JP2004079562A - Housing, and housing for optical module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent adverse effects from being exerted on parts and others in a housing in the case that scraped pieces are produced due to the friction in a process of housing assembly by using screws. <P>SOLUTION: The housing comprises an upper member 12 with screw holes 14 provided at screw-fitting positions, a lower member 11 combined with the lower surface of the upper member 12 at screw-fitting positions and provided with screw holes 17 at positions corresponding to the screw holes 14, and covering members 16 attached to protruding sections 15 of the lower member 11 having cavities formed on the undersurfaces of the protruding sections 15. The upper member 12 and the lower member 11 are put together with screws 13 with the covering members 16 attached to the lower member 11, and this protects optical parts and electrical circuits in the housing from metal powder occurring in the screw-fitting process because the metal powder is not scattered in the housing but retained within the covering members 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a housing having a screwed portion, and more particularly to a housing which is assembled by screwing while housing an optical component, an optical fiber, and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, optical fibers and various optical components used in the field of optical communication are generally housed in a casing having a predetermined shape and modularized. As a material for such a housing, a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel is often used in consideration of strength, workability, and the like. Usually, a desired optical module is completed by fixing the constituent members of the housing by screwing in the assembling process in a state where the optical components and the like are housed inside.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when screwing the housing at the time of assembly, when a screw is inserted into a predetermined screwed part of the metal member and tightened, frictional friction between the screw and the metal member may generate frictional scraps such as metal powder. There is. At this time, if the screwing portion is at the upper part of the housing, the metal powder generated during assembly falls in the housing, and the metal powder remains inside the housing as it is. As a result, the movement of the metal powder in the housing may damage the optical components, damage the coating of the optical fiber, or adhere to the optical components and cause deterioration in the characteristics due to the metal powder. Become. Alternatively, when an electric component is mounted in the housing, there is a problem that short circuit or noise may be caused by metal powder.
[0004]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and even when screwing is performed at the time of assembling a housing for housing optical components and the like, generated frictional debris such as metal powder is generated in the housing. The purpose of the present invention is to reliably prevent the optical components and the like from being scratched or deteriorated by dropping or adhering to the periphery of the stored items, and to sufficiently secure the reliability of the stored components in the housing. .
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, the housing according to claim 1 is a housing having a structure in which two or more members are fixed by screwing, and a screw hole is provided in each of one or a plurality of screwing portions. And a first member having a screw hole formed at a position corresponding to the screw hole of the first member, the first member being joined to the first member at the screwing portion, and the first member being joined to the inside of the housing. And a cover member attached to the second member and formed with a hollow portion that seals the inside of the housing of the screwing portion, and the cover member is attached to the second member. In this state, the first member and the second member are assembled by fixing them with screws.
[0006]
According to the present invention, when assembling the housing, the first member and the second member are fixed by screws after attaching the cover member to the inside of the housing of the second member. At this time, the friction waste generated when the screws are inserted into the respective screw holes is not scattered in the housing, but accumulates in the closed hollow portion of the cover member. Therefore, when an optical component or the like is stored in the internal space of the housing, it is possible to prevent a situation in which frictional debris adheres to the optical component or the like at the time of screwing, deteriorating its characteristics or damaging the optical component or the like. .
[0007]
Further, in the case according to claim 2, in the case according to claim 1, the first member is a lid-shaped member on the upper side of the housing, and the second member is a lid-shaped member on the lower side of the housing. It is a box-shaped member, wherein the cover member is attached to the second member.
[0008]
According to this invention, in addition to the same effect as the first aspect of the invention, when assembling the housing, friction waste generated when the upper lid-like member and the lower box-like member are screwed together. Does not fall on the lower surface of the housing and accumulates in the hollow portion of the cover member. Therefore, it is possible to effectively eliminate the adverse effect of friction scraps on the optical components fixed to the lower surface of the housing.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the case of the second aspect, a protrusion for attaching the cover member is formed at an upper portion of a side surface of the second member, and the screw is formed on the protrusion. A hole is formed.
[0010]
According to this invention, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2, a protrusion is formed on the upper lid-like member, and the cover is attached so that the protrusion matches the screwing portion. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the adverse effect of the friction waste with a relatively simple structure.
[0011]
Further, the case according to claim 4 is the case according to claim 1, wherein the first member, the second member, and the cover member are all made of metal.
[0012]
According to this invention, since the first member, the second member, and the cover member are formed by using metal in addition to the operation of the invention described in claim 1, for example, the optical component and the electric circuit are generally stored. The present invention can be easily applied to a typical housing.
[0013]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the case of the third aspect, the casing has a rectangular shape, and the screwing portions are formed at four corners of an upper part of the casing. Features.
[0014]
According to this invention, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 3, since the assembly is performed by screwing with four screws from the upper part of the rectangular casing, assembly is performed with a simple and general casing structure. Thus, the present invention can be applied.
