JPS6212883B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flat type multi-core optical fiber fusion splicer in which a large number of fibers 12 are arranged side by side and a sheath 14 is applied thereon, as shown in FIG. It is something.

Background of the Invention Currently, the standard multi-core fiber is a five-core flat type (fiber 12 diameter 125 μm, spacing 0.3 mm). Therefore, in this specification, this will be explained as an example.

Fusion splicing of five five-core fibers 10 is performed simultaneously using a pair of electrodes 16, as shown in FIG. Therefore, when starting discharge, "Fig. 1"
The tips of the fibers 12 must be aligned on the same line.

However, the current five-core fiber 10 itself is mechanically soft, and the fiber 12
Since there is not strong adhesion between the and sheath 14,
Even if the fiber 12 is initially cut to the same length, the tip of the fiber 12 will come and go while moving the sheath 14 when attaching the 5-fiber fiber 10 to the fusion machine, resulting in a length of approximately 30 μm. (Figure 3). This is 5
It is not possible to do both welding and welding at the same time.

The main purpose of this invention is to allow the fibers 12 to be welded with their tips aligned.

Embodiment This device is roughly divided into: (1) a structure for placing five fibers 12 in predetermined positions, (2) a structure for clamping the fibers 12, and (3) a structure for aligning the tips of the fibers 12. The structure consists of three parts. The explanation will be given below in this order.

(1) Structure for placing the fiber 12 in a predetermined position.

30 is a V groove platform (4th, 7th, 8th
figure). Five V grooves 32 are provided thereon at equal intervals (0.3 mm intervals) with the fibers 12 of the five-core fiber 10 and parallel to each other. Its depth is such that it can accommodate approximately the lower half of the fiber 12 (FIG. 5). 34 is a horizontal groove, and 36 is an electrode.
This V groove stand 30 is fixedly provided on a part of the frame 38.

Behind the V groove stand 30 (as shown by the arrow in Fig. 4, the front is the direction facing the V groove stand 30).
A groove guide 42 is provided. This is a roughly square block whose top surface is at the same height as the V-groove platform 30. Five V grooves 44 are provided thereon on the same straight line as the V groove 32.

A fiber guide 46 is provided at the rear of the V-groove guide 42 so that a part thereof is inside the guide 45 and a part thereof projects upward (FIGS. 7 and 8). It consists of approximately four square blocks, for example made of metal. Five slits 48 and V grooves 44 are added to it.
It is provided like the teeth of a comb on the same straight line as the grooves 32 and V grooves 32.

The V groove guide 42 is fixed on the movable base 50 together with the fiber guide 46 (the movable base 50
The movement mechanism is described later).

An inclined surface 52 is formed on the moving table 50 at the rear of the V groove guide 42. This lowers toward the front, and its front end 54 is connected to the V groove guide 4.
It ends at a slightly higher position than the top of 2. A square groove 56 is formed in the rear half of the inclined surface 52 to the extent that the sheath 14 of the five-core fiber 10 can be snugly accommodated therein (FIG. 4). However, this corner groove 56 is formed not by digging down the inclined surface 52 but by elevating both side portions 58 thereof.

Effect of only this part When the fiber 12 of the five-core fiber 10 is pulled out, the fiber 12 near the mouth of the sheath 14 is moved to the fiber guide 46 as shown in "Fig.
into the slit 48. Then, each fiber 12 becomes parallel naturally and remains in the V groove 4.
It falls within 4.32.

Here, the explanation is a little sidetracked, but in the case of fusion splicing of single fibers, as shown in "Fig. 6", use a sufficiently large V groove 18 for the fiber 12, and connect the fiber above Just place it in
It was possible to make the fiber fit naturally within the V groove 18. However, in the case of a five-core fiber, the interval between the V grooves 32 and 44 is very narrow at 0.3 mm, and the width of the groove itself is also narrow, so it is difficult to fit the fiber 12 inside by simply placing it on each V groove. I can not seem to do it. However, even if a person were to insert each tube one by one into each groove, it would be extremely difficult for the human eye to discern the narrow spacing of 0.3 mm.

