JP2012173490A - Optical connector and tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector which does not require an adaptor and is easy to attach/detach.SOLUTION: An optical connector includes: a ferrule for holding an optical fiber; an engaging member which has a pair of elastic pieces provided with pawl parts to be engaged with an engagement part on a side surface of a reception side optical connector and movably stores the ferrule on the back side while energizing the ferrule to a front side when a side on an end surface viewed from the optical fiber is front and the reverse side is back; and a cylindrical housing which is movable in a back and forth direction with respect to the engaging member and enters a binding state in which the outsides of the elastic pieces are bound by inner surfaces in the state where the pawl parts are engaged with the engagement part due to the movement of the housing toward the front side with respect to the engaging member. In a release state before the housing moves toward the front side with respect to the engaging member and before the reception side optical connector is inserted between the pair of pawl parts, the outsides of the elastic pieces are in contact with a front edge of the housing, so that movement toward the front side with respect to the engaging member of the housing is restricted.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector and a jig.

  As an optical connector, for example, an MPO type optical connector (F13 type optical connector established in JIS C 5982; MPO: Multi-fiber Push On) is known as a plug-adapter-plug coupling type ( For example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Japan Standards Association, “F13 type multi-fiber optical fiber connector C 5982: 1997”, JIS Handbook Electronic Test Methods / Optoelectronics Edition, Publisher: Japan Standards Association, April 24, 1998.

  By the way, in recent years, in high-performance computers and computer systems, a large number of photoelectric composite substrates are mounted, and optical communication is performed between these substrates using optical fibers. For this reason, there is a demand for optical fiber connector connection on the circuit board.

  However, for example, an adapter is required to fasten the above-described MPO optical connector on a circuit board. Therefore, when installing a plurality of circuit boards, it is not easy to narrow the interval between the circuit boards. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an optical connector that does not require an adapter and can be easily attached and detached, and a jig that is suitable for attaching and detaching the optical connector.

  A main invention for achieving the above object includes a pair of elastic pieces including a ferrule that holds an optical fiber and a claw portion that engages with a locking portion on a side surface of a receiving side optical connector. An engagement member that accommodates the ferrule so as to be movable to the rear side while urging the force to the front side when the end surface side is the front side and the rear side is the rear side, and the front-rear direction with respect to the engagement member A cylindrical housing that is movable to the front side, and in a restrained state in which the outer surface of the elastic piece is constrained by the inner surface while the claw portion is engaged with the locking portion by moving the engaging member forward. And a housing before the housing is moved to the front side with respect to the engaging member, and before the receiving optical connector is inserted between the pair of claw portions. In the released state, the outer side of the elastic piece is By contacting the front edge of the serial housing, moving to the front side relative to the engagement member of the housing is an optical connector which is characterized by being regulated.

  Other characteristics of the present invention will be made clear by the description and drawings described later.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an optical connector that does not require an adapter and can be easily attached and detached, and a jig suitable for attaching and detaching the optical connector.

1A and 1B are perspective views of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 with the housing 50 positioned on the rear side. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the housing 50 is located on the front side. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 with the housing 50 positioned on the rear side. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the housing 50 is located on the front side. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 10. FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the contact portion 46b of the present embodiment. FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of a comparative example. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving optical connector 110. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving optical connector 110. 7A to 7C are explanatory diagrams of the internal state of the optical connector 10 at the time of connection. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram of a state when the receiving side optical connector 110 is inserted between the claw portions 45. FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram showing a state when the ferrule 20 of the optical connector 10 comes into contact with the end face of the receiving optical connector 110. FIG. 7C is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the claw portion 45 reaches the position of the locking portion 115 and the housing 50 has moved to the restraining position. 8A and 8B are perspective views of a jig 200 suitable for attaching / detaching the optical connector 10. FIG. 9A is an explanatory diagram when the optical connector 10 is connected using the jig 200. FIG. 9B is an explanatory diagram of a relationship between the restriction portion 211 and the grip portion 221 of the jig 200 and the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 when the optical connector 10 is connected. FIG. 9C is an explanatory diagram of an internal situation when the optical connector 10 is removed using the jig 200. FIG. 9D is an explanatory diagram of a relationship between the restriction portion 211 and the grip portion 221 of the jig 200 and the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 when the optical connector 10 is removed. FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram of a first example of the connector connection system. FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram of a second example of the connector connection system. FIG. 10C is an explanatory diagram of a third example of the connector connection system. 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams of an optical connector of a comparative example.

