JP2000066033A - Optical wiring storage rack and optical wiring connection rack - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an optical wiring storage rack capable of easily connecting optical fiber cores and storing the connected optical fiber cores with good space efficiency. SOLUTION: An optical wiring storage rack of the present invention connects an optical fiber core F in one optical cable C to an optical fiber core F in the other optical cable C, and sorts an optical transmission path. The optical connector attached to the end of the optical fiber core F in one optical cable C and the optical connector attached to the end of the optical fiber core F in the other optical cable C are connected to each other. It is characterized by being stored inside.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical wiring storage rack for distributing transmission paths of optical fiber cores in an optical cable, and an optical wiring connection rack for connecting optical fiber cores to each other.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, on a transmission path in a communication facility center or the like, an optical wiring connection rack for connecting one optical fiber core and another optical fiber core is installed. The optical wiring connection frame includes everything that connects optical fiber cores inside the frame, and includes, for example, FTM (Fiber Termination).
There are various types such as a so-called FTM rack for storing a module, and a so-called splitter module rack for storing a splitter module. Also, as one of the optical wiring connection racks, an optical wiring storage rack (hereinafter also referred to as an IFTM rack) which is arranged adjacent to the above-mentioned FTM rack or the like and arranges transmission paths of optical fiber cores in an optical cable. FTM)
There is also.

[0003] The IFTM rack connects an optical fiber core in one optical cable to an optical fiber core in the other optical cable to distribute an optical transmission path. That is, the IFTM frame is a preparation stage for introducing the optical fiber core in the optical cable into another optical equipment such as the FTM frame.
The purpose of the present invention is to sort the optical fibers for the purpose of arranging the transmission paths of the optical fibers. Through this IFTM rack, optical wiring in optical equipment such as an adjacent FTM rack can be easily and simply performed. In the IFTM frame, only the transmission paths are simply arranged, and the processing of signals in the optical fiber is not performed.

[0004]

Within the IFTM rack, thousands or more optical fiber cores are connected. In recent years, as the communication environment has been developed, the number of lines and the amount of communication information have been remarkably increased, and the number of optical fiber cores to be connected tends to increase. But until now,
The connection between optical fiber cores in the IFTM rack has been performed by fusion splicing.

[0005] The fusion splicing requires steps such as removal of the coating of the end of the optical fiber core, cutting and terminating the end of the exposed optical fiber, fusion by discharge, and attachment of a protective coating. Work efficiency was very poor. In addition, a space for accommodating the fusion spliced portion is required, and improvement in space efficiency has been desired. Furthermore, the optical fibers after fusion splicing tend to converge, making it difficult to identify the target optical fibers, and improvements in this regard have been desired.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an optical wiring storage rack and an optical wiring connection rack which can easily connect optical fiber cores and can store the connected optical fiber cores with good space efficiency. It is intended to provide.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber for connecting an optical fiber core in one optical cable to an optical fiber core in the other optical cable to distribute an optical transmission path. In the wiring storage rack, the optical connector attached to the end of the optical fiber core in one optical cable and the optical connector attached to the end of the optical fiber core in the other optical cable are connected. It is characterized by being stored inside.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a connection panel having a connector portion is provided inside, and attached to one end of an optical fiber core in one optical cable. A connector unit is provided on the connection panel for connecting the optical connector and the optical connector attached to the end of the optical fiber core in the other optical cable to each other.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the connection panel is attached so as to be swingable, and the optical connector is attached to an end of an optical fiber core in one optical cable. Is connected to the connector section from one side of the connection panel, and the optical connector attached to the end of the optical fiber core in the other optical cable is connected to the connector section from the other side of the connection panel. .

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2 or 3.
In the invention described in (1), the connection panel is detachably attached.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical wiring connection frame for connecting one optical fiber core wire and the other optical fiber core wire, wherein a connection panel mounted to be freely swingable is provided inside. The optical connector attached to the end of one optical fiber core from one side of the connection panel is connected, and the optical connector attached to the end of the other optical fiber core from the other side of the connection panel. The connector part to which the connector is connected is arranged on the connection panel.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the connection panel is detachably attached.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, the core wire holding arms horizontally extended on one side and the other side of the connection panel. It is characterized by having a part.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the optical wiring storage rack and the optical wiring connection rack of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a frame according to this embodiment which is an optical wiring connection frame and is also an optical wiring storage frame (IFTM frame). As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in the IFTM rack of the present embodiment, two panel mounting columns 2 are mounted in the frame 1 in the up-down direction. The arm mounting columns 3 are attached to the upper and lower sides, respectively.

