US 12,222,541 B2
Optical fiber bundle structure, optical connector, optical fiber connection structure, and method of manufacturing optical fiber bundle structure
Kohei Kawasaki, Tokyo (JP); Ryuichi Sugizaki, Tokyo (JP); Masayoshi Tsukamoto, Tokyo (JP); Masanori Takahashi, Tokyo (JP); Shigehiro Takasaka, Tokyo (JP); and Koichi Maeda, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jan. 11, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/410,522.
Application 18/410,522 is a division of application No. 17/479,343, filed on Sep. 20, 2021, granted, now 11,940,649.
Application 17/479,343 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2020/013354, filed on Mar. 25, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-060379 (JP), filed on Mar. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0151898 A1, May 9, 2024
Int. Cl. G02B 6/04 (2006.01); C03C 25/106 (2018.01); C03C 25/26 (2018.01); G02B 6/40 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/04 (2013.01) [C03C 25/106 (2013.01); C03C 25/26 (2013.01); G02B 6/403 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical fiber bundle structure, comprising:
plural optical fiber core wires;
a crossing preventing member having the plural optical fiber core wires inserted through the crossing preventing member along a longitudinal direction; and
a grasping member that applies a grasping force to the crossing preventing member, wherein
the plural optical fiber core wires have, in order from a leading end of the plural optical fiber core wires, a glass fiber portion, and a resin coated portion having resin coated on glass fibers,
the glass fiber portion has, in order from a leading end of the glass fiber portion, a small diameter portion, a tapered portion, and a large diameter portion,
the crossing preventing member has slits formed therein, the slits each having a width with a width's center at a point equally dividing one of sides of an approximate polygon circumscribing the plural optical fiber core wires, by a number of the optical fiber core wires that are in contact with that side in a cross section of the crossing preventing member, the cross section being orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, the slits extending from a leading end of the crossing preventing member to a midway point closer to a trailing end of the crossing preventing member,
each vertex of the approximate polygon circumscribing the plural optical fiber core wires has a curved shape, and
the sum of the widths of the slits positioned at the respective sides is equal to or larger than a difference between: a length of a shortest perimeter surrounding the plural optical fiber core wires at a hindmost end portion of the slits at the trailing end; and a length of a shortest perimeter surrounding the plural optical fiber core wires at the leading end.