JP5154985B2 - Optical connector plug - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector plug with a release lever that is used when connecting an optical fiber, and more particularly to an optical connector plug with improved operability for attachment to and removal from an adapter.

  Conventionally, this type of optical connector plug is integrally provided with a latch for engaging with and releasing from the adapter on the outer peripheral surface of the plug housing. The latch is inclined and extended so as to gradually move away from the outer surface of the plug housing from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the plug housing. When this optical connector plug is attached to an adapter, a latch slightly protrudes from the rear end of the adapter. When the optical connector plug is removed from the adapter, the latch is pushed down directly with the fingertip to release the engagement.

  Also, the optical connector plug is provided with a separate latch release member engaged with the rear end of the latch on the main body frame side, and the latch is indirectly pushed down via this latch release member to engage the adapter. It may be canceled.

Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a latch release member is provided in the housing holding the optical connector plug so as to be axially movable, and the optical connector plug is moved by moving the housing to the adapter side. The latch can be engaged with the adapter by inserting it into the adapter. On the other hand, by moving the housing in the opposite direction, the latch release member moves relative to the housing forward and presses the rear end of the latch. Thus, there is a technique of an optical connector assembly that can release the engagement with the adapter.
JP 2001-141961 A

  In recent years, since high-density mounting of an optical connector is required, a small-sized optical connector plug has emerged in which the latch release member releases the latch engagement with the adapter when the optical connector plug is removed from the adapter. However, because of the small size, it becomes difficult to operate the latch release member, and there is a situation where the optical connector plug cannot be removed without using a tool.

  That is, as shown in the prior art described above, the latch of the optical connector plug slightly protruding from the rear end of the adapter is directly pushed down with the fingertip to release the engagement, or indirectly through the latch release member. Since the engagement must be released by pushing down the latch, the operability is particularly poor in high-density mounting.

  Further, in the technique according to Patent Document 1, since the number of parts is increased by the number of members of the housing, the structure is complicated, and the size and cost are increased. Therefore, this is also not suitable for high-density mounting.

  Therefore, the present invention was created in view of the conventional circumstances as described above, and is a small-sized device that can easily operate the release lever without using a special tool even during high-density mounting. An object is to provide an optical connector plug.

In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, the plug body is formed on the upper surface in the longitudinal direction from the front to the rear, and has a locking piece at the approximate center for engaging with the adapter. The axial direction of the plug body by both the release lever with the release piece at the end, one stopper provided on the front side on both sides of the plug body, and the other stopper provided at a predetermined interval on the rear side And a slider that is movably mounted within the regulation range, and the slider has a tapered surface that engages with the release piece of the release lever so as to be capable of being pressed ,
The release lever is displaced downward by the guide of the adapter together with the locking piece when the plug body is attached to the adapter, so that the locking piece and the adapter can be engaged, and the slider is removed when the plug is removed from the adapter. The release piece of the release lever is pushed down on the taper surface of the slider and the engagement between the locking piece and the adapter is released, and then the movement is restricted by the other stopper provided on the rear side of the plug body. When the slider is removed from the adapter, the plug body and release lever return to the initial position due to the elastic force of the release lever.
The position of the other stopper provided on the rear side of the plug body is arranged at least behind the position where the engagement between the locking piece and the adapter is released by the movement of the slider. When the slider is moved in the direction, the movement of the slider is restricted by the other stopper located on the rear side, generating a force that causes the plug body to move backward, allowing the plug body to be removed from the adapter. When the slider is moved in the forward mounting direction, the slider is restricted from moving by one stopper located on the front side, generating a force that causes the plug body to move forward, and mounting the plug body to the adapter. It is characterized in that to enable.

  At least one of the upper and lower sides of the rear end of the slider is provided with a convex operation portion for gripping during operation.

  A pull-out tab that allows the slider to be operated on the rear cord side is detachably attached to the operation portion of the slider.

  The pull-out tab includes a large-diameter set hole for setting in the operation portion of the slider, a small-diameter fixing hole for fixing to the operation portion, and an uneven gripping portion.

  According to the present invention, the release lever can be easily operated without using a tool even during high-density mounting.

That is, the present invention is formed on the upper surface in the longitudinal direction of the plug main body from the front to the rear, and includes a locking piece at the approximate center for engaging with the adapter, and a release piece at the rear end. The release lever and one stopper provided on the front side on both sides of the plug body and the other stopper provided on the rear side with a predetermined gap are mounted so as to be movable within the axial restriction range of the plug body. The slider has a tapered surface that engages with the release piece of the release lever so that it can be pressed, so that the release lever can be easily operated only by moving the slider in the front-rear direction. . Therefore, even if the optical connector plug is small and densely mounted, the operability is remarkably improved.

The release lever is displaced downward by the guide of the adapter together with the locking piece when the plug body is attached to the adapter so that the locking piece and the adapter can be engaged. The release piece of the release lever is pushed down by the taper surface of the slider, and after the engagement between the locking piece and the adapter is released, the movement is restricted by the other stopper provided on the rear side of the plug body, and the slider Since the plug body and release lever return to the initial position due to the elastic force of the release lever at the same time as the connector is removed from the adapter, the plug body can be easily and securely attached to the adapter of the optical connector plug with small and high-density mounting Can be attached.

The position of the other stopper provided on the rear side of the plug body is arranged at least behind the position where the engagement between the locking piece and the adapter is released by the movement of the slider. When the slider is moved in the direction, the movement of the slider is restricted by the other stopper located on the rear side, generating a force that causes the plug body to move backward, allowing the plug body to be removed from the adapter. When the slider is moved in the forward mounting direction, the slider is restricted from moving by one stopper located on the front side, generating a force that causes the plug body to move forward, and mounting the plug body to the adapter. Therefore, the plug body can be smoothly removed with one touch with respect to the adapter of the optical connector plug by small-sized and high-density mounting.

  At least one of the upper and lower sides of the rear end of the slider is equipped with a convex operating part that can be gripped during operation. The slider can be moved smoothly in the front-rear direction simply by operating the operating part with your fingertip. Yes. Therefore, the operability of the optical connector plug at the time of small and high density mounting is remarkably improved.

  A pull-out tab that allows the slider to be operated on the rear cord side is detachably attached to the slider operation portion, so that the slider can be moved backward by simply operating the pull-out tab with a fingertip. Move smoothly. Therefore, the operability of the optical connector plug with small and high-density mounting is remarkably improved.

  The pull-out tab comprises a large-diameter set hole for setting in the slider operation section, a small-diameter fixing hole for fixing to the operation section, and an uneven gripping section. It is possible to easily attach or remove the pull-out tab to the.

  The best mode for carrying out the optical connector plug according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The optical connector plug according to the present invention is constituted by, for example, an LC type plug body 1, which is relatively high as shown in FIGS. 1, 5 (a), and 5 (b). A coupling sleeve 2 made of strong plastic, a ferrule 5 comprising a ferrule tube 3 and a ferrule frame 4 in the coupling sleeve 2, a spring 6 mounted on the outer periphery of the rear end of the ferrule frame 4, and the spring 6 and a plastic main body frame 7 fitted to the rear end portion of the ferrule frame 4 through 6.

  When assembling the plug body 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the ferrule 5, the spring 6, and the body frame 7 are sequentially inserted into the coupling sleeve 2, and the locking claws of the body frame 7 are connected to the coupling sleeve 2 as shown in FIG. The main body frame 7 is fixed to the coupling sleeve 2 by engaging with the locking holes, and the ferrule 5 is urged and held in the coupling sleeve 2 through the spring 6 in the axial direction. A heat shrinkable tube 9 and a boot 10 having a caulking ring 8 for protecting the optical fiber and preventing disconnection due to deformation are attached to the rear of the main body frame 7.

  2, 3, 4 (a) to (e), FIG. 5 (a), and FIG. 5 (b), the coupling sleeve 2 is engaged with the adapter P on the outer peripheral surface. And a release lever provided with a pair of release pieces 11a that are provided in the center of both lateral sides in the width direction and that protrude laterally with respect to the axial direction at symmetrical positions at the rear end. 11 is integrally provided on the coupling sleeve 2.

  The release lever 11 is inclined and extended on one surface in the longitudinal direction of the coupling sleeve 2 of the plug body 1 so as to gradually move away from the outer surface of the coupling sleeve 2 from the front end portion toward the rear end portion. The pair of left and right release pieces 11a at the rear end portion is in a complementary relationship with the tapered surface 13a so as to abut on the tapered surface 13a at the left / right symmetrical position inside the opening 13b of the slider 13 as will be described later. Yes.

  A housing-like slider 13 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the main body frame 7, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a predetermined distance is provided between the stopper 14 a provided on the front side and the rear side on both side surfaces of the main body frame 7. The movement of the slider 13 in the axial direction is restricted by the stopper 14b provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4E and FIG. 5A, the slider 13 has a front end on the upper surface that protrudes slightly obliquely forward, and the raised inner side faces the main body frame 7. , An opening 13b having a substantially U-shaped arch shape is formed in the front-rear direction so as to form a space in which the release lever 11 can be displaced in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. The symmetrical part is a tapered surface 13a inclined toward the front end side of the main body frame 7. A pair of left and right release pieces 11a at the inclined rear end of the release lever 11 is engaged with the tapered surface 13a. In the illustrated example, the opening 13b at the top of the slider 13 is provided in the front-rear direction, but a configuration in which the rear side is closed can also be employed.

  2, 3, 4 (d), 5 (a), and 5 (b), the rear side of the opening 13 b of the slider 13 is divergent from the raised position toward the rear. A pair of left and right protruding wall-shaped gripping portions 15a are extended, and a convex operation portion 15 for gripping with a fingertip when the slider 13 is operated is provided between the left and right gripping portions 15a. Anti-slip knurled eyes are formed on the upper surfaces of the operation portion 15 and the grip portion 15a. The operation portion 15 and the grip portion 15a are formed only on the upper side of the slider 13, but may be formed only on the lower side or on both upper and lower sides.

  The operation unit 15 has a wide head at the top and a base portion at the bottom that is constricted at the front and side surfaces. A pull-out tab 17 (described later) is connected to the operation unit 15 through a set hole 18. It is mounted so as to be hooked on the front constricted portion (see FIGS. 10 (a), 10 (b), 11 (a), and 11 (b)). The left and right side edges of the extraction tab 17 are sandwiched by 15a so that the rotation of the extraction tab 17 is restricted. Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (e), a lower operation portion 16 having a substantially skirt-shaped projecting shape with a slight inclination is provided at the rear end portion of the lower surface of the slider 13 corresponding to the operation portion 15. Is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, the plug body 1 is attached to the adapter P. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, the locking piece of the release lever 11 is attached. 12, the plug body 1 and the adapter P are engaged.

  That is, when the release lever 11 is attached to the adapter P of the plug body 1, the locking piece 12 is pressed by the guide of the plug insertion hole of the adapter P as shown in FIGS. It is mounted while being displaced downward together with the locking piece 12. And the latching piece 12 and the adapter P can be engaged by the latching piece 12 being elastically latched by the level | step difference currently formed in the guide back side of the adapter P toward the upper direction.

  Further, when the adapter P is mounted, it may be operated indirectly via the slider 13 instead of directly operating the plug body 1. In this case, when the slider 13 is moved in the direction of the adapter P, the movement is restricted by the stopper 14a and the plug body 1 can be attached to the adapter P. The locking piece 12 and the release lever 11 are displaced downward by the guide of the adapter P, The locking piece 12 and the adapter P are engaged. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 9, a guide having the step is formed in the plug insertion hole of the adapter P toward the inside. The locking piece 12 is inserted into the.

  On the other hand, when the plug body 1 is removed from the adapter P, the release lever 11 is released by the tapered surface 13a of the slider 13 when the slider 13 is moved in the removal direction, as shown in FIGS. The engagement between the locking piece 12 and the adapter P is released by pushing down the piece 11a.

  At this time, since the position of the stopper 14b is at least behind the position where the engagement between the locking piece 12 and the adapter P is disengaged due to the movement of the slider 13, the slider 13 is moved in the rearward pulling direction. At this time, the movement of the slider 13 is restricted by the stopper 14b, and a force that causes the plug body 1 to act rearward is generated. Therefore, the plug body 1 can be removed from the adapter P.