Eight connection panels 4 are respectively attached to the panel mounting columns 2 on the near side and the rear side in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, each connection panel 4 is attached to the panel mounting column 2 so as to be swingable and detachable. Two hinge portions 10 are attached to the panel mounting column 2 for each connection panel 4. A panel holding member 9 having a C-shape in plan view, which is elastically deformable, is attached to the tip of each hinge portion 10. The panel holding member 9 has holding claws facing each other to hold the connection panel 4.

A pair of mounting holes 8 corresponding to the above-described panel holding members 9 are formed on the side of the connection panel 4 mounted on the panel mounting column 2. When the connection panel 4 is pushed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, the panel holding member 9 is elastically deformed, sandwiches the connection panel 4, and its holding claws fit into the mounting holes 8. As a result, the entire connection panel 4 is attached to the panel attachment column 2.

The connection panel 4 attached to the panel attachment column 2 can swing because it is attached via the hinge 10. In the present embodiment, in order to regulate the swing angle of the connection panel 4, a swing regulating member 11 is attached between the pair of hinges 10. The swing regulating member 11 is a rigid body that is not easily deformed, has a U-shaped cross section in plan view, and has a mounting side edge of the connection panel 4 mounted inside thereof.

On the connection panel 4, a connector section 6 for connecting an optical connector (not shown) attached to the end of the optical fiber core F to be connected is arranged. The connector section 6 connects the pair of optical connectors optically to each other by connecting the optical connectors from both one side and the other side of the connection panel 4. A handle forming hole 7 is formed at the end of the connection panel 4 opposite to the side where the mounting hole 8 is formed, so that the end of the connection panel 4 functions as a handle. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side of one side of the connection panel 4 and the side of the other side of the connection panel 4 are formed as shown in FIGS.
A core wire holding arm 5 protrudes from the arm mounting column 3 toward the near side and the back side in FIG. That is, two core wire holding arms 5 are arranged for each connection panel 4. The core wire holding arm 5 is formed as a columnar arm having a circular cross section. Further, the core wire holding arm portion 5 has a disk portion having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the circular cross section of the cylindrical arm portion at the tip.

Next, a procedure for connecting the optical fiber core F in the optical cable C by the above-mentioned IFTM frame will be briefly described.

The optical cable C contains tens to hundreds of optical fiber cores F, and the optical fiber cores F are often multi-core. For this reason, one optical cable C
In many cases, not all of the optical fiber cores F are connected to the same optical equipment, and it is necessary to rearrange and arrange transmission paths somewhere. It is the above-mentioned IFTM frame that distributes this transmission path.

The above-mentioned IFTM rack connects the optical fiber core F in one optical cable C and the optical fiber core F in the other optical cable C to distribute an optical transmission path. The optical fiber cores F are taken out from the inside of C, and an optical connector is attached to an end of each optical fiber core F.

The connection panel 4 is swung so that one side of the connection panel 4 faces the operator, and the connector 6
Is connected to the optical connector of one optical fiber core F. After a predetermined optical connector is connected from one side of the connection panel 4 to the connector section 6, the connection panel is swung to the opposite side so that the other side of the connection panel 4 faces the operator.

Next, corresponding to the optical connector already connected to one side of the connection panel 4, the other optical fiber core F from the other side of the connection panel 4 to the connector portion 6.
(See the dotted line at the lower right in FIG. 1). The optical fiber core F in one optical cable C
Are not necessarily connected to the same connection panel 4, and the optical fiber cores in one optical cable C may be connected to a plurality of connection panels 4.

One optical fiber core F is connected to the connection panel 4.
When the other optical fiber core F is connected to the connection panel 4, it is very easy to identify the optical fiber core F, and the connection operation can be performed smoothly. Can be. Further, when connecting the optical connector, the connection panel 4 can be swung so that the side to which the optical connector is connected faces the operator, so that the connection operation can be smoothly performed.

Furthermore, since the side where the optical connector is connected by swinging the connection panel 4 can be directed to the operator side, the identification of the optical fiber core F can be further facilitated.
Further, since the optical fiber cores F are connected via the connection panel 4, various information such as the core numbers of the optical fiber cores F can be described on the connection panel 4. The visibility can be improved to improve the connection work efficiency.

