JP2004241210A - Connecting plug for both optical cable and electric cable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connecting plug for both an optical cable and an electric cable wherein both of the optical cable and the electric cable can be connected simultaneously. <P>SOLUTION: This connecting plug 10 for both the optical cable and the electric cable is provided with a conductive tip part 12 which is capable of being loaded to a connecter receiving part of connecting object, which is penetrated by the optical cable 1 and the electric cable 2, and which is installed on the connecting receiving part side and in which the end face of the optical cable is positioned nearly at the tip, and a conductive rear end part 14 installed on the opposite side of the tip part via an electric insulating part. An electric wire 2a on one side of the electric cable is connected to the tip part, and an electric wire 2b on the other side is connected to the other end part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical cable / electrical cable connection plug capable of connecting both an optical cable and an electric cable.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when optically connecting electronic devices such as a plurality of audio devices and information devices to each other, the devices are connected to each other with an optical cable having a connection plug, and an optical signal is transmitted between one device and the other device. Transmitting. In addition, a power supply and an electric signal are transmitted from one device to the other device via a connection plug using an electric cable.
[0003]
Further, a transmission device that shares an optical transmission function and an electric transmission function by selectively connecting an electric plug or an optical fiber plug is known (see Patent Document 1 below). Further, a pin jack and a pin plug having a function of directly connecting an electric digital signal path connecting digital audio devices with an electric cable and replacing the optical digital signal path with the optical digital signal path are known (see Patent Documents listed below). 2).
[0004]
However, any of the above plugs selects either the optical transmission function or the electric transmission function during actual use, and only one of them can be used.For example, the information signal is transmitted by the optical transmission function, and the drive power supply is used. When both optical transmission and electric transmission are required so that the supply is performed by the electric transmission function, two connection plugs are required, and two connector receiving parts are also required on the device side. For this reason, a plurality of connection plugs must be prepared, which is troublesome and costly, and a plurality of connector receiving portions must be arranged on the device side, which is disadvantageous in terms of space. A plurality of two types of cables, a cable and a cable for electric transmission, are required, so that the wiring is complicated, the appearance is deteriorated, and the installation is troublesome.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-121104
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Hei 7-19975
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the related art, and has as its object to provide an optical cable / electrical cable connection plug that can simultaneously connect both an optical cable and an electric cable.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an optical cable / electrical cable connection plug according to the present invention is a connection plug to which an optical cable and an electric cable are connected and can be attached to a connector receiving portion to be connected, wherein the end surface of the optical cable is substantially A tip portion located at the tip, and an electrical connection portion to which the electrical cable is electrically connected, wherein both the optical cable and the electrical cable are attached to the connector receiving portion, and the optical cable and the electrical cable are both the tip portion and the electrical connection portion. The connector is connected to the connector receiving portion side via a.
[0009]
According to this optical cable / electrical cable connection plug, when attached to the connector receiving portion, optical transmission becomes possible through the end surface of the optical cable at the distal end portion, and electrical transmission becomes possible by at least two electrical connection portions. Therefore, both the optical cable and the electric cable can be simultaneously connected to the connector receiving portion. Therefore, one cable including both the optical cable and the electric cable can be used by being attached to the connector receiving portion with one connection plug.
[0010]
The optical cable / electrical cable connection plug may include a plurality of the electric connection portions, and the distal end portion may be configured to serve as one of the plurality of electric connection portions.
[0011]
Another optical cable / electric cable dual use plug according to the present invention can be attached to the connector receiving portion to be connected, and the optical cable and the electric cable are connected to each other, and the end face of the optical cable provided on the connector receiving portion side is substantially the same. A conductive tip located at the tip, and a conductive rear end provided on the opposite side of the tip via an electrically insulating portion, wherein one of the electrical leads of the electrical cable is the tip. And the other electrical conductor is connected to the other end.
[0012]
According to this optical cable / electrical cable connection plug, when attached to the connector receiving portion, light can be transmitted through the end surface of the optical cable at the distal end, and electrical transmission can be performed by the conductive front and rear ends. Therefore, both the optical cable and the electric cable can be connected to the connector receiving portion at the same time. Therefore, one cable including both the optical cable and the electric cable can be used by being attached to the connector receiving portion with one connection plug.
