CN210109388U

CN210109388U - Optical fiber butt-joint mechanism and ferrule

Info

Publication number: CN210109388U
Application number: CN201920814018.3U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 何裕源; 何超; 毛亮亮; 毛昊阳
Original assignee: Microport Shanghai Medbot Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai Microport Medbot Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-31
Filing date: 2019-05-31
Publication date: 2020-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 2029-05-31

Abstract

The utility model provides an optic fibre docking mechanism and lock pin, optic fibre docking mechanism includes: the butt joint seat is provided with a first end and a second end which are opposite along the axial direction; the ferrule accommodating seat is arranged at the first end of the butt joint seat and is used for preventing the first ferrule from axially moving towards the first end; and the butt joint device force application part is arranged at the second end of the butt joint device seat and is used for applying an acting force towards the direction of the first end to a second ferrule detachably connected with the first ferrule through a ferrule sleeve so as to enable the opposite ends of the two ferrules to be abutted. With this arrangement, the opposite ends of the two ferrules can be reliably abutted, and the two optical fibers can be reliably conducted. The optical fiber docking mechanism is small in size, few in docking component number, simple to assemble, applicable to narrow space, and applicable to narrow inner cavities of endoscopes when applied to positions such as endoscope tubes of the endoscopes, so that the size of the endoscopes is reduced.

Description

Optical fiber butt-joint mechanism and ferrule

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a light guide apparatus field, in particular to optical fiber docking mechanism and lock pin.

Background

In the fields of medical treatment, industry, and the like, electronic endoscopes are widely used for observation and treatment of a living body in vivo (in a body cavity), inspection and repair of the inside of industrial machinery, and the like. In recent years, due to the development of image pickup elements, the resolution of images or videos captured by endoscopes has become high, and the data communication speed required for connectors for transmitting images or videos captured by endoscopes has become high; on the other hand, in surgical robots, a combined application of an industrial probe robot and an endoscope increases a transmission distance of data of the endoscope, and in consideration of easy introduction into a subject and reduction in diameter of an insertion portion, a transmission system using an optical fiber and an optical waveguide is also adopted in an endoscope system in order to realize reduction in diameter of the insertion portion and transmission of a large-capacity signal at a long distance and at a high speed between an image pickup device and an information processing apparatus (for example, japanese patent application laid-open No. JP 2012053159A), and a scheme in which the optical fiber and the endoscope are integrated is mainly adopted.

When a large-capacity signal is transmitted at a high speed over a long distance using an optical fiber, the optical signal can be transmitted without being attenuated when the optical fiber is correctly connected. However, the optical fibers are integral with the endoscope and do not facilitate removal and attachment of the endoscope. Chinese patent application publication No. CN104395800A discloses a solution for an optical fiber connector, but the connector is relatively large in size and is not suitable for installation and use in a small space (such as an endoscope tube). And the connector has a plurality of parts and a complex assembly process.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

An object of the utility model is to provide an optic fibre docking mechanism and lock pin to solve one or more in the big, many, the complicated scheduling problem of assembly of part of current optic fibre docking connector size.

In order to solve the technical problem, the utility model provides an optical fiber docking mechanism for make two optic fibre detachably connect, two the looks remote site of optic fibre all is equipped with the lock pin, optical fiber docking mechanism includes:

the butt joint seat is provided with a first end and a second end which are opposite along the axial direction;

the ferrule accommodating seat is arranged at the first end of the butt joint seat and is used for preventing the first ferrule from axially moving towards the first end; and

and the butt joint device force application part is arranged at the second end of the butt joint device seat and is used for applying an acting force towards the first end direction to a second ferrule detachably connected with the first ferrule through a ferrule sleeve so as to enable the opposite ends of the two ferrules to be abutted.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the ferrule accommodating seat includes:

a first through-hole accommodating portion for accommodating at least a part of the first ferrule; and

and the limiting part is connected with the first accommodating part and used for preventing the ferrule from moving radially relative to the ferrule accommodating seat and moving axially towards the first end.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the ferrule includes a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, the first accommodating portion includes two accommodating baffles, and an accommodating channel is formed between the two accommodating baffles; a notch is formed in one side, close to the second end, of the accommodating baffle, and the notch forms the limiting part;

wherein the distance between the two accommodating baffles is smaller than the maximum radial dimension of the convex part,

optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the two notches for accommodating the baffle plates are further used for being connected with the convex portion in a clamping and embedding manner.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, a flared guide plate is disposed on one side of the accommodating baffle close to the first end.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the ferrule includes a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, the first accommodating portion includes an accommodating groove, a step surface is disposed on a side of the accommodating groove close to the second end, and the step surface forms the limiting portion; the step surface is matched with the outer contour of the convex part and is used for abutting against the convex part.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the ferrule includes a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, and the first accommodating portion includes an accommodating through hole; the limiting part comprises a fastening screw which is arranged on the side wall of the accommodating through hole in a rotating mode, and the fastening screw is used for abutting against the convex part through rotating so as to limit the displacement of the inserting core towards the first end.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the dockee force application part includes:

an elastic member; and

and the through second accommodating part is arranged on the elastic piece and is used for accommodating a part of the second inserting core.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the ferrule includes a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, the elastic member includes two folding or spiral elastic arms, the two elastic arms are arranged at intervals along a transverse direction of the docket seat, the second receiving portion is formed between the two elastic arms, a distance between the two elastic arms is smaller than an outer diameter of the protrusion, and the two elastic arms are configured to abut against the protrusion.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, a side of the elastic arm close to the first end forms an abutting surface for abutting against the convex part; the abutting surface and the first end form an included angle smaller than 90 degrees towards the direction of the second end.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the elastic arm further includes an anti-drop protrusion disposed toward the first end, and the anti-drop protrusion is formed on a side of the abutting surface away from the docket seat.