The optical fiber cores F connected to the connection panel 4 are collectively hooked on the core holding arm 5. Since the core holding arm 5 has a circular cross section, it does not apply any extra side pressure to the optical fiber core F and does not apply any extra force to the connector 6 due to the weight of the optical cable C. , The optical fiber core F can be held. In addition, the optical fiber core F is prevented from falling from the core holding arm 5 by a disk attached to the tip of the core holding arm 5.

As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 4, when the connecting panel 4 swings to some extent, the connecting panel 4 comes into contact with the swing regulating member 11, and the swing is regulated. By restricting the swing range of the connection panel 4, the optical fiber core F connected to the connection panel 4 may be unnecessarily bent or another optical fiber core F to which the optical fiber core F is adjacent. No extra lateral pressure is applied due to contact with If excessive bending or excessive lateral pressure is applied to the optical fiber core F, the transmission loss increases, or in the worst case, the optical fiber core F is broken, but if the swing angle is regulated by the swing regulating member 11, These can be effectively prevented.

It is preferable to use a free stop hinge which does not swing unless a certain amount of force is applied to the hinge portion 10. By using such a hinge, it is possible to prevent the connection panel 4 from arbitrarily swinging due to the weight of the optical cable C or the like, and it is possible to prevent excessive bending or excessive side pressure from being applied to the optical fiber core F. It can be effectively prevented.

Further, since the connection panel 4 is detachably attached, by preparing the connection panel 4 in which the connector section 6 is changed for each type of optical connector, it is possible to support all types of optical connectors. . In addition, if the connection panel 4 is made detachable, when the connection switching work of the optical fiber core F becomes necessary, the connection panel 4 can be moved together, so that the switching work can be flexibly supported. Become.

Further, the handle is formed at the end of the connection panel 4 by the handle forming hole 7, so that the connection panel 4 can be easily held at the time of operation such as swinging and detaching of the connection panel 4,
From this point, work efficiency can be improved.

In addition, most of all, the connection between the optical fiber cores F in the IFTM rack is performed using the connector, so that the connection operation is easy. Conventionally, IFTM
Since the connection between the optical fiber cores F on the rack has been performed by fusion splicing, the connection work efficiency can be drastically improved by performing this connection using a connector. In addition, since the connected optical connectors are arranged in a state of being arranged on the connection panel 4, there is no need to secure a space for accommodating the connection portion required at the time of fusion splicing, and the optical fiber is efficiently space-efficient. The cores F can be connected to each other.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the optical wiring storage frame (IFTM frame) and the optical wiring connection frame of the present invention. The rack of the present embodiment is also an optical wiring connection rack, and the optical wiring storage rack (I
FTM rack). In the present embodiment, the above-described FIGS.
Only the method of attaching the connection panel 40 to the panel attachment column 2 is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, only portions different from the above-described embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described, and the same or equivalent portions will be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the hinge portion 100
Then, a panel holding frame 90 having a U-shaped outer shape substantially equal to the outer shape of the connection panel 4 is attached. The panel holding frame 90 has a U-shaped cross section, and the connection panel 4 can be slid and inserted into a groove inside thereof. A pair of engagement recesses 80 are formed at the edge of the connection panel 4, and the engagement recesses 80 engage with engagement protrusions (not shown) formed in the grooves of the panel holding frame 90. Thereby, the connection panel 4 is locked so as not to be easily removed.
According to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 can be obtained.

It should be noted that the optical wiring storage frame (IFTM) of the present invention
The frame and the optical wiring connection frame are not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the swing restricting member 11 is provided for each connection panel 4, but a long one that can restrict all the swings of the plurality of connection panels 4 attached in the vertical direction is moved up and down. It may be arranged in the direction. The inventions according to claims 5 to 7 are also applicable to optical wiring connection frames other than the optical wiring storage frame (IFTM frame).

