Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
Patent
1998-03-30
2000-04-04
Healy, Brian
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
385 58, 385 65, 385114, 385 83, 385 80, G02B 638
Patent
active
060452692
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a multiple-core optical connector used for optical communications, etc., and its manufacturing method.
BACKGROUND ART
FIG. 26 shows a cross-sectional view of a general optical fiber cored line 3 as an optical fiber. As shown in the same drawing, the optical fiber cored line 3 has a bare optical fiber 4, the outer diameter of which is approximately 125 .mu.m, formed with a clad 9 around the core 8, wherein the bare optical fiber 4 is further covered with a primary coat 15 and a nylon jacket 10, etc. still further covers the outer circumference thereof. The outer diameter of the optical fiber cored line 3 is, for example approximately 250 .mu.m, which is formed to be almost two times the outer diameter of the bare optical fiber 4.
A multiple-core optical connector has been widely used as an optical fiber connecting member by which a plurality of such optical fiber cored lines 3 are collectively connected. FIG. 27 shows an example of a conventional multiple-core optical connector. In the same drawing, an optical fiber tape 6 which is composed by juxtaposing a plurality (four in the drawing) of optical fiber cored lines 3 so as to be band-like is inserted into and fixed in a ferrule 2 used as an optical fiber arraying member, thereby forming a multiple-core optical connector, wherein the optical fiber cored lines 3 of the optical fiber tape 6 are inserted into the ferrule 2 in such a state where coatings, such as nylon jacket 10 and primary coat 15 (FIG. 26), located at the tip ends thereof are eliminated, and they are arrayed at an appointed array pitch so that the end faces of the bare optical fibers 4 which are exposed by eliminating the coatings are exposed to the connection end face 5 of the ferrule.
Furthermore, the ferrule 2 is usually formed by molding resin, etc., and, at the connection end face 51 a plurality (four in the drawing) of bores or grooves, such as optical fiber insertion holes 13, etc., for arraying the bare optical fibers 4 at an appointed pitch are disposed with a spacing at a pitch which is two times the outer diameter of the bare optical fibers 4, wherein by inserting the bare optical fibers 4 into the optical insertion holes 13, the bare optical fibers 4 may be disposed at a pitch (2 r) which is equal to two times the outer diameter (r) of the bare optical fibers 4.
However, recently, it becomes possible to carry out not only mutual connections of optical fiber cored lines 3 but also connections of waveguide elements, in which a plurality of optical waveguides are incorporated, with multiple-core optical connectors by connecting optical connectors to each other. Therefore, optical connectors in which more optical fiber cored lines 3 such as eight-core (8-core), sixteen-core (16-core), etc. are incorporated has been developing in compliance with a circuit configuration of waveguide elements. Furthermore, in line with high concentration of optical communications, multiple-core optical connectors, in which much more optical fiber cored lines such as thirty-two cores, sixty-four cores, etc. are incorporated, are desired for the purpose of high concentration.
Actually however, with a conventional multiple-core optical connector as shown in FIG. 27, the arraying pitch of bare optical fibers 4 of an optical fiber cored line 3 is formed to be approximately two times (for example, approximately 250 .mu.m) the outer diameter of the bare optical fibers 4. Therefore, in a case where it is assumed that the width of the marginal allowance B for reinforcement at both sides of the optical fiber arraying area is 1,000 .mu.m, in a multiple-core optical fiber connector of four cores as shown in FIG. 27, the element width thereof will be 3 mm (250 .mu.m.times.the number of cores+1,000 .mu.m.times.2), and as regards a multiple-core optical fiber connector of eight cores, the element width thereof will be 4 mm. Furthermore, the element width will be 6 mm for sixteen cores, 10 mm for thirty-two cores, and 18 mm for sixty-four cores, respectively.
Thus, t
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Ota Toshihiko
Saito Tsunetoshi
Sato Etsuzo
Tomita Nobuo
Watanabe Kazunori
Healy Brian
Lacasse Randy W.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Strickland Wesley L.
The Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd.
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