JP2000111759A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector easily connecting/separating a connector plug from an adaptor and preventing the connection of the connector plug from being carelessly released and a cable, etc., from twining. SOLUTION: In the optical connector 1 consisting of a pair of the connector plugs 10 holding a fiber F and the adaptor 20, an operating elastic engagement piece 13 and an auxiliary elastic engagement piece constituted approachably or squeezably and elastically to the main body side of the connector plug 10 by pressurizing force are formed on one outer side surface of the connector plug 10, and the operating elastic engagement piece 13 and the auxiliary elastic engagement piece are housed in the adaptor 20, and an engagement hole 20b and a second engagement hole engaging with the operating elastic engagement piece 13 and the auxiliary elastic engagement piece are formed on the adaptor 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector capable of connecting and disconnecting single-core and multi-core optical fibers by a simple operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various optical connectors are used in optical communication systems. Recently, MT type optical connectors that can easily connect and disconnect optical fiber tapes (connection and disconnection) and MPO type optical connectors that can be easily connected and disconnected by push-pull operations have been proposed. . Both optical connectors are MT
A mold ferrule is used. An optical connector using an MT type ferrule has a structure in which optical fibers to be connected can be easily aligned with each other by a guide pin, and is a very useful technology in terms of simplicity, weight, and cost.
On the other hand, recently, ferrules have been incorporated into RJ type housings. An RJ-type optical connector that can connect and disconnect an optical fiber with the same operability as an electrical connector has been proposed (for example, US Pat. No. 5,481,634).

[0003] The RJ type optical connector is obtained by applying a connection structure used for an electrical connector to an optical connector.
FIG. 6 shows the structure. That is, the RJ-type optical connector 50 shown in FIG. 1 includes a pair of RJ-type connector plugs 51 (only one is shown) and an adapter 52, and a ferrule 54 holding an optical fiber 53 is incorporated in the connector plug 51. Have been. In this RJ-type optical connector 50, when a pair of connector plugs 51, 51 are respectively inserted into the adapter 52, the end faces of the optical fibers 53, 53 of the connector plugs 51, 51 abut, and the optical fibers 53, 53 are connected. Connected to each other. At this time, the elastic locking piece 51a provided on one side of the connector plug 51 is locked by the adapter 52, and the connection state between the connector plug 51 and the adapter 52 is maintained. Also, by pulling out the connector plug 51 from the adapter 52 while pressing the elastic locking piece 51a against the main body side of the connector plug 51, the connection of the connector plugs 51 is released.

[0004]

However, in the conventional RJ-type optical connector 50, when the pressing operation portion 51c of the elastic locking piece 51a is pressed, the connector plug 51 is easily detached from the adapter 52. For this reason, there is a possibility that the pressing operation portion 51c of the elastic locking piece 51a may come into contact with an external object or the like to inadvertently disconnect the connection, and there is a problem that the reliability of the optical connector 50 is impaired. Even after the connector plug 51 is inserted into the adapter 52, the end of the elastic locking piece 51a protrudes from the adapter 52.
There is also a problem that another cable (such as the cable of the optical fiber 53) is easily entangled. Furthermore, the conventional optical RJ
When trying to realize the connection of the multi-core optical fibers 53 with the mold optical connector 50, there is a problem that the alignment of the optical fibers 53 is difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to easily connect and disconnect a connector plug and an adapter. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector that is not released or a cable or the like is not entangled.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, (1) a connector plug (1) is provided.
The connection male portion (10a) of (0) is an operation elastic locking piece (13) configured to be elastically close to or pushable into the main body side of the connector plug (10) by a pressing force on one outer surface thereof. A connector having a locking portion (13a) and a pressing operation portion (13b), and an outer surface different from the one outer surface elastically approaching or pushing into the body side of the connector plug (10) by pressing force. An auxiliary elastic locking piece (14) configured to be
A) having a second locking portion (14a), a) a locking portion (13a) of the operation elastic locking piece (13) is provided for locking the adapter (20). Surface (13ax) and an inclined surface (13ay) inclined toward the distal end side of the connector plug (10).
B) a pressing operation portion (13b) of the operation elastic locking piece (13),
The operating elastic locking piece (13) is configured to be elastically close to or pushed into the main body side of the connector plug (10) by a pressing force, and c) the second of the auxiliary elastic locking pieces (14). The locking part (14a)
A projection having two surfaces, an inclined surface (14ax) inclined toward the distal end of the connector plug (10) and an inclined surface (14ay) inclined toward the opposite side to the distal end of the connector plug (10). The connection female part (20a) of the adapter (20) accommodates the operation elastic locking piece (13) and the auxiliary elastic locking piece (14), and Female (20
a) is a locking hole (20b) for locking the locking portion (13a) of the operation elastic locking piece (13), and a locking surface (13ax) for locking the locking surface (13ax). 20bx) and the auxiliary elastic locking piece
The second locking hole (20) for locking the second locking portion (14a) of (14)
and d) are proposed.

