JP2000329970A - Tool for optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool capable of accurately pulling out highly densely clustered optical connectors and performing the pull-out operation on the optical connector as well as on the optical fibers extending therefrom without causing deformation, damage or the like. SOLUTION: This tool is the one used in pulling out an optical connector from the female part of the housing on the side of the optical connector adaptor, and the tool is equipped with the optical connector holding part 23 consisting of a movable lug 30 and a fixed lug 33 that clamp both sides of the optical connector. The fixed lug 33 is formed with a slit 31b communicating the inside and the outside of a connector storing space that becomes a circular cavity between the lugs 30, 33.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector tool used for pulling out an optical connector from a female housing such as an optical connector adapter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a so-called MU-type optical connector (Miniature-Unit Coupling opti
When multiple optical connectors (optical connector plugs) are connected to a narrow area with high density, such as an optical connector adapter of a cal fiber connector, a special tool for pulling out the target optical connector is provided. . The tool of the conventional configuration applied to the MU-type optical connector has a complicated configuration and is unsatisfactory in terms of cost and operability. Therefore, simplification of the configuration, cost reduction, and improvement in operability have been required. On the other hand, a tool (S
C-type optical connector: Single fiber Coupling optical fiber
As a tool applied to the (r connector), for example, a tool as shown in FIG. 6 is provided.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes an optical connector tool, 2 denotes a grip, 3 denotes a tool body, and 4 denotes a movable engagement piece. A pair of support portions 5 protrude from the tool body 3, and further, insert pieces 6 protrude from the tips of these support portions 5, respectively. The engaging movable piece 4 is rotatably attached to a pivot 7 provided on both support portions 5.

[0004] For example, when an operator manually operates the rear end portions 4a of the both engagement movable pieces 4 near the grip 2 to approach each other, the both engagement movable pieces 4 rotate about the pivot 7. The space between the distal end portions 4b located near the insertion piece 6 is opened, and when the hand is released, the urging force of the spring 8
The rear end portions 4a of the two engagement movable pieces 4 are pushed open, and conversely, the front end portions 4b approach. The engagement movable piece distal end portion 4b abuts on the outside of the insertion piece 6, thereby restricting the movement in the direction approaching each other. The claw 4c protruding from the engagement movable piece tip 4b is connected to the opening 6 formed in the insertion piece 6.
a, and protrudes into the connector housing groove 9 between the insertion pieces 6.

When the two insertion pieces 6 are inserted along both sides of a target optical connector 10 (here, an optical connector plug of an SC2 type optical connector), the projecting wall 6b at the tip of the insertion piece 6 inserts the two insertion pieces 6 together. , The optical connector 1 of the claw (not shown) of the female housing 12 (here, the optical connector adapter)
The engagement with 0 is released. After the optical connector 10 is accommodated in the connector accommodating groove 9, the claw 4 c is projected from the opening 6 a into the connector accommodating groove 9 by the rotation of the engagement movable piece 4. A part (not shown, engaging recess or the like) enters and engages. In this state,
When the optical connector tool 1 is pulled, the female housing 12
Can be pulled out.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned optical connector tool 1 has a problem that when the optical connectors 10 are mounted in the female housing 12 at a high density, it becomes difficult to pull out each of the optical connectors 10. There is. That is, the optical fibers (mainly optical cords) 1 pulled out from the rear end of the boot 13 of each optical connector 10
4 are densely packed in the vicinity of the female housing 12, so that the insertion work of the insertion piece 6 must be performed while the optical fibers 14 are being pushed apart. The possibility of accidentally pulling out the adjacent optical connector 10 was very large.

