JPH09197162A - Mechanical splices and connection tools for mechanical splices - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) 【Abstract】 PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform the work of replacing one of two optical fibers already connected to a mechanical splice. A mechanical splice in which a pair of holding members are housed in a C-shaped spring is used as a connecting component. Separation member 40 having wedge portions 40A to 401D arranged in line
Is operated by pressing the handle 41 to hold the holding block 3
The mechanical splice held by the holders 31L and 31R of No. 0 is driven into the contact portion between the holding members. Since the holding block 30 can slide along the rails 30a, for example, a wedge portion is driven only in the right half of the mechanical splice, and this portion is sandwiched, and only the optical fiber sandwiched in this portion is used. Can be replaced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mechanical splice for connecting optical fibers and a connecting tool for mechanical splicing for connecting optical fibers using the mechanical splice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to form an optical fiber network, it is necessary to interconnect a plurality of optical fibers. Such interconnection of optical fibers is generally performed by fixing two optical fibers to be connected in a state in which their ends are abutted with each other. In order to suppress the transmission loss as much as possible, it is required that the axes of the optical fibers be aligned with high accuracy and that they be firmly fixed so that they do not shift from each other.

Therefore, conventionally, various kinds of aligning and positioning structures as listed below have been adopted as technical means for interconnecting optical fibers. (1) Structure in which optical fibers are inserted into both ends of a microcapillary (precision tube) and abutted (2) Structure in which optical fibers are abutted in a V groove (3) Three precision rods or three precision balls Structure that carries and positions an optical fiber in the center of

Further, as a method of fixing the optical fibers brought into abutment with each other in this manner, a method of adhering the optical fiber to the above-mentioned alignment positioning structure, or a method of mechanically sandwiching and fixing it has been adopted.

By the way, the above-mentioned optical fiber connection method has the following problems in the method of fixing the optical fiber, and its improvement has been desired. First, the method of fixing the optical fibers by the above-mentioned adhesion has a problem that the work of reconnecting the optical fibers is troublesome. That is, when a trouble such as a disconnection or a failure of an optical component occurs in the optical fiber network, it is necessary to disconnect the already connected optical fiber and connect it to another optical fiber. At this time, if the optical fiber is bonded to the centering and positioning structure, it is difficult to remove it, and it is difficult to reuse it because the butt ends are soiled with the adhesive. Further, in the method of fixing the optical fiber by mechanically clamping it, it is difficult to apply a clamping force evenly to the abutting end of the optical fiber. If the clamping force acts unevenly, the refractive index of the abutting end portion fluctuates when the abutting state is released, which makes reuse difficult.

Further, the work of connecting the optical fibers is a very troublesome work because the core wires of the very fine optical fibers must be butted and fixed. Therefore, there has been a demand for a technical means capable of interconnecting optical fibers with a simple operation. In particular, since repair work of an optical fiber network is often performed outdoors at a high place, it is required that the optical fibers can be connected quickly by a simple operation.

From such a background, an optical fiber connector called a mechanical splice has been proposed. This mechanical splice is composed of a pair of holding members and a C-shaped spring, and its schematic configuration is as follows.

First, each of the pair of holding members has a shape obtained by cutting a cylinder into two pieces by a plane including the central axis thereof. The sandwiching members are housed in the C-shaped spring in a state where one side surface (hereinafter, referred to as a contact surface) of each of them is in contact with each other to form an integral cylindrical shape. A V-shaped groove or a U-shaped groove is formed along the axial direction on the contact surface of one of the sandwiching members to form a guide groove for guiding the core of the optical fiber. The guide groove extends to both ends of the holding member.

The C-shaped spring has a slit that longitudinally cuts the side surface. The pair of holding members are housed in the C-shaped spring in a state in which the contact portion is exposed from the slit and the slit is expanded. Therefore, a strong contact pressure due to the elastic force of the C-shaped spring acts between the holding members.

When two optical fibers are interconnected using this mechanical splice, a wedge-shaped member is inserted into the abutting portion of each holding member exposed from the slit of the C-shaped spring so that the distance between the holding members is increased. Creates a gap in. In this state, two optical fibers are inserted from both ends of the mechanical splice, and each is advanced along the guide groove of the holding member. Then, the ends of the two optical fibers are abutted at substantially the center of the holding member, and the wedge-shaped one is pulled out from the abutting portion while maintaining the abutted state. As a result, the gap between the sandwiching members is closed, and the two optical fibers are sandwiched by the sandwiching members with their ends abutting each other. To disconnect the optical fiber, a wedge-shaped member is again interrupted in the contact portion of the sandwiching member in the C-shaped spring, and the optical fiber may be pulled out while the pair of sandwiching members are separated.

