JPS62168102A - Slip holder for fusion splicing optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stabilize a slip function and to improve the fusion splicing of a core end surface by clamping an optical fiber by a fixed contact piece and a movable contact piece which is energized by a spring on two slide blocks. CONSTITUTION:Two couples of clamping members 141-144 are stood on the blocks 12 and 13 arrayed on a pedestal 11 in a slipping state; and the fixed contact piece 15 is provided on the block 12 and the movable pressing contact piece 16 which is energized by the spring 17 is provided on the block 13. The optical fiber 7 is slipped in between the clamping members 14 and a core end part 9 is fused to the opposite end part. At this time, the force for pressing the fiber 7 is set larger than the frictional force between the pedestal 11 and blocks 12 and 13 and the frictional force between the member 14 and contact pieces 15 and 16. Therefore, even when the external diameter of the fiber 7 is slightly different, the abutting force of the fiber end parts is made invariably contact by slipping and the fusing operation is performed excellently.

Description

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

4. 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 FIGS. 1 and 2, the fusion splicing base 2 has a pair of left and right V-shaped grooves IA and IB on its upper surface, and a vertically movable groove that is perpendicular to both grooves IA and IB is located at the center in the longitudinal direction. A butting plate 3 is disposed, and a pair of front and rear discharge electrodes 4M, 4N are disposed near the abutment plate 3, and an optical fiber holding member 5A is disposed on the upper surface of the double grooves IA, IB.
5B are arranged so as to be freely fit into these grooves.

A pair of slip holders 6A and 6B arranged on both sides of the fusion splicing table 2 are movable in the direction of arrow x-x' in FIG.
Each slip holder 6A is mainly composed of °.
, 8B are provided with pin-shaped holding members a1 to a4, b1.
.about.b4 are respectively erected, and the movable block 8 is equipped with springs S, S, S, .

The holding members a1 and a2, a3 and a4 in the above. As will be described later, bl and bl, b3 and b4 come to support the optical fiber sheathing part fitted between them in a slippable manner.
A predetermined frictional force acts on each other between J, b1 to b4 and the optical fiber coating.

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

After undergoing such processing, the coated portions 8A, 8B of each optical fiber 7A, 7B are fitted and held between the clamping members a1 to a4, b1 to b4 of the slip holders f3A, 8B, and the end portions 9A, 8B are held. are the concave grooves IA and I of the fusion splicing table 2.
It is fitted into B and is held down by the holding members 5A and 5B to prevent it from escaping out of the premises.

Next, the arrow X° force direction slip holder 8A in FIG.
By moving 8B, the optical fiber end 9A,
The end faces of 9B come into contact with both sides of the abutting plate 3, thereby setting the end face interval.

After setting the end face spacing, the abutment plate 3 moves downward, and then the optical fiber ends 9A, 9B are attached to the slip holder 6A.
, 6B in the direction of the arrow X'', but during such retransmission, discharge by the discharge electrodes 4M, 4N is started from a predetermined point of time, and the discharge heat at that time causes the above-mentioned both ends 8A, 8
B is in a molten state, and arrow X above.

The two end portions 9A and 8B are fused to each other also through the abutting force in the direction.

As mentioned above, when moving the optical fibers 7A, 7B through the slip holders GA, 8B and fusion splicing these optical fibers, the slip holders 6A, 6B
functions as follows when setting the end face spacing and butting force.

That is, the optical fiber coating parts 8A, 8B and each holding member d
1 to a4 and bl to ba, the slip holders 6A and 6B move in the direction of the force indicated by the arrow X°, and along with this, the optical fiber ends 8A and 8B move in the same direction. and hits the abutting plate 3.

If the pressing force F2 of the optical fiber ends 9A and 9B due to the movement at this time is excessive, exceeding the frictional force F1,
Covering parts 8A, 8B and each clamping member al"'a4, bl#b
4, a slip occurs between the two.

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

For the same reason, the butt force during fusion splicing does not become excessive,
Fusion splicing of optical fibers with little increase in transmission loss can be expected.

Problem 1 to be solved by the invention In the conventional device described above, each of the holding members al to a4, b
When performing a predetermined operation by setting the optical fiber coating parts 8A and 8B between predetermined parts of the l-ba, there are many different materials (particularly coefficients of friction) for the plastic coating parts 8A and 8B. Problems arise due to the fact that the outer diameter is not constant, and furthermore, the environment (for example, temperature, humidity) during connection work is not constant.