That is, the connector plug is stably locked to the adapter by the two locking portions of the operation elastic locking piece and the auxiliary elastic locking piece. The operation elastic locking piece and the auxiliary elastic locking piece are formed with a slope, and a pressing force for pressing each locking piece toward the body of the connector plug between the slope and the body of the adapter. This facilitates insertion and removal (connection and disconnection) of the connector plug. Furthermore, since the operation elastic locking piece and the auxiliary elastic locking piece are housed in the adapter, the situation that the connector plug is accidentally disconnected due to entanglement of the cables or contact with an external object is solved. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of guide pin insertion holes (12b) for inserting guide pins (15) are arranged on the ferrule end face (12a) which is the end face of the ferrule (12). An optical connector according to claim 1 is proposed.

Accordingly, in addition to the function of claim 1, MT
The optical fiber end faces of the connector plugs are accurately aligned with each other, similarly to the optical connector and the MPO optical connector.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an optical connector 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<< Structure of Optical Connector >> An optical connector 1 according to the present invention comprises a connector plug 10 for holding an optical fiber F.
10 and an adapter 20 for holding the connector plugs 10 in a detachable manner (see FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b)).

Connector plug (refer to FIGS. 1 to 3) First, the connector plug 10 is a ferrule 1 which is housed inside the housing 11 which holds the optical fiber F and a housing 11 which forms the main body of the connector plug 10.
2. Operation elastic locking piece 13 formed on one outer surface of housing 11 to lock adapter 20;
An auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 is formed on an outer surface different from the one outer surface on which the one operation elastic locking piece 13 is formed to lock the adapter 20 in an auxiliary manner. Note that, at the tip end side of the connector plug 10, a connection female portion 2
The portion to be inserted into 0a is referred to as a connection male portion 10a. The connecting male portion 10a has an elastic locking piece 1 for operation.
3 and an auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 are included. In this specification, the term “forming” includes “attachment” of attaching one object to another object unless otherwise specified.

(Housing) The housing 11 is
The main body of the connector plug 10 is formed. The shape of the housing 11, in particular, the cross-sectional shape of the portion (that is, the connection male portion 10a) to be inserted into the connection female portion 20a of the adapter 20 may be a rectangle, a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or the like. . Any cross-sectional shape can be used to form the operation elastic locking pieces 13 and the auxiliary elastic locking pieces 14 described later. The section refers to a section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing 11.

(Ferrule) The ferrule 12 is
It is housed inside the housing 11 and holds the optical fiber F (see FIG. 2 (a) and the like). An optical fiber end face Ft is exposed on a ferrule end face 12a which is an end face of the ferrule 12, as shown in FIG.
In this case, the optical fibers F are optically connected to each other by bringing the ferrule end faces 12a into close contact with each other without any gap (see FIGS. 2 (c) and 3 (c)). The number of optical fibers F held by the ferrule 12 may be one (single core) or plural (multicore). FIG.
The ferrule 12 shown in (a) and the like is a so-called MT ferrule that holds a plurality of optical fibers FF. As a material forming the ferrule 12, a general material used for a ferrule of a conventional optical connector is sufficient.