[0013]
In this case, when the optical cable / electrical cable connection plug is mounted, the connector receiving portion is a light receiving portion to which an end face of the optical cable contacts or approaches, a first electrode portion that contacts the distal end portion, And a second electrode portion that contacts the rear end.
[0014]
Further, in each of the optical cable / electric cable connection plug, power can be supplied from the electric cable to the connector receiving portion side. In addition, you may enable it to transmit and receive an electric signal.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an optical cable / electrical cable connecting plug according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1A and 1B are a cross-sectional view and a right side view, respectively, of the optical and electrical cable connecting plug according to the present embodiment, taken along a center in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a connector receiving portion to which the optical cable / electrical cable connection plug of FIG. 1 can be attached. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the states (a), (b), and (c) when the optical cable / electrical cable connection plug of FIG. 1 is attached to the connector receiving portion of FIG.
[0016]
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, an optical cable / electrical cable connection plug (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a “connection plug”) 10 includes a relatively small-diameter substantially cylindrical plug portion 11 and a plug. A relatively large-diameter cylindrical base 15 integrally formed with the part 11.
[0017]
The plug portion 11 has a conductive tip portion 12 which is located at the tip and is made of a metal material and has conductivity, and a rear end portion 14 which is located on the rear end side opposite to the tip portion 12 and is made of a metal material and has conductivity. And an intermediate portion 13 which is arranged between the front end portion 12 and the rear end portion 14 and is made of a resin material or the like and has electrical insulation.
[0018]
The optical cable 1 is provided so as to pass through the axis of the plug portion 11 and the base portion 15, and the optical fiber end surface 1a of the optical cable 1 is located at the distal end 12a of the distal end portion 12 and slightly exposed from the distal end 12a.
[0019]
The electric cable 2 similarly penetrates through the plug portion 11 and the base portion 15 on the outer peripheral side of the optical cable 1. The electric cable 2 includes a first electric conductor 2a and a second electric conductor 2b, and the first electric conductor 2a extends to the distal end portion 12 of the plug portion 11, and is electrically connected to the conductive distal end portion 12. Connected. Further, the second electric conductor 2 b extends to the rear end 14 of the plug portion 11 and is electrically connected to the conductive rear end 14.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 2, the connector receiving portion 20 to which the connection plug 10 is connected includes a concave portion 22 configured as a columnar concave portion as a whole, and a light receiving portion 21 on a distal end side of the concave portion 22 in the depth direction. The light receiving section 21 is configured by a light receiving element such as a photodiode, and the optical fiber end face 1a of the optical cable 1 comes into contact with or approaches to receive an optical signal.
[0021]
In addition, a first electrode 23 that can come into contact with the distal end portion 12 of the connection plug 10 in FIG. 1 is disposed in the concave portion 22 on the light receiving portion 21 side of the connector receiving portion 20. Further, a second electrode portion 24 that can contact the rear end portion 14 of the connection plug 10 is disposed near the outer end of the concave portion 22 opposite to the light receiving portion 21.
[0022]
The first electrode 23 and the second electrode part 24 are made of a conductive plate material such as a metal having a resilient property as a whole, and are elastically deformed by being pressed, while the distal end part 12 of the connection plug 10 of FIG. And the rear end portion 14 so as to be in close contact with each other and to be electrically connected. Although the rear end portion 14 and the second electrode portion 24 are grounded electrodes, the distal end portion 12 and the first electrode portion 23 may be grounded electrodes.
[0023]
The steps from mounting the connection plug 10 of FIG. 1 to the connector receiving portion 20 of FIG. 2 until connection is completed will be described with reference to FIG.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 3A, when the connection plug 10 is inserted from the distal end portion 12 into the cylindrical concave portion 22 of the connector receiving portion 20, the optical fiber end face 1a is electrically connected to the electrical connection position within the concave portion 22 indicated by a broken line in the figure. If the position does not reach 20a, the optical fiber end surface 1a is located at a position distant from the light receiving unit 21 and is not in a state in which light can be transmitted, while the distal end portion 12 of the connection plug 10 contacts the first electrode unit 23. Since the rear end portion 14 is not in contact with the second electrode portion 24, it is not in an electrically connected state.
