JP2003139999A - Optical connector with shutter and light shielding shutter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To develop a technique for installing a shutter without exerting any influence on an increase in the size of a connector housing, etc., as a technique for shielding by a shutter light outgoing from a connected-side optical connector on an inner side of a connector hole of the connector housing of an optical connector adapter, etc. SOLUTION: A light shielding shutter 40 is provided which is formed of a thin plate material such as a metal tin plate material and fixed by inserting an insert part 41 formed into a plate shape into an insert groove 35 opened in an end surface 32b of the optical connector adapter and an optical connector with the shutter is provided which is constituted by fitting the shutter 40.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector, and more particularly, to a connector housing in which the optical connector is inserted and connected, which is provided with a shutter for blocking light emitted from a connected optical connector. The present invention relates to an optical connector and a light shielding shutter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 12, for example, an optical connector 3 (optical connector plug) is inserted into a connector hole 2 of an optical connector adapter 1 and is inserted and connected to the optical connector adapter 1 from the opposite side. When connecting to the connector 4 (optical connector plug; sometimes referred to as "adapter side optical connector" hereinafter), the light H emitted from the tip of the adapter side optical connector 4 operates the insertion side optical connector 3. There is a demand to protect it from the eyes of others. Similar requirements commonly exist for inserting and connecting optical connectors to various connector housings such as optical connector receptacles. In view of the above requirements, some proposals have been made, for example, to attach a lid for opening and closing the connector hole 2 near the opening of the connector hole 2 of the optical connector adapter 1 so as to shield the light coming out and coming out from the adapter side optical connector 4. (For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-201953).

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned light shielding by the lid has the following problems. (1) In many cases, it is necessary to manually open the optical connector when inserting the optical connector, which is troublesome. (2) The structure for opening and closing the optical connector adapter is complicated, and many of them are composed of many parts, resulting in high cost. In this case, it is difficult to reduce the size, and it is necessary to significantly change the design and increase the size of the optical connector adapter. (3) Since it is difficult to reduce the size as in the above (2), it is not possible to deal with the increase in the number of optical connector adapters, the increase in the density of connector holes, and the reduction in size.

In view of the above problems, the present invention makes it easy to reduce the size and cost of the light-shielding shutter, and also secures the mounting position accuracy and the mounting stability, thus reducing the size and density of the connector housing. (Higher density of connector holes)
It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector with a shutter and a light-shielding shutter that can realize the above.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configurations. The optical connector with a shutter of the invention according to claim 1 is a connector housing in which the optical connector and the connected-side optical connector are connected in a connector hole into which the optical connector is inserted. And a shutter for shielding light emitted from the connected-side optical connector, the shutter being formed by molding a thin plate material, and having an insertion portion inserted into the connector housing and a bend from the insertion portion. Formed in the shape of a tongue that is projected into the connector hole or in the vicinity of the opening of the connector hole to block the light emitted from the optical connector to be connected and to be pushed down by the pushing force to the inner side of the connector hole. And a shutter main body that is elastically deformed. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector with a shutter according to the first aspect, the insertion portion of the shutter has a plate shape, and the insertion portion is inserted into an insertion groove formed at an end surface of the connector housing to insert the connector housing. It is characterized by being fixed to. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector with a shutter according to the second aspect, the thin plate material is formed in the insertion portion by bending with a bending line extending along an insertion direction of the insertion portion into the insertion groove. It is characterized in that reinforcing ribs are formed. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the optical connector and the connected side optical connector are attached to a connector housing that is connected to the inside of the connector hole into which the optical connector is inserted. A light-shielding shutter for shielding light emitted from a connector, which has an insertion portion to be inserted into the connector housing and a tongue shape bent from the insertion portion and protrudes into or near the opening of the connector hole. And a shutter main body that is elastically deformed by being pushed down by a pushing force to the inner side of the connector hole. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the light-shielding shutter according to the fourth aspect, the whole is composed of one component formed by molding a thin plate material. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the light-shielding shutter according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the insertion portion is formed by forming a thin plate material that forms the insertion portion, and the insertion groove is formed by opening the end surface of the connector housing. It is formed into a plate that is fixed by inserting it into
Moreover, the insertion portion is characterized in that a reinforcing rib formed by bending with a bending line extending along the insertion direction of the insertion portion into the insertion groove is formed.

The "projection in the connector hole or in the vicinity of the opening of the connector hole" of the shutter main body of the shutter and the light-shielding shutter of the optical connector with a shutter of the present invention means that a thin plate material is formed and the tongue is inserted from the insertion portion. Insert the shutter body that extends in the shape of a strip into the insertion groove that is formed in the connector housing, avoiding the housing area of the optical connector in the connector hole, and from the insertion part that is fixed, inside the connector hole or near the opening of the connector hole. To extend it. The shutter body is extended with an inclination (including an inclination angle of 90 degrees) with respect to the axial direction of the connector hole, so that the shutter main body is exposed from the connected side optical connector in the connector hole or near the opening of the connector hole. It is arranged so as to be able to block the emitted light. However, the shutter body is
At least, it is arranged at a position for blocking the light emitted from the connected side optical connector, but it is not necessarily required to have a size that closes the entire connector hole.