[0011]

Since the above-mentioned mechanical splice connects two optical fibers to each other for interconnection, the optical fibers can be connected / disconnected without causing a great damage. It can be performed. However, since the mechanical splice is small in size, it is difficult to spread the C-shaped spring, and the optical fiber must be inserted between the holding members while spreading the C-shaped spring, so that the desired splice loss is not achieved. Therefore, it was difficult to connect the optical fibers to each other. Therefore, there has been a demand for the development of a dedicated tool for facilitating the butt connection of the optical fibers with the optical fiber connector. Further, in the maintenance work of the optical fiber network, there is a case where only one of the two optical fibers connected to the mechanical splice is replaced with another optical fiber, but this work is a particularly difficult work, and it is improved. Was desired.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and facilitates the work for connecting / disconnecting optical fibers, particularly the work for replacing one of two already connected optical fibers. An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical splice that can be performed and a connecting tool for the mechanical splice.

[0013]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A mechanical splice that connects two optical fibers by sandwiching them with their ends abutted against each other, and forms a unit by abutting each other in the same longitudinal direction. , A pair of sandwiching members in which the respective optical fibers are inserted between the respective contact surfaces, a longitudinal slit extending in the longitudinal direction, a transverse slit crossing the longitudinal slit, and an abutting portion of the pair of sandwiching members. A mechanical splice characterized in that an exposing window is formed, and the pair of holding members that are integrated are accommodated, and an elastic body that applies a pressure contact force between respective contact surfaces is provided. To do.

According to this invention, since the transverse slit is formed in the elastic body, the right side portion and the left side portion can be elastically deformed in a substantially independent state. Therefore, for the left half of the pair of sandwiching members, for example,
The holding members can be separated from each other, and the optical fiber inserted in that portion can be replaced with another optical fiber.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a pair of sandwiching members which are integrated by abutting each other in the same longitudinal direction and a pair of the sandwiching members which are integrated with each other are provided at at least one of the contact points. A connection tool for mechanical splicing that connects end portions of two optical fibers by using a mechanical splice that is housed in an exposed state and that has an elastic body that applies a pressure contact force between each contact surface. A plurality of wedge portions arranged in a line, and a separating member installed so as to be able to advance and retract in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of these wedge portions, and the mechanical splice in the longitudinal direction thereof. A pressing operation is performed with a holding unit that has a holder that holds the wedge unit in a posture that matches the arrangement direction of the wedge units, and is installed so as to be slidable along the arrangement direction of the plurality of wedge units. Handle and the hand The separating member is driven in response to the pressing operation of the lever, and the wedge portion of the separating member is inserted into the abutting portion exposed from the elastic body of each holding member of the mechanical splice held by the holding portion, and each holding member is held. A connecting tool for a mechanical splice, comprising: a separating member drive mechanism for separating members.

According to this invention, the wedge portion interrupts the holding members of the mechanical splice in response to the pressing operation of the handle, and the holding members are separated from each other. Here, since the holding portion is slidable, the holding portion can be positioned such that the wedge portion faces only the left half portion of the mechanical splice, for example. Therefore, by pressing the handle, the holding members can be separated from each other in the left half of the pair of holding members, and the optical fiber inserted in that portion can be replaced with another optical fiber.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mechanical splice discharging mechanism for discharging the mechanical splice held by the holding tool to the outside of the holding tool. Use as a summary.

According to this invention, since the mechanical splice can be discharged, the work of connecting the optical fibers becomes easier.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A. Configuration of this Embodiment (1) Overall Configuration FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a mechanical splicing connection tool 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mechanical splicing connection tool 10 is a tool for connecting optical fibers by using the above-described mechanical splice, and is provided with the following mechanism for a tool body 11 having a grip portion 11a. In the following, in order to facilitate understanding of the overall configuration of the tool, a brief description of the configuration of each mechanism is given within the range shown in FIG. 1, but each of the mechanisms a to c below will be described later. A more detailed description will be given.

A. Optical Fiber Holding Mechanism This mechanical splicing connection tool 10 has a pair of left and right optical fiber holding mechanisms 20L and 20R. The worker performs the connection work while holding the two optical fibers to be connected by these holding mechanisms.

