JP2007078740A - Optical connector receptacle, and substrate with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable miniaturizing an optical connector receptacle which is mounted on a circuit substrate and used interconnecting an optical fiber wired along the circuit substrate with an optical fiber outside the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The optical connector receptacle 1 holding a tapered spring 4 is provided, as a spring which energizes a ferrule 3 in a housing 2 holding the ferrule 3 prepared at the tip of the optical fiber 13 on the substrate side, and generates butting force between the optical connector plug 12 to be inserted into the housing 2 and the ferrule 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector, and more particularly to an optical connector receptacle suitable for mounting on a substrate such as a circuit board, and a substrate with an optical connector receptacle.

As a structure for enabling connector connection of an optical fiber outside the substrate (hereinafter referred to as an external optical fiber) to an optical element mounted on a circuit board (light emitting element such as LD, light receiving element such as PD), an optical element In general, an optical fiber (hereinafter referred to as a substrate-side optical fiber) optically coupled to an external optical fiber is connected using an optical connector.
And, as an optical connector for relaying which becomes an interface for connecting an external optical fiber to the substrate side optical fiber, an SC type optical connector (JIS C 5973, SC: Single fiber Coupling optical fiber connector), an MPO type optical connector (JIS C). 5982. A receiving side optical connector (for example, optical connector adapter, optical connector receptacle) to which an optical connector plug such as MPO (Multifiber Push-On) can be inserted and connected is mounted on the end (panel edge) of the circuit board. There has been a demand for a configuration in which the connection between the substrate-side optical fiber and the external optical fiber can be realized simply by inserting and connecting the optical connector plug attached to the tip of the external optical fiber to the side optical connector. ing.

Optical connectors frequently used for connecting optical fibers include a plug-adapter-plug type and a plug-receptacle type.
An optical connector of a plug-receptacle type is of a type in which an optical connector plug is pushed into a housing of a receiving side optical connector (optical connector receptacle) containing a ferrule into which an optical connector plug is inserted and connected (for example, connected) Patent Document 1).
In the case of an optical connector adapter, the work space for inserting and removing the optical connector plug attached to the tip of the optical fiber on the board side with respect to the optical connector adapter is secured on the circuit board, and the electronic components mounted on the circuit board, etc. It is necessary to avoid this interference, and there are restrictions on the installation position with respect to the substrate. On the other hand, the optical connector receptacle is advantageous for mounting because there is no restriction on the installation position due to securing the work space required in the case of the optical connector adapter, and the need for the optical connector for board mounting is increasing. Yes.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-077630

By the way, when mounting an optical connector receptacle on a circuit board, a space for mounting must be secured on the circuit board. For this reason, in order to prevent the mounting space of the optical connector receptacle from affecting the formation of the wiring pattern constituting the electronic circuit on the circuit board and affecting the circuit design, etc., the optical connector receptacle is downsized. Desired.
An optical connector receptacle generally has a structure in which a ferrule, an optical connector plug inserted into the optical connector receptacle, and a spring for generating a butt force of the ferrule are housed in a housing. However, an optical connector receptacle having a structure in which a ferrule and a spring are housed in a housing has hitherto been lacking an appropriate technology for realizing a reduction in size, and development thereof has been demanded.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention can realize a reduction in mounting space on a substrate in an optical connector receptacle that stores a spring for generating a butt force between an optical connector plug and a ferrule to be inserted into a housing. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector receptacle and a substrate with an optical connector receptacle that can secure desired optical characteristics such as connection loss at the time.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following configuration.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receptacle for mounting on a substrate that relays between a substrate-side optical fiber that is an optical fiber optically connected to an optical element mounted on the substrate and an external optical fiber that is an optical fiber outside the substrate. An optical connector of the type, a housing into which an optical connector plug provided at the distal end of the external optical fiber is fitted, and a housing provided at the distal end of the substrate-side optical fiber and housed in the housing. A ferrule that is abutted against the optical connector plug inserted into the housing, and is housed in the housing so as to be disposed on the rear end side opposite to the joining end surface on the front end side of the ferrule, and biases the ferrule, The abutting force between the optical connector plug inserted into the housing and the ferrule against which the optical connector plug is abutted Comprising a coil spring for raw, the coil spring, to provide an optical connector receptacle, characterized in that the tapered spring which is formed on the exterior conical.
The invention according to claim 2 comprises a receiving seat member interposed between the taper spring and the ferrule passed through the substrate-side optical fiber, and the receiving seat member penetrates the receiving seat member. The optical fiber insertion hole is inserted into the substrate-side optical fiber and is interposed between the taper spring and the ferrule, and the receiving member is in contact with the rear end surface of the ferrule. The front-side ferrule abutting surface and the rear-side spring receiving surface with which the end of the taper spring abuts surround the front and rear openings in the receiving member of the optical fiber insertion hole. The optical connector receptacle according to claim 1 is provided.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the ferrule is an MT-type optical connector, and a portion of the guide pin that is fitted in the guide pin hole of the ferrule protrudes from the rear end surface of the ferrule on the front surface side of the seat member. The optical connector receptacle according to claim 2, wherein a pin relief recess is formed to accommodate the optical connector.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber insertion hole of the receiving member accommodates a substrate side optical fiber extending from the rear end of the ferrule and stores a boot that protrudes from the rear end of the ferrule. 4. The optical connector receptacle according to claim 3, wherein the optical connector receptacle is a hole.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the housing is formed in a sleeve shape having a connector hole into which the optical connector plug is inserted and an engaging claw that is detachably engaged with the optical connector plug inserted into the connector hole. And a rear housing that accommodates a sleeve-like fitting housing portion projecting from the front housing and is fixed to the substrate. The rear housing includes the front housing. For retaining the taper spring pressed by the optical connector plug inserted in the housing at the rear end opposite to the front end where the housing insertion opening for inserting the fitting housing portion is opened A spring receiving member, and the housing projects from a fitting housing portion inserted into the rear housing from the housing insertion port. The latch is engaged with an engagement recess formed in the rear housing so as to be detachable so that the fitting housing portion is fitted and assembled to the rear housing. 5. The optical connector receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the ferrule and the taper spring are housed in the connector hole penetrating the front housing.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the ferrule and the taper spring are accommodated in a connector hole of the housing into which the optical connector plug is inserted, and the optical connector plug of the connector hole is inserted into the housing. A plug insertion opening which is an opening on one end side in the axial direction, and an opening on the other end side in the axial direction of the connector hole, and a rear end opening for storing and taking out a ferrule and a taper spring from the connector hole A spring receiving member for preventing the taper spring from coming off is removably fitted in the rear end opening, and the spring receiving member is inserted into the rear end opening of the housing. A latch that is an elastic piece that removably engages with the housing when fitted into the housing. 6. An engagement release lever portion that protrudes to the outside of the housing when a hook receiving member is fitted into the rear end opening of the housing. An optical connector receptacle as described in 1) is provided.
The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that a screwing projecting piece for screwing the housing to the board is projected from both side walls of the housing. An optical connector receptacle as described is provided.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the optical connector receptacle according to the seventh aspect, wherein the screwing projecting pieces project from both sides of the rear housing.
The invention according to claim 9 provides a substrate with a receptacle, wherein the optical connector receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is attached to an outer peripheral portion of a circuit board.

