JP4209376B2 - Optical module and optical distribution board - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical module and an optical wiring board using the same.

An optical distribution board equipped with an optical module is widely used because it is excellent in terms of workability of extra length processing of optical fibers and switching connection, and can cope with an increase in the number of corresponding cores.
An optical distribution board equipped with an optical module has a structure in which the optical module is operated from one side of the frame (hereinafter referred to as a single-sided maintenance type structure) and a structure in which the optical module is operated from both sides of the frame. (Hereinafter referred to as double-sided maintenance type structure) (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).
Among these, an optical wiring board having a single-sided maintenance structure is widely used because it can save space.

The optical module usually includes a case-shaped module main body and an optical connector attached to the module main body.
In the optical module, a connecting optical fiber is installed in the module body, and one end of the connecting optical fiber is terminated by an optical connector so that the connector can be connected. The other end of the connection optical fiber is connected to an external optical fiber by fusion splicing or the like.

As an optical module, there are a structure in which the connection portion of the optical fiber and the extra length of the optical fiber are accommodated inside, and a structure in which these are not accommodated in the interior.
In an optical distribution board having an optical module having a structure in which the connection part is accommodated inside, the optical fiber connection work and the work to accommodate the connection part, etc. are performed by pulling the optical module out of the optical distribution board and opening the module body. Is called. After completion of the work, the module main body is closed, and then the optical module is stored again in the optical wiring board.
In an optical wiring board having an optical module having a structure in which the connecting portion is not housed inside, the connecting portion and the like are housed in a dedicated housing unit provided in the optical wiring board.
JP 2003-215353 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-4848 JP 2001-124936 A

However, the conventional optical wiring board has the following problems.
In an optical distribution board having an optical module having a structure in which the connection portion is housed inside, it is necessary to move the optical module after the optical fiber connection work, which may adversely affect the connected optical fiber.
In addition, since a sufficient length of the optical fiber is required, it is necessary to provide a space for storing the excess length in the optical wiring board or the optical module, which is disadvantageous in terms of high-density mounting.
In an optical wiring board having an optical module having a structure in which the connection portion is not housed inside, a storage unit for housing the connection portion is installed in the optical wiring board, so that high-density mounting is difficult.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an optical module and an optical wiring board capable of preventing an adverse effect on an optical fiber during an optical fiber connection operation and the like and capable of high-density mounting. The purpose is to provide.

An optical module according to claim 1 includes a case-shaped module main body, and an optical connector attached to a side portion of the module main body and terminating in an optical fiber in the module main body so that a connector can be connected. The main body incorporates a connection portion storage case for storing a connection portion between the optical fiber in the module main body and an external optical fiber, and the connection portion storage case has one side portion to which the optical connector is attached. The module main body can be pulled out from the module main body and pushed into the module main body, and the module main body is provided with the optical connector by a partition along the direction from the one side to the other side; and The module main body is partitioned into an extra length storage portion for storing the extra length of the optical fiber, and the connection portion storage case stores the connection portion. A case main body and a drawer piece extending from the case main body, and can be pulled out and pushed in from the storage position to the extraction position along the partition wall with respect to the module main body. The case main body is located in the module main body, and the drawer piece protrudes out of the module main body. The pull-out position is a state in which the connection portion storage case is pulled out from the module main body .
An optical module according to a second aspect is the optical module according to the first aspect, characterized in that the connection portion storage case can be pulled out and pushed in along a surface of the main portion side of the partition wall .
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical module according to the first or second aspect, a fusion splicing portion between the optical fibers is accommodated in the connection portion accommodation case.
An optical module according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the optical module according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a surplus length storage portion for storing a length of the optical fiber in the module main body is provided in the module main body. It is characterized by.
An optical module according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the optical module according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the optical connector includes a slide member provided with an information recording unit in which line identification information is recorded. It is housed so that it can be pulled out from the attached side.

  An optical wiring board according to a sixth aspect includes the optical module according to any one of the first to fifth aspects and a frame that houses the optical module.

The optical module of the present invention has the following effects.
(1) Since the connection portion storage case can be inserted into and removed from the module body, work such as optical fiber connection can be performed in a state where the connection portion storage case is pulled out from the module body.
Since there is no need to move or open the module body, the movement of the optical fiber can be minimized.
For this reason, it is possible to prevent an unreasonable force from being applied to the connected optical fiber as compared with the conventional technique that requires the movement of the optical module.
Therefore, adverse effects on the optical fiber can be prevented.
(2) Since connection work or the like can be performed without pulling out the optical module from the optical wiring board, the extra length of the optical fiber can be shortened.
Therefore, the extra storage space can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of high-density mounting.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an internal structure of an optical module 1 which is an example of the optical module of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection portion storage case 5 of the optical module 1, and FIG. 3B is a front view of the optical module 1, FIG. 4 is a front view of the optical wiring board 31 using the optical module 1, FIG. 5 is a front view of the termination unit 32 of the optical wiring board 31, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the termination unit 32.
In the following description, the right side in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the front, and the left side may be referred to as the rear.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in the optical wiring board 31, a plurality of termination units 32 are provided in a frame 33 in multiple stages. The termination unit 32 has a configuration in which a plurality of optical modules 1 are housed side by side in a vertically placed state.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the optical module 1 is assembled in a case-shaped module main body 2, an optical connector adapter 3 (optical connector) attached to the front side portion 2 a of the module main body 2, and the module main body 2. And a slide member 6 incorporated in the module main body 2.

The module main body 2 includes a tray portion 11 and a lid portion 12 hinged to the rear side portion 11a of the tray portion 11.
A partition wall 13 is provided in the tray portion 11 along the front-rear direction, and the inside of the tray portion 11 is partitioned by the partition wall 13 into a main portion 14 and a drawer surplus length storage portion 15.
A cylindrical guide wall 14 a around which the connecting optical fiber 4 built in the module body 2 is wound is provided in the main portion 14.
The extra length storage section 15 stores the extra length of the connection optical fiber 4 (hereinafter referred to as the extra draw length 4a), and is provided with a cylindrical guide wall 15a around which the connection optical fiber 4 is wound. Yes.

The optical connector adapter 3 terminates one end of the connection optical fiber 4 in the module main body 2 so that the connector can be connected, and is provided on the front side portion 14 b of the main portion 14 of the module main body 2.
The other end of the connection optical fiber 4 is fused and connected to the cable-side optical fiber 42 at the fusion splicing portion 17.
The connection between the connection optical fiber 4 and the cable-side optical fiber 42 is not limited to fusion splicing. When both of the optical fibers 4 and 42 are terminated by an optical connector, connection via an optical connector (connector connection) can be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connection portion storage case 5 includes a case body 18 and a drawer piece 19 that extends substantially forward from the front end of the case body 18.
The case main body 18 is formed in a U-shaped cross section including a bottom plate 18a and side plates 18b extending upward from both side edges thereof, and can accommodate the fusion splicing portion 17 therein.
The drawing piece 19 includes a flat plate portion 19a and a curved portion 19b that curves downward from its front end and extends forward.

It is preferable to provide a guide portion 20 for holding the connection optical fiber 4 in the case body 18.
In the illustrated example, the guide portion 20 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and is formed with a slit 20a having a width through which the connecting optical fiber 4 can pass downward from the central portion of the upper side. The slit 20 a is formed to have a width smaller than the outer diameter of the fusion splicing portion 17, and can restrict the movement of the connecting optical fiber 4 in the length direction.
Two guide portions 20 are preferably formed at intervals in the length direction of the case main body 18 so that the fusion splicing portion 17 can be disposed between them.

The connection portion storage case 5 is movable in the front-rear direction, and can be pulled out of the module body 2 from the front side portion 2a of the module body 2 and pushed into the module body 2.
In FIG. 1, the case main body 18 is positioned in the module main body 2, and a state in which the leading end portion of the drawer piece 19 protrudes out of the module main body 2 from the front side portion 2 a is indicated by a solid line. The position of the connection portion storage case 5 is referred to as a storage position.
Further, a state in which the connection portion storage case 5 is pulled out from the module body 2 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The position of the connection portion storage case 5 is referred to as a drawing position.
The connecting portion storage case 5 is placed on the upper surface (the surface on the main portion 14 side) of the partition wall 13 in the front-rear direction, and passes through the optical fiber insertion port 21 formed in the front side portion 2a of the module body 2. The main body 2 can be pulled out and pushed in.

The slide member 6 is formed in a substantially quadrangular prism shape, and an information recording portion 6a in which line identification information is recorded is provided on the front end surface thereof.
The slide member 6 is movable in the front-rear direction, and can be inserted into and removed from the module body 2 from the front side portion 2 a of the module body 2.
As shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, the slide member 6 is movable from a position where the rear part is housed in the module main body 2 to a position pulled forward as shown by a two-dot chain line.

Next, wiring in the optical module 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cable-side optical fiber 42 (external optical fiber) drawn from the optical cable 41 drawn into the optical wiring board 31 is drawn into the optical module 1 in the termination unit 32.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cable side optical fiber 42 passes through the lead piece 19 of the connection portion storage case 5, reaches the module body 2 through the optical fiber insertion port 21, and enters the case body 18 of the connection portion storage case 5. The fusion splicing portion 17 is connected to the connecting optical fiber 4.
The connection optical fiber 4 reaches the main portion 14 from the connection portion storage case 5 through the guide wall 15 a of the extra length storage portion 15.
In the main portion 14, the connection optical fiber 4 is single-core branched and connected to the optical connector adapter 3.
On the other hand, the optical fiber 44 (other optical fiber) drawn from the other optical cable 43 is connected to the optical connector adapter 3 of the optical module 1 in a switchable manner.
As a result, the optical fiber 44 is connected to the cable-side optical fiber 42 via the connection optical fiber 4.

As the cable-side optical fiber 42, a multi-core tape core is illustrated here, but a single-core optical fiber, an optical cord, or the like can also be used.
The optical fiber 44 can be exemplified by an optical cord whose end is terminated so as to be connectable by an optical connector 45 (optical connector plug). As an optical connector at the tip of the optical fiber 44, for example, an SC-type optical connector (Single fiber Coupling optical fiber connector) established in JIS C 5973, an SC2-type optical connector, an MU-type optical connector (Miniature established in JIS C 5983). -Optical connector plug such as unit coupling optical fiber connector) is adopted.

Next, an example of how to use the optical module 1 will be described.
In order to connect the cable side optical fiber 42 to the connection optical fiber 4 by fusion, the following method can be employed.
The end portion of the connection optical fiber 4 is arranged in advance in the case main body 18 of the connection portion storage case 5.
By pulling the drawer piece 19 forward, the connection portion storage case 5 in the storage position is pulled out from the module body 2 and moved to the extraction position. As a result, the connecting optical fiber 4 (extraction extra length 4a) is also drawn from the module body 2.
The end portion of the drawn connection optical fiber 4 and the end portion of the cable-side optical fiber 42 are fusion-connected. As a result, the optical fibers 4 and 42 are connected by the fusion splicing portion 17.
Next, the fusion splicing portion 17 is disposed in the case main body 18, and the connection portion storage case 5 is introduced into the module main body 2 through the optical fiber insertion port 21.

  When reading the line identification information of the optical module 1, the information recording unit 6a is read with the slide member 6 pulled out forward.

The optical module 1 has the following effects.
(1) Since the connection portion storage case 5 can be inserted into and removed from the module main body 2, work such as connection of the optical fibers 4 and 42 is performed with the connection portion storage case 5 pulled out from the module main body 2. It can be carried out.
Since operations such as moving and opening the module body 2 are not necessary, the movement of the optical fibers 4 and 42 can be minimized.
For this reason, it is possible to prevent an unreasonable force from being applied to the connected optical fibers 4 and 42 as compared with the conventional technology that requires the movement of the optical module.
Therefore, adverse effects on the optical fibers 4 and 42 can be prevented.
In addition, it is possible to prevent the optical fiber of another optical module from being adversely affected by vibration accompanying the movement of the optical module.
(2) Since connection work or the like can be performed without pulling out the optical module 1 from the termination unit 32, the extra length of the connection optical fiber 4 can be shortened.
Therefore, the extra storage space can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of high-density mounting.
On the other hand, in the conventional optical module, since a longer extra length is required to pull out and open the optical module, a large space for extra length storage is required in the optical module or the optical wiring board. .
(3) Since the connection work or the like can be performed without pulling out the optical module 1 from the termination unit 32, the work efficiency can be improved.
(4) Since the connection portion storage case 5 can be taken in and out from the front side portion 2a of the module body 2, the connection of the optical fiber 44 to the optical connector adapter 3 is performed on the front side of the optical wiring board 31. Connection work and the like can be performed.
Therefore, further work efficiency can be improved.
(5) Since the connection portion storage case 5 can be pushed into the module body 2, it is not necessary to provide a storage unit for storing the fusion splicing portion 17 outside the optical module 1. Therefore, high-density mounting in the optical wiring board 31 can be achieved.
(6) Since the drawing-out length storage portion 15 for storing the drawing-out length 4a of the connecting optical fiber 4 is provided, it is not necessary to provide a storage unit for storing the drawing-out length 4a outside.
Therefore, higher density mounting is possible.
(7) By providing the guide portion 20 in the connection portion storage case 5, the connection optical fiber 4 can be reliably held in the connection portion storage case 5.
For this reason, the connection optical fiber 4 can be reliably pulled out from the module body 2 by pulling out the connection portion storage case 5 from the module body 2.
Accordingly, connection work and the like can be performed efficiently.
(8) Since the slide member 6 provided with the information recording portion 6a can be pulled out from the front side portion 2a, it is easy to read the line identification information.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the internal structure of an example of the optical module of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the connection part storage case of the optical module shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows the optical module shown in FIG. 1, where (a) is a side view and (b) is a front view. It is a front view of the optical wiring board using the optical module shown in FIG. It is a front view of the termination unit of the optical wiring board shown in FIG. It is a side view of the termination unit of the optical wiring board shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical module, 2 ... Module main body, 2a ... Front side part (side part to which optical connector is attached), 3 ... Optical connector adapter (optical connector), 4 ... Optical fiber for connection (Optical fiber in module main body) 4a ... extra length (extra length of the optical fiber in the module body), 5 ... connection portion storage case, 6 ... slide member, 6a ... information recording portion, 15 ... drawer extra length storage portion, 17 ... fusion splice portion , 42 ... Cable side optical fiber (external optical fiber)

Claims (6)

A case-shaped module main body, and an optical connector attached to a side portion of the module main body and terminating the optical fiber in the module main body so that the connector can be connected;
In the module body, a connection portion storage case for storing a connection portion between the optical fiber in the module body and an external optical fiber is incorporated,
The connection portion storage case can be pulled out of the module body from one side where the optical connector is attached and pushed into the module body.
A main part where the optical connector is provided by a partition wall along a direction from the one side part toward the other side part of the module main body, and a drawer surplus length storage part for storing the extra length of the optical fiber in the module main body Divided into
The connection portion storage case includes a case main body for storing the connection portion, and a drawer piece extending from the case main body. The module main body is drawn from the storage position to the extraction position along the partition wall, and Can be pushed in,
The storage position is a state in which the case main body is located in the module main body, and the drawer piece projects out of the module main body. The pull-out position is a state in which the connection portion storage case is pulled out from the module main body. An optical module characterized by that. 2. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion storage case can be pulled out and pushed in along a surface on a main portion side of the partition wall . The optical module according to claim 1 , wherein a fusion splicing portion between the optical fibers is stored in the connection portion storage case. The light according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a drawer surplus length storage section that stores a surplus length of an optical fiber in the module main body is provided in the module main body. module. In said module body, according to claim 1 in which the slide member information recording unit for line identification information is recorded is provided, characterized in that it is drawable housed from the side of the optical connector is attached light module according to any one of to 4. An optical wiring board comprising: the optical module according to claim 1 ; and a frame for housing the optical module.

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