Alignment member

Abstract

An alignment member (1) comprises a base part (4) and an alignment mechanism part (2) having a movable base part (21) disposed to overlap the base part, an alignment cover (22) disposed to overlap the movable base part, and a movable member (23) provided to the movable base part and / or the alignment cover, wherein: the movable base part is rotatably connected to the base part; the alignment cover is relatively rotatable to the movable base part; in a state where the movable base part and the alignment cover overlap each other, a slit (70) that is open on the opposite side from a connection portion with the base part and is able to house a plurality of optical fibers (20) in parallel is formed between the movable base part and the alignment cover; by the movable member being pulled or biased in a direction that closes the slit, at least part of the movable member protrudes so as to narrow or close the slit in an initial state; and the movable member is movable in a direction away from the slit by being pressed.

Description

Alignment member

[0001] The present disclosure relates to alignment members.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Application No. 2022-169021, filed on October 21, 2022, and incorporates by reference all of the contents of the aforementioned Japanese application.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an optical fiber holder that holds a plurality of optical fibers in an aligned state, and Patent Document 2 discloses a ribbonizing assembly that includes an alignment device.

[0004] International Publication No. 2012 / 140991 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0278511

[0005] An alignment member according to one aspect for achieving the above object comprises: a base portion; a movable base portion arranged on top of the base portion; an alignment lid arranged on top of the movable base portion; and an alignment mechanism portion having a movable member provided on at least one of the movable base portion and the alignment lid; wherein the movable base portion is rotatably connected to the base portion; and the alignment lid is rotatable relative to the movable base portion; when the movable base portion and the alignment lid are overlapped with each other, a slit is formed between the movable base portion and the alignment lid, the slit being open on the side opposite to the connection point with the base portion and capable of accommodating multiple optical fibers in parallel; when the movable member is pulled or urged in a direction to block the slit, at least a portion of the movable member protrudes in an initial state so as to narrow or block the slit; and when the movable member is pressed, it can be moved in a direction away from the slit.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an alignment member according to a first embodiment when the alignment mechanism is in an open state. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alignment member according to a first embodiment when the alignment mechanism is in a closed state. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a base portion and an alignment mechanism of the alignment member. FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a state in which the rotation of the movable base portion and the alignment lid is restricted by a restricting portion. FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a state in which the movable base portion and the alignment lid are overlapped with each other and the movable member is in an initial state position. FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state in which the movable base portion and the alignment lid are overlapped with each other and the movable member is pressed in a direction to open the slit and moves in a direction away from the slit. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alignment member according to a second embodiment.

[0007] (Problem to be Solved by the Present Disclosure) However, when aligning a plurality of optical fibers, if the optical fibers overlap, for example, the work must be redone. Therefore, when aligning a plurality of optical fibers, there is a need to align the plurality of optical fibers in a state in which each optical fiber is correctly positioned.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an alignment member that can reliably align a plurality of optical fibers.

[0009] Effect of the Present Disclosure According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an alignment member that can reliably align a plurality of optical fibers.

[0010] (Explanation of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure) First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. An alignment member according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: (1) a base portion; a movable base portion arranged to overlap the base portion; an alignment lid arranged to overlap the movable base portion; and an alignment mechanism portion having a movable member provided on at least one of the movable base portion and the alignment lid, wherein the movable base portion is rotatably connected to the base portion, and the alignment lid is rotatable relative to the movable base portion, and when the movable base portion and the alignment lid are overlapped with each other, a slit is formed between the movable base portion and the alignment lid, the slit being open on the side opposite to the connection point with the base portion and capable of accommodating a plurality of optical fibers in parallel, and when the movable member is pulled or urged in a direction to close the slit, at least a portion of the movable member protrudes in an initial state so as to narrow or close the slit, and when the movable member is pressed, it can be moved in a direction away from the slit. According to this configuration, for example, when an optical fiber is brought into contact with the movable member and pressed, the movable member moves, allowing the optical fiber to be accommodated in the slit. After the optical fiber is accommodated, the movable member is pulled or biased in a direction that closes the slit, causing at least a portion of the movable member to protrude so as to narrow or close the slit. Therefore, since the optical fiber can be accommodated in the slit simply by moving the movable member, there is no need to apply force to the movable base and the alignment cover. In other words, the slit can be prevented from widening, allowing the optical fibers accommodated in the slit to be maintained in an aligned state. Thus, according to the above configuration, multiple optical fibers can be reliably aligned.

