JPH0363043B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a slip holder for holding and operating an optical fiber in a slippable manner during fusion splicing of the optical fiber.

``Prior Art'' When a pair of optical fibers are longitudinally fused and spliced, for example, the optical fibers are moved through a slip holder.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show examples of optical fiber fusion splicing using a slip holder, and the illustrated examples will be briefly explained below.

In Figures 1 and 2, there are a pair of left and right Vs on the top surface.
The fusion splicing stand 2 having the letter-shaped grooves 1A and 1B includes:
A vertically movable abutment plate 3 is disposed at the center in the longitudinal direction, and extends perpendicularly to both grooves 1A and 1B, and
A pair of front and rear discharge electrodes 4M, 4N are arranged in the vicinity thereof, and optical fiber holding members 5A, 5B are arranged on the upper surfaces of both grooves 1A, 1B so as to be freely fit into these grooves. There is.

A pair of slip holders 6A and 6B arranged on both sides of the fusion splicing table 2 are connected to each other by arrows X-- in FIG.
The slip holders 6A _, 6B are movable in the X' direction and are mainly composed of a movable block 6 and a fixed block ₆ '. b ₁ to _{b 4} are respectively erected, and the movable block 6 has
Springs S, S, S, . . . are attached to provide a resilient force in the direction of the fixed block 6'.

The holding members a ₁ and a ₂ , a ₃ and a ₄ in the above, and
b ₁ and b ₂ , b ₃ and b ₄ come to press and support the optical fiber sheathing part fitted between them in a slippable manner, as will be described later.
A predetermined frictional force acts between a ₁ to _{a 4} , b ₁ to b ₄ and the optical fiber coating.

When fusion splicing a pair of optical fibers 7A and 7B using the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the covering portion 8A,
The coating portions 8A, 8B are removed by a predetermined length from the ends 9A, 9B of these optical fibers 7A, 7B having a length of 8B, and the respective ends 9A, 9B are also cut to a predetermined length.

After undergoing such processing, each optical fiber 7
Covering parts 8A and 8B of A and 7B are slip holders 6
The holding members A, 6B are fitted and held between the holding members _a1 to _a4 , _b1 to _b4 , and the ends 9A, 9B are fitted into the grooves 1A, 1B of the fusion splicing base 2, and It is held down by the holding members 5A and 5B so that it does not come out of the groove.

Next, by moving the slip holders 6A, 6B in the direction of the arrow X' in FIG. .

After setting the end face spacing, the abutting plate 3 is retracted downward, and then the optical fiber ends 9A, 9B are sent again in the direction of arrow X' via the slip holders 6A, 6B. Discharge by the discharge electrodes 4M, 4N is started from the point in time, and the above-mentioned both ends 9A, 9B become fused due to the discharge heat at that time, and the above-mentioned both ends 9A, 9B are bonded together through the abutting force in the direction of the arrow X'. are fused together.

As mentioned above, when moving the optical fibers 7A, 7B via the slip holders 6A, 6B and fusion splicing these optical fibers to each other, the slip holders 6A, 6B are used to set the distance between the end faces and the butt force. It functions as follows.

That is, since the frictional force F ₁ is acting between the optical fiber coating parts 8A, 8B and each of the holding members a ₁ -a ₄ , b ₁ -b ₄ , the slip holders 6A, 6B are moved in the direction of the arrow X'. At the same time, the optical fiber ends 9A and 9B move in the same direction to the abutment plate 3.
corresponds to

Optical fiber ends 9A and 9B due to movement at this time
If _the pressing _force F ₂ of
A slip occurs between a ₄ and b ₁ to b ₄ .

Therefore, the excessive pressing force is eliminated by the slip, and breakage of the ends 9A and 9B is avoided.

For the same reason, the butting force during fusion splicing does not become excessive, and it is possible to expect fusion splicing of optical fibers with a small transmission loss layer.

