JP2001051156A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector allowing the stroke regulation against the direction opposite to the energization of a ferrule assembly. SOLUTION: An optical connector 31 comprises a spring cap 34 formed so that at least a partial interval D1 of a fiber lead-through part 44 is smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the rear end surface 40 of a ferrule 35, so that the rear end surface 40 of the ferrule 35 abuts on the fiber lead-through part 44 when a ferrule assembly 33 moves by a fixed length D portion in the direction opposite to the energization by a spring 23.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector comprising a receptacle and an optical plug, and more particularly, to an optical connector improved so that the movement of a ferrule assembly constituting the optical plug can be restricted.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In FIG. 1, an optical connector 1 used for a multiplex transmission circuit of a vehicle such as an automobile is constituted by a receptacle 2 and an optical plug 3.

The receptacle 2 includes a connector housing 4, a sleeve 5 and an optical element module 6 mounted and housed in the connector housing 4, and a cap 7. The optical plug 3 is fitted so that an optical connection is made.

The connector housing 4 is formed in a rectangular box shape with front and rear openings, and has a fitting portion 8 for the optical plug 3, a housing 9 for the optical element module 6, and a sleeve 5. And a receiving cylinder 10 is formed. In the vicinity of the rear end opening of the connector housing 4, an engagement portion 11 and an engagement lead-out portion 12 are formed.

[0005] The sleeve 5 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and comprises a waveguide 13 comprising a core and a clad, and a cylindrical holder 14 disposed on the outer periphery of the waveguide 13.

The optical element module 6 is packaged by embedding an optical element (light receiving element, light emitting element) not shown in the mold part 15. The mold portion 15 has a hole 16 for bringing the sleeve 5 close to an optical element (not shown). Reference numeral 17 indicates a terminal derived from the mold section 15. The terminal 17 is connected to the engagement deriving section 12.
Through the connector housing 4.

[0007] The cap 7 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and is formed with locking projections 18, 18 that engage with the engaging portion 11 and the engagement deriving portion 12. A plurality of pressing projections 19 for the optical element module 6 are formed integrally with the cap 7 on the accommodation room 9 side.

In the receptacle 2, the sleeve 5 is mounted on the receiving cylinder 10 through the rear opening of the connector housing 4, and the optical element module 6 is housed in the housing chamber 9 so that the cap 7 is placed in the rear opening. Assembled by fitting.

On the other hand, the optical plug 3 includes a ferrule assembly 20, a plug housing 21 for accommodating the ferrule assembly 20, a spring cap 22 which engages with a rear portion of the plug housing 21, and a ferrule assembly 20. And a spring 23 that urges the housing 21 toward the front.

The ferrule assembly 20 includes a known optical fiber 24 and a ferrule 25, and is formed by attaching the ferrule 25 to the end of the optical fiber 24 through which a spring 23 is inserted. Ferrule 2
5 is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape composed of a small diameter portion 26 and a large diameter portion 27, and a flange 28 is provided around the middle of the large diameter portion 27.

One end of a spring 23 contacts the flange 28. Before the receptacle 2 is fitted, the flange 28 contacts the stopper 29 of the plug housing 21 in order to restrict the projection of the biased ferrule assembly 20.

The core of the optical fiber 24 is exposed at the front end face of the ferrule 25. Also,
The diameter of the large diameter portion 27 substantially matches the outer diameter of the coating of the optical fiber 24 (the optical fiber 24 has a two-layer coating,
The inner coating is accommodated in the large diameter portion 27 of the ferrule 25. The core portion is accommodated in the small diameter portion 26).

The plug housing 21 has a hollow housing chamber 30 for the ferrule assembly 20, and the stopper 29 is integrally formed in the middle of the housing chamber 30.

The spring cap 22 is connected to the optical fiber 2.
4 and the other end of the spring 23 is in contact with the periphery of the fiber lead-out portion 31. Although not particularly shown, the fiber lead-out portion 31 is cut out from the outer surface of the spring cap 22 in a substantially U-shape.