The connector housing refers to an optical connector having a connector hole into which a male optical connector (optical connector plug) is inserted, such as an optical connector adapter and an optical connector receptacle. The optical connector to be connected means the optical connector adapter (connector housing).
Before inserting the optical connector into the connector hole, refers to the optical connector plug that is inserted into the connector hole in advance,
By inserting the optical connector into the connector hole, the optical connector is connected to the inside of the connector hole. In the optical connector receptacle (connector housing), as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the optical connector receptacles 5a, 5
The part which is incorporated in the housing 5h of b and is arranged on the inner side of the connector hole 6 (right side of FIGS. 11A and 11B) and to which the optical connector 7 inserted in the connector hole 6 is connected is In the optical connector receptacle 5a of FIG. 11A, which is the connected side optical connector, the optical connector 8 is a separate body from the housing 5h, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the optical connector receptacle shown in FIG. 11B. As in 5b, a portion 9 in which a part of the housing 5h is molded into a connector shape (this portion 8 is a connected side optical connector) may be used. In FIGS. 11A and 11B, reference numeral 40 is a shutter according to the present invention (a light-shielding shutter in claims 4, 5, and 6). The shutter 40 will be described in detail in the embodiments of the invention described later.

In the optical connector with shutter of the present invention and the connector housing to which the light-shielding shutter of the present invention is attached, the optical connector (optical connector plug) is provided in the connector hole.
In order to insert the shutter, the shutter main body of the shutter (including the light-shielding shutter of claims 4 to 6. The same applies to the following) is pushed inward from the opening side of the connector hole by the optical connector to be inserted. The shutter body is elastically deformed as it is pushed down into the connector hole as the optical connector is pushed into the connector hole, and the angle of inclination of the connector hole with respect to the axial direction gradually decreases. When the optical connector reaches and is connected to the connected side optical connector of the connector housing, the shutter main body is moved to a position where the connector hole is opened. Therefore, with this optical connector with a shutter, the shutter main body can be opened only by pushing the optical connector without separately opening the shutter main body, and the optical connector can be inserted into the connector hole. There is no increase in the time and effort of connection with the optical connector to be connected. Also, when the optical connector is pulled out from the connector hole, the shutter body part is projected by the spring force of itself into the connector hole or in the vicinity of the opening of the connector hole (a state in which the light emitted from the connected side optical connector can be blocked). Because of the elastic return, no separate operation is required to return the shutter body to the protruding state into the connector hole.

The shutter according to the present invention is formed by molding a thin plate material such as a metal thin plate, has a very simple structure, and can be miniaturized and reduced in cost. Further, the shutter can be easily fixed by inserting the insertion portion into the insertion groove formed in the connector housing, and the mounting structure is very simple. The connector housing can be processed only by forming the insertion groove, and the space for securing the shutter in the connector housing can be very small. The insertion groove may have any shape and size such that the plate-shaped insertion portion can be inserted, and the formation area of the insertion groove in the female connector can be limited to a very narrow range.

In the present invention, as described in claims 3 and 6,
It is more preferable to form a reinforcing rib on the insertion portion of the shutter to ensure the strength of the insertion portion. By forming the reinforcing ribs, the insertion portion is less likely to be deformed by repeated opening / closing operations of the shutter main body, as compared with a simple flat insertion portion, so that the life can be extended. Also,
The reinforcing ribs come into contact with the inner surface of the insertion groove to perform the positioning function of the insertion part with respect to the insertion groove, so that a stable mounting state without rattling is realized, and the shutter body is not exposed from the connected side optical connector. Can be correctly placed in a position that can block the light (mounting position accuracy). Therefore, by forming the reinforcing ribs, the mounting stability and the mounting position accuracy can be secured even if the insertion portion is downsized. Further, the miniaturization of the insertion portion can realize miniaturization of the connector housing and high density of the connector holes.

Positioning by abutting the reinforcing ribs will be described. First, if the insertion part is a simple flat plate, the installation stability when inserted into the insertion groove on the connector housing side (stable installation state without rattling)
Depends largely on the forming accuracy of the insertion part and the insertion groove, and it is necessary to ensure a relatively high forming accuracy between the insertion part and the insertion groove in order to secure the mounting stability. Further, due to the problem of securing strength, there is some limitation on the material that can be used as the thin plate material forming the shutter. On the other hand, in the case of an insertion part with a reinforcing rib, if sufficient accuracy is secured at the contact part of the reinforcing rib on the inner surface of the insertion groove, excellent mounting stability without rattling will occur. Since it can be easily secured, the forming accuracy of the insertion groove and the insertion portion can be relaxed, and the cost of molding the connector housing and the shutter can be reduced.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, an example of application to a backplane connector will be described. 1 to 6, the backplane connector 10 is a plug-in unit 1
A backplane housing 13 (hereinafter may be abbreviated as “BH housing 13”) attached to a backplane 12 that constitutes one side wall of 1, and faces the backplane 13 via the internal space of the plug-in unit 11. It is attached to the printed board 15 inserted into the plug-in unit 11 through the opening 14 and is pushed into the backplane 13 of the printed board 15 to be fitted and connected to the BH housing 13 (see FIG. 4). Printed board housing 16
(Hereinafter, it may be abbreviated as “PH housing”),
Shutter 4 attached to the BH housing 13
0 (corresponds to the shutter relating to the optical connector with a shutter of the present invention and the light-shielding shutter of the present invention. FIG.
7 (a) to 7 (c) and the like). The connector housing 50 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) according to the present invention is
An optical connector adapter assembled by fitting the H housing 13 and the PH housing 16 together, and hereinafter, the connector housing may be referred to as an "optical connector adapter". Optical connector adapter 5 with shutter 40
0 functions as the optical connector with shutter 50A according to the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the clip 17 for attaching the BH housing 13 to the backplane 12 is formed by molding a thin metal plate and has a frame-shaped main body 17.
a, a pair of elastic pieces 17b protruding from opposite sides of the frame-shaped main body 17a, and a locking piece 17c protruding from the tip of each elastic piece 17b, and shown in FIGS. So that the opening 12a opened in the backplane 12
The plug-in unit 11 is inserted into the plug-in unit 11 from the outside to penetrate the plug-in unit 11, and the locking pieces 17c are engaged with the locking portions 31a on both sides of the BH housing 13 facing each other. The BH housing 13 is attached to the backplane 12 so that the backplane 12 is sandwiched between the BH housing 13 and the frame-shaped main body 17a that is in contact with the surroundings. The locking portions 31a are formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of a rectangular frame-shaped housing body 31 (described later) that constitutes the BH housing 13.

