JP2003250211A - Boot for optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable arrangement in a rectilinear direction and the arrangement in a bending direction of an optical cable even if it is a single boot, and to keep the optical cable stably in curved form. <P>SOLUTION: This boot is equipped with a boot main body 2 which is made in the shape of a round tube out of flexible material and allows the optical cable 20 to be passed in its inside, a plurality of upper slits 5 which are made at specified intervals in the longitudinal direction of the boot main body 2, a rib 3 which is made to project longitudinally at the external surface of the boot main body 2 on the opposite side from the upper slits 5, and lower slits 7 which are made in the rib 3 so that it may be positioned to correspond to the upper slits 5. The aperture between the opposite walls 7a and 7b between each lower slit 7 and the next is at such an angle that they roughly contact with each other when the boot main body 2 is bent roughly perpendicularly. The opposite walls 7a and 7b of the lower slit 7 are provided with lock mechanisms 4 which keep its bending state, engaging with each other when the boot main body 2 is bent roughly perpendicularly. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector boot used to protect an optical cable connected to an optical connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an optical connector, a boot through which the optical cable is inserted is used in order to protect the optical cable in the vicinity of a portion to be attached to the optical connector. As the boots, there are a linear boot made of a flexible resin and a right-angle boot made of a hard resin so as to bend at a substantially right angle.

Straight boots are used to route optical cables in a straight line. On the other hand, the right-angled boot is intended to maintain a 90-degree curved shape without being extremely bent when the optical cable near the rear end of the horizontal optical connector is bent at a right angle downward, for example. used.

[0004]

However, since the boot body of the straight type boot is flexible, the straight type boot is free to be deformed, and when it is bent and used, it is likely to be excessively bent. It may not be possible to sufficiently protect the internal optical cable. On the other hand, right-angled boots are used in combination with straight-lined boots because the range of use is limited. Therefore, when bending and routing optical cables, the number of boots to be used increases and It is troublesome and cannot be made cheap.

Japanese Patent No. 2694241 discloses a boot capable of performing two functions, such as a straight boot and a right-angle boot, by a single member.
In this boot, a tongue-shaped portion and a socket portion are formed by forming a notch in a circular tubular boot body through which an optical cable is inserted. That is, in this boot, the socket portions are formed along the circumferential direction of the boot body at intervals of 90 degrees, and the socket portions are formed at a plurality of locations along the longitudinal direction of the boot body. The tongue-shaped portion that fits with the socket portion is formed at a position corresponding to the socket portion. As a result, the boot body can be bent in any direction, and when the boot body is bent, the tongue-shaped portion and the socket portion, which are located in the bending direction, are fitted to each other. Can be maintained.

However, in the boot disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2694241, since the tongue-shaped portion and the socket portion are formed at intervals of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction of the boot body, the boot body is weakened. Therefore, the fitting force between the tongue-shaped portion and the socket portion is weakened, and these are easily disengaged, which makes it difficult to maintain the set curved shape.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such conventional problems, and even a single unit can be used in a linear direction and a bending direction, and the boot body can be weakened. An object of the present invention is to provide a boot for an optical connector, which can be restrained and reliably maintain a predetermined curved shape.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an optical connector boot according to the invention of claim 1 is formed of a flexible material into a circular tube shape, and a boot body into which an optical cable is inserted, and a boot. A plurality of upper slits formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the main body, a ridge portion formed on the outer surface of the boot body opposite to the upper slit so as to project along the longitudinal direction, and the upper slit, The lower slit formed in the ridge portion so as to be in a corresponding position is provided, and the opening degree of the opposing wall of each lower slit is an angle at which the boot body is substantially in contact when the boot body is bent at a substantially right angle.
A lock mechanism is provided on the opposing wall of the lower slit to hold the bent state by engaging with each other when the boot body is bent at a substantially right angle.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the upper slit of the boot body and the lower slit of the protrusion are formed at corresponding positions, so that the boot body can be smoothly bent. Further, by bending the boot body at a substantially right angle, the opposing wall of the lower slit comes into contact and the lock mechanism provided on the opposing wall engages, so that the bent state can be firmly maintained. Therefore, even if it is a single unit,
It can be applied to both linear and bending directions, improving versatility.