“Problems to be Solved by the Invention” In the conventional device described above, each of the holding members a ₁ to
An optical fiber coating portion 8A is provided between the predetermined portions of a ₄ and b ₁ to b ₄ ,
When setting 8B and performing a predetermined operation, there may be a wide variety of materials (particularly friction coefficients) of the plastic sheathing parts 8A and 8B, variations in the outside diameter of the sheathing, or the environment during the connection work. (For example, temperature and humidity) are not constant, and problems arise due to these factors.

That is, even if the specifications of each part regarding the slip holders 6A, 6B are constant, the covering parts 8A, 8B
Since _the conditions such as
The relative frictional force between a ₄ , b ₁ to _{b 4} and the coating parts 8A and 8B varies depending on the type of optical fiber, and as a result, various optical fibers can be slipped using the slip holders 6A and 6B under constant conditions. Even if the optical fiber is maintained at a constant value, the timing at which the slip starts varies from optical fiber to optical fiber.

When such a situation occurs, the optical fiber cannot be moved stably by the slip holder, and if the butt force during fusion deviates from a predetermined value, the loss at the fusion splice increases.
If this is too serious, it will result in a connection error.

It is conceivable that this kind of problem can be solved by adjusting the spring pressure of the springs S, S, S, etc. mentioned above, but since the frictional force itself is delicate, it is difficult to make this adjustment at the installation work site. It is extremely difficult.

Currently, once the type of optical fiber at the installation site is known, an in-factory test is performed using a dummy fiber, and the above-mentioned spring pressure is adjusted based on this, which is a cumbersome method.

As a conventional example other than the one shown in the figure, JP-A-55-1350508
Although the roller-type slip holder disclosed in the above publication is provided, in the case of such a conventional example, a plurality of (three) slip holders are provided with elastic force via a spring.
Since the optical fiber is directly held between the rollers in a slippable manner, the spring pressure of the spring attached to the roller must be adjusted in the same way as above to accommodate various types of optical fibers. I'm lacking in sex.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a slip holder for optical fiber fusion splicing that exhibits a stable slip function regardless of the specifications of the optical fiber.

``Means for Solving the Problems'' In order to achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides a slip holder for holding the coated portion of an optical fiber in a slippable manner during fusion splicing of the optical fiber. A pair of slide blocks are arranged in parallel on the upper surface so as to be able to slide on the pedestal, and on both slide blocks there are at least one pair of slide blocks opposite to each other for holding the optical fiber coating. A pair of clamping members are erected, and on the outer surface of the clamping member on one of the slide blocks, a fixed contact piece, which is mutually fixed to the pedestal above the slide block, is slidably attached. The outer surface of the clamping member that is in contact with the other slide block is
Above the slide block, a pressing contact piece to which a spring from the pedestal applies an elastic force in one direction to the fixed contact is slidably abutted, and the pedestal and both slide blocks are mutually connected. The frictional force generated between the above-mentioned clamping members and the fixed contact piece and the pressing contact piece is denoted by F ₃ , and the frictional force generated between the above-mentioned clamping members and the fixed contact piece and the pressing contact piece is denoted by F ₄ , which is sandwiched between the clamping members and these. If the frictional force generated between the optical fiber and the optical fiber is _F5 , these pedestals,
Both slide blocks, each clamping member, fixed contact piece,
The pressing contact piece is characterized in that it is made of a material that satisfies either F ₃ ≦F ₄ <F ₅ or F ₄ ≦F ₃ <F ₅ .

``Example'' Hereinafter, regarding an example of the slip holder of the present invention,
This will be explained with reference to the drawings.

On the base 10 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a fusion splicing base 2 similar to that described above is installed, and the base 1
Slip holders according to the present invention are arranged on both sides of the fusion splicing table 2 on the fusion splicing table 2 so as to be movable in the direction of the arrow X-X' in FIG.

However, in FIGS. 3 and 4, only the slip holder located on the right side of the fusion splicing table 2 is illustrated.
The illustration of the slip holder located on the left side of the fusion splicing table 2 is omitted.

The slip holder on the left side, which is not shown, has the same structure as the slip holder on the right side.

