JP2000314824A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an inadvertent contact with a final control element, etc., and to prevent a trouble that the engaging projection of a latch and the engaging part of a female side housing side are disengaged by covering the final control element of that latch from the outside by a cover moved toward a housing front end. SOLUTION: The cover 30 disposed in the housing 23 side part is freely movable forward and backward to and from the housing front end 23a so as to cover the final control element 24a of the latch 24 from the outside. The cover 30 moves along a guide piece without the disengagement of a base part 30a engaged with the guide piece projectingly disposed in the housing 23 side part from the guide piece. After the butt connection of optical connector ferrules 22 and 31 against each other is completed, the cover 30 is moved toward the housing front end 23a. The cover front end 30b, then, rides over the outer side of the female side housing 29 (cylindrical part 29b) and overlaps it such that the cover 30 is held installed between the housing 23 of the optical connector 20 an the female side housing 29.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector in which a built-in optical connector ferrule is butt-connected to an optical connector ferrule on a female housing side by being inserted into the female housing. The present invention relates to an optical connector having a latch that is removably engaged.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 shows an optical connector 1 of a conventional example. This optical connector 1 is a so-called MT type optical connector ferrule 2 (Meca) defined in JIS C5981.
nically Transferable (hereinafter referred to as "ferrule") in a plastic housing 3.
For example, the ferrule 2 is inserted into a female housing such as the optical connector adapter 4 so that the ferrule 2 is butt-connected to another ferrule. Optical connector adapter 4
When the optical connectors 1 are inserted from both sides of the ferrule 2 and the ferrules 2 are butt-connected to each other, the optical fiber 5 (mainly a multi-core optical fiber) terminated so that the ferrules 2 can be butt-connected is connected to the optical fiber of the mating ferrule. Optically connected. At this time, the latch 6 and the optical connector adapter 4 of the optical connector 1 are engaged with each other, so that pulling out of the optical connector adapter 4 is restricted. Specifically, for example,
The engagement protrusion 6 a protruding from the latch 6 enters the engagement hole 4 a of the optical connector adapter 4 from the inner side of the optical connector adapter 4 and engages with the engagement protrusion 6 a, so that pulling out of the optical connector 1 is regulated. The engagement structure between the latch 6 and the optical connector adapter 4 is not limited to the engagement between the engagement protrusion 6a and the engagement hole 4a, and various configurations can be adopted.

The operating end 6b at the tip of the latch 6 is exposed outside the optical connector adapter 4 even when the optical connector 1 is inserted into the optical connector adapter 4. When the latch 6 is elastically deformed by pushing the optical connector 1 into the housing 3 of the optical connector 1, the engagement between the engaging projection 6 a and the engaging hole 4 a is released, and the optical connector 1 can be pulled out from the optical connector adapter 4. It becomes possible. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 1 a denotes a boot, which stores and protects the optical fiber 5 which penetrates through the cylindrical housing 3 from the ferrule 2 held at the front end of the housing 3 and is drawn out from the rear end of the housing 3. Ferrule 2
A plurality of bare fibers 5a drawn out to the end of the optical fiber 5 are exposed in an arrayed state on the bonded end face 2a.
When the ferrule 2 is butt-connected to the ferrule on the optical connector adapter 4 side, the bare fibers of both ferrules are butt-connected.

[0004]

However, in the optical connector 1 as described above, the maintenance of the engagement between the engagement hole 4a and the engagement protrusion 6a depends on the spring force of the latch 6, so that the operation is Even if the user accidentally touches the end 6b,
b is pushed into the housing 3 side, and the engagement hole 4a
There was dissatisfaction that the engagement between the and the engagement protrusion 6a was easily released. In view of the above problem, it has been proposed to insert a slidable key between the latch 6 and the housing 3 to prevent the latch 6 from being pushed into the housing 3. However, in this case, the pushing of the entire latch 6 including the engagement protrusion 6a in the direction of the housing 3 is restricted, so that the optical connector 1 is forcibly attached to the optical connector adapter 4 while the latch 6 is locked by the key. Insertion can damage the latch 6 and does not lead to a fundamental solution to the problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has a simple structure, and furthermore, by protecting a latch from the outside with a cover, the engagement between the engaging portion of the female housing and the engaging protrusion is improved. Even if the latch is protected by the cover, and the latch is protected by the cover, the light can be inserted into the female housing and the engagement of the engagement protrusion with the engagement portion of the female housing can be performed normally. It is intended to provide a connector.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cylindrical housing for accommodating and holding an optical connector ferrule having an optical fiber butted and connectable at a distal end thereof, and a cylindrical housing protruding from a side of the housing. An elastically deformable latch extending toward a rear end portion facing the front end portion along a housing side surface, and the optical connector ferrule is inserted by inserting the housing from the front end portion into the female housing. An engaging projection, which is butt-connected to another optical connector ferrule housed in the female housing and protrudes from the latch, is removably engaged with an engaging portion of the female housing side. With this configuration, in the optical connector in which the butt-connected state of the optical connector ferrules is maintained, the latch is provided from the housing. An operating end provided at the leading end and the engaging projection, and a latch provided at a side of the housing so as to be able to advance and retreat toward the housing end so that the latch operating end is located outside. An optical connector characterized in that the front end of the cover, which covers the latch operation end from outside, is overlapped with the outside of the female side housing in which the housing is inserted. Is a means for solving the above problem. According to this optical connector, if the cover is moved toward the distal end of the housing to cover the operation end from the outside, the engagement protrusion of the latch and the female side housing may be inadvertently contacted with the operation end. The inconvenience that the engagement with the engaging portion on the side is released can be prevented, and the engaged state can be stably maintained. Even if the optical connector is inserted into the female housing while the latch operation end is covered by the cover, the cover is inserted into the outside of the female housing and overlaps, thus preventing the work of inserting the optical connector into the female housing. No.

Although various shapes can be adopted as the cover shape, in the present invention, for example,
The cover is in the form of an elastically deformable claw that covers the latch operation end from the rear end side of the housing, and the latch is pressed by an external force to push and deform the tip of the cover that is not overlapped with the female housing. It is more preferable to adopt a configuration in which the engagement protrusion of the latch can be released from the engagement portion of the female side housing to release the engagement by being pressed and deformed. In the state where the cover tip does not overlap the outside of the female housing,
The latch is pushed in together with the cover deformed by the pushing force from the outside, and the engagement between the engaging portion of the female housing and the engaging projection of the latch can be released. When the top of the cover overlaps the outside of the female housing, deformation resistance is obtained for the cover that is placed between the housing of the optical connector and the female housing, and the latch operation end is exposed to a relatively large external force. It can be protected reliably.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG.
Is an overall perspective view showing the optical connector 20 of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a side view, and FIG. 4 is a side sectional view. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in this optical connector 20, an optical connector ferrule 22 having an optical fiber 21 butt-connectable is connected to a distal end portion 2 of a cylindrical housing 23.
3a. The latch 24 projecting from the side of the housing 23 is elastically deformable, and extends along the side surface of the housing 23 toward the rear end 23b facing the front end 23a. A boot 20a for protecting and storing the optical fiber 21 drawn from the rear end 23b through the housing 23 is attached near the rear end 23b of the housing.

The optical connector ferrule 22 conforms to JIS C
It is a so-called MT type optical connector ferrule (Mecanically Transferable) defined in 5981, and has a guide pin 22b protruding from the joint end face 22a.
A pin clamp 22d for clamping and fixing the guide pin 22b is provided integrally with a rear end (right side in FIG. 4) of the optical connector ferrule 22 near the flange 22c. In the present embodiment, a multi-core optical fiber ribbon 21a drawn out to the end of an optical fiber 21 which is an optical fiber cord is inserted into the optical connector ferrule 22, and a plurality of optical fiber ribbons exposed at the distal end of the optical fiber ribbon 21a. Of the bare fiber 21b of the optical connector ferrule 22
The optical connector ferrule according to the present invention is not limited to this, and is a single-core or multi-core optical fiber cord having three or more cores. Various configurations can be employed, such as those terminating a single-core or multi-core optical fiber drawn directly into the housing 23 without being coded.

As shown in FIG. 4, an optical fiber 21, which is an optical fiber cord, has a tensile member 21c exposed at the terminal.
(Kevlar) is inserted between the press ring 25 fixed to the rear end portion 23b of the housing and the ring 26 outside the press ring 25, and is sandwiched between them, and is fixed by caulking or an adhesive. Be detained. The pressing wheel 25 is fixed by a pressing wheel fixing portion 23c (see FIG. 1) of the housing rear end portion 23b. Outside the ring 26, a boot 20a is fixed with an adhesive or the like. The optical fiber ribbon 21a pulled out from the end of the optical fiber 21 penetrates the ring 26 and the press ring 25, and
The urging member 27, which is a coil spring housed between the pin 5 and the pin clamp 22 d, penetrates the pin clamp 22 d and reaches the optical connector ferrule 22.

The urging member 2 housed in the housing 23
7 takes a reaction force on the pressing wheel 25, and
The optical connector ferrule 22 is urged forward (to the left in FIG. 4) in the connection direction via d. Optical connector ferrule 22
Is a supporting portion 2 formed inside the housing distal end portion 23a.
When the flange portion 22c abuts on the 3d, further forward movement in the connection direction is restricted, and the dropout from the housing distal end portion 23a is prevented. In FIG. 4, the urging member 2
7 is a coil spring, but is not limited to this.
For example, various configurations such as a leaf spring and an elastic body such as rubber can be adopted.

The housing 23 includes a latch 24,
The whole is integrally formed from a resin such as plastic.
The latch 24 moves from the housing front end 23a to the rear end 23a.
b, extends along the side surface of the housing 23 with the side surface of the housing 23 via a gap 28, and is elastically deformable in the range of the gap 28.
The latch 24 protrudes from a central portion between an operation end 24a provided at a distal end protruding from the housing 23 and a base end 24b protruding from the housing 23 and the operation end 24a. An engagement protrusion 24c is provided to engage with an engagement portion 29a on the housing 29 (here, an optical connector adapter) side in a detachable manner. The optical connector 20 includes, for example, a groove formed in the female housing cylindrical portion 29b, a latch 24 on the optical connector 20 side, and a protruding base end 2.
Usually, a mechanism of a key and a key groove is constituted by 4b or the like so that the mechanism cannot be inserted into the female housing 29 except in a predetermined direction. As the female housing 29 into which the optical connector 20 is inserted, various configurations such as an optical connector receptacle other than the optical connector adapter can be adopted.

A cover 30 provided on the side of the housing 23 is movable toward and away from the front end 23a of the housing 23, and always covers the operating end 24a of the latch 24 from outside. The cover 30 moves along the guide piece 23e without the base part 30a engaged with the guide piece 23e projecting from the side of the housing 23 coming off the guide piece 23e. The cover 30 is entirely formed of resin such as plastic so as to be elastically deformable.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing an initial state of insertion of the optical connector 20 into the female side housing 29, and FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state where insertion is completed. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the optical connector 20 is inserted into the female housing 29 from the distal end portion 23 a side, so that the optical connector ferrule 22 at the distal end of the optical connector 20 is moved toward the female housing 29. The other optical connector ferrule 31 supported is butt-connected. The guide pin 22b on the optical connector ferrule 22 side is inserted and fitted into a guide pin hole 31b (see FIG. 4) opened in the joint end surface 31a of the optical connector ferrule 31, so that the distance between the two optical connector ferrules 22 and 31 is increased. Positioning accuracy is secured. Then, the engagement projection 24 c of the latch 24 is moved by the spring force of the latch 24 so that the cylindrical portion 29 of the female housing 29 is moved.
b is pushed in while being in sliding contact with the inner surface, and enters into and engages with the engaging portion 29a, which is a hole formed in the cylindrical portion 29b, from the inside of the cylindrical portion 29b. Thereby, the female housing 29
Pulling out of the optical connector 20 from the optical connector 20 is regulated, and the butt connection state of the optical connector ferrules 22 and 31 is maintained. Further, since the urging force of the urging member 27 acts as a force for abutting the optical connector ferrules 22 and 31, a desired low connection loss can be stably obtained.

Since the optical connector ferrule 31 on the female housing 29 is also urged by an urging member (not shown), a pressing force of the optical connector 20 inserted into the female housing 29 from the optical connector ferrule 22 is provided. Can be pushed in slightly. Further, when the optical connector ferrule 22 on the optical connector 20 side is pushed into the rear side of the housing 23 (the right side in FIGS. 5 and 6) by the pressing force at the time of abutting (for example, the position of a virtual line in FIG.
The flange portion 22c separates from the support portion 23d, and the support portion 2d
Floating is allowed in the interior space of the housing 23, which is slightly wider than 3d. Thereby, for example, the female housing 2
Even if the optical connector 20 connected to the connector 9 is slightly deformed due to a lateral external force or the like, the inner surface of the housing 23 is prevented from pressing the optical connector ferrule 22 and the connection state between the optical connector ferrules 22 and 31 is prevented. Is maintained stably.

After the butt connection between the optical connector ferrules 22 and 31 is completed, as shown in FIG. 7, the cover 30 is moved toward the housing tip 23a. Then, the cover distal end portion 30b runs over the outside of the female side housing 29 (specifically, the cylindrical portion 29b) and overlaps, and the optical connector 2
The cover 30 is placed between the housing 23 and the female housing 29. Thereby, the cover 30
Since the deformation resistance is exhibited even with a relatively large pressing force, the latch 24 is protected from being inadvertently pushed in, and the engagement between the engagement portion 29a and the engagement protrusion 24c is stably maintained. You.

In order to pull out the optical connector 20 from the female housing 29, the latch 24 cannot be pressed in the state shown in FIG. 7, so that the cover 30 is moved and retracted to the rear end 23b of the housing as shown in FIG. , Latch operating end 24
a is in a state where only the cover distal end portion 30b is in contact with the a.
In this state, since the cover 30 is supported by the base portion 20a in a cantilever manner, the cover 30 can be elastically deformed by a relatively weak pressing force, and by pressing the latch 24 by the pressing force from above the cover 30, The engagement protrusion 24c can be disengaged from the engagement portion 29a on the female housing 29 side, and the optical connector 20 can be pulled out from the female housing 29.

That is, the operation of inserting and connecting the optical connector 20 with the cover 30 retracted to the housing rear end 23b in advance into the female housing 29 is the same as that of the conventional optical connector. It only has to be inserted into the side housing 29. After the insertion into the female side housing 29 is completed, as shown in FIG. 7, if the cover 30 is advanced toward the housing distal end portion 23a to protect the latch 24 from the outside and restrict the pushing, the engaging portion 29a is formed. Engaging projection 2
4c can be prevented from being disengaged.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the optical connector 20 can be inserted into the female housing 29 even if the cover 30 has been moved in the direction of the housing tip 23a in advance. It is. At this time, the latch operation end 24a is covered from the outside by the cover 30 near the base portion 30a.
It is necessary to increase the displacement amount (push-in amount) of the cover 30 as compared with the case where the latch operation end 24a is pressed by b. Therefore, at this time, the latch 24 is protected by the cover 30 so as not to be easily pushed.

When the optical connector 20 is inserted into the female housing 29, as shown in FIG. 10, the latch 24 is elastically deformed (curved) while the engaging projection 24c is pushed along the inner surface of the housing cylindrical portion 29b. By continuing the pushing in this state, it is possible to engage with the engaging portion 29a. At the same time, the cover distal end portion 30b rides on the outer side of the cylindrical portion 29b of the female housing 29, and finally reaches the state shown in FIG. Therefore, there is no need to previously retract the cover 30 to the housing rear end 23b before inserting the optical connector 20 into the female housing 29. In addition, there is no fear of damaging the latch 24 during the insertion work into the female housing 29.

When the latch operating end 24a is always covered by the cover 30, foreign matter can be prevented from entering the gap 28 between the latch 24 and the housing 23. When a foreign substance enters the gap 28, an abnormality occurs in the operation of the latch 24, such as an operation of pushing the latch 24 toward the side surface of the housing 23 becomes impossible. Around the entire periphery of the latch 24, there is a gap that causes foreign matter to enter the gap 28 with the housing 23. However, since the gap 28 is open near the latch operation end 24a, In particular, foreign matter is likely to enter. However, the latch operation end 24a
By covering the vicinity with the cover 30, entry of foreign matter into the gap 28 can be prevented, and the operation of the latch 24 can be normally maintained.

Incidentally, the optical connector of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made, for example, by applying a change in the sectional profile itself of the housing. As the engagement part of the female housing,
The configuration is not limited to the hole, and various configurations such as a groove, a projecting wall, and an elastic claw can be adopted. The cover is not limited to a configuration in which the latch operation end is always covered, and a configuration in which the latch operation end is exposed when the cover is moved toward the rear end of the housing may be employed. In this case, to release the engagement of the latch from the female side housing, instead of pressing force that deforms the latch together with the cover, the cover is moved to the housing rear end side and the exposed latch operation end is directly pressed and operated. It is sufficient that the cover does not need to consider elastic deformation at the time of disengagement of the latch, and can be formed from a material having high strength.

[0023]

As described above, according to the optical connector of the present invention, if the latch operating end is covered from the outside by the cover moved toward the front end of the housing,
Inadvertent contact with the operating end and the like can be prevented, the inconvenience of disengagement of the engagement projection of the latch and the engagement portion on the female housing side can be prevented, and the engagement state can be stably maintained. Even if the optical connector is inserted into the female housing while the latch operation end is covered by the cover, the cover is inserted into the outside of the female housing and overlaps, thus preventing the work of inserting the optical connector into the female housing. No. Accordingly, insertion of the optical connector into the female housing and engagement of the latch projection with the engagement portion of the female housing can be efficiently performed without damaging the latch while the latch is protected. It has an excellent effect. Further, when a resiliently deformable claw-shaped cover that covers the latch operation end from the rear end side of the housing is adopted as described in claim 2, in a state in which the cover tip does not overlap the female side housing outside, Through the cover tip or directly
While the latch is pushed in by the pushing force applied to the latch operation end, the engagement between the engagement portion of the female housing and the engagement projection of the latch can be released, while the cover tip is
If the outside of the female housing is superimposed, the cover that has been installed between the optical connector housing and the female housing will have sufficient deformation resistance to ensure that the latch can be pushed in even with relatively large external force. It has an excellent effect that it can be regulated. Further, the cover can prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering the gap between the latch and the housing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inconvenience such that foreign matter entering the gap affects the operation of the latch, There is also an advantage that the operation can always be kept stable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the optical connector of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the optical connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a step of inserting the optical connector of FIG. 1 into the female housing, and showing a state before insertion when the latch is not locked by a key.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a step of inserting the optical connector of FIG. 1 into the female housing, showing an initial stage of insertion.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the engaging protrusion of the latch is engaged with the engaging portion of the female side housing, showing a step of inserting the optical connector of FIG. 1 into the female side housing.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a step of locking the latch of the optical connector, which has been completely inserted into the female housing, with a key.

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing a step of releasing the engagement of the engagement projection of the latch with the engagement portion of the female housing.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a step of inserting the optical connector of FIG. 1 into the female housing, and showing a state in which a latch is locked by a key before insertion into the female housing.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing an initial stage of inserting an optical connector in which a latch is locked by a key into a female housing.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a conventional optical connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 optical connector, 21 optical fiber (optical fiber cord), 21a optical fiber (optical fiber tape core),
21b: Optical fiber (bare fiber), 22: Optical connector ferrule, 23: Housing, 23a: Housing tip, 23b: Housing rear end, 24: Latch, 24
a: operation end, 24b: protruding base end, 24c: engagement projection,
28: gap, 29: female side housing, 29a: engaging portion (hole), 30: cover, 30b: cover tip, 31 ...
Optical connector ferrule.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Tamaki 1440 Mitsusaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Inside Fujikura Sakura Plant (72) Inventor Masaaki Takaya 3-192-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (72) Inventor Shinji Nagasawa 3-19-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan Telegraph and Telephone Corporation F-term (reference) 2H036 QA02 QA31 QA41 QA56

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical housing (23) for housing and holding an optical connector ferrule (22) having optical fibers (21, 21a, 21b) butted and connectable at a tip end (23a), and the housing. An elastically deformable latch (24) protruding from a side portion and extending toward a rear end portion (23b) facing the front end portion along the side surface of the housing. When the optical connector ferrule is inserted into the side housing (29), the optical connector ferrule is butt-connected to another optical connector ferrule (31) housed in the female side housing, and the engaging protrusion protrudes from the latch. (24c)
In the optical connector, the butt connection state of the optical connector ferrules is maintained by removably engaging with the engaging portion (29a) of the female housing side portion. A cover provided with an operating end (24a) provided at a tip end protruding from the housing and the engagement projection, and further provided at a side of the housing so as to be able to advance and retreat toward the tip end of the housing ( 30), the latch operating end is configured to be covered from the outside, and the cover distal end that covers the latch operating end from the outside is:
An optical connector (20), characterized in that the housing is superimposed on the outside of the female housing in which the housing is inserted. 2. The cover has an elastically deformable claw shape for covering the latch operation end from the rear end side of the housing, and a cover tip (30b) that is not overlapped with the female housing is pushed from outside to deform. The latch is pressed and deformed by the pressing force to release the engagement projection of the latch from the engagement portion of the female housing to release the engagement. Item 2. The optical connector according to Item 1.