JP2006106627A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector for a plastic optical fiber, an optical connector which realizes reduction in the number of parts for the optical connector and in the cost of the parts incidental thereto, which realizes miniaturization and convenient assembling operations through structural simplification, and which also demonstrates a superior holding power when used for a plastic-made optical fiber. <P>SOLUTION: The optical connector for a plastic optical fiber is composed of: a housing formed of a metallic planar body; a base material made from a resin material and provided with a shape storable in the housing; and an optical fiber holding member having a shape that can be fitted to the recess provided in the base material made from the resin material. The optical connector is equipped with a pinching holding member made up of a pair of elastic members which are formed by bending the metallic planar body in a manner elastically deformable in a state connected to the housing, and also equipped with a connecting member and an energizing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector, and more particularly to an optical connector for plastic optical fiber that has a small number of parts and is small and easy to assemble.

In the field of optical communications, optical fibers are used in optical transmission systems, and optical connectors are used to connect optical fibers extending from terminals of various optical communication devices and optical communication devices.
This optical connector has a function of holding the optical fiber in the connector and a function of pressing the optical fiber (together with a member for holding the optical fiber) in the long axis direction (contacting direction) of the optical fiber (a function of energizing). Is needed. The function of holding the optical fiber is necessary to accurately position the end face of the optical fiber. The function of pressing the optical fiber in a predetermined direction is to physically contact the optical fiber cores by removing the air present at the connection boundary when positioning the optical fiber end faces or connecting the optical fibers. This is necessary to realize a so-called physical contact that reduces reflection loss due to air existing at the connection interface.

  Conventionally, a technique for fixing an optical fiber by tightening a chuck-like elastic member using a coil spring and simultaneously generating a pressing force in the axial direction of the optical fiber is known. For example, a housing; a hollow body holding member disposed inside the housing; an optical fiber holding groove or an optical fiber holding hole, and a tapered surface whose outer periphery decreases from the tip along the optical axis direction of the optical fiber. An optical fiber holding member comprising a front part provided on the outer peripheral surface and a tubular rear part provided with an optical fiber through-hole, and disposed inside the hollow body holding member; and fitted into the optical fiber holding member and the front part An annular member that is slidably contacted with the taper surface, and that tightens the front portion as it goes in the distal direction of the front portion; and is disposed inside the hollow body holding member and adjacent to the annular member, And an elastic member that presses and tightens the front portion through the annular member by urging the annular member from a hollow body holding member. Kuta and the like (see Patent Document 1).

  The optical connector has a high positioning accuracy of the end face of the optical fiber, and has a very high utility value as an optical connector that requires a high positioning accuracy such as a quartz optical fiber. However, the optical connector is provided with a member that exhibits the function of holding the optical fiber and a member that exhibits the function of pressing the optical fiber as separate bodies in order to achieve high positioning accuracy of the end face of the optical fiber. There are disadvantages that the number of parts is large, the part cost is high, and the assembly workability of the optical connector is inferior. Further, the optical connector may not fully satisfy the simplification of the structure required for the recent optical connector.

  As the optical connector, in addition to the optical connector, for example, a base and an optical fiber placed on the surface of the base are arranged above the optical fiber, curved along the length direction of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber A plate-like elastic member including an extending part that can contact the surface, a separation part connected to the extension part and spaced apart from the base, and a contact part of the plate-like elastic member above the optical fiber And a pressing member that can be fixed to the base, and the pressing member contacts the separated portion of the plate-like elastic member, so that the extending portion of the plate-like elastic member contacts the optical fiber. An optical fiber holding device that can apply an elastic force to the optical fiber is mentioned (see Patent Document 2).

  The optical connector holds the optical fiber by pressing a plate-like elastic member from above the optical fiber, but does not have a function of pressing the optical fiber in the long axis direction. Therefore, a stable connection (low connection loss) cannot be realized, and in order to realize this, a member that exhibits the above pressing function in addition to the optical connector, for example, a coil spring is required, and the number of parts is also large. There is a disadvantage that the number of parts increases and the cost of parts increases.

Further, since the curved elastic plate-like member is pressed from above the optical fiber, a force is likely to be applied locally to the optical fiber, and there is a possibility that a slight bend may occur in the optical fiber. When a minute bend occurs in the optical fiber, it causes a loss or damage in optical characteristics.
In addition, since the plate-like elastic member is made of metal such as stainless steel (SUS) material or copper alloy, when used for plastic optical fiber (POF), due to the difference in thermal characteristics between materials, When the temperature change occurs, the position of the optical fiber may be shifted.
In addition, since the optical connector holds the fiber by utilizing the bending of the extending portion of the elastic member by contacting the pressing member, there are many gaps in the connector, and the connector itself is relatively As a result, the size reduction required for optical connectors in recent years cannot be fully satisfied.

