JP2008304550A - Optical closure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector connection type optical closure in which connectors of branching optical cables are easily connected without touching the optical fiber in a case. <P>SOLUTION: The optical closure 21 is provided with an optical adaptor 31 for connecting a branched optical cable 32 and an optical fiber 30 taken out of a trunk optical cable 28 with a connector in a closure case 22 which is composed of a case main body 23 and a case lid 25 which is hinged on the case main body, wherein an inner cover 35 is provided in the case main body 23 for protecting the optical fiber by covering the optical fiber of the optical cable 28 but allows the optical adapter 31 exposed. Without an extreme attention, a connector connection work is carried out without touching the optical fiber and the generation of a communication trouble due to an erroneous connection of the optical fiber is prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical closure of a connector connection type provided with an optical adapter for connecting a branch optical cable therein.

  In general, a fictitious optical closure with a connector connection system that allows a branch optical cable such as a drop cable to be connected to a trunk optical cable is an optical fiber of a passing cable and an optical adapter line that connects the branched optical cable in a closure case (closure housing). However, in the conventional general optical closure of this type, the optical fiber storage portion and the optical adapter row are simply provided as separate adjacent regions.

Further, as in the optical closure 1 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a small case with an opening / closing lid 3b that forms a space (second room) B different from the internal space A of the closure case 2. 3 is provided adjacent to the closure case 2, and an optical adapter row 4 is provided in the small case 3 (Patent Document 1).
In the figure, 5 is a trunk optical cable, 6 is an optical fiber drawn from the trunk optical cable 5, 7 is a fusion splicing part, 8 is a relay optical fiber, 9 is a branch optical cable (optical drop cable), 8a and 9a are optical connectors, Reference numerals 10 a and 10 b denote end face plates of the closure case 2, and 11 a and 11 b denote end face plates of the small case 3. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the optical closure 1, and FIG. 7B is a hinged opening / closing lid of the small case 3 (drawn in a perspective view for easy understanding) 3b with the lid 2b of the closure case 2 closed. It is a figure of the state which opened.

In the case of a connection box shared with optical fiber and metal core, in order to prevent the optical fiber from contacting the metal core and causing damage, disconnection, etc., an inner lid is provided inside the closure case, There is one in which the interior is divided into an optical fiber storage space and a metal core storage space and both are separated (Patent Document 2).
In addition, as an aerial installation communication device that incorporates an optical device unit and an electrical device unit, the photoelectric conversion device and the optical wiring part are separated by a sealed structure in order to prevent water leakage to the electrical device side. There is an optical subscriber network device (Patent Document 3)
JP 2003-177254 (closure) JP 2000-115982 (optical core wire / metal core wire connection box) JP-A-10-308586 (aerial installation type communication device)

In the case of an optical closure in which an optical fiber of an existing optical cable and an optical adapter (or an optical connection mechanism such as an optical receptacle, the same applies to the present invention) are mixedly mounted inside the above-mentioned closure, the optical fiber and the optical adapter are closely When connecting the optical connector of the branched optical cable to the optical adapter in the optical closure to connect the branched optical cable that is pulled down to the user side to the existing optical closure, the operator must connect the optical fiber in the optical closure. There was a risk of accidental contact.
A communication failure may occur if the optical fiber is touched incorrectly. For this reason, after the optical fiber is opened, the operation of opening the optical closure and connecting a new drop cable needs to be performed very carefully, which has been a factor of reducing the work efficiency.

  In general, there are many cases where the work company that connects the branch optical cable is different from the work company that lays the optical closure. There is a great demand for not touching optical wiring components.

  The optical closure 1 of Patent Document 1 can meet such a demand, but providing the small case 3 separately from the closure case 2 increases the size, makes the structure complicated, and increases the cost.

Patent Document 2 has a structure in which a metal line storage space and an optical line storage space are separated from each other, but both storage spaces are completely separated into a case lid side and a case body side. Since the structure is partitioned by the inner lid, such a structure cannot be adopted for an imaginary optical closure using a connector connection method.
That is, in general, in the case of an imaginary optical closure, the case lid has only a function of closing the inside of the case, and is not large enough to use the back side of the case lid as a storage portion. In other words, the optical wiring work in the aerial becomes very difficult.
Since Patent Document 3 separates the photoelectric conversion device portion and the optical wiring portion with a sealed structure, depending on such a sealed structure, it is easy to connect the optical connector of the branched optical cable without contacting the optical fiber of the optical cable. It is difficult to realize an optical adapter arrangement that can be easily implemented.

