JP5690101B2 - Optical fiber holding member - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber holding member for aligning and holding a plurality of optical fibers at a predetermined interval.

  Optical fiber connectors for connecting optical fibers used in optical communications to optical waveguides, laser diodes (LD), photodiodes (PD), etc., and optically connecting multiple optical fibers together May be used. The optical fiber connector includes an optical fiber and an optical fiber holding member.

  A conventional optical fiber holding member has a structure in which a plurality of optical fibers are sandwiched and held between a lower plate in which V grooves are provided at a predetermined pitch and an upper plate (see Patent Document 1).

  Specifically, in the conventional optical fiber holding member, the bare fiber exposed by removing the coating of the coated optical fiber is arranged in the V groove of the lower plate, and the upper plate is attached to the lower plate to attach the optical fiber. Is held down by the upper plate. In this state, the gap between the lower plate and the upper plate is filled with an adhesive, and the optical fiber is temporarily fixed to the lower plate. Thereafter, the upper plate is removed, the adhesive is filled in the entire V-groove, and the upper plate is attached to the lower plate again. Thereby, the optical fiber, the lower plate and the upper plate are fixed to each other, and the optical fiber connector is completed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-213721

  However, in the conventional technique described in Patent Document 1, since the upper plate has a high rigidity, when the shape of each V-groove is not uniform with high accuracy, the force for pressing each optical fiber with the upper plate differs for each optical fiber. End up. And if the force pressed by the upper plate is too strong, the optical fiber will be distorted. If the force pressed by the upper plate is too weak, the optical fiber will be temporarily fixed in an unstable position. Will fall.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and even if the shape of each V-groove is not uniform with high accuracy, the force for pressing each optical fiber with the upper plate can be made substantially constant. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber holding member capable of maintaining good connector coupling accuracy.

  An optical fiber holding member according to the present invention is an optical fiber holding member comprising a lower plate in which a plurality of V-grooves for holding an optical fiber are arranged in parallel, and an upper plate for pressing the optical fibers placed in the plurality of V-grooves. It is a member, Comprising: The said upper plate takes the structure by which the slit of predetermined depth is formed in the both sides of the part which hold | suppresses the said optical fiber.

  The optical fiber connector of the present invention employs a configuration in which an optical fiber is placed in the plurality of V grooves of the optical fiber holding member and the optical fiber is fixed to the optical fiber holding member with an adhesive.

  According to the present invention, slits having a predetermined depth are formed on both sides of the portion of the upper plate that holds each optical fiber, so that even if the shape of each V-groove is not uniform with high accuracy, As a result, the coupling force of the optical fiber connector can be kept good.

The perspective view which shows the optical fiber connector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention The top view of the lower plate of the fiber holding member which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, (a) Front view, (b) Left side view, (c) Bottom view The top view of the upper plate of the fiber holding member which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, (a) Front view, (b) Left side view, (c) Bottom view Enlarged view of part A in FIG. The perspective view which shows the optical fiber connector which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention (before an assembly) The top view of the lower plate of the fiber holding member which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention, (a) Front sectional drawing, (b) Bottom view, (c) Right view A perspective view showing an optical fiber connector concerning Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The top view of the lower plate of the fiber holding member which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention, (a) Front sectional drawing, (b) Bottom view, (c) Right view The top view of the upper plate of the fiber holding member which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention, (a) Front view, (b) Left side view, (c) Bottom view

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
[Configuration of optical fiber holding member]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an optical fiber connector according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber connector 1 includes an optical fiber holding member 2 and a plurality of optical fibers 3. The optical fiber holding member 2 includes a lower plate 10 and an upper plate 20.

  The optical fiber holding member 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is formed of a resin material such as PEI (polyetherimide), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), PC (polycarbonate), EP (epoxy resin), or the like. The

  2 is a plan view of the lower plate 10 of the fiber holding member 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are front views of the lower plate 10, respectively. They are a left view and a bottom view.

  The lower plate 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and V grooves 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d for placing the optical fiber 3 are parallel to the outer peripheral surface 11a facing the upper plate 20 at a predetermined pitch. Formed.

  Further, the outer peripheral surfaces 11b and 11c, which are side surfaces parallel to the V grooves 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d, are fitted with the claws 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d (see FIGS. 3 and 4) of the upper plate 20. Protrusions 13a and 13b are formed.

  3 is a plan view of the upper plate 20 of the fiber holding member 2 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are front views of the upper plate 20, respectively. They are a left view and a bottom view.

