JP2005181902A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector which is easily mounted, has a small number of components and is small sized and whose cost is low. <P>SOLUTION: The optical connector comprises plugs each of which is mounted on the tip of an optical fiber and is used to attach to and detach from an opposing optical fiber, a sleeve into which the tip of the plug is to be inserted, a press-contacting means which is used to press-contact the opposing plugs and a fixing means which is used to mount the connector onto a member to be fixed. The fixing means and the press-contacting means are constructed by an integrated part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector used for connection between optical fibers such as optical communication.

  Conventionally, various optical connectors have been proposed.

  As a first conventional example, as shown in FIG. 4, a plug 44 having a ceramic ferrule 41, a metal flange 42, and a compression spring 43 is inserted into a sleeve 45 with a slit (hereinafter referred to as a sleeve) from both ends, and There is an SC type optical connector having a structure in which plugs 44 facing each other are pressure-connected through an adapter 46 that holds a sleeve 45.

  As a second conventional example, a simple optical connector has been proposed as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 5 (b) is an embodiment of an adapter, and FIG. 5 (a) is a diagram of FIG. 5 (a). This is an embodiment in which an optical connector using an adapter is mounted on a substrate 54.

  In FIG. 5B, the U-shaped adapter 51 has a U-shape so that it can be mounted on the board, and has a simple configuration in which the sleeve 52 is held by the U-shaped portion.

  Further, a screw hole 53 for board mounting is formed on the bottom surface of the adapter 51.

  In FIG. 5A, the adapter 51 is fixed to a substrate 54 with screws 55, and is mounted on the substrate in a high density and compact manner. An optical fiber 57 is inserted into the two plugs 56 to be connected, and is bonded and fixed to the ferrule 58. The ferrule 58 is a cylindrical ceramic molded product, and a metal flange 59 is attached to the ferrule 58.

In assembly, the plug 56 is inserted from both ends of the sleeve 52, a clamp 60 having a spring property is attached to the flange 59 of the opposing plug 56, and the optical fibers 57 are pressure-connected (Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 2595785

  However, the SC type optical connector as the first conventional example has a housing part, so the structure is complicated, the number of parts is large, and it is difficult to reduce the size. Although it is used in trunk lines and modules in optical communications, it is not adopted on the subscriber side, which is the highest cost requirement.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the second conventional example was devised as an optical connector that is easy to mount, has a small number of parts, and is small and inexpensive. However, in the field of trunks and modules in optical communication, there is a problem of reliability. It is not adopted, and it is not adopted even on the subscriber side where reliability is not very important and cost is the greatest requirement, and it has not been put into practical use after all.

  For this reason, the optical connector is not employed on the subscriber side where reliability is not so important and the cost is the highest requirement, and other means such as mechanical splices are used. However, the appearance of an optical connector which is an inexpensive and detachable optical fiber connection method has been desired.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is attached to the tip of an optical fiber and attached to and detached from the opposite optical fiber, a sleeve into which the tip of the plug is inserted, An optical connector comprising a pressing means for pressing the plugs to each other and a fixing means for attaching to the fixed member, wherein the fixing means and the pressing means are formed as an integral part.

  Further, the pressure contact means is more elastic than the fixing means, and both means are joined to form an integral part.

  In addition, a flat plate-like fixing means and a curved pressure-contact means having a concave portion to which a plug can be attached are disposed at least on one end side thereof.

  Furthermore, spacers that prevent movement in the longitudinal direction are arranged on both end faces of the sleeve.

  And a to-be-fixed member is arrange | positioned and used around the said optical connector, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In addition, a boot is disposed at a connecting portion between the fixed member and the outer cover of the optical fiber.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the plug for attaching to and detaching from the opposite optical fiber, the sleeve into which the distal end of the plug is inserted, and the opposed plugs are pressed against each other. In the optical connector comprising the pressing means for fixing and the fixing means for attaching to the fixed member, the fixing means and the pressing means are configured as an integral part, so that mounting is easy, the number of parts is small, and the size is small. An inexpensive optical connector can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  A plug 6 for attaching to and detaching from the opposite end of the optical fiber 4, a sleeve 7 into which the end of the plug 6 is inserted, and a pressure contact means for pressing the opposite plugs 6 together 2 and the optical connector 10 comprising the fixing means 3 for attaching to the fixed member 11, the fixing means 3 and the pressure contact means 2 are constituted by an integral part 1.

  An optical connector 10 for coupling an optical fiber 4 for transmitting an optical signal optically connects the end faces of a pair of optical fibers 4 to be coupled with each other, and a plug 6 to which the optical fiber 4 is fixed. The front end surfaces of the ferrule are inserted from both ends of the split sleeve 1 so as to face each other.

Here, as the material of the ferrule which is a component constituting the plug 6, any of resin, metal, ceramic, and glass has the same effect, but ceramics containing zirconia as a main component is particularly optimal. Specifically, it contains ZrO ₂ as a main component, and contains at least one of Y ₂ O ₃ , MgO, CaO, CeO ₂ , Dy ₂ O _{3 and the} like as a stabilizer, and is mainly composed of tetragonal crystals. Partially stabilized zirconia ceramics are used.

