JP2002023006A - Optical connector assembling tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve general applicability of an optical connector assembling tool applicable to different types of optical connectors. SOLUTION: An element base 52 is detachably mounted on its supporting part 53 in the optical connector assembling tool 50. The upper face of the element base 52 is formed with an optical connector storing groove 60 for storing an optical connector 10 so as to enable taking it out. One inner wall face 60c of the optical connector storing groove 60 is formed with an opening 61, which is for inserting and pulling a releasing member 16 in and out of the optical connector 10, in a manner to be opened for a releasing mechanism 54. The releasing member 16 is formed such that the contact part 63A of the release member body 63 comes into contact with the outer face 59B of the element base body 59, thereby regulating the movement of the releasing member 16 in the direction going to the optical connector 10. The releasing member 16 is provided with a handle; by manually advancing and retreating this handle 62 in the forward and backward direction P, the releasing member 16 is inserted into or pulled out from the communicative hole 17 of the optical connector 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention provides a ferrule in which an optical fiber is internally fixed, and a connecting mechanism for butt-connecting the optical fibers at a rear end opposite to a front end face of the ferrule where the ferrule is butt-connected. The present invention relates to an optical connector assembling tool for assembling an optical connector formed at the tip of an optical fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, assembly work on the tip of an optical fiber has been
As an optical connector that can be performed at a connection site other than a factory, for example, a ferrule in which an optical fiber is internally fixed in advance and the tip surface is polished, and the ferrule is disposed at a rear portion (a position facing the tip surface) of the ferrule. And a connection mechanism,
In this connection mechanism, the optical fiber on the ferrule side and another optical fiber for connection abutted against the optical fiber are clamped to maintain the butt-connected state, and the optical connector can be assembled in a short time. Things are known. Here, since the connection mechanism is small in size, it has been proposed to operate the connection mechanism using a dedicated tool.

Hereinafter, an optical connector assembling tool according to an example of the prior art will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 is a perspective view showing an optical connector assembly tool 30 according to an example of the prior art, FIG. 15 is a plan view of the optical connector assembly tool 30 shown in FIG. 14, and FIG. 16 is an optical connector assembly tool 30 shown in FIG. 17 is a side sectional view of a main part of the optical connector 10 shown in FIG. The optical connector assembling tool 30 has a connection mechanism incorporated therein and has a JI
The present invention is applied to the optical connector 10 having connection compatibility with the SC type optical connector stipulated in SC5973 or the like, and includes a connection mechanism support portion 31, an opening mechanism 32, a fiber holder 33, a holder set table 34, It is composed of The connection mechanism support section 31 supports the connection mechanism 13 of the optical connector 10 at a fixed position so as to be able to be taken out. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the connection mechanism support portion 31 has an optical connector housing groove 36 for housing the optical connector 10, and the inside of the optical connector housing groove 36 is displaced by keeping the optical connector 10 horizontal. The shape is such that it can be stably housed in a fixed position without causing any problem. Further, the optical connector housing groove 36 has a window 36A opened to the opening mechanism 32 side adjacent to the connection mechanism support portion 31, and the optical connector 10 connects the insertion port 23 of the connection mechanism 13 through the window 36A. And is housed in the optical connector housing groove 36 toward the opening mechanism 32 side.

As shown in FIG. 16, the connection mechanism 13 has a structure in which a first element 18 and two second elements 19a and 19b are housed in a sleeve 14 made of a material having high strength such as metal. As shown, the split first element 18
And the second element 19a, 19b is an insertion port 2 opened to the side.
3 is pressed into an integrated state by the clamping force of a U-shaped or C-shaped sleeve-shaped spring (clamping force applying member) 21 having an opening 3. A communication port 17 for communication is provided. To assemble the optical connector 10 at the tip of the optical fiber 22,
The opening mechanism 32 installed next to the connection mechanism support 31 is driven to press-fit the opening member 16 into the insertion port 23 opened on the side of the connection mechanism 13. As a result, the distal end of the opening member 16 is pushed into the space between the separation surfaces (separation boundaries) between the first element 18 and the second elements 19a and 19b through the insertion port 23, and resists the clamping force of the spring 21. A first element 18 and a second element 1
9a and 19b are pushed open. The release mechanism 32 controls the rotation of the lever 40 to release the release member 16 to the connection mechanism support 31.
It is designed to be converted into forward movement and pushing movement,
The opening member 16 can be moved forward and backward with respect to the connection mechanism support portion 31 only by operating the lever 40. Opening member 16
When the first element 18 and the second elements 19a and 19b are pushed open by the above, the fiber holder 33 set on the holder set table 34 provided next to the connection mechanism support 31.
Of the optical fiber 22 clamped and held by the fiber holder 33, and the tip of the optical fiber 22 protruding from the fiber holder 33 is inserted into the connection mechanism 13, and the first element 18 and the second element 19a, 19
b into a centering mechanism 26 (a V-groove formed in the first element 18 in FIG. 4). As a result, the optical fiber 27 on the ferrule 11 side and the optical fiber 22 inserted into the connection mechanism 13 from behind the optical connector 10 are positioned and aligned by the alignment mechanism 26, and are butt-connected. When the butt connection between the two optical fibers 22 and 27 is completed, the opening member 1 is operated by operating the opening mechanism 32.
6 is pulled out from the connection mechanism 13. Thereby, the spring 21
The first element 18 and the second elements 19a, 19
b, the optical fibers 22, 27 are sandwiched between them, and the connected state is maintained.

