Optical fiber holder and optical fiber core wire connection method

Abstract

Provided is an optical fiber holder comprising: a holder body (2) that has a housing part (5) capable of housing a plurality of coated optical fibers in a parallel state; and a first lid part (3) that is openable and closable with respect to the holder body (2) and capable of covering at least a portion of the housing part (5). The housing part (5) includes a pitch conversion part (50) having a plurality of protruding sections (51) arranged in parallel, and a plurality of flat bottom sections (52) between the plurality of protruding sections, and the plurality of protruding sections (51) have a uniform height (H1) of 0.1 mm or less from the bottom sections, and are provided such that the parallel arrangement interval increases or decreases from one side to the other side in the longitudinal direction thereof.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an optical fiber holder and a method for connecting optical fiber cores.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Application No. 2021-038628, filed on March 10, 2021, and incorporates by reference all of the contents of said Japanese application. [Background technology]

[0003] For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose an optical fiber holding member capable of holding a plurality of optical fibers together. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose an optical fiber holder capable of arranging a plurality of optical fibers in parallel at an arrangement pitch different from the arrangement pitch of the plurality of optical fibers before being held in the optical fiber holder. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-144327 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2018 / 047513 Summary of the Invention

[0005] An optical fiber holder according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a holder body having a housing portion capable of housing a plurality of optical fiber cores in a parallel state; a first lid portion that can be opened and closed relative to the holder body and that can cover at least a part of the storage portion, the accommodating portion includes a pitch change portion having a plurality of juxtaposed protrusions and a plurality of flat bottom portions between the plurality of juxtaposed protrusions, The plurality of protrusions have a uniform height of 0.1 mm or less from the bottom, and are arranged such that the parallel spacing between them increases or decreases from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction.

[0006] Furthermore, a method for connecting optical fiber cores according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: A method for connecting optical fiber cores using the optical fiber holder, a step of placing the plurality of optical fiber core wires on the pitch conversion section, converting the pitch of the plurality of optical fiber core wires placed on the pitch conversion section to a pitch of another device different from the optical fiber holder by the plurality of protrusions, and storing the optical fiber core wires in the storage section; The method includes a step of connecting the plurality of optical fiber cores whose pitch has been converted to another optical fiber core that is arranged in another device different from the plurality of optical fiber cores. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical fiber holder according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical fiber holder according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the optical fiber holder according to this embodiment as seen from the front in the optical fiber insertion direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pitch converter according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of the optical fiber holder according to this embodiment, viewed from the front in the optical fiber insertion direction, with the first and second lid portions of the optical fiber holder closed relative to the main body. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which the first and second lid portions of the optical fiber holder according to this embodiment are closed relative to the main body. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the position of each optical fiber at the end of the pitch changing portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] [Problem to be solved by this disclosure] In recent years, optical fibers have become thinner, and it has become possible to manufacture optical fibers with an outer diameter of, for example, 0.20 mm, which is smaller than the commonly used outer diameter of 0.25 mm. At the same time, optical fiber ribbons (fiber ribbons) in which multiple optical fibers are integrated in parallel are also being manufactured with the arrangement pitch of adjacent optical fibers narrowed, for example, from 0.25 mm to 0.20 mm. However, the pitch of the V-grooves in conventional fusion splicers that fusion splice optical fiber ribbons (or multiple parallel optical fibers) is 0.25 mm. Therefore, when attempting to fusion splice optical fiber ribbons with an arrangement pitch of 0.20 mm or optical fibers with mixed arrangement pitches, the optical fibers and the V-grooves are misaligned, making it difficult to reliably place all of the optical fibers in the V-grooves. To achieve a V-groove pitch of 0.20 mm, it would be necessary to design and manufacture a new fusion splicer, or to modify or replace the V-groove part of an existing fusion splicer, thereby achieving a V-groove pitch of 0.20 mm, which would be time-consuming and costly.

