Optical fiber holding member, optical fiber coupling structure, optical connector, and optical coupling structure

Abstract

This optical fiber holding member (10), which is disposed inside a ferrule (30) and holds a plurality of optical fibers (20), is provided with: an outer surface (S10) that includes a first end surface (10a) and a second end surface (10b) that are arranged side by side in a first direction (X); a plurality of through-holes (11) that penetrate between the first end surface (10a) and the second end surface (10b) in the first direction (X) and are arranged side by side in a second direction (Y) intersecting the first direction (X); and at least one air discharge hole (16) extending from the outer surface (S10) so as to intersect the plurality of through holes (11).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an optical fiber holding component, an optical fiber coupling structure, an optical connector, and an optical coupling structure. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-187491 filed on November 24, 2022, and all the contents described in the Japanese Patent Application are cited. Background Art

[0002] In the past, a fiber holding component for holding a plurality of optical fibers is known (e.g., Patent Document 1). The fiber holding component is arranged inside a ferrule in a state of holding a plurality of optical fibers, and is fixed to the ferrule in this state to form a connector. As such a fiber holding component, for example, a hole array having a plurality of fiber holes for inserting a plurality of optical fibers, respectively, is sometimes used. In this case, for example, a liquid adhesive is injected into the fiber holes while the optical fibers are inserted into the respective fiber holes, and the optical fibers are fixed to the fiber holes by curing the adhesive.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2018 / 135368 Summary of the invention

[0006] An optical fiber holding component according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an optical fiber holding component that is arranged inside a core and holds a plurality of optical fibers, the optical fiber holding component comprising: an outer surface, including a first end face and a second end face arranged side by side in a first direction; a plurality of through holes that penetrate between the first end face and the second end face in the first direction and are arranged side by side in a second direction intersecting the first direction, into which a plurality of optical fibers can be inserted respectively; and at least one air discharge hole that extends from the outer surface in a manner intersecting the plurality of through holes, the at least one air discharge hole being configured to discharge air between the inner surfaces of the plurality of through holes and the adhesive from the plurality of through holes to the outside when the adhesive is injected into the plurality of through holes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the optical fiber holding member according to the first embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A top view of the optical fiber holding component.

[0009] Figure 3 It is along Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the optical fiber holding component of line III-III.

[0010] Figure 4It is a cross-sectional view showing the optical fiber coupling structure according to the first embodiment.

[0011] Figure 5 It is along Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the fiber coupling structure of the V-V line.

[0012] Figure 6 It is an exploded perspective view showing the optical connector according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 7 Yes means Figure 6 A perspective view of an optical connector.

[0014] Figure 8 It is along Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the optical connector of the VIII-VIII line.

[0015] Fig. 9 It is a perspective view showing the optical coupling structure of the first embodiment.

[0016] Fig.10 It is a cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber holding member according to Modification 1 of the first embodiment.

[0017] Fig.11 It is a plan view showing an optical fiber holding member according to Modification 2 of the first embodiment.

[0018] Fig.12 It is a plan view showing an optical fiber holding member according to Modification 3 of the first embodiment.

[0019] Fig.13 It is a cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber holding member according to Modification 4 of the first embodiment.

[0020] Fig.14 Yes Fig.13 A cross-sectional view showing an enlarged representation of a main portion of an optical fiber holding component.

[0021] Fig.15 It is a perspective view showing an optical fiber holding member according to a second embodiment.

[0022] Fig.16 Yes means Fig.15 A top view of the optical fiber holding component.

[0023] Fig.17 It means along Fig.16 XVII - A cross-sectional view of the optical fiber holding component of XVII.

[0024] Fig.18 It is a plan view showing an optical fiber holding member according to Modification 1 of the second embodiment.

[0025] Fig.19It is a plan view showing an optical fiber holding member according to Modification 2 of the second embodiment.

[0026] Fig. 20 It is a perspective view showing an optical fiber holding member according to a third embodiment.

[0027] Fig.21 Yes means Fig. 20 A cross-sectional view of an optical fiber holding component.

[0028] Fig. 22 It is a perspective view showing an optical fiber holding member according to a fourth embodiment.

[0029] Fig.23 Yes means Fig. 22 A top view of the optical fiber holding component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] [Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure]

[0031] When a liquid adhesive is injected into the optical fiber holes of the hole array, it is difficult to fill the space between the inner surface of the optical fiber hole and the optical fiber without any gap. When the adhesive is cured in a state where the optical fiber hole is not fully filled with the adhesive and air remains inside the optical fiber hole, a cavity is formed between the inner surface of the optical fiber hole and the optical fiber. Such a cavity is particularly likely to form at a location where there is a large gap between the inner surface of the optical fiber hole and the optical fiber. The formation of such a cavity may lead to undesirable conditions such as a decrease in the adhesion between the optical fiber and the optical fiber hole and an increase in the load on the optical fiber due to the thermal expansion of the air in the optical fiber hole, and therefore there is a concern that the reliability of the optical fiber may be affected.

[0032] The present disclosure provides an optical fiber holding component, an optical fiber coupling structure, an optical connector, and an optical coupling structure capable of maintaining the reliability of an optical fiber.

[0033] [Effects of the present disclosure]

[0034] According to the optical fiber holding member, optical fiber coupling structure, optical connector, and optical coupling structure disclosed herein, the reliability of the optical fiber can be maintained.

[0035] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]

[0036] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0037] (1) An optical fiber holding component of one embodiment of the present disclosure is arranged inside a core to hold a plurality of optical fibers, and the optical fiber holding component comprises: an outer surface including a first end face and a second end face arranged side by side in a first direction; a plurality of through holes penetrating between the first end face and the second end face in the first direction and arranged side by side in a second direction intersecting the first direction; and at least one air exhaust hole extending from the outer surface in a manner intersecting the plurality of through holes.

[0038] The optical fiber holding component is provided with at least one air discharge hole extending from the outer surface in a manner intersecting with the plurality of through holes. The air discharge hole is configured to discharge the air between the inner surfaces of the plurality of through holes and the adhesive from the plurality of through holes to the outside when the adhesive is injected into the plurality of through holes. By providing the air discharge hole, the air inside the through holes can be discharged to the outside of the through holes when the liquid adhesive is injected into each through hole, so that the adhesive can be fully filled between the inner surface of the through hole and the optical fiber without a gap. Thus, the curing of the adhesive in a state where air remains between the inner surface of the through hole and the optical fiber can be reduced. That is, the formation of a cavity between the inner surface of the through hole and the optical fiber can be reduced. As a result, the occurrence of undesirable conditions such as the reduction of the adhesion between the optical fiber and the inner surface of the through hole caused by the formation of the cavity inside the through hole and the increase of the load on the optical fiber caused by the thermal expansion of the air inside the through hole can be reduced. As a result, the reliability of the optical fiber can be maintained.

[0039] (2) In the optical fiber holding component described in (1) above, the outer surface also includes a side surface extending between the first end surface and the second end surface along the first direction and the second direction. The side surface has an opening of at least one air discharge hole. Alternatively, at least one air discharge hole may extend from the side surface to the plurality of through holes. In this case, the air discharge hole can be extended upward from the plurality of through holes to the side surface. Compared with liquid adhesives, the air inside the through holes is relatively easy to move upward. Therefore, by adopting a structure that extends the air discharge hole upward, the air inside the through hole can be efficiently discharged to the outside. Moreover, by such a structure, it is also possible to prevent the adhesive inside the through hole from leaking from the air discharge hole to the side surface.

[0040] (3) In the optical fiber holding component described in (1) or (2) above, at least one air discharge hole may extend in a direction inclined relative to an imaginary straight line orthogonal to the center axes of the plurality of through holes extending in the first direction in a cross section perpendicular to the second direction. In this way, when the air discharge hole extends in the inclined direction, the length of the air discharge hole from the through hole to the side surface can be extended compared to a case where the air discharge hole extends along an imaginary straight line orthogonal to the center axes of the through holes. In this way, by extending the distance of the path of the adhesive from the through hole to the side surface, the adhesive inside the through hole can be less likely to leak from the air discharge hole to the side surface.

[0041] (4) In any one of the optical fiber holding components described in (1) to (3) above, the optical fiber holding component may include one air discharge hole as at least one air discharge hole, and the one air discharge hole is connected to all of the plurality of through holes. In this case, when the adhesive is injected into the through hole, the air inside the through hole can be more reliably discharged to the outside through the air discharge hole, thereby more effectively reducing the formation of cavities inside the through hole.

[0042] (5) In the optical fiber holding component described in any one of (1) to (3) above, the optical fiber holding component may include a plurality of air discharge holes arranged side by side in the second direction corresponding to the plurality of through holes as at least one air discharge hole, and the plurality of air discharge holes are individually connected to the plurality of through holes. In this case, when the adhesive is injected into each through hole, leakage of the adhesive from a certain through hole to an adjacent through hole through the air discharge hole can be reduced. Thus, the optical fiber can be individually and reliably bonded to each through hole.

[0043] (6) In the optical fiber holding component described in (5) above, the inner diameter of each of the plurality of air discharge holes may be smaller than the inner diameter of each of the plurality of through holes. Thus, by reducing the inner diameter of the air discharge holes, it is possible to make it difficult for the adhesive inside the through holes to leak from the air discharge holes to the outer surface.

[0044] (7) In the optical fiber holding member described in (5) or (6) above, each of the plurality of air discharge holes may be in the shape of a long hole extending in the first direction between the first end face and the second end face. In this case, when the adhesive is injected into the through hole, air can be discharged from more parts of the through hole to the outside through the air discharge holes, thereby more effectively reducing the formation of cavities inside the through hole.