[0005]

In the optical connector assembling tool 30 having the above-described structure, the inner shape of the optical connector housing groove 36 is a shape that can stably support the optical connector 10 to which the optical connector 10 is applied. Had become. In order to cope with various optical connector shapes, dedicated optical connector assembling tools must be prepared, which is inconvenient and disadvantageous in cost. Also, the insertion amount of the opening member 16 between the first element 18 of the connection mechanism 13 and the second elements 19a and 19b may be different depending on the optical connector. In this case, the design of the opening mechanism 32 is changed. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the insertion amount of the opening member. However, the internal structure of the opening mechanism 32 is complicated, and it is not easy to adjust the insertion amount. Also, the optical connector assembly tool 30 as described above
In this case, the weight of the opening mechanism 32 is large, inconvenient to carry, and the cost is high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a simple structure, and can easily adjust the amount of insertion of an opening member into a connection mechanism of an optical connector supported on an element table, and can replace the element. An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost optical connector assembling tool capable of improving versatility for optical connectors of different types by employing a table.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and to achieve the above object, an optical connector assembling tool according to the present invention has a ferrule in which an optical fiber is internally fixed and a butt of the ferrule. A connection mechanism assembled on the rear end side facing the front end face to be connected, wherein the connection mechanism includes an element portion having a split structure, and an optical fiber protruding from the ferrule to the rear end side in the element portion. ,
An aligning mechanism for positioning and aligning another optical fiber so that the optical fiber can be butt-connected; and a clamping force applying means for applying a clamping force for clamping the optical fiber to the element portion, wherein a clamping force of the clamping force applying means is provided. A wedge-shaped opening member is inserted into a separation boundary of the element portion from a side of the element portion to open the element portion. An optical connector assembling tool to assemble, an element base for supporting the connection mechanism of the optical connector in a removable position,
An opening mechanism for inserting and removing the opening member at the separation boundary of the element portion of the connection mechanism supported by the element base, wherein the opening mechanism includes the opening member having a wedge-shaped insertion tip. It is characterized in that it has a guide portion that supports the table so that it can advance and retreat toward the table, and the opening member can be moved manually.

According to the optical connector assembling tool having the above structure,
The release member can be manually pushed into the connection mechanism housed in the element base, and by performing such a simple operation, the optical fiber on the ferrule side and the target optical fiber can be butt-connected. Thus, the assembling work of the optical connector can be performed efficiently. Furthermore, since a special mechanism for moving the opening member forward and backward is not required, the structure of the optical connector assembling tool can be simplified. As a result, it is possible to reduce the cost required for manufacturing the optical connector assembling tool, to contribute to miniaturization and weight reduction of the optical connector assembling tool, and to reduce the labor required for carrying. Become.

Further, in the optical connector assembling tool according to the present invention, the opening member has a contact portion for contacting a stopper for restricting the pushing in the direction of the element table.
By the contact portion contacting the stopper,
It is characterized in that a desired insertion amount of the element portion into the separation boundary can be obtained in the opening member. According to the optical connector assembly tool having the above configuration, the insertion amount of the opening member inserted into the insertion port, that is, the opening amount of the element portion of the connection mechanism, with respect to the connection mechanism housed in the element base,
For example, since it is determined only by the relative position between the stopper provided on the element base and the contact part of the opening member, if the connection mechanism mounted on the element base is the same, the insertion amount of the opening member varies. For example, the opening amount of the element portion becomes too large to damage the clamping force applying means such as a U-shaped spring, or for example, the opening amount of the element portion is too small to insert the intended optical fiber. There is no risk of inconvenience such as inability to perform, and the optical connector can be efficiently assembled.

