JP2005265973A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector which can be assembled on an end part of an optical fiber cable such as an optical drop cable, and an optical indoor cable. <P>SOLUTION: The optical connector A is provided with a connector body 1 having an optical fiber for connection previously packaged in a ferrule so as to be projected from a rear end opposed to the joining end face of the ferrule, and an anchor tool 5 for anchoring the other optical fiber F optically connected to the optical fiber for connection. In the optical connector A, by pressing the anchor tool 5 into the connector body 1 in the anchored state of the other optical fiber F to the anchor tool 5, the anchor tool and the connector body 1 are connected and the optical fiber for connection and the other optical fiber F are optically connected. Connection parts 25, 56 for connecting the anchor tool 5 to the connector body 1 constitute a movable connection part J for changing the relative direction of the anchor tool 5 to the connector body 1 in the connected state of both the connection parts 25, 56. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector that is used for connecting optical fibers and that can be assembled to the tip of an optical fiber particularly at a connection site.

Conventionally, there has been proposed an on-site assembly optical connector that performs optical fiber connector termination at a connection site other than a factory (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and various types of on-site assembly optical connectors are considered according to this. It has been. The field assembly optical connector is an optical connector of a type in which a ferrule polishing operation after connection is omitted by inserting and fixing an optical fiber to a ferrule whose tip surface has been polished in advance. The task of assembling an optical connector other than for on-site assembly at the tip of the optical fiber is to place the optical fiber (such as an optical fiber cord) through all the connector housing parts such as rubber boots in advance. For example, a bare optical fiber exposed by removing the resin coating at the tip of the optical fiber cord) is inserted through the ferrule, and then the tip of the ferrule is polished to assemble the entire optical connector.
JP-A-10-206688

  In recent years, with the spread of optical fiber networks, there is a demand for assembling and attaching an optical connector to the tip of an optical drop cable or an optical indoor cable. However, when the conventional field assembly optical connector is applied to these optical cables, the optical fiber core wire is exposed by simply removing the outer sheath of the optical cable end portion, and the field assembly optical connector is assembled at the front end portion of the optical fiber core wire. Will be. It is difficult to put rubber boots on the outer sheath of the optical cable, and even if so, it is difficult to think that it will be easy to handle.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and makes it a subject to provide the optical connector which can be assembled to the front-end | tip part of optical fiber cables, such as an optical drop cable and an optical indoor cable.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a connector main body having a connection optical fiber that is built in the ferrule in advance so as to protrude from a rear end facing the joining end surface of the ferrule, and the ferrule of the connection optical fiber. A retaining member having a retaining groove for retaining another optical fiber optically connected to a portion protruding from the rear end and detachably connectable to the connector body; The other optical fiber is accommodated in the retaining groove by fitting the portion of the optical fiber covered with the outer sheath from the insertion slot of the retaining groove, and the other optical fiber is inserted into the retaining tool. By pushing the retainer into the connector body in the state of being retained, the retainer and the connector body are coupled to each other so that the connection optical fiber and the other optical fiber An optical connection is made, and the connecting portion that connects the clasp and the connector main body changes the relative orientation of the clasp to the connector main body in a state where both are coupled. An optical connector is provided which is configured to constitute a movable connecting portion.

In the optical connector according to the aspect of the invention, the movable connecting portion may be provided on a spherical portion formed in a connecting portion protruding toward the rear end side of the connector main body and a connecting portion protruding toward the distal end side of the clasp. It is also possible to employ one that is configured by coupling with a fitting portion that can be fitted to the portion.
Further, in the optical connector of the present invention, the movable connecting portion is provided with a shaft provided at the connecting portion protruding to the rear end side of the connector main body, and can be fitted to the shaft and provided in the retaining member. It is also possible to adopt a structure that constitutes a pivot by connecting to a bearing. In this optical connector, when the other optical fiber has a flat cross section, the movable connecting portion has a rotational direction around the pivot axis in a state where the other optical fiber is held in the holding groove. What is provided so that it may become the thickness direction of said other optical fiber is preferable.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the portion of the optical fiber cable, such as the optical drop cable or the optical indoor cable, which is covered with the outer sheath, is accommodated in the retaining groove of the retaining device, so that the optical fiber cable is provided. The optical connection of the optical fiber to the connecting optical fiber built in the ferrule of the connector body becomes extremely easy. For this reason, the optical connector of the present invention can be assembled to the tip of the optical fiber cable at a connection site or the like.
Furthermore, the connecting portion that connects the fastener and the connector body constitutes a movable connecting portion that can change the relative orientation of the fastener to the connector body in the connected state. The movable connecting portion flexibly moves in accordance with the bending of the optical fiber drawn to the rear of the fastening portion, and flexibility is obtained so that bending stress is not concentrated locally on the optical fiber. Therefore, the optical connector is excellent in handleability.