[0009] The present disclosure aims to provide an optical fiber holder and an optical fiber core wire splicing method that can change the pitch of multiple coated optical fiber core wires to match the pitch of equipment such as a fusion splicer.

[0010] [Effects of this disclosure] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an optical fiber holder and an optical fiber core wire splicing method that can change the pitch of multiple coated optical fiber core wires to match the pitch of equipment such as a fusion splicer.

[0011] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. An optical fiber holder according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: (1) a holder body having a housing portion capable of housing a plurality of optical fiber core wires in a parallel state; a first lid portion that can be opened and closed relative to the holder body and that can cover at least a part of the storage portion, the accommodating portion includes a pitch change portion having a plurality of juxtaposed protrusions and a plurality of flat bottom portions between the plurality of juxtaposed protrusions, The plurality of protrusions have a uniform height of 0.1 mm or less from the bottom, and are arranged such that the parallel spacing between them increases or decreases from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction. According to this configuration, the pitch changer, which includes a flat bottom and relatively low protrusions of 0.1 mm or less, can change the pitch of multiple coated optical fibers to match the pitch of a device such as a fusion splicer. Therefore, there is no need to remove the coating from the optical fiber on the optical fiber holder, so the length of the coating removed does not need to be longer than necessary. Furthermore, the pitch changer, which includes a flat bottom and protrusions of 0.1 mm or less, and the first cover, which covers the multiple optical fibers from above and prevents them from floating up, make the optical fiber holder of the above configuration applicable not only to parallel-arranged single optical fibers, but also to ribbon optical fibers in which adjacent optical fibers are all connected longitudinally and intermittently connected ribbon optical fibers.

[0012] In addition, in an optical fiber holder according to an aspect of the present disclosure, (2) The pitch change portion is provided at one end of the housing portion in the longitudinal direction, The first lid portion may be provided so as to be able to cover at least a portion of the pitch change portion. According to this configuration, the pitch of the optical fiber core wires can be changed at one end of the optical fiber holder, and the pitch of the optical fiber core wires protruding from the optical fiber holder can also be changed continuously.

[0013] Moreover, an optical fiber holder according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: (3) Furthermore, the holder may be provided with a second lid portion that can be opened and closed relative to the holder body, and that, when closed relative to the holder body, covers an area in the storage section that is different from the pitch conversion section and holds the optical fiber core wire stored in the storage section. According to this configuration, the optical fiber can be held by the second lid, so the first lid does not need to press the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is less likely to be damaged.

[0014] In addition, in an optical fiber holder according to an aspect of the present disclosure, (4) It is preferable that the height of the gap from the bottom to the first lid portion be 220 μm or more and 250 μm or less when the first lid portion is closed on the holder body. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the first lid from pinching and pressing the optical fiber cores between the first lid and the bottom portion. Also, according to the optical fiber holder according to the above configuration, since the optical fiber cores are not pressed, the optical fiber cores can easily move in the parallel direction on the flat bottom portion, and the pitch can be changed without applying unnecessary external force to the optical fiber cores.

[0015] Furthermore, a method for connecting optical fiber cores according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: (5) A method for connecting optical fiber cores using the optical fiber holder according to any one of (1) to (4) above, a step of placing the plurality of optical fiber core wires on the pitch conversion section, converting the pitch of the plurality of optical fiber core wires placed on the pitch conversion section to a pitch of another device different from the optical fiber holder by the plurality of protrusions, and storing the optical fiber core wires in the storage section; The method includes a step of connecting the plurality of optical fiber cores whose pitch has been converted to another optical fiber core that is arranged in another device different from the plurality of optical fiber cores. According to this configuration, the pitch of multiple coated optical fibers can be changed to match the pitch of other equipment such as a fusion splicer. Therefore, since there is no need to remove the coating of the optical fibers on the optical fiber holder, the length of the coating removed does not need to be longer than necessary. Furthermore, the pitch changing unit, which has a flat bottom and protrusions of 0.1 mm or less, and the first cover, which covers the multiple optical fibers from above and prevents them from floating up, make the optical fiber splicing method according to the above configuration applicable not only to parallel-arranged single optical fibers, but also to ribbon optical fibers in which adjacent optical fibers are all connected along the longitudinal direction and intermittently connected ribbon optical fibers in which adjacent optical fibers are connected intermittently.