According to the present invention, since the ridge portion is formed on the boot body and the lower slit having the lock mechanism is formed on the ridge portion, weakening of the boot body can be suppressed and the lock mechanism can be suppressed. Is difficult to disengage. Therefore, the curved shape can be reliably maintained, and stable use can be achieved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector boot according to the first aspect, the protrusion height of the protrusion from the boot body is continuously reduced along the longitudinal direction of the boot body. It is characterized by being provided as follows.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the protrusion height of the ridge portion is continuously reduced, the boot body can be smoothly bent, and the operability of bending is improved. In addition, the amount of resin at the time of molding can be reduced as compared with the case of the same protruding length.

A third aspect of the present invention is the optical connector boot according to the first aspect, wherein the lock mechanism includes engaging projections and engaging holes which are formed on opposing walls of the lower slit and which can be fitted to each other. Is characterized in that.

By fitting the engaging projections and the engaging holes, the curved shape of the boot body can be stably maintained.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 8 show an optical connector boot according to one embodiment, and FIGS. Indicates the status.

The optical connector boot 1 (hereinafter referred to as boot 1) is attached to one end side of the optical connector plug 21 (see FIGS. 9 and 10), so that the optical connector 20 near the optical connector plug 21. The boot main body 2, the ridge portion 3, and the lock mechanism 4 are provided.

The boot body 2 is made of a flexible resin and is formed into a circular tubular shape extending linearly with a certain length. Inside the boot body 2, an optical cable 20 is provided as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Is inserted. Therefore, the boot body 2 has an insertion hole 2a through which the optical cable 20 is inserted. Further, one end side (the left end side in FIG. 6) of the boot body 2 is a connecting portion 6 with the optical connector plug 21, and therefore, a stopper used for the optical connector plug 21 is provided inside the connecting portion 6. A locking projection 6a that engages with a ring (not shown) is formed on the circumference. The boot body 2 has an outer shape that is thicker on the side of the optical connector plug 21 and gradually becomes thinner as the distance from the optical connector plug 21 increases.

On one side of the boot body 2, a plurality of upper slits 5 are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction.
The upper slit 5 is formed linearly in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the boot body 2, that is, a direction along the circumferential direction of the boot body 2.

The ridge portion 3 is provided on the side of the boot body 2 opposite to the upper slit 5. This ridge 3
Has a predetermined thickness and is integrally formed on the outer surface of the boot body 2 so as to project along the longitudinal direction of the boot body 2. Further, the protruding portion 3 is provided at a connecting portion 6 with the optical connector plug 21 in the boot body 2 as a projecting start end, and is provided over substantially the entire length from the projecting start end to the free end (right end in FIGS. 1 and 6) of the boot body 2. Has been. By thus integrally providing the protrusions 3 over substantially the entire length of the outer surface of the boot body 2, the strength of the boot body 2 can be increased.

In this embodiment, the protruding portion 3 is provided so that the protruding height thereof continuously decreases along the length direction of the boot body 2. That is, the protruding portion 3 is such that the protruding height continuously changes so that the connecting portion 6 side protrudes the highest and the free end of the boot body 2 protrudes the lowest. By continuously changing the protruding height in this manner, the boot body 2 can be smoothly bent, so that the operability of bending is improved, and the protruding height is the same over the entire length. The amount of resin required for molding can be reduced.

A plurality of lower slits 7 are formed on the ridge portion 3 at positions corresponding to the upper slits 5. The lower slit 7 is formed to have a depth that not only cuts the ridge 3 in the height direction but also cuts into the boot body 2. The lower slit 7 is formed linearly in the direction along the circumferential direction of the boot body 2, like the upper slit 5. In this way, by forming the lower slit 7 at a position corresponding to the upper slit 5, the boot main body 2 is formed at a portion corresponding to these.
Can be bent easily.

Each of the lower slits 7 is formed so that the opening degree thereof gradually increases toward the lower end of the protrusion 3. That is, in each of the lower slits 7, the opposing walls 7a and 7b are formed to have an opening degree that gradually separates toward the lower end of the protruding portion 3. The opposing wall 7a of the lower slit 7,
The opening degree of 7b is set to an angle such that the opposing walls 7a and 7b substantially contact each other when the boot body 2 is bent at a substantially right angle.