B. Mechanical splice holding / discharging mechanism In this mechanical splice connection tool 10,
A rail 30a is laid parallel to a straight line connecting the optical fiber holding mechanisms 20L and 20R.
A holder block 30 is slidably attached to a. The holding block 30 is provided with a pair of left and right holders 31L and 31R that hold the mechanical splice and a clamper 32 that supports the mechanical splice from below. Optical fiber connection work
A mechanical splice, which is a connecting part, is attached to this holder 31.
It is performed while being held and fixed by L, 31R and the clamper 32. Further, after connecting the two optical fibers by the mechanical splice, it is necessary to remove the mechanical splice from the holders 31L and 31R, and a mechanical splice discharging mechanism is provided to facilitate this work. That is, in this embodiment, the splice discharge handle 33 is operated in the direction of the arrow M to raise the clamper 32, and the holders 31L and 31R.
The mechanical splice clamped by is discharged to the outside.

C. Separation member drive mechanism In order to connect two optical fibers using a mechanical splice, it is necessary to separate the holding members in the mechanical splice so that the optical fibers can be inserted, as already described. . In this embodiment, the separating member 40 having the four wedge portions 40A to 40D and the driving mechanism that drives the separating member 40 toward the holders 21L and 21R in response to the pressing operation of the handle 41 play their roles. I carry it.

D. In addition, in the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the work of connecting the optical fibers, the hooks 9L and 9R are attached to the tool body 11.
Is provided. The worker can also perform the work of connecting the optical fiber while suspending the hook on the cable, and in this case, since both hands can be used, there is an advantage that the operation becomes easier.

(2) Optical Fiber Holding Mechanism Next, the structure of the optical fiber holding mechanisms 20L and 20R will be described. In the optical fiber holding mechanism 20L, a pair of guide plates 21 and 22 are attached in parallel with each other with a space therebetween, and a guide groove 23 for accommodating an optical fiber is formed at the center of the upper part of these guide plates. Has been done. A cushion (not shown) is arranged between the guide plates 21 and 22, and the optical fibers accommodated in the guide grooves 23, 23 are placed on this cushion.

A lid 24 is rotatably attached to the shaft 24a of the optical fiber holding mechanism 20L, and the lid 24 is constructed so as to just fall between the guide plates 21 and 22. In this collapsed state, the optical fiber is clamped and fixed by the lid 24 and the cushion. Further, the lid 24 has a protrusion 24b formed by bending a part of one side portion thereof, and when the lid 24 falls down, the tip of the protrusion 24b has a stopper 24c.
And is prevented from rotating further. Therefore, the lid 24 is provided between the guide plates 21 and 22.
Does not fall too deeply and the optical fiber is not bent.

Although the optical fiber holding mechanism 20L has been described above, the optical fiber holding mechanism 20R has a completely similar structure.

(3) Mechanical Splice Holding / Discharging Mechanism Mechanical Splice FIGS. 8 to 9 show a mechanical splice 100 used as a connecting part for an optical fiber in this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the mechanical splice. Figure, Figure 9
Is a longitudinal sectional view of the mechanical splice, and FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view of the mechanical splice taken along the line Ia-Ia '. Prior to explaining the mechanical splice holding / discharging mechanism, the structure of the mechanical splice will be described with reference to these drawings.

This mechanical splice 100 is also basically composed of a C-shaped spring and a holding member, but the C-shaped spring 10 of this mechanical splice 100.
1 has a longitudinal slit 102 that is longitudinally cut, and a transverse slit 103 that is orthogonal to the longitudinal slit near the center of the mechanical splice 100. The transverse slit 103 does not completely go around the C-shaped spring 101, and the C-shaped spring 101 does not extend completely.
It keeps one without being divided by. However, since the transverse slit 103 is formed, the mechanical coupling between the right half portion and the left half portion of the C-shaped spring 101 is sparse. It can be expanded almost independently of the state of.

Inside the C-shaped spring 101, as shown in FIG. 9, a base 110 and upper lids 111, 112 and 113 are housed. Each of these has a shape in which a cylinder is cut in two by a plane including its central axis, and one side surface of each is in contact with each other to form an integral cylindrical shape inside the C-shaped spring 101. Housed in.

Of the three upper lids, only the central upper lid 112 and the central portion of the base 110 that abuts on it function as a sandwiching member for sandwiching the optical fiber. As shown in FIG. 10, a V-shaped groove 110a is formed in the central portion of the base 110 to form a guide groove for the core wire of the optical fiber to be connected. It should be noted that in FIG. 10, the upper lid 112 is provided with respect to the recess 110 b formed in the base 110.
The convex portion 112b formed on the base is inserted, but this serves to fix the positional relationship between the base 110 and the upper lid 112.

