JP6011199B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector.

  Some types of optical transmitters, optical receivers, and optical transceivers are provided with an optical fiber attached in advance. For example, there is a type called a pigtail type in which an optical fiber is directly drawn out from a modular body. The pigtail type is used for very small optical transmitters, optical receivers, and high-end machines for long distances. When optically connecting an optical transmitter or optical receiver to other devices, etc., it is common to provide an optical connector (connector part) at the tip of an optical fiber extending from the optical transmitter or optical receiver to make an optical connection It is. For example, in a pigtail type, an optical connector (plug portion) is usually attached in advance to the tip of an optical fiber drawn from a module-shaped main body.

  As optical connectors, SC (Single fiber Coupling) connectors, MU (Miniature Universal coupling) connectors, and the like are generally known.

  As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, there are Patent Documents 1 and 2.

JP 2004-317863 A JP 2005-196080 A

  In recent years, optical communication technology has been applied to various uses. Among them, there are cases where it is necessary to wire an optical fiber extending from an optical transmitter or optical receiver so as to pass through a narrow place such as a hole having a small diameter (for example, a hole having a diameter of about 1 to 2 mm). ing.

  When an SC connector or MU connector is used as an optical connector, the connector portion (plug portion) of the SC connector or MU connector cannot pass through a narrow place such as a small diameter hole. After passing, the work of attaching the connector part (plug part) to the optical fiber must be performed. Furthermore, in the pigtail type optical transmitter and optical receiver, since the connector part (plug part) is attached to the tip of the optical fiber in advance, when passing through a narrow place such as a small diameter hole, the connector part ( It is necessary to remove the plug part). Needless to say, it takes time and effort to attach the connector portion (plug portion) of the SC connector or MU connector. Therefore, it takes time and labor to optically connect the optical transmitter and the optical receiver to other devices.

  In addition, when an optical fiber is used in a harsh environment (for example, a high-pressure environment, a high-temperature environment, or an environment that is repeatedly bent), the optical fiber must be replaced relatively frequently. As described above, when wiring for passing an optical fiber through a narrow place such as a hole having a small diameter, it is necessary to remove the connector portion when replacing the optical fiber. However, in the conventional SC connector and MU connector, the connector portion cannot be removed unless the connector portion is disassembled (or destroyed or cut), and it takes time and effort to remove the connector portion. Furthermore, it is necessary to attach the connector portion again after replacing the optical fiber, and the attaching operation takes time and labor.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and facilitates optical connection work and optical fiber replacement work even when wiring an optical fiber through a narrow place such as a small diameter hole. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector capable of satisfying the requirements.

  The present invention was devised to achieve the above object, and is provided in a first ferrule-equipped optical fiber in which the first ferrule is attached to the tip of the first optical fiber so as to cover the first ferrule. A second connector having a first connector portion having one housing and a second housing provided so as to cover the second ferrule on an optical fiber with a second ferrule in which a second ferrule is attached to a tip portion of the second optical fiber The first ferrule and the second ferrule are in physical contact connection by fitting and fixing the first housing and the second housing, and the first optical fiber and the first optical fiber are connected to each other. An optical connector optically connected to two optical fibers, wherein the first housing passes the first optical fiber through a side surface thereof. Or has a notch, the first ferrule with the optical fiber is an optical connector that is configured to be detachable from the side.

  One of the housings has a protrusion protruding outward from the side surface, and the other of the housings has a hook-shaped groove formed on the side surface for locking the protrusion. In doing so, the two housings may be rotated relative to each other so that the projections are locked in the bowl-shaped grooves to fix the two housings.

  An anti-rotation means may be provided to prevent the two ferrules from relatively rotating when the two housings are rotated relatively.

  The second ferrule is provided with a second metal fitting having a diameter larger than that of the second ferrule, and the second connector portion is attached to a tip end of the second ferrule, and when the two housings are fitted together, Provided between the split sleeve for guiding the first ferrule, the second metal fitting, and the inner wall on the proximal end side of the second housing, and urges the second ferrule toward the distal end side to fit the two housings A spring member for sometimes pressing the second ferrule against the first ferrule and at least a tip of the split sleeve are provided and locked to the second housing so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the second ferrule And preventing the split sleeve from falling off when the first housing is attached / detached, and the spring member toward the tip side of the second ferrule. A sleeve cover for regulating the movement may comprise.