  At least the following matters will be apparent from the description and drawings described below.

It has a pair of elastic pieces with a ferrule that holds the optical fiber and a claw portion that engages with a locking portion on the side surface of the receiving optical connector, and the opposite side with respect to the end face as viewed from the optical fiber. An engaging member that accommodates the ferrule so as to be movable to the rear side while urging the force forward, and a cylindrical housing that is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the engaging member. A housing in which the outer surface of the elastic piece is restrained by an inner surface in a state in which the claw portion is engaged with the locking portion by moving forward with respect to the engaging member. In a state before moving to the front side with respect to the engaging member and before the receiving side optical connector is inserted between the pair of claws, the outer side of the elastic piece is By contacting the front edge of the housing. Te, an optical connector, wherein the movement of the front side is restricted with respect to the engaging member of the housing will become apparent.
According to such an optical connector, an optical connector that does not require an adapter and can be easily attached and detached can be realized.

  In the released state, it is desirable that the elastic piece is opened outward as it approaches the front side. As a result, the housing does not easily move forward relative to the engaging member.

  It is desirable that the portion of the outer surface of the elastic piece that is in contact with the front edge of the housing has a rougher surface than the other portion of the outer surface of the elastic piece. As a result, the housing does not easily move forward relative to the engaging member.

  A concave portion is formed on the outer side of the elastic piece, and in the released state, the front edge of the concave portion and the front edge of the housing are in contact with each other, thereby restricting the movement of the housing to the front side with respect to the engaging member. It is desirable that As a result, the housing does not easily move forward relative to the engaging member.

  A stopper projecting inward is formed on the inner surface of the housing, and when the stopper and the rear edge of the recess come into contact with each other in the released state, the housing is moved to the rear side with respect to the engaging member. It is desirable to restrict movement. Thereby, the position of the housing in the released state is stabilized.

  In the restrained state, it is desirable that the movement of the housing to the front side with respect to the engaging member is restricted by contact between the stopper and the front edge of the recess. As a result, it is possible to prevent the housing from being pulled out in a restrained state.

  It is desirable that a convex portion protruding outward is formed on at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing. This facilitates the attachment / detachment work.

  It is desirable that the convex portion is formed on the upper side of the side wall portion, which is the outer peripheral surface of the housing, and not formed on the lower side of the side wall portion. Thereby, the attaching / detaching work using the jig becomes easy.

And (A) a pair of elastic pieces including a ferrule that holds the optical fiber and a claw portion that engages with a locking portion on the side surface of the receiving optical connector, and the end surface side is viewed from the optical fiber. An engaging member that accommodates the ferrule so as to be movable to the rear side while biasing the force to the front side when the reverse side is the rear side as a front, and a convex portion that protrudes outward at least at a part of the outer peripheral surface And is a cylindrical housing that is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the engaging member, and the claw portion engages with the locking portion by moving forward with respect to the engaging member. A housing in which the outer side of the elastic piece is restrained by an inner surface in a state where the housing is in a state before the housing moves forward with respect to the engagement member, The receiving side optical connector between the claw parts of Attachment / detachment of the optical connector in which the movement of the housing relative to the engaging member is restricted by the outer side of the elastic piece contacting the front edge of the housing in the released state before being inserted (B) an upper surface portion and a pair of opposing side surface portions provided on both sides of the upper surface portion, and the inner surface of the upper surface portion and the pair of side surface portions A space for accommodating the optical connector is formed, and a restricting portion for moving the housing in the front-rear direction with respect to the engaging member in contact with the convex portion of the optical connector accommodated in the space. The jig is characterized by being formed to protrude inward from the inner peripheral surface.
With such a jig, the optical connector can be easily attached and detached.

  A grip portion for gripping the optical connector by supporting the convex portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing of the optical connector housed in the space from below is provided inward from the inner surface of the side surface portion. It is desirable that it be formed so as to protrude. Thereby, dropping of the optical connector can be prevented.

=== Optical connector ===
<Configuration>
1A and 1B are perspective views of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 with the housing 50 positioned on the rear side. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the housing 50 is located on the front side. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 with the housing 50 positioned on the rear side. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the housing 50 is located on the front side. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment.

