JP2019144545A - Method for producing light guide with terminals, jig and manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method, a jig and a manufacturing apparatus of a light guide body with a terminal capable of easily and surely inserting an optical fiber into a terminal. SOLUTION: An insertion step S1 for inserting one or a plurality of optical fibers into a hollow cylinder-shaped terminal member, a fixing step S2 for fixing the terminal member to the optical fiber, and one end of the terminal member. The cutting step S3 of cutting the optical fiber protruding from the protrusion with a heated cutting tool is included, and the insertion step includes a first opening into which the optical fiber is inserted and an opening diameter along the penetrating direction from the first opening. A reduced diameter portion forming a conical wall surface to be reduced, a straight portion extending from the end portion of the reduced diameter portion with the same opening diameter as the end portion, and an opening diameter connected to the straight portion and larger than the opening diameter of the straight portion. For a jig having a diameter-expanded portion and a second opening connected to the diameter-expanded portion and extending an optical fiber, a terminal member is attached to the diameter-expanded portion from the second opening side to form a first opening. The optical fiber is inserted from the side, and is inserted into the terminal member via the reduced diameter portion and the straight portion. [Selection diagram] Fig. 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a light guide with terminal that is connected to a connector or the like and transmits light, a jig used for manufacturing a light guide with terminal, and a manufacturing apparatus.

  Conventionally, a light guide with a terminal in which a terminal is attached to one or a plurality of optical fibers is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, in the manufacture of a light guide with a terminal, an adhesive is interposed between optical fibers and aggregated by the surface tension of the adhesive, and then the adhesive is cured and then inserted into the terminal.

JP 2013-125195 A

  However, when the end portion of the optical fiber is bundled with an adhesive or a tape and then inserted into the terminal, there is a possibility that the fiber breaks during insertion. As another insertion method, a method of inserting optical fibers one by one into a terminal is conceivable, but man-hours are required when inserting one optical fiber at a time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method, a jig, and a manufacturing apparatus of a light guide with a terminal capable of easily and surely inserting an optical fiber into a terminal. To do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a method of manufacturing a light guide with a terminal according to the present invention includes a jig for a hollow cylindrical terminal member and one or more optical fibers via a jig. An insertion step for inserting the terminal member; a fixing step for fixing the terminal member to the optical fiber; and a cutting step for cutting the optical fiber protruding from one end of the terminal member with a heated cutting tool; The jig includes a first opening into which the optical fiber is inserted, a reduced diameter portion that forms a conical wall whose opening diameter decreases from the first opening along the penetration direction, and the reduced diameter. A linear portion extending from the end of the diameter portion with the same opening diameter as the end portion, a diameter-expanding portion connected to the straight-line portion and having an opening diameter larger than the opening diameter of the straight-line portion, and connected to the diameter-expanding portion A second opening from which the optical fiber extends, and the insertion For the jig, the terminal member is attached to the enlarged diameter portion from the second opening side, the optical fiber is inserted from the first opening side, and the reduced diameter portion and the straight portion are passed through. And it is made to penetrate through the member for terminals.

  Moreover, the manufacturing method of the light guide with a terminal concerning this invention WHEREIN: The said optical fiber is a plastic fiber in said invention, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In the method for manufacturing a light guide with a terminal according to the present invention, in the above invention, the fixing step may be performed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the terminal member by crimping the terminal member. A plurality of plane portions are formed on the substrate.

  The method for manufacturing a light guide with a terminal according to the present invention includes a plurality of the optical fibers according to the invention described above, and the fixing step is performed on the outer side of the optical fiber positioned at the center of the terminal member. The terminal member is pressurized so that the surface has the same polygonal shape as the outer surface of the terminal member.

  Moreover, the jig concerning this invention is a jig used for manufacture of the light guide with a terminal which fixed the member for terminals to one or several optical fibers, Comprising: The 1st opening in which the said optical fiber is inserted, A reduced diameter portion forming a conical wall whose opening diameter decreases from the first opening along the penetrating direction; a linear portion extending from the end of the reduced diameter portion with the same opening diameter as the end; and A diameter-enlarging portion that is continuous with the straight portion and has an opening diameter larger than the opening diameter of the straight-line portion and to which the terminal member can be attached; And are formed.