Further, the optical connector assembling tool according to the present invention is characterized in that the element base is replaceable. According to the optical connector assembling tool having the above configuration, for example, when assembling optical connectors of different types, it is only necessary to replace only the element base for each optical connector. There is no need to replace the whole.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an optical connector assembling tool according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an optical connector assembly tool 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical connector assembly tool 50 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the fiber holder 52 and the fiber folder 55, and FIG. 4 is a central sectional view of a main part of the connection mechanism 13 of the optical connector 10 shown in FIG. Note that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as those in the above-described conventional technology, and the description will be simplified or omitted.
First, the optical connector 10 applied to the optical connector assembly tool 50 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 17, the element section 20 of the connection mechanism 13 includes a rod-shaped first element 18 and two second elements 19 a and 19 b provided to face the first element 18. It has a split structure.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the separation surface of the first element 18 facing the second elements 19a and 19b, an alignment groove 26 (alignment mechanism) for positioning and aligning the bare optical fiber with high precision, and a guide. The groove 26a is formed in series along the central axis O of the ferrule 11 continuously. The ferrule-side optical fiber 27 protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 11 is housed in a centering groove 26 formed in the vicinity of the ferrule 11 of the first element 18, that is, at a position corresponding to the second element 19a. The optical fiber 22 connected to the ferrule-side optical fiber 27 is, for example, a single optical fiber, and the bare optical fiber 22a whose coating at the tip of the optical fiber 22 is removed and exposed is removed. When inserted into the element portion 20 opened by the guide 16, the guide groove 26a formed on the rear end side (the right end side of the optical connector 10) of the first element 18 guides the alignment groove 26.
And is aligned and aligned with high precision by the alignment groove 26 and butt-connected to the ferrule-side optical fiber 27. At the same time, the coating portion 22 of the optical fiber 22
b is stored in the guide groove 26a. When the release member 16 is pulled out from the element section 20, the element section 20 is closed by the clamping force of the spring 21, and the first element 18 and the second element 1
Both optical fibers 22, 27 are sandwiched between 9a, 19b, and the connection state is maintained. As shown in FIG. 4, a sleeve (usually called a stop ring) 14 is provided in the insertion port 23 of the spring 21 that opens at the boundary between the first element 18 and the second element 19 a on the side of the element section 20. The opening member 16 is inserted from the outside of the connection mechanism 13 through the communication port 17. Similarly, the insertion port 23 of the spring 21 also extends to the boundary between the first element 18 and the second element 19b, and the opening member 16 is opened from the outside of the connection mechanism 13 through the communication port 17 of the sleeve 14. Inserted.

Next, an optical connector assembling tool 50 according to the present embodiment will be described. Optical connector assembly tool 50
As shown in FIG. 1, a base 51, an element base 52, an element base support 53, an opening mechanism 54, a fiber holder 5
5 and on a substantially plate-like base 51,
An element base 52, an element base support 53, an opening mechanism 54,
The fiber holder 55 is arranged. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an element base mounting hole 56 for detachably mounting the element base 52 is formed in the element base supporting portion 53 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, an element base fitting hole 57 smaller than the element base mounting hole 56 is provided through the base 51 so as to face the opening of the element base mounting hole 56. Element stand 5
Reference numeral 2 denotes an element base fitting portion 58 and an element base main body 59 in order from the lower side in the vertical direction. Element base fitting section 58
Is a portion to be fitted into the element base fitting hole 57 of the base 51, and has a cross section in the vertical direction that is substantially the same shape as the element base fitting hole 57. Further, the element base main body 59 is a part to be mounted in the element base mounting hole 56 of the element base supporting part 53, and the element base 52 inserted into the element base mounting hole 56 is stably supported without rattling. When the element base 52 is mounted on the element base supporting portion 53, the lower surface 59 </ b> A of the element base main body 59 near the element base fitting hole 57 of the base 51 is attached to the base 5.
1 is in contact with the upper surface 51A.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
An optical connector housing groove 60 for removably fitting the optical connector 10 is formed on the upper surface of the element base main body 59. The optical connector 10 has a central axis O in the extending direction of the optical connector housing groove 60. Is mounted horizontally so that Here, the bottom surface 60A and both inner wall surfaces 60B and 60C of the optical connector housing groove 60 have a shape such that the optical connector 10 is stably supported. Optical connector storage groove 60
On one inner wall surface 60C, an opening 61 is formed at a predetermined position in the extending direction of the optical connector housing groove 60, the opening 61 being opened in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction. The opening 61 is arranged so as to face the communication port 17 of the optical connector 10 mounted in the optical connector housing groove 60, and the opening mechanism 5 arranged adjacent to the element base 52.
4 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Numeral 4 is disposed adjacent to the element support 53, and includes the opening member 16, a handle 62, and a guide portion including an opening mechanism base 54A and an opening mechanism lid 54B. . The release member 16 is formed, for example, in a substantially rectangular plate shape in appearance, and is defined by a concave groove formed on the upper surface of the release mechanism base 54A and a release mechanism lid 54B placed on the upper surface of the release mechanism base 54A. Is inserted into the opened opening member storage hole 54C. Here, the opening member storage hole 54 </ b> C is positioned in a horizontal direction (hereinafter referred to as the forward / backward direction P) orthogonal to the central axis O of the optical connector 10 mounted in the optical connector storage groove 60.
Call. ), And the opening member 16 can move forward and backward toward the element base 52 (arrow P in the figure). As shown in FIG. 2, the opening member 16 includes an opening member main body 63 formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and the opening member main body 6.
For example, the insertion member 64 is formed at one end of the opening member 16 in the advancing / retreating direction P at one end on the element table 52 side. The insertion member 64 is connected to the opening 6 of the element base 52.
1 and two projecting insertion portions which are inserted into and removed from the insertion port 23 of the connection mechanism 13 through the communication port 17 of the optical connector 10 and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the direction of the central axis O. It has tips 64A, 64A. Here, in the direction of the central axis O, the insertion member 64 can be inserted into the connection mechanism 13 through the opening 61, and the contact portions 63A, 63A projecting from both sides of the insertion tips 64A, 64A of the opening member main body 63.
63A is an outer surface (stopper) 59B of the element base body 59
Advancing is regulated by contacting the