  The outer shape of the upper plate 20 is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped, and grooves 22a, 22b, 22b, 22d, 12d, 12d, 12d, 12d, 12d, 12d, 22c and 22d are formed in parallel.

  In addition, claw portions 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d that fit with the convex portions 13a and 13b of the lower plate 10 are formed in the four corners of the outer peripheral surface 21a.

  In addition, slits 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, and 24e having a predetermined length are formed from the outer peripheral surface 21b that is a side surface orthogonal to the grooves 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d. The slit 24a is formed between the outer peripheral surface 21c that is a side surface parallel to the groove 22a and the groove 22a. The slit 24b is formed between the groove 22a and the groove 22b. The slit 24c is formed between the groove 22b and the groove 22c. The slit 24d is formed between the groove 22c and the groove 22d. The slit 24e is formed between the outer peripheral surface 21d, which is the opposite side surface of the outer peripheral surface 21c, and the groove 22d. That is, the upper plate 20 is formed with slits having a predetermined depth on both sides of the portion that holds each optical fiber 3.

  By forming the slits 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, and 24e, the inter-slit portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d of the upper plate 20 main body bend independently and have a function as a leaf spring.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when the optical fiber 3 is placed on the lower plate 10 and the upper plate 20 is attached to the lower plate 10, each of the slit portions 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d The optical fiber 3 is pressed down with a substantially uniform force.

[Assembly process of optical fiber connector]
Next, the assembly process of the optical fiber connector 1 will be described.

  First, the optical fiber 3 exposed by removing the coating is placed in the V grooves 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d of the lower plate 10, respectively.

  Next, the upper plate 20 is attached to the lower plate 10 by fitting the claw portions 23 a, 23 b, 23 c, and 23 d of the upper plate 20 to the convex portions 13 a and 13 b of the lower plate 10. At this time, the inter-slit portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d hold the optical fibers 3 with a substantially uniform force.

  Next, an adhesive is inserted between the V grooves 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d of the lower plate 10 and the grooves 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d of the upper plate 20, and each optical fiber 3 is temporarily fixed to the lower plate 10. To do.

  Next, the upper plate 20 is removed from the lower plate 10, and an adhesive is poured into the V grooves 12 a, 12 b, 12 c 12 d of the lower plate 10 to fix each optical fiber 3 to the lower plate 10.

  Next, each optical fiber 3 is also fixed to the upper plate 20 by attaching the upper plate 20 to the lower plate 10 again. Thereby, the optical fiber 3, the lower plate 10, and the upper plate 20 are fixed to each other, and the optical fiber connector 1 is completed.

[Effect of this embodiment]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the slits having a predetermined depth are formed on both sides of the portion of the upper plate 20 that holds the optical fibers 3, so that the V grooves 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, Even if the shape of 12d is not uniform with high accuracy, the force for pressing each optical fiber 3 with the upper plate 20 can be made substantially constant, so that the coupling accuracy of the optical fiber connector 1 can be kept good.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the slit is formed on one side of the upper plate has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the slit may be formed on both sides of the upper plate.

(Embodiment 2)
[Configuration of optical fiber holding member]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an optical fiber connector according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the optical fiber connector 1 a includes an optical fiber holding member 2 a and a plurality of optical fibers 3. The optical fiber holding member 2a includes a lower plate 10a and an upper plate 20a.

  The optical fiber holding member 2a has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is formed of a resin material such as PEI (polyetherimide), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), PC (polycarbonate), EP (epoxy resin), or the like. The

  6 is a plan view of the lower plate 10a of the fiber holding member 2a according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b), and 6 (c) are front sectional views of the lower plate 10a, respectively. It is a figure, a bottom view, and a right view. In the lower plate 10a shown in FIG. 6, portions common to the lower plate 10 shown in FIG. The lower plate 10 a adopts a configuration in which a light traveling direction control unit 30 is added to the lower plate 10.

  A concave portion 32 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 31a of the light traveling direction control unit 30 parallel to the outer peripheral surface 11a. The recess 32 has a total reflection surface 32a having a predetermined angle with respect to the outer peripheral surface 31a. The total reflection surface 32a totally reflects the incident laser light.

  In addition, four circular first lenses 33 (convex lenses) are formed on the outer peripheral surface 31b of the light traveling direction control unit 30, which is a surface facing the end surface of the optical fiber 3. Each first lens 33 is aligned and disposed at a position facing each optical fiber 3. Each first lens 33 refracts the laser light emitted from the corresponding optical fiber 3 so as to be focused light and emits the light toward the total reflection surface 32a. Alternatively, each first lens 33 refracts the laser light reflected by the total reflection surface 32 a so as to be focused light, and emits the laser light toward each optical fiber 3.

