JPH0694945A - Optical fiber connector and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Modified) [Purpose] The optical fiber connector and the adhesive distribution state during which the optical fiber connector and the manufacturing process for observing the arrangement state of the optical fiber and the distribution state of the adhesive are observed. Provided is a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector capable of observing whether it is appropriate and shortening the curing time of an adhesive. A connector body (30) having at least one V-shaped groove (36) for positioning an optical fiber (38a) is prepared, and the optical fiber is arranged in the V-shaped groove.
A retaining plate (40) is applied to the connector body to position and hold the optical fiber in the V-shaped groove. At least one of the connector body and the retainer plate is formed of a transparent material, and the photocurable adhesive introduced between the retainer plate and the connector body through this transparent member is irradiated with an adhesive curing light beam so that the connector body and the retainer plate are pressed. An optical fiber connector in which at least one of the plates is made of a transparent material is obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a connector body having at least one V-shaped groove for positioning an optical fiber, and a V-shaped groove in the connector body. The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector of a type including a holding plate fixed to the connector body with an adhesive so as to fix and hold the optical fiber positioned in the position, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With reference to FIG. 7, a typical structure of an optical fiber connector of this type is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.
Is attached to one end of the multi-core optical fiber cord 12. Describing a method for manufacturing such an optical fiber connector 10, first, a connector body 14 is prepared, and the connector body 14 is preferably made of a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin or a phenol resin using a suitable mold. Is formed as an integrally molded product. A reinforcing material such as glass fiber may be mixed into the thermosetting resin material as needed. As shown in FIG. 8, the connector body 14 has lateral raised portions 14a and 14b which are raised on both sides thereof.
And a flat recessed portion 14c extending between the lateral raised portions 10a and 10b. Bore portions 16 and 18 are formed in the side raised portions 14a and 14b of the connector body 14, respectively, and a guide pin 20 is projected from one of the bore portions 16 as shown in FIG. 7, and the other bore portion 18 will be described later. It functions as a guide pin guide hole. V-shaped grooves 22 arranged at a predetermined pitch are formed in the flat recessed portion 14c of the connector body 14, and in each V-shaped groove 22, as shown in FIG.
The individual optical fibers 12a exposed from 2 are accommodated and fixed. That is, V of the flat recessed portion 14c
After the optical fibers 12a are housed in the respective groove portions 22, a suitable adhesive is applied to the flat recessed portions 14c, and then a holding plate 24 is applied in the flat recessed portions 14c. 12a are positioned at a predetermined arrangement pitch and fixedly held to the connector body 14. In FIG. 7, the adhesive coating layer is indicated by reference numeral 26. After the adhesive coating layer 26 is completely cured, the connection end face 28 of the optical fiber connector 10 is subjected to polishing treatment to make the exposed end face of the optical fiber 12a flush. After the polishing process, the guide pin 2
0 is inserted into the bore 16 and fixed therein, and thus the optical fiber connector 10 as shown in FIG. 7 is obtained.

The optical fiber connector 10 shown in FIG. 7 is connected to an optical fiber connector having the same structure. That is, one optical fiber connector 10
By inserting the guide pin 20 into the guide pin guide hole 18 of the other optical fiber connector 10, the end faces of the optical fibers 12a of both optical fiber connectors 10 are aligned with each other and optically coupled. Each optical fiber connector 10 is held in a suitable casing (not shown), and both casings are provided with a locking mechanism adapted to snap-engage with each other. The connection state of the optical fiber connector is maintained.

[0004]

The conventional optical fiber connector as described above, however, has a problem in that the arrangement state of the optical fibers and the distribution state of the adhesive cannot be reliably grasped. That is, after the adhesive is applied to the flat hollow portion of the connector body and the holding plate is once applied thereto, the optical fiber is properly positioned in the corresponding V-shaped groove, or the optical fiber is broken. That is, it is impossible to confirm whether or not there is any occurrence, or whether the adhesion of the optical fiber is hindered by the inclusion of air bubbles. Another problem is that it takes a relatively long time to cure the adhesive. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to have a connector body having at least one V-shaped groove for positioning an optical fiber, and an optical fiber positioned in the V-shaped groove of the connector body bonded to the connector body for fixed holding. An optical fiber connector of a type including a holding plate fixed by an agent, the optical fiber connector being configured so that the arrangement state of the optical fiber and the distribution state of the adhesive can be observed. . Another object of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector of the type described above, which can observe whether or not the arrangement state of the optical fiber and the distribution state of the adhesive are appropriate and An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an optical fiber connector that can shorten the curing time.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a connector body having at least one V-shaped groove for positioning an optical fiber and an optical fiber positioned in the V-shaped groove of the connector body are fixed. An optical fiber connector including a holding plate fixed to the connector body by an adhesive for holding is characterized in that at least one of the connector body and the holding plate is made of a transparent material. In the method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to the present invention, first, a connector body having at least one V-shaped groove is prepared for positioning the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is placed in the V-shaped groove of the connector body. Then, a retainer plate is applied to the connector body to hold it in place within the V-shaped groove of the connector body. According to the present invention, at least one of the connector body and the holding plate is made of a transparent material. Subsequently, a photo-curable adhesive is introduced between the holding plate and the connector body, and the photo-curable adhesive is irradiated with an adhesive-curing light beam through at least one of the connector body and the holding plate. The adhesive is cured. According to the present invention, the introduction of the photocurable adhesive is preferably carried out by capillarity from one open end face side of the V-shaped groove.