Further, as shown in FIG.
3, a guide hole 63B having a substantially elliptical cross section formed in the forward / backward direction P is penetrated. In the guide hole 63B, the opening mechanism base 54A penetrates the opening mechanism lid 54B.
A pin 63C screwed into a bolt hole formed on the upper surface is inserted, and when the opening member 16 is moved in a direction away from the element base 52, the pin 63C is moved to the guide hole 63B.
It stops when it comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface on the element table 52 side, and the movement range in the direction in which the opening member 16 retreats from the optical connector 10 is restricted. Opening member 1
6 is provided with a handle 62 at the other end in the advance / retreat direction P. By manually moving the handle 62 along the advance / retreat direction P, the opening member 16 is opened to the connection mechanism 13 side. The element part 20 is opened and closed by being inserted into and removed from the entrance 23. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the element table 52 is provided with a push-up pin 65 that can project vertically upward from the bottom surface 60 </ b> A of the optical connector housing groove 60. The optical connector 10 housed in the optical connector housing groove 60 can be removed by bringing the optical connector 10 into contact with the lower portion of the optical connector 10 and pushing it upward in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a fiber holder 55 is provided at a predetermined interval in the extending direction of the optical connector housing groove 60 with respect to the element stand supporting portion 53.
The fiber holder 55 is detachably mounted on the base 51, and includes a holding member support 70 and a fiber holding member 71.
It is comprised including. The fiber holding member 71 is
For example, it is made of a sponge or the like, and is mounted on the holding member support 70. On the upper surface of the fiber holding member 71, a notch 71A cut downward in the vertical direction is provided with a central axis O.
Are formed along. Connection mechanism 1 of optical connector 10
The optical fiber 22 inserted into the optical fiber 3 is a fiber holding member 71.
And is fixed so as not to move in the direction of the central axis O. The fiber holding member 7
The optical fiber 22 sandwiched between the optical connector 22 and the optical connector housing groove 6
The optical connector 10 is coaxial with the center axis O of the optical connector 10 mounted on the optical connector 10. Further, the optical fiber 22 inserted into the connection mechanism 13 is further pressed from a state in which the optical fiber 22 is in contact with the ferrule-side optical fiber 27 accommodated in the connection mechanism 13. The optical fiber 22 is slightly bent with respect to the central axis O. Due to the bending of the optical fiber 22, the optical fiber 22 is urged toward the ferrule-side optical fiber 27, and a butting force is secured between the two optical fibers 22, 27.

According to the optical connector assembling tool 50 having the above structure, the connecting member 13 accommodated in the element base 52 is provided with the release member 1.
6, the ferrule-side optical fiber 27 and the target optical fiber 22 can be butt-connected only by performing such a simple operation, and the assembling work of the optical connector 10 can be efficiently performed. Can do well. Further, since a special mechanism for moving the opening member 16 forward and backward is not required, the structure of the optical connector assembling tool 50 can be simplified. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the cost required for manufacturing the optical connector assembly tool 50, to contribute to the reduction in size and weight of the optical connector assembly tool 50, and to reduce the labor required for carrying. It becomes possible. The insertion amount of the opening member 16 inserted into the insertion port 23 with respect to the connection mechanism 13 housed in the element base 52, that is, the element portion 20 of the connection mechanism 13
Is determined only by the relative position between the contact portion 63A of the opening member main body 63 and the outer surface 59B of the element base main body 59, and if the connection mechanism 13 housed in the element base 52 is the same, Variations in the insertion amount of the opening member 16 are prevented, and for example, the opening amount of the element portion 20 becomes excessively large, causing a decrease in the clamping force of the U-shaped spring 21 or the opening amount of the element portion 20, for example. The optical connector 10 can be efficiently assembled without causing any inconvenience such as being unable to insert the target optical fiber 22 because it is too small.