The ferrule 12 is usually formed to protrude from the housing end face 11b (that is, the main body of the connector plug 10) as shown in FIG. The ferrule end face 12a is normally supported by the housing 11 so as to be slidable in the optical axis direction of the optical fiber F. Further, the ferrule 12 is always urged in a direction in which the ferrule end face 12a protrudes from the housing end face 11b by providing an urging means S such as a spring in the housing 11 (see FIG. 2A). With such a configuration, in the optical connector 1, the ferrule end faces 12a are surely adhered to each other, and a good optical fiber F
Optical connection between them can be made. Further, even if the optical connector 1 is subjected to vibration or the like, the optical connection between the optical fibers F is maintained well.

(Operation Elastic Locking Piece) As shown in FIG. 1A and the like, the operation elastic locking piece 13
a and a pressing operation portion 13b, and are formed on an arbitrary outer surface of the housing 11 along the axis of the connector plug 10.

The operation elastic locking piece 13 may be formed integrally with the housing 11, or may be attached separately from the housing 11 by hinge connection via a hinge or the like. In the present embodiment, the housing 11 is formed integrally with the housing 11 by forming a cut groove 11a (see FIG. 1 (a) and the like). When the operation elastic locking piece 13 is formed integrally with the housing 11, the operation elastic locking piece 13 is elastically rotated by the pressing force about the support shaft 13 c, and the connector plug 10.
Of the connector plug 10 (center side of the connector plug 10). When the operation elastic locking piece 13 is attached separately from the housing 11 by a hinge connection or the like, the urging means such as a spring may be used.
It is necessary to urge the operation elastic locking piece 13 to the outside of the connector plug 10.

The operation elastic locking piece 13 is attached to the adapter 2.
After the connector plug 10 is inserted into the adapter 20, the operation elastic locking piece 13 (particularly, the distal end portion) is inserted into the adapter 2.
It should not jump out of zero or rise out of the body of the connector 10. This is because cables such as the optical fiber F do not become entangled or the connector plug 10 does not accidentally come off the adapter 20 due to contact with an external object.

The locking portion 13a is a protrusion formed at an arbitrary position on the outer surface of the elastic locking piece 13 for operation (the surface that contacts the inner surface of the adapter 20). This locking portion 13a
It has two surfaces: a locking surface 13ax that locks with a locking surface 20bx of the adapter 20, which will be described later, and an inclined surface 13ay that is inclined toward the housing end surface 11b (see FIG. 2 (a) and the like).

As long as the locking surface 13ax can securely lock the locking surface 20bx of the adapter 20, even if it is formed in a ┏ shape, the locking surface 13ax is perpendicular to the axis of the operation elastic locking piece 13. It may be formed as a plane. However, if the locking of the locking surfaces 13ax and 20bx is released only by applying a pressing force to the main body side of the connector plug 10 by the pressing operation portion 13b described later, a vertical plane like the latter is used. It is preferably formed as This locking surface 13ax · 2
Obx prevents the connector plug 11 from coming off even if the connector plug 10 is pulled in the direction in which it is pulled out of the adapter 20.

The inclined surface 13ay may be linearly inclined or curvedly inclined. When the connector plug 10 is inserted (inserted) into the adapter 20, the inclined portion 13ay serves as the projection 1.
3a serves to prevent the insertion from becoming an obstacle. That is, when inserting the connector plug 10 into the adapter 20, when the inclined surface 13ay comes into contact with the main body of the adapter 20, the locking portion 13a pushes the locking plug 13a toward the main body of the connector plug 10 as a resultant force. Pressure develops. On the other hand, the locking portion 13a is formed on the elastic locking piece 13 for operation. Therefore, the operating elastic locking piece 13 is elastically rotated about the support shaft 13c together with the locking portion 13a by this pressing force, and is pushed into (close to) the main body side of the connector plug 10. Therefore, the locking portion 1 as a projection
Forming 3a does not hinder insertion of connector plug 10 (see FIG. 5). Thereby, the connector plug 10 can be inserted (inserted) into the adapter 20 only by a so-called “push” operation.