  Moreover, the manufacturing apparatus concerning this invention hold | maintains the jig concerning said invention, the member formation part for terminals which crimps | bonds to the base material of the said member for terminals, and forms the said member for terminals, and the said jig | tool. And a moving member capable of moving the jig in a direction approaching the terminal member forming portion or a direction away from the terminal member forming portion.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that an optical fiber can be easily and reliably inserted into a terminal.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the light guide with terminal as seen from the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a base material of a terminal for bundling optical fibers in the light guide with terminal according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a jig used for manufacturing the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a jig used for manufacturing the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7: is a top view which shows the structure of the principal part of the jig | tool used for manufacture of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9: is sectional drawing explaining manufacture of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 10: is sectional drawing explaining manufacture of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a plan view for explaining the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a usage example of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16: is a top view explaining the structure of the light guide with a terminal concerning the modification of Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 17: is a perspective view which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. 18 is a side view showing a configuration of a manufacturing apparatus of a light guide with terminal as seen from the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. FIG. 19: is a figure which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC shown in FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD shown in FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE shown in FIG. FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a manufacturing apparatus for a light guide with terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a manufacturing apparatus for a light guide with a terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25 is a side view showing the configuration of the apparatus for manufacturing a light guide with terminal as seen from the direction F shown in FIG. FIG. 26A is a diagram illustrating a usage example of the manufacturing device of the light guide with terminal according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26B is a diagram illustrating a usage example of the manufacturing device of the light guide with terminal according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26C is a diagram illustrating a usage example of the manufacturing device of the light guide with terminal according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by the following embodiment. The drawings referred to in the following description only schematically show the shape, size, and positional relationship so that the contents of the present invention can be understood. That is, the present invention is not limited only to the shape, size, and positional relationship illustrated in each drawing.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the light guide with terminal as seen from the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. The light guide with terminal 1 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of optical fibers 2 and a terminal 3 fixed to the end of the optical fiber 2 in a state where the plurality of optical fibers 2 are bundled. In the first embodiment, a light guide is constituted by a plurality of optical fibers 2. In the first embodiment, an example in which the terminal 3 is provided at one end of the optical fiber 2 will be described. However, the terminal 3 may also be provided at the other end of the optical fiber 2. . That is, the terminals 3 may be provided at both ends of the optical fiber 2. Moreover, the light guide 1 with a terminal is applicable to any use of the transmission of the light for illumination, and the transmission of the light for communication.

  The optical fiber 2 is a plastic fiber. Examples of the plastic fiber include an organic plastic fiber. Specifically, examples of the plastic fiber used when the side surface of the optical fiber 2 emits light include a plastic fiber in which a core material made of polymethyl methacrylate resin is coated with a sheath material made of a fluorinated polymer. In this plastic fiber, for example, the diameter of the core material is 0.2 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and the diameter of the sheath material is 0.25 mm or more and 3.1 mm or less depending on the diameter of the core material. That is, in the case of the plastic fiber mentioned as an example, the diameter of the optical fiber 2 is 0.25 mm or more and 3.1 mm or less.

  The terminal 3 includes a cylindrical insertion portion 31 through which the plurality of optical fibers 2 are inserted, and a crimping portion 32 that is provided at one end of the terminal 3 and is crimped to the plurality of optical fibers 2. The terminal 3 is formed of a plastically deformable material such as metal. At the end portion of the terminal 3 on the crimping portion 32 side, the plane passing through the end portion of the crimping portion 32 and the plane passing through the end portions of the plurality of optical fibers 2 coincide. The “match” here includes a manufacturing error and a deviation caused by individual differences between the optical fiber 2 and the terminal 3.

  The insertion portion 31 has a diameter (hereinafter also referred to as an inner diameter) formed by an inner peripheral surface slightly larger than a diameter of a circumscribed circle in a state where a plurality of optical fibers 2 are bundled. In other words, the insertion portion 31 has an inner diameter that does not cause pressure bonding to the outer periphery of the bundled optical fibers 2.