In the optical connector tool 1, the optical fiber 14 near the optical connector 10 to be pulled out is inserted into the connector housing groove 9 when the insertion piece 6 is inserted into the optical connector 10. Could be Here, when the insertion work of the tool 1 is continued, the optical fiber 14 that has entered the connector housing groove 9 is sandwiched between the optical connector 10 to be pulled out and the connecting plate 15, and the like.
Unnecessary deformation such as sudden bending is given to the optical fiber 14. If such an unnecessary deformation is given, there is a great possibility that the optical characteristics of the optical fiber 14 will be adversely affected, which is a problem.

[0008] Such a problem is not limited to the SC type optical connector, but is common to tools applied to, for example, MU type optical connectors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to accurately pull out a target optical connector even in a densely packed female housing. It is also possible to provide an optical connector tool capable of performing an extraction operation without giving any deformation, damage, etc. to an optical fiber and the like around an optical connector to be extracted. is there.

[0010]

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. That is, the optical connector tool according to claim 1 is an optical connector tool used when an optical connector is pulled out from a female housing such as an optical connector adapter, and includes a pair of claws for gripping the optical connector from both sides. Comprising an optical connector gripper having
A slit is formed in at least one of the claws to allow communication between the inside and outside of the connector housing space between the claws, and a slit through which an optical fiber drawn from the rear end of the optical connector can pass is formed. .

According to this optical connector tool, before gripping the optical connector, the optical fiber extending from the optical connector can be positioned in the connector storage space communicating with the optical fiber via the slit. The tool according to the present invention, after confirming the optical connector to be pulled out of the optical fibers existing densely, puts the optical fiber pulled out from the optical connector into the connector storage space through the slit as described above. , The tool can be directed to the optical connector to be pulled out. Thus, the optical connector to be pulled out is correctly recognized, and the other optical connectors and the optical fibers related thereto are not adversely affected. The slit can pass not only an optical fiber but also an optical connector terminal (for example, a boot).

Further, in the optical connector tool according to the second aspect, one of the pair of claws is moved toward and away from the other immovable claw by driving of a driving mechanism. It is characterized by the following.

According to this optical connector tool, first, the fixed immovable claws are used for positioning the optical connector with respect to the connector storage space, and then the driven claws are operated by the drive mechanism to operate the optical connector. So as to grasp it. From this, the positioning of the optical connector is always performed properly, and as a result, the pull-out operation is always performed in the proper direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector gripping part, one of the pair of claws, the slit,
The connector storage space is provided, and the connector storage space penetrates the overhang portion.

According to this, the optical fiber pulled out from the optical connector to be pulled out can be freely bent at the time of pulling out. That is, a force for promoting unnecessary deformation is not applied to the optical fiber.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1A and 1B are explanatory views showing the entirety of an optical connector tool (hereinafter, abbreviated as a tool) 20 according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a top view and FIG. 1B is a side view thereof. 1 (a) and 1 (b), a part thereof is shown in a sectional view. This tool 20 is large and has a grip portion 21 and a link bar portion 2.
2 and an optical connector grip 23.

As shown in FIG. 1, the grip portion 21 has a substantially trapezoidal shape when viewed from the side, and a substantially rectangular grip cover 25 joined to the bottom side of the grip 24. Here, in terms of the length of the bottom side of the grip 24 and the length of one side of the grip cover 25 joined thereto,
The former is formed slightly larger, and the joint between the two is made such that the center line of the base coincides with the center line of the one side. Therefore, the grips 24 protrude from the upper and lower portions of the grip cover 25, respectively, and the operator can hook a finger here, as described later.

In a substantially rectangular plane of the grip cover 25,
A substantially circular hole 25a is formed. A trigger 26 is provided inside the grip cover 25 in the front-rear direction (FIG. 1).
Means the middle left and right directions, hereinafter "forward" unless otherwise specified
And the same for the term "rearward"). The trigger 26 has the hole 25
Similarly to a, a hole 26a is formed in the plane. The position of the trigger 26 inside the grip cover 25 is such that the position of the hole 26a substantially matches that of the hole 25a.

At the front of the trigger 26, a trigger bar 27 is connected. The trigger bar 27 and the trigger 26 are formed by inserting the rear end of the former into an insertion hole 26b formed in advance on the latter, and pressing and tightening this with a screw 26c. By the way, the link bar 22
Is constituted by a trigger bar 27 and an extension frame 28 arranged to cover the trigger bar 27. The trigger 26, the trigger bar 27, and a link bar 29 described below constitute a drive mechanism of the movable claw 30 (described later) in the present embodiment.

Next, the optical connector grip 23 will be described. This is shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2A is a view of the optical connector gripping portion 23 as viewed from the front end of the optical connector, FIG. 2B is a view as viewed from an arrow X in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C is a view as viewed from an arrow Y in FIG. Incidentally, FIG. 2 (b) shows the same plane as FIG. 1 (a), and FIG. 2 (c) and FIG. 1 (b) show different side surfaces of the tool 20 of the present invention, respectively. In a relationship.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the optical connector grip 23.

2 (b), 2 (c) and 3, the front end of the trigger bar 27 is rotatably connected to one end behind a link bar 29, and the other end in front of the link bar 29 is further connected to the other end. The movable claw 30 is also rotatably connected. These mechanisms are configured to be covered by the claw housing 31.

Here, the form of the claw housing 31 itself is generally as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the shape facing the upper surface is substantially trapezoidal, and forms a projecting portion 32 on a side portion when viewed from the link bar 22. This trapezoid includes two of the four corners that constitute it, which are at right angles. That is, of the four sides constituting the trapezoid, only one side that is so-called “diagonal” is one side. This “diagonal” side is shown in FIG.
The trigger bar 27, the link bar 29, and the movable claw 30 are disposed so as to be located below the position shown in FIG.
Are arranged along one side sandwiched between the right angles. In addition, the claw housing 31 includes:
As shown in the lower part of FIG. 2B, a fixed claw 33 is provided to protrude forward. The fixed claw 33 is provided so as to have a positional relationship with the movable claw 30. In short, the fixed claw 33 and the movable claw 30 hold the optical connector, and therefore they are arranged so that the optical connector can be sandwiched.

FIG. 2C shows a side portion corresponding to “one side sandwiched by both right angles” using the terms introduced above, and the portion viewed from the side is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, a substantially rectangular hole 31a is formed. In the hole 31a, the link bar 29, the movable claw 30, and the connecting portion 2
9a can jump out when there is no load.

Further, a side surface (FIG. 2 (a) or FIG. 1 (b)) which is opposite to the above-mentioned surface shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3, a slit 31 b is formed. The slit 3
1b is formed over the entire length of the claw housing 31 in the front-rear direction. In other words, it is formed so as to penetrate the overhang portion 32. Also this slit 31
“b” allows communication between the inside and outside of the connector storage space 31c between the movable claw 30 and the fixed claw 33. In this case, in other words, as shown in FIG. 2A, the fixed claws 33 are formed so as to be two sets of upper and lower sides (in the figure, two sets of “left and right”). If the gap separating the upper and lower fixed nails 33 is
b.

FIG. 2 shows the inside of the claw housing 31.
As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3, a connector housing space 31c between the movable claw 30 and the fixed claw 33 has a circular hollow shape. Specifically, the connector housing space 31c having a circular hollow shape has a counterbore processing surface 31 on the inner surface of the upper surface and the inner surface of the lower surface of the claw housing 31, respectively.
By forming d, the shape is revealed.

In summary, the projecting portion 32 of the optical connector gripping portion 23 has the fixing claw 33, the connector storage space 31c penetrating the front and rear, and the inside and the outside of the connector storage space 31c communicating with each other, and the fixing claw 33 is divided into two parts. Slits 31b are provided as typical ones.

The operation and effect of the tool 20 according to the present invention having such a configuration will be described below. In the present embodiment, the optical connector 10 indicates the optical connector plug of the MU-type optical connector, and the female housing 12 indicates the optical connector adapter. Optical connector 10
In this case, the part that becomes the boot 13 is also included.

First, an operation before reaching the state shown in FIG. 4, that is, an operation until the tool 20 comes into contact with the optical connector 10 to be pulled out will be described. In this operation, the above-described slit 31b is effectively used. First, the optical connector 1 to be pulled out
When 0 is determined, and the optical fiber (mainly an optical code) 14 drawn out from this is determined and recognized, the tool 20 is moved closer to a position approximately at that position. Here, around the tool 20, a large number of optical fibers (not shown) densely densely exist. These optical fibers are provided with an optical connector (not shown) at each of their ends,
The optical connector is the optical connector 10 to be pulled out.
As in the case of (1), it is in a state of being mounted on the female housing 12.
In the present embodiment, the optical connector 10 to be pulled out is
After confirming the optical fiber 14 drawn out of the slit 31b, the optical fiber 14 is accommodated in the slit 31b.
In other words, referring to FIG. 2A, from the lower side in the figure (actually, “from the side”), the corresponding optical fiber 14 is slit and the connector storage space 3 is inserted.
1c, the extended rear portion is made to come out from the rear of the claw housing 31, and the subsequent optical fiber 14 is shaped to follow the link bar portion 22.

In this manner, the tool 20 is brought close to the female housing 12 along the optical fiber 14. Therefore, the tool 20 correctly reaches the optical connector 10 to be pulled out. Also, there is no possibility that other optical fibers that are densely located in the surroundings will be inserted.

When the optical connector grip 23 of the tool 20 reaches the vicinity of the female housing 12, the optical connector 1
Tool 2 so that 0 fits into the connector storage space 31c.
Determine the position of 0. At this time, the position of the fixing claw 33 is also matched with the position of the engaging portion of the optical connector 10. When these positions are determined, the trigger 26 of the grip portion 21 is pulled backward. More specifically, the operator puts the index finger or the middle finger (not particularly limited) through the holes 25a and 26a, and places the remaining fingers on the portion where the grip 24 protrudes from the grip cover 25, thereby causing the grip. When the position 21 is securely grasped and the above-described positioning situation is realized, the trigger 26 in the grip cover 25 is pulled backward by pulling the index finger or the like toward the front side.

When the trigger 26 is pulled rearward, the trigger bar 27 connected at the front portion thereof is pulled rearward, and the link bar 29 connected to the front end thereof,
Then, the movable claw 30 is simultaneously pulled backward. Here, since the link bar 29 and the movable claw 30 are rotatably connected to each other, as apparent from FIG. 4 or FIG. 2B, when the trigger bar 27 is pulled backward, the link bar 29 is moved. Is so that its front end lies down, and the movable claw 30 is
0a protrudes downward in the drawing. And by this, this movable claw 30
The projecting portion 30a and the fixed claw 33 surely enter the engaging portions on both sides of the optical connector 10, and grip the engaging portions. The state shown in FIG. 4 is a state in which the state described here is realized. Hereinafter, if the tool 20 is pulled backward as a whole, the optical connector 10 inserted into the female housing 12 can be pulled out.

From the description of the tool 20 according to the present invention, the following effects can be pointed out. First, according to the tool 20, the optical connector 10 to be pulled out can be pulled out quickly and accurately without fail. This is because the slit 31b is formed in the optical connector gripping portion 23 of the tool 20 and the optical fiber 14 pulled out from the optical connector 10 to be extracted is housed in the slit 31b during the extraction operation. It is by doing. That is, by this operation, the optical fibers that are densely present around the tool 20 and the optical fiber 14 that is pulled out from the optical connector 10 to be pulled out are strictly distinguished, and the other optical connector is erroneously pulled out. Because there is nothing.

The tool 20 does not cause unnecessary deformation or damage to the optical fiber 14 of the optical connector 10 to be pulled out and the optical fibers of other optical connectors. Here, the fact that unnecessary deformation is not given to the optical fiber of the other optical connector is apparent from the operation and effect caused by the slit 31b described above. The fact that unnecessary deformation or the like is not given to the optical fiber 14 depends on the following circumstances.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the entire portion of the optical fiber 14 is pulled out of the tool 2 as shown in FIG.
This is because the optical fiber can be arranged along the link bar portion 22 at 0 and the optical fiber does not enter the connector housing groove 9 unlike a conventional tool (see FIG. 6). This is because, as described above, the claw housing 31 has a substantially trapezoidal overhang 32 having only one side that is “oblique” when viewed from above.
And the optical connector 10 is inserted into the connector storage space 31.
This is because, when the optical fiber 14 is positioned at position c, the optical fiber 14 has a shape protruding from the “oblique” side.
This means that only the optical connector 10 is gripped by the movable claw 30 and the fixed claw 33, and the optical fiber 14
Means that the optical fiber 14 can be freely bent, and therefore, there is no force applied to the optical fiber 14 to promote unnecessary deformation.

Further, since the tool 20 has a movable claw 30 and a fixed claw 33 on one of a pair of claws for gripping the optical connector 10, the positioning of the optical connector 10 and the pull-out thereof are performed. Can be performed stably. That is, as described above, the optical connector 10 easily appears in a state where the position is relatively determined with respect to the tool 20 through the positioning with respect to the connector accommodating space 31c and the fixed claw 33.
A pull-out operation is performed by gripping with. That is, after the optical connector 10 is correctly positioned, it is always pulled out in the correct pulling-out direction, so that no excessive force is applied to the optical connector 10 during the work.

Supplementing the above description, there are some effects that the connector housing space 31c formed in a circular hollow shape brings about cannot be ignored. That is, the existence of the connector storage space 31c has a relatively large meaning that the positioning of the optical connector 10 can be reliably performed.

In this embodiment, the tool 20 applied to the MU type optical connector has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the tool 20 may be applied to, for example, an SC optical connector.

In the above embodiment, the movable claw 30
Is driven so as to project in the direction of the fixed claw 33 (downward in FIG. 4), so that the two claw 30, 3
3 shows a configuration in which the connector 3 surely enters the engaging portions on both sides of the optical connector 10 and grips the connector 10.
In the present invention, the following form may be adopted. This is like a tool 20 ′ shown in FIG. 5, and in the above-described embodiment, when the trigger 26, the trigger bar 27, etc. are pulled backward, the movable claw 30 performs an operation such as “close”,
When the trigger 26 is operated in the same manner, the trigger 26 is opened. 4 and FIG. 5, the difference between the two is that the position of the connecting portion 29 a and the presence or absence of the spring 34 can be seen. Especially spring 3
5 is arranged below the movable claw 30 as shown in FIG. 5, and in a normal state, the restoring force of the spring 34 acts on the rear end of the movable claw 30 upward in FIG. . Therefore, this corresponds to the protrusion 30 of the movable claw 30.
a is a force to position a downward.

According to the tool 20 'having such a configuration, when the entire tool 20' is gradually moved forward while the optical connector 10 is housed in the connector storage space 31c, the movable claw 30 and the fixed claw 33 are actuated by the trigger 26. Optical connector 10 without operation
Will be gripped. That is, when the tool 20 ′ moves forward, the projecting portion 30
When "a" reaches the position of the engaging portion of the optical connector 10, the previous spring 34 exerts a force for always positioning the protruding portion 30a downward, so that a state of naturally grasping appears. It is. If this gripping state is realized,
The tool 20 'is pulled backwards as a whole. Then, when the optical connector 10 is completely pulled out, the trigger 26 is pulled backward for the first time, so that the connecting portion 2
9a is pulled backward, and the projecting portion 30a of the movable claw 30 is moved upward in the figure against the restoring force of the spring 34. Accordingly, the gripping state of the optical connector 10 is released, and the optical connector 10 can be taken out.

[0040]

As described above, in the optical connector tool according to the first aspect, the slit for communicating the inside and outside of the connector housing space between the pair of claws constituting the optical connector grip is formed by the slit of the pair of claws. Since it is formed on at least one side, it becomes possible to store the optical fiber drawn out from the optical connector to be pulled out through the slit in the connector storage space. Therefore, the optical connector to be pulled out can always be correctly recognized, and there is no adverse effect on other optical connectors and optical fibers related thereto.

The optical connector tool according to claim 2 is
Since one of the pair of claws is adapted to be approached or separated from the other fixed claw, first, the fixed fixed claw is used for alignment of the optical connector,
After that, the driving claw is operated by the driving mechanism to hold the optical connector. From this, the work of pulling out the optical connector can be performed at any time,
In addition, it can always be properly performed along the correct drawing direction.

Further, in the optical connector tool according to the third aspect, in the optical connector gripping portion, one of the pair of claws, the slit,
The connector storage space is provided, and the connector storage space penetrates the overhang. Therefore, the optical fiber that is pulled out from the optical connector to be pulled out is kept in a state where it can be freely bent at the time of pulling out work. There is no adverse effect on characteristics and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing the entirety of an optical connector tool according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a top view and (b) is a side view.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are enlarged views of an optical connector grip portion, and FIG.
Is a view from the front tip end direction, (b) is a view as viewed from the arrow X in FIG. (A), and (c) is a view as viewed from the direction of the arrow Y.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an optical connector grip.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state when the optical connector tool according to the present invention pulls out the optical connector.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment different from the optical connector tool shown in FIGS. 1 to 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a conventional optical connector tool.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Optical connector, 12 ... Female side housing, 14 ... Optical fiber, 20 ... Optical connector tool, 21 ... Grip part,
Reference numeral 22: linking bar portion, 23: optical connector holding portion, 24: grip, 25: grip cover, 25a: hole, 26: trigger, 26a: hole, 26b: insertion hole, 26c: screw, 2
7: trigger bar, 28: extension frame, 29: link bar, 30: movable claw, 31: claw housing, 31a: hole,
31b: slit, 31c: connector storage space, 31d
… Counterbore processing surface, 32… overhang, 33… fixed claw, 34…
spring

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Toshida 1440, Mukurosaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Inside Fujikura Sakura Plant (72) Inventor Takuya Osaki 1440, Misaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Inside Fujikura Sakura Plant (72) Inventor Yukio Hayashi 1440 Mutsuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Inside Fujikura Sakura Plant Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Furukawa 1440 Mutsusaki Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Inside Fujikura Sakura Plant Co., Ltd. 1440, Rokuzaki, Sakura, Japan Inside Fujikura Co., Ltd.Sakura Plant (72) Inventor Tsuneji Mine 3-19-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co., Ltd. Shinjuku 3-chome 19-2 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co., Ltd. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation F-term (reference) 2H036 QA46 QA53 2H038 CA00 3C031 EE61

Claims (3)

[Claims] An optical connector tool used for pulling out an optical connector (10) from a female housing (12) such as an optical connector adapter, the pair of claws (30) gripping the optical connector from both sides.
An optical connector gripping part (31) having (33), wherein at least one of the claws communicates with the inside and outside of a connector storage space (31c) between the claws, and an optical fiber pulled out from the rear end of the optical connector An optical connector tool (20), wherein a slit (31b) through which (14) can pass is formed. 2. One of the pair of claws (30).
2. A tool for an optical connector according to claim 1, wherein said tool is moved toward and away from the other stationary claw by driving of said drive mechanism. . 3. The optical connector gripping portion is provided with a claw (33) of the pair of claws, the slit, and the connector storage space in a protruding portion (32) on a side portion thereof. The optical connector tool according to claim 1, wherein the connector storage space penetrates the overhang.