[0045] (8) In the optical fiber holding member described in any one of (5) to (7) above, a recessed portion extending in the second direction so as to intersect all of the plurality of air discharge holes may be formed on the outer surface, and each of the plurality of air discharge holes may open at the bottom of the recessed portion. Due to the presence of such a recessed portion, a space for storing the adhesive leaking from the air discharge hole is provided, and thus the leakage of the adhesive from the air discharge hole to the outer surface can be more reliably reduced.

[0046] (9) In the optical fiber holding component described in any one of (1) to (8) above, each of the plurality of through holes may include: a thin diameter portion capable of holding a coating-removed portion, which is a portion of the plurality of optical fibers from which the coating has been removed; a thick diameter portion extending in the first direction between the thin diameter portion and the second end face, capable of holding a coating portion, which is another portion of the plurality of optical fibers, on which the coating remains, the thick diameter portion having a larger inner diameter than the thin diameter portion; and an expanded diameter portion connecting the thin diameter portion and the thick diameter portion, the expanded diameter portion having an inner diameter that increases from the thin diameter portion toward the thick diameter portion, and at least one air discharge hole connected to the expanded diameter portion from the outer surface. In this case, the gap between the optical fiber and the expanded diameter portion is particularly likely to become larger, so that when the adhesive is injected into the through hole, air is particularly likely to remain inside the expanded diameter portion. Therefore, if a configuration is adopted in which the air discharge hole is connected to the expanded diameter portion, the air inside the through hole can be efficiently discharged to the outside.

[0047] (10) In the optical fiber holding component described in (1) to (8) above, it is also possible that it is further provided with a plurality of injection holes, the plurality of injection holes extending from the outer surface in a manner intersecting the plurality of through holes, the plurality of injection holes being individually connected to the plurality of through holes, and capable of being injected with an adhesive for bonding the plurality of optical fibers to the plurality of through holes, each of the plurality of through holes having: a thin-diameter portion capable of holding a coating-removed portion which is a part of the plurality of optical fibers from which the coating has been removed; and a thick-diameter portion extending in the first direction between the holding portion and the second end face, A coating portion as another part of a plurality of optical fibers on which the coating remains can be maintained, the inner diameter of the thick-diameter portion being larger than that of the thin-diameter portion; and an expanded-diameter portion connecting the thin-diameter portion and the thick-diameter portion in a first direction, the inner diameter of the expanded-diameter portion expanding as it moves from the thin-diameter portion to the thick-diameter portion in the first direction, at least one air discharge hole connected to any one of the thin-diameter portion, the thick-diameter portion, and the expanded-diameter portion, and each of the plurality of injection holes connected to a portion of the thin-diameter portion, the thick-diameter portion, and the expanded-diameter portion that is different from the portion connected to the at least one air discharge hole. In this case, the injection holes for injecting the adhesive extend in a manner intersecting the through-holes and are connected to the through-holes individually, so that the adhesive can be injected into the through-holes individually from a path different from the through-holes. In this configuration, the position of the injection hole relative to the through-hole and the amount of the adhesive injected are adjusted in consideration of the fluidity of the adhesive, thereby enabling the adhesive to be reliably filled between the optical fiber and the through-hole without a gap, and enabling the adhesive to be distributed around the optical fiber without deviation. Thus, the stress generated when the adhesive is cured can be made to act evenly on the optical fiber, thereby reducing the situation where the position of the optical fiber is changed due to the stress in one direction. Moreover, in the above-mentioned structure, the air discharge hole is connected to a position different from the position of the through hole connected to the injection hole. The cavity as described above is easily formed at a position inside the through hole away from the position where the adhesive is injected. Therefore, by adopting a structure in which the air discharge hole is connected to a position different from the position connected to the injection hole, the formation of the cavity inside the through hole can be effectively reduced.

[0048] (11) In the optical fiber holding component described in (10) above, at least one air discharge hole may be connected to the expanded diameter portion, and each of the plurality of injection holes may be connected to any one of the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion. In this case, by connecting the air discharge hole to the expanded diameter portion where air is particularly likely to remain, the air inside the through hole can be efficiently discharged to the outside. Thus, the formation of a cavity inside the through hole can be effectively reduced.

[0049] (12) In the optical fiber holding component described in (10) above, at least one air discharge hole may be connected to the thin-diameter portion, and each of the plurality of injection holes may be connected to the thick-diameter portion. When the adhesive is injected into the through hole, there is a tendency for air to remain in the thin-diameter portion away from the thick-diameter portion connected to the injection hole. Therefore, by connecting the air discharge hole to the thin-diameter portion, the air inside the through hole can be efficiently discharged to the outside. As a result, the formation of a cavity inside the through hole can be effectively reduced.

[0050] (13) In the optical fiber holding component described in (10) above, at least one air discharge hole may be connected to the large diameter portion, and each of the plurality of injection holes may be connected to the small diameter portion. When the adhesive is injected into the through hole, there is a tendency for air to remain in the large diameter portion away from the small diameter portion connected to the injection hole. Therefore, by connecting the air discharge hole to the large diameter portion, the air inside the through hole can be efficiently discharged to the outside. As a result, the formation of a cavity inside the through hole can be effectively reduced.

[0051] (14) In the optical fiber holding component described in any one of (9) to (13) above, the thin-diameter portion may be configured to hold the coating removal portion so as to be rotatable about the central axis of the coating removal portion. In this case, the position of the optical fiber relative to the rotational direction of the optical fiber holding component can be determined by performing rotational alignment of the coating removal portion of the optical fiber in the thin-diameter portion of the through hole.

[0052] (15) In the optical fiber holding component described in any one of (1) to (8) above, the outer surface may further include: a first wall surface arranged parallel to the first end surface in the first direction between the first end surface and the second end surface; and a second wall surface extending in the first direction and the second direction between the first wall surface and the second end surface in a manner intersecting the first wall surface, a plurality of through holes penetrating between the first end surface and the first wall surface in the first direction, and the second wall surface is formed at a position offset from the plurality of through holes in a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction. In this case, the coating removal portion of the optical fiber can be inserted into the through hole from the first wall surface toward the first end surface, and the coating portion of the optical fiber can be placed on the second wall surface for fixing. In such a configuration, the length of the through hole can be shortened compared to a configuration in which the through hole is formed from the first end surface to the second end surface. If the length of the through hole is shortened, air inside the through hole can be easily released from the opening of the through hole to the outside, thereby reducing the risk of air remaining inside the through hole. As a result, the formation of a cavity inside the through hole can be effectively reduced.

[0053] (16) An optical fiber coupling structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: an optical fiber holding component according to any one of (1) to (15) above; a plurality of optical fibers respectively inserted into the plurality of through holes; and an adhesive provided inside the plurality of through holes to fix the plurality of optical fibers to the plurality of through holes. The optical fiber coupling structure includes any of the optical fiber holding components described above, and thus can maintain the reliability of the optical fiber as described above.

[0054] (17) In the optical fiber coupling structure described in (16) above, each of the plurality of optical fibers may have at least one core in a region offset from the central axis. In this case, the position of the optical fiber relative to the rotational direction of the optical fiber holding member can be determined by rotationally aligning the optical fiber in the through hole.

[0055] (18) An optical connector according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may also include: the optical fiber coupling structure of (16) or (17) above; and a ferrule that accommodates at least a portion of the optical fiber coupling structure. The optical connector includes any of the optical fiber holding components described above, and thus can maintain the reliability of the optical fiber as described above.

[0056] (19) In the optical connector described in (18) above, the ferrule may include: a receiving hole for receiving the optical fiber holding member; and a plurality of optical fiber holding holes connected to the receiving hole in the first direction, respectively holding a plurality of optical fibers extending from the optical fiber holding member in the first direction, and an outer surface including: a first side surface and a second side surface, which are opposed to each other via a plurality of through holes in a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction; and a third side surface connecting the first side surface and the second side surface in the third direction, and the receiving hole includes: a first inner surface connected to the second side surface; and a second inner surface connected to the third side surface. In this case, the position of the optical fiber holding member relative to the ferrule can be determined with high accuracy by the second side surface and the third side surface of the optical fiber holding member being connected to the first inner surface and the second inner surface of the ferrule, respectively.

[0057] (20) An optical coupling structure of one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first optical connector and a second optical connector as the optical connector of (18) or (19) above, and the first optical connector and the second optical connector are opposed to each other with a gap therebetween in a first direction. In this way, when the first optical connector and the second optical connector are not connected by PC (Physical Contact), a pressing force for PC-connecting the first optical connector and the second optical connector is not required, and therefore, more optical fibers can be easily connected at once.

[0058] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure]

[0059] Hereinafter, specific examples of the optical fiber holding component, optical fiber coupling structure, optical connector, and optical coupling structure of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In the following description, the same elements are marked with the same reference numerals in the description of the drawings, and repeated descriptions are appropriately omitted.

[0060] [First embodiment]

[0061] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the optical fiber holding member 10 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 It is a plan view showing the optical fiber holding member 10 . Figure 3 It is along Figure 2 2 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber holding component 10 along line III-III. Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 The optical fiber holding member 10 shown is a member for holding a plurality of optical fibers 20. The optical fiber holding member 10 is arranged inside the ferrule 30 in a state of holding a plurality of optical fibers 20 (see Figure 7 ). For ease of understanding, Figure 1 The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is shown in Figure 1 As shown, the optical fiber holding component 10 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped appearance with the Y direction (second direction) as the long dimension direction, the X direction (first direction) as the short dimension direction, and the Z direction (third direction) as the thickness direction. In the following description, sometimes "up and down" is specified by the relative position of the Z coordinate, "front and back" is specified by the relative position of the X coordinate, and "left and right" is specified by the relative position of the Y coordinate. The side with a larger Z coordinate is "up". The side with a larger X coordinate is "front". The side with a larger Y coordinate is "right".

