JP2009168910A - Optical connector plug - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent damaging of a connecting end surface of a ferrule by contacting with a shutter member. <P>SOLUTION: This optical connector plug P has a plug body 10 having the ferrule 13 for holding an optical fiber, an outer member 20 movably arranged so as to cover the outside of the plug body 10, a movable member 30 movably arranged between a first position and a second position of the outer remember 20, and a shutter member 40 installed in the movable member 30, cutting off the front of the ferrule 13 of the plug body 10 in the outer member 20 when the movable member 30 is positioned in the first position when the outer member 20 is positioned in a ferrule storage position and releasing cutoff of the front of the ferrule 13 of the plug body 10 by moving together with the movable member 30 in the outer member 20 when the movable member 30 moves to the second position from the first position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector plug.

  In the optical connector plug provided at the cable end of the optical fiber cable, if foreign matter such as dust or dirt adheres to the end face of the optical fiber held by the ferrule, there is a problem that the light transmission ability is significantly affected thereby. .

In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 1 covers the outer side of a plug body having a ferrule and provides an outer member movably between the ferrule housing position and the ferrule protruding position with respect to the plug body. A member provided with a leaf spring-like shielding piece that shields the front of the ferrule of the plug body when the outer member is positioned at the ferrule housing position is disclosed.
JP 2006-276782 A

  However, in the optical connector plug described in Patent Document 1, when the outer member moves from the ferrule housing position to the ferrule protruding position, the shielding piece is pressed and elastically deformed after coming into contact with the ferrule, thereby blocking the shielding. Since the front blocking of the ferrule by the piece is released, there is a concern that the connection end face of the ferrule is damaged by the shielding piece.

  The objective of this invention is providing the optical connector plug which can prevent that the connection end surface of a ferrule contacts a shutter member and is damaged.

The optical connector plug of the present invention is
A plug body having a ferrule for holding an optical fiber;
An outer member that covers the outside of the plug body and is movable between a ferrule housing position for housing the ferrule relative to the plug body and a ferrule projecting position for projecting the ferrule;
A movable member provided on the outer member so as to be movable between a first position and a second position with respect to the outer member;
When the movable member is positioned at the first position when the outer member is attached to the movable member and positioned at the ferrule housing position, the front of the ferrule of the plug body is positioned within the outer member. On the other hand, when the movable member moves from the first position to the second position, the shutter member moves together with the movable member in the outer member to release the front blocking of the ferrule of the plug body. When,
Is provided.

  According to the present invention, the front end of the ferrule of the plug main body by the shutter member and the release thereof can be performed by the movable member, and the ferrule is projected from the outer member after the release, so that the connection end surface of the ferrule is the shutter. It is possible to prevent contact and damage to the member.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 show an optical connector plug P according to this embodiment. The optical connector plug P is provided at the cable end of the optical fiber cable.

  The optical connector plug P includes a plug body 10, an outer member 20 movably provided on the plug body 10, a slider member 30 (movable member) movably provided on the outer member 20, and the slider member 30. And a shutter member 40 attached to the. The plug body 10, the outer member 20, and the slider member 30 are resin members formed by injection molding or the like, and the shutter member 40 is an elastic material member formed of an elastic plate such as metal.

  The plug body 10 satisfies the standard of a single fiber optic connector of JIS C5973 (1993), and a plug frame 12 that is also formed in a cylindrical shape is fitted and fixed to a knob member 11 that is formed in a cylindrical shape. A ferrule 13 holding an optical fiber is fixed to the plug frame 12 so as to protrude from the tip.

  3 to 5 show the knob member 11. 6 to 8 show the plug frame 12.

  The upper surface portion of the knob member 11 is provided with an upper opening 15 formed at the center thereof so as to extend in the length direction. Further, on the upper surface portion of the knob member 11, an upper protruding portion 18 having a substantially rectangular cross section is provided on the rear end side so as to extend in the width direction.

  The lower surface portion of the knob member 11 is provided on the rear end side thereof with a lower cylindrical portion 17 formed so as to extend in the length direction, opened at the front end side and closed at the rear end side.

  Each of both side surface portions of the knob member 11 is provided with a plurality of U-shaped grooves, which are formed so as to extend in the vertical direction, at the rear end side thereof, with a gap therebetween. Is configured.

  On the top surface of the plug frame 12, a rectangular ridge 14a formed in a rectangular cross section and a triangular ridge 14b formed in a triangular cross section are provided in parallel so as to extend in the width direction. Yes. The rectangular ridge 14 a and the triangular ridge 14 b are positioned so as to be exposed from the upper opening 15 of the knob member 11. The rectangular protrusion 14 a is positioned at the end of the upper opening 15 on the distal end side.

