CONTAINER FOR ACCOMMODATING OPTICAL FIBER COIL AND OPTICAL FIBER MODULE HAVING THE CONTAINER

• US 20080152294A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMAGUCHI, Masahiro, TSURUGA, Masaki, HIRANO, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4457 Bobbins; Reels

Abstract

A container for an optical fiber coil and an optical fiber module including the container is provided, wherein an excess length portion of a pigtail fiber is accommodated in the container and the remaining portion can be drawn out from the container. The container includes a first part for accommodating a coil having a functional optical fiber, and a second part disposed on an outer periphery side of the first part and windingly accommodating a pigtail fiber that is optically connected to the functional optical fiber. The second part has a gap that extends over the entirety of the outer periphery, and communicates with the exterior. The optical fiber module includes the container, the coil having the functional optical fiber accommodated in the first part of the container, and the pigtail fiber that is optically connected to the functional fiber and that has a portion windingly accommodated in the second part.

Claims

1. A container for accommodating an optical fiber coil comprising:

a first accommodating part configured and arranged to accommodate an optical fiber coil having a functional optical fiber; and

a second accommodating part disposed on an outer periphery side of the first accommodating part, and configured and arranged to windingly accommodate an excess length portion of a pigtail optical fiber optically connected to the functional optical fiber, the second accommodating part having a gap extending along an entire outer periphery wall of the second accommodating part so that the second accommodating part communicates with an exterior via the gap.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein

the gap includes a small width portion and a large width portion.

3. The container according to claim 2, wherein

the outer periphery wall of the second accommodating part has a generally polygonal shape, and the large width portion is formed in corner regions of the generally polygonal shape.

4. The container according to claim 1, wherein

an inner periphery wall of the second accommodating part has a generally polygonal shape, and a passage for the pigtail optical fiber leading from the first accommodating part to the second accommodating part is formed in side regions of the generally polygonal shape of the inner periphery wall.

5. The container according to claim 2, wherein

an inner periphery wall of the second accommodating part has a generally polygonal shape, and a passage for the pigtail optical fiber leading from the first accommodating part to the second accommodating part is formed in side regions of the generally polygonal shape of the inner periphery wall.

6. The container according to claim 3, wherein

an inner periphery wall of the second accommodating part has a generally polygonal shape, and a passage for the pigtail optical fiber leading from the first accommodating part to the second accommodating part is formed in side regions of the generally polygonal shape of the inner periphery wall.

7. An optical fiber module comprising:

a container that accommodates an optical fiber coil, the container having a first accommodating part and a second accommodating part with the second accommodating part being disposed on an outer periphery side of the first accommodating part, the second accommodating part having a gap extending along an entire outer periphery wall of the second accommodating part so that the second accommodating part communicates with an exterior via the gap;

an optical fiber coil having a functional optical fiber accommodated in the first accommodating part of the container; and

a pigtail optical fiber that is optically connected to the functional optical fiber with an excess length portion of the pigtail optical fiber windingly accommodated in the second accommodating part of the container.

8. The optical fiber module according to claim 7, wherein

the container is arranged such that a value obtained by dividing an inside diameter of the optical fiber coil by a winding width of the optical fiber coil is equal to 3.0 or greater.

9. The optical fiber module according to claim 7, wherein

a length of the functional optical fiber of the optical fiber coil is 500 m or less, and a polarization mode dispersion of the optical fiber coil is 0.2 ps or less.

10. The optical fiber module according to claim 8, wherein

a length of the functional optical fiber of the optical fiber coil is 500 m or less, and a polarization mode dispersion of the optical fiber coil is 0.2 ps or less.