[0062] The optical fiber holding member 10 is made of, for example, an adhesive A (see Figure 4) is used for curing. The optical fiber holding component 10 may be made of, for example, quartz glass that is permeable to ultraviolet rays. Permeable to ultraviolet rays means that the transmittance of light with a wavelength of 350nm to 400nm to a material with a thickness of 3mm is greater than or equal to 40%. When resin or quartz glass is used as the material of such an optical fiber holding component 10, the optical fiber holding component 10 can be manufactured cheaply and with high precision. The optical fiber holding component 10 is not limited to these materials, and may also be made of metal. When metal is used as the material of the optical fiber holding component 10, high dimensional accuracy can be maintained, and therefore the optical fiber holding component 10 can be manufactured with higher precision. In addition, when the optical fiber holding component 10 is made of materials such as quartz glass and metal, the frictional resistance between the optical fiber holding component 10 and the plurality of optical fibers 20 can be reduced, and therefore, the rotation and centering of the plurality of optical fibers 20 can be easily performed in a state where the optical fiber holding component 10 is provided with the plurality of optical fibers 20.

[0063] like Figure 1 As shown, the outer surface S10 of the optical fiber holding component 10 includes, for example, a front surface 10a (first end surface), a rear surface 10b (second end surface), an upper surface 10c (first side surface), a lower surface 10d (second side surface), a side surface 10e (third side surface) and a side surface 10f. The front surface 10a is the front end surface of the optical fiber holding component 10 in the X direction. The front surface 10a is, for example, a plane along the YZ plane. The rear surface 10b is the rear end surface of the optical fiber holding component 10 in the X direction, and is arranged side by side with the front surface 10a in the X direction. The rear surface 10b is, for example, a plane along the YZ plane. The normal direction of the rear surface 10b is, for example, consistent with the normal direction of the front surface 10a.

[0064] The upper surface 10c is the upper end surface of the optical fiber holding component 10 in the Z direction. The upper surface 10c is, for example, a plane along the XY plane, connecting the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b. The lower surface 10d is an end surface located at the lower end of the optical fiber holding component 10 in the Z direction, and is arranged side by side with the upper surface 10c in the Z direction. The upper surface 10c and the lower surface 10d are arranged on both sides in the Z direction with a plurality of through holes 11 described later. The lower surface 10d is, for example, a plane along the XY plane, connecting the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b in the X direction at a position opposite to the upper surface 10c in the Z direction. The normal direction of the lower surface 10d is, for example, consistent with the normal direction of the upper surface 10c. The normal directions of the upper surface 10c and the lower surface 10d are, for example, orthogonal to the normal directions of the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b. In this case, the upper surface 10 c and the lower surface 10 d are perpendicular to the front surface 10 a and the rear surface 10 b .

[0065] The side surface 10e is the right end surface of the optical fiber holding component 10 in the Y direction and faces the Y direction. The side surface 10e is, for example, a plane along the XZ plane, connecting the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b. The side surface 10f is, for example, the left end surface of the optical fiber holding component 10 in the Y direction and faces the opposite side of the Y direction. The side surface 10f is, for example, a plane along the XZ plane, connecting the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b at a position opposite to the side surface 10e in the Y direction. The normal direction of the side surface 10f is, for example, consistent with the normal direction of the side surface 10e. The normal directions of the side surfaces 10e and 10f are, for example, orthogonal to the normal directions of the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b and the normal directions of the upper surface 10c and the lower surface 10d. In this case, the side surface 10e and the side surface 10f are perpendicular to the front surface 10a, the rear surface 10b, the upper surface 10c, and the lower surface 10d.

[0066] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the optical fiber holding component 10 also has a plurality of optical fibers 20 (see Figure 4 ) are provided with a plurality of through holes 11 for holding. Each through hole 11 penetrates from the front surface 10a to the rear surface 10b along the X direction and is arranged in a row between the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b in the Y direction. Each through hole 11 is formed, for example, at a position closer to the upper surface 10c than the lower surface 10d in the Z direction. Figure 2 As shown, each through hole 11 extends linearly from the front surface 10a to the rear surface 10b, for example, along the X direction, and opens on the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b. When viewed from the X direction, each through hole 11 is, for example, circular.

[0067] The front surface 10a has a plurality of openings 11a formed by opening the plurality of through holes 11. The openings 11a are arranged in a row in the Y direction corresponding to the through holes 11. The rear surface 10b has a plurality of openings 11b formed by opening the plurality of through holes 11 (see Figure 2 ). Each opening 11b is arranged in a row in the Y direction corresponding to each through hole 11. The inner diameter of each opening 11b is larger than the inner diameter of each opening 11a. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the example, 12 through holes 11 are arranged in a row at equal intervals in the Y direction, but the number of through holes 11 is not limited to 12, and may be 4, 8, 16, or other numbers. In addition, the through holes 11 do not need to be arranged in a row, and may be arranged in two or more rows.

[0068] like Figure 3 As shown, each through hole 11 has, for example, a small diameter portion 12a, an enlarged diameter portion 12b, and a large diameter portion 13. The small diameter portion 12a and the enlarged diameter portion 12b constitute a cover removal portion 22 (see Figure 4The large diameter portion 13 is configured to hold the covering portion 23 (see Figure 4 ) is a fixing portion for fixing.

[0069] The holding portion 12 is located between the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b at a position close to the front surface 10a in the X direction. The thin-diameter portion 12a of the holding portion 12 extends linearly from the front surface 10a toward the rear surface 10b in the X direction. The thin-diameter portion 12a has an inner diameter that can be inserted into the coating removal portion 22 of the optical fiber 20. The thin-diameter portion 12a is configured to hold the coating removal portion 22 so that it can rotate freely around the central axis L1 of the optical fiber 20. The thin-diameter portion 12a is configured to hold the coating removal portion 22 so that it can rotate freely around the central axis L1, which means that the inner diameter of the thin-diameter portion 12a is set to a degree large enough to allow the coating removal portion 22 to rotate around the central axis L1, and small enough to define the position of the coating removal portion 22 in the YZ plane. The inner diameter of the thin-diameter portion 12a is fixed at each position of the thin-diameter portion 12a along the X direction. In this specification, “the inner diameter is constant” includes both the case where the inner diameter is completely constant and the case where the inner diameter is approximately constant within a range of manufacturing error or the like.

[0070] The inner diameter of the narrow portion 12a is set larger than the outer diameter of the coating removal portion 22 in consideration of the rotation alignment of the optical fiber 20 in the through hole 11. On the other hand, if the inner diameter of the narrow portion 12a is too large, when the optical fiber holding member 10 is mounted on the ferrule 30, the central axis of the optical fiber holding hole 33 in the ferrule 30 may not be aligned with the central axis of the optical fiber 20, and the mounting operation may become difficult (see Figure 8 ). On this basis, for example, when the outer diameter of the coating removal portion 22 is 124 μm or more and 126 μm or less, the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 12a can be set to 126 μm or more and 156 μm or less.

[0071] The large diameter portion 13 is located between the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b at a position close to the rear surface 10b in the X direction. The large diameter portion 13 extends linearly from the rear surface 10b toward the small diameter portion 12a in the X direction. The large diameter portion 13 has an inner diameter that can insert the coating 23 of the optical fiber 20. The large diameter portion 13 is configured to hold the coating 23 so that it can rotate freely around the central axis L1. Therefore, the inner diameter of the large diameter portion 13 is set to be large enough to allow the coating 23 to rotate around the central axis L1, and small enough to define the position of the coating 23 in the YZ plane. The inner diameter of the large diameter portion 13 is fixed at each position along the X direction.

[0072] The inner diameter of the large diameter portion 13 is set larger than the outer diameter of the coating portion 23 in consideration of the rotation alignment of the optical fiber 20 in the through hole 11. On the other hand, if the inner diameter of the large diameter portion 13 is too large, when the optical fiber holding component 10 is installed in the ferrule 30, the central axis of the optical fiber holding hole 33 in the ferrule 30 may not be aligned with the central axis of the optical fiber 20, and the installation work may become difficult (see Figure 8 ). On this basis, for example, when the outer diameter of the coating portion 23 is 190 μm or more and 210 μm or less, the inner diameter of the large diameter portion 13 can be set to 210 μm or more and 240 μm or less.

[0073] The expanded diameter portion 12b is located between the small diameter portion 12a and the large diameter portion 13 in the X direction. The expanded diameter portion 12b connects the small diameter portion 12a and the large diameter portion 13. The inner diameter of the expanded diameter portion 12b is set to gradually increase as it moves from the small diameter portion 12a to the large diameter portion 13 in the X direction. The inner diameter of the connection end of the expanded diameter portion 12b and the small diameter portion 12a (i.e., the front end of the expanded diameter portion 12b in the X direction) is the same as the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 12a, and the inner diameter of the connection end of the expanded diameter portion 12b and the large diameter portion 13 (i.e., the rear end of the expanded diameter portion 12b in the X direction) is the same as the inner diameter of the large diameter portion 13. The length of the expanded diameter portion 12b in the X direction can be set to 100 μm, for example.

[0074] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the optical fiber holding member 10 further includes a plurality of air discharge holes 16. Each air discharge hole 16 is arranged in a row in the Y direction corresponding to each through hole 11, extends from the upper surface 10c in the Z direction, and is individually connected to each through hole 11. Each air discharge hole 16 is individually connected to each through hole 11, which means that one air discharge hole 16 is connected to one through hole 11, and that one air discharge hole 16 is not connected to more than two through holes 11. The shape of the air discharge hole 16 viewed in the Z direction is, for example, a circular shape.