According to invention of Claim 2, the movable connection part which connects a fastener and a connector main body by a spherical support is comprised, and a fastener in the arbitrary directions around the extension direction of the optical fiber in a connector main body It is possible to change the relative orientation of the retainer, and the degree of freedom of the relative orientation of the fastener with respect to the connector body becomes higher.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the change in the direction of the clasp can be realized as rotation around the pivot axis. Particularly, when the other optical fiber has a flat cross section, the invention according to claim 4 can smoothly follow the bending in the thickness direction of the other optical fiber.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 7 are views showing an optical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a connector body in a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the optical fiber cable and the protection part are attached to the clasp. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the clasp. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a state in which the connecting optical fiber and another optical fiber are butted in the clamp portion. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a state in which the clasp is connected to the connector body in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relative orientation of the clasp to the connector body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the optical connector A of the present embodiment is an optical fiber for connection that is built in the ferrule 3 in advance so as to protrude from the rear end facing the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule 3. A connector main body 1 having a pin 34 and a holding groove 53 for holding another optical fiber F optically connected to a portion 34 b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the connecting optical fiber 34. And a retainer 5 detachably connectable.
Here, the other optical fiber F is an optical fiber cable (indoor cable, drop cable, etc.) in which the outer periphery of the optical fiber core F2 in which the outer periphery of the bare optical fiber F1 is provided with a resin coating is covered with the outer sheath F3. Is used.
As shown in FIG. 4, here, as the optical fiber cable F, one having a flat cross section with a thickness T smaller than a width W is used. The cross-sectional shape of the optical fiber cable F is not particularly limited to a flat shape, and may be, for example, a round shape or a square shape.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connector main body 1 includes a ferrule 3 in which a connection optical fiber 34 is preliminarily installed, and a portion 34 b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the connection optical fiber 34 and an optical fiber cable F. The clamp part 4 which hold | maintains a connection state with a clamp, and the housing 2 which accommodates the said ferrule 3 and the clamp part 4 are provided.

  The clamp portion 4 is connected to the ferrule 3 so as to extend from the rear end facing the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule 3. Thereby, the ferrule 30 with a clamp part in which the ferrule 3 and the clamp part 4 are integrated is configured. It has an optical connector housing hole 11 for inserting and housing an optical connector (optical connector plug) that is arranged to be opposed to and connected to the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule 3, and functions as an optical connector receptacle.

The ferrule 3 includes a ferrule tip member 31 having a fine hole 33 therein, and a ferrule base portion 36 joined to an end portion 35 opposite to the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule tip member 31.
The ferrule tip member 31 is made of a hard material such as ceramics such as zirconia or glass, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. The outer peripheral surface 31a of the ferrule tip member 31 is a cylindrical surface. As the material of the ferrule tip member 31, a material harder than the material of the ferrule base 36 is used.
The central axis of the fine hole 33 is precisely positioned with respect to the outer peripheral surface 31 a of the ferrule tip member 31. Thus, as is well known, when the joining end faces of the ferrules of the two optical connectors are opposed to each other and the end faces of the optical fibers are butted together, by attaching the split sleeves 14 to the outer periphery of both ferrules, The optical fiber built in the ferrule can be optically connected by precisely aligning the optical fiber.
The joining end face 32 of the ferrule tip member 31 may be polished after the connection optical fiber 34 is inserted into the fine hole 33. The connection optical fiber 34 includes a portion 34 a that is built in the ferrule 3 and a portion 34 b that protrudes from the rear end of the ferrule 3.

  The ferrule base portion 36 is a portion interposed between the ferrule tip member 31 and the clamp portion 4, and the outer peripheral surface thereof has a substantially cylindrical shape. The diameter (outer diameter) of the ferrule base 36 is slightly smaller than the diameter (outer diameter) of the ferrule tip member 31. That is, the outer peripheral shape of the ferrule base 36 is smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the ferrule tip member 31. For this reason, even if the dimensional accuracy of the ferrule base 36 is somewhat low, the outer peripheral surface of the ferrule base member 36 is avoided from protruding from the outer peripheral surface 31a, and when the split sleeve 14 is attached to the ferrule tip member 31, Interference of the outer peripheral surface of the ferrule base 36 with the split sleeve 14 is suppressed. Therefore, alignment of the optical fiber 34 can be performed with high accuracy.