  The lower surface portion of the plug frame 12 is provided with a lower extending portion 16 formed at the rear end so as to extend downward, and extends to the distal end side with the lower extending portion 16 as a base end. A tip-facing protrusion 16a formed as described above is provided. The lower extending portion 16 and the tip-facing protrusion 16 a are positioned so as to be accommodated in the lower cylindrical portion 17 of the knob member 11.

  9 to 11 show the outer member.

  The outer member 20 has an upper cylindrical portion 22 formed in a horizontally long rectangular cylindrical shape with the front end closed and the rear end opened on the upper side of the central cylindrical portion 21 formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape constituting the member main body. And a groove-shaped lower groove portion 23 that is formed to extend rearward from the central tubular portion 21 and that has a closed front end and an open rear end is provided below the central tubular portion 21. It has the structure which was made.

  An elastic arm portion 24 formed on the upper surface portion of the central cylindrical portion 21 so as to extend in the length direction formed by being sandwiched by a pair of slit-shaped deficient portions each having an open rear end at the center thereof. Is provided. At the tip of the elastic arm portion 24, an engaging claw 25 that protrudes inward and is formed in a bowl shape is provided. Further, an upper communication portion 26 formed so as to communicate with the upper cylindrical portion 22 is provided on the upper end portion of the central cylindrical portion 21 at the tip side thereof.

  A rear end side extending portion 27 formed to extend to the rear end side is provided at the center of the upper surface portion of the upper cylindrical portion 22. A drooping portion 27 a formed so as to hang downward is provided at the tip of the rear end side extending portion 27. In addition, on the upper surface portion of the central cylindrical portion 21, protrusions 28 are provided on both sides of the base end of the rear end side extending portion 27 so as to protrude downward.

  A rear end-facing projection 29 is provided at the distal end of the lower groove-like portion 23 so as to extend from the distal end to the rear end side.

  12 and 13 show the slider member 30 and the shutter member 40.

  The slider member 30 is provided on the upper surface side of a member body formed in a flat plate shape with a central ridge portion 31 formed of a ridge having a rectangular cross section formed in the center in the width direction and extending in the length direction. In addition, stepped portions 32 formed in a stepped shape are provided on both sides of the central ridge 31 at the rear end, and along the central ridge 31 on each of both sides of the central ridge 31. It has a configuration in which an elongated opening 33 formed so as to extend in the length direction is provided.

  The central ridge 31 is provided with a U-shaped groove 34 formed so as to extend in the length direction, closed at the front end side and opened at the rear end side.

  The shutter member 40 is shaped like a dogleg and has a pair of fixing holes at one end. In the shutter member 40, a pair of shutter fixing protrusions 35 formed on the lower surface side of the slider member 30 are passed through the pair of fixing holes, and a shutter provided at the rear end of the slider member 30 via a hinge 37. The fixing plate 36 is attached to the slider member 30 by being folded back to the lower surface side and fused to the shutter fixing projection 35.

  In this optical connector plug P, the outer member 20 is configured such that the central cylindrical portion 21 externally fits the plug main body 10 and the lower groove portion 23 externally fits the lower cylindrical portion 17 to the plug main body 10. It is provided so as to be movable between a ferrule housing position for housing the ferrule 13 and a ferrule projecting position for projecting the ferrule 13. Then, when the outer member 20 moves along the length direction of the plug body 10, the engaging claw 25 of the elastic arm portion 24 moves in the upper opening 15, and the outer member 20 is moved to the ferrule as shown in FIG. When positioned at the storage position, the engaging claw 25 is positioned between the rectangular ridge 14a exposed from the upper opening 15 and the triangular ridge 14b, and when the engaging claw 25 engages with the rectangular ridge 14a, When the movement of the member 20 to the front end side is restricted, and the outer member 20 moves from the ferrule housing position to the rear end side of the ferrule protruding position side as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) to (c), As the engagement claw 25 rides over the triangular protrusion 14b while bending the elastic arm portion 24 upward, the outer member 20 can be moved. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. When terpolymers member 20 is positioned at the ferrule projecting position, by the outer member 20 abuts against the upper protruding portion 18, and is configured to regulate more movement to the rear end side of the outer member 20.

  Further, between the closed front end portion of the lower groove portion 23 of the outer member 20 and the closed rear end portion of the lower tubular portion 17 of the plug body 10, the rear end projection 29 and the front end projection 16 a are provided. The lower coil spring S1 is provided so that each is inserted, whereby the outer member 20 is urged toward the distal end side when not connected, and is positioned at the ferrule accommodation position.

