JPS58208709A - Method and apparatus for processing end surface of plastic type optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To cut off precisely a plastic type optical fiber and to smooth the end parts of the cut fiber by arranging the optical fiber end part of which is supported so as to be fixed upwards and intersected with a heated cutter. CONSTITUTION:The plastic type optical fiber 0 is inserted into a penetration hole and screwed with a connector C so as to be supported. A cutter is fixed upwards by a fixing board 5 and heated. In addition, the optical fiber 0 is arranged so as to be intersected with the cutter. The end part of the acrylic plastic type optical fiber is inserted into a tool and the leading end is projected by 2mm. to be supported by the connector and the tool is stored in the groove of a guiding member and then slided downwards to cut off the optical fiber. Said procedure makes it possible to cut off the optical fiber precisely and smoothly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method R and an apparatus for heating and cutting the end face of a plastic optical fiber and at the same time smoothing it, and more specifically, for holding the end of a plastic optical fiber, An edge processing method in which cutting and edge finishing can be performed simultaneously by positioning the heated blade perpendicularly to it and moving it downward.
and loading.

Conventionally, in order to finish the end face of plastic optical fibers smoothly, abrasive paper with different grain sizes is used to polish the paper in 3 to 5 stages from coarse to fine, and then diamond paste and rock are used. The commonly used end face treatment method involves polishing and finishing using an abrasive material such as alumina or alumina.
Since polishing debris is generated between each process, cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner is also necessary, which complicates the process.

Additionally, finishing materials such as abrasive papers and abrasives of various particle sizes, polishing puffs, etc. must be prepared, which is a disadvantage that requires a lot of expense and time.

As an improved method for easily processing these end faces, a proposal has been made that utilizes the phenomenon of heating and melting plastic optical fibers, but this is only a matter of modifying the tip of a soldering iron and attaching a blade to it. Although it is possible to cut plastic optical fibers, it has the following drawbacks: In other words, when using a soldering iron equipped with such a heating blade, the heating blade is moved while cutting the plastic optical fiber, but if the blade is not tilted when cutting, the end face of the optical fiber and the fiber length will be cut. Since it cannot be made perpendicular to the horizontal direction, it is extremely difficult to control it manually, requiring skill and time, resulting in inefficiency.

In view of this situation, the present invention attempts to propose an end face treatment technique that is simple and has good workability by skillfully utilizing the properties of plastic optical fibers. That is, the gist of the present invention is to cut a plastic optical fiber whose end is held at a position perpendicular to a blade fixed upward and heated, and then move the knife downward to cut it. The first invention provides a method for treating the end face of a plastic optical fiber, characterized by the following: a jig for holding the end of a plastic optical fiber; a blade equipped with a 710 heating means and fixed facing the ground; and a mechanism for positioning the end of the glass optical fiber held by the jig so as to be perpendicular to the blade and sliding it downward. A second aspect of the present invention is the end face processing device.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings of the embodiments. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire end face processing device of the present invention, Fig. 2 (Al), and Fig. 2 (B) are views for holding the end of an optical fiber. FIG.

8 (1) is a jig for holding the end of plastic optical fiber (01) made of metal, heat-resistant plastic, etc. Although it is not shown in jig (11), it is made of plastic. Eight through holes are formed for inserting the system optical fibers (0), and sliding protrusions (12) are formed on both sides of the holes.
Spring pieces (13) are attached to both sides sandwiching 12). As shown in FIG. 2, the plastic optical fiber (0) is fitted into the through hole and held by screwing into the connector (C1"k). is a view of the jig (1) seen from the opposite side of the hole in Figure 2, and the blade contact surface (14) is located in the through hole.
Is it formed at the same height as the lrf holding part tip (15)?
A groove-shaped recess (16) is formed around the tip (15) of the holding portion of this blade contact surface (14). Note that this recess (16) is provided to prevent adhesion of cutting debris and the like.

Next, to explain the heating and cutting mechanism of the present invention, (2) is a blade fixed upward by a fixed plate (5), and this blade (2) is connected to a heater (3) located below.
In addition, the angle of the blade (2) can be adjusted by adjusting the screw (7).The angle of the blade (2) at this time may be vertical, but it may be slightly inclined within a range of about 15 degrees. This is because when moving the plastic optical fiber (0) downward and cutting it,
This is because it is desirable to avoid unnecessary contact with the blade (2).

Further, (4) is a pair of guide members installed on both sides of the blade (2) and the heater (3).
) is the protrusion (12) in K (the jig fl) as shown in the figure.
) Groove for storing (4) '& has a groove. The pair of guide members (4) are stacked so that their grooves (41) face each other and are separated by a distance equal to the width (vi) of the jig (1). M1 this groove (41
) below (the jig (11) has a notch (42) for taking it out)
is formed. Note that these blades (2), heater (3), and guide member (4) are generally made of metal, and are fixed onto a heat dissipation member (8) that is also made of metal. Of course, such a heat dissipation member (8) is not essential (other suitable bases may be used, but it is desirable to incorporate a heat dissipation mechanism in consideration of continuous use. (6) shows a temperature sensor installed near the blade (2), and (9) shows a temperature control device.

