US 12,032,207 B2
Fusion splicer
Ryo Hasegawa, Sakura (JP); Koichi Yokota, Sakura (JP); and Noriyuki Kawanishi, Sakura (JP)
Assigned to Fujikura Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/769,335
Filed by Fujikura Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Oct. 22, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/039784
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 15, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/079950, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 29, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-193687 (JP), filed on Oct. 24, 2019; application No. PCT/JP2020/008565 (WO), filed on Feb. 21, 2020; and application No. 2020-169363 (JP), filed on Oct. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0142703 A1, May 2, 2024
Int. Cl. G02B 6/255 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/2553 (2013.01) [G02B 6/2555 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fusion splicer comprising:
a heater that heats a glass of an optical fiber;
a pair of clamps that clamp a coated part of the optical fiber, wherein the pair of clamps is constituted by:
a lower clamp on which a coated part of the optical fiber is disposed; and
a coated part clamp that presses the coated part of the optical fiber against the lower clamp;
a windproof cover that covers the heater and the coated part clamp;
a retreat mechanism that causes the coated part clamp to retreat from the lower clamp;
an opening/closing mechanism that opens and closes the windproof cover; and
a pair of glass clamps attached to an inner surface of the windproof cover, wherein
the retreat mechanism comprises:
a power source;
a rotating member rotatable around a rotation center;
an elastic member that receives power from the power source, and upon receiving the power, elastically deforms and stores elastic energy;
a transmission part that receives elastic force from the elastic member and pushes the coated part clamp upward; and
a restricting part that:
restricts rotation of the rotating member while the elastic member stores the elastic energy and the windproof cover remains closed, and
when the opening/closing mechanism opens the windproof cover, releases restriction on rotation of the rotating member by releasing the elastic energy stored in the elastic member.