JP2007334103A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector with various numbers of cores at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of optical fiber cords 5 are fixed to a housing 3 by a fixing member 4. The housing has a crossing hole 7, which extends in a manner of crossing a plurality of insertion holes for inserting each of the optical fiber cords. The fixing member is inserted into the crossing hole, and as a result, the optical fiber cords are collectively fixed to the housing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector having an optical fiber cord.

  For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-24802 discloses an optical connector in which one optical fiber cord is fixed to a housing using one clamper. In the optical connector, if a plurality of optical fiber cords are used, a plurality of clampers are required. Therefore, when the number of optical fiber cords increases, it is necessary to increase the number of clampers. Accordingly, the cost of the clamper and its mounting cost increase, and the cost increases. A similar technique is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 8-2643, but has the same drawbacks.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-123823 discloses an optical transmission apparatus in which two optical fibers are fixed to a housing using one fiber grip. However, when the number of optical fiber cords increases, the fiber grip must be changed to one having a different structure or a large one. Therefore, optical connectors having different numbers of cores cannot be provided at low cost.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive optical connector having various numbers of cores.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive optical connector that is fixed together from one core to the number of multi-cores with one fixing tool.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector that can perform fixing work in the same process even if the number of cores increases.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector that can arrange optical fibers at high density and can be miniaturized.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, it includes a plurality of optical fiber cords, a housing, and a fixing member for fixing the optical fiber cords to the housing, and the housings are inserted through the optical fiber cords, respectively. A plurality of insertion holes and an intersection hole extending across the insertion hole, and the fixing member is inserted into the intersection hole, whereby the optical fiber cords are collectively fixed to the housing. The characteristic optical connector is obtained.

  The intersecting hole may have a substantially quadrangular cross section, the insertion hole may extend across one surface of the intersecting hole, and an opposite surface of the intersecting hole may have a convex portion protruding toward the one surface.

  The fixing member may have a Σ shape in cross section, and both end portions in the Σ shape may pierce the covering portion of the optical fiber cord, and a central portion in the Σ shape may press the covering portion of the optical fiber cord.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an inexpensive optical connector having various numbers of cores. According to this optical connector, it is fixed from one core to the number of multiple cores at one time with one fixture. Therefore, even if the number of cores is increased, the work related to fixing can be performed in the same process. Further, it is possible to reduce the size of the optical connector.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the whole optical connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  The illustrated optical connector is denoted by reference numeral 1, and a plurality of, specifically two, flat optical cables 2, a connector body or housing 3 made of plastic or the like, and an optical cable 2 for fixing the optical cable 2 to the housing 3. The two fixing members 4 are included. Each optical cable 2 has a four-core configuration in which four optical fiber cords 5 are arranged on a plane. Here, the optical cable 2 is used in two stages. Therefore, a total of eight optical fiber cords 5 are used.

  Details of the optical connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 as well.

  The housing 3 has a plurality of, that is, eight insertion holes 6 through which the optical fiber cords 5 are inserted. The four insertion holes 6 are arranged in two upper and lower stages side by side in the first direction A1 (left and right direction). Each of the insertion holes 6 extends in a second direction (front-rear direction) A2 orthogonal to the first direction A1. In the optical cable 2, the optical fiber cords 5 are inserted into the insertion holes 6 in a one-to-one correspondence from the rear.

  The housing 3 further has two cross holes 7 extending so as to cross the insertion hole 6 in the first direction A1. The fixing members 4 are respectively inserted into the cross holes 7 and the optical fiber cords 5 are collectively fixed to the housing 3 by a mechanism that will be described later. Thus, the optical connector 1 is configured as an 8-core connector.

  Each optical fiber cord 5 has an optical fiber 8 for guiding light. The periphery of the optical fiber 8 is covered with a sheath or covering portion 9.

  The cross holes 7 are formed in two upper and lower stages corresponding to the stages of the insertion holes 6. Moreover, in order to arrange the pitch in the vertical direction as narrow and dense as possible, the two cross holes 7 are formed with a positional deviation from each other in the second direction A2.

  As best shown in FIG. 3, each cross hole 7 has a substantially quadrangular cross section, and at least one end in the first direction A <b> 1 opens to a reference surface 12 having a step 11 with respect to the side surface of the housing 3. is doing. As shown in FIG. 5, the insertion hole 6 extends across the vicinity of one surface of the cross hole 7. That is, the insertion hole 6 and the intersecting hole 7 communicate with each other at their intersecting portions. A convex portion 13 is formed on the opposite surface of the cross hole 7 so as to protrude toward one surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the fixing member 4 is a member continuously formed into a cross-sectional Σ shape (or a cross-sectional M-shape), and both end portions 14 in the Σ shape, a central portion 15 in the Σ shape, have. The fixing member 4 is inserted into the cross hole 7 as best shown in FIG. At this time, if the fixing member 4 is pushed in until it coincides with the reference surface 12, the fixing member 4 can always be stopped at the same position.

  4 and 5, the fixing member 4 is inserted only into the upper cross hole 7, and the fixing member 4 is not inserted into the lower cross hole 7. When the fixing member 4 is inserted into the cross hole 7, the fixing member 4 cuts the covering portion 9 of the optical fiber cord 5 and forms a groove in the optical fiber cord 5. Thus, the optical fiber cord 5 is collectively fixed to the housing 3 by the fixing member 4 in the second direction A2. In this fixed state, both end portions 14 of the fixing member 4 pierce the covering portion 9 of the optical fiber cord 5. Further, since the central portion 15 of the fixing member 4 presses the covering portion 9 of the optical fiber cord 5, the optical fiber cord 5 is suppressed, that is, the optical fiber cord 5 is held in the insertion hole 6 without rattling. Can expect function. A portion of the fiber cord 5 that protrudes from the front end surface 3a of the housing 3 is processed into a flat surface by polishing or the like.

  In FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the fixing member 4 is provided with a chamfer 16 for facilitating biting into the covering portion 9 at a portion that first hits the optical fiber cord 5 when inserted into the cross hole 7. Further, the fixing member 4 has a symmetrical shape so that it can be inserted from either end in the longitudinal direction.

  In the optical connector 1 described above, one to four optical fiber cords 5 can be fixed by one action using one fixing member 4. Although the case where four optical fiber cords 5 are provided in one stage has been described above, only the length of the fixing member 4 may be changed even when there are five or more optical fiber cords. Further, it is possible to cope with a case where the fixing members 4 for fixing the four optical fiber cords 5 are continuously pushed into the cross holes 7 and the number of the optical fiber cords 5 is five or more in one stage. In addition, it is possible to provide a function of preventing erroneous insertion by opening only one end of each cross hole 7 in the second direction A2 and closing the other end.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the optical cable in which each optical fiber cord is fixed in a flat plate shape is used has been described, but separate optical fiber cords may be used one by one. Further, the insertion holes may be holes that are independent from each other in the juxtaposed direction, or holes that are adjacent to each other.

1 is a perspective view of an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the optical connector of FIG. It is an expansion perspective view of the principal part of the optical connector of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the state which took out the fixing tool from the optical connector of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional enlarged view of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from one direction of the fixing tool shown in FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the other direction of the fixing tool shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical connector 2 Optical cable 3 Housing 3a Front end surface of housing 4 Fixing member 5 Optical fiber cord 6 Insertion hole 7 Crossing hole 8 Optical fiber 9 Sheath or covering part 11 Step 12 Reference surface 13 Convex part 14 Both ends in Σ shape 15 Σ shape Central part 16 in chamfering

Claims (3)

  A plurality of optical fiber cords; a housing; and a fixing member for fixing the optical fiber cord to the housing. The housing includes a plurality of insertion holes through which the optical fiber cords are inserted, and the insertion holes. An optical connector comprising: an intersecting hole extending in an intersecting manner, wherein the fixing member is inserted into the intersecting hole, whereby the optical fiber cords are collectively fixed to the housing.   The crossing hole has a substantially quadrangular cross section, the insertion hole extends across one surface of the crossing hole, and an opposite surface of the crossing hole has a convex portion protruding toward the one surface. The optical connector as described in. The fixing member has a Σ cross section, both ends of the Σ shape pierce the coating portion of the optical fiber cord, and a central portion of the Σ shape presses the coating portion of the optical fiber cord. The optical connector according to 1 or 2.

Images