  According to the present invention, a taper spring is used as a coil spring for generating a butt force between the ferrule housed in the optical connector receptacle and the ferrule on the optical connector plug side inserted and connected to the optical connector receptacle housing. Therefore, the axial dimension of the coil spring can be reduced as compared with the case where a cylindrical coil spring that is simply wound with a constant diameter is employed. For this reason, the housing of the optical connector receptacle can be miniaturized, the entire optical connector receptacle can be miniaturized, and the mounting space secured on the board for mounting on the board can be realized.

Hereinafter, an optical connector receptacle embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1A and 1B are diagrams showing an optical connector receptacle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is an overall perspective view, FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the optical connector receptacle 1 of FIG. FIGS. 3A and 3B are views showing a state of being attached to a substrate 11, where FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG. 3 is an external structure of the optical connector receptacle 1 of FIG. FIG. 4A is a front view, FIG. 4B is a bottom view, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of the optical connector receptacle 1 of FIG. 1 (a state where the optical connector plug 12 is connected). 1A is a plan sectional view, FIG. 5B is a front sectional view, and FIG. 5 is an exploded plan sectional view showing the optical connector receptacle 1 of FIG.

1A and 1B, the optical connector receptacle 1 is attached to an end portion (a part of an outer peripheral portion) of a circuit board 11. The circuit board 11 to which the optical connector receptacle 1 is attached corresponds to the board 10 with the optical connector receptacle according to the present invention.
The optical connector receptacle 1 includes an optical fiber 13 (hereinafter also referred to as a board-side optical fiber) optically connected to an optical element 15 (see FIG. 2A) mounted on the circuit board 11, and an outer side of the circuit board 11. It is a receptacle-type optical connector for board mounting that relays to an external optical fiber 14 that is an optical fiber. The optical connector receptacle 1 has a distal end of the substrate-side optical fiber 13 in a housing 2 in which a connector hole 21 into which an optical connector plug 12 assembled at the distal end of the external optical fiber 14 is inserted and fitted is formed. A ferrule 3 provided on the housing 2, a coil spring 4 for generating a butt force between the optical connector plug 12 inserted in the housing 2 and the ferrule 3, and an interposition between the ferrule 3 and the coil spring 4. It has a schematic structure in which the receiving seat member 5 is housed.
In the present invention, since a taper spring is employed as the coil spring 4, hereinafter, the coil spring 4 is also referred to as a taper spring.

As the circuit board 11, a light-emitting element such as an LD and / or a light-receiving element such as a PD is mounted. As this circuit board 11, a printed wiring board etc. are employable, for example.
The circuit board 11 functions as a board according to the present invention.

The optical connector plug 12 illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B to 4A, 4B is an MPO optical connector (F13 optical connector established in JIS C 5982. MPO: Multifiber Push- On) optical connector plug.
The optical connector plug 12 (MPO optical connector) has a sleeve-like housing 121 (plug frame), a ferrule 122 attached to the tip of the external optical fiber 14, and the ferrule 122 is abutted against the optical connector to be connected. A spring 123 (here, a coil spring) that urges the ferrule 122 to generate a butt force is housed.
The ferrule 122 protrudes from the front end of the housing 121 in the vicinity of the joining end surface 122a for butt connection. The ferrule 122 is movable in the axial direction of the housing 121 (plug frame), and can be pushed toward the rear end side that is the side opposite to the front end of the housing 121. The spring 123 is disposed on the rear end side of the housing 121 with respect to the ferrule 122, and an urging force can be applied to the ferrule 122 from the rear end side of the housing 121.
When the ferrule 122 is pushed into the housing 121, the spring 123 is compressed. When the pushing force is released from the state in which the ferrule 122 is pushed into the housing 121, the ferrule 122 is moved so as to be pushed out from the front end of the housing 121 by the biasing force of the spring 123, and the vicinity of the joining end surface 122a protrudes from the front end of the housing 121 Return to.
In addition, the code | symbol 124 is a coupling and 125 is a boot, Both can employ | adopt the well-known thing used for a MPO type | mold optical connector.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, multi-fiber optical fiber ribbons are illustrated as the substrate-side optical fiber 13 and the external optical fiber 14.
The ferrule 3 at the tip of the substrate side optical fiber 13 (here, the MT type optical connector) has a corresponding number of cores corresponding to the number of cores of the substrate side optical fiber 13, and the optical connector plug 12 at the tip of the external optical fiber 14 corresponds. The number of cores corresponding to the number of cores of the external optical fiber 14 is employed. Further, as the optical fiber tape core wire of the substrate side optical fiber 13 and the optical fiber tape core wire of the external optical fiber 14, those having the same number of cores are employed.
The substrate side optical fiber 13 and the external optical fiber 14 may be coded by covering a reinforcing tube.
The substrate-side optical fiber 13 extending from the rear end of the ferrule 3 is optically connected to the optical element 15 (see FIG. 2A) at the tip of the portion pulled out of the housing 2. The tip of the substrate side optical fiber 13 on the optical element 15 side is supported at an optical coupling position with the optical element 15 by an attachment member (not shown).

The housing 2 of the optical connector receptacle 1 is formed in a generally sleeve shape having a connector hole 21 on the inside and having a substantially rectangular cross section. The housing 2 has a spring receiving wall 23 provided so that the opening of the connector hole 21 is opened at one end (one end) in the axial direction, and the connector hole 21 is closed at the opposite end. It has a bottomed rectangular tube appearance.
One end of the connector hole 21 in the axial direction serves as a plug insertion port 22 that is an opening for inserting the optical connector plug 12 into the housing 2.
A spring receiving wall 23 (spring receiving member) for retaining the taper spring 4 is provided on the rear end side of the housing 2 opposite to the front end side where the plug insertion port 22 is opened. It is formed so as to close the other axial end. The connector hole 21 is formed from the plug insertion port 22 to the spring receiving wall 23. The spring receiving wall 23 functions to restrict the ferrule 3, the taper spring 4, and the receiving seat member 5 housed in the connector hole 21 from coming out of the rear end of the housing 2.