Optionally, in the optical fiber docking mechanism, the ferrule accommodating seat has a first rotating shaft, and a rotation axis of the first rotating shaft is perpendicular to an axis of the docking seat; the inserting core containing seat is rotatably connected with the butt joint seat through the first rotating shaft.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention further provides a ferrule, the ferrule includes a core portion and a protrusion protruding from the periphery of the core portion, the ferrule is detachably inserted into a ferrule sleeve, and the ferrule has a head end and a tail end opposite to each other, the core portion is disposed at the head end for inserting into the ferrule sleeve; the tail end is used for the penetration of optical fibers; the convex part of the ferrule is provided with a transition part; the transition portion is used for enabling the core insert to slide towards the head end when the transition portion receives a force towards the center of the core insert.

Optionally, in the ferrule, an outer side of the transition portion is a slope, and an end of the slope close to the terminal end is closer to an axis of the ferrule than an end of the slope far from the terminal end.

Optionally, in the ferrule, a distance from one end of the inclined surface far away from the end to the axis of the ferrule is equal to a distance from the outer surface of the rest of the convex part to the axis of the ferrule.

Optionally, the ferrule is used for being matched with the optical fiber docking mechanism, and at least part of the transition portion is used for being accommodated in an accommodating through hole of the optical fiber docking mechanism; the set screw is configured to abut against the transition portion by tightening to limit displacement of the ferrule toward the first end.

Optionally, in the ferrule, the shape and the maximum size of the protrusion match the shape and the size of the receiving through hole of the optical fiber docking mechanism.

To sum up, in the utility model provides an in optic fibre docking mechanism and lock pin, optic fibre docking mechanism includes: the butt joint seat is provided with a first end and a second end which are opposite along the axial direction; the ferrule accommodating seat is arranged at the first end of the butt joint seat and is used for preventing the first ferrule from axially moving towards the first end; and the butt joint device force application part is arranged at the second end of the butt joint device seat and is used for applying an acting force towards the first end direction to the second ferrule so as to enable the opposite ends of the two ferrules to be abutted. In such a configuration, the ferrule holding seat prevents the first ferrule from moving axially toward the first end, and the abutting device force application portion abuts against the second ferrule and applies an acting force, so that the opposite ends of the two ferrules can be reliably abutted, and the two optical fibers can be reliably conducted. The utility model provides an optic fibre docking mechanism's size is little, and butt joint spare part is small in quantity, and the assembly is simple, is applicable to in narrow and small space, if when being applied to department such as the mirror tube of endoscope, adaptable narrow and small inner chamber in the endoscope to reduce the size of endoscope.

Drawings

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drawings are provided for a better understanding of the invention and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of the invention. Wherein:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of an optical fiber docking mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an axial cross-sectional view of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a disassembled schematic view of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 1 prior to docking installation;

fig. 5 is a schematic view of an optical fiber butt-joint force application structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic view of another optical fiber butting force application structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a front view of an optical fiber docking mechanism provided in the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a disassembled schematic view of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a ferrule receptacle of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber docking mechanism of FIG. 7 taken along line B-B;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 7 with a first ferrule snapped in;

fig. 12 is a schematic view of an optical fiber docking mechanism provided in the third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a disassembled schematic view of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an axial cross-sectional view of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of an assembly process of the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a front view of a first ferrule to which the fiber docking mechanism shown in FIG. 12 is mated.

In the drawings:

121-a first optical fiber; 122-a second optical fiber;

16-an optical fiber docking mechanism; 161-a first ferrule; 161 a-first ferrule through hole; 1611-a core; 1612-a support; 1612 a-fiber through hole; 1612 b-convex portion; 1612 c-transition; 162-a second ferrule; 162 a-a second ferrule through hole; 163-ferrule sleeve; 1641-the butt-joint seat; 1641 a-first end; 1641 b-a second end; 1641 c-support frame; 1642-inserting core containing seat; 1642 a-first receptacle; 1642 b-a limiting part; 1642 c-first axis of rotation; 1642 d-guide plate; 1642 e-elastic structure; 1642 f-threaded hole; 1643-force applying part of butt joint device; 1643 a-a second receptacle; 1643 b-elastic member; 1643 c-abutment face; 1643 d-anti-drop bulge.

Detailed Description

To make the objects, advantages and features of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It is to be noted that the drawings are in simplified form and are not to scale, but rather are provided for the purpose of facilitating and distinctly claiming the embodiments of the present invention. Further, the structures illustrated in the drawings are often part of actual structures. In particular, the drawings may have different emphasis points and may sometimes be scaled differently.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and/or" unless the content clearly dictates otherwise, the term "proximal" generally being the end that is closer to the operator of the endoscope and the term "distal" generally being the end that is closer to the object being viewed of the endoscope.