JP 2001-249251 A JP 2000-32466 A

  The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, to reduce the number of parts of the optical connector, to reduce the cost of the parts, to realize downsizing and simplification of the structure by simplifying the structure, and It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector for plastic optical fibers that exhibits excellent holding power when used for optical fibers.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a housing formed of a metal plate-like body, the distal end side is open, and the housing has a flat surface on the proximal end side,
A lump that is formed using a resin material and has a shape that can be accommodated in the housing, wherein one or a plurality of through-holes formed in the lump and a recess provided on the lump surface A first optical fiber holding groove formed in communication with the through hole, and
A lump that is formed using a resin material and has a shape that can be fitted into the recess provided in the base material, and faces the first optical fiber holding groove when fitted into the recess. An optical fiber holding member in which a second optical fiber holding groove is formed at a position where
A pair of elastic members extending from the base end side to the tip end side by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable so as to form a part of the housing; A pinching holding member for holding the optical fiber disposed between the two optical fiber holding grooves via the optical fiber holding member;
A connecting member formed by a pair of elastic members extending from the base end side to the tip end side, formed by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable in a state of being coupled to a part of the housing;
A pair of elastic members formed by bending a part of the proximal end surface of the housing to the distal end side so as to be elastically deformable, and attaching the base material accommodated in the housing in the distal direction. An optical connector for a plastic optical fiber having biasing means for biasing is provided.

Further, the present invention is a housing formed from a metal plate-like body, the housing is open at the distal end side and has a flat surface on the proximal end side,
A lump that is formed using a resin material and has a shape that can be accommodated in the housing, wherein one or a plurality of through-holes formed in the lump and a recess provided on the lump surface A first optical fiber holding groove formed in communication with the through hole, and
A lump that is formed using a resin material and has a shape that can be fitted into the recess provided in the base material, and faces the first optical fiber holding groove when fitted into the recess. An optical fiber holding member in which a second optical fiber holding groove is formed at a position where
A pair of elastic members extending from the base end side to the tip end side by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable so as to form a part of the housing; A pinching holding member for holding the optical fiber disposed between the two optical fiber holding grooves via the optical fiber holding member;
A connecting member formed by a pair of elastic members extending from the base end side to the tip end side, formed by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable in a state of being coupled to a part of the housing;
An urging means that urges the base material accommodated in the housing in the distal direction, and is made of an elastic member disposed between the base end side surface of the housing and the base material; An optical connector for a plastic optical fiber is provided.

  In the optical connector for plastic optical fiber according to the present invention, it is preferable that the connecting member is coupled to a plane on the base end side of the housing, and a bending angle with respect to the plane on the base end side is 90 degrees or less.

In the optical connector for plastic optical fiber of the present invention, an opening is provided in the holding pressure holding member forming a part of the housing,
Protrusions are provided on the substrate surface,
When the base material is accommodated in the housing, it is preferable that the opening portion and the convex portion engage with each other.

  In the optical connector for plastic optical fiber according to the present invention, it is preferable that the second optical fiber holding groove has a V-shaped cross section.

In the optical connector for plastic optical fiber according to the present invention, when the base material is accommodated in the housing, the optical fiber disposed between the first and second optical fiber holding grooves is held by pressure through the optical fiber holding member. The clamping holding member is part of the housing, and the connecting member for connecting the optical connector is formed of a metal plate in a state of being connected to the housing, so the number of parts of the optical connector The cost of parts can be greatly reduced. Further, since the number of parts is small, the structure is simple, the optical connector can be miniaturized, the assembling time can be shortened, and the assembling work can be simplified.
The number of parts can be further reduced by forming the biasing means for biasing the base material accommodated in the housing in the distal direction from a metal plate in a state of being coupled to the housing.

In the optical connector of the present invention, when the optical fiber holding member is fitted into the concave portion provided in the base material, the first optical fiber holding groove formed in the concave portion and the first optical fiber holding member formed in the optical fiber holding member. Since the optical fiber is sandwiched and held between the two optical fiber holding grooves, the contact area between the optical fiber and the portion that sandwiches and holds the optical fiber is increased. For this reason, it is possible to securely hold the optical fiber.
In the optical connector of the present invention, the plastic optical fiber, the base material holding the plastic optical fiber and the optical fiber holding member are both made of a resin material. This is an excellent optical connector for plastic optical fibers, which is less affected by temperature changes.

  In addition, since the contact area between the optical fiber and the portion that holds and holds the optical fiber is increased, local force is not applied to the optical fiber that is held and held, and microbending occurs in the optical fiber. This prevents the deterioration of the optical characteristics of the optical fiber and the damage of the optical fiber.

Furthermore, since the optical fiber holding member is fitted into the recess provided in the base material, the optical connector is extremely excellent in assembling workability. For example, when the optical fiber is sandwiched and held by pressing the optical fiber disposed in the groove provided in the base material from above using a plate-like member, when the optical connector is assembled, Although it is necessary to keep the positional relationship between the member and the optical fiber to be held under pressure, it is very difficult as is clear from the fact that the overall size of the optical connector is at most about 2 cm square. Work.
On the other hand, in the optical connector of the present invention, the positional relationship between the base material, the optical fiber holding member, and the optical fiber held under pressure is fitted by fitting the optical fiber holding member into the recess provided in the base material. Kept in proper condition.

  In the optical connector for plastic optical fiber of the present invention, a part of the housing, specifically, the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing can be elastically deformed so that the distal end portion thereof is close to or separated from the base end surface of the housing as a fulcrum. Since it is a pair of elastic members, when the base material is inserted into the housing, the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing are elastically deformed so that the distal end portions thereof are separated from each other, and the opening portion of the housing is enlarged. Thereby, the base material can be smoothly accommodated in the housing. And the optical fiber arrange | positioned between the 1st and 2nd optical fiber holding grooves is pinched and hold | maintained via an optical fiber holding member with the restoring force of the elastic member which arises by this elastic deformation.

