Fusion Splicer Guide Walls Prevent Fiber Sliding
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Solution Overview
Problem
In fusion splicers, the bare fiber portions of optical fibers tend to spread and slide out of V-grooves during the splicing process, leading to alignment issues and potential fusion splicing failures.
Innovation Solution
A fusion splicer with a base member having V-grooves and pair of guide walls disposed at an interval in the width direction, where the guide walls have inclined surfaces that contact the optical fibers, preventing them from spreading by pushing them back into the V-grooves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bare fiber portions are placed in V-grooves without additional guide structures, then the device structure remains simple, but the fibers spread in the width direction and slide out of the V-grooves
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure is segmented into a pair of separate guide walls rather than a single monolithic structure. Each guide wall has inclined surfaces that contact specific fibers, allowing independent positioning control while maintaining overall structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The guide walls are disposed at an interval in the width direction, creating a three-dimensional guide structure that constrains fiber movement in the width direction while maintaining simple two-dimensional V-groove geometry in the longitudinal direction
2Manufacturing precision
If guide walls with inclined surfaces are added to prevent fiber spreading, then fiber alignment precision improves, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined surfaces are provided only at specific locations where fibers need guidance, rather than modifying the entire guide structure. Each guide wall has inclined surfaces that contact specific fibers, providing localized precision control
Solution Approach 2:
The pair of guide walls are disposed at an interval in the width direction, creating an asymmetric configuration that provides effective fiber guidance while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized components
3Ease of operation
If the guide walls are disposed close together, then the structure remains compact, but fibers cannot be effectively guided into the V-grooves
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined surfaces of the guide walls are configured to preemptively counteract the natural spreading tendency of bare fibers before they can slide out of the V-grooves, effectively guiding them into position through the inclined contact surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A fusion splicer (1) for fusion-splicing a plurality of optical fibers (3L), arranged side by side along a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction, with respective other optical fibers (3R) includes a base member (11L) with a groove portion (17L) having a plurality of V-grooves formed therein for setting the plurality of optical fibers (3L), and a pair of guide walls (12FL, 12BL) configured to guide setting of the plurality of optical fibers (3L) into the plurality of V-grooves, wherein the pair of guide walls (12FL, 12BL) are disposed at an interval in a width direction of the groove portion (17L), one (12FL) of the guide walls constituting the pair has a guide surface (GF1) capable of coming into contact with one of the plurality of optical fibers (3L), another one (12BL) of the guide walls constituting the pair has a guide surface (GF2) capable of coming into contact with another one of the plurality of optical fibers (3L), and each guide surface (GF1, GF2) includes a portion inclined toward the groove portion (17L) when viewed along a direction of extension of the plurality of V-grooves.