The upper lid 111 and the base 110 that abuts on it
At the end part of the, a groove is formed in each central part,
These grooves are aligned and a hole 111a is formed. A portion of the hole 111a that forms the floor (on the side of the base 110) gently descends near the end of the mechanical splice, and forms a ceiling (the upper lid 111).
Side) is rising sharply. In this way, the hole 111a becomes wider toward the end of the mechanical splice and a relatively wide opening is formed at the end, so that the tip of the optical fiber is relatively easily guided into the hole 111a. be able to. The hole 111a is gradually narrowed as it approaches the central upper lid 112, and finally reaches the guide groove 110a. Upper lid 113 and base 110 that abuts this
The end part of has the same structure as above.

As shown in FIG. 8, separation grooves 115A to 115D are formed in the contact portion between the base 110 and the upper lids 111, 112 and 113, as shown in FIG.
FIG. 10 clearly shows the cross-sectional shape of the separation groove 115B formed in the contact portion between the base 110 and the upper lid 112 among these. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the C-shaped spring 101 is provided with windows 105A to 105D for exposing these separation grooves 115A to 115D. The pitch of the four wedge portions 40A to 40D (FIG. 1) of the separating member 40 described above matches the pitch of the separating grooves 115A to 115D. In addition, the width of each wedge portion 40A to 40D is equal to the width of the separation groove 11.
The width is narrower than the width of 5A to 115D (dimension of the groove in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 10) and has a thickness, and the tip thereof forms an acute angle as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the wedge portions 40A to 40D are separated from the separation grooves 115A to 1A.
15D to face each other, and each tip has a separation groove 115A-1
It is possible to insert it in 15D. When the insertion is performed as described above, as easily understood from FIG. 10, the wedge portions 40A to 40D are separated from the separation grooves 115A to 1A.
While pushing 15D gradually, it will go inward.
Therefore, the base 110 and the upper lids 111, 112 and 11 are resisted against the elastic force (arrow in FIG. 10) of the C-shaped spring 101.
3 can be separated.

Mechanical Splice Holding / Discharging Mechanism Next, a mechanism for holding the mechanical splice 100 described above will be described.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line Ib-Ib ′ of FIG. 1, FIG.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line Ic-Ic ′ of FIG. 1. Holder 31L
Is a pair of leaf springs 301 and 30 as shown in FIG.
2 is fastened to both sides of the block 303 with bolts and is fixed to the holding block 30. The portions of the leaf springs 301 and 302 that extend above the block 303 are bent to face each other as shown in the figure, and the portions in the vicinity of the upper ends of the leaf springs 301 and 302 are opposite to each other. It is in the shape of a letter. The holder 31R has the same configuration and is fixed to the holding block 30 like the holder 31L. With this structure, the mechanical splice 100 pushes the leaf springs 301 and 302 apart by placing the mechanical splice 100 on the inverted "C" -shaped portions of the holders 31L and 31R and pushing it in with a finger. And is lowered and placed on the clamper 32. In this state, the mechanical splice 100 is pressed from three sides by the clamper 32 and the leaf springs 301 and 302, and is firmly held, so that it does not fall off.

Since the holders 31L and 31R are fixed to the holder block 30, they can be slid along the rail 30a together with the holder block 30.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are plan views of the holding block 30 and the separating member 40, which are viewed from above.
This figure shows a sliding mode of the holding block 30. First, in the state shown in FIG. 4A, the four wedge portions 40A to 40D of the separating member 40 face the four windows 105A to 105D of the mechanical splice 100. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 4B, the holding block 30 is slid to the right side in the drawing, and the two wedge portions 40C and 40D in the right half of the separating member 40.
2 provided on the left half of the mechanical splice 100
It faces the individual windows 105A and 105B. In this embodiment as described above, by the sliding of the holding block 30,
It is possible to switch which window of the mechanical splice 100 the wedge portion faces.
The purpose of this configuration will be clarified in the description of the operation of this embodiment described later.