  The first ferrule is provided with a first metal fitting having a diameter larger than that of the first ferrule, and the first metal fitting is supported by an inner wall on the proximal end side of the first housing when the two housings are fitted together. Then, the first ferrule may be pressed against the second ferrule so that the both ferrules are connected in physical contact.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical connector capable of facilitating optical connection work and optical fiber replacement work even when wiring for passing an optical fiber through a narrow place such as a hole with a small diameter is performed. .

It is a figure which shows the optical connector which concerns on this Embodiment, (a) is sectional drawing before fitting both housings, (b) is sectional drawing when both housings are fitted, (c) is a 1st figure. 1 is a perspective view of a housing, FIG. 3D is a perspective view of a sleeve cover, and FIG. 3E is a perspective view of a second housing. FIG. 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a second connector portion in the optical connector of FIG. 1. In this invention, it is a figure which shows an example of a rotation stop means. It is a figure which shows the optical connector which concerns on one modification of this invention, (a) is sectional drawing before fitting both housings, (b) is sectional drawing when fitting both housings. It is a figure which shows the modification of the 2nd nail | claw of the optical connector of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1A and 1B are diagrams showing an optical connector according to the present embodiment, wherein FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view before fitting both housings, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view when both housings are fitted, (c) is a perspective view of the first housing, (d) is a perspective view of the sleeve cover, and (e) is a perspective view of the second housing. FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the second connector portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical connector 1 includes a first connector part (plug holder) 2 and a second connector part (plug rocker) 3.

  The first connector portion 2 is configured by providing a first housing 7 so as to cover the first ferrule 5 on the optical fiber 6 with the first ferrule, in which the first ferrule 5 is attached to the distal end portion of the first optical fiber 4. .

  The second connector portion 3 is configured by providing a second housing 11 so as to cover the second ferrule 9 on the optical fiber 10 with the second ferrule, in which the second ferrule 9 is attached to the distal end portion of the second optical fiber 8. .

  In the optical connector 1, the first ferrule 5 and the second ferrule 9 are physically contacted (PC) connected by fitting and fixing the first housing 7 and the second housing 11, and the first optical fiber 4 and the first optical fiber 4 are connected to each other. Two optical fibers 8 are optically connected.

  One of the optical fibers 4 and 8 is optically connected to the optical transmitter and the other is optically connected to the optical receiver. Here, the first optical fiber 4 is directly extended from the optical transmitter or the optical receiver, and is wired in a narrow place such as a hole having a small diameter (for example, a hole having a diameter of about 1 to 2 mm). Suppose that

  The first ferrule 5 is integrally provided with a first metal fitting 5 a having a larger diameter than the first ferrule 5, and the second ferrule 9 is integrally provided with a second metal fitting 9 a having a larger diameter than the second ferrule 9. Is provided. The metal fittings 5a and 9a are fixed to substantially the center of the ferrules 5 and 9. The ferrules 5 and 9 provided with the metal fittings 5a and 9a are generally used as ferrules with metal fittings.

  First, the 1st connector part 2 is demonstrated.

  In the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the first housing 7 has a groove 21 (or a notch) for passing the first optical fiber 4 on the side surface thereof, and the optical fiber 6 with the first ferrule is viewed from the side. It is configured to be detachable.

  In the present embodiment, a groove 21 is formed in a straight line on the side surface of the first housing 7 along the axial direction of the first ferrule 5 (the left-right direction in FIG. 1 (c)). It was formed in a C shape by visual inspection. The width of the groove 21 may be a width that allows the first optical fiber 4 to pass through easily.

  A hollow portion 7 a that houses the first ferrule 5 and the first metal fitting 5 a is formed at the tip of the first housing 7. A through-hole 7b that communicates with the hollow portion 7a and through which the first optical fiber 4 and the first ferrule 5 are passed is formed in the first housing 7 on the proximal end side with respect to the hollow portion 7a. The diameter of the hollow portion 7a is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the first metal fitting 5a. Further, the diameter of the through hole 7 b is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the first ferrule 5. The base end portion of the through hole 7b is formed in a tapered shape whose diameter gradually increases toward the base end.

  Further, the first housing 7 is formed so that the outer diameter of the front end portion is reduced stepwise, and the projection 12 is formed so as to protrude outward from the side surface of the front end portion. In the present embodiment, the two protrusions 12 are formed at the position where the front end of the first housing 7 faces, but the position and number of the protrusions 12 are not limited to this. The protrusion 12 constitutes a bayonet mechanism described later.