  On the other hand, when the slider 13 is moved in the forward mounting direction, the movement of the slider 13 is restricted by the stopper 14a, and a force that causes the plug body 1 to move forward is generated. Therefore, the plug body 1 to the adapter P is generated. Can be installed.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9G, 7A, and 7B, the slider 13 is pulled out of the adapter P and simultaneously returns to the initial position by the elastic force of the release lever 11.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the locking piece 12 and the release lever 11 are formed on the front end side of the upper surface of the coupling sleeve 2, and one stopper 14 a is formed on the lower edge of the front end side on both sides of the body frame 7. The other stoppers 14b are respectively formed in the rear end side central portions of both side surfaces of the main body frame 7.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the locking piece 12 and the release lever 11 can be connected to each other by extending the coupling sleeve 2 backward without using the main body frame 7 as the plug main body 1. Formed on the front end side of the upper surface of the ring sleeve 2, one stopper 14 a is also formed on the substantially central lower edge of both sides of the coupling sleeve 2, and the other stopper 14 b is also the rear end of both sides of the coupling sleeve 2. Each may be formed in the side center part.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B, the operation portion 15 of the slider 13 can be operated on the rear cord side. It is possible to mount a strip-shaped pull-out tab 17 as follows. By moving the pull-out tab 17 in the pull-out direction, the slider 13 moves in conjunction with the pull-out direction.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, a set hole 18 for inserting the head of the operation unit 15 of the slider 13 and the operation unit 15 are provided on one end side of the pull-out tab 17. A fixed hole 19 is formed to insert and hook the constricted front root portion through the slit portion 20 at the center, and the holes 18 and 19 are connected to each other through the slit portion 20. . In this case, the fixing hole 19 has a slightly larger shape than the constricted portion on the lower side of the head of the operation unit 15, and the setting hole 18 has a slightly larger shape than the head of the operation unit 15. Accordingly, the fixing hole 19 and the constricted portion below the head are fitted.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a gripping portion 21 with uneven knurled eyes is formed on the upper surface of the other end side of the extraction tab 17. Further, a C-ring-shaped hook 22 is formed in the approximate center of the lower surface of the extraction tab 17 so that the extraction tab 17 itself can be attached to the optical cord following the bending of the optical cord. It should be noted that a label attaching area 23 for attaching a label specifying the type of the target plug body 1 is provided in the approximate center of the upper surface of the extraction tab 17.

  Next, an example of the use of the best mode of the present invention / optical connector plug configured as described above will be described in detail.

  When the plug body 1 is attached to the adapter P, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9D, the operating portion 15 of the slider 13 is moved in the adapter P attachment direction with the fingertip. At this time, the movement of the operation unit 15 is restricted by the stopper 14a, and the plug body 1 moves into the adapter P. At the same time, the release lever 11 is displaced downward together with the locking piece 12 by the guide of the adapter P so that the locking piece 12 and the adapter P are engaged, whereby the plug body 1 is mounted on the adapter P.