  The crimping portion 32 has a shape having a plurality of flat portions (see FIG. 2). In the first embodiment, the crimping part 32 has six plane parts 32 a formed by compressing the base material of the terminal 3. Under the present circumstances, the corner | angular part (connection part of plane parts) of the crimping | compression-bonding part 32 may make the same curved surface as the outer peripheral surface of the insertion part 31, and the plane part cross | intersected (namely, crimping | compression-bonding part). 32 may be a polyhedron). Hereinafter, when a polygon is described, it is assumed to include a rounded polygon with rounded corners.

  The optical fiber 2 located at the center of the terminal 3 has the same shape as the flat portion 32 a formed on the outer periphery of the crimping portion 32 in the crimping portion 32. Specifically, when six flat portions 32a are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the crimping portion 32, six flat portions are also formed on the outer periphery of the optical fiber 2 (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the optical fiber 2 has a hexagonal shape having six planes parallel to the plane portion 32a. In the first embodiment, the crimping part 32 and the optical fiber 2 are described as having a hexagonal shape (hexagonal column). However, in the crimping part 32, a plurality of optical fibers 2 are filled in a close-packed manner. Even if the crimping part 32 forms a polygon other than a hexagon, the optical fiber 2 may form a hexagon.

  Then, the manufacturing method of the light guide 1 with a terminal is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this manufacturing method, first, a plurality of optical fibers 2 are inserted into the terminal 3 (step S1: insertion step). In this insertion step, the plurality of optical fibers 2 are inserted into a base material (terminal member) that will later become the terminal 3.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a base material of a terminal for bundling optical fibers in the light guide with terminal according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the base material 300 includes a main body 301 having a cylindrical shape similar to the insertion portion 31. A through-hole 302 that penetrates from one end to the other end is formed in the main body 301. The base material 300 is made of the material of the terminal 3.

  Next, the jig | tool used in order to penetrate the some optical fiber 2 to the preform | base_material 300 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a jig used for manufacturing the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a jig used for manufacturing the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7: is a top view which shows the structure of the principal part of the jig | tool used for manufacture of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention.

  The jig 4 is formed using a fluororesin (for example, polytetrafluoroethylene), an engineering plastic (for example, polyacetal or polyamide), a super engineering plastic (for example, polyphenylene sulfide), or the like, which is a material having a small friction coefficient. The jig 4 only needs to have a small coefficient of friction on the surface, particularly a coefficient of friction of a wall surface of a through-hole described later, and may be a metal material whose surface is coated with a fluororesin.

  A through hole for inserting the optical fiber 2 is formed in the jig 4. Specifically, the jig 4 includes a first opening 410 into which the optical fiber 2 is inserted, and a first reduced diameter portion that forms a conical wall surface whose opening diameter decreases from the first opening 410 along the penetration direction Y. 411, a second reduced diameter portion 412 forming a conical wall whose opening diameter is gradually reduced from the reduced diameter aspect of the first reduced diameter portion 411, and a straight line extending from the second reduced diameter portion 412 with the same opening diameter A through-hole is formed which includes a portion 413, an enlarged diameter portion 414 having an opening diameter larger than the opening diameter of the linear portion 413, and a second opening 415 from which the optical fiber 2 extends. Yes. The opening diameter here refers to the diameter formed by the wall surface forming the opening. The first reduced diameter portion 411 and the second reduced diameter portion 412 correspond to the reduced diameter portion. In the first embodiment, the first reduced diameter portion 411 and the second reduced diameter portion 412 will be described as being reduced in diameter at two stages of inclination angles. The second reduced diameter portion 412 may have a configuration in which the opening diameter is reduced in the same manner, in other words, the wall having the same inclination angle.

  In the first reduced diameter portion 411, the inclination angle of the wall surface with respect to the penetration direction Y is larger than the inclination angle of the wall surface of the second reduced diameter portion 412 with respect to the penetration direction Y.

  The straight part 413 has an opening diameter smaller than the diameter of the inner periphery (through hole 302) of the base material 300 and larger than the diameter of a circumscribed circle in which a plurality of optical fibers 2 are bundled.

  The enlarged diameter portion 414 has an opening diameter that is the same as the diameter of the outer periphery of the base material 300 or a size that can hold the base material 300.