The utility model provides an optical fiber docking mechanism and lock pin, optical fiber docking mechanism includes: the butt joint seat is provided with a first end and a second end which are opposite along the axial direction; the ferrule accommodating seat is arranged at the first end of the butt joint seat and is used for preventing the first ferrule from axially moving towards the first end; and the butt joint device force application part is arranged at the second end of the butt joint device seat and is used for applying an acting force towards the direction of the first end to a second ferrule detachably connected with the first ferrule through a ferrule sleeve so as to enable the opposite ends of the two ferrules to be abutted. In such a configuration, the ferrule holding seat prevents the first ferrule from moving axially toward the first end, and the abutting device force application portion abuts against the second ferrule and applies an acting force, so that the opposite ends of the two ferrules can be reliably abutted, and the two optical fibers can be reliably conducted. The utility model provides an optic fibre docking mechanism's size is little, and butt joint spare part is small in quantity, and the assembly is simple, is applicable to in narrow and small space, if when being applied to department such as the mirror tube of endoscope, adaptable narrow and small inner chamber in the endoscope to reduce the size of endoscope.

The following description refers to the accompanying drawings.

[ EXAMPLES one ]

Please refer to fig. 1 to 6, wherein fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber docking mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 is an axial sectional view of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 1, fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a disassembly of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 1, fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 1 before docking and installation, fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber docking force application structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of another optical fiber docking force application structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1 to 6, the present embodiment provides an optical fiber docking mechanism 16 for detachably connecting two optical fibers (e.g., a first optical fiber 121 and a second optical fiber 122), which are provided with ferrules at opposite ends thereof, respectively, a first ferrule 161 and a second ferrule 162. The first ferrule 161 includes a core 1611 and a boss 1612b protruding from the outer periphery of the core, and the second ferrule 162 has the same or similar arrangement (as shown in fig. 2). A ferrule sleeve 163 matching the outer diameter of each core is provided between the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162. The ferrule sleeve 163 is removably connected between the two ferrules. Specifically, the first ferrule 161 is disposed at the proximal end of the first optical fiber 121, the first ferrule 161 has a head end and a tail end opposite to each other, and the head end of the first ferrule 161 is closer to the proximal end of the first optical fiber 121 than the tail end; the first ferrule 161 has a first ferrule through hole 161a for the first optical fiber 121 to pass through; the second ferrule 162 is disposed at the distal end of the second optical fiber 122, the second ferrule 162 also has a head end and a tail end opposite to each other, and the head end of the second ferrule 162 is closer to the distal end of the second optical fiber 122 than to the tail end; the second ferrule 162 has a second ferrule through hole 162a for the second optical fiber 122 to pass through; the ferrule sleeve 163 is detachably connected between the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162 to limit radial displacement of the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162 so as to keep the first optical fiber 121 and the second optical fiber 122 coaxial. The optical fiber docking mechanism 16 is configured to bring the head end of the first ferrule 161 into contact with the head end of the second ferrule 162, so as to allow the first optical fiber 121 and the second optical fiber 122 to be conducted. In practice, after the first optical fiber 121 is inserted into the first ferrule through hole 161a, the proximal end face of the first optical fiber 121 is preferably flush with the head end face of the first ferrule 161 and polished flat for facilitating the docking and transmission of optical signals, and likewise, after the second optical fiber 122 is inserted into the second ferrule through hole 162a, the distal end face of the second optical fiber 122 is preferably flush with the head end face of the second ferrule 162 and polished flat. With this arrangement, when the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162 are inserted into the two ends of the ferrule sleeve 163, respectively, the head end of the first ferrule 161 and the head end of the second ferrule 162 are abutted against each other by the optical fiber docking mechanism 16 and are coaxially restricted by the ferrule sleeve 163, so that the first optical fiber 121 and the second optical fiber 122 can be reliably conducted to each other. It should be understood that the first optical fiber 121 and the second optical fiber 122 are in communication, which means that an optical signal can be transmitted from the first optical fiber 121 to the second optical fiber 122 or an optical signal can be transmitted from the second optical fiber 122 to the first optical fiber 121.

The optical fiber docking mechanism 16 includes: an adaptor seat 1641, a ferrule receiving seat 1642 and an adaptor force applying part 1643, the adaptor seat 1641 having a first end 1641a and a second end 1641b (shown in fig. 3) opposite to each other in an axial direction; the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 is disposed at a first end 1641a of the butt seat 1641, and the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 abuts against one of the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162 to prevent axial displacement of the ferrule abutting against the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 in a direction toward the first end 1641 a; the dockee force application part 1643 is disposed at the second end 1641b of the dockee seat 1641, and the dockee force application part 1643 is configured to apply a force to the other of the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162 in a direction toward the first end 1641a, so that a head end of the first ferrule 161 and a head end of the second ferrule 162 are abutted. The optical fiber docking mechanism 16 can apply opposing forces to the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162 via the ferrule housing holder 1642 and the docket biasing part 1643, and the leading ends of the two can be reliably abutted. The optical fiber docking mechanism 16 provided in this embodiment has a small size, a small number of docking components, and a simple assembly, and is suitable for use in a narrow space, and when applied to, for example, a tube of an endoscope, it is suitable for use in a narrow lumen of the endoscope, thereby reducing the size of the endoscope.

