JP2002116350A - Adaptor or receptacle for optical cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical cable adaptor or receptacle which reduces outside dimension as well as simplifying manufacturing and which is adaptable to a multiple type adaptor or receptacle. SOLUTION: This device is equipped with a shielding plate 14, which is obliquely provided from the outer base end to the inner tip end, of a plug fitting part 6 and which can shield the optical path 15 passing through the plug fitting part 6, and with a shutter member 5 composed of a leaf spring having a run off 16, which is formed by the retreat of a part of the shielding plate 14 corresponding to a ferrule 20 in the fitting direction of the plug. The device is characterized by the structure in which, with the plug 2 fitted to the plug fitting part 6, the ferrule 20 comes into no contact with the shielding plate 14 against the run off 16, and in which the shielding plate 14 elastically deforms to the position where no optical path 15 is cut off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical cable adapter or receptacle used for relaying an optical cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an optical communication system, an adapter or a receptacle is used to make a detachable connection between optical cables or between an optical cable and another optical device, and the adapter or the receptacle includes an optical cable end. A plug attached to the part can be fitted and removed. And with this kind of adapter or receptacle,
In order to prevent a high-output laser beam or the like from entering the eyes of an operator when connecting the plug, a shutter member capable of blocking an optical path is provided in the adapter or the receptacle.

An example in which a shutter member is mounted in an optical cable adapter or a receptacle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-212264. This includes a shutter plate that is obliquely installed so as to block the optical path, and whose tip is formed to have an arc-shaped cross section in order to prevent the end face of the ferrule from coming into contact when the plug is fitted, thereby damaging the optical cable. A storage space provided on a side wall is disclosed, and when the plug is fitted, the shutter plate is elastically deformed without contacting the end face of the ferrule, and is stored in the storage space. ing.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-2
In the adapter disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 11264, since the distal end of the shutter plate is formed to have an arc-shaped cross section, it is necessary to secure a considerably large storage space for the shutter plate for each port when the plug is fitted. Therefore, there is a problem that the external dimensions of the adapter itself are increased.
Further, since the shutter plate has a complicated shape and can be separately attached to each port,
The material cost was high and the installation work was troublesome. Therefore, it is not suitable for use of a multiple adapter or receptacle having a plurality of ports.

In view of the above, the present invention provides an optical cable adapter or receptacle which can be reduced in external dimensions and simplified in manufacture, and can be applied to a multiple adapter or receptacle. Things.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an adapter or receptacle for an optical cable to which a plug having a ferrule capable of accommodating an end of a core of an optical cable at a distal end is removably connected. A shielding plate which is obliquely provided from a base side outer portion to a distal side inner portion of the joining portion, and which can block an optical path passing through the plug fitting portion; and a portion of the shielding plate corresponding to the ferrule is the plug. A shutter member made of a leaf spring having an escape portion formed to retreat in the fitting direction of the plug. When the plug is fitted to the plug fitting portion, the ferrule faces the escape portion and the shielding It is characterized in that the shielding plate is elastically deformed to a position where it does not block the optical path without contacting the plate.

[0007] Preferably, the relief portion is formed by bending a central portion of the shielding plate in a fitting direction of the plug,
Further, the shutter member is configured so that when the plug is fitted to the plug fitting portion, the shutter member is housed in a plane along the inner surface of the plug fitting portion.

Further, the present invention is an optical cable adapter or receptacle to which a plug having a ferrule capable of accommodating an end of a core of an optical cable is connected so as to be able to be inserted and removed. A shielding plate which is obliquely provided from a base side outer portion to a distal side inner portion of each of the plug fitting portions, and which can block an optical path passing through each of the plug fitting portions; A shutter member made of a leaf spring connected thereto, wherein when the plug is fitted to the plug fitting portion, the shield plate is configured to be elastically deformed to a position where the light path is not blocked. I do.

[0009] Preferably, the shielding plate of the shutter member has a relief portion formed by retreating partly in a direction in which the plug is fitted, and when the plug is fitted in the plug fitting portion, The ferrule is configured to elastically deform to a position where the shielding plate does not block the optical path without contacting the shielding plate facing the escape portion, and the shutter member is configured to connect the plug to the plug. When fitted to the fitting portion, it is formed so as to be stored in a plane along the inner surface of the plug fitting portion.