  The outer diameter of the first housing 7 (the outer diameter of the portion with the larger base end diameter) is as small as about 3 to 5 mm. Although details will be described later, in the bayonet mechanism, since both the housings 7 and 11 need to be relatively rotated, the surface of the first housing 7 (the outer surface of the portion having a large diameter on the base end side) Fine irregularities are formed at predetermined intervals, and anti-slip 13 is formed.

  In the present embodiment, the first ferrule 5 is attached to the tip of the first optical fiber 4 in advance, and is handled as the optical fiber 6 with the first ferrule. The optical fiber 6 with the first ferrule is routed through a narrow place such as a hole with a small diameter, and then the optical fiber 4 behind the first ferrule 5 is passed through the groove 21 to accommodate the first metal fitting 5a in the hollow portion 7a ( That is, the first optical fiber 6 with a ferrule is attached from the side of the first housing 7) and the first connector portion 2 is obtained.

  When exchanging the first optical fiber 4, the first metal fitting 5 a is taken out from the hollow portion 7 a (rightward in FIG. 1A), and the optical fiber 4 behind the first ferrule 5 is passed through the groove 21. Thus, the optical fiber 6 with the first ferrule may be removed from the side of the first housing 7.

  In the present embodiment, the first housing 7 is made of plastic. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to use, for example, metal.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the first housing 7 is formed with a thickness that does not distort even when pressed with a finger. For example, the portion facing the groove 21 can be thinned to be bent so that the groove 21 It can also be configured to open. Furthermore, it is also possible to cut the first housing 7 at a portion facing the groove 21 so that the first housing 7 is divided into two parts.

  Next, the 2nd connector part 3 is demonstrated.

  The second connector portion 3 is attached to the distal end of the second ferrule 9, the split sleeve 14 that guides the first ferrule 5 when the housings 7 and 11 are fitted, the second metal fitting 9 a, and the proximal end of the second housing 11. A spring member 15 that is provided between the inner wall 11a on the side, urges the second ferrule 9 toward the tip, and presses the second ferrule 9 against the first ferrule 5 when the two housings 7 and 11 are fitted, It is provided so as to cover at least the tip of the split sleeve 14 and is locked to the second housing 11 so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the second ferrule 9 (left-right direction in FIG. 1A), and the first housing 7 is attached and detached. And a sleeve cover 16 for preventing the split sleeve 14 from falling off and restricting the movement of the second ferrule 9 toward the distal end side by the spring member 15.

  The split sleeve 14 is formed in a C shape in a cross-sectional view, and the distal end portion of the second ferrule 9 is inserted from one end portion thereof. When the two housings 7 and 11 are fitted, the tip of the first ferrule 5 is inserted from the other end of the split sleeve, and the tips of the ferrules 5 and 9 are brought into contact with each other to make a physical contact connection. Become.

  The spring member 15 is for making physical contact connection by pressing the second ferrule 9 against the first ferrule 5 when the housings 7 and 11 are fitted together. In the physical contact connection, both ferrules 5 and 9 are required to be strongly pressed. Therefore, it is necessary to select a spring member 15 that can apply at least a pressing force necessary for the physical contact connection.

  The sleeve cover 16 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an enlarged diameter portion 16a that is enlarged in a flange shape is formed at an end portion on the proximal end side. The inner diameter of the sleeve cover 16 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the split sleeve 14, and the split sleeve 14 and the distal end portion of the second ferrule 9 are accommodated in the hollow portion of the sleeve cover 16. A stopper portion 16b having a small inner diameter (approximately the same inner diameter as the inner diameter of the split sleeve 14) is formed at the distal end of the sleeve cover 16 so as to prevent the split sleeve 14 from falling off. The sleeve cover 16 also serves to prevent dust from entering through the gap between the split sleeves 14 having a C-shaped cross section.

  The sleeve cover 16 has an enlarged diameter portion 16 a locked to a claw 19 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second housing 11, whereby the sleeve cover 16 is moved toward the distal end side by the pressing of the spring member 15. Are now regulated. The second metal fitting 9a is in contact with the proximal end of the sleeve cover 16, and the sleeve cover 16 is biased to the distal end side by the spring member 15 through the second metal fitting 9a. In the present embodiment, the sleeve cover 16 is made of plastic, but is not limited thereto, and may be made of metal, for example.

  On the side surface of the second housing 11, a bowl-shaped groove (hereinafter referred to as a bowl groove) 17 that locks the protrusion 12 of the first housing 7 is formed. The protrusion 12 of the first housing 7 and the groove 17 of the second housing 11 constitute a bayonet mechanism.