Hereinafter, taking the first ferrule 161 as an example, the first ferrule 161 includes a core 1611 and a support 1612, an outer circumference of the core 1611 matches an inner circumference of the ferrule sleeve 163, and the first ferrule through hole 161a is disposed along an axis of the core 1611; one end of the support 1612 has a support cavity to receive one end of the core 1611 to limit radial displacement of the core 1611 and axial displacement in a direction toward the support 1612; the support 1612 further has an optical fiber penetrating holeA hole 1612a for passing through the first optical fiber 121 and the protective sleeve of the first optical fiber 121, wherein the fiber passing hole 1612a and the first ferrule through hole 161a are configured to coaxially pass through. In practice, the first optical fiber 121 is provided with a protective sheath around the bare fiber for protecting the bare fiber, in addition to the bare fiber for communication. The first ferrule through hole 161a formed at the axis of the core 1611 is matched with the diameter of the bare fiber of the first optical fiber 121 for the bare fiber to pass through, and the diameter of the fiber through hole 1612a of the support 1612 is matched with the outer diameter of the protective sleeve of the first optical fiber 121 to realize the mutual fixed connection, so that the protective sleeve of the first optical fiber 121 and the bare fiber can pass through together. In this manner, the protective jacket of the first optical fiber 121 can partially extend into the distal end of the first ferrule 161, avoiding the frangible bare fiber from breaking. Preferably, the diameter of the fiber through hole 1612a of the support member 1612 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the protective sheath of the first optical fiber 121, and a gap between the two is filled with glue to further fix the first optical fiber 121. In addition, the support 1612 has a convex portion 1612b on the outer circumference thereof for abutting against the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 or the abutting device urging portion 1643, so that the support 1612 can reliably abut against the optical fiber abutting mechanism 16. The second ferrule 162 may have the same or similar structure as the first ferrule 161. The core 1611 is configured to achieve high-precision and high-reliability butt joint between the first optical fiber 121 and the second optical fiber 122, specifically, the first ferrule through hole 161a disposed in the core 1611 is a high-precision through hole, and may be used to concentrically assemble a bare fiber of the first optical fiber 121, and the outer surface of the core 1611 is a high-precision mating surface, and is configured to concentrically mate with other optical fiber interface modules (such as the ferrule sleeve 163, etc.), so as to ensure the butt joint precision of the bare fiber and ensure reliable transmission of optical signals. The material of the core 1611 is not particularly limited in this embodiment, and may be selected by those skilled in the art according to the requirement, such as stainless steel, alumina, glass insert core, nickel base, molding or ZrO₂Ceramic materials, and the like. In this embodiment, the first ferrule 161 or the second ferrule 162 may be a standard component, such as an SC single-mode spherical ferrule (SC/SM/PC), an SC multi-mode spherical ferrule (SC/MM/PC), an SC single-mode large-chamfer ferrule (SC/SM/Cone), and an SC single-mode step ferrule (S)C/SM/Step), LC single mode ferrule (LC/SM), LC multimode ferrule (LC/MM), LC APC single mode ferrule (LC/SM/APC), MU single mode ferrule (MU/SM), or MU multimode ferrule (MU/MM). The first ferrule 161 or the second ferrule 162 may also be a non-standard component, for example, a non-standard support member having a convex portion on the outer periphery may be added on the basis of the SC multi-mode socket ferrule to form a non-standard component, or a non-standard support member having a convex portion on the outer periphery may be added on the basis of the ST ferrule or the SMA ferrule to form a non-standard component. In addition, the first ferrule 161 or the second ferrule 162 may further include a non-standard ferrule, and a support member having a convex portion on the outer periphery of the non-standard ferrule is added to form a "complete" non-standard member, or the like.

The following description is made of the case where the ferrule accommodating holder 1642 is in contact with the first ferrule 161:

as shown in fig. 3, the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 includes a first accommodating portion 1642a and a limiting portion 1642b, the first accommodating portion 1642a is used for accommodating a portion of the first ferrule 161, and the limiting portion 1642b is connected to the first accommodating portion 1642a for preventing the first ferrule 161 from moving radially relative to the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 and moving axially toward the first end 1641 a. In the present embodiment, the first receiving portion 1642a includes a receiving groove, which is an axial through groove, for receiving at least a portion of the first ferrule 161, such as the support 1612 of the first ferrule 161 or a portion of the support 1612. The support 1612 may be inserted in the radial direction or the axial direction of the receiving groove. A step surface is arranged on one side of the accommodating groove close to the second end 1641b, and the step surface forms the limiting part 1642 b; the stepped surface matches an outer profile of the boss 1612b to abut against the boss 1612b to prevent the first ferrule 161 from moving radially relative to the ferrule receptacle 1642 and axially toward the first end 1641 a. That is, when the stepped surface abuts against the convex portion 1612b, the first ferrule 161 can be axially constrained to prevent the first ferrule 161 from moving axially toward the first end 1641 a; the size of the step surface is larger than the width of the accommodating groove, so that the step surface can also provide radial constraint for the first insertion core 161, and the first insertion core 161 can be prevented from falling off during assembly.