  In the slider member 30, the drooping portion 27 a of the extending portion 27 on the rear end side is fitted into the U-shaped groove 34 of the central protruding portion 31 with respect to the outer member 20, and the projecting portions 28 are fitted in both elongated openings 33. The slider 30 is movable between a slider housing position (first position) for housing 30 in the upper tubular portion 22 and a slider withdrawal position (second position) in which the slider member 30 is pulled out from the upper tubular portion 22. Is provided. When the slider member 30 moves between the slider housing position and the slider withdrawal position, the slider member 30 is guided along the elongated opening 33 by the protrusion 28. At the slider housing position, as shown in FIG. While the portion 32 abuts on the outer member 20, the movement of the slider member 30 to the more distal end side is restricted. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. By engaging with the front end portion, the slider member 30 is configured to be restricted from moving toward the rear end side.

  In addition, the slider member 30 is naturally positioned between the tip end portion of the U-shaped groove 34 of the slider member 30 and the hanging portion 27a of the rear end extending portion 27 of the outer member 20 in a state where the slider member 30 is positioned at the slider accommodating position. The upper coil spring S2 having a long length is provided, so that the slider coil 30 is located between the tip of the U-shaped groove 34 and the hanging portion 27a at a position other than the slider housing position. The slider member 30 is configured to be urged toward the distal end side on the slider accommodation position side.

  Since the shutter member 40 is attached to the slider member 30, it moves together with the slider member 30. As shown in FIG. 2, when the outer member 20 is positioned at the ferrule housing position and the slider member 30 is positioned at the slider housing position, the shutter member 40 is moved upward from the upper cylindrical portion 22. Light that is suspended in the central cylindrical portion 21 via the communication portion 26, blocks the entire opening of the central cylindrical portion 21 in front of the ferrule 13 in the central cylindrical portion 21, and is held by the ferrule 13. While the foreign material such as dust and dirt is prevented from adhering to the end face of the fiber, as shown in FIG. 14A, when the slider member 30 moves from the slider housing position to the rear end side of the slider drawing position, the shutter member 40 moves together with the slider member 30 and is drawn into the upper cylindrical portion 22 from the central cylindrical portion 21 via the upper communication portion 26, and the central cylindrical portion 2. In the inner, it is configured to unblock the front of the ferrule 13. The shutter member 40 is sized so as to cover the entire opening of the outer case 20 to prevent dust, adhesion of foreign matter to the end face of the optical fiber, and leakage of light when not in use. Prevention can be achieved reliably.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the outer member 20 is positioned at the ferrule accommodating position and the slider member 30 is positioned at the slider accommodating position, the shutter fixing plate 36 on the lower surface side of the slider member 30 is the elastic arm portion 24. The lock mechanism is configured to lock the outer member 20 with respect to the plug main body 10 by restricting the bending of the elastic arm portion 24, thereby preventing the engaging claw 25 from getting over the triangular protrusion 14b. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14A, when the slider member 30 moves from the slider housing position to the rear end side of the slider pull-out position from that state, the shutter member 40 blocks the front of the ferrule 13. Simultaneously with the release, the shutter fixing plate 36 moves to the rear end side, whereby the elastic arm portion 2 is moved. Deflection to allow the upward, the engaging claw 25 is able to get over the triangular projection 14b, it is configured to release the lock mechanism relative to the plug body 10 of the outer member 20.

  Next, a method for connecting the optical connector plug P to the optical adapter A and a method for releasing the connection will be described.

  In the unconnected state, as shown in FIG. 2, in the optical connector plug P, the outer member 20 is urged toward the distal end side by the lower coil spring S1 and is positioned at the ferrule housing position. The ferrule 13 is accommodated in the outer member 20, the slider member 30 is positioned at the slider accommodating position due to the presence of the upper coil spring S2, and the shutter member 40 attached to the slider member 30 is disposed above the outer member 20. It hangs down from the cylindrical part 22 into the central cylindrical part 21 via the upper communication part 26a, whereby the entire opening of the central cylindrical part 21 in front of the ferrule 13 is blocked, and in addition to these, the outer member 20 However, the engaging claw 25 is positioned between the rectangular ridge 14a and the triangular ridge 14b of the plug body 10. By engaging the rectangular protrusion 14a, the movement toward the distal end side is restricted, and the shutter fixing plate 36 of the slider member 30 is positioned above the elastic arm portion 24, so that the elastic arm portion 24 is bent. When the engagement claw 25 cannot be moved over the triangular protrusion 14b, the movement toward the rear end side is restricted, and the plug main body 10 is locked thereby.

