Optical fiber holding member and fusion machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10585244-B2
Application number	US-201715827081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

An optical fiber placement surface has formed thereon width-directional position restricting sections for partially restricting the position of an optical fiber ribbon in a width direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fiber ribbon. A portion other than the width-directional position restricting sections serves as a width-directional position non-restricting section that does not restrict the position of the optical fiber ribbon in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fiber ribbon. A pressing member is formed at a portion corresponding to the width-directional position non-restricting section. On the other hand, the pressing member is not formed at positions corresponding to the width-directional positional restricting sections. Thus, the optical fiber ribbon is not pressed at the width-directional positional restricting sections. Portions at which the optical fiber ribbon is not pressed by the pressing member are defined as non-main pressing sections.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical fiber holding member comprising:
a main body section on which an optical fiber is to be disposed; and
a lid section that can be opened or closed to the main body section, wherein:
the main body section includes, on an optical fiber placement surface thereof:
a width-directional position restricting section that is parallel to the optical fiber placement surface and restricts a position of the optical fiber in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction thereof; and
a width-directional position non-restricting section that is parallel to the optical fiber placement surface with a wider width than that of the width-directional position restricting section and does not restrict the position of the optical fiber in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction thereof,

a pressing member is formed as a unified body in the proximity of a front end of the lid section such that the pressing member can simultaneously press a front-end width-directional position restricting section, which is the width-directional position restricting section in the proximity of a front end of the main body section, and the width-directional position non-restricting section at the rear of the front-end width-directional position restricting section; and
a main pressing section is formed with the pressing member for pressing the optical fiber, the pressing member being disposed on an inner surface of the lid section only at a position facing the width-directional position non-restricting section other than the front-end width-directional position restricting section.

2. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 1 , wherein:
a height of the front-end width-directional position restricting section is higher than heights of the other width-directional position restricting sections; and
a cutout for avoiding interference with the front-end width-directional position restricting section is formed on the lid section at a position facing the front-end width-directional position restricting section.

3. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 1 , wherein:
the width-directional position restricting sections are formed at least in the proximity of the front and the rear ends of the main body section.

4. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 1 , wherein:
the main pressing section of the pressing member is divided into a plurality of segments in the axial direction of the optical fiber.

5. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 1 , wherein:
a plurality of the lid sections are disposed and a temporarily pressing member that exerts smaller pressing force than the pressing member is disposed on at least one of the lid sections.

6. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 1 , wherein:
with the lid section being closed, heights of some of the width-directional position restricting sections above the optical fiber placement surface are higher than a height of a gap between the pressing member and the optical fiber placement surface.

7. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 1 , wherein:
a part of the width-directional position restricting section is a groove that is formed along a longitudinal direction of the main body section with a ratio of a depth of the groove to a height of the optical fiber being 0.7 or more.

8. A fusion machine comprising:
the optical fiber holding member according to claim 1 ; and
a pair of electrode rods that are provided between a pair of the optical fiber holding members, wherein:
optical fibers held in the optical fiber holding members can be fusion spliced by generating arc between the pair of the electrode rods.

Assignees

• Furukawa Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mori Kenji
• Akiyama Tomohiro
• Kuroki Takashi

Classifications

• G02B6/2553

  Splicing machines, e.g. optical fibre fusion splicer · CPC title

• G02B6/3616

  Holders, macro size fixtures for mechanically holding or positioning fibres, e.g. on an optical bench (supporting carriers of a microbench type G02B6/3648; micromanipulators B25J7/00; cassettes, bobbins G02B6/4439) · CPC title

• G02B6/2555 Primary

  Alignment or adjustment devices for aligning prior to splicing · CPC title