Abstract: An apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for housing a splice reinforcing portion of optical fiber, which comprises (a) a first holding member for holding a splice reinforcing portion for reinforcing a splice between a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber optically connected to the first optical fiber and constituting a light transmission line together with the first optical fiber, and (b) a first photosensor disposed on a side surface of the splice reinforcing portion, receiving leaking light from the splice reinforcing portion, and fixed to the first holding member.

Abstract: Connection of hermetic optical fibers having a hermetic layer coated on optical fiber glass prepared by positioning the optical fibers on respective electrically nonconductive V-shaped grooves, aligning cores of the optical fibers and fusing and connecting the optical fibers through an aerial discharge gives a small break strength decrease after connection without removing the hermetic layer.

Abstract: An optical fiber clamp, having a plurality of V-shaped grooves, stores coated optical fibers in the respective V-shaped grooves. The coated optical fibers are held by a pressing force of the clamp. A cushion portion, having an abrasion-resistant smooth film layer, is provided on the side of an optical fiber pressing surface of the clamp. The cushion portion applies a constant pressure to the optical fibers through the abrasion-resistant smooth film layer and absorbs any differences in the outer diameters and other dimensional peculiarities of the optical fibers. Thus, the optical fibers in the V-shaped grooves can be arranged and held uniformly, so that a batch fusion and connection can be performed on a multicore fiber with a minimum loss of connection. The optical fiber clamp minimizes axial displacements of respective optical fibers.

Abstract: An method and apparatus for arranging a plurality of coated optical fibers in a plane and a simultaneous collective fusion splicing method using the apparatus, comprising the steps of: arranging first and second sets of the coated optical fibers in a plane; clamping, in each of the sets, end portions of the coated optical fibers by a clamping device; collectively removing, in both the first and second sets, coatings from the end portions of the coated optical fibers so as to obtain exposed fiber end portions; collectively cutting, simultaneously, in each of the sets, the exposed fiber end portions so as to obtain cut end faces; collectively fusion splicing simultaneously, the two sets of the cut end faces so as to produce joints of the first and second sets of fibers, and collectively reinforcing the joints.