The frame-shaped main body 17a is the backplane 12
Has a slightly larger outer shape than the opening 12a of
It does not get into 2a. Further, the frame-shaped main body 17a is bent in a V shape, and the bent top portion 1
7d is arranged so as to abut against the backplane 12, and as a whole functions as a leaf spring that biases the BH housing 13 against the backplane 12. It should be noted that the frame-shaped main body may have any structure as long as it can function as a leaf spring that urges the BH housing 13 to the backplane 12, and is not limited to the structure bent in a “<” shape as described above.
For example, the configuration may be curved in an arc shape. Also,
In the opening 12a of the backplane 12, the clip 1
A slight clearance is secured around both elastic pieces 17b of No. 7, and some floating of both elastic pieces 17b is allowed. BH
The housing 13 has two elastic pieces 17 in the opening 12a.
Some floating is allowed by the floating of b, the elastic deformation of the elastic piece 17b itself, and the elastic deformation of the frame-shaped main body 17a.

The BH housing 13 has a schematic structure in which an inner housing 32 is contained in a rectangular frame-shaped housing body 31. The inner housing 32 is formed with a plurality of (four in this case) connector holes 33 through which the optical connector 18 (optical connector plug) assembled at the tip of the optical fiber 24 is inserted and connected. Optical connector 18
Specifically, M defined in JIS C 5982
It is an optical connector plug of a PO type optical connector (MPO: Multifiber Push-On), and the cross-sectional shape of each connector hole 33 formed in the inner housing 32 is the optical connector 1.
The housing 18a of 8 is formed in a substantially elliptical shape into which the housing 18a can be inserted. The optical connector 1 is provided in each connector hole 33.
The key groove 33a into which the key 18b protruding from the housing 18a of FIG. 8 is inserted is formed.

FIGS. 7A to 7C are views showing the BH housing, and FIGS. 8A to 8E are views showing the inner housing 32. As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C and FIGS. 8A to 8E, the inner housing 33 has an elongated shape substantially corresponding to the outer shape of the BH housing 13. In the plurality of connector holes 33 formed in each of the plurality of connector holes 33, a major axis x (see FIG. 8C) having a substantially elliptical cross section is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the inner housing 32, and a minor axis y is defined as the inner housing 32. Are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the inner housing 32 in a direction along the longitudinal direction of. In addition, each connector hole 33,
The key grooves 33a are arranged so as to face one side in the longitudinal direction of the inner housing 32 (the upper side in FIG. 8A). The key groove 33a is formed so that one end of the connector hole 33 at the center in the major axis x direction and one end in the minor axis y direction is expanded outward.

FIG. 8 (e) is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 8 (c). In FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8E, the pair of connector holding claws 34 formed on both sides of the connector hole 33 of the inner housing 32 in the direction of the long axis x are the light inserted into the connector hole 33. The connector 18 is detachably engaged with the connector 18 to hold the optical connector 18 in the connector hole 33. The inner housing 32 is a resin molded product such as plastic, and the connector holding claw 34 is
The PH housing 16 of the inner housing 32 is an elastic claw formed by molding in the inner housing 32.
From the side of the end face 32a (hereinafter may be referred to as "PH side end face 32a") facing the backplane 12 or the opening 12a (hereinafter referred to as "insertion work side end face 32").
b)). The PH-side end surface 32a of the inner housing 32 is
Is an end face (PH side end face) of the BH housing 13 facing the PH housing 16, and the insertion work side end face 32b functions as an insertion work side end face of the BH housing 13. The insertion work side end surface 32b also serves as the insertion work side end surface of the optical connector adapter 50 (described in detail later).

In the connector hole 33, the inner housing 32 is provided.
The optical connector 18 is inserted from the side of the insertion work side end surface 32b of the optical connector 18, and the optical connector 18 inserted into the connector hole 33 is designed so that the connector holding claws 34 on both sides of the connector hole 33 are sandwiched from both sides. Are held in the connector hole 33, and the coupling 18c of the optical connector 18 is pulled back (coupling 18c
The holding state is stably maintained unless the pulling operation is performed in the direction of moving away from the inner housing 32).

In order to accommodate the inner housing 33 in the housing body 31 of the BH housing 13, the PH side end surface 32a is set to the front side in the insertion direction and the housing body 31 is placed.
Abutment surface 31b abutted against the backplane 12 of
Just push it in from the side. When the inner housing 33 is pushed into the housing body 31, the contact pieces 32d projecting from both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction contact the stopper pieces 31c (see FIG. 1) formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the housing body 31. Stop at the point of contact. Engaging claws 32c (elastic claws) protrudingly provided around the inner housing 33 are engaged with engaging step portions (not shown) inside the BH housing 13 to engage with the engaging step portions. The movement limit to the body contact surface 31b side is set, and the function of preventing the inner housing 33 that has been housed in the housing body 31 from coming off is fulfilled.