The end portion 35 of the ferrule tip member 31 is an extending portion whose outer peripheral shape is smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the ferrule tip member 31 (hereinafter, the end portion 35 may be referred to as the extending portion 35). The ferrule tip member 31 and the ferrule base 36 are joined such that the outer peripheral surface of the extension 35 is covered with a part of the ferrule base 36 and the extension 35 is embedded in the ferrule base 36.
An annular groove (reference numeral omitted) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the extending portion 35 along the periphery of the extending portion 35. As described above, since the outer peripheral surface of the extending portion 35 has irregularities such as a groove portion, the resin forming the ferrule base portion 36 is solidified into an irregular shape, and the bonding strength is high.

As shown in FIG. 5, the clamp portion 4 includes elements 41, 42, and 43 having a split structure, and a U-shaped spring member that is attached to the outside of the elements 41, 42, and 43 and clamps them so as to sandwich them. 46. Here, the elements 41, 42, 43 are composed of a base body 41 and lid bodies 42, 43 that are arranged side by side facing the base body 41, and are integrated into a prismatic shape by the clamping force of the spring member 46. It has become.
The elements 41, 42, and 43 may be cylindrical (each element divided in half is semicircular in cross section). In this case, the spring member 46 may be C-shaped.

  The base body 41 and the ferrule base portion 36 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin, thereby forming an integral member. The ferrule 30 with a clamp part is assembled by combining the base bodies 41 integrated with the ferrule 3 with the lid bodies 42 and 43 and clamping the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43 with the spring member 46. As described above, in the optical connector main body 1 according to the present embodiment, the base body 41 and the ferrule base 36 are integrally formed. Therefore, the base body 41 is always stably supported at a fixed position with respect to the ferrule 3. . Therefore, the stability of the optical connection between the optical fibers 34 and F in the clamp part 4 is enhanced.

  A positioning groove 44 that positions and aligns the optical fibers 34 and F is formed as an alignment mechanism on the mating surface where the base body 41 and the lid 42 on the distal end side are overlapped. The positioning groove 44 extends in the longitudinal direction of the base body 41. The location where the positioning groove 44 is formed includes a configuration formed on the mating surface of the base body 41, a configuration formed on the mating surface on the lid body 42 side, a configuration formed on both sides of the base body 41 and the lid body 42, etc. Various types can be adopted. The cross-sectional shape of the positioning groove 44 is, for example, a V groove, but may be a U groove, a round groove (a groove having a semicircular cross section), or the like. The positioning groove 44 is provided for each pair of optical fibers 34 and F to be connected (for the number of cores).

A tapered hole 45 b for inserting the optical fiber F into the clamp part 4 is opened at the rear end of the clamp part 4. The tapered hole 45b is formed in a funnel shape on the mating surface of the base body 41 and the lid 43 on the rear end side.
Between the positioning groove 44 and the tapered hole 45b, a covering housing groove 45a communicating with the positioning groove 44 and the tapered hole 45b is provided. The covering housing groove 45a is formed at a position where the mating surface where the base body 41 and the lid 43 on the rear end side are overlapped each other faces each other. The coating housing groove 45a houses the tip of the optical fiber core F2, and has a shape that allows the optical fiber core F2 to be securely clamped when the elements 41 and 43 are clamped by the spring member 46. Yes.

  Furthermore, a wedge insertion groove for inserting a wedge of an opening member is formed in one side edge portion of the mating surface where the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43 are overlapped. The clamp part 4 can push open the base body 41 and the lids 42 and 43 against the clamping force of the spring member 46 by press-fitting the wedge into the wedge insertion groove. When the wedge is removed from the wedge insertion groove, the space between the base body 41 and the lids 42 and 43 can be closed, and the integrated state can be obtained by the clamping force of the spring member 46 again.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the housing 2 includes a housing main body 22 having a sleeve holder 13 in which the ferrule 3 is accommodated and a clamp portion accommodating portion 15 in which the clamp portion 4 is accommodated, and the sleeve holder 13 of the housing main body 22. The front housing 21 is assembled to the side, and the rear housing 23 is assembled to the clamp housing 15 of the housing body 22.