[0025]
Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the connection plug 10 is further inserted and the optical fiber end face 1a reaches the electrical connection position 20a indicated by the broken line in FIG. Although it is still at a distant position and is not in a state in which light transmission is possible, since the front end portion 12 contacts the first electrode portion 23 and the rear end portion 14 contacts the second electrode portion 24, an electric connection state is established.
[0026]
Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), the connection plug 10 is further inserted, and the optical fiber end face 1a passes through the electrical connection position 20a indicated by the broken line in the figure, and comes into contact with or approaches the light receiving section 21 to enable optical transmission. It becomes. The contact between the front end portion 12 and the first electrode portion 23 and the contact between the rear end portion 14 and the second electrode portion 24 are maintained.
[0027]
As described above, since the connection plug 10 and the connector receiving portion 20 are in an optical transmission state and are in an electrical connection state, both the optical cable 1 and the electric cable 2 can be connected to the connector receiving portion 20 at the same time. And one cable including both the electric cable and the electric cable can be attached to the connector receiving portion with one connection plug.
[0028]
In addition, by configuring the electric cable 2 to supply the power to the connector receiving section 20 side, it is possible to supply the power at the same time as transmitting the optical signal to the device having no power.
[0029]
For example, if both optical transmission and electric transmission are required so that the transmission of information signals is performed by the optical transmission function and the supply of drive power is performed by the electric transmission function, the connection is completed by one connection plug, and the user It is not necessary to prepare a plurality of connection plugs for transmission and electric transmission, and it is only necessary to prepare one cable having one connection plug, which reduces costs. Further, on the device side, it is not necessary to dispose a plurality of connector receiving portions, and only one connector receiving portion needs to be disposed, so that space can be saved, and the device configuration does not become complicated. Furthermore, since a single cable can be used to connect the devices, they can be easily connected, wiring and installation can be simplified, and this is aesthetically preferable.
[0030]
Next, modified examples of the optical cable / electrical cable connection plug of FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 4A and 4B are a cross-sectional view and a right side view of the optical cable / electrical cable connection plug of the present modification, taken along a center in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a connector receiving portion to which the optical cable / electrical cable connection plug of FIG. 4 can be attached. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the states (a), (b), and (c) when the optical cable / electric cable connection plug of FIG. 4 is attached to the connector receiving portion of FIG.
[0031]
The connection plug 30 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B has the same configuration as that of FIG. 1 except that the rear end 34 has a larger diameter than the rear end 14 of FIG. The illustrated connector receiving portion 40 has the same configuration as that of FIG. 2 except that the second electrode portion 24 is omitted, and thus the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
[0032]
The connection plug 30 of FIGS. 4A and 4B includes a conductive rear end portion 34 having a larger diameter than the distal end portion 12 and the intermediate portion 13 and a smaller diameter than the base portion 15. The rear end portion 34 has an outer diameter just enough to fit into the cylindrical concave portion 22 of FIG. 5 while being in contact with the columnar concave portion 22, and is electrically connected to the second electric conductor 2b.
[0033]
The connector receiving portion 40 of FIG. 5 does not have the second electrode portion 24 of FIG. 2 and the cylindrical portion 22a forming the concave portion 22 is formed of a conductive material such as a metal material. As described above, the second electrode portion is formed of the cylindrical portion 22a, and the rear end portion 34 of the connection plug 30 directly contacts the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 22a, so that the rear end portion 34 can be electrically connected. .
[0034]
That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the connection plug 30 is inserted into the concave portion 22 of the connector receiving portion 40 from the distal end portion 12, the optical fiber end surface 1a does not reach the electrical connection position 20a shown by the broken line in the figure. Is not in a state where optical transmission is possible and the rear end 34 is not in contact with the cylindrical portion 22a.
[0035]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the connection plug 30 is further inserted and the optical fiber end face 1a reaches the electrical connection position 20a indicated by the broken line in the figure, the optical fiber end face 1a is at a position still distant from the light receiving portion 21. Although the optical transmission is not possible, the front end portion 12 contacts the first electrode portion 23 and the rear end portion 34 contacts the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 22a.
[0036]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the connection plug 30 is further inserted, and the optical fiber end face 1a passes through the electrical connection position 20a indicated by the broken line in the figure, and comes into contact with or approaches the light receiving section 21 to enable light transmission. It becomes. The contact between the front end portion 12 and the first electrode portion 23 and the contact between the rear end portion 34 and the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 22a are maintained.
[0037]
As described above, since the connection plug 30 and the connector receiving portion 40 are in an optically communicable state and are in an electrically connected state, both the optical cable 1 and the electric cable 2 can be simultaneously connected to the connector receiving portion 40. A cable including both electric cables can be attached to the connector receiving portion with one connection plug, and the same effect as described above can be obtained.
[0038]
Note that a small projection 22b may be provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 22a of the connector receiving portion 40 as shown in FIG. 5, and the electrical connection between the rear end portion 34 and the cylindrical portion 22a becomes more reliable, which is preferable. The number of the small protrusions 22b may be one, but a plurality is preferable.
[0039]
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment and the examples as described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made within the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the electric cable 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 may be used not only for supplying power but also for transmitting and receiving electric signals between the connector receivers 20 and 40.
[0040]
Further, the electric cable does not have to be configured to penetrate through the plug portion 11 and the base portion 15 of the connection plug. For example, at least one of the two electric conductors may be located on the outer peripheral side of the connection plug.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connection plug for both an optical cable and an electric cable which can simultaneously connect both the optical cable and the electric cable to the connector receiving portion.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIGS. 1A and 1B are a sectional view (a) and a right side view (b), respectively, of a connecting plug for both an optical cable and an electric cable according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken along a center line in the longitudinal direction.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a connector receiving portion to which the connection plug of FIG. 1 can be attached.
3 is a side view showing respective states (a), (b), and (c) when the connection plug of FIG. 1 is mounted on the connector receiving section of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view (a) and a right side view (b) of the optical cable / electrical cable connection plug according to a modification of the above-described embodiment, taken along a center in the longitudinal direction.
5 is a cross-sectional side view of a connector receiving portion to which the connection plug of FIG. 4 can be attached.
6 is a side view showing respective states (a), (b), and (c) when the connection plug of FIG. 4 is mounted on the connector receiving portion of FIG. 5;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical cable 1a ... End face of optical fiber 2 ... Electric cable 2a ... First electric lead 2b ... Second electric lead 10, 30 ... Connection plug for both optical cable and electric cable , Connection plug 11 ... plug part 12 ... tip part 13 ... middle part (electrically insulating part)
14, 34 ... rear end parts 20, 40 ... connector receiving part 21 ... light receiving part 22a ... cylindrical part 23 ... first electrode part 24 ... second electrode part

Claims (5)

An optical cable and an electric cable are connected, and a connection plug attachable to a connector receiving portion to be connected,
A tip portion in which the end face of the optical cable is located at a substantially tip,
An electrical connection portion to which the electrical cable is electrically connected,
Wherein both the optical cable and the electric cable are connected to the connector receiving portion via the distal end portion and the electric connecting portion when the optical cable and the electric cable are mounted on the connector receiving portion. plug. 2. The optical cable / electrical cable connection plug according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the electrical connection portions are provided, and the distal end portion also serves as one of the plurality of electrical connection portions. 3. An optical cable and an electric cable, which can be attached to the connector receiving portion to be connected, and a conductive end portion provided on the connector receiving portion side and having an end surface of the optical cable substantially at the front end; A conductive rear end provided on the opposite side of the front end through the portion,
An optical cable / electrical cable connection plug, wherein one of the electric cables of the electric cable is connected to the distal end, and the other electric cable is connected to the other end. The connector receiving portion is configured such that when the optical cable / electrical cable connection plug is mounted, a light receiving portion to which an end surface of the optical cable contacts or approaches, a first electrode portion to contact the front end portion, and the rear end portion. The optical cable / electrical cable connection plug according to claim 3, further comprising: a second electrode portion that comes into contact with the optical cable. The optical cable / electrical cable connection plug according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein power is supplied from the electric cable to the connector receiving portion side.

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