Moreover, the tapped fibers 12 often cross each other or open up due to electrostatic phenomena and are not aligned parallel to each other.

However, as mentioned above, fiber guide 4
6, each fiber 12 fits neatly into the V grooves 32 and 44. Also fiber guide 4
If 6 is metal, it will cause fiber 12
The electrostatic charge is also discharged.

Although the fiber guide 46 is thus a very useful element, it is not necessarily impossible to fit the fiber 12 into the V groove 32 or the like without using the fiber guide 46.

(2) Structure for clamping the five-core fiber 10.

Note that in this specification, the manner of clamping is divided into two types: pressing and fixing.
It is listed separately.

``Hold'' is used in the sense of soft clamping, that is, clamping the optical fiber to such an extent that it can be moved within the V-groove.

Furthermore, "fix" is used in the sense of hard clamping, that is, firmly clamping the optical fiber so that it cannot be moved.

A notch 51 is made at one end of the inclined surface 52 of the moving table 50 (FIG. 4), and an arm 60 is attached to that part.
Hinged one end of the
(Figure 9). arm 60
A slope 61 is formed on a part of the upper surface. Further, the arm 60 is constantly biased in a rising direction by a spring 62.

A sheath clamp 63 is provided on the underside of the free end of the arm 60, by which it is possible to clamp the sheath 14 portion of the five-core fiber 10 placed on the inclined surface 52 (see FIG. 7, etc.).

The rear end of the clamp frame 64 is attached to the upper surface of the free end of the arm 60 so as to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the arm 60 (FIG. 10). The clamp frame 64 is a channel-shaped metal fitting with a block 6 at its front end.
6 is fixed, a circular hole 68 is provided, and a first fiber clamp 70 is attached thereto.

The first fiber clamp 70 is almost the same as a single-core clamp (FIGS. 11 and 12). That is, the shaft 71 is fitted into the circular hole 68 so as to be able to move up and down without falling, and is biased downward by the spring 73 inserted between the shaft 71 and the cover 72 . axis 71
A ball 74 is attached to the lower end of the ball 74, and a clamp piece 78 is fitted to the ball 74 to form a spherical pair. Also ball 74
A downward U-shaped hanger 7 hung on the upper end of the
6 supports the clamp piece 78 (see Utility Model Application No. 57-005440).

The lower surface of the clamp piece 78 is flat (the fifth
Figure), fiber 12 inserted into V groove 32
You can press 5 at the same time.

A second fiber clamp 80 for holding down the fiber 12 inserted into the V groove 44 is provided behind the first fiber clamp 70 (the 11th
figure). That is, the inverted L-shaped lever 82 is connected to the pin 8.
4 to be swingably attached to the clamp frame 64, and biased by a spring 85 in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. A ball 88, a hanger 90, and a clamp piece 92 are attached to the downwardly projecting vertical portion 86 of the clamp frame 64 (these are the same as those of the first fiber clamp 70).

Next, two rods 94 passing through the movable table 50 from side to side are provided (FIGS. 4, 7, and 9), and a finger hook 96 is attached to their left end, and a plate 98 is attached to their right end. A cam plate 100 is made to protrude from the plate 98 toward the moving table 50.

Another set of rods 102 is passed through the movable table 50 from side to side, for example above the rod 94, and a finger hook 104 is attached to the left end and a plate 106 is attached to the right end. From the plate 106 to the moving platform 5
The cam plate 108 is made to protrude toward 0, and a wedge 110 is formed at its tip. Note that the rod 94 passes through the finger rest 104, and the rod 102 passes through the plate 98.
penetrates through.

Effects of only this part When both the finger rests 96 and 104 are pushed to the right, the arm 60 stands up due to the force of the spring 62. However, the tip of the cam plate 108 restricts the rotation beyond a certain level (the state of the arm 60 on the front side in FIG. 4).

When the finger hook 96 is pulled and only the rod 94 is moved to the left, the cam plate 100 moves onto the slope 61 of the arm 60.
The arm 60 will fall down (at this time, the cam plate 108 has not moved yet, and the arm 60 is on the opposite side of FIG. 4).

Then, the clamp frame 64 is moved to the inclined surface 52.
The upper sheath 14 portion is fixed so that it cannot be moved as described above. Further, the first fiber clamp 70 is connected to the fiber 12 in the V groove 32.
is held by the force of the spring 73, and the second fiber clamp 80 presses the fiber 12 in the V groove 44 by the force of the spring 85. Clamping by these three clamps is done simultaneously. At this time, the fiber 12 is connected to the V groove 32 and the V groove 44.
Escape from the V is prevented, but the V
It can move while sliding against the groove and clamp piece.

Next, move the rod 102 to the left (Figure 9).
Then, the wedge 110 is attached to the rear end 83 of the lever 82.
, and turn the lever 82 clockwise as shown in Figure 11. Then, the second fiber clamp 80 (clamp piece 92) firmly fixes the fiber 12 in the V groove 44, immobilizing the fiber 12.

(3) Structure for aligning the tips of the fibers 12.

112 is an alignment plate (FIGS. 7 and 8), which is a small flat plate. A rod 114 is provided in the hole 35 provided in the center of the V groove stand 30 so as to be freely vertically movable.
An alignment plate 112 is attached to its upper end. Rod 1
14 is attached to frame 38 by L-shaped lever 116 and pin 118. For example, an electromagnet 120 fixed to the frame 38 is used to raise or lower the alignment plate 112 to the height of the V-groove 32.

The two rods 122 are horizontally attached to the frame 38.
(Figs. 7 and 9), and a moving table 50
Install it so that it can move back and forth. Then, the moving table 50 is always urged backward by the spring 124,
It is advanced by a feed screw 126 (fixed to the frame 38).

Effect of only this part As mentioned in (1) and (2) above, V grooves 32 and 4
4. Place the five-core fiber 10 in the corner groove 56,
Pull the finger hook 96 to move the rod 94 to the left, and tighten the sheath part 1 with the sheath clamp 63.
4 is fixed so that it cannot be moved, and is held down by first and second fiber clamps 70 and 80. Raise the alignment plate 112,
Move the moving table 50 forward. Then "Figure 13"
Even if the tips of the fibers 12 are not aligned as shown in FIG. 14, they are pressed against the alignment plate 112 as shown in FIG. 14, so that the tips of the fibers are aligned in a straight line. At this time, since the sheath portion 14 is firmly fixed, the protruding fiber 12 is moved into the slit 48 of the fiber guide 46 (the fiber 12 is moved from an inclined position to a horizontal position) as shown at 12' in FIG. ), in
Curve in the vertical plane. That is, the inclined surface 52
and the V groove guide 42, the fiber 12
Since it is originally slightly curved in the vertical plane, the protrusion is absorbed by increasing the curve. The inclined surface 52 thus plays an important role in absorbing the protrusion of the fiber 12. If an attempt is made to absorb the protrusion within a horizontal plane without providing the inclined surface 52, the fiber 1
2 will break.

Overall operation (operating procedure) (1) Push the finger hooks 96, 104 as far as they will go,
Lift each clamp up.

(2) Raise the alignment plate 112.

(3) Using the fiber guide 46, set the five-core fiber 10 into each groove.

(4) Move finger hook 96 (rod 94) to the left,
The sheath portion 14 is firmly fixed by the sheath clamp 63, and at the same time the fiber 1 is held down by the first and second fiber clamps 70, 80.

(5) Move the moving table 50 forward using the feed screw 126 to align the tips of the fibers 12.

(6) Move the finger hook 104 (rod 102) to the left and fix the fiber 12 in the V groove 44 with the second fiber clamp 80.

(7) Slightly move the moving table 50 back and move the fiber 1
2 away from the alignment plate 112, and
Lower fiber 2 (if you lower it without letting go, fiber 1
2 is broken).

(8) Then, move the moving table 50 to
The distance between the two end faces is set appropriately (10 μm to 20 μm), and fusion splicing is performed while preheating and discharging (there are other methods for fusion splicing).

Effects of the invention (1) The following configuration, that is, the movable table 50 at the rear of the V groove 44
An inclined surface 52 is provided on the top of the inclined surface 52 downward toward the front, and a space is created between the front end 54 of the inclined surface 52 and the second fiber clamp 80 in which the fiber 12 can bend. A sheath clamp 63 capable of fixing the sheath 14 portion of the multi-fiber placed on the surface 52 is provided.
When the sheath portion 14 is fixed with , as shown by 12' in FIG. 15, the protrusion is absorbed and all the tips are aligned.

Here, if the sheath portion 14 is not fixed by the sheath clamp 63, when the tip of the fiber 12 hits the alignment plate 112, the entire five-core fiber 10 will move back and the tips will be aligned. Can not.

Further, assuming that there is no inclined surface 52, when the protruding fiber 12 is retracted, it will break and bend.

Furthermore, even if sloped surface 52 is provided, assuming there is no space between its forward end 54 and second fiber clamp 80 within which fiber 12 can bend, 12 cannot bend.

(2) The second fiber clamp 80 is designed to be able to simultaneously hold the fibers 12 inserted into the V grooves 44 one by one, and to fix them to the V grooves 44 as necessary. Therefore, if the fiber 12 whose tips are aligned is fixed using this so that it does not move, even if the five-core fiber 10 is subsequently moved by the moving table 50, the tip of the fiber 12 will not be moved. The aligned state is maintained, and simultaneous fusion of a large number of fibers 12 can be carried out without any problem.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a flat type five-core fiber 10 and a state in which the tips of the fiber 12 are aligned;
Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which five fibers are fused simultaneously by a pair of electrodes 16, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the tips of the fibers 12 are uneven, and Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the tips of the fibers 12 are fused together. Explanatory diagrams of V grooves, Figures 4 and below (excluding Figure 6) relate to embodiments of the present invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the main parts, and Figure 5 is a V groove base 30.
An explanatory diagram of the upper V groove 32, FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional elevation view of one side of the moving table 50, and FIG. 8 is a diagram of the fiber guide 46.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the installation of the arm 60 and the relationship between the cam plates 100 and 108, and FIG. Explanatory diagram, 1st
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view of the first fiber clamp 70 and the second fiber clamp 80, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII. Figures 13 and 14 show alignment plate 1.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the ends of the frame 12 are aligned using fibers 12, and FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of absorption of the protruding portion of the fiber 12. 10:5 fiber, 12: fiber, 14:
Sheath, 30: V groove stand, 32: V groove, 36:
Electrode, 38: Frame, 42: V groove guide, 4
4: V groove, 46: Fiber guide, 48: Slit, 50: Moving table, 52: Inclined surface, 56: Square groove, 60: Arm, 63: Sheath clamp, 7
0: first fiber clamp, 80: second fiber clamp, 112: alignment plate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a flat-type multi-core optical fiber fusion splicer having a large number of fibers 12, a V-groove stand 30 is fixed on a frame 38 of the device, and a large number of V-grooves 32 are fixed on the frame 38 of the device. are provided at equal intervals to the fibers 12 of the multi-core fibers and parallel to each other, and a movable table 50 is provided so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the V-groove table 30. a first fiber clamp 70 having the same number of V grooves 44 arranged in line with the V grooves 32 and capable of simultaneously holding down the fibers 12 inserted into each of the V grooves 32; One fiber 12 inserted into each V groove 44
and a second fiber clamp 80 that can simultaneously hold down the V-groove 44 and, if necessary, fix it to the V-groove 44;
An inclined surface 52 is provided on the top, and the front end 54 and the second fiber clamp 8 are connected to each other.
0, a sheath clamp 63 is provided to create a space in which the fiber 12 can bend, and to fix the sheath 14 portion of the multi-core fiber placed on the inclined surface 52. A fusion splicer for multi-core optical fibers, characterized in that an alignment plate 112 is provided in the center of the V-groove stand 30 so as to be vertically movable.