  The jig 4 includes a first member 41, a second member 42, and two connecting pins 43, and the first member 41 and the second member 42 are connected by the connecting pins 43. As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 7, the first member 41 includes a partial first opening 410 a that forms a part of the first opening 410 on the side facing the second member 42, A part first reduced diameter part 411a constituting a part of the first reduced diameter part 411, a part second reduced diameter part 412a constituting a part of the second reduced diameter part 412 and a part of the linear part 413 are constituted. A partial straight portion 413 a, a partial enlarged diameter portion 414 a constituting a part of the enlarged diameter portion 414, and a partial second opening 415 a constituting a part of the second opening 415 are formed. Further, the first member 41 is formed with two fitting holes 41 a for fitting with the connecting pins 43.

  In the second member 42, as shown in FIG. 6B, a partial first opening 410b that forms the first opening 410 together with the partial first opening 410a on the surface facing the first member 41, and a partial A partial first reduced diameter portion 411b that forms the first reduced diameter portion 411 together with the first reduced diameter portion 411a, and a partial second reduced diameter portion 412b that forms the second reduced diameter portion 412 together with the partial second reduced diameter portion 412a, The partial straight part 413b that forms the straight part 413 together with the partial straight part 413a, the partial enlarged part 414b that forms the enlarged part 414 together with the partial enlarged part 414a, and the second opening 415 together with the partial second opening 415a are formed. And a partial second opening 415b is formed. Further, the second member 42 is formed with two fitting holes 42 a for fitting with the connecting pins 43.

  The jig 4 connects the first member 41 and the second member 42 by inserting the connecting pins 43 into the fitting holes 41a and 42a. At this time, an adhesive is applied to a surface where the first member 41 and the second member 42 are in contact with each other or a boundary portion between the first member 41 and the second member 42, and the first member 41 and the second member 42 are May be fixed.

  In the insertion step, the base material 300 is accommodated in the enlarged diameter portion 414 of the jig 4 described above. FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the base material 300 is inserted into the enlarged diameter portion 414 from the second opening 415, and a part thereof is accommodated in the enlarged diameter portion 414.

  9 and 10 are cross-sectional views for explaining the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and are diagrams showing the structure after the optical fiber 2 is inserted through the base material 300. FIG. is there. 9 and 10, for the sake of explanation, the number of optical fibers 2 is shown smaller than the number of optical fibers 2 shown in FIG. 1. After attaching the base material 300 to the jig 4 described above, a plurality of optical fibers 2 bundled from the first opening 410 are inserted (see FIG. 9). If the insertion of the plurality of optical fibers 2 is continued, the plurality of optical fibers 2 are inserted into the through hole 302 of the base material 300 via the first reduced diameter portion 411, the second reduced diameter portion 412 and the straight portion 413. (See FIG. 10). At this time, the optical fiber 2 passes through the base material 300. In the jig 4, since the opening diameter gradually decreases along the insertion direction of the optical fiber 2 and the friction coefficient is small, the optical fiber 2 can be smoothly moved to the base material 300 without being caught in the jig 4. Can be inserted.

  FIG.11 and FIG.12 is a figure explaining manufacture of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. As described above, after the plurality of optical fibers 2 are inserted into the base material 300 using the jig 4, the jig 4 is pulled out or the first member 41 and the second member 42 are divided. When the tool 4 is removed, a structure in which a plurality of optical fibers 2 are inserted into the base material 300 can be obtained.

  Returning to FIG. 3, a part of the base material 300 is deformed and a part of the base material 300 is crimped to the optical fiber 2 (step S <b> 2: a crimping process). FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram illustrating the crimping process. In the crimping step, pressure is applied to the base material 300 from the outer peripheral side, and a part of the base material 300 is crimped to the optical fiber 2 and fixed. The pressure bonding part 32 described above is formed by applying pressure to one end side of the base material 300 and reducing the pressure. Specifically, when a force is applied uniformly and uniformly from multiple directions (for example, six directions) to the outer surface of the base material 300 and compressed in the inner direction, six plane portions 32a are formed. At this time, the outer surface of the crimping part 32 has a hexagonal shape when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the base material 300. Thereby, the plurality of optical fibers 2 in the crimping part 32 are crimped to each other or the inner wall of the crimping part 32 and firmly fixed. By forming the crimping part 32 by the crimping process, the base material 300 becomes the terminal 3 described above.