[0016] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] An optical fiber holder 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In the following description, the front-to-rear direction, left-to-right direction, and up-to-down direction refer to the directions of arrows appropriately shown in each figure. Note that in each figure, the symbol U indicates the upward direction. The symbol D indicates the downward direction. The symbol F indicates the forward direction. The symbol B indicates the backward direction. The symbol L indicates the leftward direction. The symbol R indicates the rightward direction.

[0017] An optical fiber holder 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the optical fiber holder 1 includes a holder main body 2, a first lid portion 3, and a second lid portion 4. The holder main body 2 has a storage portion 5 that can store a plurality of optical fibers, such as a 12-core optical fiber ribbon (see Figs. 6 and 7 described later), arranged in parallel. The storage portion 5 is a groove-shaped recess provided on the upper surface 2c of the holder main body 2 from one end (front end 2b) to the other end (rear end 2a) in the longitudinal direction of the holder main body 2.

[0018] 1 to 3, the first lid part 3 is disposed at the longitudinal front of the holder body 2. The first lid part 3 is rotatably connected to the holder body 2 via a hinge part 3a. Therefore, the first lid part 3 can be opened and closed relative to the holder body 2. The lower surface 3b of the first lid part 3 is flat.

[0019] The second lid portion 4 is disposed approximately in the center of the holder body 2 in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the second lid portion 4 is disposed further rearward than the first lid portion 3. The second lid portion 4 has a protrusion 4b in a portion corresponding to the storage portion 5. The protrusion 4b is disposed on the underside of the second lid portion 4. The second lid portion 4 is rotatably connected to the holder body 2 via a hinge portion 4a. Therefore, the second lid portion 4 can be opened and closed relative to the holder body 2. Note that the hinge portions 3a and 4a can be rotated separately, so the first lid portion 3 and the second lid portion 4 can be opened and closed separately.

[0020] The storage section 5 includes a pitch change section 50, a first flat section 60, and a second flat section 70. The pitch change section 50 is disposed in a position in the storage section 5 that is covered by the first lid section 3 when the first lid section 3 is closed. In other words, the pitch change section 50 is provided at the end section 2b of the holder body 2. The first flat section 60 is disposed in a position in the storage section 5 that is covered by the second lid section 4 when the second lid section 4 is closed. The second flat section 70 is disposed in a position in the storage section 5 that is not covered by either the first lid section 3 or the second lid section 4.

[0021] 3 and 4, the pitch changer 50 has a plurality of ridges 51 arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the holder main body 2, and a plurality of bottoms 52 arranged between the plurality of ridges 51. The length of the pitch changer 50 in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction in FIG. 4) is, for example, 5 mm. The length of the pitch changer 50 in the lateral direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4) from the front end side of the pitch changer 50 is, for example, 2.8 mm. The length of the pitch changer 50 in the lateral direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4) from the rear end side of the pitch changer 50 is, for example, 2.6 mm. In this embodiment, the optical fiber holder 1 has eleven ridges 51 and twelve bottoms 52.

[0022] The protrusions 51 are triangular and convex upward in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the holder body 2. The protrusions 51 extend from the rear end to the front end of the pitch changer 50. A height H1 of the protrusions 51 at the rear end 50a (the rear end side of the pitch changer 50) is equal to a height H2 of the protrusions 51 at the front end 50b (the front end side of the pitch changer 50). The heights of the protrusions 51 in areas other than the rear end 50a and the front end 50b are also equal to the height H1 of the protrusions 51 at the rear end 50a and the height H2 of the protrusions 51 at the front end 50b. In other words, the protrusions 51 have a uniform height. Here, "uniform" means that the smallest height of the protrusions 51 is within 50% of the largest height of the protrusions 51. The height of the protrusions 51 is preferably 0.07 mm or more and 0.1 mm or less, and in this embodiment, the height of the protrusions 51 is 0.1 mm.