  In the present embodiment, an axial guide portion 17a extending along the axial direction of the second ferrule 9, a rotational guide portion 17b extending in the circumferential direction from the proximal end portion of the axial guide portion 17a, and a rotational guide portion 17b. The ridge groove 17 formed of a lock portion 17c formed integrally with the rotation direction guide portion 17b is formed so as to be curved in a convex shape toward the distal end side of the second housing 11 at the distal end portion. The ridge groove 17 is formed in a substantially L shape (L shape in which a portion corresponding to the lock portion 17c swells) in a side view.

  Similar to the first housing 7, fine irregularities are formed on the surface (outer surface) of the second housing 11 at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and anti-slip 18 is formed. In the present embodiment, since the second housing 11 is made of plastic using a mold, a hole 20 is formed in the second housing 11 so that the claw 19 can be molded by molding using the mold. . In addition, the material of the 2nd housing 11 is not limited to this, For example, a metal may be sufficient. The outer diameter of the second housing 11 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the first housing 7 and is about 3 to 5 mm.

  When fitting the two housings 7 and 11, first, the protrusion 12 is inserted into the axial guide portion 17 a of the groove 17, and the distal end portion of the first housing 7 is pushed into the second housing 11. At this time, the first ferrule 5 is inserted into the split sleeve 14 and the leading ends of the first ferrule 5 and the second ferrule 9 are brought into contact with each other.

  When the first housing 7 is further pushed into the second housing 11 in this state, the tip of the first housing 7 is pushed into the second housing 11 against the spring force of the spring member 15 (second ferrule 9). The split sleeve 14 and the sleeve cover 16 are pushed into the proximal end side).

  Since the first metal fitting 5a is supported by the inner wall 7c on the base end side of the first housing 7 (the inner wall on the base end side of the hollow portion 7a), the first housing 7 is further mounted in a state where both ferrules 5 and 9 are abutted. When pushed into the second housing 11, the first ferrule 5 is pressed against the second ferrule 9 by the spring force of the spring member 15, and both ferrules 5 and 7 are connected in physical contact.

  After the projection 12 is inserted to the end of the axial guide portion 17a, the housings 7 and 11 are relatively rotated, and the projection 12 is moved in the circumferential direction along the rotational direction guide portion 17b. Thereafter, when the force to push the first housing 7 toward the second housing 11 is released, the protrusion 12 moves to the distal end side of the second housing 11 by the pressing force of the spring member 15, and is accommodated in the lock portion 17c. Thereby, the protrusion 12 is locked to the groove 17 and both the housings 7 and 11 are fixed. The total length of the optical connector 1 when both the housings 7 and 11 are fixed is, for example, about 30 to 40 mm.

  In addition, when rotating both the housings 7 and 11, since both the ferrules 5 and 9 are pressed, both the ferrules 5 and 9 are relatively moved with the rotation of the housings 7 and 11. If it rotates, there is a possibility that a defect may occur due to scratches on the tips of the ferrules 5 and 9. Therefore, when both the housings 7 and 11 are relatively rotated, rotation preventing means may be provided to prevent both the ferrules 5 and 9 from relatively rotating.

  The structure of the rotation stop means is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the first metal fitting 5 a is provided with a protrusion 31 protruding toward the front end side, and the protrusion 31 is accommodated at the front end of the sleeve cover 16. By providing the groove 32, the rotation stopping means 30 can be configured. A protrusion may be formed at the tip of the sleeve cover 16 and a groove may be formed in the first metal fitting 5a. In addition, for example, the friction between the first ferrule 5 or the first metal fitting 5a and the first housing 7 is reduced, and the first ferrule 5 or the first metal fitting 5a can be easily rotated with respect to the first housing 7. Thus, the relative rotation of both ferrules 5 and 9 can be suppressed.

  The operation of the present embodiment will be described.

  In the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the first housing 7 has a groove (or a notch) 21 for passing the first optical fiber 4 on the side surface thereof, and the optical fiber 6 with the first ferrule is viewed from the side. It is configured to be detachable.

  With this configuration, after the first ferrule-equipped optical fiber 6 is wired in a narrow place such as a hole with a small diameter, the first housing 7 is easily attached to the tip of the first ferrule-equipped optical fiber 6, and the second The housing 11 can be fitted. Further, when the first optical fiber 4 is replaced, the first housing 7 can be easily removed and the first optical fiber 4 can be recovered.