Further, the docker force application part 1643 includes a second receiving part 1643a and an elastic member 1643b penetrating therethrough, and the second receiving part 1643a is opened on the elastic member 1643b to receive a portion of the second ferrule 162 (e.g., a supporting member of the second ferrule 162). The resilient member 1643b is configured to provide axial restraint to the second ferrule 162 and apply a force to the second ferrule 162 in a direction toward the first end 1641a to tightly abut the second ferrule 162 against the first ferrule 161. In this embodiment, the elastic member 1643b comprises two folding or spiral elastic arms, such as spring plates, but in practical implementation, those skilled in the art can understand that the elastic arms are not limited to spring plates, and elastic members capable of applying elastic force to the first or second ferrule to make the first or second ferrule abut against each other are included in the scope of the present invention. The two spring plates are arranged at intervals along the transverse direction (i.e. the direction perpendicular to the paper) of the butt connector seat 1641, the second accommodating portion 1643a is formed between the two spring plates, the distance between the two spring plates is smaller than the maximum radial dimension of the convex portion 1612b of the second ferrule 162 and is larger than or equal to the maximum radial dimension of the rest part of the support member 1612 of the second ferrule 162 except the convex portion 1612b, and the two spring plates are used for abutting against the convex portion 1612b of the second ferrule 162 to provide elastic acting force. Preferably, the folded elastic sheet may be M-shaped (as shown in fig. 1), multi-folded (as shown in fig. 5), or triangular (as shown in fig. 6), and the folded elastic sheet with different shapes may have different bending times to obtain different deformation distances, so as to be adapted to different requirements. One side of the elastic sheet close to the second end 1641b is fixedly connected with the butt-joint seat 1641, and one side close to the first end 1641a is a free end and forms an abutting surface 1643c for abutting against the convex portion 1612 b. Preferably, as shown in fig. 5, the spring plate further includes a retaining protrusion 1643d disposed toward the first end, and the retaining protrusion 1643d is formed on a side of the abutting surface 1643c away from the dockee seat 1641 to further prevent the second ferrule 162 from being detached from the dockee force application part 1643. The anti-slip protrusions 1643d may have a polygonal line structure or a wavy structure. For example, the anti-slip protrusion 1643d includes a first folding rod and a second folding rod, one end of the first folding rod and one end of the second folding rod are connected to form a protrusion with a V-shaped structure facing the first end 1641a, and the other end of the first folding rod and the other end of the second folding rod are disposed on the abutting surface 1643 c. When the second inserting core 162 generates the moving trend towards the upper direction in the figure, the second inserting core is blocked by the first folding rod. This can reliably prevent the second ferrule 162 from coming out of the dockee biasing part 1643.

Preferably, referring to fig. 1 and 4, the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 has a first rotating shaft 1642c, and a rotating axis of the first rotating shaft 1642c is perpendicular to an axis of the docking seat 1641; the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 is rotatably connected with the docking seat 1641 through the first rotary shaft 1642 c. Specifically, the first end 1641a of the dock seat 1641 may be provided with a supporting frame 1641c, and the supporting frame 1641c is provided with a circular hole or a bearing for adapting and accommodating the first rotating shaft 1642 c. So configured, the ferrule holding seat 1642 can rotate relative to the docking seat 1641 to facilitate the installation of the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162. In actual use, the tail end of the first ferrule 161 is inserted into the ferrule accommodating seat 1642, the convex portion 1612b of the first ferrule 1642 is arranged on the limiting portion 1642b, and the head end of the first ferrule 161 is connected with the head end of the second ferrule 162 through the ferrule sleeve 163, so that the three are concentrically matched, and the ferrule sleeve 163 ensures the butting precision of the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162; the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 is further rotated to make the convex portion 1612b of the second ferrule 162 abut against the abutting surface 1643c of the elastic piece 1643 b. Optionally, a spacer may be added between the second ferrule 162 and the abutment surface 1643c to improve the force condition. The first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162 can be locked and fixed relatively under the action of the elastic force of the elastic member 1643b, so that the optical fibers can be rapidly butted in a narrow space. Meanwhile, the head end of the first ferrule 161 and the head end of the second ferrule 162 can be tightly abutted, and reliable butt joint between optical fibers is realized. Preferably, the two resilient pieces are disposed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the first rotating shaft 1642c (i.e., the extending direction of the second accommodating portion 1643 a), so that the second ferrule 162 can be smoothly inserted into the second accommodating portion 1643a along the radial direction of the optical fiber docking mechanism 16 when the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 rotates. It should be noted that the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 in the present embodiment is not limited to be rotatably connected to the docking seat 1641, and may be fixedly connected to the docking seat 1641. At this time, the first ferrule 161 is fixed, and then the ferrule sleeve 163 and the second ferrule 162 are sleeved, so as to push and pull the force application part 1643 of the butt connector for installation.

Preferably, the bottom of the docking station seat 1641 may be provided with a mounting hole (e.g., for fixing with a screw, etc.) to facilitate the mounting and fixing of the optical fiber docking mechanism 16. Preferably, the dimensions of the fiber docking mechanism 16 in width (a direction perpendicular to the axis of the first ferrule 161), height (a direction perpendicular to the axis of the first ferrule 161 and perpendicular to the width direction) are less than 5 times the maximum outer diameter of the first ferrule 161, and the length of the fiber docking mechanism 16 in the axial direction is not more than 2.5 times the length of the first ferrule 161. In this way, the overall size of the optical fiber docking mechanism 16 can be further reduced, and the docking of the optical fibers can be performed more efficiently using the space, so that the optical fiber docking mechanism can be applied to a smaller space inside the transmission connector 1.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the relative positional relationship of the first end 1641a and the second end 1641b of the abutment seat 1641 is not particularly limited with respect to the arrangement of the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162. That is, in the present embodiment, the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 abuts against the first ferrule 161, and the butt connector urging portion 1643 abuts against the second ferrule 162; in other alternative embodiments, the ferrule receiving seat 1642 may abut the second ferrule 162 and the dockee force application portion 1643 may abut the first ferrule 161.

[ example two ]

Referring to fig. 7 to 11, wherein fig. 7 is a front view of an optical fiber docking mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention, fig. 8 is a disassembly schematic view of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 7, fig. 9 is a schematic view of a ferrule accommodating seat of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 7, fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 7 along a line B-B, and fig. 11 is a schematic view of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 7 after a first ferrule is snapped in.

The optical fiber docking mechanism of the present embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment, and the same parts will not be described again, and only different points will be described below.

As shown in fig. 7 to 11, in the present embodiment, a case when the ferrule accommodating holder 1642 is used to abut against the first ferrule 161 is exemplarily described. The first accommodating part 1642a comprises two accommodating baffles, and an accommodating channel is formed between the two accommodating baffles; a notch is formed in one side, close to the second end 1641b, of each accommodating baffle, and the notch forms the limiting portion 1642b, wherein the distance between the notches of the two accommodating baffles is smaller than the maximum radial size of the convex portion 1612b, so that the first ferrule 161 is prevented from axially moving towards the first end 1641 a. Furthermore, the two notches of the accommodating baffle plate can be connected with the convex part 1612b in a clamping and embedding manner, namely the height of each notch is matched with the height of the part, extending out of the notch, of the convex part 1612b, so that the convex part 1612b is limited in the height direction. Here, the shape of the convex portion 1612b is not particularly limited. If the convex portion 1612b is a revolution body such as a cylinder or a truncated cone, the maximum radial dimension is the dimension of the longest diameter; if the convex portion 1612b is in a prism shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped or a square, the maximum radial dimension is the length of the longest diagonal line. Preferably, one side of the accommodating baffle close to the first end 1641a is provided with a flared guide plate 1642d, the first accommodating portion 1642a further includes an elastic structure 1642e, the two accommodating baffles are connected to two ends of the elastic structure 1642e, the elastic structure 1642e is configured to provide an elastic force for keeping the two accommodating baffles at a distance from each other, for example, the elastic structure 1642e may be in a shape of a Chinese character 'ba'. The assembly process is also exemplarily described below in the case when the ferrule-receiving seat 1642 is used to abut against the first ferrule 161: first, the ferrule sleeve 163 and the second ferrule 162 are assembled concentrically, the support of the second ferrule 162 is placed into the second receiving portion 1643a of the butt connector force application portion 1643, then the first ferrule 161 slides from the receiving channel of the first receiving portion 1642a to the second ferrule 162 along the concentric direction of the second ferrule 162 in the direction from the tail end to the head end, the core 1611 of the first ferrule 161 is inserted into the ferrule sleeve 163, at this time, with the help of the guide plate 1642D, the first ferrule 161 can conveniently slide to the second ferrule 162 direction, since the distance D1 between the two receiving baffles of the first receiving portion 1642a is smaller than the diameter D1 (as shown in fig. 10) of the convex portion 1612b of the first ferrule 161, and due to the existence of the elastic structure 1642e, the two receiving baffles are propped apart by the convex portion 1612b of the first ferrule 161 until the convex portion b of the first ferrule 161 slides into the notch of the receiving baffle, and when the connecting piece is clamped with the notch, the assembly is finished. At this time, the notch serves as a limiting part 1642b, which prevents the first ferrule 161 from moving axially away from the second ferrule 162, and also prevents the first ferrule 161 from moving radially relative to the ferrule accommodating seat 1642, and the second ferrule 162 can tightly abut against the first ferrule 161 under the action of the butt connector force application part 1643, thereby realizing the conduction between the first optical fiber 121 and the second optical fiber 122. Note that, the ferrule accommodating holder 1642 in this embodiment may be fixedly installed on the docking holder 1641, or may be rotatably connected to the docking holder 1641 through a first rotation shaft 1642 c. When the ferrule accommodating holder 1642 is rotatably connected to the docking holder 1641, the first ferrule 161 may be fixed, and then the ferrule sleeve 163 and the second ferrule 162 may be inserted into the ferrule accommodating holder 1642, so as to rotate the ferrule accommodating holder 1642.

In particular, as shown in fig. 7, an included angle α formed by the abutting surface 1643c and the abutment seat 1641 along the direction from the first end 1641a to the second end 1641b is smaller than 90 °, i.e. the abutting surface 1643c is inclined inward toward the first end 1641a to prevent the second ferrule 162 from slipping out of the abutment force applying portion 1643.

