage 72 of the biaxial stage 70 in the Z direction.
  • the first stage 71 also moves in the Z direction together with the second stage 72.
  • the holding unit 41 comes into contact with the pin 68 of the stopper 66. This restricts further movement of the holding unit 41 in the Z direction, and only the holding unit 42 moves in the Z direction.
  • the control unit 50 stops the operation of the linear actuator 65 and ends the position adjustment. Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the holding portion 41 and the holding portion 42 are joined together, and the position adjustment device 40 is withdrawn.
  • the third embodiment can also provide the same effects as the second embodiment. That is, even if the movement resolution of the linear actuators 58 and 65 is relatively large, the intensity Pth can be matched to the target value Prf with high accuracy, and high-precision adjustment is possible until a desired optical branching ratio is obtained.
  • the linear actuator 58 (65) does not have to be controlled by the control unit 50.
  • the linear actuator 58 (65) does not have a motor, and mechanical elements such as the micrometer head are manually operated by an operator. The operator manually operates the micrometer head while monitoring the intensity of the test light 80 measured by the light intensity measurement unit 44 on a display device such as a monitor (not shown). Since the configuration for automatically controlling the linear actuator 58 (65) can be omitted, further miniaturization of the position adjustment device 40 and reduction in manufacturing costs can be expected.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Optical Couplings Of Light Guides (AREA)
PCT/JP2022/043616 2022-11-25 2022-11-25 光ファイバ位置調整装置及び光ファイバ位置調整方法 Ceased WO2024111125A1 (ja)

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Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4302071A (en) * 1978-12-13 1981-11-24 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Adjustable directional coupler for light waveguides
JPS56154709A (en) * 1980-04-11 1981-11-30 Univ Leland Stanford Junior Fiber optical directional coupler
JPS60500030A (ja) * 1982-11-12 1985-01-10 ザ・ボ−ド・オブ・トラスティ−ズ・オブ・ザ・レランド・スタンフォ−ド・ジュニア・ユニバ−シティ ファイバ光学スイッチおよび離散的可変遅延線
WO2021064916A1 (ja) * 2019-10-02 2021-04-08 日本電信電話株式会社 光分岐回路作製方法及び光分岐回路作製装置

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4302071A (en) * 1978-12-13 1981-11-24 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Adjustable directional coupler for light waveguides
JPS56154709A (en) * 1980-04-11 1981-11-30 Univ Leland Stanford Junior Fiber optical directional coupler
JPS60500030A (ja) * 1982-11-12 1985-01-10 ザ・ボ−ド・オブ・トラスティ−ズ・オブ・ザ・レランド・スタンフォ−ド・ジュニア・ユニバ−シティ ファイバ光学スイッチおよび離散的可変遅延線
WO2021064916A1 (ja) * 2019-10-02 2021-04-08 日本電信電話株式会社 光分岐回路作製方法及び光分岐回路作製装置

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