[0011] (2) In the alignment member described in (1) above, the movable member may have a curved surface that is convex in a direction protruding into the slit when viewed from the depth direction of the slit. With this configuration, the movable member has a curved surface that is convex in a direction protruding into the slit when viewed from the depth direction of the slit, making it easier to press the optical fiber against the movable member, and as a result, to move the movable member in a direction away from the slit.

[0012] (3) In the alignment member described in (1) or (2) above, the movable member may be rotatable about an axis parallel to the depth direction of the slit. With this configuration, since the movable member is rotatable about an axis parallel to the depth direction of the slit, even if the optical fiber comes into contact with the movable member, excessive friction is unlikely to be generated on the optical fiber, making it difficult for the optical fiber to be damaged and making it easy to insert the optical fiber into the slit.

[0013] (4) In the alignment member described in any one of (1) to (3) above, the rotation axes of the movable base and the alignment lid are coaxial, and the base includes a rail portion for moving the movable base and the alignment lid along the rotation axis of the movable base and the alignment lid, and a restricting portion for restricting the rotation of the movable base and the alignment lid, the restricting portion being provided at a first position of the rail portion, and when the movable base and the alignment lid move to the first position via the rail portion, the restricting portion restricts the rotation of the movable base and the alignment lid, thereby maintaining the overlapped state of the movable base and the alignment lid. According to this configuration, when the movable base and the alignment lid move to the first position of the rail portion via the rail portion, the restricting portion restricts the rotation of the movable base and the alignment lid, so that the slit does not widen. In other words, the overlapped state of the movable base and the alignment lid can be maintained by simply moving the movable base and the alignment lid to the first position of the rail portion. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the rotation of the movable base part and the alignment lid is restricted by the restricting part, so that the slit does not widen, which improves workability when storing the optical fiber in the slit and allows the alignment of the optical fiber to be maintained.

[0014] (5) In the alignment member described in (4) above, the rail portion may be a shaft member for the pivot shaft. With this configuration, the rail portion is a shaft member for the pivot shaft of the movable base portion and the alignment cover, so that the alignment member can be configured simply and multiple optical fibers can be reliably aligned.

[0015] (6) The alignment member according to any one of (1) to (5) above may include two alignment mechanisms and a mounting portion for mounting an optical fiber holder that holds the plurality of optical fibers, and the mounting portion may be provided between the two alignment mechanisms. With this configuration, the plurality of optical fibers can be aligned from both sides in advance before being held in the optical fiber holder, thereby facilitating the operation of holding the plurality of optical fibers in the optical fiber holder.

[0016] (7) The alignment member according to any one of (1) to (5) above may further include a holding mechanism that holds the plurality of optical fibers, and the alignment mechanism and the holding mechanism may be arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers held by the holding mechanism. According to this configuration, the alignment mechanism and the holding mechanism are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers held by the holding mechanism, so that the alignment and holding of the plurality of optical fibers can be performed by a single alignment member.

[0017] (8) In the alignment member according to any one of (1) to (7) above, the movable member may be arranged in the initial state position by being pulled by a magnetic force in a direction that closes the slit. According to this configuration, the movable member is arranged in the initial state position by being pulled by a magnetic force in a direction that closes the slit. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the movable member can be stably attracted in the direction that closes the slit using a simple means.

[0018] (Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure) An alignment member 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. Furthermore, in the following description, the front-to-back direction, left-to-right direction, and up-to-down direction refer to the directions of arrows appropriately shown in each drawing. Note that in each drawing, 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.

[0019] First Embodiment An alignment member 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The alignment member 1 aligns a plurality of single optical fibers in parallel. In this embodiment, an optical fiber 20 (optical fiber core) in which the outer periphery of a glass fiber consisting of a core and a cladding is coated with resin will be described as an example. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the alignment member 1 holds a plurality of optical fibers 20. The optical fiber 20 is, for example, a single optical fiber having an outer diameter of 200 µm or 250 µm.

[0020] The alignment member 1 includes a first alignment mechanism 2, a second alignment mechanism 3, a first base 4, a second base 5, a mounting portion 6, a first connecting portion 7, and a second connecting portion 8. The first alignment mechanism 2 is provided on the front side of the alignment member 1 (in the direction of arrow F in the figure). The second alignment mechanism 3 is provided on the rear side of the alignment member 1 (in the direction of arrow B in the figure). The first alignment mechanism 2 and the second alignment mechanism 3 are provided so as to sandwich the mounting portion 6 between them. The first base 4 is provided on the front side of the alignment member 1, below the first alignment mechanism 2. The second base 5 is provided on the rear side of the alignment member 1, below the second alignment mechanism 3. The first base 4 and the second base 5 are provided on opposite sides of the mounting portion 6 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0021] The first alignment mechanism 2 has a movable base 21, an alignment lid 22, and a movable member 23. The second alignment mechanism 3 has a movable base 31, an alignment lid 32, and a movable member 33. The first base 4 has a base main body 41, legs 42, supports 43, rails 44, and a restricting member 45. The second base 5 has a base main body 51, legs 52, supports 53, rails 54, and a restricting member 55. The movable base 21 and alignment lid 22 of the first alignment mechanism 2 are rotatably connected to the rails 44 extending in the front-rear direction of the first base 4. The movable base 31 and alignment lid 32 of the second alignment mechanism 3 are rotatably connected to the rails 54 extending in the front-rear direction of the second base 5.