  The sleeve 7 is a cylindrical body and is provided with slits in the longitudinal direction, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is precisely polished slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ferrule. When the ferrule is inserted into the sleeve 7, the sleeve 7 is deformed by pressure and slightly expands, so that the ferrule can be firmly held on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 7.

  The sleeve 7 can be made of various materials such as ceramics, plastic, glass, and metal.

Among these, ceramics are desirably used from the viewpoint of long-term stability, and alumina, zirconia, or the like can be used as the material, but zirconia ceramics having high strength and toughness are particularly preferable. Specifically, ZrO ₂ is the main component, Y ₂ O ₃ , MgO, CaO, CeO ₂ , Dy ₂ O _{3 and the} like are included as a stabilizer, the average crystal particle size is 2 μm or less, and tetragonal Partially stabilized zirconia ceramics containing 50% or more, preferably 80% or more of crystals can be used.

  From the viewpoint of moldability and price, it is desirable to use plastic. As materials, thermosetting resins such as phenol, urea, melamine, epoxy, diallyl and phthalate, and vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, post styrene, ABS, poly Various materials can be applied including thermoplastic resins such as bril terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, fluororesin, and liquid crystal polymer, and those filled with glass fiber.

  Furthermore, it is also possible to use a metal such as phosphor bronze or a glass such as crystallized glass or borosilicate glass.

  Next, FIG. 2 shows various shapes of the integral part of the present invention.

  2 (a) and 2 (b) are composed of a fixing means 3 and a pressure contact means 2 which is a more elastic body, and is formed from a plate material having a uniform thickness by pressing or the like.

  FIG. 2 (c) shows an example in which the fixing means 3 is attached as a separate member to the bottom surface of the plate material having the uniform thickness shown in FIG. Etc. can be formed.

  In FIG. 2 (d), the fixing means 3 is a thick member, and the press contact means 2 is made of a thin elastic body. The fixing means 3 and the press contact means 2 are welded, bonded, soldered, low melting point glass attached, etc. It is fixed integrally by the fixing | fixed part 1a.

  In FIG. 2 (e), the fixing means 3 is an L-shaped thick member, and the press contact means 2 is made of a thin short elastic body. The press contact means 2 need not necessarily be arranged in pairs on both sides of the fixing means 3. Absent. This is because even if the pressure contact means 2 is in one direction, the same effect can be obtained as an optical connector if the load applied to the ferrule tip is equal.

  The pressure welding means 2 of the present invention can use various metals having spring characteristics such as piano wire, stainless steel, alloy steel, hard copper steel, etc., but if it is a piano wire, SUP-10, stainless steel having corrosion resistance. SUS630 and SUS403 can be used for steel, and INCONELX750 and SKD-61 can be used for heat resistance.

  Furthermore, spacers 8 are arranged on both end faces of the sleeve 7 to prevent movement in the longitudinal direction. Here, when the sleeve 7 is used with the same dimensional standard as other types of optical connectors, the spacer 8 may be arranged, but in order to reduce the number of parts, the length of the sleeve 7 is plugged. It is desirable to extend up to 6 brim.

  As described above, the integral part 1 of the present invention is characterized in that the flat plate-like fixing means 3 and the curved pressure contact means 2 having a recess to which the plug 6 can be attached are disposed at least at one end thereof.

  FIG. 3 shows a state where the optical connector 10 of the present invention is attached to the fixed member 11.

  In the optical connector 10 comprising the plug 6, the sleeve 7, the pressing means 2 for pressing the plugs 6 facing each other, and the fixing means 3 for attaching to the fixed member 11, the fixing means 3 and the press contact means 2 are constituted by an integral part 1, which is housed in a fixed member 11 and fixed by screws 9.

  The outer sheath 4a of the optical fiber 4 is located outside the fixed member 11, and the boot 12 is disposed in the connecting portion 4b, so that even when an external force is applied to the optical fiber 4, an external force is applied to the inside of the optical connector 10. It is designed not to affect.

  Here, the fixed member 11 can be made of various materials such as plastics, metal, and ceramics.

  In addition, the screw 9 is used for fixing, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a fixing groove 3 may be formed in the member 11 to be fixed, and the fixing means 3 may be inserted into the fixing member 11. Alternatively, a method of permanently joining the fixed member 11 may be used.

  The boot 12 may be an elastic member such as rubber, but may also be formed by metal and fixing the outer skin 4a by caulking.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the plug 6 for attaching to and detaching from the cable of the optical fiber 4 facing the cable of the optical fiber 4 and the sleeve 7 into which the tip of the plug 6 is inserted are provided. In the optical connector 10 comprising the pressure contact means 2 for pressure-contacting the plugs 6 facing each other and the fixing means 3 for attaching to the fixed member 11, the fixing means 3 and the pressure contact means 2 are formed as an integral part 1. By configuring, it is possible to provide an optical connector that is easy to mount, has a small number of components, and is small and inexpensive.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  The optical connector shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention and the conventional optical connector shown in FIG. 5 were prototyped.

  The optical connector shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention is attached to the tip of an optical fiber 4 and is attached to and detached from the opposite optical fiber 4, and the sleeve 7 into which the tip of the plug 6 is inserted is opposed to the above. In the optical connector 10 including the pressure contact means 2 for pressure-contacting the plugs 6 and the fixing means 3 for attaching to the fixed member 11, the fixing means 3 and the pressure contact means 2 are constituted by an integral part 1, and the sleeve 7 The length of is up to the brim portion of the plug 6 and the movement in the longitudinal direction was prevented without arranging the spacer 8. The fixing means 3 for the integrated part 1 was fixed to the substrate 54 with screws 9.

  Also, the conventional U-shaped adapter 51 shown in FIG. 5B has a U-shape so that it can be mounted on the board, and has a simple configuration in which the sleeve 52 is held by the U-shaped portion.

  Further, a screw hole 53 for mounting the board was formed on the bottom surface of the adapter 51. The adapter 51 can be fixed to the board 54 with screws 55 and can be mounted on the board 54 with high density and compactness. An optical fiber 57 was inserted into the two plugs 56 to be connected and adhered and fixed to the ferrule 58.

  In the assembly, the plugs 56 were inserted from both ends of the sleeve 52, the clamps 60 having a spring property were attached to the flanges 59 of the opposing plugs 56, and the optical fibers 57 were pressure-connected.

  Both the sample of the present invention and the conventional example used ferrule, zirconia for the sleeve, and SUS403 for the pressure contact means 2.

  Ten samples of each sample were prototyped and the connection loss, which is an important optical characteristic of the optical connector, was measured.

  In addition, the number of parts and mounting time of the prototype sample were confirmed.

The results are shown in Table 1.

  Here, the number of parts is a number obtained by omitting the board 54 and the screw 9 of the member 11 to be fixed.

  As described above, in the conventional optical connector, the average connection loss and standard deviation σ were 0.105 dB and 0.035 dB, whereas in the optical connector of the present invention, the average and standard deviation σ were 0.108 dB and 0.034 dB. And almost the same value.

  In terms of the number of parts, in the conventional example, there were two plugs 6, one sleeve 7, two adapters 51, and one clamp 60, but in the present invention there are two plugs 6, sleeves As a result, the number can be reduced to two-thirds, i.e., one 7 and one integral part 1.

  Furthermore, the mounting time of the present invention was reduced to 78% compared to the conventional example.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the plug for attaching to and detaching from the opposite optical fiber, the sleeve into which the distal end of the plug is inserted, and the opposed plugs are pressed against each other. In the optical connector comprising the pressing means for fixing and the fixing means for attaching to the member to be fixed, the fixing means and the pressing means are configured as an integral part, so that mounting is easy, the number of parts is small, and the size is small. An inexpensive optical connector could be provided.

It is a side view which shows the optical connector of this invention. (A), (c), (d), (e) is a side view which shows various shapes of the integral component of this invention, (b) is a front view. It is a sectional side view which shows the state in which the optical connector of this invention was attached to the to-be-fixed member. It is a figure which shows the conventional optical connector, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is sectional drawing seen from A direction, (c) is sectional drawing seen from B direction. (A) is a side view of the conventional adapter, (b) is a perspective view of the conventional optical connector.

Explanation of symbols

1: Integrated part 1a: Fixing part 2: Press contact means 3: Fixing means 4: Optical fiber 4a: Outer sheath 4b: Connecting part 5: Ferrule 6: Plug 7: Sleeve 8: Spacer 9: Screw 10: Optical connector 11: Fixed Member 12: Boot 41: Ferrule 42: Flange 43: Compression spring 44: Plug 45: Sleeve 46: Adapter 51: Adapter 52: Sleeve 53: Screw hole 54: Substrate 55: Screw 56: Plug 57: Optical fiber 58: Ferrule 59 : Flange 60: Clamp

Claims (6)

A plug that is attached to the tip of the optical fiber and that is attached to and detached from the opposing optical fiber, a sleeve into which the tip of the plug is inserted, a pressure-contacting means that press-contacts the opposing plugs, and a fixed member An optical connector comprising fixing means for mounting, wherein the fixing means and the pressure contact means are formed as an integral part. 2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the pressure contact means is more elastic than the fixing means, and both means are joined to form an integral part. 3. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein a flat plate-like fixing means and a curved pressure contact means having a concave portion to which a plug can be attached are disposed at least at one end thereof. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein spacers for preventing movement in the longitudinal direction are arranged on both end faces of the sleeve. The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a member to be fixed is disposed and used around the optical connector. The optical connector according to claim 5, wherein a boot is disposed at a connecting portion between the fixed member and the outer sheath of the optical fiber.

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