  On the other hand, when the plug body 1 is removed from the adapter P, the operating portion 15 of the slider 13 is moved in the removal direction with the fingertip, as shown in FIGS. At this time, the engagement between the locking piece 12 and the adapter P is released by pushing down the release piece 11 a at the rear end of the release lever 11 with the tapered surface 13 a of the slider 13. When the slider 13 is further moved in the removal direction, the movement is restricted by the stopper 14b, and the plug body 1 can be removed from the adapter P. Further, as shown in FIG. 9 (g), the slider 13 is pulled out of the adapter P, and at the same time, the slider 13 itself returns to the initial position by the elastic force of the release lever 11.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 (a), 10 (b), 11 (a), and 11 (b), in order to allow the slider 13 to be operated on the rear cord side, A pull-out tab 17 is attached to the operation unit 15. When the plug body 1 is pulled out from the adapter P, the slider 13 is moved in the same pulling direction by moving the pulling tab 17 in the pulling direction with the fingertip, and the tapered surface 13a of the slider 13 is moved. By depressing the release piece 11a at the rear end of the release lever 11, the engagement between the locking piece 12 and the adapter P is released.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical connector plug in the best form for implementing this invention. It is a perspective view of the optical connector plug similarly assembled. It is the perspective view of the state which moved the slider back in the optical connector plug similarly assembled. Similarly, the optical connector plug after assembly is shown, (a) is a side view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a rear view, (d) is a perspective view seen obliquely upward, and (e) is obliquely below. It is the perspective view seen from the direction. Similarly, the assembled optical connector plug is shown, (a) is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 4 (c), and (b) is a sectional view in a state where the release lever is pushed down. Similarly, the optical connector plug after assembly is shown, (a) is a perspective view when the locking piece and the release lever are provided in the coupling sleeve, and two pairs of stoppers are provided in the frame, and (b) is the engagement. It is a perspective view in case a stop piece, a release lever, and two pairs of stoppers are provided on the coupling sleeve. Similarly, the assembled optical connector plug is shown, (a) is a center sectional view of the optical connector plug, and (b) is a one-side sectional view of the optical connector plug. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example in which an optical connector plug is removed from the adapter. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the optical connector plug attached to the adapter, and FIG. It is a perspective view of a state. (A) thru | or (d) in the figure is explanatory drawing which showed the procedure of attachment of the optical connector plug with respect to an adapter with sectional drawing. (E) thru | or (g) in the figure is explanatory drawing which showed the procedure of removal of the optical connector plug with respect to an adapter with sectional drawing. An example in which a pull-out tab is used is shown, (a) is a perspective view of a state before the pull-out tab is attached to the operation portion, and (b) is a perspective view of a state after the pull-out tab is attached to the operation portion. Similarly, an example in which a pull-out tab is used is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view of a state before the pull-out tab is attached to the operation portion, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of a state after the pull-out tab is attached to the operation portion.

P Adapter 1 Plug body 2 Coupling sleeve 3 Ferrule tube 4 Ferrule frame 5 Ferrule 6 Spring 7 Body frame 8 Caulking ring 9 Heat shrinkable tube 10 Boot 11 Release lever 11a Release piece 12 Locking piece 13 Slider 13a Tapered surface 13b Opening 14a Stopper 14b Stopper 15 Operation part 15a Gripping part 16 Lower operation part 17 Pull-out tab 18 Set hole 19 Fixing hole 20 Slit part 21 Gripping part 22 Hook 23 Labeling area

Claims (4)

A release lever formed on the upper surface in the longitudinal direction of the plug body from the front to the rear, provided with a locking piece at the approximate center for engaging with the adapter, and provided with a release piece at the rear end; and the plug body A slider mounted so as to be movable in the axial restriction range of the plug body by both stoppers provided on the front side and the other stopper provided on the rear side at a predetermined interval on both side surfaces of the plug body, The slider has a tapered surface that engages with a release piece of a release lever so as to be pressable ,
The release lever is displaced downward by the guide of the adapter together with the locking piece when the plug body is attached to the adapter, so that the locking piece and the adapter can be engaged, and the slider is removed when the plug is removed from the adapter. The release piece of the release lever is pushed down on the taper surface of the slider and the engagement between the locking piece and the adapter is released, and then the movement is restricted by the other stopper provided on the rear side of the plug body. When the slider is removed from the adapter, the plug body and release lever return to the initial position due to the elastic force of the release lever.
The position of the other stopper provided on the rear side of the plug body is arranged at least behind the position where the engagement between the locking piece and the adapter is released by the movement of the slider. When the slider is moved in the direction, the movement of the slider is restricted by the other stopper located on the rear side, generating a force that causes the plug body to move backward, allowing the plug body to be removed from the adapter. When the slider is moved in the forward mounting direction, the slider is restricted from moving by one stopper located on the front side, generating a force that causes the plug body to move forward, and mounting the plug body to the adapter. optical connector plug is characterized in that to enable. At least up and down either, the optical connector plug of claim 1 wherein an operation unit of the convex shape for gripping during operation of the rear end of the slider. 3. The optical connector plug according to claim 2 , wherein a pull-out tab that allows the slider to be operated on the rear cord side is detachably attached to the operation portion of the slider. 4. The light according to claim 3 , wherein the pull-out tab includes a large-diameter set hole for setting in the operation portion of the slider, a small-diameter fixing hole for fixing to the operation portion, and an uneven gripping portion. Connector plug.

Images