The front housing 21 is formed in a sleeve shape, and is fitted with the housing main body 22 to form the optical connector accommodation hole 11 opened on the distal end side (left side in FIG. 1) of the connector main body 1. In the optical connector housing hole 11, a pair of elastic engagement pieces 12 facing each other are provided so as to project from the back side of the optical connector housing hole 11 toward the opening 11 a. A sleeve holder 13 projects between the elastic engagement pieces 12 toward the opening 11a. The sleeve holder 13 has a ferrule accommodation hole 13 a that communicates the optical connector accommodation hole 11 and the clamp portion accommodation portion 15. A split sleeve 14 having a C-shaped cross section is mounted on the inner surface of the ferrule accommodation hole 13 a of the sleeve holder 13.
The optical connector accommodating hole 11 accommodates an optical connector plug that is disposed so as to be opposed to the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule 3, holds the optical connector plug firmly by the elastic engagement piece 12, and also has a split sleeve 14. Thus, the optical fibers housed in the ferrule can be precisely aligned. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain the optical connection state between the optical fiber terminated by the optical connector plug and the connection optical fiber 34 built in the ferrule 3 of the optical connector of this embodiment.

  The clamp part storage part 15 has an internal space 15a in which the clamp part 4 is stored. The internal space 15a of the clamp housing 15 is open to the rear end side (the right side in FIG. 1) which is the side opposite to the optical connector housing hole 11 (opening 15b). The housing main body 22 can store the ferrule 3 in the split sleeve 14 and the clamp portion 4 in the clamp portion storage portion 15 by inserting the ferrule 30 with a clamp portion from the opening 15b.

  An engaging claw 22 a that can be engaged with an engaging hole 23 a formed in the rear housing 23 is provided on a side portion of the clamp housing 15. The housing main body 22 and the rear housing 23 are configured such that the rear housing 23 is fitted to the outer periphery of the clamp portion storage portion 15 and the engagement claw 22a of the housing main body 22 is engaged with the engagement hole 23a of the rear housing 23. It can be detachably fitted. The clamp part 4 accommodated in the clamp part accommodating part 15 is prevented from being detached from the opening 15b by the rear housing 23 fitted to the housing main body 22.

The rear housing 23 includes an optical fiber insertion hole 24 that communicates with the opening 15 b of the clamp housing 15 in a state of being fitted to the housing body 22, and a coupling portion 25 for coupling the fastener 5 to the connector body 1. Have
The connecting portion 25 protrudes toward the rear end side of the rear housing 23. As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting portion 25 includes a spherical portion 25b whose outer surface is spherical, a cylindrical portion 25a having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface interposed between the rear housing 23 and the spherical portion 25b, and a connecting portion. 25, and an edge portion 25c protruding in a rib shape at the protruding end from the rear housing 23.
As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber insertion hole 24 has a tapered shape that extends toward the rear end of the connecting portion 25. The optical fiber insertion hole 24 is reduced in diameter from the rear end of the connecting portion 25 toward the tapered hole 45 b of the clamp portion 4.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 6, the retainer 5 is a retainer 50 that retains the optical fiber cable F, and the retainer 5 provided on the distal end side of the retainer 50. Is connected to the connecting portion 25 of the connector body 1.
As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting portion 56 of the clasp 5 is formed on a pair of projecting pieces 56a, 56a facing each other, and an inner surface of each projecting piece 56a (a surface facing the mating projecting piece 56a). And a fitted recess 56b (fitting portion). The protruding piece 56 a is provided on the distal end side that is the side facing the connector body 1 when the fastener 5 is attached to the connector body 1. The edge 56c of the protruding end from the retaining portion 50 of the protruding piece 56a is formed in an arc shape. The connecting portion 56 of the clasp 5 sandwiches the connecting portion 25 on the connector main body 1 side with both protruding pieces 56a, 56a, and the fitting concave portion 56b of the protruding piece 56a is connected to the spherical portion 25b of the connecting portion 25 on the connector main body 1 side. By engaging the connector 5 with the connector body 1, the fastener 5 is connected. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the connecting portion 25 on the connector body 1 side and the connecting portion 56 on the pulling tool 5 side constitute a movable connecting portion J that connects the pulling tool 5 and the connector main body 1 with a spherical bearing. To do.

The retaining portion 50 includes a bottom wall portion 51 and a pair of side wall portions 52 a and 52 b provided to face each other from both side edges of the bottom wall portion 51. A retaining groove 53 that extends in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3) of the retaining portion 50 and has a U-shaped cross section (opens downward in FIGS. 3 and 4) between the side wall portions 52a and 52b. Is formed. The retaining groove 63 is formed so that the direction in which the side wall portions 62a and 62a face each other is the direction of the thickness T of the optical fiber cable F. The opening in which the U-shaped groove is opened serves as an insertion port 54 for inserting the optical fiber cable F into the retaining groove 53.
On both sides of the inner surface of the retaining groove 53, a plurality of pairs of demon-like protrusions 53a that bite into the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F and grip the optical fiber cable F are provided. For this reason, the optical fiber cable F can be accommodated in the retaining groove 53 and retained by fitting the portion of the optical fiber cable F covered with the outer sheath F3 into the retaining groove 53. The durability against drawing of the optical fiber F due to the protrusion 53a is preferably 5 kgf or more.
As shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral surface of the retaining portion 50 is substantially cylindrical. By attaching the ring-shaped protective portion 55 to the retaining portion 50, the retaining device 5 is prevented from dropping from the retaining groove 53 of the optical fiber cable F by closing the insertion port 54 of the retaining groove 53. It has become so.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the retaining groove 53 is formed on both ends on the distal end side (left side in FIG. 6) of the retaining tool 5, which is the side facing the connector body 1 when being attached to the connector body 1. It has a front end wall 57 protruding from the walls 52a and 52b. The front end wall 57 has a notch-shaped gap 57a at the center in the width direction of the retaining groove 53 (a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the retaining groove 53; the vertical direction in FIG. 6). The opening amount of the gap 57a in the front end wall 57 cannot be inserted through the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F, but is large enough to insert the optical fiber core wire F2. The front end wall 57 prevents the end portion of the outer skin F3 from protruding toward the front end side of the retainer 5 when the optical fiber cable F is retained in the retaining groove 53.

Next, an example of a procedure for assembling the optical connector A of the present embodiment at the tip of the optical fiber cable F will be described.
First, the outer sheath F3 at the tip of the optical fiber cable F is removed to expose the optical fiber core F2, and the resin coating at the tip of the optical fiber core F2 is removed to expose the bare optical fiber F1. The lengths of the bare optical fiber F1 and the optical fiber core F2 are such that the bare optical fiber F1 is accommodated in the positioning groove 44 in the clamp portion 4 and the tip end portion of the optical fiber core wire F2 is accommodated in the covering housing groove 45a. Adjustment is made so that the end surface of the portion 34b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the optical fiber 34 and the bare optical fiber F1 is abutted with an appropriate pressing force.
The outer fiber F3 of the optical fiber cable F is fitted into the retaining groove 53 of the retainer 5, and the protective part 55 is fitted around the retaining part 50 of the retainer 5, so that the optical fiber cable F is retained. Attach to 5. The ring 55 serving as a protection portion is passed through the optical fiber cable F before fitting into the retaining portion 50.

In the clamp portion 4 of the connector body 1, a wedge (not shown) is inserted between the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43, and the gap between the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43 is pushed open.
In a state where the optical fiber cable F is retained in the retaining groove 53, the retaining member 5 is pushed in from the rear end side of the connector main body 1 to connect the connecting portions 25 and 56 to each other. As a result, the bare optical fiber F1 is inserted into the positioning groove 44 of the clamp portion 4 through the optical fiber insertion hole 24 of the housing 2, where it is abutted against the portion 34b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the connecting optical fiber 34, The connection optical fiber 34 and the optical fiber cable F are optically connected. As shown in FIG. 5, when the connecting optical fiber 34 and the bare optical fiber F1 are brought into contact with each other in the clamp portion 4, the optical fiber core wire F2 is bent. As a result, the contact force between the end faces of the optical fibers 34 and F can be secured by the elasticity of the optical fiber core wire F2.
After confirming the optical connection between the optical fibers 34 and F, the wedge (not shown) is removed, and the base 41 and the lids 42 and 43 are closed. Then, the optical fibers 34b and F1 are clamped and held between the elements 41, 42 and 43 by the clamping force of the clamp portion 4 (specifically, the spring member 46), with the end faces butting the two optical fibers 34 and F. The optical connection is maintained.

In the optical connector A of the present embodiment, the ring-shaped protection portion 55 is fitted into the outer periphery of the retaining portion 50, so that the optical fiber cable F can be prevented from dropping from the retaining groove 53. For this reason, the optical fiber cable F can be easily handled when the optical connector A is assembled, and the optical connection between the optical fiber cable F and the connection optical fiber 34 can be reliably performed by a simple operation.
As shown in FIG. 7, the connecting portions 25 and 56 for connecting the fastener 5 and the connector main body 1 allow the relative orientation of the fastener 5 to the connector main body 1 to be variable in the connected state. Since the portion J is configured, the movable connecting portion J moves flexibly according to the bending of the optical fiber F drawn out behind the retainer 5, and the bending stress is locally concentrated on the optical fiber F. Flexibility not to let it be obtained. Therefore, the optical connector is excellent in handleability.

Next, a second embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the connector body in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating a state in which the optical fiber cable and the protection unit are attached to the clasp. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the clasp and the protection part. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the clasp and the protection part. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a state in which the clasp is connected to the connector body.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the optical connector B according to the second embodiment includes a connection optical fiber 34 that is built in the ferrule 3 in advance so as to protrude from the rear end facing the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule 3. The connector main body 1 has a retaining groove 53 for retaining another optical fiber F that is optically connected to the portion 34b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the connecting optical fiber 34, and is attached to and detached from the connector main body 1. And a retainer 6 that can be connected.

  In the connector main body 1 of the optical connector B of this embodiment, the ferrule 30 with a clamp part, the front housing 21, and the housing main body 22 are configured in the same manner as the optical connector A of the first embodiment. A connecting portion 26 is provided at the rear end of the rear housing 23 to be connected to the fastener 6 (details will be described later) by fitting. The connecting portion 26 of the rear housing 23 has a pair of protruding pieces 26a protruding from the rear end of the optical fiber insertion hole 24, and a fitting protrusion 26b (shaft) formed on the protruding end of each protruding piece 26a. . The fitting protrusion 26b has a short cylindrical shape, and protrudes inside the protruding pieces 26a and 26a facing each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in the optical connector B of the present embodiment, the fastening device 6 for fastening the optical fiber cable F is provided so as to protrude from the bottom wall portion 61 and both side edges of the bottom wall portion 61. Side walls 62a and 62b. A retaining groove 63 having a U-shaped cross section (opening upward in FIG. 11) is formed between the side wall portions 62a and 62b. The opening having the U-shaped groove is an insertion port 64 for inserting the optical fiber cable F into the retaining groove 63. On both sides of the inner surface of the retaining groove 63, a plurality of pairs of demon-like protrusions 63a that bite into the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F and grip the optical fiber cable F are provided. For this reason, the optical fiber cable F can be accommodated in the retaining groove 63 and retained by fitting the portion of the optical fiber cable F covered with the outer sheath F3 into the retaining groove 63. The durability against pulling out of the optical fiber F due to the protrusion 63a is preferably 5 kgf or more.

  The retaining groove 63 protrudes from the side wall portions 62a and 62b on the distal end side (left side in FIG. 10) of the retaining tool 6 which is the side facing the connector body 1 when being attached to the connector body 1. A front end wall 67 is provided. The front end wall 67 has a notch-shaped gap 67a at the center in the width direction of the retaining groove 63 (a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the retaining groove 63). The opening amount of the gap 67a in the front end wall 67 cannot be inserted through the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F, but is large enough to insert the optical fiber core wire F2. When the optical fiber cable F is retained in the retaining groove 63 by the front end wall 67, as shown in FIG. 9, the end portion of the outer skin F3 protrudes toward the distal end side (left side in FIG. 9) of the retaining device 6. It is prevented.

  A lid 65 covering the insertion slot 64 of the retaining groove 63 is integrated with the retaining member 6 via a hinge 68 formed along one side wall 62 a of the retaining member 6. Is provided. The lid 65 includes an engagement protrusion 65 a that protrudes from a side edge portion of the lid 65 opposite to the hinge 68, and an engagement recess 66 that is formed in the side wall portion 62 b of the fastener 6 opposite to the hinge 68. And can be closed. When the lid 65 is closed, the optical fiber cable F is prevented from dropping from the retaining groove 63. That is, the lid 65 functions as a protection unit 65 that prevents the optical fiber cable F from dropping from the retaining groove 63. In addition, in a state where the connector main body 1 and the clasp 6 are connected, the clasp 6 and the lid 65 are held between the pair of connecting portions 26 of the connector main body 1, so that the lid 65 does not open. It has become. Thereby, dropping of optical fiber cable F can be prevented more certainly.

Fitting holes 69 are formed in the bottom wall portion 61 and the lid 65 of the fastener 6 at positions facing the top and bottom (see FIG. 10) of the fastener 6 with the lid 65 closed. The fitting hole 69 is a round hole that can be fitted into the fitting protrusion 26b of the connecting portion 26 on the connector main body 1 side described above, and functions as a connecting portion (bearing) on the retaining tool 6 side.
In the optical connector B of this embodiment, the connector main body 1 and the retainer 6 can be attached and detached by fitting the fitting protrusion 26b of the connecting portion 26 of the connector body 1 and the fitting hole 69 of the retainer 6. It can be connected. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, in the state where the connector main body 1 and the fastening tool 6 are connected, the fitting between the fitting projection 26b and the fitting hole 69 makes the connector main body 1 and the fastening tool 6 relatively. A movable connecting portion J having a pivot X that can be rotated is configured. Thereby, the direction of the fastening tool 6 with respect to the connector main body 1 can be changed freely.
The retaining groove 63 is formed such that the direction in which both side walls 62a and 62a face each other is the direction of the thickness T of the optical fiber cable F (see FIG. 4), and the axial direction of the pivot X is the optical fiber. It is in the direction of the width W of the cable F. For this reason, when the fastening tool 6 rotates around the pivot axis X, it is possible to follow the bending in the thickness direction of the optical fiber cable F (indicated by a double arrow in FIG. 12).

Next, an example of a procedure for assembling the optical connector B of the present embodiment at the tip of the optical fiber cable F will be described.
First, the outer sheath F3 at the tip of the optical fiber cable F is removed to expose the optical fiber core F2, and the resin coating at the tip of the optical fiber core F2 is removed to expose the bare optical fiber F1. The outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F is fitted into the retaining groove 63 of the retainer 6, and the lid 65 is closed. At this time, the optical fiber F2 is inserted through the notch 67a of the front end wall 67 of the retainer 6.
In the present embodiment, since there are no protrusions in front of the front end wall 67 of the retainer 6, the outer sheath F3 at the tip of the optical fiber cable F is removed to expose the optical fiber core F2. In this state, the optical fiber cable F is attached to the retainer 6, and then the bare optical fiber F1 is exposed (removal of the resin coating of the optical fiber core F2) and the lengths of the bare optical fiber F1 and the optical fiber core F2 are set. A procedure for adjusting the height (such as cutting) is also possible. In this case, by using the front end wall 67 as a reference, it becomes easy to accurately adjust the protruding lengths of the optical fiber core wire F2 and the bare optical fiber F1 from the front end wall 67. Therefore, the lengths of the optical fiber core wire F2 and the bare optical fiber F1 can be easily and reliably adjusted without the end portion of the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F having a clean cut end.

In the clamp portion 4 of the connector body 1, a wedge (not shown) is inserted between the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43, and the gap between the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43 is pushed open.
In a state where the optical fiber cable F is retained in the retaining groove 63, the retaining member 6 is pushed in from the rear end side of the connector body 1, and the coupling portions 26 and 69 are coupled to each other. Thereby, although not shown in particular, the bare optical fiber F1 is inserted into the positioning groove 44 of the clamp portion 4 through the optical fiber insertion hole 24 of the housing 2, and protrudes from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the connecting optical fiber 34 there. The optical fiber 34 for connection and the optical fiber cable F are optically connected by abutting against the portion 34b.

In the optical connector B of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the connecting portion that connects the retainer 6 and the connector body 1 has a relative orientation with respect to the connector body 1 of the retainer 6 in the connected state. Since the movable connecting portion J is made variable, the movable connecting portion J moves flexibly according to the bending of the optical fiber F drawn out behind the retainer 6, and the bending stress is locally concentrated on the optical fiber F. Flexibility not to let it be obtained. Therefore, the optical connector is excellent in handleability.
By fitting the lid 65 serving as a protection part to the retaining member 6, it is possible to prevent the optical fiber cable F from being detached from the retaining groove 63. For this reason, the optical fiber cable F can be easily handled when the optical connector B is assembled, and the optical connection between the optical fiber cable F and the connection optical fiber 34 can be reliably performed by a simple operation. Since the protection part (lid) 65 is provided integrally with the clasp 6, the protection part is not lost. Further, the number of members required for assembling the optical connector B is reduced, and the assembling work of the optical connector can be further simplified.
In addition, since the front end wall 67 is provided to prevent the end portion of the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F from protruding toward the front end side of the retainer 6, the lengths of the optical fiber core wire F2 and the bare optical fiber F1 are provided. Can be adjusted easily and reliably.

The present invention is not limited to the best mode described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the case of an optical connector having a cylindrical ferrule has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to, for example, an optical connector having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped ferrule.
The structure of the clamp part is not particularly limited as long as it is a structure that aligns the optical fiber and clamps and holds the butt connection between the end faces. For example, the number of lids facing the substrate of the element may be one or more.

  The protective part for preventing the optical fiber from falling off from the retaining groove is not essential in the present invention, but covers the insertion slot of the retaining groove in a state where the retaining tool and the connector body are connected. Anything is acceptable. In the above embodiment, the configuration (example is a ring) that is separate from the connector main body and the clasp, and the configuration (example is a lid) that is integral with the clasp are exemplified. The structure (for example, the structure which protruded from the connector main body) etc. is not limited at all.

  The present invention can also be applied to an optical connector in which a plurality of optical fiber holes are formed in a ferrule and a connecting optical fiber is housed in each optical fiber hole. In this case, if the alignment mechanism such as the positioning groove provided in the clamp part is provided at least for the number of optical fibers for connection, each optical fiber terminated by the optical connector is connected by the alignment mechanism. The optical fiber can be optically connected. As such an optical connector, for example, an optical connector whose ferrule is an MT type optical connector ferrule (MT: Mechanically Transferable) defined in JIS C 5981 or the like is exemplified.

  The present invention can be used to assemble and use an optical connector at the tip of an optical drop cable or an optical indoor cable at a work site or the like, for example, in connection work for constructing an optical fiber network.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the connector main body in the 1st form example of this invention. In the 1st form example of this invention, it is a front view which shows the state which attached the optical fiber cable and the protection part to the fastener. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the securing tool in the 1st example of a form of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the state which faced the optical fiber for connection, and the other optical fiber in the clamp part. In the 1st form example of this invention, it is the schematic which shows the state which connected the clasp to the connector main body. In the 1st form example of this invention, it is the schematic explaining the relative direction with respect to the connector main body of a fastener. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the connector main body in the 2nd form example of this invention. In the 2nd form example of this invention, it is a front view which shows the state which attached the optical fiber cable and the protection part to the fastener. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the securing tool and protection part in the 2nd example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the clasp in a 2nd example of this invention, and a protection part. In the 2nd form example of this invention, it is the schematic which shows the state which connected the clasp to the connector main body.

Explanation of symbols

A, B ... optical connector, F ... other optical fiber (optical fiber cable), F3 ... outer fiber sheath, J ... movable connecting part, X ... pivot, 1 ... connector body, 3 ... ferrule, 5, 6 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Fastening tool, 25 ... Connector main body side connection part, 25b ... Spherical surface part, 26 ... Connector main body side connection part, 26b ... Shaft (fitting protrusion), 32 ... Joining end face, 34 ... Optical fiber for connection, 34b ... part protruding from rear end of ferrule of connecting optical fiber, 53, 63 ... retaining groove, 54, 64 ... insertion slot of retaining groove, 56 ... connecting part on the retaining tool side, 56b ... fitting part, 69 ... Connector (bearing) on the side of the clasp.

Claims (4)

A connector main body (1) having a connection optical fiber (34) pre-installed in the ferrule so as to protrude from a rear end facing the joining end face (32) of the ferrule (3); A retainer that has a retaining groove (53, 63) for retaining another optical fiber (F) optically connected to the portion (34b) protruding from the rear end of the ferrule and is detachably connectable to the connector body. Tools (5, 6),
The retaining device accommodates the other optical fiber in the retaining groove by fitting the portion of the other optical fiber covered with the outer skin (F3) from the retaining groove insertion opening (54, 64). In the state where the other optical fiber is fastened to the fastening tool, the fastening tool and the connector body are coupled by pushing the fastening tool into the connector body, so that the connection optical fiber is connected. And the other optical fiber is configured to be optically connected,
The connecting portions (25, 26, 56, 69) for connecting the clasp and the connector main body are movable so that the relative direction of the clasp with respect to the connector main body can be changed in a state where both are coupled. An optical connector (A, B) characterized in that it constitutes a connecting portion (J).   The movable connecting portion is provided on a spherical surface portion (25b) formed on a connecting portion (25) protruding toward the rear end side of the connector body and a connecting portion (56) protruding toward the front end side of the clasp. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical connector is configured by being connected to a fitting portion (56 b) that can be fitted to the spherical portion.   The movable connecting portion includes a shaft (26b) provided on a connecting portion (26) protruding to the rear end side of the connector body, and a bearing (fitting to the shaft and provided on the clasp) 69). The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the pivot (X) is configured by connection with 69).   The other optical fiber has a flat cross-section, and the movable connecting portion is configured such that the rotation direction around the pivot axis is the thickness of the other optical fiber in a state where the other optical fiber is held in the holding groove. The optical connector according to claim 3, wherein the optical connector is provided in a vertical direction.

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