The ferrule 3, the taper spring 4, and the receiving seat member 5 are arranged in the connector hole 21 so as to be farther from the spring receiving wall 23 in the order of the receiving seat member 5 and the ferrule 3 from the taper spring 4 closest to the spring receiving wall 23. The connector holes 21 are housed in a line along the axial direction of the connector holes 21. The spring receiving wall 23 is pressed by the taper spring 4 pressed by the pressing force from the optical connector plug 12 pushed into the connector hole 21 from the plug insertion port 22, and supports the pressing force from the optical connector plug 12.
The ferrule 3 and the receiving member 5 are movable along the axial direction of the connector hole 21, and are guided by the inner surface of the connector hole 21 when pressed by the optical connector plug 12 that is pushed into the connector hole 21. Then, it moves toward the spring receiving wall 23. Further, the taper spring 4 is compressed as the ferrule 3 is pushed into the spring receiving wall 23 side.

An optical fiber insertion hole 23 a through which the substrate side optical fiber 13 is passed is passed through the spring receiving wall 23. The board-side optical fiber 13 is drawn into the connector hole 21 from the outside of the housing 2 through the optical fiber insertion hole 23a.
However, the cross-sectional dimension of the optical fiber insertion hole 23a is considerably smaller than the diameter of the taper spring 4 that passes through the substrate side optical fiber 13 (extrapolated) and is accommodated in the connector hole 21, and the taper spring 4 is an optical connector plug. 12 is pressed against the spring receiving wall 23 around the optical fiber insertion hole 23a and does not enter the optical fiber insertion hole 23a.

(Ferrule)
The ferrule 3 is attached to the tip of the substrate side optical fiber 13 drawn into the housing 2.
Here, as the ferrule 3, for example, an MT type optical connector (F12 type optical connector established in JIS C 5981, MT: Mechanically Transferable) or the like is used.

6 (a) and 6 (b) are enlarged views showing the vicinity of the ferrule 3, (a) is a view showing the joining end face 31 of the ferrule 3, and (b) is a plan view.
6 (a) and 6 (b), guide pins 34 are fitted into the pair of guide pin holes 33 penetrating the ferrule 3, respectively. Each guide pin hole 33 has one end in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) opened to the joining end surface 31 on the front end side of the ferrule 3 and the other end in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) is the rear end side of the ferrule 3 (opposite to the front end side). The rear end surface 32 of the side) is opened. The guide pins 34 fitted in the respective guide pin holes 33 are protruded outward (front and rear) from the ferrule 3 at both ends in the longitudinal direction.
At the center of the joint end surface 31 of the ferrule 3, the distal end surface of the bare optical fiber 13a exposed by removing the coating of the proximal end side optical fiber 13 is exposed.
The pair of guide pin holes 33 are formed on both sides via an optical fiber exposed region 31a (region where the end surface of the bare optical fiber 13a is exposed) at the center of the joining end surface 31.

The portion of the guide pin 34 that protrudes from the joining end surface 31 of the ferrule 3 is inserted into a guide pin hole (not shown) of the ferrule 122 at the tip of the optical connector plug 12 that is inserted into the optical connector receptacle 1 and connected thereto. By being combined, it fulfills the function of positioning the ferrules 3 and 122 precisely.
The retaining ring 35 that is externally fixed to the portion of the guide pin 34 that protrudes from the rear end surface 32 of the ferrule 3 abuts on the rear end portion of the ferrule 3, so that the guide pin 34 is separated from the joint end surface 31. It functions as a stopper for retaining the protrusion by restricting movement so as to increase the protruding dimension. For example, when the optical connector plug 12 inserted and connected to the optical connector receptacle 1 is removed from the optical connector receptacle 1, the guide pins 34 fitted in the guide pin holes of the ferrule 122 of the optical connector plug 12 are removed. The inconvenience of following the ferrule 122 and being pulled out from the ferrule 3 is prevented.

As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, etc., a ferrule hole which is a narrower portion than the other part of the connector hole 21 is formed at the axial center of the connector hole 21 of the optical connector receptacle 1. 21a is provided.
The connector hole 21 includes the ferrule hole 21a at the center in the axial direction, the plug storage hole 21b on the plug insertion port 22 side from the ferrule hole 21a, and the optical component storage hole 21c on the spring receiving wall 23 side from the ferrule hole 21a. Become.
The plug housing hole 21 b is for housing the optical connector plug 12 inserted into the connector hole 21 from the plug insertion port 22. Portions other than the ferrule 122 of the optical connector plug 12 do not enter the ferrule hole 21a that is narrower (having a smaller cross-sectional dimension) than the plug housing hole 21b.
The taper spring 4 and the seat member 5 are housed in the optical component housing hole 21c.

The ferrule hole 21a includes a ferrule main body that is a portion from the joint end surface 31 to the flange 36 protruding in a flange shape at the rear end of the ferrule 3 (not including the flange 36). Part 3a is inserted. The collar part 36 is accommodated in the optical component accommodation hole 21c.
When the optical connector plug 12 is inserted into the connector hole 21 (specifically, the plug housing hole 21b), the ferrule 122 (specifically, from the joint end surface 122a to the rear of the ferrule 122 is projected from the tip of the optical connector plug 12). A ferrule body portion 122c), which is a portion up to the flange portion 122b projecting in a flange shape at the end, is inserted into the ferrule hole 21a from the plug housing hole 21b side. The ferrule hole 21a positions the ferrule body portions 3a and 122c of the ferrules 3 and 122 inserted into the ferrule hole 21a so as to face each other by the inner surface of the ferrule hole 21a. Therefore, when the optical connector plug 12 is pushed into the plug housing hole 21b, the ferrule 122 (specifically, the ferrule body portion 122c) protruding from the tip of the optical connector plug 12 is inserted into the ferrule hole 21a, and the ferrule hole Within 21a, it can be matched to the tip of the ferrule 3. The joining end faces 31 and 122a of the ferrules 3 and 122 (specifically, the ferrule body portions 3a and 122c) are butt-joined to realize optical connection between the substrate side optical fiber 13 and the external optical fiber 14.

Of the ferrules 3 and 122, only the ferrule body portions 3a and 122c can be stored in the ferrule hole 21a.
The ferrule body portions 3a and 122c of the ferrules 3 and 122 are positioned so as to face each other by the inner surface of the ferrule hole 21a. As a result, the guide pin protruding from one of the pair of ferrules 3 and 122 that are MT type optical connectors can be smoothly inserted into the guide pin hole of the other ferrule.