Likewise, the position of the first ferrule 161 can be interchanged with the position of the second ferrule 162. Specifically, in some embodiments, the ferrule receiving seat 1642 abuts the first ferrule 161, and the dockee force application portion 1643 abuts the second ferrule 162; in yet other alternative embodiments, the ferrule receiving seat 1642 abuts the second ferrule 162 and the dockee force application portion 1643 abuts the first ferrule 161.

[ EXAMPLE III ]

Referring to fig. 12 to 16, wherein fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber docking mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention, fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of disassembling the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 12, fig. 14 is an axial sectional view of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 12, fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of an assembling process of the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 12, and fig. 16 is a front view of a first ferrule adapted to the optical fiber docking mechanism shown in fig. 12.

Referring to fig. 16, a first ferrule 161 is also provided, the first ferrule 161 includes a core 1611 and a support 1612, the support 1612 has a convex portion 1612b on an outer periphery thereof, and the convex portion 1612b is relatively protruded from the outer periphery of the core 1611. The first ferrule 161 is configured to be removably inserted into the ferrule sleeve 163, the first ferrule 161 having opposite head ends (right side in fig. 16) and tail ends (left side in fig. 16), the core 1611 being disposed at the head end for insertion into the ferrule sleeve 163; the end is used for the first optical fiber 121 to penetrate; the convex portion 1612b of the first ferrule 161 includes a transition portion 1612c, and the outside of the transition portion 1612c is a slope, and one end (left side in the figure) of the slope close to the end is closer to the axis of the first ferrule 161 than one end (right side in the figure) of the slope far from the end. Further, the distance from one end of the inclined plane away from the tip to the axis of the first ferrule 161 is equal to the distance from the outer surface of the rest of the convex portion 1612b to the axis of the first ferrule 161. In this manner, concentricity of the first ferrule 161 and the ferrule accommodating seat 1642 can be ensured. For example, the convex portion 1612b is a cylinder, and the transition portion 1612c is a truncated cone and is located near the middle of the convex portion 1612 b. Preferably, one end of the convex portion 1612b closer to the head end is further provided with a guide portion, and the one end closer to the head end is closer to the axis of the first ferrule 161 than the one end farther from the head end. The addition of the guide portion can facilitate the first ferrule 161 to be inserted into the ferrule receiving seat 1642.

As shown in fig. 12 to 16, in the present embodiment, a case when the ferrule accommodating holder 1642 is used to abut against the first ferrule 161 will be described: the first receiving portion 1642a includes a receiving through hole. The receiving through hole receives at least part of the convex portion 1612b and can completely receive the transition portion 1612c in the convex portion 1612 b; the limiting portion 1642b includes a set screw screwed on the sidewall of the receiving through hole, and the set screw abuts against the transition portion 1612c by screwing to prevent the first ferrule 161 from moving toward the first end 1641 a. Further, the shape and size of the receiving through hole of the optical fiber docking mechanism 16 match the shape and maximum size of the convex portion 1612 b. For example, if the convex portion 1612b is a cylinder and the transition portion 1612c is a truncated cone, the receiving through hole is also a cylinder, and the diameter of the receiving through hole is equal to or slightly larger than the maximum outer diameter of the convex portion 1612b, so as to restrain the radial movement of the convex portion 1612 b. Preferably, the transition portion 1612c is disposed at the middle section of the convex portion 1612b, so that both ends of the transition portion 1612c are provided with a part of the convex portion 1612b, so that the convex portions 1612b at both ends of the transition portion 1612c can contact with the accommodating through hole, and the reliability of radial constraint of the accommodating through hole on the first ferrule 161 is increased. A threaded hole 1642f can be formed on a sidewall of the first accommodating portion 1642a, the threaded hole 1642f is used for screwing a fastening screw, particularly, an axis of the threaded hole 1642f is perpendicular to an axis of the accommodating through hole of the first accommodating portion 1642a, and the threaded hole 1642f can penetrate through the first accommodating portion 1642a or only penetrate through a sidewall of the accommodating through hole of the first accommodating portion 1642 a. The opening position of the threaded hole 1642f is matched with the position of the transition portion 1612c when the first ferrule 161 is inserted into the accommodating through hole, that is, the fastening screw can be screwed and abutted against the transition portion 1612 c. The assembly process is exemplarily described below with reference to fig. 15: first, the ferrule sleeve 163 and the second ferrule 162 are concentrically fitted, the support 1612 of the second ferrule 162 is placed in the second accommodating portion 1643a of the butt connector force application portion 1643, then the first ferrule 161 is inserted from the accommodating through hole of the first accommodating portion 1642a in the direction from the tail end to the head end along the concentric direction of the second ferrule 162 to the direction of the second ferrule 162, and then the core 1611 of the first ferrule 161 is inserted into the ferrule sleeve 163, until the first ferrule 161 abuts against the second ferrule 162, the threaded hole 1642F corresponds to the transition portion 1612c of the convex portion 1612b, referring to fig. 16, at this time, a set screw is locked, and the pressing force F of the set screw on the transition portion 1612c slides the first ferrule 161 in the direction from the head end, so that the butted first ferrule 161 and second ferrule 162 generate a pre-pressing force S. With such a configuration, the set screw can form axial restriction on the first ferrule 161, and the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162 can be tightly abutted, so as to achieve conduction between the first optical fiber 121 and the second optical fiber 122. Similarly, the ferrule accommodating holder 1642 of the present embodiment may be fixedly disposed on the docking holder 1641, or may be rotatably coupled to the docking holder 1641 by a first rotating shaft 1642 c.