[0022] First, the first alignment mechanism 2 and the second alignment mechanism 3 will be described. The movable base 21 of the first alignment mechanism 2 is formed of a non-magnetic material, such as aluminum. A magnet M1 is provided on the surface of the movable base 21 facing the first base 4. A concave cutout 210 is provided on each of the lower front end and lower rear end of the movable base 21. The movable base 21 is connected to the first base 4 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the rail portion 44 of the first base 4. The rotation angle of the movable base 21 relative to the first base 4 is, for example, 100° to 120°. However, the rotation angle of the movable base 21 relative to the first base 4 need only be less than 180° and is not limited to 100° to 120°.

[0023] The alignment lid 22 is connected to the first base 4 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the rail portion 44 of the first base 4. Because both the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are connected to the rail portion 44, the rotation axes of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are coaxial. The alignment lid 22 is rotatable relative to the movable base 21. The rotation angle of the alignment lid 22 with respect to the first base 4 is, for example, 100° to 120°. However, the rotation angle of the alignment lid 22 with respect to the first base 4 need only be less than 180° and is not limited to 100° to 120°. At least a portion of the alignment lid 22 is formed from a magnetic material such as iron. Therefore, the alignment lid 22 is pulled toward the movable base 21 by the magnetic force of the magnet M1, and rotates toward the movable base 21. When the alignment lid 22 is pulled toward the movable base 21 by the magnetic force of the magnet M1, the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are placed one on top of the other. Note that the alignment lid 22 faces the movable base 21 when the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are placed one on top of the other.

[0024] As illustrated in Fig. 2, the alignment lid 22 includes a storage section 220 and a support shaft 221. The storage section 220 is a hole extending in the width direction of the alignment lid 22 (the front-rear direction in Fig. 2). As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the storage section 220 is provided at a position facing the magnet M1 in the left-right direction. The storage section 220 is formed so that at least the surface of the alignment lid 22 facing the movable base section 21 is open. The storage section 220 is configured to store the movable member 23.

[0025] 2, the support shaft 221 is a cylindrical shaft member extending in the width direction of the alignment lid 22 (the front-rear direction in FIG. 2). The support shaft 221 passes through the storage section 220 and is fixed to the alignment lid 22 at an end surface of the alignment lid 22. The support shaft 221 is arranged so as to be covered by the movable member 23 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0026] As illustrated in FIG. 1 , when the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are overlapped with each other, a slit 70 is formed between the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22. The slit 70 is open on the side opposite the connection point with the first base 4 and can accommodate multiple optical fibers 20 in parallel. Furthermore, a first tapered surface 71 and a second tapered surface 72 are formed on the opposing surfaces of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22, respectively, on the side opposite the connection point with the first base 4. The first tapered surface 71 and the second tapered surface 72 gradually separate toward each side edge of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22. The length D1 (see FIG. 5 ) of the slit 70 in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1 ) is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the optical fiber 20. Therefore, when multiple optical fibers 20 are inserted into the slit 70 from the outside, they can be inserted one by one. When inserting the optical fibers 20 into the slit 70, the first tapered surface 71 and the second tapered surface 72 smoothly guide the optical fibers 20 into the slit 70. The plurality of optical fibers 20 inserted into the slit 70 are accommodated within the slit 70 .

