Optical Connector Ferrule Capillary for Rapid Fusion Splicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical connectors, particularly those using mechanical splicing, are complex and costly to manufacture, and fusion-spliced connectors require additional operations and specialized tools, making them unsuitable for rapid deployment in field settings like optical fiber access networks.
Innovation Solution
An optical connector component featuring a ferrule with a capillary and flange that includes a minute through hole and a coated-portion storage hole, allowing for easy fusion splicing of a short-length optical fiber to a main fiber, with a reinforcing member to secure the splice, enabling quick and efficient fusion splicing without additional site operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If mechanical splicing is used to attach short-length optical fiber to ferrule, then the optical connector can be assembled, but the manufacturing process becomes complicated and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-attaching the short-length optical fiber to the ferrule with the capillary and flange structure before deployment. The capillary holds the bare optical fiber portion while the flange provides support, preparing the connector for rapid fusion splicing at the actual site without requiring complex mechanical splicing operations during assembly.
2Reliability
If fusion splicing is performed at actual site, then spliced portion reliability improves, but additional operations and specialized tools are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares the optical fiber with a pre-defined structure including the bare optical fiber portion and coated optical fiber portion in advance. The capillary and flange are pre-configured to hold these portions, so that when fusion splicing is performed at the actual site, the operator only needs to perform the splicing operation without complex preparation steps, reducing operational complexity while maintaining reliability.
3Length of stationary object
If fusion-spliced portion is made shorter to store in housing, then the connector fits in housing, but the splicing operation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the optical fiber into distinct portions: the bare optical fiber portion held by the capillary and the coated optical fiber portion extending from the flange. This segmentation allows the fusion splicing to be performed on the accessible coated portion while the bare portion is securely held, enabling shorter overall length without compromising splicing ease.
4Productivity
If many optical splicing operations are performed in short time, then network construction speed increases, but operational complexity should be minimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the ferrule with capillary and flange structures, and pre-positioning the short-length optical fiber with defined bare and coated portions. This preparation eliminates the need for complex alignment and positioning operations during rapid splicing sequences, enabling multiple splicing operations to be performed quickly while keeping operational complexity low.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a fusion-spliced optical connector capable of easily performing a fusion-splicing operation at an actual site in a short time, without need to perform additional special operations. An optical connector component is configured to attach a short-length optical fiber to a ferrule including a capillary and a flange. The capillary comprises a minute through hole and a coated-portion storage hole formed in the capillary, the minute through hole to be stored therein the bare optical fiber portion of the short-length optical fiber and the coated-portion storage hole to be stored therein a part of a coated optical fiber portion of the short-length optical fiber continuous to the bare optical fiber portion. The flange includes a coated-portion penetrating hole formed in the flange to be penetrated therein a very short portion continuous to the part of the coated optical fiber portion stored in the coated-portion storage hole. The short-length optical fiber extends rearward from the coated-portion penetrating hole of the flange by a length of a required extra-length splice portion when the bare optical fiber portion is fixedly stored in the minute through hole of the capillary and the part of the coated optical fiber portion continuous to the bare optical fiber portion is fixedly stored in the coated-portion storage hole of the capillary.