[0015]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing for an optical module, wherein various optical components are housed in an internal space of the first or second aspect of the invention. .
[0016]
According to the present invention, since the optical module is configured by housing the optical component and the optical fiber in the above-described housing, the reliability of the optical module in which delicate components are frequently used can be significantly improved.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a housing for an optical module to which the present invention is applied. The housing 1 of the present embodiment is used for housing various optical components, optical fibers, and the like therein to form a module, and has a rectangular structure as shown in FIG. The housing 1 is assembled by fixing a box-shaped lower member 11 and a lid-shaped upper member 12 with screws. The lower member 11 as the second member of the present invention is a metal member formed in a box shape having a bottom surface on which optical components and the like are placed and side surfaces surrounding four sides. The upper member 12 as the first member of the present invention is a flat metal member for sealing the upper part of the lower member 11.
[0019]
The lower member 11 and the upper member 12 are formed using a metal such as aluminum having a thickness of about 1.5 mm, for example. In FIG. 1, the upper four corners of the housing 1 are fixed with four screws 13, so that the upper portion of the box-shaped lower member 11 is sealed by the lid-shaped upper member 12, and the integrated housing 1 is formed. The state of is shown.
[0020]
On the other hand, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the housing 1 of FIG. 1 in a separated state before the lower member 11 and the upper member 12 are screwed. In the lower member 11 shown in FIG. 2, a space is provided that can accommodate optical components and optical fibers (not shown). At the upper four corners of the side surface of the lower member 11, rectangular projections 15 having screw holes 14 are formed, and under each of the projections 15, a cover directly below each screw hole 14 is provided. Cover member 16 is attached. These four cover members 16 play a role in preventing metal powder generated at the time of assembling the housing 1 from falling into the housing 1 as described later. An upper member 12 having a screw hole 17 is attached to the lower member 11 in the same position as shown in FIG. 2 and screwed with a screw 13 so that an optical component or the like is stored in the internal space. 1 is completed.
[0021]
Next, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional structural view of a portion where the screw 13 and the cover member 16 are attached in the vicinity of the screw portion of the housing 1 in a screwed state. As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 15 of the lower member 11 is in a positional relationship where the screw hole 17 coincides with the screw hole 14 in a state of being joined to the upper member 12 on the inner side of the housing 1. I have. Then, in the assembling process, the screw 13 is screwed so as to penetrate from the screw hole 17 toward the screw hole 14.
[0022]
The shape of each screw hole 17 and screw hole 14 is determined so as to conform to the specifications and dimensions of the screw 13 actually used. For example, as an example of a specific screw 13, it is assumed that an M3 (diameter 3 mm) standard having a total length of 5 mm is used, and the protrusions 15 of the upper member 12 and the lower member 11 both have a plate thickness of 1.5 mm. I do. In this case, in a state where the screw 13 is tightened, a lower portion thereof protrudes downward from the lower surface side of the protrusion 15 by about 2 mm.
[0023]
In FIG. 3, a cover member 16 according to the present invention is attached to the lower surface of the protrusion 15. The cover member 16 has a U-shaped cross section and is formed of metal or plastic. Then, a hollow portion formed between the cover member 16 and the protruding portion 15 is disposed so as to hermetically seal a portion below the screwed portion (inside the housing 1). In this case, as described later, the cover member 16 needs to have a structure in which the lower surface of the cover member 16 is hermetically sealed by the hollow portion so that the metal powder is not scattered at the time of screwing. For example, there is a joining method such as attaching the lower surface of the protruding portion 15 and the cover member 16 using an adhesive, fixing using a predetermined screw, or providing a locking portion to fix.
[0024]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the shape of the cover member 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, a square-shaped cover member 16 having a bottom surface can be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, a cylindrical screwing portion 16 having a bottom surface can be used. These are all examples of shapes corresponding to the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. In the case 1 of the present invention, cover members 16 of various shapes can be used without being limited to the example shown in FIG. 4 as long as the above-described closed hollow portion can be formed.
[0025]
Next, the function of the cover member 16 according to the present invention will be described. In the assembly process of the housing 1 of the present embodiment, various optical components and the like are fixed in advance in the space of the lower member 11, the cover member 16 is attached to the lower surface of the protrusion 15, and the upper The housing 1 is assembled by the procedure of placing the member 12 and screwing the four screwed portions. That is, it is premised that screwing is performed in a state where the cover member 16 is already attached in the assembly process of the housing 1. Generally, when metal members are screwed together, metal powder is generated due to a frictional force between the metal member and the screws when the screws are tightened. Therefore, when assembling the housing 1 according to the above procedure, the cover member 16 is used as a measure for preventing the generated metal powder from falling.