  The connecting member is coupled to the base end surface of the housing, and the optical fiber connector for plastic optical fiber according to the present invention having a bending angle of 90 degrees or less with respect to the base end surface has an excellent bending strength at the connecting portion of the connecting member. When the connector is elastically deformed in the direction of separating the distal end portion of the connecting member in order to connect the connector, the possibility that the connecting member breaks at the coupling portion is reduced.

  When the base material is inserted into the housing, the plastic optical fiber of the present invention is engaged with the opening formed in the holding pressure holding member forming a part of the housing and the convex portion formed on the surface of the base material. The optical connector can reliably hold and fix the base material accommodated in the housing by engaging the opening and the convex.

Hereinafter, the optical connector for plastic optical fiber of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “optical connector of the present invention”) will be described in detail based on the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. It is not limited to the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an optical connector 1 of the present invention includes a housing 10 that is a housing formed of a metal plate-like body, and a base body that is a lump body made of a resin material housed in the housing 10. 20 and an optical fiber holding member (not shown) which is a block made of a resin material having a shape that can be fitted into a recess (not shown) formed in the base body 20. Hereinafter, each component of the optical connector will be described in more detail.

2 is a view showing the housing 10 of the optical connector 1 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 2 (b) is a side view of the housing 10 in FIG. 2 (a). FIG. 2C is a view of the housing 10 of FIG. 2A viewed from the base end side. In FIG. 2A, the lower side of the drawing is the base end side, and the upper side of the drawing is the front end side. In FIG. 2A, the front side of the drawing is the upper side and the back side is the lower side.
A housing 10 shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C is a housing formed by bending a metal plate-like body, and specifically, is formed by the following procedure. In FIG. 2A, the upper surface 11 is formed by bending a metal plate that is coupled to the base end surface 13 and extends upward in the drawing so as to be elastically deformable by approximately 90 degrees in the distal direction. A lower surface 12 is formed by bending a metallic plate-like body connected to the base end surface 13 and extending downward in the drawing so as to be elastically deformable by approximately 90 degrees in the distal direction. In FIG. 2 (c), a side plate 14 is formed by bending a metal plate that is coupled to the lower surface 12 and extends in the left-right direction of the drawing approximately 90 degrees in the direction of the upper surface 11. A housing is formed by the base end surface 13, the upper surface 11, the lower surface 12 and the side surface 14. The housing formed in such a procedure has an opening on the distal end side and a flat surface (proximal end surface 13) on the proximal end side.

The upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12 are formed by bending a joint portion with the base end surface 13 so as to be elastically deformable. A pair of elastic members (leaf spring members) is formed. The pair of elastic members will be described in detail later, but when the base material is accommodated in the housing 10, the optical fiber disposed between the first and second optical fiber holding grooves is inserted through the optical fiber holding member. It acts as a pressure holding member that holds the pressure.
The front end portion 18 of the upper surface 11 is bent upward to make it easier to accommodate the base material 20 in the housing 10. An opening 17 is provided on the upper surface 11. The opening 17 engages with a convex portion 24 formed on the upper surface of the base material 20 when the base material 20 is accommodated in the housing 10.