The PH housing 16 includes a screw 16a (see FIG. 1).
It is fixed to the printed board 15 by means of the above), and the printed board 15 is inserted into the guide grooves 21 formed in the upper and lower wall portions 19 and 20 of the plug-in unit 11 as shown in FIG. It is fitted into the BH housing 13 by pushing it toward 12. PH
An optical connector 22 (optical connector plug) is inserted and connected to the housing 16 from the rear side in the fitting direction with respect to the BH housing 13.

The optical connector 22 is an optical connector plug (MPO type optical connector) having the same structure as the optical connector 18, and is inserted into a connector hole 16b formed through the PH housing 16 to be connected. It has become so. Each optical connector 22 is assembled at the tip of the optical fiber 25. A plurality of connector holes 16b are arranged in the PH housing 16 (see FIG. 1),
In each of the connector holes 16b, similarly to the connector hole 33 of the inner housing 32 of the BH housing 13, connector holding claws (connector holding claws similar to the connector holding claws 34, not shown) that are arranged opposite to each other are provided in the connector holes. The housing 22a of the optical connector 22 inserted in the 16b is detachably held by engaging with the housing 22a from both sides in a disengageable manner.

When the PH housing 16 to which the optical connector 22 is connected is fitted in the BH housing 13, the optical connector 22 can be inserted into the BH housing 13 and connected to the connected optical connector 18. At this time, the optical connector adapter 50 (connector housing) formed by fitting the PH housing 16 into the BH housing 13 is connected to the optical connector 22 connected to the PH housing 16 and the BH.
It has a function of connecting to the optical connector 18 connected to the housing 13. In this optical connector adapter 50, P
Since the connector hole 16b of the H housing 16 and the connector hole 33 of the BH housing 13 are substantially continuous, they function as a connector hole of the optical connector adapter 50.

The plurality of connector holes 16b formed in the PH housing 16 correspond to the connector holes 3 of the BH housing 13.
The connector holes 16 are formed in an array corresponding to the number 3
As for the positional relationship between b and 33, the PH housing 16 is BH.
When fitted into the housing 13, the PH housing 16
And corresponding connector hole 16 between BH housing 13 and
Optical connector 2 inserted and connected to b and 33, respectively
2, 18 are connected to each other, and eventually, a plurality of pairs of optical connectors 2
2, 18 can be connected. In FIG. 1 etc., the PH housing 1
6 and BH housing 13 have connector holes 16 respectively
4 b and 33 are formed, and 4 pairs of optical connectors 2
An optical connector adapter 50 that can realize the connection of 2 and 18 is formed.

Next, the shutter 40 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9E, the shutter 40 is formed as one component (formed by forming one sheet of metal thin plate) by forming a sheet of metal plate such as a stainless plate, for example. It has a plate-shaped insertion portion 41 and a shutter main body portion 42 formed in a tongue shape that is bent back from one end of the insertion portion 41. Here, the shutter main body portion 42 includes the insertion portion 4
It is formed in the shape of a tongue projecting from the connecting portion 43 between 1 and 1, and the inclination angle θ is about 30 to 70 degrees with respect to the inserting portion 41 (internal angle between the inserting portion 41 and the shutter main body portion 42). Is inclined with.

As shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), the insertion portion 41 is formed in the inner housing 3 of the BH housing 13.
The second insertion work side end surface 32b is press-fitted into an insertion groove 35 formed to be fitted and fixed.
However, the insertion portion 41 has a flat plate portion 44 extending from the connecting portion 43 and two opposite sides of the flat plate portion 44 (both sides orthogonal to the extending direction from the connecting portion 43) of the inserting portion 41. A pair of bending-molded reinforcements that are bent toward the shutter main body 42 side with a bending line 45 extending along the insertion direction into the insertion groove 35 (in other words, the extending direction from the connecting portion 43). The insertion groove 35 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the insertion portion 41 (U-shaped as shown in FIG. 9D).
It has a U-shaped cross section.

The insertion groove 35 is a flat plate portion insertion groove 35a into which the flat plate portion 44 of the insertion portion 41 is inserted, and left and right ends of the flat plate portion insertion groove 35a (left and right in FIG. 8; connector hole 3).
Rib insertion groove 35, which is formed so as to be bent at 90 degrees from the direction parallel to the major axis x of 3 and into which the reinforcing rib 46 is inserted.
b. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the flat plate portion 44 is formed so as to extend substantially parallel to the major axis x of the connector hole 33 of the inner housing 32, and the central portion in the left-right direction thereof is the key groove. 33a. The rib insertion groove 35b extends from both left and right ends of the flat plate portion insertion groove 35a toward the connector hole 33 that communicates with the key groove 33a. Therefore, in the inner housing 32, the insertion groove 35
Since the formation area of the connector is very close to the connector hole 33 (here, it partially communicates), the space to be secured for forming the insertion groove 35 is very small. There is almost no inconvenience such as an increase in the arrangement pitch of the holes 33 and an increase in the size of the inner housing 32 and the BH housing 13 as a whole.

The shutter 40 is an optical connector adapter with the shutter body 42 arranged in the central portion of the connector hole 33 by press-fitting the insertion portion 41 into the insertion groove 35 so as to be fitted and fixed. 50 (specifically, the inner housing 32 of the BH housing 13). At this time, the shutter main body portion 42 projects into the connector hole 33 through the communicating portion between the key groove 33a of the connector hole 33 and the insertion groove 35 (specifically, the central portion in the left-right direction of the flat plate portion insertion groove 35a). Be projected. However, as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 (b), etc., the shutter main body part 42 has a tilt angle θ with respect to the insertion part 41 from the connecting part 43 to the rear side of the connector hole 33, that is,
It is provided in a state of being inclined toward the PH housing 16 side.