[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the movable member 23 is, for example, substantially cylindrical. The inner diameter of the movable member 23 is larger than the outer diameter of the support shaft 221. The support shaft 221 is inserted into the space inside the movable member 23. When the movable base 21 and the alignment cover 22 are overlapped with each other, the movable member 23 is movable in a direction away from or toward the slit 70. In this embodiment, when the movable member 23 is housed in the housing 220, it is movable in the thickness direction of the alignment cover 22 (the up-and-down direction in FIG. 2 ). The movable member 23 is made of a magnetic material such as iron. Therefore, the movable member 23 is attracted toward the movable base 21 by the magnetic force of the magnet M1 (see FIG. 1 ). Therefore, when the movable base 21 and the alignment cover 22 are overlapped with each other, the movable member 23 is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet M1 in a direction that blocks the slit 70. The movable member 23 has a curved surface 230 (see FIG. 5) that is convex in a direction protruding into the slit 70 (leftward in FIG. 5) when viewed from the depth direction of the slit 70 (front-rear direction in FIG. 2). In other words, the movable member 23 has a curved surface 230 that is convex in a direction protruding into the slit 70 when viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis AX1 of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22. The movable member 23 is rotatable around an axis parallel to the depth direction of the slit 70. In other words, the movable member 23 is rotatable around a rotation axis AX2 that is parallel to the rotation axis AX1 of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22.

[0028] The movable base 31, alignment lid 32, and movable member 33 of the second alignment mechanism 3 have the same configuration as the movable base 21, alignment lid 22, and movable member 23 of the first alignment mechanism 2, but with the front-to-back direction reversed, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. As illustrated in Figure 1, a magnet M2 is provided on the surface of the movable base 31 facing the second base 5.

[0029] Next, the first base 4 and the second base 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . The base main body 41 of the first base 4 is substantially rectangular. A magnet M3 is provided on the upper surface 410 of the base main body 41. When the first alignment mechanism 2 is rotated toward the base main body 41, i.e., when the first alignment mechanism 2 is displaced from the state illustrated in FIG. 1 to the state illustrated in FIG. 2 , the movable base 21 is attracted toward the base main body 41 by the magnetic force between the magnets M1 and M3. Note that the magnetic force of the magnet M1 acts indirectly on the alignment lid 22 via the movable base 21, which is made of a non-magnetic material. Therefore, the force acting on the alignment lid 22 by the magnetic force of the magnet M1 to attract it to the movable base 21 is weaker than the force acting on the movable base 21 by the magnetic force between the magnets M1 and M3 to attract it to the first base 4.

[0030] The legs 42 are provided on both the left and right sides of the base main body 41. The length of the legs 42 in the height direction (the vertical direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) decreases with increasing distance from the base main body 41. A cavity 421 is provided in an upper surface 420 of the leg 42.

[0031] The support portion 43 is provided on the front side of the base main body portion 41. The support portion 43 is a plate-like member with an arc-shaped upper end portion. A first support hole 430 is provided in the upper portion of the support portion 43. The first support hole 430 is, for example, circular.

[0032] 1 , the rail portion 44 is, for example, substantially cylindrical. The rail portion 44 is supported by a first support hole 430 provided in the support portion 43 and a second support hole 450 provided in the restriction portion 45. The movable base portion 21 and the alignment lid 22 of the first alignment mechanism 2 are rotatably connected to the rail portion 44. The rail portion 44 is an axial member of the rotation axis AX1 of the movable base portion 21 and the alignment lid 22. The movable base portion 21 and the alignment lid 22 can move via the rail portion 44 along the axial direction of the rotation axis AX1 of the movable base portion 21 and the alignment lid 22 (the front-to-rear direction in FIG. 1 ).

[0033] 3 , the restricting portion 45 is provided at a first end 441 (an example of a first position) of the rail portion 44. The first end 441 is provided at a position facing the support portion 43 with respect to the base main body portion 41. That is, in this embodiment, the first end 441 is provided at the rear end of the rail portion 44. Furthermore, a second end 442 (an example of a second position) is provided at a position on the rail portion 44 opposite the first end 441. That is, in this embodiment, the second end 442 is provided at the front end of the rail portion 44.

[0034] The restricting portion 45 has a stepped portion 46. The shape of the stepped portion 46 is complementary to the shape of the notch 210 of the movable base 21. Therefore, for example, when the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are moved from the second end 442 to the first end 441 while overlapping each other, and the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are rotated toward the base main body 41, the notch 210 abuts against the stepped portion 46, as illustrated in FIG. 4 . Therefore, the rotation of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 is restricted by the restricting portion 45. In other words, the restricting portion 45 can restrict the rotation of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22. In this way, the rotation of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 is restricted by the restricting portion 45, thereby maintaining the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 in an overlapping state.

[0035] The base main body 51, legs 52, support parts 53, rail parts 54, and restricting parts 55 of the second base 5 have the same configuration as the base main body 41, legs 42, support parts 43, rail parts 44, and restricting parts 45 of the first base 4, but with the front-to-back direction reversed, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. As illustrated in Fig. 1, a magnet M4 is provided on the upper surface 510 of the base main body 51.

[0036] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the mounting portion 6 is configured to be able to mount an optical fiber holder (not shown) that holds multiple optical fibers. The mounting portion 6 is provided between the first alignment mechanism 2 and the second alignment mechanism 3. The mounting portion 6 is substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped. The mounting portion 6 is substantially square-shaped when viewed from above. The four corners of the mounting portion 6 are rounded. However, the four corners of the mounting portion 6 may also be angular. The length of the mounting portion 6 in the left-right direction is longer than the length of the base main body 41 in the left-right direction. A protrusion 61 is provided on the upper surface 60 of the mounting portion 6. The protrusion 61 protrudes upward from the upper surface 60. For example, the optical fiber holder is positioned relative to the mounting portion 6 by inserting the protrusion 61 into a hole provided on the bottom surface of the optical fiber holder, thereby mounting the optical fiber holder on the mounting portion 6.

[0037] The first connecting portion 7 has a substantially L-shape in top view. The first connecting portion 7 is provided between the first base portion 4 and the mounting portion 6. The first connecting portion 7 is configured to connect the first base portion 4 and the mounting portion 6.

[0038] The second connecting portion 8 is substantially L-shaped in top view and is provided between the second base portion 5 and the mounting portion 6. The second connecting portion 8 is configured to connect the second base portion 5 and the mounting portion 6.

[0039] Next, referring to Figures 5 and 6, the manner in which the optical fiber 20 is accommodated in the slit 70 will be described. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the state in which the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are overlapped with each other and the movable member 23 is in the initial state position. Note that the initial state is a state in which the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are overlapped with each other and the magnetic force of the magnet M1 acts on the movable member 23, pulling it and displacing it toward the movable base 21. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the state in which the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are overlapped with each other and the movable member 23 is pressed in the direction to open the slit 70 and moves in the direction away from the slit 70.

[0040] 5, in the initial state, the movable member 23 is pulled in a direction that blocks the slit 70 by the magnetic force of the magnet M1 provided on the movable base portion 21, so that a portion of the movable member 23 protrudes to block the slit 70. Therefore, in the state illustrated in FIG. 5, the movable member 23 prevents the optical fiber 20A housed in the slit 70 from jumping out of the slit 70 (upward in FIG. 5).

[0041] When the movable member 23 is in the initial state, if the optical fiber 20B (see FIG. 6 ) is inserted toward the slit 70 from the outside of the slit 70 (upper side in FIG. 5 ), the optical fiber 20B comes into contact with the curved surface 230 of the movable member 23. After the optical fiber 20B comes into contact with the curved surface 230, if an attempt is made to move the optical fiber 20B further toward the inside of the slit 70 (lower side in FIG. 5 ), the movable member 23 is pressed in a direction that opens the slit 70 (toward the right in FIG. 6 ), and moves in a direction away from the slit 70 (toward the right in FIG. 6 ), as illustrated in FIG. 6 . When the movable member 23 moves in a direction away from the slit 70, a gap large enough to allow the optical fiber 20B to pass through is formed in the slit 70, so that the optical fiber 20B can be moved below the movable member 23. In this way, in the alignment member 1, even when the movable base portion 21 and the alignment cover 22 are overlapped with each other, the optical fiber 20B can be accommodated in the slit 70 by bringing the optical fiber 20B into contact with the movable member 23 and pressing it. By repeating this operation and accommodating a plurality of (for example, 12) optical fibers 20 in the slit 70, the plurality of optical fibers 20 can be aligned in a row.

[0042] After the multiple optical fibers 20 have been aligned by the first alignment mechanism 2 and the second alignment mechanism 3, the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are moved to the second end 442 while they are overlapped, and the movable base 31 and the alignment lid 32 are moved to the second end 442 while they are overlapped. Next, the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are tilted onto the base main body 41, and the movable base 31 and the alignment lid 32 are tilted onto the base main body 51. This allows the aligned multiple optical fibers 20 to be set in the optical fiber holder that has been placed on the mounting unit 6 in advance.

[0043] According to the alignment member 1 described above, when the optical fibers 20 are brought into contact with and pressed against the movable member 23, the movable member 23 moves in a direction that opens the slit 70, thereby allowing the optical fibers 20 to be accommodated in the slit 70. After the optical fibers 20 are accommodated, the movable member 23 is pulled in a direction that closes the slit 70, causing a portion of the movable member 23 to protrude so as to close the slit 70. Therefore, the optical fibers 20 can be accommodated in the slit 70 simply by moving the movable member 23, and no force needs to be applied to the movable base member 21 and the alignment lid 22. In other words, the slit 70 can be maintained in a closed state without applying force to the movable base member 21 and the alignment lid 22, allowing the optical fibers 20 accommodated in the slit 70 to be maintained in an aligned state. Therefore, the alignment member 1 allows the alignment of multiple optical fibers 20 reliably.