The slip holder according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
As shown in the figure, a pedestal 11, a pair of slide blocks 12 and 13, and multiple sets of clamping members 14 ₁ to 14
₄ , the fixed contact piece 15, the pressing contact piece 16, the springs 17, 17, etc. are the main components.

The pedestal 11 in the above is provided with standing wall portions 18 and 19 at its front edge and rear edge.
is provided so as to be movable forward and backward in the direction of X-X' in FIG. 3 via an appropriate feeding means such as a known cam/lever feeding mechanism or screw feeding mechanism.

The slide blocks 12 and 13 are arranged in parallel so that they can be slid onto the pedestal 11, and on these slide blocks 12 and 13, there is a pair of clamping members 14 ₁ and 14 ₂ and another pair of clamping members 14 1 and 14 2 . Member 14
₃ and 14 ₄ are erected.

A fixed contact piece 15 is arranged above the slide block 12, and is fixed to the vertical wall part 18 of the pedestal 11. The gripping members 14 ₁ and 14 3 are brought into contact with the clamping members 14 1 and 14 ₃ in a slippable manner through a pressing force from the direction (direction).

The pressing contact piece 16 disposed above the slide block 13 also contacts the holding members 14 ₂ , 14 ₄ so as to be able to slip.
The resilient force of the springs 17, 17 is applied by the following means.

That is, the above-mentioned vertical wall portion 19 is provided with an adjusting screw shaft 20 passing through it with a pair of screws, and the tip of the adjusting screw shaft 20 is provided with a screw interposed between the vertical wall portion 19 and the slide block 13. Spring seat plate 21
is attached, and furthermore, springs 17, 17 are interposed between the spring seat plate 21 and the pressing contact piece 16, and a resilient force is applied to the pressing contact piece 16 in the Y' direction in FIG.

The elastic force generated by the springs 17, 17 is applied to the spring seat plate 21 via the adjusting screw shaft 20 as shown in FIG.
Adjustment can be made by moving the contact piece 16 forward and backward in the Y' direction, and therefore, such adjustment spring pressure is applied to the pressing contact piece 16.

Each of the above components may be made of metal, wear-resistant hard synthetic resin, or any of these materials may be used as appropriate.
The frictional force generated between the pedestal 11 and the slide blocks 12 and 13 is F ₃ , and each clamping member 14 ₁
14 ₄ and both contact pieces 15 and 16, and the friction force generated between _each of the holding members 14 ₁ to 14 ₄ and an optical fiber to be described later.
If F ₅ , then the following formula, that is, F ₃ ≦F ₄ <F ₅
Each of these members 11, 12,
Select the materials of 13, 14 ₁ to 14 ₄ , 15, and 16.

In the figure, 7 is an optical fiber, and 8 is the optical fiber 7.
The covering portion 9 is the end of the optical fiber 7.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the optical fiber coating 8 is fitted between each of the holding members 14 ₁ to 14 ₄ protruding from the slide blocks 12 and 13, and is slid. The same operation as that described in FIGS. 1 and 2 is performed by holding the pedestal 11 in the same position as possible and moving the pedestal 11 in the X' direction in FIG. 3.

In this case, the clamping members 14 ₂ and 14 ₄ and the slide block 13 supporting them are subjected to the elastic force of the springs 17 and 17 via the pressing contact piece 16, and furthermore, both clamping members 14 ₂ ,
14 ₄ and holding members 14 ₁ and 14 ₃ holding the covering portion 8, and the slide block 12
is also subject to similar force.

Therefore, the pedestal 11 and both slide blocks 1
2, 13, each holding member 14 ₁ to 14 ₄ and both contact pieces 1
5, 16, each of the holding members 14 ₁ to 14 ₄ and the covering portion 8 contact each other while maintaining a frictional force determined by the force in the Y′ direction in FIG. 3 and their respective intrinsic friction coefficients. become.

Moreover, at this time, the frictional force of each part satisfies F ₃ ≦F ₄ <F ₅ as described above.

When each part is in such a state, the pedestal 11 is moved in the direction of X' in FIG. When abutting is performed, the following slip occurs when the abutting force or butting force exceeds a predetermined value.