  From this state, first, the grip portion 19 of the knob member 11 is gripped to support the optical connector plug P, and pushed backward to the stepped portion 32 of the slider member 30, as shown in FIG. 14A, the slider member 30. Is moved to the rear end side to the slider extraction position against the upper coil spring S2. At this time, in the optical connector plug P, after the slider member 30 is guided along the elongated opening 33 by the protruding portion 28 of the outer member 20, the distal end portion of the elongated opening 33 is engaged with the protruding portion 28 at the slider extraction position. Accordingly, the movement toward the rear end side is further restricted, and the shutter member 40 moves to the rear end side together with the slider member 30, so that the central tubular portion 21 of the outer member 20 passes through the upper communication portion 26. Then, it is drawn into the upper cylindrical portion 22, whereby the front block of the ferrule 13 is released, and the outer member 20 moves to the upper side of the elastic arm portion 24 by moving the slider member 30 to the rear end side. The engaging claw 25 can get over the triangular protrusion 14b, thereby unlocking the locking mechanism for the plug body 10. It is.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 14B and 14C, the outer member 20 is moved to the rear end side to the ferrule protruding position against the lower coil spring S1. Finally, as shown in FIG. 14 (d), the optical connector plug P is in a state in which the ferrule 13 of the plug body 10 protrudes from the outer member 20, and the outer member 20 moves to the slider at the ferrule protruding position. The contact with the upper projecting portion 18 of the plug main body 10 with the stepped portion 32 of the member 30 interposed therebetween is further restricted from moving toward the rear end side. In the process in which the outer member 20 moves to the rear end side and is positioned at the ferrule protruding position, the slider member 30 is housed in the upper cylindrical portion 22 of the outer member 20 and is positioned at the shutter housing position. Since the upper communication portion 26 is sealed by the plug main body 10, the shutter member 40 is straightly extended and arranged along the upper surface of the plug main body 10.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the portion protruding from the outer member 20 including the ferrule 13 of the plug main body 10 of the optical connector plug P is inserted into the optical adapter A and engaged therewith to complete the connection.

  On the other hand, when releasing the connection of the optical connector plug P to the optical adapter A, the plug body 10 is pulled out from the optical adapter A after releasing the engagement. At this time, in the optical connector plug P, the outer member 20 is urged by the lower coil spring S1 to move to the front end side to the ferrule housing position, and the slider member 30 remains positioned at the shutter housing position. When the outer member 20 is moved to the distal end side and moved to the distal end side and positioned at the ferrule housing position, the blocking of the upper communication portion 26 by the plug body 10 is released, and the shutter member 40 is moved to the upper side. It hangs down from the cylindrical part 22 into the central cylindrical part 21 via the upper communication part 26, and returns to the state when not connected.

  According to the optical connector plug P having the above configuration, the front of the ferrule 13 of the plug body 10 by the shutter member 40 can be blocked and released by the slider member 30, so that the ferrule 13 from the outer member 20 can be released after the release. Thus, the connection end surface of the ferrule 13 can be prevented from coming into contact with the shutter member 40 and being damaged. In addition, since the locking mechanism for the plug body 10 of the outer member 20 is configured, the contact of the shutter member 40 with the ferrule 13 can be reliably prevented.

  The present invention is useful for optical connector plugs.

It is a perspective view of the optical connector plug which concerns on embodiment. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of the optical connector plug which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view of a knob member. It is a front view of a knob member. It is a side view of a knob member. It is a perspective view of a plug frame. It is a front view of a plug frame. It is a side view of a plug frame. It is a perspective view of an outer member. It is a rear view of an outer member. It is XI-XI sectional drawing in FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the slanting upper part of a slider member and a shutter member. It is the perspective view seen from the slanting lower part of a slider member and a shutter member. (A)-(d) is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the connection method to the optical adapter of an optical connector plug. It is a perspective view which shows the connection method to the optical adapter of an optical connector plug.

Explanation of symbols

P optical connector plug 10 plug body 13 ferrule 20 outer member 30 slider member (movable member)
40 Shutter member

Claims (2)

A plug body having a ferrule for holding an optical fiber;
An outer member that covers the outside of the plug body and is movable between a ferrule housing position for housing the ferrule relative to the plug body and a ferrule projecting position for projecting the ferrule;
A movable member provided on the outer member so as to be movable between a first position and a second position with respect to the outer member;
When the movable member is positioned at the first position when the outer member is attached to the movable member and positioned at the ferrule housing position, the front of the ferrule of the plug body is positioned within the outer member. On the other hand, when the movable member moves from the first position to the second position, the shutter member moves together with the movable member in the outer member to release the front blocking of the ferrule of the plug body. When,
Optical connector plug with. The optical connector plug according to claim 1,
When the outer member is positioned at the ferrule housing position and the movable member is positioned at the first position, the movement of the outer member relative to the plug body is restricted, while the movable member is positioned at the first position. An optical connector plug provided with a lock mechanism for releasing movement restriction of the outer member relative to the plug body when the outer member is moved.

Images