  That is, according to the optical connector 1, even when wiring the optical fiber (here, the first optical fiber 4) through a narrow place such as a hole having a small diameter, a special tool is used or the connector portion is disassembled. In addition, the optical connection work and the optical fiber replacement work can be easily performed without excessive deformation or cutting.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the protrusion 12 is formed on the first housing 7 and the groove 17 is formed on the second housing 11. Conversely, the groove is formed on the first housing 7 and the protrusion is formed on the second housing 11. It may be.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although both the housings 7 and 11 were fixed by the bayonet mechanism which consists of the processus | protrusion 12 and the ridge groove 17, the mechanism which fixes both the housings 7 and 11 is not limited to this. .

  For example, as in the optical connector 40 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the first claw 41 is formed on the outer periphery of the distal end portion of the first housing 7 and the first peripheral surface of the second housing 11 is first. A second claw 42 that locks the claw 41 is formed, and when the two housings 7 and 11 are fitted, the claw 41 and 42 are engaged with each other to fix the both housings 7 and 11. Good. However, in this case, the claws 41 and 42 may not be able to be opposed to the spring force of the spring member 15 and the claws 41 and 42 may be disengaged, so that the claws 41 and 42 are covered with both the housings 7 and 11 fitted. As described above (in order to suppress the outward deformation of the distal end portion of the second housing 11), it is desirable to provide the cylindrical body 43 slidably around the first housing 7.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, you may comprise the 2nd claw 42 by the section | slice which stands up diagonally from an internal peripheral surface. By configuring in this way, the distal end portion of the second housing 11 hardly deforms outward, so that the cylindrical body 43 can be omitted.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the second optical fiber extending from the second connector unit 3 is optically connected to the optical transmitter or the optical receiver has been described. However, the second connector unit 3 itself is the optical transmitter. Alternatively, it may be an optical receiver. That is, the second connector unit 3 may have a built-in optical transmission function or optical reception function.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical connector 2 1st connector part 3 2nd connector part 4 1st optical fiber 5 1st ferrule 5a 1st metal fitting 6 1st optical fiber with a ferrule 7 1st housing 8 2nd optical fiber 9 2nd ferrule 9a 2nd metal fitting 10 Optical fiber with second ferrule 11 Second housing 12 Protrusion 13 Anti-slip 14 Split sleeve 15 Spring member 16 Sleeve cover 17 Groove (gutter-shaped groove)
18 Non-slip 19 Claw

Claims (4)

A first connector portion having a first housing provided so as to cover the first ferrule on an optical fiber with a first ferrule, in which a first ferrule is attached to a tip portion of the first optical fiber;
A second connector part having a second housing provided so as to cover the second ferrule on the second ferrule-equipped optical fiber having a second ferrule attached to the tip of the second optical fiber;
By fitting and fixing the first housing and the second housing, the first ferrule and the second ferrule are connected in physical contact, and the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber are optically connected. An optical connector connected to
The first ferrule is provided with a first metal fitting having a diameter larger than that of the first ferrule,
The second ferrule is provided with a second metal fitting having a diameter larger than that of the second ferrule,
The second connector portion is provided between the second metal fitting and an inner wall on the proximal end side of the second housing, urges the second ferrule toward the distal end side, and the second connector portion is fitted when the two housings are fitted together. A spring member for pressing two ferrules against the first ferrule;
The first metal fitting is supported by the inner wall on the base end side of the first housing when the two housings are fitted, and the first ferrule is pressed against the second ferrule so that the two ferrules are connected in physical contact. And
The first housing has a groove or a cut for passing the first optical fiber on a side surface thereof, and is configured to be detachable from the side of the optical fiber with the first ferrule. . One of the housings has a protrusion protruding outward from the side surface,
On the other side of the two housings, a hook-like groove for locking the protrusion is formed on the side surface,
2. The two housings are configured to be fixed by rotating the two housings relative to each other so that the protrusions are locked in the bowl-shaped grooves when the two housings are fitted together. The optical connector described. The optical connector according to claim 2, further comprising an anti-rotation unit that prevents the two ferrules from relatively rotating when the two housings are relatively rotated. Before Symbol the second connector part,
A split sleeve attached to the tip of the second ferrule and guiding the first ferrule when the two housings are fitted ;
Together provided even without least to cover the tips of the split sleeve, is locked to the second slidably said second housing in the axial direction of the ferrule, falling of the split sleeve when detaching the first housing The optical connector according to claim 1, further comprising: a sleeve cover for preventing movement of the second ferrule toward the distal end side by the spring member.