[0026]
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the function of the cover member 16 of the present invention. First, FIG. 5A is a sectional structural view corresponding to FIG. 3 in a state where the cover member 16 is not provided. For example, when using the screw 13 of M3 and having a total length of 5 mm as described above, the screw 13 is usually tightened while giving about 5.4 kgf / cm to prevent the screw 13 from loosening. Then, each inner peripheral portion of the screw hole 17 of the upper member 12 and the screw hole 14 of the lower member 11 generates friction between the screw 13 and the screw thread, and as a result, a fine metal of about several μm to several tens μm is formed. Powder will be generated. In the state shown in FIG. 5A, a large number of metal powders generated from the four screwed portions fall below the housing 1 and are fixed to the bottom surface of the lower member 11 as they are. And so on. As a result, the metal powder may adhere to the optical component or the optical fiber and cause deterioration of the characteristics or damage, or the metal powder may adhere to the periphery of the electric circuit and cause a short circuit or noise.
[0027]
On the other hand, FIG. 5B is a sectional structural view corresponding to FIG. 3 in a state where the cover member 16 is provided. The other conditions are the same as those in the case of FIG. 5A. When the screw 13 of FIG. 5B is tightened, a large number of metal powders generated as described above are removed from the screw cover 16 and the protrusion 15. And will collect in the hollow space between them. Since this hollow portion is sealed from the outside, even if vibration is applied to the housing 1, it does not reach the periphery of the optical component and the like. Therefore, the provision of the cover member 16 according to the present invention functions to prevent deterioration of the characteristics of optical components and optical fibers and damage at the time of screwing, and also to prevent short-circuiting of the electric circuit and generation of noise. Thus, for example, in the case where optical components, optical fibers, electric circuits, and the like are housed in the housing 1 and used as an optical module, the reliability thereof can be dramatically improved.
[0028]
In order to confirm the function of the cover member 16 as described above, the confirmation was performed experimentally by changing the material and the size. First, the lower member 11, the upper member 12, and the cover member 16 were all made of aluminum having a thickness of 1.5 mm. Further, the outer size of the housing 1 is 250 × 250 × 40 (mm), the screw 13 is a M3 flathead screw, and the outer size of the cover member 16 is 11 × 11 × 5.5 (mm). I did it. Under these conditions, after the screw 13 was attached to and detached from the screwed portion a plurality of times, the inside of the housing 1 was examined. As a result, it was confirmed that no metal powder was present.
[0029]
Similarly, the lower member 11, the upper member 12, and the cover member 16 were produced using plastic having the same structure as described above. Under these conditions, after the screws 13 were attached and detached as described above, the inside of the housing 1 was examined, and it was confirmed that no plastic powder was present.
[0030]
The present invention described above can be variously modified without being limited to the above embodiments. For example, although the above-described housing 1 is a housing for an optical module that stores various optical components, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to housings used for various applications. Can be. Further, the same function can be realized with respect to the material, shape and size of the lower member 11, the upper member 12, and the cover member 16 constituting the housing 1, or the position and the number of screwed portions of the housing 1. The present invention can be applied by freely changing the range.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even when screwing is performed at the time of assembling a housing for housing an optical component or the like, generated frictional dust such as metal powder collects in the cover member, so that frictional waste is collected. Can be prevented from dropping or adhering around the storage items in the housing, the damage of optical components and the like and deterioration of characteristics can be reliably prevented, and the reliability of the storage components in the housing can be maintained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a housing for an optical module to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a separated state before screwing a lower member and an upper member in the housing of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional structural view of a portion where a screw and a cover member are attached in the vicinity of a screw portion of the housing in a screwed state.
FIG. 4 is a view showing a specific example of a shape of a cover member.
5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the function of the cover member of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a sectional structural view corresponding to FIG. 3 without a cover member, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional structural view corresponding to FIG. 3 in a state where a cover member is provided.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Housing 11 ... Lower member 12 ... Upper member 13 ... Screw 14 ... Lower member screw hole 15 ... Projection part 16 ... Cover member 17 ... Upper member screw hole

Claims (6)

A housing having a structure in which two or more members are fixed by screws,
A first member in which a screw hole is formed in each of one or a plurality of screwing portions;
A second member having a screw hole formed at a position corresponding to the screw hole of the first member, the second member being joined to the first member at an inner side of the housing at the screwing portion;
A cover member attached to the second member, the cover member having a hollow portion that seals the inside of the housing of the screwing portion;
And a housing wherein the first member and the second member are fixed by screws with the cover member attached to the second member, and assembled. The first member is a lid-shaped member on the upper side of the housing, the second member is a box-shaped member on the lower side of the housing, and the cover member is attached to the second member. The housing according to claim 1. The housing according to claim 2, wherein a projecting portion for attaching the cover member is formed on an upper portion of a side surface of the second member, and the screw hole is formed in the projecting portion. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the first member, the second member, and the cover member are all made of metal. The housing according to claim 3, wherein the housing is a rectangular body, and the screwing portions are formed at four corners of an upper portion of the housing. A housing for an optical module, wherein various optical components are housed in an internal space of the housing according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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