[0023] The pitch of the protrusions 51 gradually increases from the rear end 50a to the front end 50b. That is, the protrusions 51 are arranged so that the parallel spacing increases continuously from the rear end 50a to the front end 50b. Therefore, the pitch P1 between adjacent protrusions 51 at the rear end 50a is smaller than the pitch P2 between adjacent protrusions 51 at the front end 50b. The pitch P1 of the protrusions 51 at the rear end 50a is 210 μm. The pitch P2 of the protrusions 51 at the front end 50b is 225 μm. The overall width W1 of the protrusions 51 at the rear end 50a is 2.5 mm. The overall width W2 of the protrusions 51 at the front end 50b is 2.67 mm.

[0024] The bottom 52 is flat and is located lower than the top of the protrusion 51.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first flat portion 60 and the second flat portion 70 are grooves extending in the longitudinal direction of the holder body 2. The second flat portion 70 is located rearward of the first flat portion 60. The width (length in the left-right direction) of the first flat portion 60 and the width of the second flat portion 70 are equal. The overall width W3 at the rear end portion 5a of the storage portion 5 is 2.5 mm. In other words, the width of the first flat portion 60 and the width of the second flat portion 70 are both 2.5 mm. The width of the first flat portion 60 and the width of the second flat portion 70 are equal to the overall width W1 of the protrusion portion 51 at the rear end portion 50a.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 5, when the first lid 3 is closed on the holder body 2, a gap 7 is formed between the first lid 3 and the pitch changer 50, spanning the entire width of the pitch changer 50. The height H3 of this gap 7 (the vertical distance between the bottom 52 of the housing 5 and the lower surface 3b of the first lid 3; see Fig. 7) is larger than the outer diameter of the optical fiber to be inserted, but small enough to prevent the optical fiber from overlapping in the vertical direction. The outer diameter of the optical fiber inserted into the optical fiber holder 1 is, for example, 180 µm to 200 µm. Therefore, the height H3 of the gap 7 is preferably 220 µm or more and 250 µm or less.

[0027] The first lid part 3 prevents the plurality of optical fibers housed in the gap 7 from floating upward. When the first lid part 3 is closed to the holder body 2, the first lid part 3 may or may not be in contact with the plurality of optical fibers.

[0028] When the second lid part 4 is closed to the holder body 2, the second lid part 4 presses the multiple optical fibers with the convex part 4b, thereby holding the multiple optical fibers in the storage part 5. Therefore, the second lid part 4 suppresses axial displacement of the multiple optical fibers stored in the gap 7. Therefore, the first lid part 3 does not need to press the multiple optical fibers stored in the gap 7.

[0029] [Method of Using the Optical Fiber Holder According to the Present Embodiment] Next, an example of a method of using the optical fiber holder 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0030] The optical fibers used in this example are intermittently connected optical fiber ribbons 10. The intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 is an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel, with connected sections where adjacent optical fibers are connected and non-connected sections where adjacent optical fibers are not connected intermittently provided in the longitudinal direction. The connected sections and non-connected sections are provided intermittently every two fibers. The connected sections and non-connected sections may also be provided intermittently every single fiber or every several fibers. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 is a 12-core optical fiber ribbon including a plurality of optical fibers 11A-11L. The intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 is provided with a ribbon resin 12 that thinly covers the entire circumference of the plurality of optical fibers 11A-11L. The ribbon resin 12 may be provided only between adjacent fibers at the connected sections. For example, an ultraviolet-curable resin may be used as the ribbon resin 12. As an example, the outer diameter of the optical fibers 11A to 11L in the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 is 200 μm, and the parallel pitch, which is the center-to-center distance between the fibers, is 200 μm.