That is, since the frictional force of each part satisfies F ₃ ≦F ₄ <F ₅ , each of the holding members 14 ₁ to 14 ₄ and the covering portion 8
No slip occurs between the holding members 1 and 1.
Slips begin to occur between 4 ₁ to 14 ₄ and both contact pieces 15 and 16, and between both slide blocks 12 and 13 and pedestal 11, and as a result, the optical fiber 7 has a slip state as shown in FIG. Feed in the X′ direction is no longer applied.

As is clear from this, in the present invention, F ₃ ≦F ₄ <
Since _the relationship _{F 5} is maintained, when performing a predetermined movement operation, there are A slip occurs between the two.

Of course, the same result can be obtained even if F ₄ ≦F ₃ <F ₅ .

This means that even though the coefficient of friction of the coating 8 changes depending on the type of optical fiber, F ₃ ≦F ₄ <F ₅ or F ₄
It remains unchanged as long as ≦F ₃ <F ₅ , and a slip will always occur at the above location.

Therefore, when the slip holder of the present invention is used for the purpose of fusion splicing, the abutting force and abutting force described above are always constant due to the slip at the predetermined locations.

Moreover, even if the outer diameter of the covering part 8 is slightly different,
As long as F ₃ ≦F ₄ ≦F ₅ or F ₄ ≦F ₃ <F ₅ , slippage will occur at the above-mentioned predetermined location, and if there is a slight difference in outer diameter, adjust the spring pressure of springs 17, 17. Almost constant abutting force and butting force can be obtained.

Therefore, when fusion splicing optical fibers, there is no need to frequently adjust the spring pressure of the springs 17, 17, and optical fibers can be efficiently fusion spliced via the slip holder.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the slip holder according to the present invention, the pedestal and both slide blocks are in relative slip contact, and each clamping member, the fixed contact piece, and the pressing contact piece are in relative slip contact. When the optical fiber is held between the holding members and a predetermined operation is performed, the above-mentioned F ₃ ≦F ₄ is satisfied.
<F ₅ or F ₄ ≦F ₃ <F ₅ allows slips to occur at the contact portions other than the contact portions between each clamping member and the optical fiber, so that it is hardly affected by the specifications of the optical fiber.

Therefore, slip adjustment, which is laborious and difficult, can be omitted, a stable slip function can be achieved, and optical fiber fusion splicing work can be carried out rationally.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are a schematic plan view and a schematic side view of a conventional device equipped with a slip holder, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views schematically showing an embodiment of a slip holder according to the present invention. and a vertical cross-sectional view. 7... Optical fiber, 8... Optical fiber coating, 11... pedestal, 12, 13... slide block, 14 ₁ to 14 ₄ ... clamping member, 15
......Fixed contact piece, 16......Press contact piece, 17
………spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a slip holder for holding the coated portion of an optical fiber in a slippable manner during fusion splicing of the optical fiber, a pair of slide blocks are provided on the top surface of the pedestal so that the holder can be slid against the pedestal. At least one pair of clamping members opposed to each other for clamping the optical fiber coating are erected on both slide blocks, and the clamping members on one of the slide blocks are arranged in parallel. A fixed contact piece, which is mutually fixed to the pedestal above the slide block, is slidably abutted on the outer surface of the slide block.
On the outer surface of the clamping member on the other slide block, there is a pressing contact piece which is applied with a spring from the pedestal and has an elastic force in one direction of the fixed contact above the slide block so as to be able to slip. The friction force generated between the pedestal and both slide blocks is _F3 , and the friction force generated between each of the holding members and the fixed contact piece and the pressing contact piece is F3. When F ₄ is the frictional force generated between each of the above-mentioned clamping members and the optical fibers sandwiched between them, F ₅ is
These pedestals, both slide blocks, each clamping member,
The fixed contact piece and the pressing contact piece are F ₃ ≦F ₄ ＜F ₅ , F ₄ ≦
A slip holder for optical fiber fusion splicing, characterized in that it is made of a material that satisfies either F ₃ < F ₅ .