The lock mechanism 4 engages with each other when the boot body 2 is bent at a substantially right angle, and acts to hold the boot body 2 in a curved state by this engagement. The lock mechanism 4 is provided in each of the lower slits 7 and is composed of an engagement protrusion 8 and an engagement hole 9.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 6 and 8, the engaging projection 8 is projected from one opposing wall 7b into the lower slit 7 and is formed with a wide claw portion 8a at the tip of the projection. There is. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the engagement hole 9 has a receiving groove 9a having a shape corresponding to the claw portion 8a at the bottom thereof.
Are formed. Therefore, when the opposing walls 7a and 7b are substantially in contact with each other, the claw portion 8a is fitted into and engaged with the receiving groove 9a, whereby the engaging protrusion 8 and the engaging hole 9 are fitted with each other. By this fitting, the curved shape of the bent boot body 2 can be reliably maintained.

The boot 1 described above is connected to the optical connector plug 21 with the optical cable 20 inserted as shown in FIGS.
The optical connector 20 in the vicinity is protected. In FIG. 9, 22
Is a plug frame, 23 is a ferrule, and boots 1
Is connected to the opposite side of the ferrule 23.

FIG. 9 shows a case where the optical cable 20 is arranged linearly. In this case, the boot 1 is also extended in a straight line to protect the optical cable 20.

FIG. 10 shows a case where the optical cable 20 is bent at about 90 degrees and is routed downward. By bending the optical cable 20 in this manner, the boot body 2 can be bent similarly. Then, due to the bending at substantially right angles, the respective lower slits 7 formed in the ridge portion 3 are formed.
The opposing walls 7a and 7b of the above substantially contact each other, and the engaging projection 8 and the engaging hole 9 which are opposed to each other are fitted. By this fitting, the curved state of the boot body 2 can be firmly maintained.

In such an embodiment, even with the single boot 1, the optical cable 20 can be routed in both the straight direction and the bending direction, which is convenient for use. Further, since the ridge portion 3 is formed on the boot body 2 so as to project, and the lock mechanism 4 for holding the curved state of the boot body 2 is provided on the ridge portion 3, the boot body 2 is weakened. Therefore, the lock mechanism 4 is not easily disengaged. Therefore, the curved shape of the boot body 2 can be reliably maintained, and the boot body 2 can be used stably.

[0029]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to install both in the straight direction and in the bending direction, the versatility is improved, and the ridge is formed on the boot body, and the ridge is formed. Since the lower slit is formed in the boot, weakening of the boot body can be suppressed, the curved shape of the boot body can be reliably maintained, and stable use can be achieved.

According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the boot body can be smoothly bent, the operability of bending is improved, and the molding In this case, the amount of resin can be reduced.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the curved shape of the boot body can be stably maintained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a boot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a boot.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the boot.

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the boot.

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the boot.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing an example of a usage state.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing another example of a usage state.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 boots 2 boots body 3 ridges 4 Lock mechanism 5 Upper slit 7 Lower slit 8 engagement protrusions 9 Engagement holes 20 optical cable

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A boot body, which is formed of a flexible material in a circular tube shape and through which an optical cable is inserted, a plurality of upper slits formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the boot body, and an upper slit. Each of the lower slits includes a protruding portion formed on the outer surface of the boot body on the opposite side so as to protrude along the longitudinal direction, and a lower slit formed on the protruding portion at a position corresponding to the upper slit. The opening of the opposing wall of the boot is substantially in contact with the boot body when the boot body is bent at a substantially right angle, and is engaged with the opposing wall of the lower slit when the boot body is bent at a substantially right angle. A boot for an optical connector, which is characterized in that a lock mechanism for holding the bent state is provided. 2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is provided so that a protruding height from the boot body is continuously reduced along the longitudinal direction of the boot body. Boots. 3. The boot for an optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism is an engaging projection and an engaging hole formed on the opposing wall of the lower slit and which can be fitted to each other.