  In the following description, front and rear, top and bottom, and left and right are defined as shown in the figure. That is, the “front-rear direction” is defined along the optical axis of the optical fiber 1, and the end face side as viewed from the optical fiber 1 is “front” and the opposite side is “rear”. Further, the direction in which the plurality of optical fibers 1 are arranged is defined as “left-right direction”, and “right” and “left” are defined when viewed from the front side. Further, the front-rear direction and the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction are referred to as “up-down direction”, the side on which the operation convex portion 54 is provided when viewed from the housing 50 is “upper”, and the opposite side is “lower”.

  In the following description, the position of the housing 50 in FIGS. 1A and 2A may be referred to as a “release position”. The state where the housing 50 is in the release position may be referred to as a “release state”. Further, the position of the housing in FIG. 1B or 2B may be referred to as a “restraint position”. In addition, the state where the housing 50 is in the restrained position may be referred to as a “restraint state”.

  The optical connector 10 is assembled at the tip of the optical fiber 1. Specifically, the optical fiber 1 is an optical fiber ribbon. Here, a 12-core optical fiber ribbon is employed, but the number of optical fiber ribbons is not limited to 12.

  The optical connector 10 mainly includes a ferrule 20, a coil spring 33, an engagement member 40, and a housing 50. In addition, the optical connector 10 also includes a guide pin 31, a pin clamp 32, and the like.

  The ferrule 20 is attached to the tip of the optical fiber 1 and holds the tip of the optical fiber 1. Here, the ferrule 20 is an MT type optical connector (F12 type optical connector established in JIS C5981. MT: Mechanically Transferable). The ferrule 20 has a front end surface 21 for butt joining on the front side. On the distal end surface 21, a plurality of optical fibers 1 of the optical fiber ribbon are arranged in the left-right direction, and the exposed end surfaces of the bare optical fibers of each optical fiber 1 are exposed. A pair of guide pin holes 22 are provided in the ferrule 20 so as to sandwich the plurality of optical fibers 1 arranged in the left-right direction at the distal end surface 21. A guide pin 31 is inserted into the guide pin hole 22, and the tip of the guide pin 31 protrudes from the tip surface 21 of the ferrule 20. The guide pin 31 is provided with a flange 31a. The flange 31a is disposed between the rear end face (not shown) of the ferrule 20 and the front end face of the pin clamp 32, and prevents the guide pin 31 from coming off in the front-rear direction. On the rear side of the ferrule 20, a flange portion 23 having an outer periphery protruding is provided.

  The engaging member 40 is a U-shaped member having a receiving portion 41 and a pair of elastic pieces 42 extending from the left and right sides of the receiving portion 41 to the front side. The engaging member 40 accommodates the ferrule 20 so as to be movable rearward while urging the ferrule 20 forward by the repulsive force of the coil spring 33. Thus, when the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving optical connector, the contact state in which the end faces of the optical fibers are physically abutted with a predetermined force when the engaging member 40 accommodates the ferrule 20. Can hold.

  The receiving part 41 is a part that receives the repulsive force of the coil spring 33. The receiving part 41 has an optical fiber insertion hole 41a, a spring accommodating part 41b, and a spring contact part 41c. The optical fiber insertion hole 41 a is a through hole for inserting the optical fiber 1. The spring accommodating part 41 b is an accommodating part for accommodating a part of the rear side of the coil spring 33. The spring contact portion 41 c is a portion that contacts the rear end portion of the coil spring 33. The coil spring 33 is disposed between the receiving portion 41 and the pin clamp 32 in an elastically deformed state, and biases the ferrule 20 forward via the pin clamp 32.

  The elastic piece 42 is a portion that extends forward from the receiving portion 41 and is a portion that elastically deforms in the left-right direction. The elastic piece 42 includes a guide portion 43 and a deformation portion 44.

  The guide portion 43 has an elongated shape in the front-rear direction, is connected to the left and right side surfaces of the receiving portion 41, and is located on the rear side of the elastic piece 42. The guide portion 43 is guided in the front-rear direction by a guide groove 53 a of the housing 50.