  The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and in an optical closure of a connector connection system, an optical closure capable of easily performing connector connection of a branched optical cable without contacting an optical fiber in a case is provided. The purpose is to provide.

The present invention that solves the above-described problems provides an optical adapter for connecting an optical fiber of a branched optical cable to an optical fiber taken out from a trunk optical cable, and a closure case including a case main body and a case lid for closing the case main body. In the optical closure provided for
The case main body is provided with an inner cover for protecting the optical fiber, which covers the area where the optical fiber of the trunk optical cable is wired but exposes the optical adapter.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical closure of the first aspect, the inner cover is shaped to expose only one side of the optical adapter on the branched optical cable side.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical closure of the first aspect, the inner cover is mounted in the case main body in such a manner that the inner cover can be easily detached from the case main body simply by grabbing with a finger and moving it to the side opposite to the side wall surface side of the case main body. It is characterized by.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the optical closure of the first or third aspect, the contour of the inner cover is substantially along the contour of the inner portion of the case body, but when a part thereof is cut out and the case body is opened, Only one side of the optical adapter on the side of the branched optical cable is exposed from the notched portion, and when the case body is opened, one side of the optical adapter is exposed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the optical closure according to the fourth aspect, the inner cover has a covering surface parallel to the side wall surface of the case body, and a wall portion bent at a right angle at the upper edge of the covering surface. The wall portion is provided along a hinge portion between the case body and the case lid.

  According to the present invention, the optical fiber connection port on the branch side that covers the optical fiber of the trunk side optical cable is exposed to the work surface, so the optical connector of the branch optical cable is connected to the optical adapter in the optical closure. When the operator opens the case lid at the time of connector connection work, only the optical adapter portion is exposed, and the optical fiber portion that should not come into contact is covered with the inner cover. Accordingly, the connector can be connected without touching the optical fiber without particular care, and the occurrence of communication failure due to erroneous optical fiber contact can be prevented. In addition, work efficiency is improved.

  If only one side of the optical adapter on the side of the branched optical cable is exposed, there is no problem in connecting the optical connector of the branched optical cable to the optical adapter. The exposed structure is preferable in order to eliminate unnecessary exposed portions.

As in claim 3, if the inner cover has a structure that can be easily removed by grasping with a finger, it can be easily attached and detached as compared with those fixed with screws or fixed with engaging claws. The internal structure including the inner cover is not complicated, and the cost can be reduced.
This configuration is suitable for a small optical closure with a structure in which an optical connector is directly attached to an optical fiber taken out from a trunk optical cable and connected to the branch optical cable, and a small optical closure in which the number of branch optical cables is not so large. Suitable for

  If the inner cover is shaped according to the outline of the case body as in claim 4, the outline of the case body is restrained and stabilized without moving in the case body without being particularly fixed with screws. It is easy to make a structure in which the inner cover can be easily removed with a finger.

  According to claim 5, when the inner cover is configured as in claim 4, the wall portion bent at a right angle from the upper edge of the covering surface of the inner cover does not move the inner cover in the case body. So that it works effectively to stabilize.

  Hereinafter, an optical closure embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 5 show an optical closure 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The optical closure 21 is a connector connection type optical closure that connects an optical fiber branched from a trunk optical cable and an optical fiber of a branched optical cable such as a drop cable.
The closure case 22 of the optical closure 21 is a resin molded product, and includes a case main body 23 and a case lid 25 that is integrally provided on the case main body 23 so as to be opened and closed by a thin hinge portion 24. The case body 23 has a deep concave shape, and the case lid 25 has a shallow concave shape. When the case lid 25 is closed, a cylindrical internal space having openings 26 and 27 at both ends is formed.
A resin end seal and a resin end face plate (not shown) are attached to the openings 26 and 27 to seal the inside.
In order to connect the branch optical cable or pull it down to the user's home, the closure case 22 has a wide branch optical cable introduction side (right side in FIGS. 1 to 4) into which a plurality of branch optical cables are introduced, and only the trunk optical cable is inserted. The other side is narrower.
Further, the opening 26 on the branch optical cable introduction side is wide, and the opening 27 on the opposite side is narrow.
Engaging portions 23c and 25c that engage with each other and hold the case lid 25 in a closed state are formed on the lower edge portions of the case main body 23 and the case lid 25, respectively.