In the present embodiment, the optical connector assembling tool 50 is applied to the optical connector 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Of the type of optical connector. Hereinafter, a modified example of the present embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be simplified or omitted. FIG.
FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an element base 80 of the optical connector assembling tool according to a first modification of the present embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of an optical connector 81 mounted on an element base 80 shown in FIG. The optical connector 81 includes a ferrule hold 82 that is longer than the ferrule hold 12 of the optical connector 10 according to the present embodiment described above, and has a common configuration with the optical connector 10 at the rear end of the ferrule hold 82. The connection mechanism 13 is housed and connected to a sleeve (stop ring) 84. In addition, a communication port 84 </ b> A communicating with the insertion port 23 of the connection mechanism 13 is opened on the side of the sleeve 84. The ferrule hold 82 is housed in a housing 86 having a substantially cylindrical external appearance. Housing 86 rotatable about central axis O
Are formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof so as to face each other with the central axis O interposed therebetween. The locking portion 86A is formed by a through-cut portion 86a formed along the direction of the central axis O and an inner portion of the through-cut portion 86a (the right back in FIG. 5) formed in a circumferential direction. Stop notch 86b
And is formed in a substantially L-shape. As shown in FIG. 5A, an optical connector housing groove 89 is formed on the upper surface of the element base main body 59 of the element base 80 so that the optical connector 81 can be detachably fitted and stably supported.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an element base 90 of an optical connector assembling tool according to a second modification of the present embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a view showing the element base 90 shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an optical connector 91 mounted on the optical connector 91. As shown in FIG. 6B, an element portion 94 constituting the connection mechanism 95 of the optical connector 91 is formed in series with a flange 92A protruding from the rear of the ferrule hold 92 and on a separation surface 92a of the flange 92A. The optical fiber 22 is sandwiched between the two second elements 92B and 92C arranged in the first position. Collar 9
2A is formed by molding a part of the ferrule hold 92, so that the connecting mechanism 95 requires a small number of parts and is downsized. The sleeve (stop ring) 96 for accommodating the connection mechanism 95 has reached the vicinity of the ferrule 11 and is provided with an opening member 16 for opening the element portion 94.
Are inserted into the separation boundary of the element part 94 through a communication port (not shown) opened in the sleeve 96 and a housing communication port 93A opened on the side of the cylindrical housing 93 provided outside the sleeve 96. You. As shown in FIG. 6A, the optical connector housing groove 99 formed on the element base 90
Is fitted so that the optical connector 91 can be taken out,
Stable support.

Next, a third modification of the optical connector assembling tool according to the present embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be simplified or omitted. First, an optical connector 100 applied to an optical connector assembly tool according to a third modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a front sectional view of an optical connector 100 applied to an optical connector assembling tool according to a third modification of the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a connection mechanism 102 of the optical connector 100 shown in FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of the optical connector ferrule 101 and the connection mechanism 102 shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 10 is a central sectional view of a main part of the connection mechanism 102 shown in FIG. The optical connector 100 is an optical connector that switches and connects tape-shaped optical fiber cores (so-called optical fiber tape cores) to each other. The optical connector 100 has a configuration similar to an optical connector ferrule specified in, for example, JIS C5981 or the like. It has a structure in which an optical connector ferrule is housed inside a housing.

As shown in FIG. 7, the optical connector 100
An optical connector ferrule (hereinafter, referred to as a "ferrule") 101 and a connection mechanism 102 are connected to a housing 10 of a so-called MPO type optical connector, for example, defined in JIS C5982 or the like.
3 supports the interior. The ferrule 101 and the connection mechanism 102 are connected, and are configured to be able to move integrally in the housing 103 in the forward and backward directions (left and right in FIG. 7). A substantially rectangular tubular rear housing 104 is fixed to the rear of the housing 103. The ferrule 101 and the connection mechanism 102 are moved forward (left side in FIG. 7) by a coil spring 105 housed in the rear housing 104 and taking a reaction force. ). Ferrule 101
The connection mechanism 102 can be pushed toward the rear housing 104 within the elastic deformation range of the coil spring 105. A coupling 107 can move forward and backward outside the housing 103.