[0075] The air discharge hole 16 extends linearly from the upper surface 10c to the through hole 11 in the Z direction, for example, in a manner intersecting the through hole 11. The central axis L2 of the air discharge hole 16 is, for example, orthogonal to the central axis L1 of the through hole 11. An opening 16a of the air discharge hole 16 is formed on the upper surface 10c. The air discharge hole 16 extends downward from the opening 16a in the Z direction, for example, and is connected to the enlarged diameter portion 12b of the through hole 11. Therefore, when viewed from the Z direction, the air discharge hole 16 is arranged to overlap with the enlarged diameter portion 12b.

[0076] The air discharge hole 16 is configured so that the adhesive A (see Figure 4) is to discharge the air that may remain inside the through hole 11 to the outside of the through hole 11. Specifically, the air discharge hole 16 has an inner diameter that allows the air inside the through hole 11 to pass through, and forms a path for the air to pass from the upper surface 10c to the through hole 11. The inner diameter that allows the air to pass through refers to an inner diameter of a size that allows the air inside the through hole 11 to flow inside the air discharge hole 16 and flow out from the opening 16a to the outside of the optical fiber holding component 10. The inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 may be fixed at each position of the air discharge hole 16 along the Z direction, for example. The size of the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 can be any size as long as the air can pass through it, but if the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 is too large, there is a concern that the liquid adhesive A injected into the through hole 11 will flow in the air discharge hole 16 and leak onto the upper surface 10c. Therefore, as the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16, a size is selected that allows air to pass through and that prevents the liquid adhesive A from flowing and leaking out to the upper surface 10c.

[0077] For example, the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 may be smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 11. Here, the inner diameter of the through hole 11 may be set to the smallest inner diameter among the inner diameters of the various parts of the through hole 11 along the X direction (i.e., the minimum value of the inner diameter of the through hole 11). In the present embodiment, the minimum value of the inner diameter of the through hole 11 refers to the inner diameter of the thin diameter portion 12a. Therefore, the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 may also be smaller than the inner diameter of the thin diameter portion 12a. Therefore, the inner diameter of the opening 16a may also be smaller than the inner diameter of the opening 11a. It should be noted that, in the case where the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 changes at various positions along the Z direction, it may be set to the smallest inner diameter among the inner diameters of the various parts of the air discharge hole 16 along the X direction (i.e., the minimum value of the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16). The inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 may be set, for example, to be greater than or equal to 10 μm for air discharge. In addition, in order to prevent the through holes 11 adjacent to each other from being connected via the air discharge hole 16, the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 may be set to be equal to or less than the pitch of the through holes 11 (for example, the distance between the centers of the through holes 11). For example, when the pitch of the through holes 11 is 250 μm, the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 may be set to be equal to or less than 250 μm. The inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16 may be equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 12a, or may be equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the large diameter portion 13.

[0078] It should be noted that the air discharge hole 16 does not necessarily have to be connected to the enlarged diameter portion 12b of the through hole 11, and may be connected to the small diameter portion 12a or the large diameter portion 13 of the through hole 11. Figure 1 and Figure 2, a case where 12 air discharge holes 16 are arranged in a row in the Y direction corresponding to 12 through holes 11 arranged in a row in the Y direction is shown, but the number of air discharge holes 16 may be changed according to the number of through holes 11. In addition, the number of air discharge holes 16 does not necessarily have to be the same as the number of through holes 11, and may be greater than the number of through holes 11. In this case, two or more air discharge holes 16 may be connected to one through hole 11. For example, the air discharge holes 16 may be connected to two or more different parts of the small diameter part 12a, the enlarged diameter part 12b, and the large diameter part 13 of the through hole 11.

[0079] Figure 4 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber coupling structure 25 of the present embodiment. The optical fiber coupling structure 25 includes the optical fiber holding component 10 and a plurality of optical fibers 20. Each optical fiber 20 is, for example, an optical fiber that needs to be rotationally aligned in the optical fiber holding component 10 (i.e., the position around the central axis L1 is adjusted). Each optical fiber 20 is, for example, a multi-core optical fiber (MCF: Multi Core Fiber). Each optical fiber 20 may also be, for example, a polarization maintaining fiber (PMF: Polarization Maintaining Fiber).

[0080] Figure 5 It is along Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the optical fiber coupling structure 25 of the V-V line. Figure 5 As shown, the optical fiber 20 has at least one core 14a in a region other than the central axis L1 (i.e., a region offset from the central axis L1). Figure 5 In the example shown, the optical fiber 20 has one core 14a on the central axis L1 and a plurality of (for example, six) cores 14a arranged at equal intervals around the central axis L1. The optical fiber 20 also has a cladding 14b covering the cores 14a and a coating 14c surrounding the cladding 14b.

[0081] The coating portion 23 of the optical fiber 20 is a portion of the optical fiber 20 where the coating 14c remains. Therefore, the coating portion 23 is configured to include a plurality of cores 14a, claddings 14b, and coatings 14c. Figure 4 The coating removal portion 22 of the optical fiber 20 shown is formed by removing the coating from the top surface 20a (see Figure 6 ) A portion of the coating 14c of a predetermined length is removed to expose the glass portion. Therefore, the coating removal portion 22 is configured to include a plurality of cores 14a and cladding 14b. In the coating removal portion 22, the surface of the cladding 14b is exposed to the outside. The outer diameter of the coating portion 23 is greater than the outer diameter of the coating removal portion 22 by the thickness of the coating 14c.

[0082] exist Figure 4In the manufacturing of the optical fiber coupling structure 25, first, the optical fiber 20 is rotationally aligned in a state where the optical fiber 20 is inserted into the through hole 11 of the optical fiber holding component 10. In a state where the optical fiber 20 is inserted into the through hole 11, the coating removal portion 22 of the optical fiber 20 is arranged at the small diameter portion 12a of the through hole 11, and the coating portion 23 of the optical fiber 20 is arranged at the large diameter portion 13 of the through hole 11. By the rotational alignment of the optical fiber 20, the position of the optical fiber 20 relative to the XY plane of the optical fiber holding component 10 is specified, and the position (angle) around the central axis L1 of the optical fiber 20 is specified. Then, for example, liquid adhesive A is injected into the interior of the through hole 11 from the opening 11b of the rear surface 10b. Adhesive A is, for example, a cured product of an ultraviolet (UV) curable resin. Adhesive A may also be a cured product of a thermosetting resin.

[0083] The adhesive A injected into the through hole 11 spreads from the large diameter portion 13 of the through hole 11 to the entire small diameter portion 12a, and fills the gap between the inner surface of the through hole 11 and the optical fiber 20. The adhesive A is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays from the outside of the optical fiber holding member 10 in the state of being filled in the through hole 11. As a result, the coating removal portion 22 and the coating portion 23 of the optical fiber 20 are respectively bonded and fixed to the small diameter portion 12a and the large diameter portion 13 of the through hole 11. In this way, the optical fiber coupling structure 25 in which each optical fiber 20 is fixed to the optical fiber holding member 10 is obtained. It should be noted that the state in which the adhesive A is filled in the through hole 11 refers to the state in which the adhesive A is distributed without gaps in the area between the inner surface of the through hole 11 and the optical fiber 20. In the state in which the adhesive A is filled in the through hole 11, the adhesive A does not protrude from the through hole 11 in the X direction, nor does it protrude above the opening 16a of the air exhaust hole 16.

[0084] Figure 6 It is an exploded perspective view showing the optical connector 2 according to the present embodiment. Figure 7 2 is a perspective view showing an optical connector 2. The optical connector 2 includes, for example, a ferrule 30, a first optical fiber coupling structure 25A, and a second optical fiber coupling structure 25B. The first optical fiber coupling structure 25A and the second optical fiber coupling structure 25B have the same structure as the optical fiber coupling structure 25 described above. Figure 6 In the figure, the second optical fiber coupling structure 25B is omitted. Figure 7 As shown, the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the second fiber coupling structure 25B are inserted into the ferrule 30 in a state of being stacked in the Z direction. The first fiber coupling structure 25A and the second fiber coupling structure 25B are stacked in the Z direction in a manner that their upper surfaces 10c, 10c face each other.

[0085] Figure 8 It is along Figure 7A cross-sectional view of the optical connector 2 of the VIII-VIII line. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the appearance of the ferrule 30 is, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The ferrule 30 has a front surface 30a located at the front end in the X direction and a rear surface 30b located at the rear end in the X direction. The front surface 30a is, for example, slightly inclined relative to the XZ plane. The front surface 30a is, for example, in a state where there is almost no step with the top end surface 20a of each optical fiber 20. The rear surface 30b is formed with an opening 31 that can accommodate a stack of the first optical fiber coupling structure 25A and the second optical fiber coupling structure 25B stacked in the Z direction.

[0086] The ferrule 30 has a receiving hole 32 and a plurality of fiber holding holes 33 inside. The receiving hole 32 is a hole extending from the opening 31 in the X direction, and holds the stacked body of the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the second fiber coupling structure 25B introduced from the opening 31. The receiving hole 32 has a pair of inner surfaces 32a (first inner surfaces) facing each other in the Z direction and a pair of inner surfaces 32b (second inner surfaces) facing each other in the Y direction. For example, the inner surface 32a is a plane along the XY plane, and the inner surface 32b is a plane along the XZ plane.

[0087] The inner surface 32a is, for example, perpendicular to the inner surface 32b.

[0088] In a state where the stacked body of the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the second fiber coupling structure 25B is arranged in the storage hole 32, the lower surface 10d of the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the lower surface 10d of the second fiber coupling structure 25B are in contact with the pair of inner surfaces 32a of the storage hole 32, respectively. Thus, the positions of the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the second fiber coupling structure 25B in the Z direction relative to the storage hole 32 are defined. Furthermore, the side surface 10e of the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the side surface 10f of the second fiber coupling structure 25B are in contact with one inner surface 32b of the storage hole 32, and the side surface 10f of the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the side surface 10e of the second fiber coupling structure 25B are in contact with the other inner surface 32b of the storage hole 32. Thus, the positions of the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the second fiber coupling structure 25B in the Y direction relative to the storage hole 32 are defined.