It should be noted that the shutter main body 42 may be arranged at a position where the light emitted from the tip of the optical connector 22 on the PH housing 16 side of the optical connector adapter 50 can be shielded, as will be described later. Hole 3
3 does not need to be arranged, and for example, the shutter body 4
All or a part of 2 may be arranged so as to be outside the opening of the connector hole 33 on the insertion work side end surface 32b side of the BH housing 13. However, even when the shutter main body 42 is arranged outside the opening of the connector hole 33, the size, shape, arrangement position, direction (tilt angle), etc. of the shutter main body 42 of the optical connector 18 to be inserted into the connector hole 33 from the insertion work side. The optical connector 1 to the connector hole 33 is elastically deformed so as to be pushed down to the inner side of the connector hole 33 by the pressing force.
Adjust so that 8 can be inserted. That is, for example, when a pressing force from the optical connector 18 is received, the optical connector 1 interferes with the BH housing 13 and enters the connector hole 33.
It is necessary to prevent inconveniences such as being incapable of being elastically deformed to the extent that 8 can be inserted. However, the optical connector 18
In the point of confirming the position of the connector hole 33 for inserting the connector, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. Is more advantageous.

The shutter 40 is replaced with the optical connector adapter 50.
When the optical connector adapter 50 is mounted on the optical connector adapter 50,
The insertion direction of the insertion portion 41 into the insertion groove 35 on the side is specified, and it cannot be inserted unless it is properly pressed in a specific direction. Therefore, for example, a wrong insertion such as reverse insertion or diagonal insertion can be reliably prevented.

As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 7 (a)-(c), etc., the shutter body 41 is inserted into the optical connector adapter 50 from the PH housing 16 side and the tip of the optical connector 22 is connected. Of the optical fiber 25a (bare fiber or the like) exposed on the joint end surface 23a of the optical connector ferrule 23 of FIG. 6 from the insertion work side of the optical connector adapter 50 (FIG. 6A left side, FIG. 7B left side). The optical connector 2 is covered so as not to be exposed.
2 The light emitted from the tip, in particular, the light emitted from the end face of each optical fiber 25a exposed to the joint end face 23a (here, the laser beam) is blocked, and the emitted light is inserted from the optical connector adapter 50. Prevents jumping to the side.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A to 7C.
Specifically, as is well known, MPO type optical connectors (optical connector plugs thereof, optical connectors 18, 22) are known.
Is a plastic sleeve-shaped housing 18a, 2
JIS C 5981 is attached to the tip of 2a (see FIGS. 1 and 5).
The optical fiber 25a is a plastic optical connector configured to accommodate an optical connector ferrule 23 which is an MT type optical connector (MT type optical connector ferrule; MT: Mechanically Transferable) defined in It is arranged in a limited area at the center of the end face 23a. The size, shape, arrangement position, orientation (inclination angle), etc. of the shutter body 41 are such that the light exposed on the joint end face 23a of the optical connector ferrule 23 at the tip of the optical connector 22 connected to the PH housing 16 side. It suffices that the emitted light linearly emitted from the fiber 25a can be shielded, and it is not always necessary to form the connector hole 33 in such a shape as to close it.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6 (a),
The optical connector 18 is inserted and connected to the BH housing 13. The optical connector 18 is inserted into the optical connector adapter 50 assembled from the insertion side of the optical connector adapter 50.
To connect each other, the optical connector 18 is provided in the connector hole 33.
The shutter body portion 42 of the shutter 40 is pushed toward the inner side of the connector hole 33, that is, P
Push the optical connector 18 into the connector hole 33 while elastically deforming it by pushing it down to the H housing 16 side.
The optical connector 22 on the side of the PH housing 16 (the connected-side optical connector according to the present invention. The "connected-side optical connector 22" hereinafter)
May be called)). Optical connector 1
8 is passed through the outside of the plug-in unit 11, the insertion side, the inside of the frame-shaped main body 17a of the clip 17, and the opening 12a of the backplane 12 in this order, and is inserted into the connector hole 33 of the optical connector adapter 50. It

Here, the connection between the optical connectors 18 and 22 which are MPO type optical connectors is specifically a butt connection between the optical connector ferrules 23 at the tips of the optical connectors 18 and 22, and is shown in FIG. ) Etc., the guide pin 23 fixed to the optical connector ferrule 23 of the connected side optical connector 22 and projected from the joining end face 23a.
The guide pin hole 23c (see FIG. 6 (b)) opened in the joining end surface 23a of the optical connector ferrule 23 at the tip of the optical connector 18 inserted and connected from the insertion work side is inserted into the pair b, and thereby the pair is formed. The optical connector ferrules 23 are precisely positioned to join the joint end faces 23a to each other, and the optical fibers 24a and 25a exposed on the joint end faces 23a of the both optical connectors 23 are optically connected to each other. However, the selection of the optical connectors 18 and 22 for attaching the guide pins 23b to the optical connector ferrule 23 may be reversed.

In this optical connector adapter 50, the light emitted from each connected optical connector 22 is blocked by the shutter main body 42 of the shutter 40 so as not to jump out to the insertion work side. When inserting the optical connector 18 into the connector hole 33 from the insertion work side, when visually confirming the connector hole 33 for the insertion work from the insertion work side, the light emitted from the connected side optical connector 22 may damage the eyes. Can be prevented,
Visual confirmation and insertion work can be performed efficiently and smoothly.