Further, in FIG. 2A, a connecting member 15 is formed by bending a metal plate-like body that is coupled to the base end surface 13 and extends in the left-right direction in the drawing so as to be elastically deformable in the distal direction. . Since the connecting member 15 is formed by bending a joint portion with the base end face 13 so as to be elastically deformable, a pair of deformable parts having the base end face 13 as a fulcrum so that the tip ends thereof are close to or separated from each other. It constitutes an elastic member (plate spring member). Here, the connecting member 15 preferably has a bending angle θ with respect to the base end face 13 of 90 degrees or less.
For example, when the connecting member is formed by bending more than 90 degrees, for example, approximately 180 degrees from the connecting portion, as in the case where the connecting portion of the connecting member has a U-shape, the type of metal material to be used Depending on the thickness, the connecting portion of the connecting member may be inferior in bending strength. When the connecting portion of the connecting member is inferior in bending strength, the connecting member may be broken at the connecting portion when the connecting member is deformed so that the distal end side is separated in order to connect the optical connector. If the bending angle θ with respect to the base end face 13 is 90 degrees or less, the connecting portion of the connecting member 15 has a sufficient bending strength, and the connecting member 15 is connected when the distal end portion is deformed so as to be separated. There is no possibility that the member 15 breaks at the joint.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C, the base end face 13 is separated at the central portion thereof. A portion of the base end surface 13 having a certain length in the left-right direction from the separated central portion is bent so as to be elastically deformable in the distal direction, and forms a pair of elastic members (leaf spring members) 16. Yes. As will be described in detail later, the pair of elastic members 16 constitute biasing means for biasing the base material 20 accommodated in the housing 10 in the distal direction.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing the base material 20 of the optical connector 1 of FIG. 3A is a plan view of the substrate 20, FIG. 3B is a view of the substrate 20 of FIG. 3A viewed from the back side, and FIG. 3C is FIG. 3A. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the base material 20 of XX along the XX line, FIG.3 (d) is the figure which looked at the base material 20 of FIG.3 (b) from the front end side, FIG.3 (e) is FIG. It is the figure which looked at the base material 20 of FIG.3 (b) from the base end side. 3A to 3C, the upper side of the drawing is the front end side, and the lower side of the drawing is the base end side. Moreover, let the surface of the base material 20 shown by Fig.3 (a) be an upper surface, and let the surface of the base material 20 shown by FIG.3 (b) be a lower surface. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the base material 20 has a male connector structure in which the planar shape is substantially convex. The base material 20 has a width and a thickness that can be accommodated in the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 3A, a convex portion 24 is provided on the upper surface of the base material 20. The convex portion 24 engages with the opening 17 provided on the upper surface 11 of the housing 10 when the base material 20 is accommodated in the housing 10. A chamfered portion 241 is provided on the proximal end side of the convex portion 24 in order to make it easier to accommodate the base material 20 in the housing 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, a recess 21 is provided on the lower surface of the base material 20. An optical fiber holding member 30 to be described later can be fitted into the recess 21. A through hole 22 extending in the longitudinal direction at the center of the base material 20 is provided. The through hole 22 is divided by the recess 21. A first optical fiber holding groove 23 communicating with the through hole 22 is provided in the recess 21. Although not shown, the cross-sectional shape of the first optical fiber holding groove 23 is a substantially semicircular shape, and more specifically, is a subarc-shaped shape with the upper part of a perfect circle cut off. The through hole 22 and the first optical fiber holding groove 23 form an optical fiber passage extending linearly along the longitudinal direction inside the base material 20. A diameter-enlarged portion 221 is provided on the base end side 12 of the through hole 22 to facilitate the insertion of the optical fiber.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, a pair of holes 25 extending in the longitudinal direction are formed in the base material 20 so as to be symmetric with respect to the through hole 22. The hole 25 is a positioning structure of the optical connector used for positioning the optical connector 1 by receiving guide pins provided in the female type of the coupling partner when the optical connector 1 is coupled.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, a step 26 is provided on the upper surface of the base material 20. When the base material 20 is accommodated in the housing 10, the step 26 comes into contact with the tip 18 of the upper surface 11 of the housing 10. As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, a step 27 is provided on the lower surface of the base material 20. When the optical connector 1 is connected, the step 27 comes into contact with the female tip of the connection partner.
As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the tip portion 28 of the substrate 20 has a protruding shape. By making the tip portion 28 of the base material 20 project, it becomes easy to connect the optical connector 1 having a male connector structure to a connection partner having a female structure.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing an optical fiber holding member fitted in the recess 21 of the base material 20, and FIG. 4A is a front view of the optical fiber holding member and fits in the recess 21 of the base material 20. The mating side is shown on the upper side of the drawing. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the optical fiber holding member 30 of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the optical fiber holding member 30 has a substantially rectangular cross section and an overall rectangular shape. The optical fiber holding member 30 has a dimension that can be fitted into the recess 21 of the base material 20. Here, as an important point, when the optical fiber holding member 30 is fitted into the recess 21 of the base material 20, at least a part of the optical fiber holding member 30 is exposed from the lower surface of the base material 20, that is, protrudes from the lower surface of the base material 20. The thickness is such that A chamfer is provided at the end of the surface of the optical fiber holding member 30 on the side to be fitted into the recess 21 (hereinafter referred to as “fitting surface”) in order to facilitate fitting into the recess 21. A part 32 is provided. At the center of the fitting surface of the optical fiber holding member 30, a second optical fiber holding groove 31 having a V-shaped cross section extends in the longitudinal direction. The second fiber holding groove 31 is formed at a position facing the first fiber holding groove 23 when the optical fiber holding member 30 is fitted into the recess 21 of the substrate 20. With such a configuration, when the optical fiber holding member 30 is fitted into the recess 21 of the base member 20, the positions of the first fiber holding groove 23 and the second fiber holding groove 31 coincide. The optical fiber inserted along the first fiber holding groove 23 is disposed between the first and second fiber holding grooves 23 and 31 extending linearly along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 20. With the above configuration, the optical fiber is linearly arranged inside the base material 20. In addition, the contact area between the optical fiber and the portion (first and second holding grooves 23, 31) that holds the optical fiber under pressure is increased.

The assembly of the optical connector 1 of the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in FIG.
First, the optical fiber is inserted from the separated portion at the center of the base end face 13 of the housing 10. Subsequently, the optical fiber is inserted from the enlarged diameter portion 221 of the through hole 22 provided on the base end side of the base material 20. Next, the front end portion of the optical fiber is guided along the first optical fiber holding groove 23 formed in the recess 21 of the base material 20 and the through hole 22 formed in the base material 20. Project from the tip 28. When the optical fiber protrudes from the distal end portion 28 of the base material 20 with a desired length, the optical fiber holding member 30 is placed in the concave portion 21 of the base material 20 with the fitting surface of the optical fiber holding member 30 facing the concave portion 21 side. To fit. As described above, the optical fiber is disposed between the first and second fiber holding grooves 23 and 31 extending linearly along the longitudinal direction of the base member 20.