  The pressurizing method in the crimping process may be applied to the base material 300 from any direction as long as the crimping part 32 formed as a result has an arbitrary shape. That is, a known method can be used as the pressurizing method as long as the crimp portion 32 has an arbitrary polygonal shape when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the terminal 3. The arbitrary shape described above is not limited to a polygon, and may be a circle. Here, the pressurization so that the crimping portion 32 has a polygonal shape as viewed from the longitudinal direction suppresses the generation of burrs at the joint portion of the jig as compared with the pressurization so as to have a circular shape. In the case of pressurizing in a circular shape, a burr removing step is required separately. Therefore, it is preferable to form in a polygonal shape in terms of simplifying the step. Moreover, since pressurizing so that it may become polygonal shape in a crimping | compression-bonding process can use the tool which can generally be obtained abundantly, process work becomes easy.

  In the above crimping step, external pressure may be applied so that the inner wall surface of the terminal 3 has the same polygonal shape as the outer surface of the terminal 3 (outer surface of the crimping portion 32), as shown in FIG. Thus, by applying an external pressure so that the inner wall surface of the terminal 3 also has a polygonal shape when viewed from the longitudinal direction, the rotation of the optical fiber 2 fixed to the terminal 3 in the circumferential direction can be suppressed. It can be prevented from coming off.

  In the crimping step, the optical fiber 2 has a polygonal shape in which the outer periphery of the optical fiber 2 in the crimping portion 32 is the same as the outer surface of the crimping portion 32. In this way, since the optical fibers 2 themselves are pressed so as to have a polygonal shape in the crimping step, the optical fibers 2 are in close contact with each other without a gap, so that the light density is increased, the light transmission characteristics, Incident efficiency of light from the light source can be improved. Moreover, since the optical fiber 2 has a polygonal shape, the strength against a torsional load applied to the optical fiber 2 is also improved. In addition, even if it passes through a crimping | compression-bonding process, the pressure does not act to the core of the optical fiber 2. FIG.

  Next, the optical fiber 2 extending from one end of the terminal 3 is cut (step S3: cutting step). FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the manufacture of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the cutting step, the heat knife 6 is moved along the end surface of the terminal 3 to cut the optical fiber 2 protruding from one end of the terminal 3. The heat knife 6 is a cutting tool heated to a preset temperature. In the cutting step, the cut portion of the optical fiber 2 is melted by cutting the optical fiber 2 with the heat knife 6. Thereafter, the melted portion of the optical fiber 2 is mixed with the melted portion of the adjacent optical fiber 2 and solidified, whereby the optical fibers 2 are fused. By using the heat knife 6, the terminal light guide 1 (see FIG. 1) can be produced without the need to heat the end of the optical fiber 2.

  By fusing the optical fibers 2 by the cutting process described above, the optical fibers 2 are more firmly fixed. Note that the bonding strength between the optical fibers 2 by fusion is smaller than the bonding strength between the optical fibers 2 by pressure bonding of the crimping portion 32. When the fusion between the optical fibers 2 is not necessary, such as when the optical fibers 2 are fixed and fixed to the terminals 3 in the crimping process, the optical fiber 2 is attached by a cutting tool that is not heated. It may be cut.

  By passing through the above processes, the light guide 1 with a terminal as shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained. When the terminal 3 is provided at the other end of the optical fiber 2, the optical fiber 2 is inserted into the base material 300 using the jig 4 in the same manner as the above process, and the other end of the optical fiber 2 is then processed. A terminal 3 is attached to the end.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a usage example of the light guide with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The optical fiber 2 in FIG. 15 is described as a fiber that emits light from the side surface while transmitting light incident from the end portion in the fiber stretching direction. The light guide with terminal 1 provided with the terminals 3 at both ends of the plurality of optical fibers 2 is used as a light emitter, for example, by being attached to the display plate 5 shown in FIG. The display plate 5 has a hollow plate shape in which a hole through which the optical fiber 2 can be inserted is formed. The display plate 5 is formed with openings 5a, 5b, and 5c that expose the optical fibers 2 inserted into the display plate 5. The openings 5a, 5b, and 5c form openings simulating the numbers 1, 2, and 3, respectively. When each terminal 3 is connected to the light source L, light from the light source L enters the end of the optical fiber 2. When the side surface of the optical fiber 2 emits light, the openings 5a, 5b, and 5c of the display panel 5 can emit light.