7 to 9, a ferrule 101 is shown.
Has, for example, a configuration similar to an optical connector ferrule defined in JIS C5981. A plurality of, for example, two optical fibers (bare fibers) 111 are inserted and fixed in parallel. The distal end of the optical fiber 111 is exposed at the joint end surface 112 of the ferrule 101, and the rear end of the optical fiber 111 is projected from the rear end of the ferrule 101 to connect the connecting mechanism 1.
02. As shown in FIG. 8, the ferrule 101 is provided with a guide pin hole 113, into which a guide pin (not shown) is inserted. The guide pin is, for example, a guide pin defined in JIS C5981. By inserting the guide pin into a guide pin hole formed in a mating ferrule (not shown) to be butt-connected, a gap between the two ferrules is established. It is for positioning. The guide pin hole 113 is, for example, a guide pin hole defined in JIS C5981 and is opened at the joint end surface 112 and the rear end surface of the ferrule 101. Optical fiber 11 in ferrule 101
1 is precisely positioned and arranged over the entire longitudinal direction so as to be parallel to the guide pin hole 113, and
The ferrule 101 is fixed by an adhesive such as an epoxy resin injected from the opening 101b on the upper surface.

The connection mechanism 102 is arranged on the rear end side of the ferrule 101. The connection mechanism 102 has a square rod shape as a whole, and its longitudinal direction is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 111. The connection mechanism 102 is connected to the element unit 11
4, elements 115, 115a, and 1 having a split structure
15b is clamped and held by, for example, a substantially U-shaped spring (clamping force applying member) 116 mounted from the outside so as to maintain the integrated state. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, the connection mechanism 102 is capable of opening and closing between an elongated element 115 and elements 115 a and 115 b arranged in series along the element 115. On the divided surface 117 of the element 115 corresponding to the element 115a disposed close to the ferrule 101, an alignment mechanism 117a formed of a positioning groove such as a V groove or a U groove formed along the longitudinal direction of the element 115 is provided. A plurality of, for example, two wires are formed corresponding to the number, and an optical fiber 111 protruding from the ferrule 101 is housed in the alignment mechanism 117a to precisely align the alignment. Alignment mechanism 117a
Is held between the elements 115 and 115a by the clamping force of the spring 116. On the other hand, in a region corresponding to the element 115b of the element 115, a coated distal end of an optical fiber 118 (for example, a two-core optical fiber tape) inserted separately from a recess 119 at the rear end (right side in FIG. 9) of the connection mechanism 102 A tape section storage groove 117b for storing the tape 121 is formed.

In FIG. 9, an optical fiber 111 on the ferrule 101 side is housed in an optical fiber housing hole 101a formed in the ferrule 101. At the rear end (right side in FIG. 9) of the optical fiber storage hole 101a, an optical fiber 111 is provided.
Is formed into a tapered hole 101c for easily inserting into the optical fiber storage hole 101a. As shown in FIG.
The optical fiber 118 is coated with the single-core optical fiber 12 by removing the coating.
0 is exposed from the recess 119 to the tape storage groove 1.
The optical fiber 11 on the ferrule 101 side is inserted into the centering mechanism 117a through the centering mechanism 117a.
Butt connection with 1. At the same time that the single-core optical fiber 120 is butt-connected to the optical fiber 111, the coated tip 121 is accommodated in the tape accommodating groove 117b. In this connection mechanism 102, the optical fibers 111 and 120 housed in the centering mechanism 117a are clamped and held between the elements 115a and 115 to maintain the connection state.
The covering tip 121 housed in 17b is attached to the element 115b, 1
15 and hold it with a clamp to provide pull-out resistance.

An insertion opening 125 into which the wedge-shaped opening member 16 is inserted is opened on the side surface of the connection mechanism 102.
In this connection mechanism 102, when the opening member 16 is pressed into the insertion opening 125 against the clamping force of the spring 116, the space between the elements 115, 115a, and 115b is expanded. Between the elements 115, 115a and 115b,
The element 1 can be opened and closed within the elastic deformation range of the spring 116.
At the time of opening 15, 115a and 115b, the connection mechanism 102
Can be freely inserted into and removed from the optical fiber 118.