[0089] like Figure 8As shown, a plurality of optical fiber holding holes 33 penetrate between the accommodating hole 32 and the front surface 30a in the X direction. The plurality of optical fiber holding holes 33 are arranged in a two-dimensional shape on the front surface 30a, for example. The plurality of optical fiber holding holes 33 are arranged in two rows in a manner corresponding to the plurality of optical fibers 20 arranged in a row in the first optical fiber coupling structure 25A and the plurality of optical fibers 20 arranged in a row in the second optical fiber coupling structure 25B. The coating removal portions 22 of the plurality of optical fibers 20 extending forward from the first optical fiber coupling structure 25A and the coating removal portions 22 of the plurality of optical fibers 20 extending forward from the second optical fiber coupling structure 25B are inserted into the plurality of optical fiber holding holes 33. In addition, a pair of guide holes 34 are formed in the ferrule 30 (see Figure 6 A pair of guide holes 34 penetrates the ferrule 30 from the front surface 30a to the rear surface 30b in the X direction, and is formed on both sides of the plurality of optical fiber holding holes 33 in the Y direction.

[0090] A window 35 for injecting adhesive is formed on the upper surface of the ferrule 30. Figure 8 In the figure, the adhesive is omitted for illustration, but the adhesive here can be the same as the above-mentioned adhesive A. The adhesive injected from the window 35 is cured in each fiber holding hole 33 into which the coating removal portion 22 of each optical fiber 20 is inserted, thereby fixing the coating removal portion 22 of each optical fiber 20 to each fiber holding hole 33. Thus, the optical connector 2 in which the first fiber coupling structure 25A and the second fiber coupling structure 25B are fixed in the ferrule 30 is obtained.

[0091] Fig. 9 : is a perspective view showing an optical coupling structure 1 of the present embodiment. The optical coupling structure 1 includes a first optical connector 2A, a second optical connector 2B, a pair of guide pins 40, and a spacer 50. The first optical connector 2A and the second optical connector 2B have the same structure as the optical connector 2 described above. In the optical coupling structure 1, the front surface 30a of the first optical connector 2A and the front surface 30a of the second optical connector 2B are opposed to each other in the X direction with a gap therebetween. The pair of guide pins 40 are fitted into the pair of guide holes 34 of the first optical connector 2A and the pair of guide holes 34 of the second optical connector 2B. Thus, the positions of the first optical connector 2A and the second optical connector 2B in the YZ plane are defined.

[0092] The spacer 50 is a plate-shaped member having an opening 50a, and is disposed between the front surface 30a of the first optical connector 2A and the front surface 30a of the second optical connector 2B in the X direction. The opening 50a allows a plurality of optical paths extending between the first optical connector 2A and the second optical connector 2B to pass through. The spacer 50 abuts against the front surface 30a of the first optical connector 2A and the front surface 30a of the second optical connector 2B in the X direction, thereby defining the gap between the first optical connector 2A and the second optical connector 2B in the X direction.

[0093] The effects obtained by the optical fiber holding member 10 , the optical fiber coupling structure 25 , the optical connector 2 , and the optical coupling structure 1 according to the present embodiment described above will be described.

[0094] As described above, the optical fiber holding member 10 is provided with the air discharge hole 16 intersecting the through hole 11. The air discharge hole 16 is configured to discharge the air between the inner surface of the through hole 11 and the adhesive A from the through hole 11 to the outside when the adhesive A is injected into the through hole 11. By providing the air discharge hole 16, the air inside the through hole 11 can be discharged to the outside of the through hole 11 when the liquid adhesive A is injected into the through hole 11, so that the adhesive A can be fully filled without a gap between the inner surface of the through hole 11 and the optical fiber 20. As a result, the curing of the adhesive A in a state where air remains between the inner surface of the through hole 11 and the optical fiber 20 can be reduced. That is, the formation of a cavity between the inner surface of the through hole 11 and the optical fiber 20 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of undesirable conditions such as a decrease in adhesion between the optical fiber 20 and the inner surface of the through hole 11 due to the formation of a cavity inside the through hole 11 and an increase in the load on the optical fiber 20 due to the thermal expansion of the air inside the through hole 11. As a result, the reliability of the optical fiber 20 can be maintained.

[0095] As shown in the present embodiment, the air discharge hole 16 may extend from the upper surface 10c to the through hole 11. In this case, the air discharge hole 16 can extend upward from the through hole 11 to the upper surface 10c. Due to the influence of gravity, the air inside the through hole 11 is relatively easy to move upward compared to the liquid adhesive A. Therefore, by adopting a structure in which the air discharge hole 16 extends upward, the air inside the through hole 11 can be efficiently discharged to the outside. Moreover, by such a structure, it is also possible to prevent the adhesive A inside the through hole 11 from leaking from the air discharge hole 16 to the upper surface 10c.

[0096] As shown in this embodiment, each air discharge hole 16 may be connected to each through hole 11 individually. In this case, when the adhesive A is injected into each through hole 11, it is possible to reduce the adhesive A from leaking from a certain through hole 11 to the adjacent through hole 11 through the air discharge hole 16. Thus, the optical fiber 20 can be bonded to each through hole 11 individually and reliably.

[0097] As shown in this embodiment, the inner diameter of each air discharge hole 16 may be smaller than the inner diameter of each through hole 11. By reducing the inner diameter of the air discharge hole 16, the adhesive A in the through hole 11 is less likely to leak from the air discharge hole 16 to the upper surface 10c.

[0098] As shown in this embodiment, each air discharge hole 16 may be connected from the upper surface 10c to the enlarged diameter portion 12b of each through hole 11. The gap between the optical fiber 20 and the enlarged diameter portion 12b is particularly likely to become larger, so when the adhesive A is injected into the through hole 11, air is particularly likely to remain inside the enlarged diameter portion 12b. Therefore, if a configuration is adopted in which the air discharge hole 16 is connected to the enlarged diameter portion 12b, the air inside the through hole 11 can be efficiently discharged to the outside.

[0099] As shown in the present embodiment, the thin-diameter portion 12a may be configured to hold the coat removal portion 22 so as to be rotatable about the central axis L1 of the coat removal portion 22. In this case, the position of the optical fiber 20 in the rotational direction relative to the optical fiber holding member 10 can be determined by rotationally aligning the coat removal portion 22 in the thin-diameter portion 12a.

[0100] As shown in this embodiment, each optical fiber 20 may have at least one core in a region offset from the central axis L1 . In this case, the position of the optical fiber 20 in the rotational direction relative to the optical fiber holding member 10 can be determined by rotationally aligning the optical fiber 20 in the through hole 11 .

[0101] As shown in this embodiment, the receiving hole 32 of the ferrule 30 may also include an inner surface 32a connected to the lower surface 10d and an inner surface 32b connected to the side surface 10e. In this case, the lower surface 10d and the side surface 10e of the optical fiber holding component 10 are respectively connected to the inner surface 32a and the inner surface 32b of the ferrule 30, so that the position of the optical fiber holding component 10 relative to the ferrule 30 can be determined with high accuracy.

[0102] As shown in this embodiment, the first optical connector 2A and the second optical connector 2B are opposed to each other with a gap in the X direction. In this way, when the first optical connector 2A and the second optical connector 2B are not PC (Physical Contact) connected, there is no need for pressing force for PC connection between the first optical connector 2A and the second optical connector 2B, so more optical fibers 20 can be easily connected at once.

[0103] [Modification 1]

[0104] Fig.10 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber holding component 10A according to Modification 1. In the optical fiber holding component 10A, the direction in which the air discharge hole 16A extends is different from that of the optical fiber holding component 10 described above. Fig.10In the XZ cross section shown, the air discharge hole 16A extends in a direction inclined relative to the Z direction perpendicular to the through hole 11 extending in the X direction. In other words, in the XZ cross section, the central axis L1 of the air discharge hole 16A extends in a direction inclined relative to the imaginary straight line VL orthogonal to the central axis L1 of the through hole 11. The central axis L1 of the air discharge hole 16A extends in a direction inclined relative to both the X direction and the Z direction in the XZ cross section. In this way, when the air discharge hole 16A is inclined, the length of the air discharge hole 16A from the through hole 11 to the upper surface 10c can be extended compared to the case where the air discharge hole extends along the imaginary straight line VL orthogonal to the central axis L1 of the through hole 11. In this way, by extending the distance of the path of the adhesive A from the through hole 11 to the upper surface 10c, the adhesive A inside the through hole 11 can be made less likely to leak from the air discharge hole 16A to the upper surface 10c.

[0105] [Modification 2]

[0106] Fig.11 1 is a top view of an optical fiber holding component 10B according to a second modification. In the optical fiber holding component 10B, the shape of the air discharge hole 16B is different from that of the optical fiber holding component 10 described above. In the optical fiber holding component 10B, the shape of the air discharge hole 16B is a long hole shape extending in the X direction. That is, the air discharge hole 16B is formed to extend in the X direction at a position overlapping with the through hole 11 in the Z direction. More specifically, the air discharge hole 16B extends continuously in the X direction from the small diameter portion 12a through the expanded diameter portion 12b to overlap with the entire large diameter portion 13 in the Z direction. The air discharge hole 16B extends downward from the upper surface 10c and is connected to all of the small diameter portion 12a, the expanded diameter portion 12b, and the large diameter portion 13. The shape of the air discharge hole 16B viewed from the top to the bottom is, for example, a rectangular shape extending in the X direction, but is not limited thereto and may be another shape such as an elliptical shape. In this way, when the air discharge hole 16B is in the shape of a long hole, air can be discharged from more parts of the through hole 11 to the outside through the air discharge hole 16B when the adhesive A is injected into the through hole 11, thereby more effectively reducing the formation of cavities inside the through hole 11.