With this configuration, when the plug is fitted into the plug fitting portion, the shielding plate is elastically deformed to a position where the optical path is not blocked without the ferrule coming into contact with the shielding plate. It is stored in a planar shape along the inner surface of the plug fitting portion. When the plug is removed from the plug fitting portion, the shielding plate returns to a position where the optical path is blocked by the restoring force.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 show an example of an optical cable adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. The adapter 1 is of a double type in which two single-core plugs 2 can be fitted in parallel. Things. The adapter 1 comprises a pair of resin housings 3, 3 ', a cylindrical metal split sleeve 4, and leaf spring shutter members 5, 5'. They are connected in a state where the end faces are abutted. Since the housings 3 and 3 'have the same configuration, only one housing 3 will be described below, and description of the other housing 3' will be omitted.

Two plug fitting portions 6 are formed inside the housing 3 from the base end to the tip end, and each plug fitting portion 6 is partitioned by a partition wall 7. Each of the plug fitting portions 6 has a set of two plug lock pieces 8.
The plug lock piece 8 has a cantilever shape extending toward the distal end, and a projection 9 is formed inside the distal end of the plug lock piece 8. Further, a cylindrical split sleeve storage portion 10 is provided at the tip end side of each of the plug fitting portions 6.
Is formed, and the inner surface of the base end of the split sleeve storage portion 10 is raised to form a retaining portion 11. Accordingly, when the pair of housings 3 and 3 'are connected, the split sleeve storage space 12 is formed by the split sleeve storage portions 10 and 10'.
The split sleeve 4 is held between the retaining portions 11 and 11 '.

The shutter member 5 includes a U-shaped fixing portion 13 fitted to the base end of the partition wall 7, and an oblique piece extending from the fixing portion 13 toward the inside of the distal end side of the housing 3. A pair of shielding plates 14 extending like a beam,
Each shielding plate 14 blocks an optical path 15 passing through the inside of the plug fitting portion 6. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the central portion of the shielding plate 14 is cut into a U-shape leaving a distal end side, and then the plug 2 is cut.
Are bent in the fitting direction, and a relief portion 16 is formed.
As shown in FIG. 2, the shutter member 5 extends from the fixing portion 13 along the base end surface 17 of the partition wall 7 and further extends along the outer surface of the housing 3. A pair of support pieces 18 extending to the side are provided,
The distal ends of the support pieces 18 are bent toward each other in a direction close to each other, and are provided with locking grooves (not shown) formed on the outer surface of the housing 3.
The locking pieces 19 which can be locked are formed respectively. Therefore, the shutter member 5 engages the fixing portion 13 with the base end of the partition wall 7 from the base end side of the housing 3 and engages the locking piece 19 with the locking groove (not shown). Since the housing 3 can be easily mounted on the housing 3, the mounting operation is greatly simplified.

Next, the plug 2 fitted into each of the plug fitting portions 6 will be described. The plug 2 is attached to a distal end of an optical cable (not shown), and as shown in FIG. 1, a ferrule 20 capable of accommodating a core end (not shown) of the optical cable, and the ferrule 20 is moved toward the distal end. The plug housing 21 includes a spring (not shown) for urging, and a plug housing 21 for housing the ferrule 20 and the spring. Locking portions 22 are provided on both sides of the plug housing 21.

The operation when the plug 2 is inserted into and removed from the adapter 1 will be described below with reference to FIG.

When the plug 2 is inserted into the plug fitting portion 6 from the base end side of the housing 3, the ferrule 20 faces the escape portion 16 of the shielding plate 14, and the tip corner 23 of the plug housing 21. Abuts against the base end side of the shielding plate 14, and the shielding plate 14 starts to be elastically deformed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. At this time, the escape portion 16 of the shielding plate 14 is bent in the fitting direction of the plug 2 and the ferrule 20 does not come into contact with the shielding plate 14, so that the optical cable is reliably prevented from being damaged. can do. Thereafter, with the insertion of the plug 2, the projection 9 of the plug lock piece 8 is locked to the locking portion 22 on the plug 2 side, and the plugs 2 are respectively locked in the plug fitting portions 6, The ferrule 20 is inserted into the split sleeve 4 and held in alignment. Then, the shielding plate 14 is further elastically deformed, and is housed in a plane along the inner surface of the partition wall 7 together with the escape portion 16. Accordingly, it is only necessary to provide a cutout groove or the like for the thickness of the shield plate 14 in the plug fitting portion 6 as a storage space for the shield plate 14, and the storage space for the shield plate 14 can be greatly reduced. Therefore, the size of the adapter 1 can be reduced.

When the plug 2 is removed from the adapter 1, an operation reverse to the above-described operation is performed.
The shield plate 14 returns to its original position, that is, the position at which the optical path 15 is blocked, by the restoring force of the plug 2 withdrawal of the plug 2. At this time, since the escape portion 16 is bent toward the partition 7, the restoring force of the escape portion 16 acts on the shielding plate 14 in addition to its own restoring force.
Therefore, the shielding plate 14 can surely return to the original position.