That is, even if the specifications of each part regarding the slip holders 6A, 6B are constant, the conditions for the covering parts 8A, 8B, etc. are not determined, so the relative relationship between each clamping member a1 to a4, bl''ba and the covering parts 8A, 8B is Frictional force varies depending on the type of optical fiber, and as a result, even if various optical fibers are held in a slippable manner by the slip holders 8A and 6B under constant conditions, the timing at which the slip starts varies from optical fiber to optical fiber.

If such a situation occurs, stable movement of the optical fiber by the slip holder cannot be performed, and especially regarding the butt force during fusion, if this deviates from the predetermined value, the loss at the fusion splice will increase, and if it becomes significant, will result in a connection error.

Note that this type of problem can be solved by the springs S, S, and S.
It may be possible to eliminate this by adjusting the spring pressure, but since the frictional force itself is delicate,
This adjustment at the installation site 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 those shown in the drawings, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-1350508
Although the roller type slip holder disclosed in the above publication is provided, in the case of such a conventional example as well, the optical fiber is directly connected by a plurality (three) of rollers to which elastic force is applied via a spring. Since the rollers are held in a slippery manner, the spring pressure of the spring attached to the rollers must be adjusted in the same manner as described above in order to accommodate various types of optical fibers, which makes the rollers less practical.

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 Problems J In order to achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides a slip holder for slipably holding the coated portion of an optical fiber 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 opposing slide blocks for holding the optical fiber coating. A clamping member is erected, and a fixed contact piece, which is mutually fixed to the pedestal above the slide block, is slidably abutted on the outer surface of the clamping member on one of the slide blocks. On the outer surface of the clamping member on the other slide block, there is a pressing contact piece which is given an elastic force in one direction of the fixed contact by a spring from the pedestal on the upper side of the slide block. It is characterized by being abutted in a slippable manner.

Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, embodiments of the slip holder of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

On the base lO shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a fusion splicing stand 2 similar to that described above is installed, and on both sides of the fusion splicing stand 2 on the base lO, The slip holder is arranged so as to be movable in the direction of arrow xx' 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 left slip holder, which is not shown, has the same configuration as the right slip holder.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the slip holder according to the present invention has a pedestal 11. A pair of slide blocks 12.13
, multiple sets of clamping members 141 to 144, fixed contact piece 15,
The main components are a pressing contact piece 16, springs 17, 17, etc.

The pedestal 11 in the above has vertical wall portions 18 at its front and rear edges.
．． 19, and this pedestal 11 is equipped with a known cam
It is provided so as to be movable forward and backward in the direction xx' in FIG. 3 via an appropriate feeding means such as a lever feeding mechanism or a screw feeding mechanism.

The slide blocks 12.13 are arranged in parallel so as to be able to slip on the pedestal 11, and on these slide blocks 12.13, - set of clamping members 14+,
142, and another pair of clamping members 143 and 14a are respectively 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 clamping members 141, 1 are held together through the pressing force from the force direction.
43 in slippery contact with.

Pressing contact piece 1 placed above the slide block 13
6 also contacts the holding members 142 and 144 in a slippable manner, but the resiliency of the springs 17 and 17 is applied to the suppressing contact pieces 16 by the following means.

That is, the above-mentioned vertical wall portion 19 is provided with an m adjustment screw shaft 20 passing through it with a pair of screws, and the adjustment screw shaft 20 has an adjustment screw shaft 20 interposed between the vertical wall portion 19 and the slide block 13 at the tip thereof. A spring seat plate 21 is attached, and a spring 17.1 is mounted between the spring seat plate 21 and the pressing contact piece 16.
7 is interposed, and a resilient force in the Y' force direction shown in FIG. 3 is applied to the pressing contact piece 1B.

The elastic force generated by the spring 17.17 is generated by the adjusting screw shaft 2.
Adjustment can be made by moving the spring seat plate 21 forward and backward in the Y-Y' direction in FIG.
is subjected to such adjustment spring pressure.

