JP2004004333A - Optical fiber connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate insertion of optical fibers into a ferrule. <P>SOLUTION: In an optical fiber connector where an internal space 12 which opens to one side face of a ferrule 10 and extends in the axial direction of the ferrule, an adhesive filling window 16 which opens to a top face parallel to the axial direction of the ferrule 10 in such a way as to face the internal space 12, and optical fiber insertion holes 14 which pierce from the innermost part of the internal space 12 toward the other side face of the ferrule 10 in the axial direction and into which optical fibers arranged two-dimensionally in column and step directions are inserted are formed, a first inclined plane 18 is formed in the innermost part of the internal space 12 in such a way that distance from the adhesive filling window 16 shortens gradually toward the interior of the internal space 12. By this structure, when the tips of optical fibers hit the first inclined plane 18, the tips bend toward the optical fiber insertion holes 14 and are guided to the holes 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector, and more particularly, to a technique for facilitating insertion of an optical fiber into a ferrule.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an optical fiber connector (hereinafter, referred to as an “optical connector”) for connecting optical fibers by abutting ferrule tips with a predetermined pressing force. The optical connector adopts a configuration in which an internal space into which an optical fiber is inserted is opened on a surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the ferrule. When inserting the optical fiber into the ferrule, the positioning of the optical fiber with respect to the optical fiber insertion hole is performed while checking the state of insertion through an adhesive filling window opened in a plane parallel to the axial direction.
[0003]
By the way, with the rapid progress of multimedia in recent years, a demand for high-density wiring has been increased, and a two-dimensional array type optical connector which realizes high-density mounting by two-dimensionally arranging optical fibers has been developed. However, in the two-dimensional array type optical connector, there is a problem that although the position of the optical fiber in the row direction can be confirmed from the adhesive filling window, the position of the optical fiber in the step direction is difficult to confirm. For this reason, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-14255, a step portion corresponding to each step of the optical fiber is provided, and an optical fiber guiding groove is formed here, so that each step from the adhesive filling window is formed. There has been proposed a technique that allows easy insertion into an optical fiber insertion hole while confirming the insertion state of the optical fiber.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a two-dimensional array type optical connector, since the portion directly below the optical fiber insertion hole forms a plane perpendicular to the insertion direction, when the optical fiber is inserted downward, the distal end portion becomes the rectangular plane. And it was difficult to insert it into the optical fiber insertion hole. Such a defect is caused by a fundamental characteristic that it is difficult to grasp the position of the optical fiber in the step direction from the adhesive filling window.
[0005]
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to make it possible to easily position the optical fiber in the stepwise direction while enabling the insertion state of the optical fiber to be confirmed from the adhesive filling window of the ferrule. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector that facilitates insertion of an optical fiber into a ferrule.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, in the invention according to claim 1, an internal space extending in the axial direction while being opened on one side surface of the ferrule, a window opening on an upper surface parallel to the axial direction of the ferrule so as to face the internal space, An optical fiber connector, in which an optical fiber insertion hole through which optical fibers penetrating in the axial direction from the innermost part of the internal space to the other side surface of the ferrule and through which two-dimensionally arranged optical fibers are inserted in the row direction and the step direction, A first inclined surface is formed in the innermost part of the inner space, the first inclined surface being gradually narrowed from the window toward the inner part of the inner space.
[0007]
According to this configuration, when inserting the optical fiber into the ferrule, the distal end of the optical fiber is inserted to the innermost part of the internal space. At this time, since the first inclined surface is formed at the innermost portion, the relative position between the optical fiber and the optical fiber insertion hole at the lowermost stage can be visually confirmed, and the positioning in the column direction can be easily performed. When the tip of the optical fiber is further inserted, when the optical fiber and the optical fiber insertion hole are substantially coaxial, the tip is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole.
[0008]
On the other hand, when the tip of the optical fiber is inserted into the internal space with the tip down, the tip of the optical fiber at the lowermost stage hits the first inclined surface, and the force for inserting the optical fiber is applied to the first inclined surface. Is divided by the forces along. For this reason, the tip of the optical fiber bends toward the optical fiber insertion hole, and the tip is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole.
[0009]
When the optical fiber at the lowermost stage is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole, positioning in the stage direction is performed, and the optical fiber positioned above this is easily inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole.
In the invention according to claim 2, at the innermost part of the internal space, at least the optical fiber insertion hole located at the uppermost position closest to the window among the steps of the optical fiber insertion hole is provided. A step portion passing through the center of the shaft is formed, and a first guide groove for guiding the optical fiber to the optical fiber insertion hole is formed in the step portion.
[0010]
According to such a configuration, the first guide groove in each stage can be visually confirmed. Therefore, by aligning the distal end portion of the optical fiber with the first guide groove, the positioning in the column direction is easily performed. Further, even when the tip of the optical fiber is inserted downward into the internal space and the tip is flexed irregularly along the first inclined surface, the tip of the optical fiber is moved by the first guide groove. Is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole.
[0011]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, a second inclined surface is provided at the innermost portion of the internal space, facing the step portion, and gradually decreasing a distance from the step portion toward the depth of the internal space. Is formed.
According to such a configuration, even when the tip of the optical fiber is inserted into the internal space with the tip up, the tip of the optical fiber located at the lowest stage hits the second inclined surface, and the optical fiber is inserted. Is divided into a force along the second inclined surface. For this reason, the tip of the optical fiber bends toward the optical fiber insertion hole, and the tip is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole.
[0012]
In the invention described in claim 4, a second guide groove for guiding an optical fiber is formed on at least one of the optical fiber insertion hole and the first guide groove on the first inclined surface. I do.
According to this configuration, when the distal end portion of the optical fiber bends due to the first inclined surface, the optical fiber bends along the second guide groove, so that the distal end portion is suppressed from flexing irregularly. .
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention.
The ferrule 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape has an internal space 12 that opens in one side and extends in the axial direction, penetrates from the innermost part of the internal space 12 to the other side, and is two-dimensionally arranged in a row direction and a step direction. And an optical fiber insertion hole 14 through which the inserted optical fiber is inserted. The optical fiber insertion hole 14 includes a large-diameter portion 14A opening on a surface located at the innermost portion of the internal space 12, a small-diameter portion 14B opening on the other side surface of the ferrule 10, a large-diameter portion 14A, and a small-diameter portion 14B. And a tapered portion 14C that connects smoothly. In addition, on the upper surface parallel to the axial direction of the ferrule 10, the internal space 12 faces the internal space 12 for checking the insertion state of the optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole 14 and pouring an adhesive such as resin into the internal space 12. An adhesive filling window 16 is formed.
[0014]
A first inclined surface 18 is formed at the innermost part of the internal space 12 so that the distance from the adhesive filling window 16 gradually decreases toward the depth of the internal space 12. The first inclined surface 18 is not limited to the configuration formed on one plane, but may be configured on a plurality of substantially parallel surfaces as shown in FIG. At the innermost part of the internal space 12, there is formed a step part 20 which passes through substantially the center of the axis of the optical fiber insertion hole 14 located at the uppermost position closest to the adhesive filling window 16. The first guide groove 22 for guiding the light into the optical fiber insertion hole 14 is formed in the step portion 20. The cross-sectional shape of the first guide groove 22 is desirably a semicircular shape, an arc shape, a V shape, or the like.
[0015]
In the optical connector having such a shape, in order to fix the optical fiber to the ferrule 10, the tip of the optical fiber is inserted to the innermost part of the internal space 12. At this time, since the first inclined surface 18 is formed at the innermost portion, the relative position between the optical fiber and the optical fiber insertion hole 14 at the lowermost stage can be visually checked, and the positioning in the column direction is performed. When the tip of the optical fiber is further inserted, when the optical fiber and the optical fiber insertion hole 14 are substantially coaxial, the tip is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 14.
[0016]
On the other hand, when the distal end of the optical fiber is inserted downward into the internal space 12, the distal end of the optical fiber 24 at the lowermost stage hits the first inclined surface 18 as shown in FIG. The force trying to insert 24 is divided into a force along the first inclined surface 18. Therefore, the distal end of the optical fiber 24 bends toward the optical fiber insertion hole 14, and the distal end is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole 14 as shown in FIG. When the optical fiber 24 at the lowermost stage is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 14, positioning in the stage direction is performed. Then, the first guide groove 22 formed in the step portion 20 guides the distal end portion of the optical fiber 24 at the uppermost stage to the optical fiber insertion hole 14 as shown in FIG.
[0017]
The optical fiber 24 inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 14 is guided from the large-diameter portion 14A to the small-diameter portion 14B via the tapered portion 14C, as shown in FIG. You. After the tip of the optical fiber 24 is projected from the other side surface of the ferrule 10, an adhesive is poured into the internal space 12 from the adhesive filling window 16, and the optical fiber 24 is fixed to the ferrule 10.
[0018]
Therefore, by forming the first inclined surface 18 at the innermost part of the internal space 12, the insertion state of the optical fiber 24 located at the lowermost stage from the adhesive filling window 16 can be visually confirmed, and the row direction can be confirmed. Can be easily positioned. In addition, it is difficult to visually confirm the positioning of the optical fiber 24 in the stepwise direction from the adhesive filling window 16, but even when the distal end of the optical fiber 24 is inserted downward, the distal end of the optical fiber 24 is in the second position. The first inclined surface 18 bends toward the optical fiber insertion hole 14 and is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole 14. For this reason, the insertion of the optical fiber 24 into the ferrule 10 becomes easy, the labor required for the operation can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced by shortening the operation time.
[0019]
In addition, the first guide groove 22 for guiding the optical fiber 24 to the optical fiber insertion hole 14 is formed in the step portion 20 passing through the center of the optical fiber insertion hole 14 located at the uppermost stage and substantially at the center thereof. The part is securely inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 14.
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention. Note that the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore only the differences will be described (the same applies hereinafter).
[0020]
In the innermost part of the internal space 12, a step 26 is formed which passes through substantially the center of the optical fiber insertion hole 14 located below the uppermost stage (the lowermost stage in the figure), and the optical fiber is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole. A first guide groove 28 leading to 14 is formed in the step 26.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation and effect of the first embodiment, the first guide groove 28 at the lowermost stage can be visually confirmed from the adhesive filling window 16, so that the tip of the optical fiber located at the lowermost stage can be moved to the second stage. By aligning with the one guide groove 28, the positioning in the column direction can be easily performed. Also, even when the tip of the optical fiber is inserted downward and the tip is flexed irregularly along the first inclined surface 18, the tip of the optical fiber is bent by the first guide groove 28. It is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole 14. Therefore, the insertion of the optical fiber into the ferrule 10 can be performed more easily.
[0021]
FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention.
A second inclined surface 30 is formed at the innermost part of the internal space 12 so as to face the stepped part 26 located at the lowermost level and gradually narrow the gap with the stepped part 26 toward the depth of the internal space 12. Is done. The second inclined surface 30 may be formed corresponding to a step (not shown) located at the uppermost step or an intermediate step.
[0022]
With this configuration, in addition to the operation and effect of the previous embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), even when the tip of the optical fiber 24 is inserted upward, it is positioned at the lowermost position. The tip of the optical fiber 24 hits the second inclined surface 30, and the force for inserting the optical fiber 24 is divided into the force along the second inclined surface 30. Then, the tip of the optical fiber 24 bends toward the optical fiber insertion hole 14, and the tip is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole 14 as shown in FIGS. When the optical fiber 24 at the lowermost stage is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 14, positioning in the stage direction is performed. Therefore, when the optical fiber 24 is inserted into the internal space 12 of the ferrule 10, it is not necessary to maintain the level of the optical fiber 24 with respect to the ferrule 10 with high accuracy, and the insertion of the optical fiber 24 into the ferrule 10 can be performed more easily. Can be.
[0023]
Here, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, at least one of the optical fiber insertion hole 14 and the first guide groove 22 has an optical fiber on the first inclined surface 18 located immediately below the optical fiber insertion hole 14. May be formed. The cross-sectional shape of the second guide groove 32 is desirably a semicircular shape, an arc shape, a V shape, or the like, like the first guide groove 22.