  A storage recess 43 a is provided on the inner surface of each of the left and right guide portions 43. The flange portion 23 of the ferrule 20, the pin clamp 32, and a part of the front side of the coil spring 33 are arranged so as to be sandwiched between the left and right storage recesses 43a. When the front edge of the housing recess 43a and the front end surface of the flange portion 23 of the ferrule 20 are in contact with each other, the position of the front side of the ferrule 20 urged forward from the coil spring 33 is defined. Moreover, the accommodation recessed part 43a has accommodated the ferrule 20 so that a movement to the back side is possible. Thereby, when the front end surface 21 of the ferrule 20 contacts the receiving side optical connector, the ferrule 20 is allowed to move rearward with respect to the engaging member 40.

  On the outer surface of each of the left and right guide portions 43, a protrusion 43b is provided to protrude outward. The protrusion 43b is inserted into the long hole 53b of the housing 50, whereby the movement of the housing 50 in the front-rear direction with respect to the engaging member 40 is restricted.

  The deformation portion 44 is a portion that deforms in the left-right direction according to the position of the housing 50. The deforming portion 44 has an elongated shape in the front-rear direction and is located on the front side of the guide portion 43. The deforming portion 44 is set to a thickness approximately the same as that of the guide portion 43, and is guided in the front-rear direction by the guide groove 53 a of the housing 50, similarly to the guide portion 43. Between the left and right deforming portions 44, a portion on the front side of the flange portion 23 of the ferrule 20 is disposed.

  A claw portion 45 is provided at the distal end portion (front end portion) of the deformable portion 44 so as to protrude inward. Note that the ferrule 20 is disposed behind the claw portion 45. As will be described later, the claw portion 45 engages with a locking portion on the side surface of the receiving optical connector connected to the optical connector 10 (see FIGS. 4 and 5 described later). A concave portion 46 is provided on the outer surface of the deformable portion 44. A stepped portion 46 a is formed at the rear edge of the recess 46, and a contact portion 46 b is formed at the front edge of the recess 46. The functions of the stepped portion 46a and the contact portion 46b will be described later.

  The housing 50 is a flat rectangular tube-shaped member, and is a member that can move in the front-rear direction with respect to the engaging member 40. As will be described later, the housing 50 moves to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40, so that the outer side of the elastic piece 42 (particularly, the outer side of the portion exposed from the front side of the housing 50) is restrained by the inner surface. It is a member for making. The housing 50 is configured in a rectangular tube shape by an upper surface portion 51, a lower surface portion 52 and a pair of side wall portions 53. The housing 50 accommodates the ferrule 20 and the like inside, but the upper surface portion 51 is open at the rear, and the flange portion 23 of the ferrule 20, the pin clamp 32, the coil spring 33, the receiving portion 41 of the elastic piece 42, etc. It is exposed from below. When the optical connector 10 is assembled, the ferrule 20 and the like are accommodated from this portion. A front end portion of the elastic piece 42 including the claw portion 45 protrudes from the front side of the housing 50.

  A guide groove 53a is provided on the inner surface of the side wall 53 of the housing 50 along the front-rear direction. The guide groove 53a guides the guide portion 43 of the elastic piece 42 in the front-rear direction. On the rear side of the side wall portion 53, an elongated slot 53b is provided along the front-rear direction. The protrusion 43b of the guide portion 43 is inserted into the long hole 53b. The movable range of the housing 50 relative to the engaging member 40 is set by the longitudinal dimension of the long hole 53b. The position of the housing 50 relative to the engaging member 40 when in the “released state” is determined by the front edge of the long hole 53b (see FIGS. 1A and 2A). Further, the position of the housing 50 relative to the engaging member 40 when in the “restrained state” is determined by the rear edge of the long hole 53b (see FIGS. 1B and 2B). A stopper 56 is formed on the inner surface of the side wall 53 of the housing 50 as will be described later.

  On the upper outer periphery of the upper surface portion 51 and the side wall portion 53 of the housing 50, a U-shaped operation convex portion 54 is provided so as to protrude outward. By providing the operation convex portion 54, it is easy for the operator to work, and attachment / detachment work using a jig described later is possible. The operation convex portion 54 is a ridge extending in the left-right direction of the upper surface portion 51. Further, the operation convex portion 54 is provided at the center portion of the housing 50 in the front-rear direction.

