Patent ID: 7151877

Claim:
A method of axially aligning at least one pair of opposing optical fibers composed of bare optical fibers, optical fiber strands, unit cores or plural cores of optical fiber core wires, and tape shaped optical fiber core wires, the method comprising: locating optical fiber guide sections, each having at least one guide groove to guide an optical fiber, on both sides of a butt alignment section having a pair of or plural pairs of butt alignment grooves separately formed apart from one another with a given distance in an opposing relationship on a substantially straight line; shifting the optical fiber guide sections at the both sides upward above the butt alignment section and guiding the optical fibers in the guide grooves of the optical fiber guide sections at the both sides under a condition in that distal ends of the optical fibers protrude at least in length to reach the butt alignment grooves of the butt alignment section; and lowering the optical fiber guide sections at the both sides to areas below the butt alignment section to allow the optical fibers to be received in the opposing butt alignment grooves of the butt alignment section and axially aligning the optical fibers with respect to one another.