  In this state, the base material 20 is inserted into the opening on the distal end side of the housing 10 from the proximal end side. A pair of the upper end 11 of the upper surface 11 of the housing 10 that is bent upward and a pair of the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12 of the housing 10 that can be deformed with the base end surface 13 as a fulcrum so that the end portions are close to or separated from each other. When the base end portion of the base member 20 comes into contact with the distal end portion of the housing 10, the distal end portions of the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12 of the housing 10 are deformed so as to be separated from each other. Will spread. This makes it easy to accommodate the base material 20 in the housing 10. The base material 20 is inserted into the housing 10 until the convex portion 24 formed on the upper surface engages with the opening 17 formed on the upper surface 11 of the housing 10.

  By deforming the tip portion so as to be separated by the above-described procedure, a shape restoring force, that is, an elastic force in a direction in which the tip portions are close to each other is generated on the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12. The base material 20 is sandwiched between the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12 of the housing 10 by this elastic force. The base material 20 is reliably held in the housing 10 by the clamping by the elastic force and the engagement between the opening 17 and the convex portion 24.

As described above, when the optical fiber holding member 30 is fitted into the base material 20 recess 21, at least a part of the optical fiber holding member 30 protrudes from the lower surface of the base material 20, so that the base material 20 is accommodated in the housing 10. In this case, the optical fiber holding member 30 fitted in the base material 20 recess 21 contacts the lower surface 12 of the housing 10. Therefore, the above-described elastic force presses the optical fiber holding member 30 so as to be fitted by the concave portion 21 of the base material 20. By this action, the optical fiber disposed between the first and second optical fiber holding grooves 23 and 31 is held between the holding grooves 23 and 31 with pressure.
The optical connector 1 of the present invention holds the optical fiber between the first and second optical fiber holding grooves 23 and 31 extending linearly along the longitudinal direction of the base material 20, Since the contact area with the portion for holding and holding the fiber is increased, the holding power of the optical fiber is excellent.

  Further, since both the base material 20 and the optical fiber holding member 30 are made of a resin material, when the optical fiber to be used is a plastic optical fiber, the optical fiber and the portion that holds the optical fiber under pressure are the same type. Therefore, it is an excellent optical connector for a plastic optical fiber, in which the difference in thermal characteristics between the materials is small and the influence of temperature change is suppressed.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view of the optical connector 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the base end surface of the base material 20 accommodated in the housing 10 abuts against the distal end portion of the biasing means 16 and elastically deforms the distal end portion in the proximal end direction. As a result, the urging means 16 generates a shape restoring force, that is, an elastic force in a direction of moving the distal end portion in the distal direction. Due to this elastic force, the base material 20 is urged toward the distal end of the housing 10, and the optical fiber sandwiched and held inside the base material 20 is pressed in the major axis direction toward the distal end side. By the action of the biasing means 16, the end face of the optical fiber can be easily and accurately positioned according to the procedure described below.

  Finally, the end face of the optical fiber protruding from the tip portion 28 of the base material 20 is flush with the tip face of the base material 20 or slightly protrudes from the tip face of the base material 20. Then, end face processing (cutting and polishing) is performed, and the assembly of the optical connector 1 of the present invention is completed. As described above, the optical connector 1 of the present invention can easily and accurately position the end face of the optical fiber by the action of the urging means 16, so that the light emitting element provided in the female type of the connection partner An element such as a light receiving element, an optical fiber on the female side, and an optical fiber on the optical connector 1 side can be efficiently combined.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a housing used in another embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 6 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 6 (b) is a view of FIG. 6 (a). FIG. 6C is a side view of the housing 10 ′, and FIG. 6C is a view of the housing 10 ′ of FIG. In FIG. 6A, the lower side of the drawing is the base end side, and the upper side of the drawing is the front end side. The housing 10 ′ shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C has the same configuration as the housing 10 shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C except that the urging means 16 is not provided on the base end side. It is. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6C, in the housing 10 ′, the base end surface 13 ′ is not separated at the central portion, and forms a continuous plane. An opening 19 for inserting an optical fiber is provided at the center of the base end face 13 '.

  7 is a view showing a base material used together with the housing 10 ′ of FIG. 6, FIG. 7 (a) is a plan view of the base material, and FIG. 7 (b) is a plan view of FIG. 7 (a). FIG. 7C is a view of the base material 20 ′ of FIG. 7A viewed from the base end side. In FIG. 7A, the upper side of the drawing is the front end side, and the lower side of the drawing is the base end side. The base material 20 'shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C is a pair of holes 25 provided so as to be symmetrical across the through hole 22' extending in the longitudinal direction inside the base material 20 '. Except that the enlarged diameter portion 251 is provided on the base end side of ′, it is the same as the substrate 20 shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7C, the enlarged diameter portion 251 of the hole 25 ′ has a part of the arc extending upward from the upper surface of the base material 20. A groove is formed at a position corresponding to this portion. In this embodiment, the optical fiber holding member uses the optical fiber holding member 30 shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the optical connector of the present embodiment. In the optical connector 1 ′ shown in FIG. 8, the base material 20 ′ shown in FIG. 7 is accommodated in the housing 10 ′ shown in FIG. Between the base end face 13 ′ of the housing 1 ′ and the base end face of the base material 20 ′, an elastic member 4 made of a coil spring is disposed. More specifically, the elastic member 4 has a proximal end abutting on the proximal end surface 13 ′ of the housing 10 ′, and the distal end side is accommodated in a diameter-enlarged portion 251 of the hole 25 provided in the base material 20 ′. ing. In the optical connector 1 ′ shown in FIG. 8, the elastic member 4 serves as a biasing unit that biases the base material 20 ′ in the distal direction.
In the optical connector 1 ′ shown in FIG. 8, the biasing means is not a leaf spring member formed by bending a part of the base end surface 3 of the housing 10 so as to be elastically deformable, but an elastic member (coil spring) independent from the base material 20. ), The urging force for urging the base material 20 in the distal direction is excellent.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing another embodiment of a housing used for the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 9 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 9 (b) is a housing of FIG. 9 (a). FIG. 9C is a view of the housing of FIG. 9A viewed from the base end side. In addition, let the upper side of Fig.9 (a) be a front end side, and let the lower side of Fig.9 (a) be a base end side. The housing 10 shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C is similar to the housing 10 shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, except for the connecting portion between the connecting member 15 and the base end face 13 of the housing 10. The shape is different.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing another embodiment of a housing used for the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 10 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 10 (b) is a housing of FIG. 10 (a). FIG. 10C is a view of the housing of FIG. 10A viewed from the base end side. In addition, let the upper side of Fig.10 (a) be a front end side, and let the lower side of Fig.10 (a) be a base end side. 10A to 10C is similar to the housing 10 ′ shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, but the connecting member 15 ′ and the base end face 13 of the housing 10 ′. The shape of the connecting portion with ′ is different.

  FIG. 11 is a view showing another embodiment of a housing used for the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 11 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 11 (b) is a housing of FIG. 11 (a). FIG. 11C is a view of the housing of FIG. 11A viewed from the base end side. In addition, let the upper side of Fig.11 (a) be a front end side, and let the lower side of Fig.11 (a) be a base end side. The housing 10 in FIGS. 11A to 11C is similar to the housing 10 shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, but the coupling form of the connecting member 15 is different. Specifically, in the housing 10 illustrated in FIGS. 11A to 11C, the connecting member 15 is coupled to the proximal end of the side surface 14 instead of the proximal end surface 13 of the housing 10. It is formed by bending a metal plate-like body extending in the proximal direction from the proximal end side of 14 so as to be elastically deformable in the distal direction. Therefore, as is apparent from the drawing, the bending angle of the connecting member 15 at the connecting portion is 90 degrees or more. Such a configuration may be used as long as the bending strength of the coupling portion of the connecting member 15 can be sufficiently secured by selecting the type and thickness of the metal plate used for the housing 10.

  12A and 12B are views showing another embodiment of a housing used for the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 12A is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 12B is a housing of FIG. 12 (c) is a view of the housing of FIG. 12 (a) as viewed from the base end side. In addition, let the upper side of Fig.12 (a) be a front end side, and let the lower side of Fig.12 (a) be a base end side. 12A to 12C are similar to the housing 10 ′ shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, but the connection form of the connecting member 15 ′ is different. Specifically, in the housing 10 illustrated in FIGS. 12A to 12C, the connecting member 15 ′ is coupled to the proximal end of the side surface 14 ′, not the proximal end surface 13 ′ of the housing 10 ′. It is formed by bending a metal plate-like body extending in the proximal direction from the proximal end of the side surface 14 'so as to be elastically deformable in the distal direction. Therefore, as is apparent from the drawing, the bending angle of the connecting member 15 ′ at the connecting portion is 90 degrees or more. Such a configuration may be used as long as the bending strength of the coupling portion of the connecting member 15 ′ can be sufficiently ensured by selecting the type and thickness of the metal plate used for the housing 10.

As mentioned above, although the optical connector of this invention was demonstrated using drawing, the optical connector of this invention is not limited to what was illustrated.
The housing, the base material, and the optical fiber holding member constituting the optical connector of the present invention may have a shape other than the illustrated shape. For example, although the optical fiber holding member 30 shown in FIG. 4 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, it has an inverted trapezoidal shape with a narrow width on the lower surface side in order to facilitate insertion into the recess of the base material. Also good.

In the illustrated example, a single-core optical connector is shown, but the optical connector of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a multi-core connector. In this case, a plurality of through holes, first optical fiber holding grooves, and second optical fiber holding grooves are provided.
Moreover, although the cross-sectional shape of the through hole is shown as a circle, the shape is not limited to this, and may be another shape. For example, when a tape fiber in which a plurality of optical fiber core wires are arranged in parallel and covered as a whole is used as the optical fiber, the through hole preferably has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the tape fiber. From the viewpoint of preventing the positional deviation of the optical fiber, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole is preferably the same as the cross-sectional shape of the optical fiber to be used, and the inner diameter of the through hole on the tip side of the substrate is the optical fiber to be used. It is preferable that the diameter is substantially the same.

  In the illustrated example, the first optical fiber holding groove has a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape, more specifically, a subarc-shaped shape with the upper part of a perfect circle cut off, and the second optical fiber holding groove. The cross section of the groove is V-shaped, but the cross section of the groove is not limited to this. Both may have the same shape, or both may have opposite shapes. Also, the shape of the groove may be other shapes. For example, the substantially semicircular shape may be a dominant arc shape or an original semicircular shape. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the groove may be rectangular, elliptical, U-shaped, or the like. However, the first optical fiber holding groove preferably has a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape in order to form a path for the optical fiber when the optical connector is assembled. On the other hand, the second optical fiber holding groove preferably has a V-shaped cross section because the number of contacts with the optical fiber is large and the stability is increased, so that the optical fiber can be securely clamped and held.

Further, it is not always necessary that the pair of holes forming the optical connector positioning structure penetrate the inside of the base material in the longitudinal direction as in the illustrated example. When a part of the housing forming the housing 10 forms the biasing means 16 as in the optical connector 1 shown in FIG. 5, the hole 25 of the substrate 20 shown in FIG. 3 has only a function as a positioning structure. Since it has, you may exist only in the front end side of the base material 20. FIG. However, from the viewpoint of moldability, it is preferable that the holes 25 formed inside the base material 20 pass through.
The positioning structure of the optical connector may be a structure other than the pair of holes formed inside the base material. Specifically, the optical connector may be positioned by, for example, forming the protruding portion of the tip portion of the base material into a shape corresponding to the female concave portion to be connected, and fitting the protruding portion and the concave portion. In this case, the cross-sectional shape of the projecting portion can be appropriately selected according to the cross-sectional shape of the female recess of the connection partner, and specifically may be, for example, a rectangle, a circle, or an ellipse.
Moreover, you may provide the groove | channel for engagement in the convex side end surface of the front-end | tip part of the base material which makes | forms a connector of a male type | mold structure.

  The structure of the optical connector may be any known structure. Specifically, for example, an SC type optical connector, an FC type optical connector, an LC type optical connector, an MU type optical connector, an MT-RJ type optical connector. Etc.

  In the optical connector of the present invention, the metal material forming the housing is preferably excellent in formability and mechanical strength, in particular, bending strength, specifically stainless steel material or copper alloy is preferable, and stainless steel material is more preferable. . Moreover, it is preferable that the thickness of a metal plate-shaped body is 0.15-0.3 mm, More preferably, it is 0.2-0.25 mm. When the thickness of the plate-like body is 0.15 mm or more, the substrate holding member, the connecting member, and the urging means, which are a pair of elastic members formed by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable Has excellent elasticity.

The resin material constituting the substrate and the optical fiber holding member is preferably excellent in moldability and mechanical strength. Specifically, for example, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, PBT resin, ABS resin, PPS resin, A liquid crystal resin is preferred. Since these resin materials have compression characteristics similar to those of plastic optical fibers, the optical fibers that are held under pressure can be prevented from being damaged or dented, and are also excellent in holding and holding pressure.
Here, since the difference in mechanical properties such as dynamic friction coefficient, flexural modulus, or bending strength and thermal characteristics is reduced, the resin material constituting the substrate and the optical fiber holding member must be the same type of resin material. Is preferred.

  The plastic optical fiber targeted by the optical connector of the present invention may be a quartz fiber or a multicomponent glass fiber, as long as 50% or more of its cross section is made of a resin material. It is preferable that the optical fiber is an optical fiber or an optical fiber. An optical fiber core wire made of resin alone is an optical fiber core wire made of resin alone coated with a coating material. The covering material is not particularly limited, and a thermoplastic resin for covering this kind of wire is used. Examples thereof include polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, and ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer. Examples of the optical fiber include those made of fluorine resin, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin, polycarbonate resin, and the like.

In the optical connector of the present invention, the resin material constituting the base material and the optical fiber holding member is preferably similar in thermal expansion characteristic to the resin material constituting the plastic optical fiber. Therefore, it is preferable that the linear expansion coefficient of the resin material constituting the base material and the optical fiber holding member and the linear expansion coefficient of the resin material constituting the plastic optical fiber are substantially the same value. The difference between the linear expansion coefficient of the resin material constituting the optical fiber holding member and the linear expansion coefficient of the resin material constituting the plastic optical fiber is preferably 10% or less, and more preferably 5% or less. If the linear expansion coefficient of the resin material composing the base material and the optical fiber holding member and the linear expansion coefficient of the resin material composing the plastic optical fiber are substantially the same value, the accuracy is high without being affected by the temperature change. The optical fiber can be positioned. In addition, it is preferable that the linear expansion coefficient of the resin material which comprises a base material and an optical fiber holding member is 1-9 * 10 < ^-7 > (/ K).

  In the optical connector of the present invention, the dimensions of the housing, the base material, and the optical fiber holding member can be appropriately selected according to the diameter and number of optical fibers to be used. As an example, the dimensions of the housing can be 8.5 mm long, 13.8 mm wide, and 2.2 mm thick. In addition, said dimension has determined length in the longitudinal direction of the base material defined above. The length and width mean the total length and the entire width of the housing including the connecting member. In the case of an optical fiber having an outer diameter of 0.35 mm, the optical fiber holding member has a length of 2.9 mm, a width of 1.9 mm, a thickness of 1.3 mm, and a depth of the second optical fiber holding groove of 0.2 mm. It can be. The base material used by fitting the optical fiber holding member can have a recess depth of 1.4 mm.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention. 2 is a view showing a housing used in the optical connector 1 of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 2 (b) is a side view of the housing of FIG. 2 (a). FIG. 2C is a view of the housing of FIG. 2A viewed from the base end side. 3 is a view showing a base material used in the optical connector 1 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 (a) is a plan view of the base material, and FIG. 3 (b) is a plan view of FIG. 3 (a). It is the figure which looked at material from the back side, FIG.3 (c) is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the base material of Fig.3 (a) along XX, FIG.3 (d) is FIG.3 (b). FIG. 3E is a view of the base material of FIG. 3A viewed from the base end side. FIG. 4 is a view showing an optical fiber holding member fitted in the recess of the base material shown in FIG. 3B, and FIG. 4A is a front view of the optical fiber holding member, and a fitting surface. Is shown on the top side. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the optical fiber holding member 30 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the optical connector shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a view showing a housing used in another embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 6 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 6 (b) is a plan view of FIG. ) Is a side view of the housing, and FIG. 6C is a view of the housing of FIG. 6A viewed from the base end side. 7 is a view showing a base material used in another embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 7 (a) is a plan view of the base material, and FIG. 7 (b) is a plan view of FIG. It is the figure which looked at the base material of (a) from the back side, and FIG.7 (c) is the figure which looked at the base material of Fig.7 (a) from the base end side. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the optical connector of the present invention using the housing of FIG. 6 and the base material of FIG. FIG. 9 is a view showing another embodiment of the housing used in the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 9 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 9 (b) is FIG. 9 (a). FIG. 9C is a view of the housing of FIG. 9A viewed from the base end side. FIG. 10 is a view showing another embodiment of the housing used in the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 10 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 10 (b) is FIG. 10 (a). FIG. 10C is a view of the housing of FIG. 10A viewed from the base end side. FIG. 11 is a view showing still another embodiment of a housing used in the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 11 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 11 (b) is a plan view of FIG. ) Is a side view of the housing, and FIG. 11C is a view of the housing of FIG. 11A viewed from the base end side. FIG. 12 is a view showing still another embodiment of a housing used in the optical connector of the present invention, FIG. 12 (a) is a plan view of the housing, and FIG. 12 (b) is a plan view of FIG. ) Is a side view of the housing, and FIG. 12C is a view of the housing of FIG. 12A viewed from the base end side.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1 ': Optical connector 10, 10' housing 11, 11 ': Upper surface 12, 12': Lower surface 13, 13 ': Base end surface 14, 14': Side surface 15, 15: Connecting member 16: Biasing member 17: Opening 18, 18 ': Tip 19: Opening 20, 20': Base material 21, 21 ': Recess 22, 22': Through hole 221, 221 ': Expanded diameter 23, 23': First light Fiber holding grooves 24, 24 ': convex portions 241, 241': chamfered portions 25, 25 ': holes 251: enlarged diameter portions 26, 26': steps 27, 27 ': steps 28, 28': tip portions 30: light Fiber holding member 31: Second optical fiber holding groove 32: Chamfered portion 4: Elastic member (biasing means)

Claims (5)

A housing formed of a metal plate-like body, the front end side being open, and a housing having a flat surface on the base end side;
A lump that is formed using a resin material and has a shape that can be accommodated in the housing, wherein one or a plurality of through-holes formed in the lump and a recess provided on the lump surface A first optical fiber holding groove formed in communication with the through hole, and
A lump that is formed using a resin material and has a shape that can be fitted into the recess provided in the base material, and faces the first optical fiber holding groove when fitted into the recess. An optical fiber holding member in which a second optical fiber holding groove is formed at a position where
A pair of elastic members extending from the base end side to the tip end side by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable so as to form a part of the housing; A pinching holding member for holding the optical fiber disposed between the two optical fiber holding grooves via the optical fiber holding member;
A connecting member formed by a pair of elastic members extending from the base end side to the tip end side, formed by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable in a state of being coupled to a part of the housing;
A pair of elastic members formed by bending a part of the proximal end surface of the housing to the distal end side so as to be elastically deformable, and attaching the base material accommodated in the housing in the distal direction. An optical connector for a plastic optical fiber, the biasing means for biasing. A housing formed of a metal plate-like body, the front end side being open, and a housing having a flat surface on the base end side;
A lump that is formed using a resin material and has a shape that can be accommodated in the housing, wherein one or a plurality of through-holes formed in the lump and a recess provided on the lump surface A first optical fiber holding groove formed in communication with the through hole, and
A lump that is formed using a resin material and has a shape that can be fitted into the recess provided in the base material, and faces the first optical fiber holding groove when fitted into the recess. An optical fiber holding member in which a second optical fiber holding groove is formed at a position where
A pair of elastic members extending from the base end side to the tip end side by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable so as to form a part of the housing; A pinching holding member for holding the optical fiber disposed between the two optical fiber holding grooves via the optical fiber holding member;
A connecting member formed by a pair of elastic members extending from the base end side to the tip end side, formed by bending the metal plate-like body so as to be elastically deformable in a state of being coupled to a part of the housing;
An urging means that urges the base material accommodated in the housing in the distal direction, and is made of an elastic member disposed between the base end side surface of the housing and the base material; Optical connector for plastic optical fiber.   3. The optical connector for plastic optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is coupled to a plane on the base end side of the housing, and a bending angle with respect to the plane on the base end side is 90 degrees or less. An opening is provided in the holding pressure holding member forming a part of the housing,
Protrusions are provided on the substrate surface,
The optical connector for a plastic optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the opening and the projection are engaged when the base material is accommodated in the housing.   The optical connector for a plastic optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second optical fiber holding groove has a V-shaped cross section.

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