The optical plug 3 is first connected to a spring 23
The ferrule assembly 20 is formed based on the optical fiber 24 through which is inserted, and the ferrule assembly 20 is inserted from the rear part of the plug housing 21 toward the front part. After that, the optical fiber 24 is inserted through the fiber lead-out portion 31 and the spring cap 22 is attached to the plug housing 2.
It is assembled by engaging with the rear part of one.

In the above configuration, when the optical plug 3 is fitted into the receptacle 2, the receiving cylinder 10 enters the housing chamber 30 of the plug housing 21, and at the same time, the small diameter portion 26 of the ferrule assembly 20 is inserted into the receiving cylinder 10. To enter Further, since the large diameter portion 27 of the ferrule assembly 20 abuts on the end of the receiving cylinder 10, the ferrule assembly 20 can maintain an appropriate contact pressure by the elastic force of the spring 23.

[0017]

By the way, in the above prior art, in order to suppress the connection loss between the optical plug 3 and the receptacle 2, the front end face of the ferrule 25 and the sleeve 5
Is set so that the distance (not shown) from the end face to the end face is extremely small.

However, as shown in FIG. 6, when the ferrule assembly 20 is pulled in the opposite direction, that is, in the direction of the arrow P, to a certain beat,
However, due to the structure, it is possible to move in the direction of the arrow P up to the maximum compression length of the spring 23, so that the distance between the front end face of the ferrule 25 and the end face of the sleeve 5 becomes large as shown by the symbol d, and communication failure (Because the connection loss between the optical plug 3 and the receptacle 2 increases).

If the connection loss value cannot be suppressed within the specified loss value, an undesired situation such as poor communication will be caused. Therefore, it can be said that it is necessary to regulate the stroke of the ferrule assembly 20.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an optical connector capable of restricting a stroke in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of a ferrule assembly.

[0021]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector comprising a sleeve, a receptacle having an optical element module disposed opposite to one end of the sleeve, and a receptacle. An optical plug fitted to the receptacle, the optical plug is a ferrule assembly with a ferrule attached to the end of the optical fiber,
A plug housing that accommodates the ferrule assembly, fits into the connector housing of the receptacle, and has a front end face of the ferrule disposed opposite to the other end of the sleeve; and a fiber leading portion for leading the optical fiber is formed. An optical connector comprising: a spring cap engaged with a rear portion of a housing; and a spring abutting the spring cap and urging the ferrule assembly toward a front portion of the plug housing. When a certain length is moved in the direction opposite to the bias of the spring, at least a part of the interval between the fiber lead-out portions is smaller than the outer diameter of the rear end surface so that the rear end face of the ferrule abuts on the fiber lead-out portion. Is also characterized by being formed short.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector according to the first aspect, wherein the optical fiber has two or more layers of coating, and a part derived from the rear end face is peeled off. A coating step is formed on the fiber lead-out section.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the ferrule assembly is pulled and moved in the opposite direction of the urging, the rear end face of the ferrule is moved to a predetermined length after the ferrule assembly moves. , The stroke is regulated. For this reason, if the stroke amount in the opposite direction of the urging of the ferrule assembly is set so that the connection loss value is within the specified loss value, no communication failure is caused.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, if the fiber leading-out portion is inserted into the covering step portion, the contact area of the rear end surface of the ferrule is increased, and the stroke regulation is more stable and reliable. become.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a first embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention. The same components as those in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, an optical connector 31 according to a first embodiment is an optical connector used in a multiplex transmission circuit of a vehicle such as an automobile, similarly to the optical connector 1 described in the conventional example. And a plug 32. The receptacle 2 of the optical connector 31 has the same configuration as that described in the conventional example, so a detailed description is omitted. However, the optical plug 32 can control the stroke of the ferrule assembly 33 constituting the optical plug 32. Therefore, it will be described in detail below.