Next, the pressing operation portion 13b is used when the inserted connector plug 10 is removed from the adapter 20. That is, the operation elastic locking piece 13 is pushed into (close to) the main body side of the connector plug 10 by a finger or the like, and plays a role of releasing the locking of the locking surfaces 13ax and 20bx. The pressing operation portion 13b allows the connector plug 10 to be easily removed from the adapter 20 by a so-called “pull operation”. Press operation unit 13
b (including the distal end portion of the operation elastic locking piece 13) is formed so that after the connector plug 10 is inserted into the adapter 20, the connector plug 10 does not protrude greatly from the adapter 20 and does not largely float from the main body of the connector plug 10.
This is because cables such as the optical fiber F do not become entangled or the connector plug 10 does not accidentally come off the adapter 20 due to contact with an external object.

When the pressing operation portion 13b is formed on the distal end side (free end portion side) of the elastic locking piece 13 for operation, both locking surfaces 13ax.
This is preferable because the lock of the 20bx can be released (see FIG. 1A). The pressing portion 13b may be formed independently of the locking portion 13a, or may be formed so that the locking portion 13a also serves as the pressing portion 13b (see FIG. 4A). .

For a configuration in which the locking portion 13a also serves as the pressing operation portion 13b, the connector plug 10 is connected to the adapter 2
In order to remove the locking part 1 from the housing 11, for example, the locking part 13 a also serving as a pressing operation part is pushed into the housing 11 side by a finger FI such as a thumb, and the finger FI is pulled forward from this state.
Operation is performed by sliding 3a (see FIG. 4A). Thus, the connector plug 10 can be detached from the adapter 20 by a “pull operation” as in the case of the operation elastic locking piece 13 in which the pressing operation portion 13b is separately formed.

Next, the direction of forming the operation elastic locking piece 13 will be described. The operation elastic locking piece 13 may be formed such that the support shaft 13c is located on the housing end face 11b side. The support shaft 13c may be formed on the side opposite to the housing end surface 11b. In the latter case, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the locking portion 13a is connected to the pressing operation portion 1a so that the pressing operation portion 13b does not become an obstacle when the connector plug 10 is inserted into or removed from the adapter 20.
For example, it is necessary to serve also as 3b.

The operation elastic locking piece 13 described above employs a so-called "lever system" utilizing the principle of leverage (rotational movement about the support shaft 13c). A so-called “advance / retreat method” in which only exercise is performed may be employed (see FIG. 4B).
When the reciprocating method is adopted, the operation elastic locking piece 13 ′
Is formed separately from the housing 11, and is formed such that the locking portion 13'a also serves as the pressing operation portion 13'b. Further, a biasing means S (such as a spring) for constantly biasing the operation elastic locking piece 13 ′ to the outside, and the operation elastic locking piece 1
Position regulating means 13'e (stopper) is required to prevent 3 'from jumping out and coming off the housing 11. According to the forward / backward method, there is an advantage that the total length of the connector plug 10 can be shorter than that of the lever method. On the other hand, according to the lever system, particularly the lever system in which the operation elastic locking piece 13 is formed integrally with the housing 11, there is an advantage that the number of parts can be reduced.

(Auxiliary elastic locking piece) Housing 11
The other outer surface different from the surface on which the operation elastic locking piece 13 is formed, preferably opposite to the outer surface on which the operation elastic locking piece 13 is formed so that the reaction force generated on each of them can be effectively used. An auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 having a second locking portion 14a is formed on the outer surface on the side. This auxiliary elastic locking piece 14
The connector plug 10 is similar to the elastic locking piece 13 for operation.
It is good to form along the axis of.

The auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 may be formed integrally with the housing 11 similarly to the elastic locking piece 13 for operation, or may be attached separately from the housing 11 by hinge connection or the like. In addition, the operation elastic locking piece 1
Similarly to 3, the support shaft 14c may be on the housing end face 11b side, or may be on the opposite side (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 shown in FIG. 2 and the like is formed integrally with the housing 11 by forming a cut groove 11a 'in the main body of the housing 11, and is elastically connected to the support shaft 14c by pressing force. Main body side of plug 10 (that is, housing 11)
Is configured to be able to approach or be pushed into.