[0107] [Variation 3]

[0108] Fig.12 FIG. 1 is a top view of an optical fiber holding component 10C according to a third modification. The optical fiber holding component 10C is different from the optical fiber holding component 10 described above in that it has one air discharge hole 16C. Fig.12As shown, the air discharge hole 16C is in the shape of a long hole extending in the Y direction. The air discharge hole 16C extends in the Y direction in a manner that intersects with all the through holes in the through hole 11 when viewed from the top to the bottom. The air discharge hole 16C extends from the upper surface 10c in the Z direction and is connected to all the through holes in the through hole 11. The air discharge hole 16C extends in the Y direction in a manner that overlaps with the enlarged diameter portion 12b of all the through holes 11 in the Z direction, and is connected to the enlarged diameter portion 12b of all the through holes 11 in the Z direction. The air discharge hole 16C observed from the top to the bottom is, for example, a rectangular shape extending in the Y direction. In this way, when the air discharge hole 16C connected to all the through holes in the plurality of through holes 11 is provided, the air inside the through hole 11 can be more reliably discharged to the outside through the air discharge hole 16C when the adhesive A is injected into the through hole 11, and therefore, the formation of a cavity inside the through hole 11 can be more effectively reduced.

[0109] [Variation 4]

[0110] Fig.13 It is a plan view showing an optical fiber holding member 10D according to a fourth modification. Fig.14 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of a main part of an optical fiber holding component 10D. In the optical fiber holding component 10D, a recess 17 extending in the Y direction is formed on the upper surface 10c. When viewed from the upper side, the recess 17 extends in the Y direction in a manner intersecting all the through holes in the through holes 11. The recess 17 extends linearly in the Y direction in a manner overlapping the large diameter portions 13 of all the through holes 11 in the Z direction, for example. The recess 17 is formed on the upper surface 10c, for example, at a position closer to the front surface 10a than the rear surface 10b forming the opening 11b of the large diameter portion 13. The recess 17 viewed from the upper side is, for example, rectangular in shape extending in the Y direction. The bottom surface 17a of the recess 17 is recessed downward from the upper surface 10c, forming a step relative to the upper surface 10c. The bottom surface 17a is, for example, a plane along the XY plane, and is located between the upper surface 10c and the through hole 11.

[0111] The plurality of air discharge holes 16D are formed so as to connect the recess 17 with the plurality of through holes 11 in the Z direction. Therefore, the upper end of each air discharge hole 16D intersects with the recess 17, and the lower end of each air discharge hole 16D intersects with each through hole 11. The upper end of each air discharge hole 16D opens at the bottom surface 17a of the recess 17. The lower end of each air discharge hole 16D extends downward from the bottom surface 17a and is connected to the large diameter portion 13 of each through hole 11. The recess 17 provides a space for storing the adhesive A leaking from the air discharge hole 16D. Therefore, the leakage of the adhesive A from the air discharge hole 16D to the upper surface 10c can be more reliably reduced. In the optical fiber holding member 10D, instead of the recess 17, a hole portion extending in the Y direction so as to intersect with all the air discharge holes in the air discharge hole 16D may be formed. In this case, the hole portion may be formed between the upper surface 10c and the through hole 11 so as to intersect all the air outlet holes in the air outlet holes 16D. For example, the hole portion may extend in the Y direction so as to intersect the upper end portions of all the air outlet holes 16D (specifically, the portion of the air outlet holes 16D that is biased downward from the upper surface 10c). Even in such a form, a space for storing the adhesive A leaked from the air outlet holes 16D is provided by the hole portion. Therefore, the leakage of the adhesive A to the upper surface 10c can be more reliably reduced.

[0112] [Second embodiment]

[0113] Next, the optical fiber holding member 110 of the second embodiment will be described. In the following description of the second embodiment, the description of the parts overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the parts different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0114] Fig.15 It is a perspective view showing an optical fiber holding member 110 according to the second embodiment. Fig.16 1 is a plan view showing the optical fiber holding member 110 . Fig.17 It means along Fig.16 17 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber holding component 110 of FIG. Fig.15 and Fig.16As shown, in addition to the plurality of air discharge holes 16 of the first embodiment, the optical fiber holding member 110 further includes a plurality of injection holes 15. Each injection hole 15 is a hole for injecting the adhesive A into each through hole 11. Each injection hole 15 is arranged in a row in the Y direction corresponding to each through hole 11, extends from the upper surface 10c in the Z direction, and is individually connected to each through hole 11. Each injection hole 15 is individually connected to each through hole 11, which means that one injection hole 15 is connected to one through hole 11, and one injection hole 15 is not connected to more than two through holes 11. Therefore, each injection hole 15 can be independently provided for each through hole 11, and the adhesive A injected into one injection hole 15 is introduced only into one through hole 11 connected to the one injection hole 15.

[0115] like Fig.17 As shown, the injection hole 15 extends linearly from the upper surface 10c to the through hole 11 in the Z direction, for example, in a manner intersecting the through hole 11. The opening of the injection hole 15 is formed on the upper surface 10c. Fig.17 and Fig.18 As shown, the injection hole 15 extends downward from the upper surface 10c in the Z direction, for example, and is connected to the thin-diameter portion 12a of the through hole 11. Therefore, when viewed from the Z direction, the injection hole 15 is arranged to overlap with the thin-diameter portion 12a. In this way, the injection hole 15 is connected to a portion (for example, the thin-diameter portion 12a) different from the portion (for example, the enlarged diameter portion 12b) connected to the air discharge hole 16. The shape of the injection hole 15 viewed in the Z direction is, for example, a circular shape.

[0116] The inner diameter of the injection hole 15 has a size that allows the adhesive A to be introduced into the through hole 11. The size that allows the adhesive A to be introduced into the through hole 11 refers to a size that allows the liquid adhesive A to flow in the injection hole 15 and reach the through hole 11. The inner diameter of the injection hole 15 is, for example, set to be smaller than the pitch between the through holes 11. The inner diameter of the injection hole 15 is, for example, in a range that is larger than the inner diameter of the thin diameter portion 12a and smaller than the inner diameter of the thick diameter portion 13. Therefore, the inner diameter of the injection hole 15 is larger than the inner diameter of the air exhaust hole 16. The inner diameter of the injection hole 15 can be set, for example, to be greater than or equal to 10 μm, which allows the adhesive to be introduced. In addition, in order to avoid a situation where adjacent through holes 11 are connected via the injection hole 15, the inner diameter of the injection hole 15 can be set to be less than or equal to the pitch between the through holes 11 (for example, the distance between the centers of adjacent through holes 11). For example, when the pitch of the through holes 11 is 250 μm, the inner diameter of the injection hole 15 can be set to be 250 μm or less. As long as the adhesive A can be introduced into the through holes 11, the inner diameter of the injection hole 15 can be less than or equal to the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 12a, or greater than or equal to the inner diameter of the large diameter portion 13.

[0117] In the optical fiber holding member 110, the injection holes 15 for injecting the adhesive A extend in a manner intersecting the through-holes 11 and are connected to the through-holes 11 individually, so that the adhesive A can be injected into the through-holes 11 individually from a path different from the through-holes 11. In this configuration, the position of the injection holes 15 relative to the through-holes 11 and the injection amount of the adhesive A are adjusted in consideration of the fluidity of the adhesive A, thereby making it possible to reliably fill the gap between the optical fiber 20 and the through-hole 11 with the adhesive A, and to distribute the adhesive A around the optical fiber 20 without deviation. As a result, the stress generated when the adhesive A is cured can be uniformly applied to the optical fiber 20, thereby reducing the position change of the optical fiber 20 due to the stress in one direction. In addition, in the above configuration, the air discharge hole 16 is connected to a portion different from the portion of the through-hole 11 to which the injection hole 15 is connected. When the adhesive A is injected into the through hole 11, a cavity is easily formed at a position inside the through hole 11 away from the portion where the adhesive A is injected. Therefore, by adopting a structure in which the air discharge hole 16 is connected to the small diameter portion 12a different from the large diameter portion 12b connected to the injection hole 15, the formation of the cavity inside the through hole 11 can be effectively reduced.

[0118] [Modification 1]

[0119] Fig.18 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber holding component 110A of Modification 1. In the optical fiber holding component 110A, the arrangement of the injection hole 15 and the air discharge hole 16 is different from that of the optical fiber holding component 110. In the optical fiber holding component 110A, the injection hole 15 extends from the upper surface 10c in the Z direction and is connected to the large diameter portion 13 of the through hole 11. Therefore, when viewed from the Z direction, the injection hole 15 is arranged to overlap with the large diameter portion 13. On the other hand, the air discharge hole 16 extends from the upper surface 10c in the Z direction and is connected to the small diameter portion 12a of the through hole 11. Therefore, when viewed from the Z direction, the air discharge hole 16 is arranged to overlap with the small diameter portion 12a. When viewed from the Z direction, the air discharge hole 16 is arranged at a position closer to the rear surface 10b side than the front surface 10a forming the opening 11a of the small diameter portion 12a.

[0120] When the adhesive A is injected from the injection hole 15 into the large diameter portion 13, the air inside the small diameter portion 12a near the front surface 10a is easily discharged to the outside from the opening 11a of the front surface 10a. Therefore, by arranging the air discharge hole 16 at a position farther from the front surface 10a than near the front surface 10a, the air inside the small diameter portion 12a can be efficiently discharged to the air discharge hole 16 through the air discharge hole 16. When viewed from the Z direction, the air discharge hole 16 is arranged, for example, at the center of the small diameter portion 12a in the X direction. In the optical fiber holding member 110A, when the adhesive A is injected into the through hole 11, there is a tendency for air to remain in the small diameter portion 12a away from the large diameter portion 13 connected to the injection hole 15. Therefore, by connecting the air discharge hole 16 to the small diameter portion 12a, the air inside the through hole 11 can be efficiently discharged to the outside. As a result, the formation of a cavity inside the through hole 11 can be effectively reduced.

[0121] [Modification 2]

[0122] Fig.19 1 is a cross-sectional view of an optical fiber holding component 110B according to Modification 1. In the optical fiber holding component 110B, the arrangement of the injection hole 15 and the air discharge hole 16 is different from that of the optical fiber holding component 110. In the optical fiber holding component 110B, the injection hole 15 extends from the upper surface 10c in the Z direction and is connected to the small diameter portion 12a of the through hole 11. Therefore, when viewed from the Z direction, the injection hole 15 is arranged to overlap with the small diameter portion 12a. On the other hand, the air discharge hole 16 extends from the upper surface 10c in the Z direction and is connected to the large diameter portion 13 of the through hole 11. Therefore, when viewed from the Z direction, the air discharge hole 16 is arranged to overlap with the large diameter portion 13. When viewed from the Z direction, the air discharge hole 16 is arranged at a position closer to the front surface 10a than the rear surface 10b forming the opening 11b of the large diameter portion 13.

[0123] When the adhesive A is injected from the injection hole 15 into the small diameter portion 12a, the air inside the large diameter portion 13 near the rear surface 10b is easily discharged to the outside from the opening 11b of the rear surface 10b. Therefore, by arranging the air discharge hole 16 at a position farther from the rear surface 10b than near the rear surface 10b, the air inside the large diameter portion 13 can be efficiently discharged to the outside through the air discharge hole 16. When viewed from the Z direction, the air discharge hole 16 is arranged, for example, at the center of the large diameter portion 13 in the X direction. In the optical fiber holding member 110B, when the adhesive A is injected into the through hole 11, there is a tendency for air to remain in the large diameter portion 13 away from the small diameter portion 12a connected to the injection hole 15. Therefore, by connecting the air discharge hole 16 to the large diameter portion 13, the air inside the through hole 11 can be efficiently discharged to the outside. As a result, the formation of a cavity inside the through hole 11 can be effectively reduced.

[0124] [Third Embodiment]

[0125] Next, an optical fiber holding member 210 according to a third embodiment will be described. In the following description of the second embodiment, descriptions of locations overlapping with the first embodiment will be appropriately omitted, and locations different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0126] Fig. 20 It is a plan view showing the optical fiber holding member 210 according to the second embodiment. Fig.21 : is a cross-sectional view showing the optical fiber holding component 210. The optical fiber holding component 210 includes: a wall surface 10h (first wall surface) arranged parallel to the front surface 10a in the X direction between the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b; and a wall surface 10g (second wall surface) extending along the XY plane between the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b in a manner perpendicular to the front surface 10a. The wall surface 10g is located between the front surface 10a and the rear surface 10b at a position close to the rear surface 10b in the X direction. The wall surface 10g is, for example, a plane along the XY plane, and forms a step with respect to the upper surface 10c. The wall surface 10g extends, for example, in parallel with the upper surface 10c. The wall surface 10g is arranged at a position deviated from the through hole 11A to the lower surface 10d side in the Z direction. That is, the wall surface 10g is provided at a position lower than the through hole 11A with reference to the position of the lower surface 10d in the Z direction.

[0127] Specifically, the position lower than the through hole 11A can be set to a position close to one end (lower end) of the lower surface 10d in the Z direction in the inner surface constituting the through hole 11A. As a result, the wall surface 10g is located at a height between the through hole 11A (specifically, the lower end of the inner surface constituting the through hole 11A) and the lower surface 10d in the Z direction. The wall surface 10h connects the wall surface 10g and the upper surface 10c in the Z direction. The wall surface 10h is, for example, a plane along the YZ plane, and is formed perpendicularly to the upper surface 10c and the wall surface 10g. The opening 11b of each through hole 11A is formed in the wall surface 10h. Therefore, in the optical fiber holding component 210, each through hole 11A penetrates from the front surface 10a to the wall surface 10h in the X direction.

[0128] like Fig.21 As shown, the through hole 11A does not have a portion corresponding to the large diameter portion 13 (see Figure 2) and has only a thin-diameter portion 12a and an expanded-diameter portion 12b. When fixing the optical fiber 20 to the optical fiber holding member 210, the coating removal portion 22 of the optical fiber 20 is inserted into the through hole 11A while the coating portion 23 of the optical fiber 20 is along the wall surface 10g. Then, the coating removal portion 22 is fixed to the through hole 11A using, for example, an adhesive, and the coating portion 23 is fixed to the wall surface 10g. Therefore, the wall surface 10g functions as a fixing surface (fixing portion) for fixing the coating portions 23 of the plurality of optical fibers 20.

[0129] like Fig.21 As shown, the air discharge hole 16 is formed at a position overlapping with the thin-diameter portion 12a of the through hole 11A in the Z direction, and is connected to the thin-diameter portion 12a in the Z direction. The air discharge hole 16 is, for example, arranged at a position closer to the rear surface 10b than the front surface 10a where the opening 11a of the thin-diameter portion 12a is formed. For example, when the adhesive A is injected from the opening 11b, the air inside the thin-diameter portion 12a near the front surface 10a is easily discharged to the outside from the opening 11a of the front surface 10a. Therefore, by arranging the air discharge hole 16 at a position farther from the front surface 10a than the vicinity of the front surface 10a, the air inside the thin-diameter portion 12a can be efficiently discharged to the outside through the air discharge hole 16.

[0130] In the optical fiber holding member 210, the coating removal portion 22 of each optical fiber 20 can be inserted into each through hole 11A while the coating portion 23 of each optical fiber 20 is arranged along the wall surface 10g, so that the coating removal portion 22 can be easily inserted into the through hole 11A. In addition, by arranging the coating portion 23 of each optical fiber 20 along the wall surface 10g, the posture of the coating removal portion 22 relative to the through hole 11A can be stabilized, so that the bending stress generated in the coating removal portion 22 when the coating removal portion 22 is inserted into the through hole 11A can be reduced. In addition, when the through hole 11A is formed from the front surface 10a to the wall surface 10h as in the optical fiber holding member 210, the length of the through hole 11A can be shortened compared with the case where the through hole is formed from the front surface 10a to the rear surface 10b. If the length of through hole 11A is shortened, air inside through hole 11A can easily escape from opening 11a or opening 11b of through hole 11A to the outside, thereby reducing the risk of air remaining inside through hole 11A. Thus, the formation of a cavity inside through hole 11A can be effectively reduced.

[0131] [Fourth Embodiment]

[0132] Next, an optical fiber holding member 310 according to a fourth embodiment will be described. In the following description of the fourth embodiment, descriptions of locations overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and locations different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0133] Fig. 22 It is a perspective view showing an optical fiber holding member 310 according to a fourth embodiment. Fig.23 1 is a top view showing the optical fiber holding member 310. The optical fiber holding member 310 has a fixing hole 18 connected to a plurality of through holes 11A. As in the third embodiment, the through hole 11A does not have a structure corresponding to the large diameter portion 13, but only has a small diameter portion 12a and an expanded diameter portion 12b. The fixing hole 18 penetrates from the rear surface 10b to the plurality of through holes 11A in the X direction, and communicates with all the through holes 11A in the X direction.

[0134] like Fig. 22 As shown, the fixing hole 18 forms an opening 18a on the rear surface 10b. The opening 18a is, for example, an oblong shape with the Y direction as the long dimension. The opening 18a has a size that includes all the through holes 11A when viewed in the X direction. The coating 23 of a plurality of optical fibers 20 is inserted into the fixing hole 18. When the optical fiber 20 is fixed to the optical fiber holding member 310, the coating removal portion 22 of the optical fiber 20 is inserted into the thin-diameter portion 12a of the through hole 11A while the coating 23 of the optical fiber 20 is along the fixing hole 18. Then, the coating removal portion 22 is fixed to the through hole 11A using, for example, an adhesive, and the coating 23 is fixed to the fixing hole 18.

[0135] like Fig.23 As shown, the air discharge hole 16 is formed at a position overlapping with the thin-diameter portion 12a of the through hole 11A in the Z direction, and is connected to the thin-diameter portion 12a in the Z direction. The air discharge hole 16 is, for example, arranged at a position closer to the rear surface 10b than the front surface 10a where the opening 11a of the thin-diameter portion 12a is formed. For example, when the adhesive A is injected from the opening 11b, the air inside the thin-diameter portion 12a near the front surface 10a is easily discharged to the outside from the opening 11a of the front surface 10a. Therefore, by arranging the air discharge hole 16 at a position farther from the front surface 10a than the vicinity of the front surface 10a, the air inside the thin-diameter portion 12a can be efficiently discharged through the air discharge hole 16.

[0136] In the optical fiber holding member 310 of the present embodiment, by providing the fixing hole 18 into which the coating 23 of the plurality of optical fibers 20 is inserted, the coating 23 of each optical fiber 20 can be easily inserted into the fixing hole 18. Furthermore, in the case where the through hole 11A is formed from the front surface 10a to the wall surface 10h, the length of the through hole 11A can be shortened compared to the case where the through hole is formed from the front surface 10a to the rear surface 10b. The shorter the length of the through hole 11A, the easier it is for the air inside the through hole 11A to escape to the outside from the opening 11a or the opening 11b of the through hole 11A, and therefore the risk of air remaining inside the through hole 11A can be reduced. Thus, the formation of a cavity inside the through hole 11A can be effectively reduced.

[0137] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, and other various modifications are possible. For example, the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications may be combined with each other within the scope without contradiction, depending on the desired purpose and effect. In addition, the structure of the optical fiber holding component is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications. For example, the air outlet hole does not need to be formed to extend from the upper surface, but may be formed to extend from other outer surfaces such as the lower surface. The inner diameter of the air outlet hole does not need to be fixed at each position along the air outlet hole, but may vary at each position along the air outlet hole. The shape of the air outlet hole observed in the Z direction does not need to be circular, but may be other shapes such as elliptical, rectangular, polygonal, etc.

[0138] The optical fiber holding member may also include air discharge holes extending from the upper surface and air discharge holes extending from the lower surface. For example, when optical fibers arranged in two rows are fixed to the optical fiber holding member, the through holes are also arranged in two rows corresponding to the arrangement of the optical fibers. In this case, the through holes in the first row may be connected to the air discharge holes extending from the upper surface, and the through holes in the second row may be connected to the air discharge holes extending from the lower surface.

[0139] As can be understood from the description of the above embodiments, the present specification includes disclosures of the following aspects.

[0140] (Note 1)

[0141] An optical fiber holding component is arranged inside a ferrule to hold a plurality of optical fibers, the optical fiber holding component comprising:

[0142] An outer surface including a first end surface and a second end surface arranged side by side in a first direction;

[0143] a plurality of through holes penetrating between the first end face and the second end face in the first direction and arranged side by side in a second direction intersecting the first direction, into which the plurality of optical fibers can be respectively inserted; and

[0144] At least one air exhaust hole extends from the outer surface in a manner intersecting the plurality of through holes, and the at least one air exhaust hole is configured to exhaust air between the inner surfaces of the plurality of through holes and the adhesive from the plurality of through holes to the outside when the adhesive is injected into the plurality of through holes.

[0145] Description of Reference Numerals

[0146] 1: Optical coupling structure;

[0147] 2: Optical connector;

[0148] 2A: first optical connector;

[0149] 2B: second optical connector;

[0150] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 110, 110A, 110B, 210, 310: optical fiber holding component;

[0151] 10a: front surface (first end surface);

[0152] 10b: rear surface (second end surface);

[0153] 10c: upper surface (first side surface);

[0154] 10d: lower surface (second side surface);

[0155] 10e: side view (third side view);

[0156] 10f: side;

[0157] 10g: wall (second wall);

[0158] 10h: wall (first wall);

[0159] 11, 11A: through hole;

[0160] 11a, 11b, 16a, 18a, 31, 50a: opening;

[0161] 12: holding part;

[0162] 12a: thin diameter part;

[0163] 12b: expanded diameter portion;

[0164] 13: thick diameter part;

[0165] 14a: fiber core;

[0166] 14b: cladding;

[0167] 14c: Covered;

[0168] 15: injection hole;

[0169] 16, 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D: air discharge holes;

[0170] 17: concave part;

[0171] 17a: bottom surface;

[0172] 18: Fixing hole;

[0173] 20: optical fiber;

[0174] 20a: apical surface;

[0175] 22: coating removal portion;

[0176] 23: Covered part;

[0177] 25: Fiber coupling structure;

[0178] 25A: first optical fiber coupling structure;

[0179] 25B: second optical fiber coupling structure;

[0180] 30: Insert;

[0181] 30a: anterior surface;

[0182] 30b: posterior surface;

[0183] 32: receiving hole;

[0184] 32a, 32b: inner surface;

[0185] 33: optical fiber holding hole;

[0186] 34: guide hole;

[0187] 35: Window;

[0188] 40: guide pin;

[0189] 50: spacer;

[0190] A: Adhesive;

[0191] L1, L2: central axis;

[0192] S10: outer surface;

[0193] VL: imaginary line.

Claims

1. An optical fiber holding component, arranged inside a ferrule to hold a plurality of optical fibers, the optical fiber holding component comprising: An outer surface including a first end surface and a second end surface arranged side by side in a first direction; a plurality of through holes penetrating between the first end surface and the second end surface in the first direction and arranged side by side in a second direction intersecting the first direction; and At least one air discharge hole extends from the outer surface so as to intersect the plurality of through holes.

2. The optical fiber holding component according to claim 1, in, The outer surface further includes a side surface extending along the first direction and the second direction between the first end surface and the second end surface, The side surface has an opening of the at least one air outlet hole, The at least one air discharge hole extends from the side surface to the plurality of through holes.

3. The optical fiber holding component according to claim 1 or 2, in, In a cross section perpendicular to the second direction, the at least one air discharge hole extends in a direction inclined with respect to an imaginary straight line orthogonal to central axes of the plurality of through holes extending in the first direction.

4. The optical fiber holding component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The optical fiber holding member has an air exhaust hole as the at least one air exhaust hole, The one air discharge hole is connected to all the through holes among the plurality of through holes.

5. The optical fiber holding component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The optical fiber holding member includes a plurality of air discharge holes arranged side by side in the second direction corresponding to the plurality of through holes as the at least one air discharge hole. The plurality of air discharge holes are individually connected to the plurality of through holes.

6. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 5, in, The inner diameter of each of the plurality of air discharge holes is smaller than the inner diameter of each of the plurality of through holes.

7. The optical fiber holding component according to claim 5 or 6, in, Each of the plurality of air discharge holes is in the shape of a long hole extending in the first direction between the first end surface and the second end surface.

8. The optical fiber holding member according to any one of claims 5 to 7, in, A recessed portion is formed on the outer surface and extends in the second direction so as to intersect all of the plurality of air discharge holes. Each of the plurality of air discharge holes opens at the bottom surface of the recessed portion.

9. The optical fiber holding component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in, Each of the plurality of through holes has: The thin-diameter portion is capable of holding a coating-removed portion, which is a portion of the plurality of optical fibers from which the coatings are removed; a large diameter portion extending in the first direction between the small diameter portion and the second end face, capable of holding a coating portion which is another part of the plurality of optical fibers on which the coating remains, the large diameter portion having an inner diameter larger than that of the small diameter portion; and an expanded diameter portion connecting the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion, wherein the inner diameter of the expanded diameter portion increases from the small diameter portion toward the large diameter portion, The at least one air discharge hole is connected from the outer surface to the expanded diameter portion.

10. The optical fiber holding component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: a plurality of injection holes extending from the outer surface in a manner intersecting the plurality of through holes, the plurality of injection holes being individually connected to the plurality of through holes and capable of being injected with an adhesive for bonding the plurality of optical fibers to the plurality of through holes, Each of the plurality of through holes has: The thin-diameter portion is capable of holding a coating-removed portion, which is a portion of the plurality of optical fibers from which the coatings are removed; a large diameter portion extending in the first direction between the holding portion and the second end surface, capable of holding a coating portion which is another part of the plurality of optical fibers on which the coating remains, the large diameter portion having an inner diameter larger than that of the small diameter portion; and an expanded diameter portion connecting the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion in the first direction, wherein the inner diameter of the expanded diameter portion increases as it moves from the small diameter portion toward the large diameter portion in the first direction, The at least one air discharge hole is connected to any one of the small diameter portion, the large diameter portion, and the expanded diameter portion. Each of the plurality of injection holes is connected to a portion of the small diameter portion, the large diameter portion, and the expanded diameter portion that is different from a portion connected to the at least one air discharge hole.

11. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 10, in, The at least one air discharge hole is connected to the expanded diameter portion, Each of the plurality of injection holes is connected to any one of the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion.

12. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 10, in, The at least one air discharge hole is connected to the thin-diameter portion, Each of the plurality of injection holes is connected to the large diameter portion.

13. The optical fiber holding member according to claim 10, in, The at least one air discharge hole is connected to the large diameter portion, Each of the plurality of injection holes is connected to the thin-diameter portion.

14. The optical fiber holding member according to any one of claims 9 to 13, in, The small diameter portion is configured to hold the cover removed portion rotatably around a central axis of the cover removed portion.

15. The optical fiber holding member according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in, The outer surface also includes: a first wall surface, arranged side by side with the first end surface in the first direction between the first end surface and the second end surface; and a second wall surface extending along the first direction and the second direction between the first wall surface and the second end surface in a manner intersecting the first wall surface; The plurality of through holes penetrate between the first end surface and the first wall surface in the first direction, The second wall surface is formed at a position offset from the plurality of through holes in a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction.

16. An optical fiber coupling structure, comprising: The optical fiber holding component according to any one of claims 1 to 15; The plurality of optical fibers are respectively inserted into the plurality of through holes; and The adhesive is disposed inside the plurality of through holes and fixes the plurality of optical fibers to the plurality of through holes.

17. The optical fiber coupling structure according to claim 16, in, Each of the plurality of optical fibers has at least one core in a region offset from the central axis.

18. An optical connector comprising: The optical fiber coupling structure according to claim 16 or 17; and The ferrule accommodates at least a portion of the optical fiber coupling structure.

19. The optical connector according to claim 18, in, The ferrule has: a receiving hole for receiving the optical fiber holding component; and a plurality of optical fiber holding holes connected to the accommodating hole in the first direction, respectively holding the plurality of optical fibers extending from the optical fiber holding component in the first direction, The outer surface comprises: a first side surface and a second side surface, which are opposed to each other via the plurality of through holes in a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction; and a third side surface, connecting the first side surface and the second side surface in the third direction, The receiving hole comprises: a first inner surface connected to the second side surface; and a second inner surface connected to the third side surface.

20. An optical coupling structure comprising a first optical connector and a second optical connector as the optical connector according to claim 18 or 19, The first optical connector and the second optical connector face each other with a gap therebetween in the first direction.

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