Patent ID: 7634166

Claim:
A marker groove forming device comprising: a fiber guide, N first optical fiber pressing springs formed on a substrate, where N≧2, and M second optical fiber pressing springs formed on the substrate, where 1≦M≦N−1, and wherein: the fiber guide is a groove having a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface, the two side wall surfaces being perpendicular to a plane of the substrate and supporting a side of a stored optical fiber by an inner wall surface, the first optical fiber pressing springs are formed on the first side wall surface of the fiber guide, each first optical fiber pressing spring includes a first plate spring formed on the first side wall surface and a first edge formed on the first plate spring on a side facing a center of the fiber guide, each first plate spring presses the first edge formed on the first plate spring to the side of the optical fiber stored in the fiber guide with a fulcrum on the first side wall surface, the first edges are spaced at a predetermined distance from each other in an axial direction of the fiber guide, the M second optical fiber pressing springs are formed on the second side wall surface, each second optical fiber pressing spring includes a second plate spring formed on the second side wall surface and includes a second edge formed on the second plate spring on a side facing the center of the fiber guide, each second plate spring presses the second edge formed on the second plate spring to the side of the optical fiber stored in the fiber guide with a fulcrum on the second side wall surface, each one of the second edges of all the second optical fiber pressing springs is disposed on a respective one of M planes, and each one of the M planes passing through the second edges also passes through a respective one of the first edges of M of the first optical fiber pressing springs and perpendicular to the axial direction of the fiber guide, each first edge of the remaining N−M of the first optical fiber pressing springs being not disposed on any one of the M planes.