Here, the optical connector 31 is a two-core optical connector for transmitting and receiving by two optical fibers (the present invention is also applied to an optical connector for single-core optical fiber bidirectional communication). Of course you can do that). Therefore, the sleeve 5 and the optical element module 6 are
It is assumed that each of the optical element modules 6 is provided with one of the optical element modules 6 and 6, for example, a light receiving element module having a photodiode as an optical element, and the other is, for example, a light emitting element as an optical element. A light-emitting element module including a diode).

The optical plug 32 comprises a ferrule assembly 33 (two provided) and a plug housing 21 for accommodating the ferrule assembly 33.
(Same as the conventional example), a spring cap 34 that engages with the rear part of the plug housing 21, and a spring 23 that urges the ferrule assembly 33 toward the front part of the plug housing 21 (the same as the conventional example, two ).

The ferrule assembly 33 is composed of a known optical fiber 24 (same as the conventional example) and a ferrule 35, and the optical fiber 24 having the spring 23 inserted therethrough.
Is formed by attaching a ferrule 35 to the terminal. The ferrule 35 is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape including a small diameter portion 36 and a large diameter portion 37, and a flange 38 is provided around the middle of the large diameter portion 37.

One end of the spring 23 is in contact with the flange 38. Before the receptacle 2 is fitted, the flange 38 comes into contact with the stopper 29 of the plug housing 21 in order to restrict the projection of the biased ferrule assembly 33.

The front end surface 39 of the ferrule 35 (small diameter portion 36)
The front end surface of the optical fiber 24 has a core portion of the optical fiber 24 exposed.

The ferrule 35 has basically the same configuration as the ferrule 25 described in the conventional example. That is, the taper (ferrule 2) formed in the large diameter portion 27 is formed.
5 Tapered around the rear end face. 5 and 6), except that it is formed in the same shape. By removing the taper, the contact area of the rear end face 40 contacting the spring cap 34 is increased.

The spring cap 34 is formed so as to engage with the rear portion of the plug housing 21, and to protrude from the outer surface of the back wall 42 of the cap 41 and support the optical fiber 24. U
And a fiber support portion 43 having a U-shape (not shown), and a fiber lead-out portion 44 cut out from the outer surface of the cap portion 41 along the external shape of the fiber support portion 43 on the back wall 42. Is formed.

The fiber lead-out section 44 has a notch interval D1 (the interval shown is the notch interval D1 and does not indicate the interval in the notch direction) than the outer diameter D2 of the rear end face 40 of the ferrule 35. Are also formed short. That is,
The rear end face 40 of the ferrule 35 and the other end of the spring 23 come into contact with the peripheral edge of the fiber lead-out portion 44.

First, the optical plug 3 is
The ferrule assembly 33 is formed based on the optical fiber 24 through which the plug housing 21 is inserted, and the ferrule assembly 33 is inserted from the rear part of the plug housing 21 toward the front part. After that, the optical fiber 24 is inserted through the fiber lead-out portion 39, and the spring cap 34 is attached to the plug housing 2.
It is assembled by engaging with the rear part of one.

In the above configuration, when the optical plug 32 is fitted into the receptacle 2, the receiving cylinder 10 enters the housing chamber 30 of the plug housing 21, and at the same time, the small diameter portion 36 of the ferrule assembly 33 is inserted into the receiving cylinder 10. To enter Further, since the large-diameter portion 37 of the ferrule assembly 33 contacts the end of the receiving cylinder 10, the ferrule assembly 33 can maintain an appropriate contact pressure by the elastic force of the spring 23.

On the other hand, consider the case where the ferrule assembly 33 is pulled in the direction of the arrow Q (corresponding to the direction opposite to the bias described in the claims) with the optical fiber 24 grasped.
The ferrule assembly 33 moves in the direction of the arrow Q until the rear end face 40 of the ferrule 35 comes into contact with the fiber lead-out portion 44, that is, by the fixed length D.