When performing end face treatment using the apparatus configured as described above, first the plastic optical fiber (0) to be treated is inserted into the jig (11), and the connector (C
) to be retained. At this time, the tip of the plastic optical fiber (0) is about 0.5 to a few degrees, and the jig (1)
It is made to protrude by the tip (15) of the holding part. Further, the heater (3) is energized via the temperature control device (9),
Heat the blade (2) to a predetermined temperature. Next, the plastic optical fiber (0) was held as shown in Figure 2 (A).
, the protrusions (12) on both sides of the jig (1) are positioned above the blade (2) in FIG.
4]). In this way, the plastic optical fiber (0) held by the jig (1) will be positioned perpendicular to the blade (2). What? , the jig (1) is pressed against the guide member (4) by the action of the spring piece (13), and the upper part ρ) can also be slid downward by applying force.

When the jig ill is slid downward in this state, the protruding portion of the plastic optical fiber (0) comes into contact with the heated blade (2) and is cut perpendicularly. Jig (IIY) If you slide it further downward, the jig (1
) reaches the notch (42) K and can be taken out from the guide member (4). By removing the connector (C1'f number), it is possible to obtain a plastic optical fiber (0) with a smooth end surface treated at the same time as cutting.At this time, the temperature sensor (6) installed near the blade +21 By detecting the temperature of the blade (2) and controlling it to the optimum temperature by the temperature control device (9), it is possible to easily and efficiently process the end face of the plastic optical fiber (0).

In the illustrated example, the temperature control device (9) is a separate unit, but it may be integrated, for example by being attached below the heat radiating member (8). Further, if the heater (3) and the temperature sensor (6) are integrated and incorporated into the blade (2), temperature control can be made even more accurate.

To this invention? The plastic optical fiber (0) to be used is not particularly limited, but includes an acrylic optical fiber with a core made of polymethyl methacrylate and a sheath made of fluorine polymer, a core made of polystyrene, and a sheath made of polymethyl methacrylate. There are styrene-based optical fibers, etc. And such an optical fiber (01 is
Generally, it is coated with a protective layer such as plastic, so
Processing is performed in this state, but the coating on the end face portion is removed in advance.
Processing 7 may be performed after a cap called a ferrule is fitted here.

The temperature of the blade (2) when processing the end surface varies depending on the type of glass optical fiber (01) used.
It is appropriately selected within the range of not less than the softening temperature and not more than the melting temperature, but for example, when processing the above-mentioned acrylic optical fiber, it is preferably controlled to 140 to 18o0. Note that if the temperature at this time is too high, the melting of the bath may cause fluidization or foaming, which may cause problems! On the other hand, if the temperature is below the deformation temperature, it will not be easy to cut.
Also, chipping and cracking may occur, so careful temperature control is required.

Specific examples will be described below.

The optical fiber to be end-treated is 1g2 coated with polyethylene! Prepare a φ acrylic optical fiber, remove the polyethylene at the end, and make a length of 20 mm.
Fitted with Toyuki's stainless steel fer/VW. The jig and heating cutting equipment were almost as shown in the drawings, but the blade was installed at an angle of 5 degrees with respect to the vertical, and the temperature of the C blade was adjusted to 160° using the temperature adjustment mechanism. was held at

The end of the acrylic optical fiber was loosely inserted into a jig so that its tip protruded twice, and was held by a connector. Subsequently, the jig was stored in the groove of the guide member, and the jig was slid downward 7 to cut. The end surface treated in this way is extremely smooth and free from chips and cracks, and also prevents dust from adhering to it.
When the weight of transmitted light in this area was measured, it was found to be good with very little loss in the amount of transmitted light.

The present invention has the structure as described in detail above, and skillfully utilizes the thermal properties of plastic optical fibers to move the original fiber relative to a fixed blade to cut accurately and at the same time cut smoothly. It has the advantage of being able to carry out four different treatments, and it also has the advantage of being able to provide an excellent apparatus that can perform these treatments easily and quickly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire device excluding the jig. (B) is a perspective view of a plastic optical fiber held by a jig. +11... Jig (11)... Jig body, (12)...
·protrusion. (13)...Spring piece, (14)...
・Blade contact surface. (15 units... Tip of the holding part, (16)...
Recess (2)...Blade (3)...Heater (4)...Guide member (41)...Groove, (42)...Notch (5)...Fixing plate (6)...Temperature sensor (8)...Heat radiation member (9)...Temperature control device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plastic optical fiber cable whose end is held;
A method for processing an end face of a plastic fiber optical fiber, which comprises positioning the blade perpendicularly to a blade fixed upward and being heated, and moving the blade downward to cut the blade. 2. A jig for holding the end of the plastic optical fiber, a blade equipped with a heating means and fixed upward;
An end face processing device for plastic optical fibers, characterized in that it is equipped with a mechanism for positioning the end of the plastic optical fiber held by the above-mentioned blade so as to be perpendicular to the above-mentioned blade and sliding it downward. . 3: The plastic optical fiber end face treatment device according to claim 2, which incorporates a blade temperature adjustment mechanism. 4. An end face treatment device for a glass optical fiber according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a heater and a temperature sensor are integrated into a blade. 5. The plastic optical fiber end face treatment device according to claim 2, 3, or 4, which incorporates a blade angle adjustment mechanism. 6. Claims 2 and 3 are characterized in that a recess is formed around the plastic optical fiber holding portion on the blade contact surface of the jig. The end face treatment device for a plastic optical fiber according to item 4 or 5. 7. Claims 2 and 3, characterized in that a spring mechanism is incorporated in the sliding portion of the jig. The end face treatment device for glass optical fibers according to item 4, 5, or 6.