[0037]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the connection between the optical fibers in the optical wiring storage rack is performed using the optical connector, the connection operation can be performed quickly and easily. Thus, the connection work efficiency in the optical wiring storage rack can be dramatically improved. In addition, by using the optical connector, it is not necessary to provide a special space for accommodating the connection portion between the optical fibers, so that the space efficiency can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the optical fibers are connected to each other via the connector section arranged on the connection panel, the connection operation is performed in a state where the optical fibers are arranged. It can be carried out. For this reason, it is easy to visually identify the target optical fiber core, and the connection work efficiency can be further improved. Further, since the connector portions are arranged on the connection panel, the connection portion of the optical fiber can be accommodated with the best space efficiency.
Further, since the center number of the optical fiber core can be described on the connection panel, the target optical fiber core can be easily identified from this point.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the connection panel is swingably attached, and the optical fibers to be connected to each other are connected from one side and the other side of the connection panel. The connection operation can be performed with the surface of the connection panel to which the optical fiber core wires are connected facing the operator, and the connection operation can be performed more smoothly. In addition, since the surface on which the connection operation is performed by swinging the connection panel can be directed to the operator, the target optical fiber can be easily visually identified.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the connection panel can be attached and detached, it is possible to flexibly cope with all types of optical connectors. In addition, since the connection panel can be attached and detached, it is possible to flexibly cope with the switching operation of the optical fiber.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the optical fibers are connected to each other via the connector section arranged on the connection panel, so that the optical fibers are connected in an organized state. Work can be done. For this reason, it is easy to visually identify the target optical fiber core, and the connection work efficiency can be further improved. Further, since the connector portions are arranged on the connection panel, the connection portion of the optical fiber can be accommodated with the best space efficiency. Further, since the center number of the optical fiber core can be described on the connection panel, the target optical fiber core can be easily identified from this point.

Further, the connection panel is attached to be able to swing freely, and the optical fiber core wires connected to each other are:
Since the connection panel is connected from one surface side and the other surface side, the connection operation can be performed with the surface of the connection panel to which the optical fibers are connected facing the operator, and the connection operation can be performed more smoothly. In addition, since the surface on which the connection operation is performed by swinging the connection panel can be directed to the operator, the target optical fiber can be easily visually identified.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the connection panel can be attached and detached, it is possible to flexibly cope with all types of optical connectors. In addition, since the connection panel can be attached and detached, it is possible to flexibly cope with the switching operation of the optical fiber.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber core wire connected to the connector portion of the connection panel can be connected to the optical fiber holding arm portion, which is impossible for the optical fiber core wire and the optical connector. It is possible to prevent a force from being applied and prevent an increase in transmission loss and breakage of the optical fiber. In addition, since the optical fiber core is held on the core holding arm, the target optical fiber can be easily visually checked and taken out, and the connection work efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an optical wiring storage rack (optical wiring connection rack) of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part in an embodiment of an optical wiring storage rack (optical wiring connection rack) of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of another embodiment of the optical wiring storage rack (optical wiring connection rack) of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... frame, 2 ... panel mounting post, 3 ... arm mounting post,
4, 40 connection panel, 5 core holding arm part, 6 connector part, 7 handle formation hole, 8 mounting hole, 9 panel mounting member, 10, 100 hinge part, 80 engagement recess, C: optical cable, F: optical fiber core.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tetsuya Ito 1 Tayacho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa F-term in Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Yokohama Works 2H038 CA38

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber storage rack for connecting an optical fiber core in one optical cable to an optical fiber core in the other optical cable to distribute an optical transmission path. An optical wiring storage frame, wherein an optical connector attached to an end of a wire and an optical connector attached to an end of an optical fiber core in the other optical cable are housed inside in a connected state. . 2. A connection panel having a connector portion is provided inside, and an optical connector attached to an end of an optical fiber core in one optical cable and an end of an optical fiber core in the other optical cable. The optical wiring storage rack according to claim 1, wherein connector sections for connecting the attached optical connectors to each other are arranged on the connection panel. 3. An optical connector attached to an end of an optical fiber core wire in one optical cable, wherein the optical connector is connected to the connector portion from one surface side of the connection panel. The optical wiring storage rack according to claim 2, wherein an optical connector attached to an end of an optical fiber core in the other optical cable is connected to the connector portion from the other surface side of the connection panel. 4. The optical wiring storage rack according to claim 2, wherein the connection panel is detachably attached. 5. An optical wiring connection rack for connecting one optical fiber core wire to another optical fiber core wire, wherein a connection panel mounted swingably is provided inside, and a connection panel is provided from one side of the connection panel. A connector part to which an optical connector attached to an end of one optical fiber core is connected, and an optical connector attached to an end of the other optical fiber core from the other side of the connection panel. Are arranged on the connection panel. 6. The optical wiring connection frame according to claim 5, wherein the connection panel is detachably attached. 7. The light according to claim 6, further comprising a core wire holding arm portion extending horizontally on each of the one side and the other side of the connection panel. Wiring connection rack.