  The operation convex portion 54 does not extend in the entire vertical direction of the side wall portion 53, is formed only above the side wall portion 53, and is not formed below the side wall portion 53. For this reason, even if the lower surface portion 52 of the housing 50 of the optical connector 10 after connection is in contact with a substrate (a circuit substrate 120 or the like to be described later), a gap is formed between the operation convex portion 54 and the substrate. It has a simple structure. The operator moves the housing 50 relative to the engagement member 40 in the front-rear direction using the operation convex portion 54.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 10. In this figure, the housing 50 is in the release position (the optical connector 10 is in the release state).
As shown in the figure, the flange portion 23 of the ferrule 20, the pin clamp 32, and the coil spring 33 are accommodated in a space formed by the spring accommodating portion 41 b and the accommodating recess 43 a of the engaging member 40. As already described, the coil spring 33 is accommodated in an elastically deformed state, and urges the ferrule 20 forward against the engaging member 40 by a repulsive force. In addition, when the front end surface 21 of the ferrule 20 is pushed rearward when the optical connector 10 is connected, the coil spring 33 is slightly contracted, and the ferrule 20 moves relative to the engaging member 40 to the rear side. .

  A stopper 56 is formed on the inner surface of the side wall 53 of the housing 50 so as to protrude inward. The stopper 56 is disposed at a position where the stopper 56 enters the recess 46 of the engagement member 40. As shown in the figure, when the housing 50 is in the release position (when the optical connector 10 is in the release state), the stopper 56 is in contact with the stepped portion 46 a that is the rear edge of the recess 46. Thereby, the movement to the rear side of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 is restricted, and the rearward removal of the housing 50 is prevented. When the housing 50 is in the restraining position (when the optical connector is in the restraining state), the stopper 56 contacts the contact portion 46 b that is the front edge of the recess 46. Thereby, the movement to the front side of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 is restrict | limited, and the front omission of the housing 50 is prevented. Thus, the recess 46 of the engaging member 40 restricts the movement of the housing 50 in the front-rear direction. Further, the movable range of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 is set by the dimension of the recess 46 in the front-rear direction. As described above, the movable range of the housing 50 relative to the engaging member 40 is set by the protrusion 43b of the engaging member 40 and the long hole 53b of the housing 50. The movable range of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 is also set by the recess 46 of the member 40.

  When the housing 50 is in the release position (when the optical connector 10 is in the release state), a portion on the front side of the contact portion 46b protrudes from the front side of the housing 50 and is exposed. In particular, since the claw portion 45 is on the front side of the concave portion 46, when the housing 50 is in the release position, all the portions of the claw portion 45 protrude from the front side of the housing 50 and are exposed.

  The distance between the front ends of the front inclined surfaces 45a of the left and right claw portions 45 is set to be wider than the left and right widths of the receiving side optical connector. This is because if the distance between the front end portions of the front inclined surface 45a is narrower than the left and right widths of the receiving optical connector, the receiving optical connector cannot be inserted between the left and right claw portions 45. The interval between the top portions 45b of the left and right claw portions 45 is set to be substantially the same as the left and right widths of the receiving side optical connector. However, the interval between the top portions 45b of the left and right claw portions 45 may be set slightly wider than the left and right widths of the receiving side optical connector, or conversely, may be set slightly narrower.

  FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the contact portion 46b of the present embodiment. FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of a comparative example. In both figures, the housing 50 is shown in the release position (the optical connector 10 is in the release state).

  In the present embodiment, when the housing 50 is in the release position (when the optical connector 10 is in the release state), the contact portion 46b of the engagement member 40 is the front edge 53c (side wall portion) of the inner surface of the side wall portion 53 of the housing 50. 53 is in contact with the front corner). The outer side of the elastic piece 42 (claw portion 45) located on the front side of the contact portion 46 b is located outside the inner wall of the side wall portion 53 of the housing 50. That is, in the present embodiment, the elastic pieces 42 of the left and right engaging members 40 are opened outward from the opening of the housing 50 as compared with the comparative example of FIG. 4C.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the elastic piece 42 (claw part 45) opens outward and the contact part 46b is in contact with the front edge 53c of the housing 50, the housing 50 is in the release position. Even when the operator grips the optical connector 10 or holds the optical connector 10 with a jig (when the optical connector 10 is in the released state), the housing 50 moves relative to the engagement member 40 to the front side. Without being released.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the elastic piece 42 including the claw portion 45 exposed from the front side of the housing 50 is opened outward toward the front side. Thus, since the elastic piece 42 is structured to open outward, even when the operator holds the optical connector 10 when the housing 50 is in the release position, the housing 50 can be easily moved forward with respect to the engaging member 40. Does not move relative.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the contact part 46b is processed so that the surface may become rougher than the other part of the outer side of the elastic piece 42. FIG. Thereby, the frictional resistance between the front edge 53c of the housing 50 and the contact portion 46b is increased, and the housing 50 does not easily move relative to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40.