Therefore, even if the ferrule assembly 33 is pulled in any time, the arrow of the ferrule assembly 33 is adjusted so that the connection loss value between the front end face 39 of the ferrule 35 and the end face of the sleeve 5 is within the specified loss value. If the stroke amount in the direction of the line Q, that is, the constant length D is set, no communication failure occurs.

Next, an optical connector according to a second embodiment will be described (the basic configuration is the same as that of the optical connector 31).
However, the spring cap is inserted into the plug housing).

In FIG. 2, an optical connector 51 according to a second embodiment is an optical connector used for a multiplex transmission circuit of a vehicle such as an automobile, and includes a receptacle 52 and an optical plug 53 fitted to the receptacle 52. It is composed of

The receptacle 52 includes a connector housing 54, sleeves 55 and 55 (only one is shown and the same applies hereinafter), and optical element modules 56 and 56 (only one is shown and the same applies hereinafter). , And a cap 57, so that an optical connection with the optical plug 53 is made via a front end opening of the connector housing 54.

The connector housing 54 is formed in the shape of a rectangular box having front and rear openings, and has a fitting portion 58 for the optical plug 53 and storage chambers 59, 59 for the optical element modules 56, 56. (Only one is shown,
The same applies to the following) and the receiving cylinder 6 for the sleeves 55 and 55.
0 and 60 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter).

In the vicinity of the rear end opening of the connector housing 54, engaging portions 61, 61 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter) are formed. Further, an engaging portion 62 depressed upward from the fitting portion 58 is provided at an upper portion of the connector housing 54.
Are formed, and a locking arm 85 of the optical plug 53 described later is engaged and locked.

Reference numerals 63, 63 denote mounting portions formed in a substantially cylindrical shape.
The optical connector 51 is attached to a mating member (not shown) via 63.

The receiving cylinders 60, 60 are formed in a stepped cylindrical shape both inside and outside and project into the fitting portion 58, respectively, and are formed so that the insides communicate with the accommodation chambers 59, 59. In addition, the small diameter portion 6 on the tip side of the receiving cylinders 60
4 and 64 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter) is adapted to have a ferrule 76 described later inserted therein, and the large-diameter portions 65, 65 on the base end side (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter)
The sleeves 55, 55 are mounted and accommodated.

The engaging portions 6 sandwiching the storage chambers 59, 59
On the side opposite to the reference numerals 1 and 61, an engagement lead-out part (not shown, an engagement lead-out part of the receptacle 2) for a terminal (not shown) of the optical element module 56, 56 and a locking projection (not shown) of the cap 57 12 is a reference).

The sleeve 55 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and comprises a waveguide 66 composed of a core and a clad, and a cylindrical holder 67 provided on the outer periphery of the waveguide 66. The sleeve 55 is provided with the large diameter portion 65 of the receiving cylinder 60.
When it is mounted, a part thereof projects into the housing chamber 59 and comes close to an optical element (not shown) described later.

Each of the optical element modules 56, 56 has an optical element (not shown) in one of the mold sections 68, 68 (only one is shown, and the same applies hereinafter). Embedded in the package). Mold part 6
Holes (not shown) for making the sleeve 55 close to an optical element (not shown) are formed in the holes 8 and 68. In addition, it is assumed that a plurality of terminals (not shown) are led out from the mold portions 68, 68.

The cap 57 is formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular plate, and has four engaging projections 6 which engage with the engaging portions 61, 61 and the above-mentioned engaging lead-out portion near the upper and lower peripheral edges.
9 (only one is shown). The optical element module 5 is provided on the side of the accommodation room 59 of the cap 57.
A plurality of pressing projections 70, 70 for 6, 56 are integrally formed.

In the receptacle 52, the sleeves 55, 55 are mounted on the large-diameter portions 65, 65 of the receiving cylinders 60, 60 via the rear opening of the connector housing 54, and the optical element modules 56, 56 are accommodated in the accommodation chamber. The caps 57 are assembled by being housed in the caps 59 and 59 and fitting the caps 57 into the rear openings.