Next, a mechanism for discharging the mechanical splice 100 from the holders 31L and 31R will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the clamper 32 has a rack 311 extending downward connected to the lower portion thereof. The rack 311 engages with the pinion 312 and the pinion 3
A rack 313 that extends in the horizontal direction in the drawing is engaged with 12. Then, the rack 313 is linked (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
(Not shown) is connected to the splice discharge handle 33 in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows the rack and pinion mechanism including the rack 311, the pinion 312 and the rack 313 described above, the rack 313 and the splice discharge handle 33.
It is a perspective view showing an example of composition of a link mechanism which connects between.
As shown in this figure, the pinion 312 has a shape in which teeth are formed around a columnar object, and is mounted in a posture in which its rotation axis matches the sliding direction of the holding block 30. Therefore, the holding block 30 is not attached to the rail 30.
Even when the racks 311 and 311 under the clamper 32 move as a result of the movement along a (FIG. 1), the racks 311 and 311 always engage with the pinion 312.

A horizontal rack 313 engaging with the pinion 312 is rotatably attached to one end of a bar 314. The bar 314 is attached to the tool main body in a manner capable of rotating around the shaft 314a.
A splice discharge handle 33 is attached to the other end of the in a standing state.

In such a structure, when the splice discharge handle 33 is moved in the direction of arrow M, the rack 31 is moved.
3 moves in the arrow-M direction, and the pinion 312 rotates clockwise as shown in FIG. By the rotation of the pinion 312, the racks 311 and 311 are lifted and the clamper 32 is raised. Then, as the clamper 32 rises, the mechanical splice 100 moves the leaf springs 301,
302 between the holders 31L and 3
It is discharged to the outside of 1R. The above is the details of the mechanism for ejecting the mechanical splice 100 from the holders 31L and 31R.

(4) Separation Member Drive Mechanism Separation Member Drive Mechanism FIG. 3 shows the state of each part when the handle 41 is not pushed, and FIG. 2 shows the state of each part when the handle 41 is pushed. ing. As shown in these figures, the separating member 40 is fixed to the block 401,
The block 401 is slidably attached to a shaft 402. In addition, the separation member 40 on the upper part of the block 401
Part of the root (part of the side opposite to the wedge parts 40A to 40D)
A roller 403 is rotatably attached in the vicinity of.

The handle 41 has a flat surface portion pushed by an operator's hand and a leg portion extending downward from the end of the flat surface portion, and has a slope 41a at the end of the leg portion.

A shaft 411 is attached to the lower surface of the handle 41, and the shaft 411 is inserted into a cylinder 412 provided inside the tool body. And
A coil spring 411a surrounding the shaft 411 is interposed between the lower surface of the handle 41 and the upper end of the cylinder 412, and the handle 41 is lifted by the elasticity of the coil spring 411a.

When the handle 41 is not pushed in, the slope 41a provided on the leg of the handle 41 is in a state of lightly touching the roller 403. Therefore, the wedge portions 40A to 40D of the separating member 40 are located away from the mechanical splice 100. When the operator pushes in the handle 41, the handle 41
The leg part of the lower part moves downward while pushing the roller 403 to the left side in FIG. As a result, the block 401 moves to the left side in FIG. 3 while rotating the roller 403, and this movement causes the tips of the wedge portions 40A to 40D to separate grooves 115A of the mechanical splice 100.
~ 115D (see FIGS. 8 and 10), the upper lid 11
1-113 and the base 110 (see FIG. 9) are separated (see FIG. 2). The above is the details of the mechanism for driving the separating member 40 to separate the holding member in the mechanical splice 100.

Handle Lock Mechanism Having a function of keeping the holding members of the mechanical splice 100 separated is convenient for performing operations such as replacement and butting of optical fibers. From this point of view, the handle lock mechanism is adopted in this embodiment. The details of this mechanism will be described below.

In FIG. 3, a pin 413 is driven in the middle of the shaft 411, and the pin 413 is formed in the side wall of the cylinder 412 so as to have an elongated hole 412 formed in the vertical direction.
It projects to the outside via a. On the other hand, the cylinder 412
A cam 420 is arranged on the outer side of the
The tip of a pin 413 is inserted into a cam groove 421 formed on the front surface of the pin 20. On the other hand, a coil spring 422 is inserted between the back surface of the cam 420 and the wall surface of the tool body. The cam 420 moves the pin 4 by the coil spring 422.
The pin 413 is biased by this biasing force.
The state in which the tip of the contacting portion contacts the bottom of the cam groove 421 is maintained. Therefore, if the handle 41 is pressed, the shaft 41
1 goes down, but pin 4 attached to this shaft 411
13 is slid down the bottom of the cam groove 421 at its tip and descends.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the cam 420, and FIG.
(B) is a front view. In these figures, the cam support portion 425 is fixed to the tool body via a rod 426. Then, the shaft 4 located above the cam support portion 425
27 penetrates the lower end of the cam 420, and the cam 42
0 can swing around this axis 426. The periphery of the cam 420 is covered with a housing, and a leaf spring 430 is interposed between one of the side portions of the cam 420 (the right side in FIG. 6B) and the housing. Therefore, the swinging motion of the cam 420 is performed against the repulsive force generated by the elasticity of the plate spring 430.