Next, an optical connector assembling tool 200 according to a third modification of the present embodiment used for the optical connector 100 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing an optical connector assembly tool 200 according to a third modification of the present embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 13 is a plan view of the optical connector assembly tool 200 shown in FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of the element base 201 and the pushing mechanism 202 shown in FIG. The same parts as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be simplified or omitted. The optical connector assembling tool 200 according to the third modified example of the present embodiment is an optical connector for switching tape-shaped optical fiber cores (so-called optical fiber tape cores) to each other, and is, for example, JIS C5981 or the like. Connector having a structure in which a ferrule having a configuration similar to the optical connector ferrule established in
00, and as shown in FIG.
It comprises a base 51, an element base 201, an element base support 53, an opening mechanism 54, and a push-in mechanism 202, and the element base 201, the element base support The section 53, the opening mechanism 54, and the pushing mechanism 202 are arranged. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the optical connector 100 is provided on the upper surface of the element base body 59 of the element base 201.
An optical connector housing groove 210 for removably housing the connection mechanism 102 connected to the ferrule 101 is formed.
It is mounted horizontally so that the positioning groove of the alignment mechanism 117a extends along the extension direction of 0. Optical connector storage groove 21
0 bottom surface 210A and both inner wall surfaces 210B, 210C
Has a shape that stably supports the optical connector 100.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, a push-in mechanism 202 is provided at a predetermined interval in the extending direction of the optical connector storage groove 210 with respect to the element support 53. The pushing mechanism 202 is detachably mounted on the base 51, and includes a fiber holder 221 and a holder base 222.
And an inclined base 223. Incline table 2
23 is mounted on the base 51, and the upper surface of the inclined table 223 is inclined downward at a predetermined inclination angle θ with respect to the extending direction of the optical connector housing groove 210 toward the element table supporting portion 53. I have. The holder base 222 is mounted on the inclined base 223, and includes a movable base 224, a rail 225,
It includes a spring 226 and a guide member 227. Above the inclined table 223, a substantially plate-shaped rail section 225 is fixed at an inclination angle θ same as that of the inclined table 223, and the upper surface of the inclined table 223 and the rail section 225 are fixed.
The movable base 224 is sandwiched between
Is installed. The movable base 224 can move forward and backward along the rail 225 (arrow Q in the drawing) on the inclined base 223. The spring 226 is made of, for example, a coil spring or the like. One end of the spring 226 is locked by a locking pin 226 a protruding from the holder base 222 on the element base supporting portion 53 side, and the other end is installed integrally with the movable base 224. Locked to the pin 226b.

As shown in FIG. 11, a protrusion 228 is formed on the upper surface of the rail portion 225 along the inclination direction Q, and a groove 229 that fits into the protrusion 228 is formed on the lower surface of the fiber holder 221. It is provided in. This allows
The fiber folder 221 has a protrusion 228 of the rail 225.
Along the direction of inclination Q. further,
In the upper surface of the rail portion 225, a through hole penetrating into the inclined base 223 from an appropriate position in the tilt direction Q to the rear end of the rail portion 225 (upper right side in FIG. 11, that is, the side opposite to the element base 201 side). 230 are formed.
A guide member 227 fixed integrally with the movable base 224 is inserted into the through hole 230, and an upper portion 227 </ b> A of the guide member 227 protrudes from the upper surface of the rail portion 225. Here, the movable base 224 is the spring 2
When it moves toward the element base 201 by the elastic force of 26,
The guide member 227 fixed to the movable base 224 also moves to the element table 201 side, and the upper part 227 of the guide member 227 is moved.
When A touches the rear end face of the fiber folder 221 placed on the upper surface of the rail portion 225, the fiber folder 221 is moved to the element table 201 side. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, a protrusion 225A is provided on the upper surface of the tip of the rail 225. When the tip of the fiber folder 221 comes into contact with the protrusion 225A, the element table 201 side Is stopped, and the movement of the fiber folder 221 in the inclination direction Q is restricted.

The fiber holder 221 is formed, for example, in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and has openable and closable lids 221A and 221B connected to two places in the longitudinal direction.
By closing A and 221B, the optical fiber 118 is inserted into an optical fiber holding groove such as a V groove, a U groove, or a square groove.
And the lids 221A, 221B
Is attracted to the upper surface of the fiber folder 221 by, for example, magnetic attraction. The optical fiber 118 clamped and held in the fiber folder 221 is
Moves along the rail portion 225 toward the element base support portion 53 (in the direction of the arrow Q in the figure), as shown in FIG. 9, moves diagonally from above to the concave portion 119 at the rear end of the connection mechanism 102. Then, the end of the optical fiber 118 which has been removed to expose the single-core optical fiber 120 is inserted into the alignment mechanism 117a from the concave portion 119 via the tape portion accommodating groove 117b,
The centering mechanism 117a is butt-connected to the optical fiber 111 on the ferrule 101 side. At this time, since the fiber folder 221 is pressed toward the element table 201 by the guide member 227A, the single-core optical fiber 12
0 is urged toward the optical fiber 111 on the ferrule side, and a butting force is secured between the optical fibers 120 and 111.