On the other hand, the optical plug 53 is inserted into a ferrule assembly 71, 71 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter), a plug housing 72 accommodating the ferrule assembly 71, 71, and a rear portion of the plug housing 72. And a spring 74 that urges the ferrule assemblies 71 toward the front of the plug housing 72.

The ferrule assembly 71 includes a known optical fiber 75 and a ferrule 76, and is formed by attaching the ferrule 76 to the end of the optical fiber 75 through which a spring 74 is inserted. Ferrule 7
6 is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape including a small diameter portion 77 and a large diameter portion 78, and a flange 79 is provided around the middle of the large diameter portion 78.

The core portion (not shown) of the optical fiber 75 is mounted on the small diameter portion 77. In the large diameter portion 78,
Only the secondary sheath 80 of the optical fiber 75 is peeled off, that is, the optical fiber 75 in a state of a primary sheath (not shown) is mounted.

The core portion (not shown) of the optical fiber 75 is exposed at the front end face 81 of the small diameter portion 77 (or the ferrule 76). Large diameter portion 78 (or rear end face 82)
Is formed larger than the outer diameter of the secondary sheath 80 (or the optical fiber 75). The rear end face 82 of the large-diameter portion 78 (or the ferrule 76) is formed with a slight taper (there is no need for the taper).

One end of a spring 74 is in contact with the flange 79. Before the receptacle 52 is fitted, the plug housing 72 is controlled to prevent the biased ferrule assembly 71 from projecting.
The flange 79 comes into contact with a stopper 84 described later.

The plug housing 72 has hollow accommodation chambers 83, 83 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter) for the ferrule assemblies 71, 71.
Stoppers 84, 84 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter) are formed integrally between the third and the 83. A locking arm 85 is formed at the upper part of the plug housing 72 so as to be engaged with the locking part 62.
86 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter).

The spring cap 73 is composed of a substrate portion 87 for closing the rear portion of the plug housing 72, fiber lead-out portions 88, 88 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter) and a lid portion 89 which are inserted into the rear portion. ing.

The fiber lead-out portion 88 is formed so as to project from the inner surface of the substrate portion 87 (the surface on the plug housing 72 side) in a substantially U-shape (not shown) when viewed in cross section.
Can be supported. Further, a locking projection 90 is formed on the outer surface of the distal end portion side of the fiber lead-out portion 88, and when the fiber lead-out portion 88 is inserted into the rear portion of the plug housing 72, it engages with the engaging hole 86 of the plug housing 72. Are adapted.

The cutout interval of the fiber lead-out portion 88 is shorter than the outer diameter of the rear end face 82 of the ferrule 76. That is, the rear end face 82 of the ferrule 76 and the other end of the spring 74 abut on the front end of the fiber lead-out section 88.

First, the optical plug 53 is
The ferrule assemblies 71, 71 are formed on the basis of the optical fiber 75 through which the
1 and 71 are inserted from the rear to the front of the plug housing 72, respectively. And then, the optical fiber 75,
75 is inserted through the fiber lead-out portions 88, 88, and the spring cap 73 is inserted and fitted into the rear portion of the plug housing 72.

In the above configuration, when the optical plug 53 is fitted into the receptacle 52, the receiving cylinders 60, 60 enter the accommodating chambers 83, 83 of the plug housing 72, and at the same time, the small diameter portions 77 of the ferrule assemblies 71, 71. , 77 enter the receiving cylinders 60, 60. Also, since the large-diameter portions 78, 78 of the ferrule assemblies 71, 71 abut against the ends of the receiving cylinders 60, 60, the ferrule assemblies 71, 71 are appropriately contacted by the elastic force of the springs 74, 74. Will be maintained.

On the other hand, consider the case where the ferrule assembly 71 is pulled in the direction of the arrow R (corresponding to the direction opposite to the bias described in the claims) while holding the optical fiber 75.
The ferrule assembly 71 is allowed to move in the direction of the arrow R until the rear end face 82 of the ferrule 76 comes into contact with the tip of the fiber lead-out portion 88. Therefore, if the stroke amount is regulated in the same manner as in the above-described optical connector 31, communication failure does not occur.

Next, the optical connector of the third embodiment will be described (the basic configuration is the same as that of the optical connector 51. However, since the ferrule assembly and the spring cap are slightly different, the description will focus on these. Note that the same components as those of the optical connector 51 are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 3, an optical connector 91 according to the third embodiment is an optical connector used for a multiplex transmission circuit of a vehicle such as an automobile, and is fitted to a receptacle 52 (same as described above) and the receptacle 52. Optical plug 92
It is composed of

The structure of the optical plug 92 will be described by omitting the description of the receptacle 52. The optical plug 92 is composed of ferrule assemblies 93 and 93 (only one is shown, the same applies hereinafter) and the ferrule assembly 93.
Plug housing 72 for accommodating 93 (same as above)
And a spring cap 94 inserted into the rear of the plug housing 72, and springs 74, 74 (same as described above) for urging the ferrule assemblies 93, 93 toward the front of the plug housing 72. Have been.

The ferrule assembly 93 comprises an optical fiber 95 and a ferrule 76 (same as described above), and is formed by attaching the ferrule 76 to the end of the optical fiber 95 through which a spring 74 is inserted.

The optical fiber 95 is obtained by slightly processing the optical fiber 75. As shown in FIG. 4, the peeling range of the secondary sheath 96 is made longer in the longitudinal direction. That is, the primary sheath 97 inserted into the large diameter portion 78 of the ferrule 76 is led out from the rear end face 82 of the ferrule 76, and the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 78 and the primary sheath 9
The difference in the radial direction from the outer diameter of 7 is large. still,
The primary sheath 97 from which the skin from the rear end surface 82 to the secondary sheath 96 is peeled off is defined as a covering step portion described in the claims.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the spring cap 94 includes a board portion 98 for closing the rear portion of the plug housing 72 and fiber leading portions 99, 99 (only one is shown). , The same applies hereinafter), a lid 100, and support portions 101, 101 protruding on the opposite side of the fiber lead-out portions 99, 99.

The fiber lead-out portion 99 is formed so as to protrude from the inner surface (the surface on the plug housing 72 side) of the substrate portion 98 in a substantially U-shape (not shown) in cross-section.
Can be supported. A locking projection 102 is formed on the outer surface on the distal end side of the fiber lead-out portion 99. When the fiber lead-out portion 99 is inserted into the rear portion of the plug housing 72, it engages with the engaging hole 86 of the plug housing 72. Are adapted.

Further, the fiber lead-out portion 99 has a protruding portion 103 whose tip is directed inward.
3 supports the primary sheath 97.

The cutout interval of the fiber lead-out portion 99, that is, the interval between the protruding portions 103 is formed shorter than the outer diameter of the rear end face 82 of the ferrule 76. As a result, the rear end surface 82 of the ferrule 76 and the other end of the spring 74 abut on the distal end of the fiber lead-out portion 99.

The supporting portion 101 is substantially U-shaped (not shown) in cross-section from the outer surface of the substrate portion 98 similarly to the fiber lead-out portion 99.
, So that the optical fiber 95 can be supported.

In the above configuration, the optical connector 91 having the optical plug 92 as described above has the same operation and effect as the optical connector 51.

[0074]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector comprising: a receptacle on which a sleeve and an optical element module arranged opposite to one end of the sleeve are mounted; The optical plug comprises a ferrule assembly in which a ferrule is attached to an end of an optical fiber, and the ferrule assembly is accommodated in the connector housing of the receptacle, and the front end face of the ferrule is connected to a sleeve. A plug housing which is disposed opposite to the end, a spring cap which is formed with a fiber lead-out portion for leading an optical fiber and is engaged with a rear portion of the plug housing, and a ferrule assembly which abuts the spring cap and is directed toward the front of the plug housing. And a biasing spring, comprising: a ferrule assembly. When the standing body moves by a certain length in the direction opposite to the bias of the spring, at least a part of the interval between the fiber lead-out portions is smaller than the outer diameter of the rear end surface of the ferrule so that the rear end surface of the ferrule comes into contact with the fiber lead-out portion. It is formed short. By having such a spring cap, even if the ferrule assembly is pulled and moved in the opposite direction to the bias, the rear end face of the ferrule abuts the fiber lead-out portion after moving a certain length,
The stroke is regulated. For this reason, if the stroke amount in the opposite direction of the urging of the ferrule assembly is set so that the connection loss value is within the specified loss value, no communication failure is caused. Therefore,
There is an effect that an optical connector capable of controlling a stroke in a direction opposite to the bias of the ferrule assembly can be provided.

The stroke can be regulated without a complicated structure, so that the cost can be maintained in the same manner as before (for example, it is possible to cope with a slight mold correction or the like). ). In addition, since there is no structure that hinders the assembling property, the production amount of the optical connector can be maintained as before.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber has two or more layers of coating, and a coating step for the fiber lead-out portion is formed by peeling at the lead-out portion from the rear end face of the ferrule. Therefore, if the fiber lead-out portion is inserted into the covering step portion, the contact area of the rear end face of the ferrule increases, and the stroke regulation becomes more stable and reliable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view (an enlarged view of a main part in a circle) showing a first embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention, which has a partially cut-away cross section.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a third embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention, which has a partially cut-away cross section.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional optical connector.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state of the optical connector when the ferrule assembly of FIG. 5 is pulled in a direction of an arrow P.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 2 receptacle 4 connector housing 5 sleeve 6 optical element module 7 cap 8 fitting part 9 accommodation room 10 receiving cylinder 11 engaging part 12 engaging lead-out part 13 waveguide 14 holder 15 molded part 16 hole 17 terminal 18 locking projection 19 Pressing projection 21 Plug housing 23 Spring 31 Optical connector 32 Optical plug 33 Ferrule assembly 34 Spring cap 35 Ferrule 36 Small diameter part 37 Large diameter part 38 Flange 39 Front end face 40 Rear end face 41 Cap part 42 Back wall 43 Fiber support part 44 Fiber lead-out Part 51 Optical connector 52 Receptacle 53 Optical plug 71 Ferrule assembly 76 Ferrule 82 Rear end face 88 Fiber lead-out part 91 Optical connector 92 Optical plug 93 Ferrule assembly 99 Fiber lead-out part

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Nobuhiko Suzuki 206-1 Nunobikihara, Haibara-cho, Haibara-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture F-term in Yazaki Parts Co., Ltd. (Reference) 2H036 QA03 QA32 QA48 QA51 QA59 2H037 BA02 DA04 DA11 DA33 DA35

Claims (2)

[Claims] A receptacle mounted with a sleeve and an optical element module disposed opposite to one end of the sleeve;
An optical plug fitted to the receptacle, the optical plug comprising a ferrule assembly having a ferrule attached to an end of an optical fiber; and a ferrule which accommodates the ferrule assembly and is fitted to a connector housing of the receptacle. A plug housing having a front end face opposed to the other end of the sleeve, a spring cap formed with a fiber lead-out portion for leading out the optical fiber, engaging with a rear portion of the plug housing, and a ferrule contacting the spring cap. A spring for urging the assembly toward the front of the plug housing, wherein the ferrule assembly moves a predetermined length in a direction opposite to the urging of the spring, after the ferrule. The fiber is so positioned that the end face abuts the fiber lead-out section. Optical connector, characterized in that at least part of the distance deriving unit, and formed shorter than the outer diameter of the rear end face. 2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber has two or more layers of coating, and a coating step with respect to the fiber lead-out portion is formed by peeling off a portion led out from the rear end face. An optical connector, comprising: