Optical fiber ferrule assembly and optical module and optical connector using the same
In an optical fiber ferrule assembly, a bare optical fiber, an end coating of which is removed, is inserted and fixed into the central hole of a ferrule body. By setting the distance between a boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is fixed at the rear end of the ferrule body and a next point at which the bare optical fiber is fixed to a fixing member which is formed integrally with the ferrule body via a coating of an optical fiber core to the range of 0.5 to 6 mm, more preferably, to the range of 1 to 4 mm, stress concentration at the boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is bonded and the point at which the optical fiber core is fixed cab be reduced.
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The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/983,807, filed on Oct. 25, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No.______.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber ferrule assembly capable of improving drawing strength of an optical fiber, and relates to an optical connector and an optical module using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring now to
However, in an optical connector and an optical module using the conventional optical fiber ferrule assembly manufactured in such a way, when tensile stress is applied thereto during service, the optical fiber is broken and is come out by a small tensile stress of about 0.5 kgf. The causes of such a break of the fiber could be as follows:
(1) When inserting the optical fiber into the ferrule body, the optical fiber is damaged.
(2) When the tensile stress is applied, some portions are subjected to stress concentration, thereby breaking the optical fiber.
With regard to (1), since the assembly is manufactured in such a way that after the adhesive 9 has been charged, the fiber is then inserted, it is conceivable that the possibility of (1) may be small. On the other hand, as for the cause (2), it is conceivable that a local stress may be applied to a boundary point at which the optical fiber is bonded or a boundary point at which the jacketed optical fiber is bonded due to an eccentricity of the central hole 5 of the ferrule body 7 or an eccentricity of the jacketed optical fiber (fiber core) 8, thereby causing the optical fiber to be bent. In general, while the eccentricity of the central hole 5 is as small as 1.5 μm or less, the accuracy of the inside diameter of a central hole (insertion hole) of the fixing member 4 is about tens of μms, and the eccentricity of the jacketed optical fiber 8 is also about tens of μms. Accordingly, it is possible that the eccentricity of the optical fiber with respect to the ferrule body 7 exceeds 100 μm.
Thus, in order to determine whether or not the eccentricity has a bearing on the cause of a decrease in the drawing strength of the optical fiber, the optical fiber ferrule assembly of a product group having a small drawing strength is polished in parallel with the optical axis until the bonded optical fiber 1 is exposed, and a state of enclosing the optical fiber 1 into the ferrule body 7 and the fixing member 4 with a flange is observed in detail by a microscope.
As a result, the optical fiber 1 is bent at a boundary point A1 where the optical fiber 1 is bonded to the ferrule body 7 and a boundary point B1 where the optical fiber 1 is bonded to the jacketed optical fiber 8, as shown in
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber ferrule assembly capable of reducing variations and preventing the break of the optical fiber due to stress concentration at adhesion boundaries A1 and B1 and ensuring drawing strength of 1 kgf or more, more preferably, 2 kgf or more, and to provide an optical module and optical connector using the same.
In order to achieve the above objects, an optical fiber ferrule assembly according to the present invention includes an optical fiber ferrule member into which a bare optical fiber, the jacket of which is removed, is inserted and fixed into the central hole of a ferrule body, and a fixing member which is integrally connected to the ferrule body and for fixing an inserted jacketed fiber connecting to the bare optical fiber, wherein, the distance between a boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is inserted and fixed at the rear end of the central hole of the ferrule body and a boundary point at which the jacketed fiber is bonded is within the range of 0.5 to 6 mm.
In the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to the present invention, the distance between the boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is inserted and fixed and the boundary point at which the jacketed fiber is bonded is within the range of 1 to 4 mm.
In the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to the present invention, the fixing member for inserting and fixing the jacketed fiber is a tube-shaped fixing member.
In the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to the present invention, the fixing member for inserting and fixing the jacketed fiber is a flanged fixing member.
In the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to the present invention, a collar for adjusting the distance between the rear end of the ferrule body and the boundary point at which the jacketed fiber is fixed to a predetermined length is disposed between the rear end of the ferrule body and the boundary point at which the jacketed fiber is fixed.
In the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to the present invention, the ferrule body is provided with a gap-adjusting hole having a diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the bare optical fiber and which is smaller than the outside diameter of the jacketed fiber and having a length of 0.5 to 6 mm from the rear end to the front end thereof.
In an optical module according to an embodiment of the present invention, the optical fiber ferrule assembly used is the basic optical of fiber ferrule assembly according to the invention described above with a tube shaped fixing member.
The optical module according to the present invention may additionally have either a collar disposed between the rear end of the ferrule body and the boundary point at which the jacketed fiber is fixed or bonded to adjust the distance there between, or the ferrule body is provided a gap adjusting hole having a diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the bare optical fiber and which is smaller than the outside diameter of the jacketed fiber and having a length of 0.5 to 6 mm from the rear end to the front end thereof.
In an optical connector according to the present invention, the optical fiber ferrule assembly used is the basic optical ferrule assembly described above with a flanged fixing member.
The optical connector according to the present invention likewise may have additionally either a collar disposed between the rear end of the ferrule body and the boundary point at which the jacketed fiber is fixed or bonded to adjust the distance there between, or the ferrule body is provided a gap adjusting hole having a diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the bare optical fiber and which is smaller than the outside diameter of the jacketed fiber and having a length of 0.5 to 6 mm from the rear end to the front end thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the drawings.
In this optical fiber ferrule assembly, by varying the distance (a gap G) between A2 and B2, at which the bare optical fiber 1 are bent, that is, the distance between a boundary point A2 (a point at which the diameter decreases towards a rear end) on the rear end side of the central hole 5 into which the bare optical fiber 1 is inserted and fixed and a boundary point B2 at which a jacketed optical fiber (fiber core) 8 is adhered, the effect of the gap G on drawing strength was examined. In the experiment, the ferrule body 7 in which the distance (the length of increased diameter portion) between point A2 (a point at which the diameter increases towards the rear end) and the rear end of the ferrule body 7 is 0.3 mm is used.
The result of the above experiment is shown in
However, when the gap G is increased, adhesive strength between the optical fiber core 8 and the fixing member 4 is decreased when the length of the fixing member 4 is short. Accordingly, it is preferable that the gap G be 6 mm or less, and more preferably, it is 4 mm or less.
EMBODIMENTSEmbodiments of the ferrule assembly according to the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the drawings.
Prior to describing each embodiment, elements which form the assemblies shown in
The fixing member 4 shown in
The optical fiber core 8 shown in
The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to each embodiment will be described below.
In the second embodiment, the length Y1 is accurately determined by the collar 13. The collar 13 has a pipe shape and has an inside diameter of 0.3 mm which is larger than the outside diameter of the bare optical fiber 1, an outside diameter of 0.8 mm which is smaller than that of the optical fiber core 8, and a length of 3 mm. The collar 13 is made of metal, however, it is not particularly specified as long as it is made of a material, such as glass, ceramic, or plastic, which may not be damaged by the adhesive 9.
According to the first embodiment, the second coating 3 and the first coating 2 at the end of the optical fiber core 8 are removed by 15 mm, that is, the length of (W2+X2+Y2) to expose the bare optical fiber 1. Subsequently, after the collar 13 has been inserted into the bare optical fiber 1, the optical fiber core 8 is inserted into the fixing member 4 which is filled with the adhesive 9 in advance. Accordingly, the length Y2 of the gap=3 mm is determined without checking the length W2 of the projection. Since the configuration is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, a remaining description thereof will be omitted.
In order to easily insert the bare optical fiber 1, the bare optical fiber insertion hole 5 and the gap-adjusting hole 14 are connected together via the taper section 6. According to the first embodiment, the second coating 3 and the first coating 2 at the end of the optical fiber core 8 are removed by 12 mm, that is, the length of (W3+X3+Y3) to expose the bare optical fiber 1. Subsequently, the bare optical fiber core 1 is inserted into the fixing member 4 which is filled with the adhesive 9 in advance until the optical fiber core 8 comes into contact with the ferrule body 7. Next, the bare optical fiber 1 is bonded to the ferrule body 7 and the optical fiber core 8 is fixed to the fixing member 4, respectively, by heating and curing the adhesive 9. After that, the section of the ferrule body 7 is polished as in the first embodiment, thereby manufacturing the optical fiber ferrule assembly.