In the above embodiment, the double adapter has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a single adapter or a multiple adapter having three or more adapters. When applied to a multiple adapter, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a shutter member 25 in which three shielding plates 24 are integrally connected may be used. In this case, the production of the shutter member does not require much trouble, and the shutter member can be attached to a plurality of adapters at a time, so that the operation of attaching the shutter member can be further simplified.

Further, the shutter member 5 is not limited to the above-described shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 is formed so that the escape portion 26 is located at a position retracted in the fitting direction of the plug 2, a part of the shielding plate 14 is omitted as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.
And the escape portion 16 may be connected by a connecting portion 27. Further, as shown in FIG.
And the shielding plate 14 are connected by a coil spring 28, or, as shown in FIG. 10, instead of the support piece 18, a press-fit projection 30 is formed on the fixing portion 13. May be press-fitted into the plug fitting portion 6 to fix the shutter member 5. Although FIG. 10 is an example of a single type, the shutter members 5 may be connected to each other to form a double type or a multiple type.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the adapter 1, but can be applied to a receptacle. Further, in the above-described embodiment, a single-core plug has been described as an example. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to an adapter or a receptacle for a two-core plug.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is only necessary to secure a space corresponding to the thickness of the shutter member in the plug fitting portion as a storage space for the shutter member when the plug is fitted. The size and density of the receptacle can be reduced.

Further, since a portion corresponding to the ferrule of the shield plate is retracted in the plug fitting direction to form a relief portion, the tip of the ferrule does not abut on the shield plate when the plug is fitted, so that the optical cable of the optical cable can be used. Damage can be prevented. Furthermore, when the shield plate returns to the position where the optical path is interrupted when the plug is removed, not only the shield plate itself but also the restoring force of the escape portion can be used, so it is necessary to securely return the shield plate to its original position. Can be.

Further, when a shutter member in which a plurality of shielding plates are connected to a multiple adapter or receptacle is used, the shutter member can be mounted at a time, thereby reducing the number of assembly steps. And various excellent effects such as reduction of material cost can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a shutter member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a development view of a shutter member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation of the adapter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a development view showing another example of the shutter member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of the shutter member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of the shutter member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another example of the shutter member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another example of the shutter member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another example of the shutter member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Adapter 2 Plug 5 Shutter member 6 Plug fitting part 14 Shielding plate 15 Optical path 16 Escape part 20 Ferrule 24 Shield plate 25 Shutter member 26 Escape part

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An optical cable adapter or receptacle to which a plug having a ferrule at a distal end capable of accommodating an end of a core of an optical cable is removably connected, and a proximal outer portion of the plug fitting portion. And a shielding plate which is obliquely arranged toward the tip side inner portion, and which can block an optical path passing through the inside of the plug fitting portion, and a portion corresponding to the ferrule of the shielding plate is retracted in the plug fitting direction. A shutter member made of a leaf spring having a formed relief portion, and when the plug is fitted to the plug fitting portion, the ferrule faces the relief portion and does not contact the shielding plate. An optical cable adapter or receptacle, wherein the shielding plate is elastically deformed to a position where the optical path is not interrupted. 2. The optical cable adapter or receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the escape portion is formed by bending a central portion of the shielding plate in a fitting direction of the plug. 3. The shutter member according to claim 2, wherein, when the plug is fitted into the plug fitting portion, the shutter member is housed in a plane along the inner surface of the plug fitting portion. Adapter or receptacle for optical cable. 4. An optical cable adapter or receptacle to which a plug having a ferrule capable of accommodating a core end portion of an optical cable at a distal end portion is removably connected, wherein a plurality of plug fitting portions; A shielding plate is provided obliquely from a base side outer portion to a distal side inner portion of the fitting portion, and is capable of blocking an optical path passing through each of the plug fitting portions, and the respective shielding plates are connected. An optical cable adapter, comprising: a shutter member made of a leaf spring, wherein when the plug is fitted into the plug fitting portion, the shielding plate is elastically deformed to a position where it does not block the optical path. Or a receptacle. 5. A shield plate of the shutter member has a relief portion formed by retreating partly in a fitting direction of the plug, and when the plug is fitted to the plug fitting portion, The adapter or receptacle for an optical cable according to claim 4, wherein the shield plate is elastically deformed to a position where the shield plate does not block the optical path without the ferrule facing the escape portion and contacting the shield plate. 6. The shutter member according to claim 3, wherein when the plug is fitted into the plug fitting portion, the shutter member is housed in a plane along the inner surface of the plug fitting portion. 5. The optical cable adapter or receptacle according to 4.