  Reference numeral 28 denotes a trunk optical cable. The trunk optical cable 28 is gripped by the case body 23 by the cable gripping bracket 33. 28a is a slot rod having an SZ spiral groove, for example. Inside the case of the trunk optical cable 28, the sheath is removed and the optical fibers 29 and 30 are exposed. Reference numeral 29 is a passing core wire (passing optical fiber), and 30 is an optical fiber (branching optical fiber). A plurality of optical adapters 31 are fixed to the branched optical cable introduction side portion 23a 'of the side wall 23a of the case body 23. An optical connector 30 a is attached to the optical fiber 30 taken out from the trunk optical cable 28, and the optical connector 30 a and the optical connector 32 a of the branch optical cable 32 are optically connected in the optical adapter 31. The branch optical cable 32 is gripped by the branch cable gripping portion 34.

  The optical fiber 30 is, for example, a so-called UV strand having a diameter of 0.25 mm, and an optical connector 30 a is attached to the optical fiber 30. An optical connector 32 a is attached to the branch optical cable 32.

A single inner cover 35 for protecting the optical fiber is provided in the case body 23 so as to cover the optical fibers 29 and 30 of the trunk optical cable 28 but expose the optical adapter 31. The inner cover 35 of this embodiment has a shape in which the area on the branch optical cable 32 side is large and the opposite side is narrow and has a small area according to the outline of the case body so that the inner cover 35 can be fitted in accordance with the outline of the case body 23. .
A part of the inner cover is formed with a cut-out part, and this cut-out part is key-shaped (or rectangular) so that only one side of the optical adapter 31 (one side on the side of the branching optical cable 32) is exposed. is there.
One side of the optical adapter is exposed from the linear edge of the cut portion.
The trunk optical cable side (left side in FIG. 1) and the cable sheath removal part of the trunk optical cable from the center of the optical adapter are hidden by the inner cover.
In this cut portion, only the connection port of the optical adapter and the wiring area of the branch optical fiber connected to the optical adapter are exposed, and the trunk line side is not exposed.
The inner cover 35 includes a cover surface 35a parallel to the side wall surface of the case body 23, and a wall portion 35b bent at a right angle at the upper edge (upper side in FIG. 2) of the cover surface 35a. ing. The wall portion 35b extends along the hinge portion 24 between the case main body 23 and the case lid 25, and is mounted so as to substantially contact the top surface 23d of the case main body 23. In addition, a wall portion 35c parallel to the wall portion 35b is also formed in a portion cut out in a key shape so as to expose one side portion of the optical adapter 31.
The case lid 25 is merely a lid, and no particular parts are provided in the inside thereof.
The shape of the cut portion is not limited to the illustration.

  In the above optical closure 21, the inner cover 35 covers the optical fibers 29 and 30 of the trunk optical cable 28, but the optical adapter 31 is exposed. Therefore, the optical connector 32 a of the branched optical cable 32 is connected to the optical closure 21. When the operator opens the case lid 25 during the connector connection work for connecting to the optical adapter 31, only the optical adapter 31 portion is exposed, and the optical fibers 29 and 30 are covered with the inner cover 35. Accordingly, the connector can be connected without touching the optical fibers 29 and 30 without particular care, and the occurrence of communication failure due to erroneous optical fiber contact can be prevented. In addition, work efficiency is improved.

  As long as only one side of the optical adapter 31 on the side of the branched optical cable 32 is exposed, there is no problem in connecting the optical connector 32a of the branched optical cable 32 to the optical adapter 31. A configuration in which only one side of the optical adapter 31 (one side on the branched optical cable side) is exposed by the notch of the shape is preferable in order to eliminate unnecessary exposed portions.

