Optical fiber mechanical splice with strain relief mechanism

• US 7,140,787 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2003
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Corning Research & Development Corporation (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Yazaki, Akihiko, Yamauchi, Takaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pak, Sung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Petkovsek, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US10/522,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 385 95- 99, 385134-136
• US Class Current: 385/98
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3802 Assembly tools, e.g. crimping tool or pressing bench splicing machines G02B6/2553
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3806 Semi-permanent connections, i.e. wherein the mechanical means keeping the fibres aligned allow for removal of the fibres dismountable connectors G02B6/3807
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3888 Protection from over-extension or over-compression

Abstract

An optical fiber splicing member can hold optical fiber buffer coatings stably in a simple structure as compared with conventional art and enables use of an existing splicing tool. There are provided a joint element 110, a jacket 120, buffer retainers 131 and a cap 140. By setting and pressing the cap to the jacket, it becomes possible to splice bare fibers of optical fibers 190 with each other by the joint element and to press the buffer coatings 192 by the buffer retainers. Assembling the splicing member is thus facilitated while the existing optical fiber splicing tool is utilizable as it is. The buffer coatings can be held stably because the holding is achieved through the pressing.

Claims

1. A splicing member for splicing optical fibers each having a bare fiber coated with a buffer coating, comprising:

a joint element for retaining the bare fibers in a state in which the bare fibers are butt-jointed against each other, wherein the joint elements comprises two opposing folding members joined at a coupling part and openable between a non hold position where the element does not hold the bare fibers and a hold position where the element holds the bare fibers;

a jacket including an element storage part for storing the joint element, optical fiber passages for guiding the optical fibers to end parts of the joint element stored in the element storage part respectively, and buffer retainers for opposing the buffer coatings of the optical fibers when the optical fibers are extended along the optical fiber passages in an extension direction; and

pressing parts for pressing the buffer retainers to the buffer coatings of the optical fibers when the optical fibers are extended along the optical fiber passages.

2. The splicing member according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cap mounted to the jacket and moveable in an orthogonal direction to the extension direction of the optical fibers when the optical fibers are extended in the optical fiber passages, and including a cap body, a holding part formed to the cap body to be engaged with the joint element stored in the element storage part through movement of the cap in the orthogonal direction for causing the joint element to retain the bare fibers, and pressing parts formed to the cap body for pressing the buffer retainers to the buffer coatings through the movement of the cap in the orthogonal direction.

3. The optical fiber splicing member according to claim 2, in which each of the buffer retainers has a first tongue-shaped member extending in the extension direction, and an engagement part formed to the first tongue-shaped member in a manner engageable with the pressing part for moving the first tongue-shaped member towards the buffer coating through the movement of the cap in the orthogonal direction.

4. The optical fiber splicing member according to claim 3, wherein each of the pressing parts of the cap includes a first projecting member which is to project from the cap body in the orthogonal direction, and wherein the engagement part includes a second projecting member which comes in contact with the first projecting member to move the first tongue-shaped member towards the buffer coating by movement of the first projecting member in the orthogonal direction.

5. The optical fiber splicing member according to claim 3, wherein each of the pressing parts of the cap includes a first projecting member which is to project from the cap body in the orthogonal direction, while each of the buffer retainers includes a second tongue-shaped member extending in the extension direction which comes in touch with the first projecting member to move towards the buffer coating by movement of the first projecting member in the orthogonal direction.

6. A splicing member for splicing optical fibers, comprising:

a joint element for retaining bare fibers of two optical fibers each having the bare fiber coated with a buffer coating in a state in which the bare fibers are butt-jointed against each other;

a jacket including an element storage part for storing the joint element, and optical fiber passages for guiding the optical fibers to end parts of the joint element stored in the element storage part respectively;

buffer retainers constituted integrally with the jacket for opposing the buffer coatings of the optical fibers when the optical fibers are extended along the optical fiber passages; and

a cap mounted to the jacket and moveable in an orthogonal direction to an extension direction of the optical fibers when the optical fibers are extended in the optical fiber passages, and including a cap body, a holding part formed to the cap body to be engaged with the joint element stored in the element storage part through movement of the cap in the orthogonal direction for causing the joint element to retain the bare fibers, and pressing parts formed to the cap body for pressing the buffer retainers to the buffer coatings through the movement of the cap in the orthogonal direction, wherein each of the buffer retainers has a first tongue-shaped member extending in the extension direction, and an engagement part formed to the first tongue-shaped member in a manner engageable with the pressing part for moving the first tongue-shaped member towards the buffer coating through the movement of the cap in the orthogonal direction, wherein each of the pressing parts of the cap includes a first projecting member which is to project from the cap body in the orthogonal direction, and wherein the engagement part includes a second projecting member which comes in contact with the first projecting member to move the first tongue-shaped member towards the buffer coating by movement of the first projecting member in the orthogonal direction.

7. The optical fiber splicing member according to claim 6, wherein the jacket includes end plug storage parts formed to both ends thereof, and further comprising:

end plugs that include the buffer retainers and that extend in the same direction as the direction of the optical fiber passages while constituted integrally with the jacket by being fitted in the end plug storage parts.