[0044] Furthermore, with the alignment member 1 described above, the movable member 23 has a curved surface 230 that is convex in the direction protruding into the slit 70 when viewed from the depth direction of the slit 70. Therefore, with the alignment member 1, the movable member 23 can be easily pressed by the optical fibers 20, which in turn makes it easy to move the movable member 23 in the direction away from the slit 70 (the direction to open the slit 70).

[0045] Furthermore, with the alignment member 1 described above, the movable member 23 can rotate around an axis parallel to the depth direction of the slit 70. Therefore, with the alignment member 1, even if the optical fibers 20 come into contact with the movable member 23, excessive frictional force is unlikely to be generated on the optical fibers 20, so the optical fibers 20 are unlikely to be damaged and the optical fibers 20 can be easily accommodated in the slit 70.

[0046] Furthermore, with the alignment member 1 described above, when the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 move via the rail 44 to the first end 441 (an example of a first position) of the rail 44, the restricting portion 45 restricts the rotation of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22, so that the slit 70 does not widen. That is, the length D1 (see FIG. 5 ) of the slit 70 in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1 ) does not increase. In other words, simply moving the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 to the first end 441 of the rail 44 allows the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 to remain overlapped with each other. Therefore, with the alignment member 1, restricting the rotation of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 with the restricting portion 45 prevents the slit 70 from widening, improving workability when placing the optical fibers 20 in the slit 70 and maintaining the alignment of the optical fibers 20.

[0047] Furthermore, according to the alignment member 1 described above, the rail portion 44 is an axial member of the rotation axis AX1 of the movable base portion 21 and the alignment lid 22, so that the configuration of the alignment member 1 can be simplified while reliably aligning multiple optical fibers 20.

[0048] Furthermore, with the above-described alignment member 1, the multiple optical fibers 20 can be aligned from both sides in advance before being held in the optical fiber holder, which makes it easier to hold the multiple optical fibers 20 in the optical fiber holder.

[0049] Furthermore, with the alignment member 1 described above, the movable member 23 is positioned in its initial state by being pulled by the magnetic force of the magnet M1 in a direction that blocks the slit 70. Therefore, with the alignment member 1, the slit 70 can be stably blocked with a simple means.

[0050] Second Embodiment Next, an alignment member 1A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 . In the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted as appropriate. The alignment member 1A is used to align a single optical fiber in parallel with a plurality of optical fibers and to hold the plurality of optical fibers. As illustrated in Fig. 7 , the alignment member 1A includes a first alignment mechanism 2, a base 9, a holding mechanism 11, and a connecting portion 12.

[0051] The base portion 9 differs from the first base portion 4 in that it does not have legs and that its length in the height direction (vertical direction in Figure 7) is shorter than the length in the height direction (vertical direction in Figure 1) of the first base portion 4; however, since it is otherwise similar to the first base portion 4, detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0052] The holding mechanism 11 is configured to hold a plurality of optical fibers 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The first alignment mechanism 2 and the holding mechanism 11 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers 20 held in the holding mechanism 11. As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the holding mechanism 11 is arranged rearward of the first alignment mechanism 2. The holding mechanism 11 includes a holder main body 110, an accommodation groove 111, and a holding lid 112. The holder main body 110 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The holder main body 110 is provided rearward of the base 9. A magnet M5 is provided on the top surface of the holder main body 110 on one side (right side) to which the holding lid 112 is connected and on the opposite side (left side).

[0053] The storage groove 111 is provided on the upper surface of the holder main body 110. The storage groove 111 is a groove for storing a plurality of optical fibers 20 in parallel. In this embodiment, the plurality of optical fibers 20, whose aligned state is maintained by the first alignment mechanism 2, are stored in the storage groove 111. A holding lid 112 is provided on one side (right side) of the holder main body 110.

[0054] The holding lid 112 has a hinge portion 113. The hinge portion 113 is disposed in a holding groove 114 formed in the holder main body 110. The holder main body 110 is provided with a connecting pin (not shown) that penetrates the holding groove 114. The connecting pin is inserted into an insertion hole (not shown) formed in the hinge portion 113. As a result, the holding lid 112 is connected to the holder main body 110 so as to be rotatable within a range of approximately 180° around the axis of the connecting pin provided in the holder main body 110. Therefore, by rotating the holding lid 112, the top surface of the holder main body 110 can be opened and closed. When the holding lid 112 is rotated toward the top surface of the holder main body 110, it is positioned so as to cover the top of the storage groove 111.