Next, the cam groove 421 will be described. The bottom of the cam groove 421 is divided into regions S1 to S8 having different depths. The following describes each of these areas.

Area S1: The deepest area formed at the top of the cam 420. When the handle 41 is not pushed in, the pin 413 is located in this area S1. When the handle 41 is pushed in, the pin 41
3 will sequentially proceed to the following areas S2, S3 and S4. Area S2: An uphill connecting the areas S1 and S3. Area S3: The shallowest area. Region S4: The third deepest region. This is the region located at the bottom of the cam 420, and the pin 413 is located in this region S4.
It will not descend further beyond. That is, the handle 41 can be pushed in until the pin 413 reaches the area S4. In addition, the area S3 and the area S4
There is a step between them. Although the tip of the pin 413 can advance from the area S3 to the area S4, the area S4 to the area S3
The step back is prevented by this step. Area S5: The second deepest area. There is also a step between the region S4 and this region S5. Therefore, although the tip of the pin 413 can advance from the area S4 to the area S5,
The step back from 5 to the region S4 is prevented by this step. Region S6: It is the deepest region like the region S1. Area S
5 and this region S6 also have a step, and this step prevents the backward movement from the region S6 to the region S5. Area S7: An uphill connecting the areas S6 and S8. Region S8: This is the shallowest region like the region S3. There is a step between the area S8 and the area S1. Pin 4
The tip of 13 can move from the area S8 to the area S1, but movement in the opposite direction is blocked by this step. Therefore, when the pushing of the handle 41 is started, the area S
The tip of the pin 413 in 1 always advances to the area S2, never to the area S7 side.

The cam groove 421 formed of the areas S1 to S8 described above restricts the movement of the pin 413 in a certain case, and restricts the upward returning operation of the shaft 411 by the coil spring 411. That is, the handle 41 is locked. The details of this lock function will be clarified in the following explanation of the operation of the present embodiment.

B. Operation of this Embodiment The operation of this embodiment will be described below assuming various operations. (1) Mechanical splice 100 with two optical fibers
When doing work to connect by

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the holding block is positioned such that the four wedge portions 40A to 40D of the separating member 40 face the four windows 105A to 105D of the mechanical splice 100. Position 30. Then, in this state, the mechanical splice 100
Is pushed in from above the holders 31L and 31R and fixed in the holders.

Next, the handle 41 is pushed down to the deepest position. As a result of this pushing-down operation, the legs of the handle 41 have their slopes 41a on the rollers 4 as shown in FIGS.
Push 03 to the left and descend. As a result, the block 401 moves to the left while rotating the roller 403, and this movement causes the tips of the wedge portions 40A to 40D to separate grooves 115A to 115D for the mechanical splice 100.
(See FIGS. 8 and 10), the upper lids 111 to 113 are driven.
The base 110 (see FIG. 9) is separated.

On the other hand, when the handle 41 is pushed down to the deepest position and then the hand is released from the handle 41, the handle lock function is activated. The operation relating to the handle lock function will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in the state before the handle 41 is pushed in, the handle 41 is lifted by the urging force from the coil spring 411a (see FIG. 3).
The pin 413 attached to the cylinder 411 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), it is located in the deepest region S1 of the cam groove 421 formed at the top of the cam 420. Then, when the handle 41 is pushed in and the cylinder 411 descends, the pin 413 becomes, as shown in FIG.
The cam 420 swings to the left and slides down in the area S1 of the cam groove 421 to descend. Further cylinder 411
When is lowered, the pin 413 swings the cam 420 further to the left, goes up the uphill of the area S2 in the cam groove 421, and reaches the shallowest area S3 as shown in FIG. 7C.

If the operator releases the handle 41 at this point, the cam 420 returns to its original state due to the urging force from the plate spring 430, and the pin 413 moves to the area S.
3 to the area S1 via the area S2, and the handle 41
Is lifted to its original position by the coil spring 411a.