It should be noted that, of course, the first end 1641a and the second end 1641b of the docking seat 1641 can also realize the function of the optical fiber docking mechanism 16 after being turned over relative to the first ferrule 161 and the second ferrule 162. Reference may be made in detail to the above-described embodiments, which are not described in detail herein.

In summary, the utility model provides an among the optical fiber docking mechanism, lock pin accommodation seat prevents first lock pin towards first end axial displacement, and butt joint ware application of force portion and second lock pin looks butt and apply the effort, can make the looks remote site of two lock pins butt reliably, and then make two optic fibre switch on mutually reliably. The utility model provides an optic fibre docking mechanism's size is little, and butt joint spare part is small in quantity, and the assembly is simple, is applicable to in narrow and small space, if when being applied to department such as the mirror tube of endoscope, adaptable narrow and small inner chamber in the endoscope to reduce the size of endoscope.

It should be noted that, in the present specification, the embodiments are described in a progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on the difference from the other embodiments, the same and similar parts between the embodiments may be referred to each other, and in addition, different parts between the embodiments may also be used in combination with each other, which is not limited by the present invention.

The above description is only for the preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and any modification and modification made by those skilled in the art according to the above disclosure are all within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An optical fiber docking mechanism for removably coupling two optical fibers, each of the two optical fibers having a ferrule disposed at an opposite end, the optical fiber docking mechanism comprising:

2. The fiber docking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the ferrule receptacle comprises:

3. The optical fiber docking mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the ferrule includes a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, the first receiving portion includes two receiving baffles, and a receiving channel is formed between the two receiving baffles; a notch is formed in one side, close to the second end, of the accommodating baffle, and the notch forms the limiting part;

wherein the distance between the two receiving baffles is smaller than the maximum radial dimension of the convex part.

4. The optical fiber docking mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the two notches of the receiving baffle are further configured to engage with the protrusion.

5. An optical fiber docking mechanism according to claim 3, wherein a flared guide plate is provided on a side of the receiving baffle adjacent to the first end.

6. The optical fiber docking mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the ferrule includes a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, the first receiving portion includes a receiving groove, a step surface is provided on a side of the receiving groove near the second end, and the step surface forms the position-limiting portion; the step surface is matched with the outer contour of the convex part and is used for abutting against the convex part.

7. The optical fiber docking mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the ferrule includes a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, and the first receiving portion includes a receiving through hole; the limiting part comprises a fastening screw which is arranged on the side wall of the accommodating through hole in a rotating mode, and the fastening screw is used for abutting against the convex part through rotating so as to limit the displacement of the inserting core towards the first end.

8. The optical fiber docking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the dockee force application portion comprises:

an elastic member; and

9. The optical fiber docking mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the ferrule includes a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, the elastic member includes two folded or spiral elastic arms spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction of the docking station, the second receiving portion is formed between the two elastic arms, a distance between the two elastic arms is smaller than an outer diameter of the protrusion, and the two elastic arms are configured to abut against the protrusion.

10. The optical fiber docking mechanism of claim 9, wherein a side of the resilient arm proximate the first end forms an abutment surface for abutting against the protrusion; the abutting surface and the first end form an included angle smaller than 90 degrees towards the direction of the second end.

11. The fiber docking mechanism of claim 10, wherein the resilient arm further comprises a retaining projection disposed toward the first end, the retaining projection being formed on a side of the abutment surface that is distal from the docket seat.

12. The optical fiber docking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the ferrule accommodating base has a first pivot axis, and a rotation axis of the first pivot axis is perpendicular to an axis of the docking base; the inserting core containing seat is rotatably connected with the butt joint seat through the first rotating shaft.

13. A ferrule including a core and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the core, the ferrule configured to be removably inserted into a ferrule sleeve, wherein the ferrule has opposite head and tail ends, the core being disposed at the head end for insertion into the ferrule sleeve; the tail end is used for the penetration of optical fibers; the convex part of the ferrule is provided with a transition part; the transition portion is used for enabling the core insert to slide towards the head end when the transition portion receives a force towards the center of the core insert.

14. The ferrule of claim 13, wherein the transition portion has an outer side that is a bevel, an end of the bevel proximate to the tip being closer to the axis of the ferrule than an end of the bevel distal to the tip.

15. The ferrule of claim 14, wherein an end of the ramp distal from the terminus is equidistant from the axis of the ferrule as an exterior of a remainder of the protrusion.

16. A ferrule as claimed in claim 13, wherein the ferrule is configured to cooperate with the optical fiber docking mechanism as claimed in claim 7, and at least a portion of the transition portion is configured to be received in the receiving through-hole of the optical fiber docking mechanism; the set screw is configured to abut against the transition portion by tightening to limit displacement of the ferrule toward the first end.

17. A ferrule according to claim 16, wherein the shape and maximum dimension of the protrusion match the shape and dimension of the receiving through-hole of the fiber docking mechanism.