Each of the above components is made of metal, wear-resistant hard synthetic resin, or any of these materials is used as appropriate. The frictional force caused by
The frictional force F4 generated between each clamping member 14
1 to 144 and an optical fiber to be described later, the following equation is given, that is, F3≦F
Each of these members 11.12 is adjusted so as to satisfy 4<FS.
．． 13.141-144.15.Select the material of 1θ.

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

In the above embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the covering portion 8 of the optical fiber 7 is fitted between each of the holding members 141 to 144 protruding from the slide block 12.13, so that the covering portion 8 of the optical fiber 7 can be slipped. and hold the pedestal 11 in the third position.
By moving in the X° force direction shown in the figure, the same operation as described in FIGS. 1 and 2 is performed.

In this case, the holding members 142 and 144 and the slide block 13 supporting them are the pressing contact pieces 1G.
It receives the elastic force of spring 17.17 through
Furthermore, clamping members 1i and 143 hold the covering portion 8 in cooperation with the aforementioned clamping members 142 and 144.

The slide block 12 is also subjected to a similar elastic force.

Therefore, the pedestal 11 and both slide blocks 12.13
, each clamping member 14+''144 and re-contact piece 15.16
, each holding member 14] to 144 and the covering portion 8 are the third
They come into contact with each other while maintaining a frictional force determined by the force in the Y° direction in the figure and their respective unique friction coefficients.

Moreover, at this time, the frictional force of each part is F3≦
F4 < Fs.

When each part is in this state, the pedestal 11 is
If the end 9 of the optical fiber 7 is brought into contact with the abutting plate described above by moving in the direction ``, or if the ends of the optical fibers are butted against each other, the abutting force or abutting force will exceed a predetermined value. At this point, the following slip occurs.

That is, since the frictional force of each part satisfies F3≦F4<FS, no slip occurs between each of the holding members 141 to 144 and the covering portion 8, and the holding members 14. ~14a
Slip occurs between the re-contact piece 15.1 and the slide block 12.13 and the pedestal 11, and as a result, the optical fiber 7
Directional feed is no longer applied.

As is clear from this, in the present invention, since the relationship of F3≦F4<FS is maintained, when performing a predetermined movement operation, between each of the holding members 141 to 144 and the recontact piece 15.16, pedestal 11 and both slide blocks 12, I3
A slip occurs between the two.

Of course, the same result is obtained even if F4≦F3<FS.

This means that even though the coefficient of friction of the coating 8 changes depending on the type of optical fiber, F3≦F4<Fs or F4≦F
It remains unchanged as long as 3<FS, and slip always occurs 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.

Furthermore, even if the outer diameter of the covering portion 8 is slightly different, F3≦F
As long as 4<FS or F4≦F3<FS, slipping will occur at the above-mentioned predetermined location, and if there is a slight difference in outer diameter, the abutment force will remain almost constant without adjusting the spring pressure of spring 17.17. , the butt force is obtained.

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

r Effects of the Invention As explained above, in the slip holder according to the present invention, the pedestal and both slide blocks contact each other so as to allow relative slip, and each clamping member, the fixed contact piece, and the pressing contact piece contact each other so as to allow relative slip. When the optical fiber is held between the holding members and a predetermined operation is performed, slipping can occur at the contact portions other than the contact portions between the holding members and the optical fiber. It is almost unaffected by the specifications of the optical fiber.

Therefore, one step and difficult slip adjustment 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 sheathing section 11...
・・・・・・・・・Case 12, 13・・・・・・・・・
...Slide blocks 141 to 144... Holding member 15... Fixed contact piece 16...
......Press contact piece 17...
・・・・・・・・・Spring Sub-Agent Patent Attorney Yoshio Saito Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 42!

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a slip holder for slipably holding the coated portion of an optical fiber during fusion splicing of the optical fiber, a pair of slide blocks are arranged in parallel on the top surface of the pedestal so as to be able to slip against the pedestal. It is located
On both slide blocks, at least one pair of opposing clamping members for clamping the optical fiber coating section is provided, and the outer surface of the clamping member on one of the slide blocks is A fixed contact piece mutually fixed to the pedestal is slidably abutted on the upper side of the slide block, and on the outer surface of the clamping member on the other slide block, on the upper side of the slide block, A slip holder for optical fiber fusion splicing, characterized in that a pressing contact piece to which a spring from a pedestal applies an elastic force in one direction to the fixed contact is slidably abutted.