  In addition, four circular second lenses 34 (convex lenses) are formed on the outer peripheral surface 31c, which is the opposite surface of the outer peripheral surface 31a. The second lens 34 is aligned and arranged at the same pitch as the first lens 33. Each second lens 34 refracts the incident laser light so as to be focused light, and emits it toward the total reflection surface 32a. Alternatively, each second lens 34 refracts and emits the laser light reflected by the total reflection surface 32a so as to be focused light.

  Since the upper plate 20a of the optical fiber holding member 2a has the same shape as the upper plate 20 of the optical fiber holding member 2 described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[Effect of this embodiment]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the traveling direction of the laser light emitted from the optical fiber 3 or the laser light incident on the optical fiber 3 is further controlled. be able to.

(Embodiment 3)
[Configuration of optical fiber holding member]
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an optical fiber connector according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the optical fiber connector 1 b includes an optical fiber holding member 2 b and a plurality of optical fibers 3. The optical fiber holding member 2b includes a lower plate 10b and an upper plate 20b. Further, in FIG. 7, the adhesive 4 for fixing the optical fiber 3 to the lower plate 10b is exposed.

  The optical fiber holding member 2b has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is formed of a resin material such as PEI (polyetherimide), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), PC (polycarbonate), EP (epoxy resin), or the like. The

  FIG. 8 is a plan view of the lower plate 10b of the fiber holding member 2b according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are front sectional views of the lower plate 10b, respectively. It is a figure, a bottom view, and a right view. In the lower plate 10b shown in FIG. 8, portions common to the lower plate 10a shown in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. The lower plate 10b adopts a configuration in which an inclined surface 41 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 11a with respect to the lower plate 10a.

  9 is a plan view of the upper plate 20b of the fiber holding member 2b according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are front views of the upper plate 20b, respectively. They are a left view and a bottom view. In the upper plate 20b shown in FIG. 9, parts common to the upper plate 10 shown in FIG. The upper plate 20b differs from the upper plate 10 only in length L. The length L of the upper plate 20b is substantially the same as the length until the inclined surface 41 of the outer peripheral surface 11a of the lower plate 10b starts.

[Effect of this embodiment]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the upper plate 20b is attached to the lower plate 10b, a part of the optical fiber 3 is exposed and placed on the lower plate 10b. In addition to the effect of the second embodiment, the optical fiber 3 can be easily fixed to the lower plate 10b by the adhesive 4 as shown in FIG.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where four optical fibers are fixed to the optical fiber holding member has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of optical fibers fixed to the optical fiber holding member is limited. There is no limit.

  The optical fiber holding member according to the present invention can be used for multi-channel optical communication.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a, 1b Optical fiber connector 2, 2a, 2b Optical fiber holding member 3 Optical fiber 4 Adhesive 10, 10a, 10b Lower plate 11a, 11b, 11c Outer peripheral surface 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d V groove 13a, 13b Convex Part 20, 20a, 20b upper plate 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d outer peripheral surface 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d groove 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d claw part 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, 24e slit 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d slit part (leaf spring)
30 light traveling direction control unit 31a outer peripheral surface 32 concave portion 32a total reflection surface 33 first lens 34 second lens 41 inclined surface

Claims (4)

An optical fiber holding member comprising: a lower plate in which a plurality of V-grooves for holding an optical fiber are arranged in parallel; and an upper plate that holds an optical fiber placed in the plurality of V-grooves,
The upper plate and the lower plate are each integrally formed of a resin material,
Wherein the top plate, said at least one side intersecting the plurality of V grooves along an extending direction of the plurality of V grooves, and the slits on both sides of each portion for pressing each of said optical fiber is formed,
An optical fiber holding member. In the lower plate,
A first lens at a position facing the end face of the optical fiber;
A total reflection surface that totally reflects light incident on the first lens or light emitted from the first lens;
A second lens that emits incident light to the reflecting surface, or emits light reflected by the reflecting surface;
Forming,
The optical fiber holding member according to claim 1.   3. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 1, wherein a length of the upper plate is shorter than a length of a portion of the lower plate on which the optical fiber is placed. 4.   An optical fiber is placed in the plurality of V grooves of the optical fiber holding member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and the optical fiber is fixed to the optical fiber holding member with an adhesive. Fiber optic connector.

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