On the other hand, when the operator further pushes down the handle 41 without releasing the hand, the pin 413 further descends, and the tip of the pin 413 slides on the step between the regions S3 and S4 and falls into the region S4. . This region S4 is the region located at the bottom of the cam 420, and the pin 413 is located in this region S4.
There is no further drop above 4. That is, the handle 41 can be pushed in until the pin 413 reaches the area S4.

Next, when the operator releases the handle 41, the upward biasing force of the coil spring 411a acts on the pin 413, while the leaf spring 430 causes the cam 420 to return to the original straight state. work. As a result,
The pin 413 slides the area S4 in the cam groove 421 toward the area S5 while swinging its head counterclockwise on the cam 420. The tip of the pin 413 has an area S4.
And slides down the step between the region S5 and stops in the region S5 as shown in FIG. 7 (d). In this case, pin 41
Since No. 3 is located at the maximum point of the cam groove 421 and is biased upward by the coil spring 411a, the stopped state is maintained. That is, the handle 41 is locked.

With the handle 41 locked as described above, the operator can use both hands freely, and the subsequent work can be carried out very easily. That is, it is as follows.

First, the operator attaches one optical fiber to be connected to the guide groove 23 of the optical fiber holding mechanism 20L, for example.
23, and the tip of this optical fiber is inserted from the left end of the mechanical splice 100. Then, when the tip end of the optical fiber is advanced to a position that is considered to be approximately the center (see FIG. 9) of the region where the upper lid 112 and the base 110 in the mechanical splice 100 face each other, the lid 24 of the optical fiber holding mechanism 20L is closed, Fix the optical fiber.

Next, the operator passes another optical fiber through the guide grooves 23, 23 of the optical fiber holding mechanism 20R and inserts the tip of this optical fiber from the right end of the mechanical splice 100. And, the tip of this optical fiber,
The tip end of the optical fiber already inserted between the upper lid 112 and the base 110 in the mechanical splice 100 is butted. Then, the lid 24 of the optical fiber holding mechanism 20R is closed and the optical fiber is fixed in the state where the butting is performed.

When the abutting of the two optical fibers in the mechanical splice 100 is completed in this way,
The operator releases the handle lock state by lightly pressing and releasing the handle 41. The movement of the cam 420 in this case will be described again with reference to FIG. 7.

First, the pin 413 is located in the region S5 of the cam groove 421 when the handle is locked. In this state, the handle 41 is lightly pressed,
When the shaft 411 descends, the pin 413 advances in the area S5 toward the area S6 while swinging the cam 420 counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 7 (e). This is because the step difference between the region S5 and the region S4 prevents the pin 413 from returning to the region S4. And pin 41
In No. 3, the tip end slides down the step between the region S5 and the region S6 and reaches the region S6.

Then, when the operator releases the handle 41, the pin 413 is biased upward by the coil spring 411a. As a result, the pin 413 is connected to the cam 4
While returning 20 to the original straight state, the cam groove 421 advances to the regions S6, S7, and S8. Then, the tip of the pin 413 slides down the step between the region S8 and the region S1, and stops at the region S1.

In this way, the handle 41 returns to the original position before being pushed. Then, as the handle 41 returns, the separating member 40 separates from the mechanical splice 100, and the wedge portions 40A to 40D move.
No. 0 separation grooves 115A to 115D are pulled out. As a result, the C-shaped spring 101 of the mechanical splice 100
(See FIG. 10) The two optical fibers with the diameter reduced (the ends are abutted to each other) form a base 110 and upper lids 111 and 112.
And 113.

With the above, the connection of the two optical fibers is completed, and the operator opens the lids 24, 24 of the optical fiber holding mechanisms 20L and 20R to release the holding state of the optical fibers. Then, the splice discharge handle 33 is moved in the direction of the arrow M (see FIG. 1), and the mechanical splice 100
Are discharged from the holders 31L and 31R.

(2) When replacing one of the two optical fibers connected to the mechanical splice 100 In this case, as shown in FIG.
0 to the right, and the two wedge portions 40C and 40D in the right half of the separating member 40 are mechanically spliced 100.
Windows 105A and 105B in the left half of the window
The holding base block 30 is positioned at a position facing the. Then, in this state, the mechanical splice 100 in which two optical fibers are connected is held by the holder 3
Attach to 1L and 31R. Then, the handle 41 is pushed down to the deepest position so that the handle is locked. The separating member 40 moves toward the mechanical splice 100 by pushing down the handle 41,
In this case, the wedge portions 40C and 40D only cut into the separating grooves 115A and 115B (see FIG. 8) provided in the left half of the mechanical splice 100.

