Collective connection structure of a plurality of optical...

Details Collective connection structure of a plurality of optical... Collective connection structure of a plurality of optical...

2000-01-12

2001-04-24

Ullah, Akm E. (Department: 2874)

Optical waveguides

With disengagable mechanical connector

Reexamination Certificate

active

06220762

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a collective connection structure of a plurality of optical connectors to be used in the field of optical communications and to an optical connector arraying member and an adapter which are used in said connection structure.
PRIOR ARTS
FIG. 10
shows an example of a connection for which an optical connector of optical cables in an optical communication network is used. In the same drawing, optical connectors
3
a
and
4
a
(the first optical connector
3
a
and the second optical connector
4
a
) are such that a multi-fiber optical fiber ribbon
43
is connected to a multi-fiber ferrule
42
. In the multi-fiber ferrule
42
, a plurality of optical fiber insertion holes
44
are caused to pass through the connection end face
45
from the base end side to the tip end side and are disposed to be arrayed in the cross direction (the width direction of the ferrule) at an equal pitch interval, wherein each of the optical fibers of the multi-fiber optical fiber ribbon
43
is inserted into each of the optical fiber insertion holes
44
and fixed therein, and the tip end side of the fibers are polished together with the connection end face
45
.
A pair of alignment holes
46
are formed outside the array group of the optical fiber insertion holes
44
at the connection end face
45
. Alignment pins (alignment pins)
47
are previously inserted into these alignment holes
46
, and the protrusion tip end side of the alignment pin
47
is inserted into the alignment hole of an optical connector at the connection mating side, whereby the connection end faces
45
of both optical connectors
3
a
and
4
a
are brought into contact with each other, and each of the optical fiber ribbons of a multi-fiber optical fiber ribbon
43
at the first optical connector
3
a
side is axially aligned with and connected to each of the optical fibers of each fiber ribbon to which the multi-fiber optical fiber ribbon
43
of the second optical connector
4
a
corresponds.
Recently, demand for optical fiber cables has been increasing in line with multi-functioning of optical communication networks. Along with a tendency of multiple fibers, an increase in the number of fibers of optical fiber ribbons of an optical fiber cable has been studied. Under these circumstances, a system of connecting a number of optical fibers of an optical fiber cable by inserting one by one optical connectors
3
a
and
4
a
is inefficient. For example, in a case where a 1,000-fiber optical cable of four-core optical fiber ribbon each consisting of 250 fibers is connected, 250 pairs of optical connectors
3
a
and
4
a
are required if optical connectors
3
a
and
4
a
are connected one by one, and the connection of the optical connectors
3
a
and
4
a
are to be carried out 250 times, whereby the ratio of the inserting work of the optical connectors
3
a
and
4
a
to the connection work is increased, resulting in efficiency being reduced, and it becomes difficult to cope with the recent trend along which the number of cores of optical fiber cables is increased.
In view of these circumstances, recently, studies on high density, multiplication of cores, and collective connection of optical connectors
3
a
and
4
a
have been advanced, and some examples thereof are illustrated in FIG.
11
and FIG.
12
.
The examples illustrated in FIGS.
11
(
a
) and (
b
) are those of high concentration and multiplication cores of optical connectors. The example shown in FIG.
11
(
a
) is a single horizontal row type optical connector which is produced by connecting a plurality (in the drawing, five fibers) of multi-fiber optical fiber ribbons
43
to a multi-fiber ferrule
42
in which a number of optical fiber alignment holes
44
are formed in a single horizontal row, and the example shown in FIG.
11
(
b
) is a matrix type optical connector formed so that optical fiber insertion holes
44
are two-dimensionally arrayed and formed at a multi-fiber ferrule
42
to which a plurality of multiple fiber optical fiber ribbons
43
are connected.
The example shown in FIG.
11
(
c
) is an example of a collective connection of optical connectors, wherein a plurality of first and second laminated optical connectors
3
a
to
3
e
and
4
a
to
4
e
are, respectively, connected by using lamination pins
48
at each of the first and second optical connectors
3
a
to
3
e
and
4
a
to
4
e
in order to be made into the first and second optical connector groups, thereby causing the first optical connector group and the second optical connector group to be collectively connected.
Further, the example shown in FIG.
12
(
a
) is also an example of a collective connection. This proposed example is as described below. That is, a plurality of optical connectors
3
a
to
3
e
composed by connecting multi-fiber optical fiber ribbons are laminated and accommodated in the opening side at the rear end side in a box-shaped housing
52
having an opening portion
53
at its front end face side, an alignment hole
51
is formed at the four corners of the front end face of the housing
52
, and an alignment pin is inserted into the alignment hole
51
, wherein one side of an optical connector group laminated in the housing
52
and the optical connector group laminated and accommodated in the other side housing
52
side are composed so that their connection end faces
45
are brought into contact with each other and positioned, thereby a plurality of optical connectors are collectively connected to each other.
The example shown in FIG.
12
(
b
) is such that a housing-accommodated optical connector is push-on engaged with another connector via an adapter
8
. For example, by engagement of a claw portion
15
of the housing
52
with the projection portion
16
of the adapter
8
, housing-accommodated optical connectors opposed to each other (the optical connector illustrated in the same drawing and a connection mating side housing-accommodated optical connector not illustrated) are able to be connected to each other.
Actually however, the following problems occurred in high concentration, multiplication of cores and collective connection according to each of the abovementioned proposed optical connectors. In an optical connector shown in FIG.
11
(
a
), since the optical fiber array direction (the array direction of optical fiber insertion holes
44
) is long, the multi-fiber ferrule
42
is liable to be warped when molding the same or while using the same. In addition, in an optical connector shown in FIG.
11
(
b
), since the working efficiency of inserting optical fibers is not good, and it is difficult to prepare metal dies for molding multi-fiber ferrules
42
, the optical connector is not suitable for mass production.
Further, since a collective connection shown in FIG.
11
(
c
) requires laminating pins
48
, pin retaining members for fixing the laminating pins
48
, and clamp springs for retaining the connected state of optical connectors, the number of components will be increased, wherein the optical connectors must be handled and laminated by hand, and a number of components must be also handled and assembled by hand. Therefore, assembling is very cumbersome.
In addition, the example shown in FIG.
12
(
a
) requires positioning pins for positioning the housings
52
in each of which an optical connector is accommodated, in addition to the positioning pins of optical connectors, and the number of components is also increased. Moreover, there is a limitation in the housing in that the correlation between the alignment pins
51
and a group of optical connectors must be accurately produced. In addition, since, in the example shown in FIG.
12
(
b
), the adapter
8
is empty or hollow and the adapter is prepared for only connection to the housing
52
, the housing
52
must be produced to be highly accurate and optical connectors must be accommodated therein with high accuracy in order to accurately position optical connectors to be connected. Therefore, the production cost of the housing
52
will be remark

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