  According to the first embodiment, the optical fiber 2 can be easily and reliably inserted into the terminal 3 by inserting the optical fiber 2 into the base material 300 using the jig 4.

  In the above-described first embodiment, the base material 300 is pressed to form the crimping portion 32, and the terminal 3 is crimped to the optical fiber 2, thereby fixing the terminal 3 to the optical fiber 2. The terminal 3 is fixed to the optical fiber 2 by injecting an adhesive into the base material 300 through which the optical fiber 2 is inserted and solidifying the adhesive without pressurizing the base material 300. Also good. In this case, the base material 300 functions as a terminal together with the adhesive without changing the shape.

(Modification)
Next, a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a plan view for explaining a configuration of the light guide with terminal according to the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view corresponding to the view seen from the arrow A shown in FIG. 1. In this modification, a terminal 3 is attached to one optical fiber 2A. That is, in this embodiment, one optical fiber corresponds to the light guide. In the optical fiber 2 </ b> A, the core 21 is covered with a sheath material 22. In the case of this modification, in the insertion step, one optical fiber 2A is inserted into the base material 300 (see FIG. 4) using the jig 4. And the crimping | compression-bonding part 32 is formed in a crimping | compression-bonding process, and it pressurizes so that the outer surface of 2 A of optical fibers may also become a shape similar to the outer surface of the crimping | compression-bonding part 32. Thereby, the light guide with a terminal firmly fixed to the terminal 3 can be obtained similarly to the light guide with the terminal 1 in which the plurality of optical fibers 2 are bundled with the terminals 3 described above. A light guide with a terminal formed by a single optical fiber 2A is applied to, for example, a television or an automobile.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, an example of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a light guide with a terminal using the jig 4 described above will be described. FIG. 17: is a perspective view which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. 18 is a side view showing a configuration of a manufacturing apparatus of a light guide with terminal as seen from the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. FIG. 19: is a figure which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the light guide with a terminal concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC shown in FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD shown in FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE shown in FIG. FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a manufacturing apparatus for a light guide with terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 19B shows a top view of the manufacturing apparatus 100, and FIG. 19A and FIG. 19C show side views of the manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 19B. ing. FIG. 24 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a manufacturing apparatus for a light guide with a terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25 is a side view showing the configuration of the apparatus for manufacturing a light guide with terminal as seen from the direction F shown in FIG. FIGS. 17-23 has shown the state which the jig | tool 4 has moved to the crimping | crimped part 150 side. 24 and 25 show a state where the jig 4 is located away from the crimping portion 150. FIG.

  The manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a base portion 101, a spacer 102, a linear guide 110 (moving member), a first block 120, a coil spring 130, a first stopper 140, and a crimping portion 150 (terminal member forming portion). And a case 160 and a second stopper 170. Hereinafter, the direction orthogonal to the placement surface of each member in the base portion 101 is defined as the vertical direction.

  The spacer 102 is placed on the base portion 101 and is used for adjusting the height of a caulking portion 150 described later.

  The linear guide 110 includes a rail portion 111 fixed to the base portion 101 and a moving portion 112 that moves along the rail portion 111. The moving part 112 includes a sliding part 112A that is slidably attached to the rail part 111, and a second block 112B that is attached to the side of the sliding part 112A opposite to the rail part 111 side.

  The first block 120 is attached to the second block 112 </ b> B via the coil spring 130, and moves along the rail 111 as the moving unit 112 moves.

  As described above, the coil spring 130 is provided between the first block 120 and the second block 112B, and expands and contracts according to the load applied to the first block 120.

The first stopper 140 includes a lever 141 and a contact portion 142. The lever 141 can reciprocate within a predetermined range with respect to the base portion 101 (for example, an arrow Y ₁₀₁ shown in FIG. 19C). The contact portion 142 moves in a direction to contact the jig 4 according to the movement of the lever 141 in a predetermined movement direction, and moves in a direction away from the jig 4 when the lever 141 moves in the opposite direction. To do.

The caulking portion 150 includes a lever 151 and a crimping portion 152. Lever 151 is reciprocable in a predetermined range with respect to the base portion 101 (e.g., an arrow Y ₁₀₂ shown in (c) of FIG. 19). The crimping part 153 has two members 153 that move closer to each other in accordance with the movement of the lever 151 in the predetermined movement direction and move away from each other when the lever 151 moves in the opposite direction. When the members 153 come into contact with each other, a hole 154 serving as a mold for forming the crimping portion 32 is formed.

  The case 160 is attached to the first block 120. The case 160 is disposed below the terminal 3 held by the jig 4 and the optical fiber 2 extending from the terminal 3.

  The second stopper 170 is attached to the spacer 102, and the tip protrudes from the surface of the spacer 102 that faces the second block 112B (see, for example, FIG. 25). By adjusting the amount of protrusion of the second stopper 170 from the spacer 102, the moving range of the second block 112B is adjusted.

  In the manufacturing apparatus 100, the jig 4 described above is placed on the first block 120, and the position is fixed by the first stopper 140. A terminal guide 44 is attached to the jig 4. As illustrated in FIG. 20, the terminal guide 44 includes a first main body 440 </ b> A attached to the first member 41 and a second main body 440 </ b> B attached to the second member 42. The first main body 440A and the second main body 440B are concave and both have the same configuration. The main body portion 440 </ b> A and the second main body portion 440 </ b> B have a ball 441 and a spring 442. For example, in the main body 440 </ b> A, the ball 441 can move forward and backward from the main body 440 </ b> A by the bias of the spring 442. The terminal guide 44 is attached to the jig 4 with the concave portions of the main body portion 440A and the second main body portion 440B facing each other, and a hole portion 443 is formed by the concave portion.

  When producing the light guide 1 with a terminal using the manufacturing apparatus 100 described above, first, the jig 4 is arranged on the first block 120 and the jig 4 is fixed by the first stopper 140. At this time, the moving part 112 (the jig 4) is arranged at a position away from the crimping part 150, as shown in FIG. Further, the terminal guide 44 described above is attached to the jig 4.

  After placing the jig 4 on the first block 120, the base material 300 is attached to the jig 4. At this time, the base material 300 is inserted into the hole 54 of the terminal guide 44 and held by the terminal guide 44 by the pressure contact of the balls 441.

  When the base material 300 is attached to the jig 4, the plurality of optical fibers 2 are inserted through the base material 300 through the jig 4 in the same manner as in the first embodiment (for example, see FIGS. 9 to 11). Thereby, a part of each optical fiber 2 is extended from the base material 300 (see FIGS. 24 and 25).

  26A to 26C are diagrams illustrating a usage example of the manufacturing apparatus of the light guide with terminal according to the second embodiment. In a state where the optical fiber 2 is inserted through the base material 300 (see FIG. 26A), the moving unit 112 is moved, and the terminal 3 is disposed on the crimping unit 152 of the crimping unit 150 (see FIG. 26B). At this time, the second block 112 </ b> B is brought into contact with the second stopper 170 to position the second block 112 </ b> B, and the base material 300 is disposed on the crimping portion 152 at the positioning position. In a state where the base material 300 is disposed in the crimping portion 152, the members 153 are separated from each other, and the base material 300 is disposed between the separated members 153. As shown in FIG. 26B, the base material 300 is preferably arranged at a position that does not protrude from the opposite side of the member 153 in the longitudinal direction of the terminal 3 (here, the same as the moving direction of the moving portion 112). By disposing the member 153 on the base material 300 and deforming the base material 300 by disposing the base material 300 in such a position, the crimping portion 32 can be formed without the tip of the base material 300 protruding from the hole 154. .

  Thereafter, by operating the lever 151, the members 153 come close to each other and are crimped to the base material 300 (see FIG. 26C). Thereby, the crimping part 32 is formed and the base material 300 becomes the terminal 3. At this time, the base material 300 may move in the vertical direction due to the pressure bonding of the member 153. Although the load generated by the movement is applied to the jig 4, the coil spring 130 expands and contracts according to the load, thereby suppressing the positional deviation that occurs between the jig 4 and the base material 300.

  After forming the crimping part 32, the lever 151 is returned to release the terminal 3 from the member 153, and the excess optical fiber 2 is cut off by the heat knife 6. The cut optical fiber 2 is accommodated in the case 160.

  As described above, the light guide 1 with a terminal is manufactured using the manufacturing apparatus 100.

  In the second embodiment, in the manufacturing apparatus 100 equipped with the jig 4, the optical fiber 2 is inserted into the base material 300 using the jig 4, and the base material 300 is compressed to form the crimping part 32. did. According to the second embodiment, the optical waveguide 2 can be easily and reliably inserted into the terminal 3 by the jig 4, and the light guide 1 with a terminal can be manufactured by operating each part.

  As described above, the present invention can include various embodiments and the like not described herein, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the technical idea specified by the claims. It is possible. In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the optical fiber 2 is inserted through the base material 300 using the jig 4 has been described. However, the optical fiber 2 is inserted through the base material 300 without using the jig 4. Is also possible. From the viewpoint of easily and reliably inserting the optical fiber 2 through the base material 300, it is preferable to use the jig 4.

  As described above, the manufacturing method, jig, and manufacturing apparatus of the light guide with terminal according to the present invention are suitable for easily and reliably inserting the optical fiber into the terminal.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light guide with a terminal 2, 2A Optical fiber 3 Terminal 4 Jig 5 Display board 6 Heat knife 31 Insertion part 32 Crimp part 41 1st member 42 2nd member 43 Connecting pin 44 Terminal guide 100 Manufacturing apparatus 101 Base part 102 Spacer 110 linear guide 120 first block 130 coil spring 140 first stopper 150 crimping portion 160 case 170 second stopper 410 first opening 411 first reduced diameter portion 412 second reduced diameter portion 413 linear portion 414 expanded diameter portion 415 second opening

Claims (6)

An insertion step of inserting one or a plurality of optical fibers into the hollow cylindrical terminal member via a jig;
A fixing step of fixing the terminal member to the optical fiber;
A cutting step of cutting the optical fiber protruding from one end of the terminal member with a heated cutting tool;
Including
In the jig,
A first opening into which the optical fiber is inserted;
A reduced diameter portion forming a conical wall whose opening diameter decreases from the first opening along the penetrating direction;
A straight portion extending from the end of the reduced diameter portion with the same opening diameter as the end;
An enlarged diameter portion connected to the linear portion and having an opening diameter larger than the opening diameter of the linear portion;
A second opening extending to the diameter-expanded portion and extending from the optical fiber;
Formed,
The insertion step is
With respect to the jig, the terminal member is attached to the enlarged diameter portion from the second opening side, the optical fiber is inserted from the first opening side, the reduced diameter portion, and the straight portion through the linear portion. A method for producing a light guide with terminal, wherein the member is inserted into a terminal member.   The method of manufacturing a light guide with terminal according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is a plastic fiber.   3. The fixing step according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of planar portions are formed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the terminal member by crimping the terminal member. Manufacturing method of light guide with terminal. A plurality of the optical fibers;
In the fixing step, the terminal member is pressurized so that the outer surface of the optical fiber located at the center of the terminal member has a polygonal shape similar to the outer surface of the terminal member. The manufacturing method of the light guide with a terminal of Claim 3. A jig used for manufacturing a light guide with a terminal in which a terminal member is fixed to one or a plurality of optical fibers,
A first opening into which the optical fiber is inserted;
A reduced diameter portion forming a conical wall whose opening diameter decreases from the first opening along the penetrating direction;
A straight portion extending from the end of the reduced diameter portion with the same opening diameter as the end;
An enlarged diameter portion that is connected to the linear portion, has an opening diameter larger than the opening diameter of the linear portion, and to which the terminal member can be attached;
A second opening extending to the diameter-expanded portion and extending from the optical fiber;
A jig characterized by being formed. A jig according to claim 5;
A terminal member forming part that press-bonds to the base material of the terminal member to form the terminal member;
While holding the jig, a moving member capable of moving the jig in a direction approaching the terminal member forming portion or in a direction away from the terminal member forming portion,
A manufacturing apparatus comprising:

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