As in the above embodiments, the distance Y1 from the boundary point at which the bare optical fiber 1 is bonded at the rear end of the ferrule body 17 to the fixing point of the jacketed portion is set to 0.5 to 6 mm, more preferably, is set to 1 to 4 mm.
Consequently, minimum drawing strength can be maintained at about 1 to 3 kgf, as in the case of using the flanged fixing member. Also, the ferrule body 17 and the fixing member 40 can be integrally formed of the same material such as metal.
In the embodiment shown in
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but many modifications are possible within the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
As specifically described, since the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to the present invention is provided with a gap having a predetermined length between a boundary point of the ceramic ferrule body to which the bare optical fiber is bonded and a boundary point at which a coating of the optical fiber core is bonded, there is no problem in that the optical fiber is bent and subjected to a large local stress at the boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is bonded and at the boundary point at which the optical fiber core is bonded due to eccentricity of the optical fiber core or a variation in the inside diameter of the fixing member, so that the optical fiber is broken and drawing strength is reduced. Consequently, even when the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to the present invention is used for an optical module or an optical connector, the optical fiber is not broken by tensile stress while it is used, so that it can be used for a long period with stability.
Claims
1. An optical fiber ferrule assembly comprising:
- an optical fiber ferrule body into which a bare optical fiber, the jacket of which is removed, is inserted and fixed into the central hole of the ferrule body with an adhesive; and
- a fixing member, which is connected to the ferrule body and includes a core stop step to receive one end of the jacket, for fixing an inserted jacketed fiber connected to the bare optical fiber, the fixing member being bonded to the inserted jacketed fiber with the adhesive,
- wherein the distance between a boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is inserted and fixed at the rear end of the central hole of the ferrule body and a boundary point at which the one end of the jacket is received covers a predetermined length.
2. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is inserted and fixed and the boundary point at which the one end of the jacket is received covers a length of 1 to 4 mm.
3. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member for inserting and fixing the jacketed fiber is a tube-shaped fixing member.
4. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member for inserting and fixing the jacketed fiber is a flanged fixing member.
5. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 1, wherein the ferrule body is provided with a gap-adjusting hole having a diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the bare optical fiber and which is smaller than the outside diameter of the jacketed fiber and having a length of 0.5 to 6 mm from the rear end to the front end thereof.
6. An optical module, comprising the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 3.
7. An optical connector, comprising the optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 4.
8. The optical module according to claim 6, wherein the ferrule body is provided with gap-adjusting hole having a diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the bare optical fiber and which is smaller than the outside diameter of the jacketed fiber and having a length of 0.5 to 6 mm from the point at which the bare fiber enters the ferrule to the front boundary of the fiber jacket.
9. The optical connector according to claim 7, wherein the ferrule body is provided with gap-adjusting hole having a diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the bare optical fiber and which is smaller than the outside diameter of the jacketed fiber and having a length of 0.5 to 6 mm from the point at which bare fiber enters the ferrule to the front boundary of the fiber jacket.
10. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 3, wherein the core stop step is in the central hole of the fixing member for stopping the insertion of the jacketed optical fiber at the predetermined depth.
11. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 10, wherein the central hole of the fixing member has first and second different diameters.
12. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 11, wherein the first diameter of the central hole of the fixing member is smaller than the diameter of the jacketed fiber and the second diameter is adapted to receive the jacketed fiber.
13. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 1, wherein the bare optical fiber is fixed in the central hole of the ferrule by bonding with and adhesive.
14. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 13, wherein the coated optical fiber is fixed to the fixing member by bonding with an adhesive.
15. The optical ferrule assembly according to claim 1, wherein the coated optical fiber is fixed to the fixing member by bonding with an adhesive.
16. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is inserted and fixed and the boundary at which the one end of the jacket is received is a length of 2 to 4 mm and the ferrule has a drawing strength of at least 2 kgf.
17. The optical fiber ferrule assembly according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the boundary point at which the bare optical fiber is inserted and fixed and the boundary point at which the one end of the jacket is received covers a length of 0.5 to 6 mm.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 1, 2005
Publication Date: Jul 7, 2005
Applicant: Seikoh Giken Co., Ltd (Matsudo-shi)
Inventor: Tsuguo Sato (Soka-shi)
Application Number: 11/067,893