The inner cover 35 is not fixed with screws or engaging claws, and is mounted so as to be simply fitted into the case main body 23. Therefore, the inner cover 35 is grasped with a finger and held on the side wall 23a of the case main body 23. It can be easily removed just by moving it to the opposite side.
Such a structure is easier to attach and detach than those fixed with screws or fixed with engaging claws, and the internal structure including the inner cover 35 is not complicated, resulting in cost reduction. Can also be cheap. This configuration is suitable for a relatively small optical closure in which the number of branch optical cables 32 is not so large as in the embodiment.

Like the above-mentioned inner cover 35, the shape has a shape along the outline of the case main body 23 and has a wall portion 35b bent at a right angle from the upper edge portion of the covering surface 35a. This is an effective shape for stabilizing the body 23 so that it does not move slowly.
Further, by adopting such a shape, the outline of the case main body is constrained and can be stabilized without moving in the case main body without being particularly fixed with screws. Therefore, it is easy to make a structure in which the inner cover 35 can be easily removed with a finger.

The inner cover 35 of the embodiment is shaped to expose only one side of the optical adapter 31 on the side of the branch optical cable 32, but may be one that exposes the entire optical adapter 31.
Further, the outline of the closure case 22 of the embodiment is a shape in which the branched optical cable 32 side is swollen when viewed from the front views (FIGS. 2 to 4), but is not limited thereto, and may be a simple rectangle, for example. What is necessary is just to make it an appropriate shape according to arrangement | positioning etc. of an optical adapter row | line | column. For example, when the branched optical cable is introduced from both sides, it may be rectangular as viewed from the front view.

It is a perspective view of the state where the case lid of the optical closure of one example of the present invention was opened. It is a front view of the state which opened the case cover and removed the inner cover of the said optical closure. In FIG. 2, it is a front view of the state which attached the inner cover inside the closure case. It is a front view of the state which closed the case cover of the said optical closure. It is an AA expanded sectional view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an inner cover in FIG. 3. 1A and 1B show a conventional connector connection type optical closure, in which FIG. 1A is a front sectional view, and FIG. 2B is a front view of a state in which a case lid is closed and an open / close lid of a small case is opened.

Explanation of symbols

21 Optical closure 22 Closure case 23 Case body 23a Side wall 23a '(of the case body) Branched optical cable introduction side portion 23c, 25c Engaging portion 23d (of the case body) Top surface 25 Case cover 26 27 Opening 28 Trunk optical cable 28a Slot rod 29 Passing core wire (passing optical fiber)
30 Optical fiber (branching optical fiber)
30a Optical connector 31 Optical adapter 32 Branch optical cable 32a Optical connector 33 Cable gripping bracket 34 Branch optical cable grip 35 Internal cover 35a Covering surfaces 35b, 35c Wall

Claims (5)

An optical adapter for connecting the optical fiber of the branch optical cable to the optical fiber taken out from the trunk optical cable and a connector, in an optical closure provided inside a closure case composed of a case main body and a case lid for closing the case main body,
An optical closure characterized in that an inner cover for protecting an optical fiber is provided in the case body so as to cover a region where an optical fiber of a trunk optical cable is wired but expose the optical adapter.   2. The optical closure according to claim 1, wherein the inner cover has a shape exposing only one side of the optical adapter on the branched optical cable side.   2. The inner cover according to claim 1, wherein the inner cover is mounted in the case body in such a manner that it can be easily detached from the case body simply by grasping with a finger and moving it to the opposite side of the side wall surface of the case body. Light closure.   The outline of the inner cover is generally along the outline of the inside of the case body, but a part thereof is cut out, and when the case body is opened, only one side of the optical adapter on the side of the branched optical cable is cut out. 4. The optical closure according to claim 1 or 3, wherein one side of the optical adapter is exposed when the case body is opened by being exposed from the portion where the case is opened.   The inner cover has a cover surface parallel to the side wall surface of the case main body and a wall portion bent at a right angle at the upper edge of the cover surface, and the wall portion is a hinge between the case main body and the case lid. The optical closure according to claim 4, wherein the optical closure is along a portion.

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