[0031] The optical fiber holder 1 described above is in a state in which the first lid 3 and the second lid 4 are open relative to the holder body 2, as exemplified in Figures 1 to 3. The intermittently connectable optical fiber ribbon 10 is placed from above in the housing portion 5 of the optical fiber holder 1 in the state exemplified in Figures 1 to 3. At this time, the length by which the intermittently connectable optical fiber ribbon 10 protrudes forward from the optical fiber holder 1 is adjusted so as to be an appropriate length when the holder is set in a fusion splicer (an example of another device). The protruding length is, for example, 5 mm or more.

[0032] Of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 placed in the receiving section 5, the portion placed on the pitch changing section 50 has the pitch of the optical fiber changed (widened in this example) by the protrusions 51.

[0033] The worker visually checks that the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 is properly placed on the pitch changing section 50. After checking that the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 is properly placed on the pitch changing section 50, the worker closes the first lid 3 on the holder body 2.

[0034] This prevents the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 housed in the pitch changing section 50 from floating up, and the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 is housed in the gap 7, as shown in Fig. 7. In addition, the pitch of the portion of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 housed in the pitch changing section 50 is changed.

[0035] In the pitch changing section 50, the optical fibers 11A-11L appropriately contact the apexes and slopes of the protrusions 51, thereby changing the pitch of the intermittently connectable optical fiber ribbon 10. In particular, in the non-connecting section, the pitch is changed to match the pitch of the protrusions 51. At the rear end 50a of the protrusions 51, the average pitch of the 12 optical fibers 11A-11L is approximately equal to the pitch P1 (210 μm) of the protrusions 51. At the front end 50b of the protrusions 51, the average pitch of the 12 optical fibers 11A-11L is approximately equal to the pitch P2 (225 μm) of the protrusions 51. At this time, the connecting portions 12a of the ribbon resin 12 between the fibers in the intermittently connectable optical fiber ribbon 10 are placed on the apexes of the protrusions 51, and the optical fibers 11A-11L are slightly floating above the bottom 52 of the storage section 5. Since the height of the protrusions 51 is 0.1 mm or less, the optical fibers 11A to 11L do not rise significantly above the bottom 52, but rather float slightly or are in contact with the bottom 52. Also, at the connecting portion 12a of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10, a force acts to widen the gap between adjacent optical fibers due to contact with the protrusions 51. Since each protrusion 51 extends linearly from the rear end portion 50a to the front end portion 50b, and the pitch increases continuously in the longitudinal direction, a force to widen the gap between the optical fibers is also transmitted to the portion of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 that protrudes forward from the pitch changing portion 50.

[0036] Next, the worker closes the second lid portion 4 on the holder body 2. As a result, the intermittently connectable optical fiber ribbon 10 is held by the convex portion 4b of the second lid portion 4 and the housing portion 5.

[0037] After closing the second cover 4 on the holder body 2, the worker removes the ribbon resin 12 from the tip end of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 and the coating layers of the optical fibers 11A-11L, exposing a predetermined length of the glass fiber of the optical fibers 11A-11L. The predetermined length is a length that allows fusion splicing using a fusion splicer or the like. Because the optical fibers 11A-11L are each in a single-core state, the force in the pitch changing section 50 that tries to widen the spacing between the fibers causes the pitch of the glass fiber portion to be wider than the pitch at the front end 50b (for example, to an average pitch of about 240 μm).

[0038] In this state, the operator sets the optical fiber holder 1 in a predetermined position on the fusion splicer. The optical fiber holder 1 is positioned so that the end 2b of the holder body 2 is located approximately 4 to 5 mm away from the V-groove of the fusion splicer. The glass fiber portions of the 12 parallel optical fibers 11A to 11L are placed in each V-groove of the fusion splicer. The width of each V-groove of the fusion splicer is, for example, 0.255 mm, and the total pitch width of the 12 V-grooves is 2.805 mm (0.255 mm × 11). By using the optical fiber holder 1, even if the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 has a pitch of 200 μm, each fiber can be properly placed in the V-groove of the fusion splicer. The pitch of the glass fibers placed in the V-groove of the fusion splicer is 255 μm. By operating the fusion splicer in this state, the optical fibers 11A to 11L can be fused to multiple other optical fibers.

[0039] As described above, since there is a predetermined distance from the end of the optical fiber holder to the V-groove of the fusion splicer or the like, the pitch of the optical fibers on the optical fiber holder does not need to be approximately the same as the pitch of the V-groove. When the width of the V-groove of the fusion splicer or the like is 2.805 mm, all optical fibers can be properly placed in the V-groove as long as the center-to-center distance between the two outermost optical fibers among the multiple optical fibers arranged in parallel in the V-groove (hereinafter referred to as the total pitch width of the multiple optical fibers) is 2.605 mm to 2.870 mm. Based on this knowledge, in the optical fiber holder 1, when a two-core intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon is used, the pitch of the protrusions 51 at the rear end 50a is set to 210 μm, and the pitch of the protrusions 51 at the front end 50b is set to 225 μm, so that the total pitch width of the multiple optical fibers at the V-groove of the fusion splicer or the like can be 2.605 mm to 2.870 mm. As an example, when a two-core intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 having 12 optical fiber cores with an outer diameter of 200 μm was used, the total pitch width of the multiple optical fibers at the position of the V-groove of a fusion splicer or the like could be made 2.620 mm.

[0040] According to the optical fiber holder 1 described above, the pitch converting unit 50, which includes the protrusions 51 having a height of 0.1 mm or less and the flat bottom 52, can change the pitch of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 to match the pitch of a device such as a fusion splicer. Therefore, there is no need to remove the coating of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 on the optical fiber holder 1, so the length of the coating removed does not need to be longer than necessary. Furthermore, thanks to the pitch converting unit 50 and the first lid 3, which covers the optical fibers 11A-11L from above and prevents the optical fibers 11A-11L from floating up, the optical fiber holder 1 can be used not only for parallel-arranged single fibers but also for the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10.

[0041] Furthermore, according to the optical fiber holder 1, the pitch change section 50 is provided at one longitudinal end of the accommodating section 5, so that the pitch of the optical fiber core wires 11A to 11L can be changed at the front end 2b of the holder main body 2, and the pitch of the optical fiber core wires 11A to 11L protruding from the optical fiber holder 1 can also be continuously changed.

[0042] In the above example, the protrusions 51 are provided so as to reach the front end of the holder body 2, but they do not have to reach the front end of the holder body 2. It is sufficient that the optical fibers protruding from the front end of the optical fiber holder 1 are spaced at a predetermined interval. Furthermore, while the protrusions 51 are all provided so as to extend continuously in the front-rear direction of the holder body 2, they may also be provided intermittently in the front-rear direction so that the parallel spacing increases or decreases from the rear end to the front end. In this case, for example, if the protrusions are provided in the front-rear direction at intervals narrower than the length of the connection portions in the longitudinal direction of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon, the pitch of the optical fibers can be changed, as in the above example.

[0043] When the pitch of the optical fiber ribbon on the holder is widened to the same pitch as the V-groove pitch of a fusion splicer or the like, it is possible to hold the portion of the optical fiber ribbon separated into single glass fibers on the holder. However, in this case, the length of the glass fibers may become longer than necessary. With the optical fiber holder 1, there is no need to separate the intermittently connectable optical fiber ribbon 10 into single fibers on the optical fiber holder 1, so the coating removal length is not longer than necessary, and the coating end of the optical fiber can be made to reach sufficiently inside the protective sleeve.

[0044] Furthermore, according to the optical fiber holder 1, the optical fibers 11A to 11L can be held by the second lid portion 4, so there is no need for the first lid portion 3 to press the optical fibers 11A to 11L. Therefore, according to the optical fiber holder 1, the optical fibers 11A to 11L are less likely to be damaged.

[0045] Furthermore, the optical fiber holder 1 can prevent the first lid 3 from pinching and pressing the optical fibers 11A to 11L between itself and the bottom 52. Furthermore, the optical fiber holder 1 does not press the optical fibers 11A to 11L, so the optical fibers 11A to 11L can easily move in the parallel direction on the flat bottom 52, and the pitch can be changed without applying unnecessary external force to the optical fibers 11A to 11L.

[0046] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of the components described above are not limited to the above embodiments, and can be changed to the number, position, shape, etc. that are suitable for implementing the present disclosure.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the optical fiber holder 1 includes the holder body 2, the first lid portion 3, and the second lid portion 4, but may not include the second lid portion 4. In this case, the first lid portion 3 may be configured to cover the pitch change portion 50 and the first flat portion 60, or may be configured to cover the pitch change portion 50, the first flat portion 60, and the second flat portion 70. In this case, the first flat portion 60 or the first flat portion 60 and the second flat portion 70 may be provided with a plurality of protrusions having a configuration similar to the protrusion portion 51 (but with a constant pitch) and a plurality of bottoms having a configuration similar to the bottom portion 52.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 has been used for explanation, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The optical fiber ribbon used in the optical fiber holder 1 may be, for example, a non-intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to their respective longitudinal directions and collectively coated with a ribbon resin. Furthermore, the optical fiber used in the optical fiber holder 1 may be, for example, a configuration in which a plurality of single-core optical fibers are arranged side by side.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the first lid portion 3 covers the pitch change portion 50 when the first lid portion 3 is closed, but it may also cover only a part of the pitch change portion 50 .

[0050] The pitch of the protrusions 51 may be set so that the parallel spacing gradually decreases from the rear end 50a toward the front end 50b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1: Optical fiber holder 2: Holder body 2a: End 2b: End 2c:Top surface 3: First lid 3a: Hinge part 3b: Bottom surface 4: Second lid 4a: Hinge part 4b: Convex part 5: Storage area 5a: Rear end 7: Gap 10: Intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 11A~11L: Optical fiber core 12: Tape resin 12a: Connection part 50: Pitch conversion section 50a: Rear end 50b: Front end 51: Projection part 52: Bottom 60:First flat part 70:Second flat part

Claims

1. a holder body having a housing portion capable of housing a plurality of optical fiber cores in a parallel state; a first cover portion that can be opened and closed relative to the holder body and that can cover at least a part of the accommodation portion, the accommodating portion includes a pitch change portion having a plurality of juxtaposed protrusions and a plurality of flat bottom portions between the plurality of juxtaposed protrusions, the plurality of protrusions have a uniform height of 0.1 mm or less from the bottom, and are arranged such that the parallel spacing between the protrusions increases or decreases from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction; the pitch change portion is provided at one end of the accommodation portion in the longitudinal direction, the first lid portion is provided so as to be able to cover at least a portion of the pitch change portion, The optical fiber holder further includes a second lid portion that can be opened and closed relative to the holder body, and that, when closed relative to the holder body, covers an area in the accommodation portion different from the pitch changing portion and holds the optical fiber core wire accommodated in the accommodation portion, An optical fiber holder in which the first lid portion does not press against the optical fiber core wire housed in the accommodating portion, while the second lid portion presses against the optical fiber core wire housed in the accommodating portion.

2. 2. The optical fiber holder according to claim 1, wherein the height of the gap from the bottom to the first lid is 220 μm or more and 250 μm or less when the first lid is closed on the holder body.

3. 3. A method for connecting optical fiber cores using the optical fiber holder according to claim 1, comprising: a step of placing the plurality of optical fiber core wires on the pitch conversion section, converting the pitch of the plurality of optical fiber core wires placed on the pitch conversion section to a pitch of another device different from the optical fiber holder by the plurality of protrusions, and storing the optical fiber core wires in the storage section; A method for connecting optical fiber cores, comprising a step of connecting the plurality of pitch-converted optical fiber cores to another optical fiber core placed in another device different from the plurality of optical fiber cores.

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