Here, C of the mechanical splice 100
Since the transverse slit 103 is formed in the center of the die spring 101, the left half of the C spring 101 can be elastically deformed almost independently of the right half. Therefore, the wedge portion 40
Only the separating grooves 115A and 115B (see FIG. 8) are spread by the tips of C and 40D, and the base 11
The contact portion between 0 and the upper lids 111, 112, and 113 is separated from the center of the mechanical splice 100 only in the left side region. Mechanical splice 1
Since there is a gap between the base and the upper lid only in the left half region of 00, the optical fiber inserted from the right end of the mechanical splice 100 is firmly held and the optical fiber inserted from the left end is pulled out. be able to.

Then, the operator inserts a new optical fiber from the left end of the mechanical splice 100 and abuts it with the tip of another optical fiber already in the mechanical splice. In this abutted state, the handle 41 is lightly pressed and released to release the handle lock state, and the wedge portions 40C and 40D are pulled out from the mechanical splice 100. As a result, the C-shaped spring 101 of the mechanical splice 100 (see FIG. 10)
Is reduced in diameter, and the two optical fibers with their tips abutting each other are sandwiched between the base 110 and the upper lids 111, 112 and 113.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the work of replacing the optical fiber connected to one end of the mechanical splice 100 with another optical fiber can be performed very easily. The reason why the holding block 30 is slidable in the present embodiment is just to facilitate such work.

[0071]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, since the transverse slit is formed in the elastic body of the mechanical splice, for example, the left half portion of the pair of holding members in the elastic body. It is possible to separate the holding members from each other and replace the optical fiber inserted in that portion with another optical fiber. Further, according to the invention of claim 2, since the holding portion is slidable, the holding portion is positioned so that the wedge portion faces only the left half portion of the mechanical splice, and the handle is pressed. By doing so, the sandwiching members can be separated from each other in the left half portion of the pair of sandwiching members. Therefore, the work of replacing the optical fiber inserted in that portion with another optical fiber can be easily performed. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the mechanical splice has a mechanism for discharging it from the holder, the use of the mechanism further facilitates the work.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a mechanical splice connection tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connection tool for mechanical splicing.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting tool for mechanical splicing.

FIG. 4 is a plan view looking down on a holding block 30 and a separating member 40 of the same mechanical splicing connection tool.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a mechanical splice discharge mechanism in the mechanical splice connection tool.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view and a front view showing a cam 420 in the mechanical splice connection tool.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a movement of the cam 420 in the mechanical splicing connection tool according to a handle operation.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a mechanical splice 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the mechanical splice 100.

FIG. 10 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the mechanical splice 100.

[Explanation of symbols]

30 ... Holding block, 30a ... Rails, 31R, 31
L ... Holder, 41 ... Handle, 40 ... Separation member, 40A
-40D ... Wedge portion, 20L, 20R ... Optical fiber holding mechanism

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A mechanical splice for connecting two optical fibers by sandwiching the two optical fibers in a state where their ends are butted against each other, and abutting each other in the same longitudinal direction. A pair of holding members which are integrated by inserting the optical fibers between the respective contact surfaces, a longitudinal slit extending in the longitudinal direction, a transverse slit crossing the vertical slit, and the pair of holding members. Is formed with a window for exposing the abutting portion of the elastic member, and the elastic body accommodates the pair of sandwiching members that are integral with each other and applies a pressure contact force between the abutting surfaces. Mechanical splice. 2. A state in which at least a part of each abutting portion of each of the pair of holding members which is integrated by abutting each other in the same longitudinal direction and which is integrally formed is exposed. A mechanical splicing connection tool that connects the ends of two optical fibers using a mechanical splice that is made up of an elastic body that receives pressure between the contact surfaces. A plurality of wedges arranged side by side, the separating member installed so as to be able to move forward and backward in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which these wedges are arranged, and the mechanical splice is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the plurality of wedges. A holder that holds the holder in a posture that matches the direction, and is installed so as to be slidable along the arrangement direction of the plurality of wedge portions; a handle that is pressed; and a handle of the handle. In response to pressing operation And driving the separating member to cause the wedge portion of the separating member to be interrupted at the contact portion exposed from the elastic body of each holding member of the mechanical splice held by the holding portion, and to separate each holding member. A connecting tool for mechanical splice, comprising: a drive mechanism. 3. The connecting tool for mechanical splice according to claim 2, further comprising a mechanical splice discharging mechanism for discharging the mechanical splice held by the holder to the outside of the holder.