(Taper spring)
Next, the taper spring 4 will be described.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are enlarged views of the taper spring 4.
As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the taper spring 4 has a spirally wound wire rod (spring material) having a winding diameter at one end (base end portion) of the taper spring 4 in the axial direction. 41) is a coil spring formed in a conical shape as a whole so as to gradually decrease from the other end portion (tip portion 42) in the axial direction.
The taper spring 4 is housed in the connector hole 21 so that the base end portion 41 is on the spring receiving wall 23 side and the tip end portion 42 is on the plug insertion port 22 side (ferrule 3 side).
In butt connection between ferrules, desired optical characteristics such as low connection loss can be stably obtained by applying a butt force, which is a force for pressing the ferrules (specifically, the joining end surfaces of each ferrule) against each other. become.

  The coil spring for generating a butt force accommodated in the optical connector receptacle 1 requires an amount of compressive deformation (a reduction amount in the axial dimension, hereinafter also referred to as a required compression amount) for generating the butt force. The coil spring has a length obtained by adding an axial dimension (hereinafter also referred to as a minimum axial dimension) when compressed to the compression limit to the required compression amount, or an axial dimension having a length longer than that. (Axial dimension in a state where no external force is applied (free state)) needs to be ensured. For this reason, if a coil spring having a small minimum axial dimension is employed, the total length (axial dimension in a free state) of the coil spring can be reduced, and the optical connector receptacle 1 can be effectively reduced in size.

In FIG. 8B, a cylindrical spring 6 is shown as being proportional to the taper spring 4.
The cylindrical spring 6 is a cylindrical coil spring formed by simply winding a spring wire with a constant diameter.
The taper spring 4 and the cylindrical spring 6 have different minimum axial dimensions. The taper spring 4 can have a smaller minimum axial dimension than the cylindrical spring 6.

FIG. 8B shows the compression limit by pressing and contracting the cylindrical spring 6 so that the adjacent portions of the spirally wound wire rod (spring material) in the axial direction of the cylindrical spring 6 are brought into contact with each other. Shows the state.
On the other hand, FIG. 8A shows a state where the taper spring 4 is compressed to the compression limit.

  As described above, the taper spring 4 is formed such that the winding diameter increases from the distal end portion 42 side to the proximal end portion 41 side. In the taper spring 4 illustrated here, the spiral wire rod (spring material) forming the taper spring 4 is located on the proximal end 41 side of the taper spring 4 in the portion adjacent to the taper spring 4 in the axial direction. The bending radius on the side to be bent (however, the bending radius on the inner peripheral side, that is, the inner space side of the taper spring 4) is the bending radius on the side located on the tip end portion 42 side (however, the outer peripheral side, that is, the taper spring 4 Larger than the radius of curvature on the outer surface side). When the taper spring 4 is compressed and deformed, a portion of the spiral wire rod (spring material) located on the distal end portion 42 side in a portion adjacent to the axial direction of the taper spring 4 is a base end portion 41. It goes inside the part located on the side. And as shown to Fig.8 (a), if it compresses to a compression limit, it will become plate shape as a whole.

As can be seen with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the taper spring 4 has a shorter axial dimension (minimum axial dimension) in the compression limit state than the cylindrical spring 6 (FIG. 8 ( In a) and (b), L1 <L2). That is, in the case of the taper spring 4, compared to the cylindrical spring 6, the length (minimum axial direction dimension) of the portion that does not contribute to the generation of the butt force in the overall axial dimension (axial dimension in the free state). Is short. For this reason, the total length of the axial dimension in a state where no external force is acting (free state) can be shortened.
Therefore, if the taper spring 4 is housed in the housing 2 of the optical connector receptacle 1 as a coil spring for generating a butt force, the housing and the optical connector receptacle as a whole are compared with the case where a cylindrical coil spring is employed. Therefore, it is possible to easily realize downsizing.
In addition, it goes without saying that by reducing the size of the optical connector receptacle, it is possible to reduce the mounting space secured on the substrate in order to mount the optical connector receptacle on the substrate.

In addition, the taper spring 4 has an advantage that it is less likely to be inclined or eccentric during compression deformation than the cylindrical spring due to the reduction in the axial dimension described above. For this reason, the acting direction of the urging force that urges the ferrule 3 is unlikely to be shifted (not easily inclined) from the axial direction of the taper spring 4 (the extending direction of the central axis). This effectively contributes to the stable maintenance of optical characteristics such as the connection loss of the optical fibers 13 and 14 optically connected by matching the ferrules.
In addition, the reduction in the axial dimension described above makes it less likely to buckle during compression compared to a cylindrical spring, thus improving durability against repeated insertion and removal of the optical connector plug with respect to the optical connector receptacle, and a long service life. There is also an advantage that can be realized.

Further, when the above-described taper spring 4 is compressed by the pressing force from the optical connector plug 12 inserted into the connector hole 21, the taper spring 4 is positioned on the tip end 42 side of the portion adjacent to the taper spring 4 in the axial direction. There is also an advantage that inclination, eccentricity, and buckling are less likely to occur due to the phenomenon that the portion that is located enters the inside of the portion that is located on the base end portion 41 side.
Among the portions adjacent to the taper spring 4 in the axial direction, the phenomenon that the portion located on the distal end portion 42 side enters the inside of the portion located on the proximal end portion 41 side is at least one of the axial directions of the taper spring 4. As a result, the above-described inclination, eccentricity, and buckling are less likely to occur.

The base end portion 41 of the taper spring 4 is brought into contact with a spring receiving surface 23b which is an inner surface facing the connector hole 21 of the spring receiving wall 23. The spring receiving surface 23b is a surface orthogonal to the axial direction of the connector hole 21 (the direction along the central axis), and the taper spring 4 has a state in which the axial direction is aligned with the axial direction of the connector hole 21. Ensures stability.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 8A, the taper spring 4 has a wire material (spring material) having a minimum axial dimension L1 when it is compressed to the compression limit. ) Is not limited to the same cross-sectional diameter. For example, as the taper spring, a part in which the wire is wound with a uniform winding diameter may be present in a part of the axial direction. In this case, when compressed and deformed, a portion of the spiral wire rod (spring material) located on the distal end portion 42 side of the portion adjacent to the axial direction of the taper spring 4 is on the proximal end portion 41 side. It is only a part in the axial direction that the phenomenon of entering the inside of the portion located at is generated.
The taper spring 4 is not limited to one that can be compressed until it becomes a plate shape.

Further, the taper spring 4 is located on the base end 41 side of the taper spring 4 in a portion of the spiral wire rod (spring material) forming the taper spring 4 adjacent to the taper spring 4 in the axial direction. The inner peripheral side radius of curvature on the side may be slightly smaller than the outer peripheral side radius of curvature on the side located on the distal end portion 42 side. The difference between the inner peripheral side curvature radius and the outer peripheral side curvature radius is set to be smaller than half the cross-sectional diameter of the wire constituting the taper spring 4.
In this case, the minimum axial dimension can be reduced by reducing the difference between the inner peripheral radius and the outer peripheral radius as much as possible, and the effect of downsizing the taper spring 4 (reducing the axial dimension) can be achieved. Effectively obtained.

(Receiver member)
As shown in FIGS. 6B, 9A, and 9B, the receiving seat member 5 is formed in a plate shape.
The seat member 5 is an integrally molded product made of plastic.
The receiving seat member 5 in the illustrated example has a C-shaped plate shape.
An optical fiber insertion hole 51 penetrating the thickness of the seat member 5 is formed at the center of the seat member 5. However, here, the optical fiber insertion hole 51 functions as a boot storage hole for storing the boot 37 protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3.
Hereinafter, the optical fiber insertion hole 51 may be referred to as a boot storage hole.
The boot 37 attached to the ferrule 3 stores the base portion of the substrate-side optical fiber 13 extending from the rear end of the ferrule 3, and the boot 37 is stored in the boot storage hole 51. The optical fiber insertion hole 51 accommodates the substrate side optical fiber 13.

The seat member 5 is externally inserted into the substrate-side optical fiber 13 inserted through the optical fiber insertion hole 51 and is disposed between the taper spring 4 and the ferrule 3 that is passed through the substrate-side optical fiber 13. The substrate-side optical fiber 13 can be accommodated from the “C-shaped” opening 52 of the C-shaped plate-shaped receiving member 5 into the optical fiber insertion hole 51 communicating with the opening 52.
Further, by moving the extrapolation position of the receiving member 5 housing the substrate side optical fiber 13 in the optical fiber insertion hole 51 with respect to the substrate side optical fiber 13 along the longitudinal direction of the substrate side optical fiber 13, The boot 37 can be stored in the storage hole 51.

The front side surface (end surface) of the receiving member 5 that faces the ferrule 3 is a flat surface that functions as the ferrule contact surface 53 with which the rear end surface 32 (flat surface) of the ferrule 3 contacts. It has become. The ferrule abutment surface 53 extends around the opening of the optical fiber insertion hole 51 at the front side center portion of the receiving member 5.
A spring receiving surface 54 with which the tip end portion 42 of the taper spring 4 abuts is formed on the rear surface side of the receiving member 5 facing the taper spring 4. The spring receiving surface 54 is provided so as to surround the opening portion of the optical fiber insertion hole 51 that opens at the center of the rear surface of the receiving member 5. Further, the spring receiving surface 54 is formed on the rear surface side of the receiving seat member 5 and inside the rib-like rib 55 protruding along the outer periphery of the receiving seat member 5.
The tip end portion 42 of the taper spring 4 is housed in a recess inside the rib 55. The tip 42 of the taper spring 4 surrounds the portion of the substrate side optical fiber 13 that is inserted through the optical fiber insertion hole 51 and protrudes toward the rear surface side of the receiving member 5 (the base of the protruding portion). It abuts on the spring receiving surface 54 around the opening of the hole 51.

  The ferrule contact surface 53 and the spring contact surface 54 of the receiving member 5 are flat surfaces parallel to each other. For this reason, the biasing force of the taper spring 4 transmitted to the ferrule 3 via the receiving seat member 5 is precisely in the direction along the axial direction of the connector hole 21 without greatly deviating from the axial direction of the connector hole 21. It acts on the ferrule 3.

  A pin escape recess 56 for avoiding contact with the guide pin 33 is formed on the front side of the receiving member 5 by accommodating the end of the guide pin 33 protruding from the rear end surface 32 of the ferrule 3. ing. Thereby, the inconvenience that the receiving seat member 5 is largely inclined by being pressed by the guide pin 33 is avoided, and the contact state between the ferrule contact surface 53 of the receiving seat member 5 and the rear end surface 32 of the ferrule 3 is kept stable. It is. The pin relief recesses 56 are formed on both sides of the optical fiber insertion hole 51 so as to correspond to the positions of the two guide pins 33 of the ferrule 3.

(housing)
Next, a specific configuration of the housing 2 of the illustrated optical connector receptacle 1 will be described.
Needless to say, the housing of the optical connector receptacle is not limited to the configuration described here, and various configurations can be adopted.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the housing 2 includes a sleeve-like front housing 24 having the connector hole 21 on the inside, and a sleeve-like fitting housing protruding from the front housing 24. The rear housing 25 that accommodates the portion 242 has a schematic configuration.
The spring receiving wall 23 is provided in the rear housing 25.
The optical connector receptacle 1 is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the circuit board 11 such that the spring receiving wall 23 side is closer to the center of the circuit board 11 than the side where the plug insertion port 22 is opened.

The rear housing 25 has a housing fitting hole inside the main body portion at one axial end portion of a sleeve-like (specifically, rectangular tube-like) main body portion into which the fitting housing portion 242 of the front housing 24 is inserted. 25a has an opening for inserting the fitting housing portion 242 (housing insertion port 25b), and has the spring receiving wall 23 at the other axial end of the main body portion, and has an appearance, a bottomed rectangular tube shape Is formed.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the housing 2, the rectangular housing-like fitting housing part 242 of the front housing 24 is inserted into the housing fitting hole 25 a of the rear housing 25 so as to project from both sides of the fitting housing part 242. The latch 26 is engaged with the engagement recess 25c of the rear housing 25 so as to be detachable, so that the fitting housing portion 242 is fitted to the rear housing 25 and assembled.
Here, the front housing 24 and the rear housing 25 are each made of plastic. However, the forming material may be other than plastic.

The front housing 24 includes a sleeve-like plug holding housing portion 241 that incorporates an engaging claw 245 (elastic claw) that is detachably engaged with the optical connector plug 12 inserted into the connector hole 21 from both sides, and a sleeve-like plug holding housing portion 241. The fitting housing portion 242 is configured.
Each of the plug holding housing portion 241 and the fitting housing portion 242 is an independent sleeve-like component, and the front housing 24 fixes the plug holding housing portion 241 and the fitting housing portion 242 with, for example, an adhesive. And integrated.
The connector hole 21 that penetrates the inside of the front housing 24 includes a hole that penetrates the inside of the plug holding housing part 241 (plug accommodation hole 21b), and a hole that penetrates the inside of the fitting housing part 242 (ferrule accommodation hole 21b). Are connected to each other.

Each of the plug holding housing portion 241 and the fitting housing portion 242 is an integrally molded product made of plastic. About the plug holding | maintenance housing part 241, it is one component which integrally molded the whole including the engaging nail | claw 245 (refer Fig.4 (a) etc.).
However, the plug holding housing portion 241 may employ a configuration in which a small block claw unit having an engaging claw 245 protruding therein is incorporated inside a sleeve-like main body portion. Further, the configuration of the front housing 24 is not limited to one in which the plug holding housing portion 241 and the fitting housing portion 242 which are independent parts are integrated. For example, it may be one in which a small block-like claw unit in which an engagement claw 245 protrudes is incorporated into a single sleeve that forms the entire length of the front housing.

  The latches 26 (elastic pieces) on both sides of the fitting housing portion 242 are arranged at the rear end of the sleeve-like main body 243 that is the sleeve-like main body portion of the fitting housing portion 242 (the side on which the plug holding housing portion 241 is fixed ( From the end portion on the opposite side to the front end side), it protrudes along the side surface of the sleeve-like main body 243 toward the plug holding housing portion 241. The latch 26 extends from a rear end portion of the sleeve-like main body 243 to a recess 244 formed in a groove shape on the side portion of the sleeve main body 243. In addition, the latch 26 can be pushed into the sleeve main body 243 and toward the connector hole 21 by a gap 244 a secured between the inner surface of the recess 244 and the latch 244.

When the fitting housing portion 242 is inserted into the rear housing 25, the latch 26 is formed at the leading end of the latch 26 protruding from the fitting housing portion 242 so as to protrude to the opposite side of the gap 244. The protrusion 26 a abuts against the end of the rear housing 25 on the housing insertion opening 25 b side. The locking protrusion 26 a is a portion that engages with the rear housing 25 by entering the engagement recess 25 c from the housing fitting hole 25 a side of the rear housing 25.
The latching protrusion 26a is extended to the outside of the fitting housing portion 242 from the protruding proximal end portion 26b side of the latch 26 from the sleeve-like body 243 to the protruding distal end side of the latch 26 from the sleeve-like body 243. An inclined outer surface 26c that is inclined so as to protrude is formed. When the fitting housing portion 242 is pushed into the rear housing 25, the inclined outer surface 26c comes into contact with the end (opening end) of the rear housing 25 on the housing insertion opening 25b side. As the fitting housing portion 242 is pushed into the rear housing 25, the front housing moves as the contact position of the inclined outer surface 26c with respect to the end of the rear housing 25 on the housing insertion port 25b side moves. The latches 26 on both sides of the 24 are elastically deformed so as to approach the sleeve-like body 243, and the fitting housing portion 242 including the latches 26 on both sides is smoothly inserted into the rear housing 25.

The locking protrusions 26 a of both latches 26 of the fitting housing portion 242 slide along the inner surface of the housing fitting hole 25 a of the rear housing 25 by being pushed into the rear housing 25 of the fitting housing portion 242. When it moves and reaches the engagement recess 25 c of the rear housing 25, it enters the engagement recess 25 c by the elasticity of the latch 26. Thereby, since the latching protrusion 26a engages with the rear housing 25, the front housing 24 is latched to the rear housing 25 so that it cannot be pulled out, and the front housing 24 and the rear housing 25 are integrated. Then, the housing 2 is assembled.
That is, the housing 2 can be easily assembled simply by pushing the fitting housing portion 242 of the front housing 24 into the rear housing 25 to be fitted.
The ferrule 3, the taper spring 4, and the seat member 5 are stored in the connector hole 21 of the front housing 24 in advance before the fitting housing portion 242 of the front housing 24 is pushed into the rear housing 25.

The engagement recess 25c is formed in a window shape penetrating the side wall 25d of the rear housing 25, and pushes the locking protrusion 26a of the latch 26 that has entered the engagement recess 25c into the housing 2 inside. The operation can be performed from the outside of the housing 2.
In order to detach the front housing 24 from the rear housing 25, the locking projection 26a entering the engagement recess 25c is pressed from the outside of the housing 2 (the aforementioned pressing operation), and the latch 26 is moved to the sleeve. It is elastically deformed so as to approach the main body 243, and the latch 26 (specifically, the locking projection 26a) is disengaged from the rear housing 25. Then, the front housing 24 may be detached from the rear housing 25 by pulling it out.
Therefore, if it is the housing 2 of the above-mentioned structure, both assembly and disassembly can be performed easily.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, on both side walls of the housing 2, screwing protrusions 28 for screwing the optical connector receptacle 1 (specifically, the housing 2) to the circuit board 11 are projected. ing.
Specifically, the screwing protrusions 28 are small protrusions protruding from both side walls 25 d of the rear housing 25.
The screwing protrusions 28 extend from the side walls 25d on both sides of the bottom wall 25e so as to extend the bottom wall 25e (see FIG. 4B) of the rear housing 25 pressed against the circuit board 11. The protruding small plate-like protrusions, together with the bottom wall 25e, form a flat contact surface 25f (see FIG. 2B) that is pressed against the circuit board 11 of the rear housing 25.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the optical connector receptacle 1 is formed by tightening a fixing screw 28b that is passed through a screw hole 28a that penetrates the screw-fixing protrusion 28. 11 can be fixed.
By fixing the optical connector receptacle 1 to the circuit board 11, the board 10 with the receptacle in which the optical connector receptacle 1 is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the circuit board 11 is assembled.

According to the optical connector receptacle 1, since the tapered spring 4 is employed as a spring for generating a butt force that is housed in the housing 2, the optical connector receptacle can be reduced in size and secured on the circuit board 11. 1 mounting space can be reduced.
2 (a) and 2 (b), a substrate 10 with a receptacle in which an optical connector adapter 7 of a plug-adapter-plug type MPO optical connector is attached to a circuit board 11 in addition to the optical connector receptacle 1 is shown. Illustrated.
As can be seen with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the total length L11 of the optical connector receptacle 1 (the dimension along the axial direction of the connector hole 21) is the axial direction of the sleeve-shaped optical connector adapter 7. The optical connector plug 71 inserted and connected to the optical connector adapter 7 from the circuit board 11 side is considerably shorter than the dimension L12, which is the dimension of the protrusion protruding from the optical connector adapter 7.
Needless to say, the total length L11 of the optical connector receptacle 1 can be made shorter than the total length of the optical connector receptacle employing a cylindrical spring as a spring for generating a butt force.

(Another embodiment)
10 to 12A and 12B show an embodiment of an optical connector receptacle 8 that employs a housing 81 having a plurality of connector holes 21 in the optical connector receptacle according to the present invention.
A plurality of connector holes 21 are formed in parallel in the housing 81 of the optical connector receptacle 8. Each connector hole 21 is a through hole that penetrates the housing 81.

The connector hole 21 includes a ferrule hole 21a, a plug storage hole 21b, and an optical component storage hole 21c, as in the optical connector receptacle 1 described above.
However, the housing 81 of the optical connector receptacle 8 has the above-mentioned optical connector in the sleeve-like rear housing 811 in which a plurality of through holes each having a plug housing hole 21b and an optical component housing hole 21c are formed in parallel. The plug holding housing portion 241 of the front housing 24 of the receptacle 1 is fixed by, for example, bonding with an adhesive. Each of the plurality of connector holes 21 of the housing 81 is connected to the through hole formed by the plug housing hole 21b and the optical component housing hole 21c of the rear housing portion 811 and the plug housing hole 21b of the plug holding housing portion 241. It has become. The same number of plug holding housing portions 241 as the number of connector holes are attached to the housing 81 so as to correspond to the connector holes 21 of the housing 81.

Further, in the housing 81, instead of the spring receiving wall 23 provided in the housing 2 of the optical connector receptacle 1, the housing 81 has a rear end opening 82 which is an opening of the optical component storage hole 21c in the housing 81. A spring receiving member 83 which is a separate member is fitted so as to be detachable, and this spring receiving member 83 functions as a member for preventing the taper spring 4 from coming off.
When the rear end opening 82 is in an open state in which the spring receiving member 83 is not fitted, the ferrule 3, the taper spring 4, and the receiving member for the connector hole 21 through the rear end opening 82. 5 can be stored and taken out.
The optical connector receptacle 8 is attached to the circuit board 11 such that the side on which the spring receiving member 83 is provided is oriented to the outside of the circuit board 11 rather than the side on which the plug insertion opening 22 is opened.

  The spring receiving member 83 is provided with a sleeve-like receiving member main body 83b in which an optical fiber insertion hole 83a, which is a through-hole through which the substrate side optical fiber 13 is passed, is formed, and projects from the receiving member main body 83b. And a latch 83c that is detachably engaged with the housing 81 when the spring receiving member 83 is fitted into the rear end opening 82 of the housing 81. .

As shown in FIG. 12A, the latch 83c protrudes from the insertion tip side (left side in FIG. 12A) of the receiving member main body 83b into the connector hole 21 and is inserted along the side surface of the receiving member main body 83b. It is an elongated elastic piece extending to the rear end side.
A slight gap 83d is secured between the latch 83c and the receiving member main body 83b.

  The spring receiving member 83 that is pushed into and fitted into the rear end opening 82 has an engaging claw 83e that is a small protrusion projecting at the center in the longitudinal direction of the latch 83c so that the rear end opening 82 of the housing 81 The latch 83c engages with the housing 81 by entering the engagement recess 81a formed in the peripheral portion, and is fixed to the housing 81.

The leading end portion of the latch 83c protruding from the receiving member main body 83b is not housed in the housing 81 when the spring receiving member 83 is fitted into the rear end opening portion 82, and is not stored in the housing 81 from the rear end opening portion 82. Projects outward.
A protruding tip end portion of the latch 83c from the receiving member main body 83b functions as an engagement release lever portion 83f for releasing the engagement of the latch 83c with the housing 81.

  The latch 83c can be disengaged from the housing 81 by operating the disengagement lever portion 83f to approach the receiving member main body 83. Thereby, when the latch 83c approaches the receiving member main body 83, the engagement claw 83e of the latch 83c can be detached from the engagement recess 81a of the housing 81, and the engagement of the latch 83c with the housing 81 is released. it can. The spring receiving member 83 can be taken out of the housing 81 by performing a pulling operation so as to pull out the spring receiving member 83 from the housing 81.

  According to this optical connector receptacle 8, even when attached to the circuit board 11, the ferrule 3, the taper spring 4, and the receiving member 5 are stored and taken out from the connector hole 21 through the rear end opening 82. Is possible. For this reason, for example, it is possible to assemble the optical connector receptacle 8 by housing the ferrule 3, the taper spring 4, and the receiving member 5 in the housing 81 previously attached to the circuit board 11 in a later step. . In addition, replacement of the ferrule 3 and the substrate side optical fiber 13 accommodated in the housing 81 can be easily performed.

Further, in this optical connector receptacle 8, as shown in FIG. 11B, the engagement releasing lever portion 83f is disposed on the opposite side of the contact surface 81b that contacts the circuit board 11 of the housing 81. By doing so, the operability of the engagement releasing lever portion 83f can be secured, and the work of taking out the spring receiving member 83 from the housing 81 can be easily performed.
The spring receiving member 83 only needs to be fitted in the rear end opening 82 so that the spring receiving member 83 can be stably attached to the housing 81 without rattling.

  The optical connector receptacle 8 also accommodates the taper spring 4 and has a structure that allows the ferrule 3, the taper spring 4, and the receiving member 5 to be accommodated and removed from the connector hole 21 through the rear end opening 82. In addition, by adopting the taper spring 4, the effect that the size can be reduced can be obtained.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A change is possible suitably.
(A) The ferrule housed in the housing of the optical connector receptacle is not limited to the MT-type optical connector with guide pins, and the other-side MT-type optical connector that is butt-connected to the ferrule without the guide pins The guide pin protruding from the (ferrule) may have a guide pin hole (empty guide pin hole) into which the guide pin is inserted and fitted. In this case, the receiving member may be omitted, and the taper spring may be in direct contact with the ferrule.
(B) The ferrule stored in the housing of the optical connector receptacle may be of a pin positioning type, and is not limited to the MT type optical connector.
As an optical connector that is inserted into the optical connector receptacle from the outside and is connected to the ferrule in the optical connector receptacle, a connector that can be connected corresponding to the ferrule in the optical connector receptacle is adopted.
(C) The housing structure of the optical connector receptacle is appropriately changed according to the structure of the ferrule attached to the tip of the substrate side optical fiber and housed in the optical connector receptacle, and the optical connector attached to the tip of the external optical fiber. Needless to say.
(D) The structure in which the spring receiving member is inserted in the rear end opening of the connector hole separately from the housing so as to be detachable has a plurality of connector holes exemplified in FIGS. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to being applied to the optical connector receptacle 8 and can be applied to an optical connector receptacle having only one connector hole.
Moreover, it is applicable also to the housing of the structure assembled | assembled by inserting the fitting housing part of a front housing into a rear housing like the housing of the optical connector receptacle 1 illustrated in FIGS. It is.

It is a figure which shows the optical connector receptacle of one Embodiment which concerns on this invention, Comprising: (a) is a whole perspective view, (b) It is a disassembled perspective view. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the optical connector receptacle of FIG. 1 to the circuit board, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. It is a figure which shows the external appearance structure (state which connected the optical connector plug) of the optical connector receptacle of FIG. 1, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view. It is a figure which shows the internal structure (state which connected the optical connector plug) of the optical connector receptacle of FIG. 1, (a) is a plane sectional view, (b) is a front sectional view. FIG. 2 is an exploded plan view showing the optical connector receptacle of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of a ferrule of the optical connector receptacle of FIG. 1, (a) is a view showing a joining end face of the ferrule, and (b) is a plan view. It is the figure which expanded and showed the taper spring, (a) is the state where the external force is not acting, (b) shows the state by which the axial direction dimension was shrunk | reduced by compressive deformation. (A) is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the taper spring is reduced in axial dimension by compressive deformation, and (b) is a schematic view in which the cylindrical spring is reduced in axial direction dimension by compressive deformation. FIG. It is a figure which shows the receiving seat member accommodated in the housing of the optical connector receptacle of FIG. 1, Comprising: (a) is the figure seen from the front side (side contacted with a ferrule), (b) Side sectional drawing It is. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the optical connector receptacle of a structure which employ | adopted the receiving seat member detachably fitted by the rear-end opening part of a connector hole. It is a figure which shows the external appearance structure of the optical connector receptacle of FIG. 10, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the optical connector receptacle of FIG. 10, Comprising: (a) is a front sectional view, (b) is a plane sectional view.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical connector receptacle, 2 ... Housing, 21 ... Connector hole, 22 ... Plug insertion port, 23 ... Spring receiving member (spring receiving wall), 24 ... Front housing, 242 ... Fitting housing part, 245 ... Engagement claw, 25 ... Rear housing, 25b ... Housing insertion port, 25c ... Engaging recess, 26 ... Latch, 28 ... Screwing protrusion, 3 ... Ferrule, 31 ... Joint end face, 32 ... Rear end face, 33 ... Guide pin hole , 34 ... guide pin, 4 ... taper spring, 42 ... end (tip) of the taper spring, 5 ... receiving member, 51 ... optical fiber insertion hole, boot housing hole, 53 ... ferrule contact surface, 54 ... spring Receiving surface, 56 ... pin relief recess, 8 ... optical connector receptacle, 81 ... housing, 82 ... rear end opening, 83 ... spring receiving member, 83c ... latch 83f ... disengaging lever portion, 11 ... substrate (circuit board), 12 ... optical connector plug, 13 ... substrate side optical fiber, 14 ... external optical fiber.

Claims (9)

A substrate-mounting optical fiber (13) that is an optical fiber optically connected to an optical element mounted on the substrate (11) and an external optical fiber (14) that is an optical fiber outside the substrate are relayed. A receptacle-type optical connector,
A housing (2, 81) in which an optical connector plug (12) provided at a tip of the external optical fiber is fitted by insertion; and
A ferrule (3) provided at the tip of a substrate-side optical fiber, accommodated in the housing, and abutted against the optical connector plug inserted into the housing;
The optical connector plug, which is housed in the housing so as to be disposed on the rear end side opposite to the joining end surface (31) on the front end side of the ferrule, biases the ferrule, and is inserted into the housing. A coil spring that generates a butting force with the ferrule against which the optical connector plug is butted,
The optical connector receptacle (1, 8), wherein the coil spring is a tapered spring (4) formed in a conical shape. Comprising a receiving member (5) interposed between the taper spring passed through the substrate-side optical fiber and the ferrule;
The receiving seat member is externally inserted into the substrate side optical fiber inserted through the optical fiber insertion hole (51) penetrating the receiving seat member, and is interposed between the taper spring and the ferrule,
The receiving member is in contact with the ferrule contact surface (53) on the front side, which is in contact with the rear end surface (32) of the ferrule, and with the end portion (42) of the taper spring. The optical connector receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the spring receiving surface (54) is provided so as to surround the front and rear openings of the receiving member of the optical fiber insertion hole. The ferrule is an MT type optical connector;
A pin relief recess (56) is formed on the front side of the receiving member to accommodate a portion of the guide pin (34) that is fitted in the guide pin hole (33) of the ferrule that protrudes from the rear end surface of the ferrule. The optical connector receptacle according to claim 2, wherein the optical connector receptacle is provided.   The optical fiber insertion hole of the seat member is a boot storage hole for storing a substrate side optical fiber extending from the rear end of the ferrule and storing a boot (37) protruding from the rear end of the ferrule. The optical connector receptacle according to claim 3. The housing (2) has a sleeve shape having a connector hole (21) into which the optical connector plug is inserted and an engaging claw (245) removably engaged with the optical connector plug inserted into the connector hole. A front housing (24) formed, and a rear housing (25) that houses a sleeve-like fitting housing portion (242) protruding from the front housing and is fixed to the substrate. ,
The optical connector inserted into the housing at the rear end opposite to the front end where the housing insertion opening (25b) for inserting the fitting housing portion of the front housing is opened. A spring receiving member (23) for retaining the taper spring pressed by the plug;
In the housing, a latch (26) protruding from a fitting housing portion inserted into the rear housing from the housing insertion port can be engaged with and disengaged from an engagement recess (25c) formed in the rear housing. By engaging with, the fitting housing part is adapted to be fitted and assembled to the rear housing,
The optical connector receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the ferrule and the taper spring are accommodated in the connector hole that penetrates the front housing. The ferrule and the taper spring are housed in a connector hole (21) into which the optical connector plug is inserted in the housing (81).
The housing includes a plug insertion opening (22) which is an opening on one end side in the axial direction into which the optical connector plug of the connector hole is inserted, and an opening on the other end side in the axial direction of the connector hole. A rear end opening (82) for accommodating and removing the ferrule and the taper spring with respect to the hole is formed;
A spring receiving member (83) for preventing the taper spring from slipping off is fitted into the rear end opening so as to be detachable,
The spring receiving member includes a latch (83c) that is an elastic piece that is detachably engaged with the housing when the spring receiving member is fitted into the rear end opening of the housing.
The latch includes an engagement release lever portion (83f) that protrudes to the outside of the housing when a spring receiving member is fitted into the rear end opening of the housing. Item 6. The optical connector receptacle according to any one of Items 1 to 5.   The optical connector receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a screwing projection piece (28) for screwing the housing to the board is projected from both side walls of the housing. .   8. The optical connector receptacle according to claim 7, wherein the screwing protrusions are provided on both sides of the rear housing.   A substrate with a receptacle (10), wherein the optical connector receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is attached to an outer periphery of a circuit board.

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