[0006]

In the optical fiber connector according to the present invention, since at least one of the connector body and the holding plate is made of a transparent material, the arrangement state of the optical fiber and the distribution state of the adhesive can be observed from the outside. It is possible. In the method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to the present invention, since at least one of the connector body and the pressing plate is formed of a transparent material, the arrangement state of the optical fiber and the adhesive agent are used for introducing the photocurable adhesive. It is possible to confirm the flow state and to cure the photo-curable adhesive by irradiating the photo-curable adhesive with the adhesive curing light beam through at least one of the connector body and the holding plate after the introduction. It can be done immediately.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An optical fiber connector and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, referring to FIG. 1, a connector body, which is one component of an optical fiber connector according to the present invention, is generally indicated by reference numeral 30. This connector body 30 is made of, for example, an epoxy resin or It is formed as an integrally molded product of a thermosetting resin such as a phenolic resin, and a reinforcing material such as glass fiber may be mixed therein if necessary. Further, as in the conventional case, the connector main body 30 is composed of the lateral raised portions 30a and 30b raised on both sides thereof and the flat recessed portion 30c extending between the lateral raised portions 30a and 30b. Guide pin mounting holes 32 are formed on the side raised portions 30a and 30b of the pin 30, respectively.
And guide pin guide holes 34 are formed, and V-shaped grooves 36 are arranged in the flat recessed portion 30c at a predetermined pitch.
Is formed. Other materials for the connector body 30 also include metals and ceramics. In this embodiment,
The connector body 30 is formed of an opaque material, but can also be formed of a suitable transparent material such as clear acrylic or glass.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown one end of a multi-core optical fiber cord 38 to which an optical fiber connector according to the present invention is to be attached, and an optical fiber 38a is exposed from this one end. After the optical fibers 38a are housed and arranged in the V-shaped grooves 36 of the flat hollow portion 30c, a holding plate 40 is applied to the flat hollow portion 30c as shown in FIG. Is positioned and retained within its corresponding V-shaped groove 36. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, since the holding plate 40 is made of a transparent material such as transparent acrylic resin or glass, the arrangement state of the optical fibers 38a can be observed through the holding plate 40. . That is, it is possible to immediately grasp whether or not all the optical fibers 38a are properly positioned in the V-shaped groove 36 without being damaged by disconnection or the like.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the connector body 30 to which the pressing plate 40 is applied is placed in a substantially vertical direction with its connecting end face 42 facing upward, and the connecting end face 42 side is appropriately photo-cured and cured. Adhesive 44 is flat hollow portion 30c
It is introduced into the space between the holding plate 40 and the holding plate 40. At this time, the photo-curable adhesive 44 is attached to the connector body 3 due to the capillary phenomenon.
It moves toward the end surface on the opposite side of 0, that is, the lower end surface, and fills the space between the flat recessed portion 30c and the holding plate 40. In this embodiment, since the holding plate 40 is made of a transparent material, it is possible to observe the movement of the photocurable adhesive 44 in the space between the flat recessed portion 30c and the holding plate 40. Therefore, it is possible to confirm whether or not the photocurable adhesive 44 is properly distributed in the space. That is, it is possible to confirm whether or not the photocurable adhesive has sufficiently spread between the flat recessed portion 30c and the holding plate 40, and whether or not air bubbles or the like are mixed in the photocurable adhesive. Is.
As the photo-curable adhesive, an adhesive that is sensitive to ultraviolet rays (ultraviolet curable adhesive) can be preferably used. After it is confirmed that the photo-curable adhesive is properly distributed between the flat recessed portion 30c and the holding plate 40, the photo-curable adhesive is irradiated with an adhesive curing ray, that is, ultraviolet rays, through the holding plate 40. As a result, the photo-curable adhesive is immediately cured, and the optical fiber 38a becomes
The holding plate 40 is fixedly held in the V-shaped groove 36, and the holding plate 40 is also fixed to the connector body 30. Referring to FIG.
The adhesive layer obtained between the flat recessed portion 30c and the holding plate 40 is indicated by reference numeral 44 '.

Then, the connector body 30 shown in FIG.
The exposed end surface of a is made flush. In order to easily perform such a polishing process, it is preferable to make the material hardness of the connector body 30 and the material hardness of the holding plate 40 as close as possible.
For example, when the connector body 30 is formed of a thermosetting resin, a transparent acrylic resin is used as the material of the holding plate 40, and when the connector body 30 is formed of glass, ceramic, metal, or the like, Transparent glass is used as the material of the holding plate 40.

After the polishing process on the connection end face 42 side of the connector body 30 is completed, the guide pin 46 is inserted and fixed in the guide pin mounting hole 32 as shown in FIG. Connector is obtained. Similar to the case described with reference to FIG. 7, the optical fiber connector shown in FIG. 6 is also connected to the optical fiber connector having the same configuration. That is, by inserting the guide pin 46 of one optical fiber connector into the guide pin guide hole 34 of the other optical fiber connector, the end faces of the optical fibers 38a of both optical fiber connectors are aligned with each other and the optical fibers 38a are aligned. Be combined. Further, each optical fiber connector is held in an appropriate casing (not shown), and both casings are provided with a locking mechanism adapted to be snap-engaged with each other. The connection state of the fiber connector is maintained as in the case described with reference to FIG. 7.

In the above-described embodiment, only the holding plate 40 is made of a transparent material, but the connector body 30 may be made of a transparent material. In short, in order to observe the arrangement state of the optical fibers and the distribution state of the photo-curable adhesive and to enable the photo-curable adhesive to be irradiated with the adhesive curing light beam, the connector 30 and the holding plate 40 are used. Only at least one of these needs to be formed from a transparent material. Further, in the above embodiment, the optical fiber connector is configured to be attached to the multi-core optical fiber cord, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a single optical fiber connector.

[0013]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to observe the arrangement state of the optical fiber and the distribution state of the adhesive in the optical fiber connector. Inspection is possible. In addition, since the arrangement state of the optical fiber and the distribution state of the photocurable adhesive can be observed during the manufacturing process of the optical fiber connector,
It is possible to greatly improve the yield. Further, since the photo-curable adhesive can be used, the manufacturing time of the optical fiber connector can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector body which is one component of an optical fiber connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a multi-core optical fiber cord to which an optical fiber connector according to the present invention is to be attached.

3 is a perspective view showing a state where an optical fiber of the multi-core optical fiber cord of FIG. 2 is held by a holding plate in the connector body of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing a state where a photo-curable adhesive is introduced between the connector body and the holding plate of FIG.

5 is a perspective view showing a state after the photo-curable adhesive introduced between the optical connector body and the holding plate of FIG. 4 is cured.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a completed state of the optical fiber connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional optical fiber connector.

8 is a perspective view showing a connector body which is one component of the optical fiber connector of FIG.

9 is a perspective view showing a multi-core optical fiber cord to which the optical fiber connector of FIG. 7 is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Optical fiber connector 12 ... Multi-core optical fiber cord 12a ... Optical fiber 14 ... Connector body 14a * 14b ... Side protrusion 14c ... Flat dent 16.18 ... Bore 20 ... Guide pin 22 ... V-shaped groove 24 ... Holding plate 26 ... Adhesive coating layer 28 ... Connection end face 30 ... Connector body 30a / 30b ... Side protrusion 30c ... Flat dent 32 ... Guide pin mounting hole 34 ... Guide pin guide hole 36 ... V-shaped groove 38 ... Multicore Optical fiber cord 38a ... Optical fiber 40 ... Holding plate 42 ... Connection end face 44 ... Photocurable adhesive 44 '... Adhesive layer 46 ... Guide pin

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connector body (30) having at least one V-shaped groove (36) for positioning an optical fiber (38a) and positioned within the V-shaped groove (36) of the connector body (30). Adhesive (4) to the connector body (30) to fix and hold the optical fiber (38a).
An optical fiber connector comprising a holding plate (40) fixed by 4), characterized in that at least one of the connector body (30) and the holding plate (40) is made of a transparent material. Connector. 2. Preparing a connector body (30) having at least one V-shaped groove (36) for positioning an optical fiber (38a) and the connector body (3).
0) placing the optical fiber (38a) in the V-shaped groove (36) and positioning and holding the optical fiber (38a) in the V-shaped groove (36) of the connector body (30). The step of applying a holding plate (40) to the connector body (30), wherein at least one of the connector body (30) and the holding plate (40) is made of a transparent material, and further, the holding plate (40). ) And the connector body (30), a photocurable adhesive (44) is introduced,
It is possible to cure the photocurable adhesive (44) by irradiating the photocurable adhesive (44) with an adhesive curing light beam through at least one of the connector body (30) and the holding plate (40). A method for manufacturing a characteristic optical fiber connector. 3. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector according to claim 2, wherein the photocurable adhesive (44) is introduced from one open end surface side of the V-shaped groove (36) by a capillary phenomenon. And a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector.