JP2008180818A - Optical connector detaching tool - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow an optical connector detaching tool to be used for both an SC type optical connector and an LC type optical connector. <P>SOLUTION: The optical connector detaching tool is constituted so that rubber elastic bodies 3 are disposed opposite to each other on the inside faces of both the ends of a U-shaped arm 1 formed from a spring material, and a bent part 1a is formed at the leading end of the arm 1 beyond one of the rubber elastic bodies 3 so as to project in the same direction as but lower than this rubber elastic body 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector removal tool used when an optical connector is inserted into and removed from an adapter. More specifically, the present invention relates to an optical connector attaching / detaching tool that can be used for attaching / detaching optical connectors of both an SC type optical connector and an LC type optical connector, which are currently mainstream in optical communication networks and the like.

  In recent years, FTTx optical communication networks using the PON system, such as FTTH, have been widely constructed. In the PON system, a plurality of ONUs (Optical Network Units: optical subscriber line premises equipment) are connected to one OLT (Optical Line Terminal: optical subscriber line equipment) on the equipment center side via an optical splitter ( This is a network system constructed with a point-to-multipoint system of one-to-many connection. In the case of this PON system, demultiplexing is performed up to 32 branches, so the output fiber from the OLT is branched into 4 or 8 branches (16 branches in some cases) in the station, and then an aerial optical closure near the subscriber's home. Further, it is common to make 8 branches or 4 branches (2 branches in some cases).

  The fiber branching is performed by an optical branching connection device or an optical connection box or an optical wiring rack arranged in the station, and an optical fiber cord or the like is connected using an optical connector and an adapter. In recent years, in this optical connection device, the density of wiring has been increased, the connector pitch is becoming narrower, and there is a tendency to use a smaller optical connector. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform at the fingertip of the operator. This is one factor that prevents the optical wiring from being densified.

  Therefore, it has been proposed to assist the insertion / extraction operation of the optical connector with respect to the adapter mounted at high density using a jig. For example, as a jig for inserting / removing the LC type optical connector developed by Lucent in the US (international standardized in IEC61754-20) to the corresponding adapter, it has a grip and a shaft like a screwdriver. There has been proposed one provided with one arm portion and the other arm portion opposed to the tip, a boot insertion space, an optical fiber escape space, and a claw portion (Patent Document 1). This jig locks the LC type optical connector by pressing the lock part of the LC type optical connector with the claw part at the tip while inserting the boot part of the LC type connector between the pair of arms at the tip of the shaft part. It is possible to insert / remove in a state in which is released. Then, by turning the grip while the connector is inserted into the adapter, the claw portion is forcibly removed from the lock portion of the connector held by the adapter, and the LC optical connector locking mechanism is exhibited. Also, when the optical connector pulled out from the adapter is removed from the jig, the jig is turned with the tip of the LC type optical connector being picked by the fingertip so that the claw is removed from the lock portion. .

JP 2005-266100 A

  However, even though the ultra-compact LC optical connector (developed by Lucent in the US: international standardization in IEC61754-20), which is smaller than SC optical connectors and enables high-density mounting, has begun to spread. In Japan's communication network, the SC type optical connector developed by NTT (standardized by JISC5973 IEC61754-4) is still mainstream, and the situation is that SC type optical connectors and LC type optical connectors are mixed in the office. Yes. For this reason, there is an inconvenience that a dedicated tool is required for each of the SC type optical connector and the LC type optical connector. For this reason, a detachable tool for both purposes is desired. Moreover, since the LC-type optical connector-dedicated jig described in Patent Document 1 is forcibly twisted in a state where the lock portion is pressed by the claw portion during the insertion / removal operation of the connector with respect to the adapter, the lock portion of the LC-type optical connector may be damaged. is there.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the optical connector removal tool which can be used for both SC type | mold optical connectors and LC type | mold optical connectors. Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector attaching / detaching tool that does not require a rotating operation in an optical connector insertion / extraction operation.

  In order to achieve such an object, the optical connector attaching / detaching tool of the present invention comprises rubber elastic bodies facing the positions facing each other on the inner surfaces of both ends of a U-shaped arm made of a spring material, and one of the rubbers A bent portion that protrudes in the protruding direction of the rubber elastic body is provided at a position closer to the tip side than the elastic body and at an interval to insert the lock claw portion lower than the rubber elastic body.

  According to the optical connector attaching / detaching tool of the present invention, the optical connector can be easily inserted / removed without applying an excessive force only by gripping the boot portion or the release lever portion of the optical connector so as to be sandwiched by tweezers and moving it in the insertion / removal direction. That is, in the case of the LC type optical connector, the lock claw portion of the LC type optical connector is inserted between the bent portion at one end of the arm and the rubber elastic body on the front side, and between the other rubber elastic body. The LC-type optical connector can be attached and detached while the boot portion of the optical connector is sandwiched and the lock claw portion is released. In the case of the SC type optical connector, the release lever part of the SC type optical connector can be attached and detached by being sandwiched between both rubber elastic bodies.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

  1 and 4 show an embodiment of an optical connector removal tool of the present invention. This optical connector attaching / detaching tool is provided with rubber elastic bodies 3 on the inner surface sides of both ends of a U-shaped arm 1 made of a spring material so as to face each other and at the front end side with respect to any one of the rubber elastic bodies 3. A bent portion 1a that protrudes in the protruding direction of the rubber elastic body 1b with a gap S between which the lock claw portion 2a of the LC type optical connector is inserted is provided.

  The arm 1 has a flange portion 1d formed by folding one edge of a spring material folded in a U shape. The flange portion 1d is formed by folding back the bent portion 1c exhibiting the spring property of the arm 1 and the edge portion near the distal end excluding the vicinity thereof, and increases the torsional rigidity and the like of the arm 1 and the rubber elastic body on the distal end side. It also serves as a spacer that secures the boot storage space and the optical fiber storage space by keeping the distance between the three or the distance between the bent portion 1a and the rubber elastic body 3 within a certain range. Further, the arm 1 is formed so that the distance between the tips thereof is slightly opened, and the arm 1 is provided so as to maintain a distance suitable for gripping the boot portion 2b or the lock claw portion 2a of the optical connector. Further, the vicinity of the tip of the arm 1 is narrowed as the inter-connector pitch is increased as the density increases, so that the bent portion 1a at the tip and the vicinity of the rubber elastic body 3 are formed thin so that they can be easily inserted. In the middle of the bent portion 1c of the arm 1, a hole 1e for passing the strap string is provided.

  The rubber elastic body 3 includes a gripping block 3a that protrudes toward the inner surface side of the arm 1 and holds the boot portion 2b, a head portion 3b that protrudes toward the outer surface side of the arm 1 and hooks on the arm 1, and a head portion 3b and the gripping block 3a. Is fixed to the arm 1 by press-fitting the neck 3c into a substantially circular notch 1b formed at the edge opposite to the edge where the flange 1d of the arm 1 is formed. Has been. The rubber elastic body 3 having a high coefficient of friction and high elasticity is preferable for sandwiching the boot portion of the connector, but is not necessarily limited to rubber.

  The bent portion 1a formed at one end of the arm 1 has a gap between the rubber elastic body 3 and a gap S in which the tip of the lock claw portion 2a of the LC type optical connector can be inserted. 3 is provided so as to be provided between the two. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the end of the end of the flange 1d of the arm 1 is formed so as to substantially coincide with the edge of the end of the rubber elastic body 3, and therefore the end of the bent portion 1a and the flange 1d. Is substantially the same as the gap S between the rubber elastic body 3 and the rubber elastic body 3. In this case, even if the position of the tip of the lock claw portion 2a of the LC type optical connector is shifted in the lateral direction (direction orthogonal to the insertion / removal direction), the presence of the flange 1d does not hinder the holding of the lock claw portion 2a. Here, the height of the bent portion 1 a is set lower than the height of the adjacent rubber elastic body 3. When used for an LC type optical connector, the lock claw portion 2a and the bent portion 1a are engaged to push down the lock claw portion 2a, while the boot portion 2b has a surface opposite to the lock claw portion 2a. The rubber elastic body 3 at the end of the opposite arm 1 is gripped. At this time, when the bent portion 1a is engaged with the lock claw portion 2a of the LC type optical connector, the rubber elastic bodies 3 may come into contact with the boot portion 2b in a slightly inclined state. Since it is inserted / removed in the released state, there is no particular problem.

  According to the optical connector removal tool configured as described above, in the case of an LC type optical connector, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lock claw portion 2a of the LC type optical connector 2 is connected to the bent portion 1a. The rubber elastic body 3 on the opposite side of the arm 1 and the boot portion 2b of the LC type optical connector 2 can be sandwiched and removed by inserting into the gap S of the rubber elastic body 3. In the case of the SC type optical connector 4, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the release lever portion 4 a of the SC type optical connector 4 can be sandwiched and removed by the rubber elastic bodies 3.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, an LC type optical connector is exemplified as an optical connector having a lock claw portion, but the present invention is not particularly limited to this, and can be applied to other optical connectors having a lock claw portion. The gap S between the bent portion 1a and the rubber elastic body 3 corresponds to the form of the lock claw portion of the applied connector.

It is a top view which shows one Embodiment of the optical connector removal tool of this invention. It is a front view of the optical connector removal tool. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the optical connector removal tool. It is a side view of the optical connector removal tool. It is explanatory drawing in the case of performing the insertion / extraction operation | work of LC type | mold optical connector using the same optical connector removal | desorption tool. It is explanatory drawing which shows the insertion / extraction operation | work of LC type | mold optical connector with a perspective view using the optical connector removal | desorption tool. It is explanatory drawing at the time of performing the insertion / extraction operation | work of SC type | mold optical connector using the same optical connector removal tool. It is explanatory drawing which shows the insertion / extraction operation | work of SC type | mold optical connector with a perspective view using the optical connector removal | desorption tool.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Arm 1a Bending part 2 LC type optical connector 2a Locking claw part of LC type optical connector 3 Rubber-like elastic body 4 SC type optical connector 4a Release lever part of LC type optical connector

Claims (1)

A rubber elastic body is provided on the inner surfaces of both ends of a U-shaped arm made of a spring material so as to face each other and facing each other, and at a distance closer to the tip side than either one of the rubber elastic bodies An optical connector attaching / detaching tool comprising a bent portion that is opened lower than the rubber elastic body and protrudes in the protruding direction of the rubber elastic body.