The shutter main body 42 includes the optical connector 18
As the insertion into the connector hole 33 progresses, the inclination angle θ with respect to the insertion portion 41 gradually decreases and is elastically deformed so as to approach the insertion portion 41. Of the optical connector 18 does not interfere with the insertion of the optical connector 18 into the connector hole 33. When the insertion of the optical connector 18 is started, the light emitted from the connected optical connector 22 is blocked by the optical connector 18. Then, finally, by connecting the optical connector 18 to the connected side optical connector 22,
Connection work is completed.

FIG. 5, FIG. 6A, FIG. 7B, FIG.
More specifically, based on (c) and the like, the shutter body portion 42 of the shutter 40 attached to the optical connector adapter 50 has a width dimension W (left-right dimension. FIG. 7).
(A) and FIG. 6 (b) are smaller than the key groove 33a on the side of the connector hole 33 of the BH housing 13, and are connected so that they are exactly within the existing range of the key groove 33a in the left-right direction. It is projected from the portion 43. The shutter main body 42 is provided with the connector hole 33 of the connector 18.
The insertion part 41 of the shutter 40 as the insertion into the
As the inclination angle θ with respect to is gradually reduced, it is finally accommodated by being folded into the key groove 33a, and is substantially parallel to the insertion portion 41. In the key groove 33a,
Housing 1 for shutter body 42 and optical connector 18
The depth dimension (the depth of cut from the inner surface of the connector hole 33) that can accommodate the key 18b protruding from the connector 8a is ensured. By accommodating the shutter main body portion 42 in the key groove 33a, the connector hole is formed. It does not affect the pushing of the optical connector 18 to the inner side of 33 (PH housing 16 side). In this optical connector adapter 50, the design of the connector hole 33 itself is compared with the case where the housing of the shutter main body 42 in the key groove 33a is not considered.
It is only necessary to secure a slightly large depth dimension of the key groove 33a, and there is an advantage that the design change is small.

In the structure in which the shutter main body 42 is inclined from the connecting portion 43 with the insertion portion 41 to the inner side of the connector hole 33, elastic deformation due to the pushing force of the optical connector 18 into the connector hole 33 is easily and stably performed. In addition to being advantageous in that the optical connector 18 is in contact with only the peripheral portion of the joint end face 23a of the optical connector ferrule 23 at the tip of the optical connector 18, the central portion of the joint end face 23a (particularly the light exposed at the joint end face 23a) Since it is difficult to contact the end face of the fiber 24a), there is an advantage that the joint end face 23a is less likely to be damaged. Further, the size and position of the shutter main body 42 are such that the optical connector ferrule 2 of the connected side optical connector 22 is elastically deformed by the pressing of the optical connector 18.
It is adjusted so as not to interfere with the guide pin 23b by just entering between the pair of guide pins 23b projecting from opposite sides of the joint end face 23a of No. 3. Figure 6
In the example of (a) and the like, the shutter main body 42 is positioned near the tips of the pair of guide pins 23b, and is elastically deformed by being pushed into the connector hole 33 by the pressing of the optical connector 18. , A pair of guide pins 2
The shutter body portion 42 is elastically deformed while passing through the region between the three without contacting the guide pins 23b, but the arrangement position of the shutter main body 42 is located between the pair of guide pins 23b before the elastic deformation. You can also However, the arrangement position, dimensions, etc. of the shutter main body 42 are set so as not to come into contact with the joint end face 23a of the optical connector ferrule 23 of the connected side optical connector 22 due to elastic deformation or the like. It should be noted that the shutter main body 42, which is sized to fit in the key groove 33a, is provided, for example, in the optical connectors 18, 2
Even when the guide pin for positioning between the two optical connector ferrules 23 is attached to the optical connector ferrule 23 on the optical connector 18 side, with respect to the portion around the joint end face 23a of the optical connector ferrule 23 at the position avoiding the guide pin. Since they contact each other, there is an advantage that no design change is required. In this case, there is no fear of damaging the guide pin or locally deforming the shutter main body 42.

The connection state between the optical connectors 18 and 22 is as follows.
It can be released by pulling the optical connector 18 toward the insertion work side and pulling it out from the optical connector adapter 50. In the optical connector 18 which is an MPO type optical connector, it is pulled out from the optical connector adapter 50 by a pulling operation of the coupling 18c outside the housing 18a. The protruding tip of the shutter main body 42 from the connecting portion 43 is curved and formed so as to be folded back toward the connecting portion 43 side (curve forming portion 47).
Therefore, the optical connector 18 can be smoothly pulled out from the optical connector adapter 50 without being caught by the shutter body 42.

The shutter 40 may be fixed in the insertion groove 35 such that it cannot be pulled out from the insertion groove 35 by engagement with an adhesive material or an engaging claw, but it is not fixed so that it cannot be pulled out. For example, it can be pulled out by pulling strongly. When it can be pulled out, there is an advantage that workability such as cleaning inside the connector hole 33 can be improved by pulling out the shutter 40 and opening the connector hole 33. Further, in the shutter 40, the shutter main body portion 42 has the tip of the connected optical connector 22, specifically, the optical connector ferrule 23 at the tip of the optical connector 22.
It also has a function of preventing dust and dirt from adhering to the central portion of the joint end face 23a (particularly, the end face of the optical fiber 24a exposed on the joint end face 23a).

According to this optical connector with shutter 50A, the reinforcing rib 4 is provided in the insertion portion 41 of the shutter 40.
Sufficient strength is secured by 6 so that even if the shutter body portion 42 is repeatedly elastically deformed by repeatedly inserting and pulling out the optical connector 18, the insertion portion 4
Optical connector adapter 5
The attachment state of the shutter 40 to 0 can be stably maintained for a long period of time, and the arrangement state of the shutter main body 42 can also be stably maintained (attachment stability).

Further, the insertion portion 41 with the reinforcing rib 46 is provided.
In that case, as compared with, for example, a flat plate-shaped insertion portion having no reinforcing rib, the shutter main body portion 42 with respect to the connector hole 33 is
There is also an advantage that it is easy to secure the arrangement position accuracy of (installation position accuracy). Here, in the case of the shutter 40 having the insertion portion 41 with the reinforcing rib 46, the insertion of the insertion groove 35 formed in the optical connector adapter 50 (specifically, the inner housing 32 of the BH housing 13), especially the accommodation of the reinforcing rib 46. Part (see FIG. 8A, etc.) Rib insertion groove 3
5b) If the forming accuracy in the vicinity of 5b) is ensured with high accuracy, the mounting position accuracy of the shutter 40 can be easily ensured, and it is not necessary to form the insertion groove 35 with high accuracy over the whole thereof, and the flat plate portion insertion groove 35a and the like are formed. Since the accuracy can be relaxed, the insertion groove 35 can be formed easily and at low cost, as compared with the insertion groove corresponding to the insertion and fixing of the flat plate-shaped insertion portion.

Further, the insertion portion 4 with the reinforcing rib 46
If it is 1, the mounting stability and the mounting position accuracy can be easily secured even if the size is reduced. Therefore, the insertion portion 41 can be downsized as compared with the flat insertion portion, and the insertion groove formed in the optical connector adapter 50 can also be downsized. As a result, the optical connector adapter 50 can be downsized and the optical connector adapter can be downsized. Higher density can be realized by reducing the arrangement pitch of the 50 connector holes 33.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but various changes can be made. The application target of the present invention is not limited to the backplane connector exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment, and various optical connectors configured to insert and connect an optical connector (optical connector plug) into a connector housing such as an optical connector adapter. It can be adopted as an application target. For example, MPO type optical connector, JIS C 597
SC type optical connector (Single fiber Coupl)
ing optical fiber connector), JIS C 598
MU type optical connector (Miniature-unit Cou
pling optical fiber connector) etc. can also be adopted. Further, the connector housing is not limited to the optical connector adapter, and includes, for example, an optical connector receptacle whose schematic structure is illustrated in FIG.

The specific shape and the like of the shutter (light-shielding shutter) are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, the specific shape of the reinforcing ribs is not limited to the shape in which the end of the flat plate portion is simply bent so as to stand up, and various configurations such as a chevron shape, a protrusion shape, and a U-shape can be adopted. . Further, the formation position of the reinforcing rib in the insertion portion is not limited to both ends in the direction (width direction) orthogonal to the extending direction from the connection portion, and for example, the width direction center portion, the entire insertion portion is corrugated, It may be formed in an uneven shape. However, it is more effective to form the reinforcing ribs at least at both ends in the width direction of the insertion portion in terms of securing the mounting stability and the mounting position accuracy of the optical connector adapter, the optical connector receptacle, or the like to the connector housing. In addition, it is preferable to simplify the shape of the reinforcing rib in terms of facilitating the formation of the insertion groove of the connector housing.

The position and shape of the shutter body need only be such that the light emitted from the connected side optical connector can be shielded. As shown in the above-mentioned embodiment, the shutter main body can be placed in the connector hole of the connector housing. The configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the pair of guide pins 23 for positioning between the connected optical connectors are provided. For example, in the optical connector with a shutter 50A according to the above-described embodiment, the position of the shutter main body is separated from the connected side optical connector 22 in the connector hole, or the opening of the connector hole in the end face 32b of the connector housing. It is also possible to be outside. The shutter body also has a dustproof function of preventing (or suppressing) the intrusion of dust and the like into the inner side of the connector hole. By forming the shutter body into a size and shape that completely closes the connector hole within the range that does not hinder the insertion of the optical connector into the connector hole or the connection of the optical connectors within the connector hole, Excellent dustproof function is obtained.

Further, the material of the thin plate material forming the shutter is not limited to a metal thin plate material, and various materials such as a resin thin plate such as plastic can be used as long as sufficient strength can be secured. It is possible.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, a shutter formed by molding a thin plate material as a shutter for blocking the light emitted from the connected side optical connector provided in the connector housing (the present invention A shutter related to an optical connector with a shutter and a light-shielding shutter according to the present invention are adopted. The same applies to the following), and a plate-shaped insertion portion formed in this shutter is inserted into an insertion groove formed in the connector housing to be fixed. With this configuration, the shutter is attached to the connector housing, and the area (space) reserved for forming the insertion groove in the connector housing is very small. Therefore, the connector housing is enlarged to attach the shutter. There is no need to do it. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the size of the connector housing to which the light shielding shutter is attached. Further, in a connector housing having a plurality of connector holes,
Higher density can be easily realized by shortening the formation pitch of the connector holes.

In particular, when the structure in which the reinforcing rib is formed at the insertion portion of the shutter is used (claims 3 and 6), the mounting stability and mounting position accuracy of the shutter can be easily improved. Further, the strength of the insertion portion is improved, so that the shutter body portion is less likely to be deformed by repeated opening / closing operations, and a long life can be realized. Moreover, even if a high forming accuracy is not secured over the entire insertion groove, the mounting stability and the mounting position accuracy can be sufficiently secured, particularly if a sufficient forming precision is secured particularly in the portion for receiving the reinforcing rib. This has an excellent effect that the groove can be easily formed and the cost for forming the insertion groove can be reduced.

When the shutter is composed of one component formed by molding a thin plate material, the downsizing of the insertion portion (particularly the thickness of the plate-shaped insertion portion) can be reduced. Since it is easy, the insertion groove can be made smaller, and the high density of the connector holes in the connector housing can be realized more easily. In addition, since the number of parts is small, it is easy to reduce costs, and it is also easy to mold the insertion part and the shutter body part. Furthermore, the formation of the above-mentioned reinforcing ribs is also simple and low cost by molding a thin plate material. There is an advantage that it can be realized with.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a backplane connector which constitutes an optical connector with a shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a plug-in unit of the backplane connector of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the backplane connector of FIG. 1, and is a front sectional view showing a state in which a printed board is pulled out from a plug-in unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the backplane connector of FIG. 1, in which a printed board is inserted into a plug-in unit, a BH housing and a PH housing are fitted together, and an optical connector adapter (connector housing) is assembled. FIG.

5 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the optical connector adapter of FIG.

6A is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of the BH housing of the optical connector adapter of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6B is a view of the BH housing of the optical connector adapter of FIG.

7A and 7B are views showing a BH housing, FIG. 7A is a view seen from an insertion work side, FIG. 7B is a partial sectional view, and FIG. 7C is a view seen from a PH housing side.

8A and 8B are views showing the inner housing of the BH housing, in which FIG. 8A is a view seen from the insertion work side, FIG. 8B is a side view, FIG. 8C is a view seen from the PH housing side, and FIG. Is a bottom view of (a), and (e) is a sectional view taken along the line AA of (c).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a shutter according to the present invention,
(A) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a front view,
(D) is a right side view and (e) is a bottom view.

10A and 10B are views showing a relationship between the shutter of FIG. 9 and an insertion groove formed in the inner housing of the BH housing, wherein FIG. 10A is an exploded perspective view and FIG. 10B is a sectional view showing a press-fitted state. is there.

11A and 11B are front sectional views showing an application example of the present invention to an optical connector receptacle.

FIG. 12 is a front sectional view showing an example of an optical connector adapter.

[Explanation of symbols]

5a, 5b ... Connector housing (optical connector receptacle), 6 ... Connector hole, 7 ... Optical connector (optical connector plug), 8 ... Connected side optical connector (optical connector plug), 9 ... Connected side optical connector (optical connector) Molded part of housing of receptacle), 10 ... Backplane connector, 16b ... Connector hole, 18 ... Optical connector (optical connector plug), 22 ... Connected side optical connector (optical connector plug), 32b ... End surface of connector housing (insertion) Working end surface), 33 ... connector hole, 35 ... insertion groove,
40 ... Shutter, light-shielding shutter, 41 ... Inserting part, 42 ... Shutter body, 45 ... Bending line, 46 ... Reinforcing rib, 50 ... Connector housing (optical connector adapter), 50A ... Optical connector with shutter.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yukio Hayashi             Fuji Co., Ltd. 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture             Kura Sakura Office (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Tamaki             Fuji Co., Ltd. 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture             Kura Sakura Office F term (reference) 2H036 QA03 QA23 QA32 QA45 QA57

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. The optical connector and the connected optical connector (8, 9, 22) are connected in a connector hole (6, 16b, 33) into which the optical connector (7, 18) is inserted. Connector housing (5a, 5b, 5
0) and a shutter (40) which is attached to the connector housing and shields the light emitted from the connected side optical connector. The shutter is a thin plate material and is inserted into the connector housing. Inserted part (41)
And is formed in the shape of a tongue bent from this insertion portion and projects light into the connector hole or in the vicinity of the opening of the connector hole to shield the light emitted from the connected side optical connector, and to the back side of the connector hole. An optical connector (50A) with a shutter, comprising: a shutter body (42) that is elastically deformed by being pushed down by a pushing force. 2. The insertion part of the shutter is plate-shaped, and is inserted into an insertion groove (35) formed at an end surface (32b) of the connector housing and fixed to the connector housing. The optical connector with a shutter according to claim 1. 3. A reinforcing rib (46) formed by bending the thin plate material with a bending line (45) extending along an inserting direction of the inserting portion into the inserting groove. The optical connector with a shutter according to claim 2. 4. A connector housing in which the optical connector and the connected side optical connector (23) are connected in a connector hole (6a, 16b, 33) into which the optical connector (18) is inserted. It is a light-shielding shutter which is attached to (5a, 5b, 50) and shields the light emitted from the connection-side optical connector, and which is an insertion portion (4) to be inserted into the connector housing.
1) and a tongue-shaped member bent from this insertion portion to project light in the connector hole or in the vicinity of the opening of the connector hole to shield the light emitted from the connected side optical connector, and at the back side of the connector hole A shutter main body (42) which is elastically deformed by being pushed down by a pushing force to the light-shielding shutter (40). 5. The light-shielding shutter according to claim 4, wherein the whole is made of one component formed by molding a thin plate material. 6. The insertion groove (3) formed in the end surface (32b) of the connector housing by molding the thin plate material forming the insertion portion.
5) It is formed into a plate shape that can be inserted into and fixed in
The reinforcing rib (46) formed by bending with a bending line (45) extending along the inserting direction of the inserting portion into the inserting groove is formed in the inserting portion. The light-shielding shutter described.