[0055] The holding lid 112 is provided with a pressing plate 116 made of an elastic material such as rubber on the surface facing the holder body 110. When the holding lid 112 is rotated toward the upper surface of the holder body 110, the pressing plate 116 is positioned above the accommodating groove 111.

[0056] The holding lid 112 is made of a magnetic material such as iron. When the holding lid 112 is placed on the upper surface of the holder main body 110, the holding lid 112 comes into contact with or is close to the magnet M5. When the holding lid 112 is placed on the upper surface of the holder main body 110, the holding lid 112 is pulled toward the holder main body 110 by the magnetic force of the magnet M5. In this way, the holding lid 112 is pulled toward the holder main body 110 by the magnetic force of the magnet M5, and the optical fiber 20 accommodated in the accommodation groove 111 is pressed and held by the holding lid 112.

[0057] A guide portion 117 is provided on the upper surface of the holder body 110 at a position where the holding lid 112 does not overlap. The guide portion 117 is provided on the edge of the accommodation groove 111, on the side opposite to the connecting side of the holder body 110 and the holding lid 112.

[0058] The connecting portion 12 is provided between the base portion 9 and the holder main body 110. The connecting portion 12 is configured to connect the base portion 9 and the holder main body 110 together.

[0059] The operating procedure for the alignment member 1A is as follows: first, with the holding lid 112 open, the first alignment mechanism 2 aligns the multiple optical fibers 20 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Next, with the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 overlapping each other, the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are moved from the first end 441 (an example of a first position) to the second end 442 (an example of a second position) and tilted onto the base 9. As a result, the multiple optical fibers 20 are accommodated in the accommodation groove 111 in an aligned state. Next, when the holding lid 112 is closed, the aligned multiple optical fibers 20 can be held by the holding mechanism 11, and the multiple optical fibers 20 can be set together with the alignment member 1A in a subsequent process, such as a fusion splicer.

[0060] The alignment member 1A according to the second embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the alignment member 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0061] Furthermore, according to the alignment member 1A described above, the first alignment mechanism 2 and the holding mechanism 11 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 20 held by the holding mechanism 11, so that alignment and holding of multiple optical fibers 20 can be performed with a single alignment member 1A.

[0062] 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.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the state in which the movable member 23 initially protrudes to block the slit 70 is achieved by the magnetic force of the magnet M1, but this may also be achieved by the elastic force of an elastic member such as a spring. That is, the movable member 23 may be biased in the direction of blocking the slit 70 by the elastic force of an elastic member such as a spring, causing at least a portion of the movable member 23 to protrude so as to narrow or block the slit 70. In this case, an elastic force acts on the movable member 23 from the movable base part 21 toward the alignment lid 22, or from the alignment lid 22 toward the movable base part 21.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the movable member 23 is accommodated in a storage section 220 formed in the alignment lid 22, but it may also be accommodated in a storage section formed in the movable base section 21, or it may be accommodated so as to straddle both the storage section 220 and the storage section formed in the movable base section 21.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the movable base portion 21 and the alignment lid 22 move along the axial direction of the rotation axis AX1 via the rail portion 44, but they may also move along the axial direction of the rotation axis AX1 via, for example, a slider provided on the base main body portion 41.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the restricting portion 45 is provided at the first end 441 of the rail portion 44, but may be provided at another position between the first end 441 and the second end 442. In this case, the another position is an example of the first position.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are moved from the second end 442 to the first end 441 while overlapping each other, thereby restricting the rotation of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 by the restricting portion 45. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 may be moved from a first intermediate position (an example of the first position) between the first end 441 and the second end 442 to a second intermediate position (an example of the second position) while overlapping each other, thereby restricting the rotation of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 by the restricting portion 45 provided at the second intermediate position.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the movable member 23 protrudes so as to block the slit 70 in the initial state, but the slit 70 does not have to be completely blocked by the movable member 23. For example, the movable member 23 may protrude in the initial state so as to narrow or block the slit 70 to the extent that the gap between the movable member 23 and the movable base portion 21 is smaller than the outer diameter of the optical fiber 20 to be aligned.

[0069] In the above embodiment, a portion of the movable member 23 protrudes so as to block the slit 70 in the initial state, but the entire movable member 23 may protrude so as to block the slit 70 .

[0070] In the above embodiment, the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are connected to the first base 4, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the movable base 21 may be rotatably connected to the first base 4, while the alignment lid 22 may be rotatably connected to the movable base 21. Alternatively, the alignment lid 22 may be rotatably connected to the first base 4, while the movable base 21 may be rotatably connected to the alignment lid 22. In either case, the alignment lid 22 is rotatable relative to the movable base 21. Furthermore, in either case, the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are rotatable relative to the first base 4.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the rotation axes of the movable base 21 and the alignment lid 22 are the same, but the rotation axis of the movable base 21 and the rotation axis of the alignment lid 22 may be different rotation axes.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the movable member 23 rotates around the rotation axis AX2, but it is sufficient that it rotates around an axis parallel to the depth direction of the slit 70, and is not limited to rotating around the rotation axis AX2.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the movable member 23 is attracted toward the movable base 21 by the magnetic force of the magnet M1, but it may also be attracted toward the movable base 21 by the magnetic force of a magnet other than the magnet M1. In this case as well, with the movable base 21 and the alignment cover 22 overlapping each other, the movable member 23 is attracted in a direction that closes the slit 70 by the magnetic force of the other magnet.

[0074] In the second embodiment, the first alignment mechanism part 2 is provided in front of the connecting part 12, and the holding mechanism part 11 is provided behind the connecting part 12, but the first alignment mechanism part 2 may be provided behind the connecting part 12, and the holding mechanism part 11 may be provided in front of the connecting part 12.

[0075] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A: Alignment member 2: First alignment mechanism 3: Second alignment mechanism 4: First base 5: Second base 6: Placement section 7: First connecting section 8: Second connecting section 9: Base section 11: Holding mechanism 12: Connecting section 20, 20A, 20B: Optical fiber 21, 31: Movable base section 22, 32: Alignment lid 23, 33: Movable member 41, 51: Base main body section 42, 52: Leg section 43, 53: Support section 44, 54: Rail section 45, 55: Restriction section 46: Step section 60: Upper surface section 61: Protrusion 70: Slit 71: First tapered surface 72: Second tapered surface 110: Holder main body 111: Storage groove 112: Holding lid 113: Hinge section 114: Holding groove 116: Presser plate section 117: Guide portion 210: Notch portion 220: Storage portion 221: Support shaft 230: Curved surface 410, 510: Upper surface of base main body portion 420: Upper surface of leg portion 421: Hollow portion 430: First support hole 441: First end portion 442: Second end portion 450: Second support hole AX1, AX2: Rotation axis M1, M2, M3, M4, M5: Magnets

Claims

1. A base portion; a movable base portion disposed over the base portion, an alignment cover disposed over the movable base portion, and an alignment mechanism portion having a movable member provided on at least one of the movable base portion and the alignment cover, the movable base portion is pivotally connected to the base portion, The alignment lid is rotatable relative to the movable base portion, When the movable base part and the alignment lid are overlapped with each other, a slit is formed between the movable base part and the alignment lid, the slit being open on the side opposite to the connection part with the base part and capable of accommodating a plurality of optical fibers in parallel, When the movable member is pulled or biased in a direction to close the slit, at least a portion of the movable member protrudes in an initial state so as to narrow or close the slit, The movable member is an alignment member that is movable in a direction away from the slit when pressed.

2. The alignment member according to claim 1 , wherein the movable member has a curved surface that is convex in a direction protruding into the slit when viewed from a depth direction of the slit.

3. The alignment member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movable member is rotatable about an axis parallel to a depth direction of the slit.

4. The rotation axis of the movable base part and the rotation axis of the alignment cover are the same axis, the base portion includes a rail portion for moving the movable base portion and the alignment lid along a rotation axis of the movable base portion and the alignment lid, and a restricting portion for restricting the rotation of the movable base portion and the alignment lid, The restricting portion is provided at a first position of the rail portion, An alignment member as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein when the movable base part and the alignment lid move to the first position via the rail part, the rotation of the movable base part and the alignment lid is regulated by the regulating part, and the movable base part and the alignment lid are maintained in a superimposed state.

5. The alignment member according to claim 4 , wherein the rail portion is a shaft member of the rotation shaft.

6. the alignment mechanism includes two alignment members and a placement member for placing an optical fiber holder that holds the optical fibers; The alignment member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the placement portion is provided between two of the alignment mechanism portions.

7. A holding mechanism for holding the plurality of optical fibers is further provided.

3. The alignment member according to claim 1, wherein the alignment mechanism and the holding mechanism are arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber held by the holding mechanism.

8. 3. The alignment member according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is arranged in the initial state position by being pulled in a direction to close the slit by a magnetic force.