The second locking portion 14a is provided with the auxiliary elastic locking piece 1
4 is a projection formed on the outer surface (surface in contact with the inner surface of the adapter 20), preferably on the distal end side, and the second locking portion 14a is provided with a second locking hole of the adapter 20 described later. Lock with 20d. The second locking portion 14a includes two surfaces, an inclined surface 14ax inclined toward the housing end surface 11b and an inclined surface 14ay inclined toward the opposite side. The manner of inclination may be linear or curved, as in the case of the inclined surface 13ay formed on the elastic elastic piece 13 for operation.

An inclined surface 14ax is provided on the housing end surface 11b side.
Is formed so as not to hinder the insertion (fitting) of the connector plug 10 into the adapter 20. On the other hand, the reason why the inclined surface 14ay is formed on the opposite side to the housing end surface 11b is to prevent trouble when the connector plug 11 is removed from the adapter 20. In this regard, the locking portion 13 of the operation elastic locking piece 13
This is different from the case where the inclined surface 13ay is formed only on one side of “a”.

The movement of the auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 will now be described. When the connector plug 10 is inserted into or removed from the adapter 20, the inclined surfaces 14ax and 14a are used.
y comes into contact with the adapter 20, which generates a pressing force. This pressing force causes the auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 to rotate the support shaft 14c.
The second locking portion 14a formed on the elastic locking piece 14 is
Pushed into (close to) one side. Therefore, even if the second locking portion 14a, which is a projection, is formed, there is no problem in inserting and removing the connector plug 10. That is, "push operation"
・ Connector plug can be easily inserted and removed by "pull operation".

The auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 is not limited to the lever type, but may be configured to be of the type described above. By forming the auxiliary elastic locking piece 14, the connection between the ferrule end faces 12a and the optical connection between the optical fibers F can be ensured, and the connector plug 10 of the optical connector 1 in the connected state can be removed for some reason. Even if the connector plug 10 is pulled, the connector plug 10 is prevented from being accidentally pulled out (cut off) from the adapter 20.

It is primarily the role of the operating elastic locking piece 13 (locking portion 13a) that prevents the connector plug 10 from coming off the optical connector 1 in the connected state. By forming the locking pieces 14 (locking portions 14a), it is possible to reliably prevent the connector plug 10 from being accidentally pulled out. Further, the auxiliary elastic locking pieces 14 and / or the operation elastic locking pieces 13
In the case where the housing 11 is integrally formed, the housing 11 is preferably made of a material that has excellent elasticity and can withstand repeated pressing and releasing of pressing.

(Others) A guide pin insertion hole 12b into which the guide pin 15 is inserted may be formed in the ferrule end face 12a, if necessary (see FIG. 1A). According to this, when the optical fibers F are optically joined to each other, there is no deviation of the optical axis. In addition,
The guide pin insertion hole 12b is formed in the ferrule end face 12a. Normally, the ferrule 12 is slidably supported on the housing 11.

◎ Adapter The adapter 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the connector plug 10
Each of the adapters 20 has a connection female portion 20a in which the connection male portion 10a is inserted. In addition, a locking hole 20b that locks with the locking portion 13a of the operation elastic locking piece 13 is formed in the connection female portion 20a. Further, a receiving portion 20c for receiving the pressing operation portion 13b of the operation elastic locking piece 13 is formed in the connection female portion 20a as necessary. Also,
A second locking hole 20d for locking with the locking portion 14a of the auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 is formed. As long as the adapter 20 can reliably hold the connector plug 10, the material forming the adapter 20 is not limited to a special material.

(Connection Female Portion) The cross-sectional shape of the inside of the connection female portion 20a is the connection male portion 1 of the connector plug 10.
0a corresponds to the outer cross-sectional shape. That is, if the cross-sectional shape of the connecting male portion 10a is rectangular, the shape inside the connecting female portion 20a is also rectangular.

(Locking Hole) The locking hole 20b is a portion for locking the locking portion 13a of the elastic locking piece 13 for operation. A locking surface 20bx for locking the locking surface 13ax formed on the locking portion 13a is formed in the locking hole 20b. However, this locking surface 20bx is the locking surface 1
The surface is not limited as long as the 3ax is securely locked. For example, the locking surface 13ax may be a vertical plane, and the locking surface 20bx may be the tip of a wedge-shaped inclined surface.

The locking portion 13 of the operating elastic locking piece 13
a is also used as the pressing operation portion 13b,
Is formed as a through-hole (opening) penetrating the main body (connecting female part 20a) of the adapter 20. This is because it is necessary to directly press the locking portion 13a with the finger FI or the like.
Therefore, the locking hole 20b, which is an opening, needs to be large enough to release the locking of the locking surfaces 13ax and 20bx with at least the finger FI (see FIG. 4A).

(Receiving Portion) The receiving portion 20c is formed as required, and the elastic locking piece 13 for operation by a finger FI or the like is used.
And the pressing operation portion 13b of the operation elastic locking piece 13 protrudes from the optical connector 1 and serves to prevent cables such as the optical fiber F from becoming entangled.

Pressing operation portion 13b of elastic locking piece 13 for operation
Is formed separately from the locking portion 13a, the adapter 2
It is preferable to form the receiving portion 20c by notching the main body of the zero. On the other hand, as described above, when the locking portion 13a also serves as the pressing operation portion 13b, the receiving portion 2 is inserted into the locking hole 20b.
0c may also be used. In this case, the locking hole 20b also serving as the receiving portion 20c needs to be large enough to release the locking of the locking surfaces 13ax and 20bx by at least the operation of the finger FI.

(Second Locking Hole) Second Locking Hole 20
“d” is formed to lock with the second locking portion 14 a of the auxiliary elastic locking piece 14. The second locking hole 20d may be a long hole as long as the second locking portion 14a fits into the hole. FIG. 2A shows an example in which the second locking hole 20d is formed in a groove-like long hole. With a long hole, even if the position where the locking portion 14a is formed or the size of the locking portion 14a in the length direction is slightly different, the difference can be absorbed.

<< Use of Optical Connector >> Hereinafter, an example of a method of using (connecting / disconnecting) the optical connector 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. By inserting (fitting) the connecting male portion 10a of the connector plug 10 into the connecting female portions 20a formed at both ends of the adapter 20, the optical fibers F are optically connected to each other.

Connection (insertion of connector plug (insertion)) Since the connector plug 10 is provided with the operation elastic locking piece 13 and the like, the connector plug 10 has a vertical direction with respect to the adapter 20. Therefore, positioning is performed in consideration of this directionality.

After the alignment, the connecting male portion 10 a of the connector plug 10 is inserted straight into the connecting female portion 20 a of the adapter 20. By this insertion operation, the locking portion 13a and the second locking portion 14a come into contact with the main body of the adapter 20, respectively (see FIG. 5A). In addition, the connection male part 10a of the connector plug 10
Unless otherwise specified, hereafter simply the connector plug 1
Called 0.

When the connector plug 10 is further inserted into the adapter 20, as described above, the abutment between the inclined surface 13ay and the main body of the adapter 20 causes the operation elastic locking piece 1.
A pressing force is generated in the locking portion 13a formed on the connector 3 so as to push the locking portion 13a into the main body of the connector plug 10. On the other hand, the operation elastic locking piece 13 is configured to elastically rotate around the support shaft 13c by the pressing force. Therefore, as described above, the locking portion 13a
However, it does not hinder insertion (entry) of the connector plug 10 into the adapter 20. FIG. 5 shows a series of movements of the operation elastic locking piece 13 at this time.

Also, the second locking portion 14a is formed with an inclined surface 14ax which is inclined toward the housing end surface 11b, so that the second locking portion 14a is similar to the locking portion 13a. Is the adapter 2 of the connector plug 10
It does not inhibit insertion (intrusion) into zero.

When the connector plug 10 is further inserted into the adapter 20, the locking portion 13a reaches the position of the locking hole 20b, and the second locking portion 14a reaches the position of the second locking hole 20d. When this position is reached, the pressing force generated by the contact with the adapter 20 disappears, so that the respective locking portions 13a and 14a are moved to the respective locking holes 20b and 20d by the restoring force caused by the elastic force. Fit in. FIG. 5D shows a state in which the locking portion 13 a of the operation elastic locking piece 13 is fitted into the locking hole 20 b of the adapter 20. In addition, a locking surface 13ax formed on the locking portion 13a,
By locking with the locking surface 20bx formed in the locking hole 20b, the movement of the connector plug 10 in the reverse insertion direction is restricted. Also, the second locking portion 1 of the auxiliary elastic locking piece 14
4a is locked by the second locking hole 20d of the adapter 20, so that the connector plug 10 does not accidentally come off the adapter 20.

Next, another connector plug 10 is positioned and brought into contact with the connection female portion 20a of the adapter 20 into which the connector plug 10 is not inserted in the same manner as described above. . Note that the adapter 20 shown in FIG. 1B and the like is provided with a locking hole 20b and the like so that the one connector plug 10 and the other connector plug 10 are inserted upside down.

Subsequently, the connector plug 10 is inserted into the adapter 20 in the same manner as described above.
When the connector plug 10 is inserted to a certain extent, the ferrule end face 1 of the already inserted connector plug 10
2a comes into contact with the ferrule end surface 12a of the connector plug 10 during the insertion operation.

Further, when the connector plug 10 is inserted into the adapter 20, the ferrules 12 are slidable with respect to the housing 11 and the outer sides thereof (the housing end face 1).
1b), the ferrules 12 are respectively biased to the ferrule end faces 12a.
12a are slid while being in close contact with each other. Therefore, the ferrule 12 does not hinder the insertion (intrusion) of the other connector plug 10. When the other connector plug 10 is inserted, the behavior indicated by the locking portion 13a and the second locking portion 14a of the connector plug 10 depends on the locking portion 1 of the already inserted connector plug 10.
The behavior is the same as that shown by 3a and the second locking portion 14a, and therefore the description is omitted.

Finally, when the locking portions 13a and 14a are fitted into the locking holes 20b and 20d, the connection of the optical connector 1 is completed and the optical fibers F are optically connected to each other. become. The connector plug 10 is provided with each locking surface 1
In addition to being firmly locked by the locking of 3ax and 20bx, the presence of the auxiliary elastic locking piece prevents the connector plug 10 from being accidentally pulled out even if a force acts in the pulling-out direction. .

In connection, the guide pins 15 may be used. When the guide pin 15 is used, for example, if the connector pin 10 has the guide pin insertion hole 12b formed in the ferrule end face 12a, two connector plugs 10 are prepared. Next, the guide pin 15 is inserted only into the guide pin insertion hole 12b of one connector plug 10, and the connection operation is performed in the above-described procedure. By using the guide pins 15, the connection between the optical fibers F is ensured.

Release (removal of the connector plug) First, the pressing operation portion 13b of the operation elastic locking piece 13 is pressed toward the main body of the connector plug 10 with a finger FI or the like, and the locking surfaces 13ax and 20bx are locked. Cancel.

At the same time, the connector plug 10 is pulled in the opposite insertion direction (the finger FI is slid). On this occasion,
Since the second locking portion 14a of the auxiliary elastic locking piece 14 has an inclined surface 14ay on the surface opposite to the housing end surface 11b, the inclined surface 14ay contacts the main body of the adapter 20. As a result, the locking portion 14a, which is a projection, does not hinder the removal of the connector plug 10 for the same reason as described above.

When one connector plug 10 is detached from the adapter 20, the other connector plug 10 is detached from the adapter 20 in the same manner as necessary. If one connector plug 10 is removed from the adapter 20, the optical connection between the optical fibers F is released.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described means and methods, but achieves the objects of the present invention and has the effects of the present invention. Changes can be made as appropriate within the range.

[0057]

As described above, according to the optical connector 1 of the first aspect, the connection / disconnection (removal / insertion) of the connector plug 10 and the adapter 20 can be easily performed, and the contact with an external object or the like can be easily achieved. The connection between the connector plug 10 and the adapter 20 is not inadvertently released. Further, the shape of the operation elastic locking portion 13 and the locking hole 20b (receiving portion 20c) of the adapter 20 eliminates the risk of cables such as the optical fiber F getting entangled in the optical connector 1, so that the reliability of the optical connector 1 is reduced. Performance can be improved.

In the optical connector according to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, similarly to the MT type optical connector and the MPO type optical connector, the optical fiber end faces Ft of the connector plugs 10 are always accurately positioned. Since they can be matched, low-loss connection characteristics can be obtained, and highly accurate optical connection between the optical fibers F can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an optical connector according to the present invention. (A) shows the state before connection, and (b) shows the state after connection.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of an optical connector according to the present invention. (A) is a sectional side view before connection, (b)
Is a lower surface before connection, and (c) is a side sectional view after connection.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another example of the optical connector according to the present invention. (A) shows a side sectional view before connection,
(B) shows a bottom view before connection, and (c) shows a side sectional view after connection.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the elastic locking piece for operation of the optical connector according to the present invention. (A) shows the case where the locking portion also serves as the pressing operation portion, and (b) shows the advance / retreat system.

FIG. 5 is an operation diagram showing an example of a method for connecting an optical connector according to the present invention. (A) shows the initial state, (b) and (c)
Indicates generation of pressing force, and (d) indicates completion of connection.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an optical connector showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical connector 10 Connector plug 10a Connection male part (tip side of connector plug) 11 Housing 11a Cut groove (for operation elastic locking piece) 11a 'Cut groove (for auxiliary elastic locking piece) 11b · Housing end surface 12 Ferrule 12a · · · Ferrule end surface 12b · · · Guide pin insertion hole 13 Elastic locking piece for operation (lever type) 13a · · Locking portion (13ax locking surface, 13ay inclined surface) 13b 13c ··· Support shaft 13 'Elastic locking piece for operation (advance / retreat system) 13'a · Locking portion (13'ax locking surface, 13'ay inclined surface) 13'b · Pressing operation portion 13'd · Housing Part 13′e · Position regulating means 14 Auxiliary elastic locking piece 14a ··· Second locking part (14ax inclined surface, 14ay
Slope) 15 Guide pin 20 Adapter 20a Connection female part 20b Locking hole (20bx locking surface) 20c Receptor 20d Second locking hole F Optical fiber Ft Optical fiber end face FI Finger M Moving direction P Pressing force R Restoring force S Energizing means

Claims (2)

[Claims] A connector plug (10) comprising a ferrule (12) for holding an optical fiber (F) and a housing (11) for holding the ferrule (12), and the connector plug (10) at both ends. An adapter (2) formed with a connection female portion (20a) for removably holding the connection male portion (10a) at the distal end of
0), the connection male part (10a) of the one connector plug (10) is inserted into the connection female part (20a) at one end of the adapter (20), and the other connector plug (10) is inserted. An optical connector for connecting the optical fibers (F) to each other by inserting a connection male part (10a) into a connection female part (20a) on the other end of the adapter (20).
In (1), (A) the connecting male part (10a) of the connector plug (10) is configured to be elastically close to or pushable into the main body side of the connector plug (10) on one outer surface thereof by pressing force. An operating elastic locking piece (13) having a locking portion (13a) and a pressing operation portion (13b); and An auxiliary elastic locking piece (14) configured to be able to approach or be pushed into the main body side of the connector plug (10) and having a second locking portion (14a), The locking portion (13a) of the elastic locking piece (13) has a locking surface (13ax) for locking the adapter (20) and an inclined surface inclined toward the distal end of the connector plug (10). (13ay)
B) a pressing operation portion (13b) of the operation elastic locking piece (13),
The operating elastic locking piece (13) is configured to be elastically close to or pushed into the main body side of the connector plug (10) by a pressing force, and c) the second of the auxiliary elastic locking pieces (14). The locking part (14a)
A projection having two surfaces, an inclined surface (14ax) inclined toward the distal end of the connector plug (10) and an inclined surface (14ay) inclined toward the opposite side to the distal end of the connector plug (10). (A) and the connection female part (20a) of the adapter (20)
The operation elastic locking piece (13) and the auxiliary elastic locking piece
(14), and the connecting female part (20a) is a locking hole (20b) for locking the locking part (13a) of the elastic elastic locking piece (13). A locking surface (20bx) for locking the stop surface (13ax), and a second locking hole (25) for locking the second locking portion (14a) of the auxiliary elastic locking piece (14). 20d). 2. A ferrule end face (12a) which is an end face of the ferrule (12), wherein a plurality of guide pin insertion holes (12b) for inserting guide pins (15) are arranged. Optical connector as described.