In the optical connector assembly tool 200 according to the third modification of the present embodiment, the housing 103 of the optical connector 100 is made of, for example, JIS C.
It has a shape similar to the housing of the optical connector of the MPO type defined in 5982 and the like, but is not limited thereto. For example, when inserted into a female housing such as an optical connector adapter, An elastic piece (latch) which is engaged and disengaged by manual operation is protruded, and is applicable to an optical connector of a type (so-called RJ type) which can be easily attached and detached. In short, any optical connector having the connection mechanism 102 to which the ferrule 101 is connected may be used.

[0032]

As described above, according to the optical connector assembling tool of the present invention, the release member can be manually pushed into the connection mechanism housed in the element base. By simply performing a simple operation, the optical fiber on the ferrule side and the target optical fiber can be butt-connected and the assembly operation of the optical connector can be performed efficiently. Furthermore, since a special mechanism for moving the opening member forward and backward is not required, the structure of the optical connector assembling tool can be simplified. Accordingly, the optical connector assembling tool can be manufactured at a low cost, and it is possible to contribute to downsizing and weight reduction of the optical connector assembling tool. Furthermore, according to the optical connector assembling tool of the present invention, the insertion amount of the opening member inserted into the insertion port with respect to the connection mechanism housed in the element base, that is, the element portion of the connection mechanism. Variations in the opening amount are prevented, and the work of assembling the optical connector can be performed efficiently. Further, according to the optical connector assembling tool of the present invention, when assembling optical connectors of different types, it is only necessary to replace only the element base for each optical connector. Versatility can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an optical connector assembly tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical connector assembly tool shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of an element base and a fiber folder shown in FIG. 1;

4 is a central sectional view of a main part of the connection mechanism of the optical connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an element base according to a first modification of the optical connector assembling tool shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the optical connector mounted on the element base shown in FIG.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an element base according to a second modification of the optical connector assembly tool shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of an optical connector mounted on the element base shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view of an optical connector applied to a third modified example of the optical connector assembling tool shown in FIG. 1;

8 is a perspective view showing a connection mechanism of the optical connector shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of the optical connector ferrule and the connection mechanism shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a central sectional view of a main part of the connection mechanism shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a front sectional view of an optical connector applied to a third modification of the optical connector assembling tool shown in FIG. 1;

12 is a perspective view showing a connection mechanism of the optical connector shown in FIG.

13 is a front sectional view of the optical connector ferrule and the connection mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an optical connector assembling tool according to an example of the prior art.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the optical connector assembling tool shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of the optical connector assembling tool shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a side sectional view of a main part of the optical connector shown in FIG. 14;

[Description of Signs] 10, 81, 91, 100 Optical connector 11, 101 Ferrule 13, 95, 102 Connection mechanism 14, 84, 96 Sleeve 16 Opening member 17, 84A Communication port 20, 94, 114 Element portion 21, 116 Spring 28, 86, 93, 103 Housing 50, 200 Optical connector assembly tool 51 Base 52, 80, 90, 201 Element base 53 Element base support 54 Opening mechanism 60, 89, 99, 210 Optical connector storage groove 62 Handle part

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Tamaki 1440 Mutsuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Co., Ltd. Sakura Office F-term (reference) 2H036 JA02 LA03 LA08 MA01 NA01 QA22 QA49

Claims (3)

[Claims] A ferrule (11, 101) in which an optical fiber (27, 111) is internally fixed, and a connection mechanism (13, 95, 102) assembled on a rear end side facing a front end face of the ferrule to be butt-connected. ), And the connection mechanism has an element portion (20, 94,
114) and another optical fiber (2) to the optical fiber protruding rearward from the ferrule in the element portion.
2, 118) and a centering mechanism (26, 117a) for positioning and aligning so as to be connectable and connectable, and a clamping force applying means (21, 116) for applying a clamping force for clamping the optical fiber to the element portion. A wedge-shaped opening member (16) provided against the clamping force of the clamping force applying means;
An optical connector assembling tool (50) for assembling an optical connector configured to open the element section by inserting the element section from the side of the element section into a separation boundary of the element section at a tip of a target optical fiber. , 200), wherein an element base (52, 80, 90, 201) for supporting the connection mechanism of the optical connector at a fixed position so that it can be taken out, and the element section of the connection mechanism supported by the element base. An opening mechanism (54) for inserting and removing the opening member at the separation boundary, wherein the opening mechanism supports the opening member having a wedge-shaped insertion tip (64A) so as to advance and retreat toward the element table. An optical connector assembling tool comprising a guide portion, wherein the opening member is manually movable. 2. An abutting portion (6) for abutting on a stopper (59B) for restricting pushing in the direction of the element table.
3A), wherein a desired insertion amount of the element portion into the separation boundary of the element portion is obtained in the opening member by the contact portion contacting the stopper. The optical connector assembly tool according to claim 1. 3. The optical connector assembling tool according to claim 2, wherein said element base is replaceable.