[0024]
With this configuration, when the distal end portion of the optical fiber bends due to the first inclined surface 18, it bends along the second guide groove 32, so that irregular bending is suppressed. Therefore, the insertion of the optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole 14 can be performed more reliably.
It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to a two-stage optical connector, but is applicable to a multi-stage optical connector having three or more stages.
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the first inclined surface is formed in the innermost part of the internal space, the insertion state of the optical fibers located at each step from the window can be visually confirmed. As a result, the positioning in the column direction can be easily performed. Further, although it is difficult to visually confirm the positioning of the optical fiber in the stepwise direction, even when the distal end of the optical fiber is inserted into the internal space with the front end lowered, the distal end of the optical fiber is optically bent by the first inclined surface. It is guided to the fiber insertion hole, and positioning in the step direction is performed. Therefore, the insertion of the optical fiber into the ferrule becomes easy, the labor required for the operation can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced by shortening the operation time.
[0026]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the first guide groove in each step can be visually confirmed, the positioning in the column direction can be easily performed. Further, even when the tip of the optical fiber is inserted downward into the internal space and the tip is flexed irregularly along the first inclined surface, the tip of the optical fiber is moved by the first guide groove. Can be guided to the optical fiber insertion hole.
[0027]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, even when the tip of the optical fiber is inserted into the internal space with the tip up, the tip of the optical fiber is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole by the second inclined surface. . Therefore, when the optical fiber is inserted into the internal space, it is not necessary to maintain the level of the optical fiber with respect to the internal space with high precision, and the optical fiber can be more easily inserted into the ferrule.
[0028]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the distal end of the optical fiber bends due to the first inclined surface, it bends along the second guide groove, so that the distal end bends irregularly. Is suppressed, and the insertion of the optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole can be performed more reliably.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1A and 1B show a first embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a top view, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a main part, and FIG. ) Is a top view, (B) is a cross-sectional view of an essential part. [FIG. 3] shows an optical fiber insertion procedure in the above, and (A) to (D) are explanatory views of first to fourth procedures, respectively. FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention, in which (A) is a top view, (B) is a cross-sectional view of a main part, and (A) is a third embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention; FIG. 6B is a top view, FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a main part, FIG. 6 shows the optical fiber insertion procedure in the above, and FIGS. 6A to 6C are explanatory views of the first to third procedures, respectively. FIGS. 8A and 8B show an example of a second guide groove formed on an inclined surface, FIG. 8A is a top view, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of a main part. Examples are shown in (A) Top view, (B) is a fragmentary cross-sectional view EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
Reference Signs List 10 Ferrule 12 Internal space 14 Optical fiber insertion hole 16 Adhesive filling window 18 First inclined surface 20 Step 22 First guide groove 24 Optical fiber 26 Step 28 First guide groove 30 Second inclined surface 32 2 guide grooves

Claims (4)

An internal space extending in the axial direction while opening on one side of the ferrule, a window opening on an upper surface parallel to the axial direction of the ferrule so as to face the internal space, and another side of the ferrule from the innermost part of the internal space In the optical fiber connector, an optical fiber insertion hole through which the optical fibers penetrated in the axial direction through which the two-dimensionally arranged optical fibers are inserted in the row direction and the step direction is formed.
An optical fiber connector, wherein a first inclined surface is formed at the innermost part of the internal space, the distance from the window being gradually reduced toward the inner part of the internal space. At the innermost part of the internal space, at least one of the steps of the optical fiber insertion hole is formed with a step part passing through the approximate axis center of the optical fiber insertion hole located at the uppermost position closest to the window. 2. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1, wherein a first guide groove for guiding the optical fiber to the optical fiber insertion hole is formed in the step. A second inclined surface is formed at the innermost portion of the internal space, facing the step portion, and gradually narrowing the gap with the step portion toward the depth of the internal space. The optical fiber connector according to claim 2, wherein 4. The first inclined surface, wherein at least one of the optical fiber insertion hole and the first guide groove is formed with a second guide groove for guiding an optical fiber. The optical fiber connector according to any one of the above.

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