  In the present embodiment, the recess 46 is formed outside the elastic piece 42, and the contact portion 46 b located at the front edge of the recess 46 is in contact with the front edge 53 c of the housing 50. As a result, the angle between the contact portion 46b and the inner surface of the side wall portion 53 of the housing 50 becomes larger than when the outside of the elastic piece 42 is simply brought into contact with the front edge 53c of the housing 50 without forming the recess 46. Therefore, the housing 50 does not easily move relative to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40.

  In the present embodiment, the contact portion 46 b is in contact with the front edge 53 c of the housing 50 in a state where the step portion 46 a located on the rear side of the recess 46 of the engagement member 40 is in contact with the stopper 56 of the housing 50. . Accordingly, relative movement of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 is restricted not only in the front direction but also in the rear direction, and the position of the housing 50 is stabilized.

<Status at the time of detachment>
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving optical connector 110. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving optical connector 110.

  As shown in the figure, in the optical connector 10 before connection, the housing 50 is in the “release position” (release state). When the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving optical connector 110, the housing 50 is in the “restraint position” (restraint state).

  The side surface 114 of the receiving side optical connector 110 is provided with a locking portion 115 formed in a concave shape. In a state where the claw portion 45 of the optical connector 10 is positioned at the locking portion 115, the housing 50 becomes the “restraining position” positioned at the foremost side with respect to the engaging member 40, so that the claw portion 45 is locked. The claw portion 45 and the locking portion 115 are engaged, and the optical connector 10 and the receiving side optical connector 110 are fastened. That is, the housing 50 is in the release position until the claw portion 45 reaches the position of the locking portion 115, and the housing 50 is in the restraining position when the claw portion 45 is engaged with the locking portion 115. In the restrained state, the inner surface of the side wall 53 of the housing 50 is in a state of restraining the outer side of the elastic piece 42.

  Hereinafter, the state of the optical connector 10 when the optical connector 10 is connected (from the state shown in FIG. 5 to the state shown in FIG. 6) will be described. Here, it is assumed that the operation of connecting the optical connector 10 is performed while the operator holds the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 of the optical connector 10 with a finger.

  7A to 7C are explanatory diagrams of the internal state of the optical connector 10 at the time of connection. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram of a state when the receiving side optical connector 110 is inserted between the claw portions 45. FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram showing a state when the ferrule 20 of the optical connector 10 comes into contact with the end face of the receiving optical connector 110. FIG. 7C is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the claw portion 45 reaches the position of the locking portion 115 and the housing 50 has moved to the restraining position.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the operator picks the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 of the optical connector 10 in the released state with his / her finger, advances the optical connector 10 toward the receiving optical connector 110, and the left and right claws The receiving side optical connector 110 is inserted between 45. Even if the position of the optical connector 10 is slightly shifted in the left-right direction with respect to the receiving-side optical connector 110 at the time of insertion, the receiving-side optical connector 110 is guided between the left and right top portions 45b by the front inclined surface 45a. Is done.

  When the receiving side optical connector 110 comes into contact with the tip end portion of the claw portion 45 or the front inclined surface 45a, the engaging member 40 receives a force from the receiving side optical connector 110 toward the rear side. At this time, since the operator holds the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50, the engaging member 40 receives a force toward the rear side with respect to the housing 50. However, in the present embodiment, the contact portion 46b of the engaging member 40 is in contact with the front edge 53c of the housing 50, so the tip portion of the claw portion 45 and the front inclined surface 45a are in contact with the receiving side optical connector 110. However, the housing 50 does not move forward relative to the engaging member 40.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the elastic piece 42 opens outward toward the front side, the surface of the contact portion 46b is roughened, and the front edge of the recess 46 formed outside the elastic piece 42 is the housing. Since the structure of contacting the front edge is adopted, the housing 50 does not easily move relative to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40.

  Further, from the state shown in FIG. 7A, the operator advances the optical connector 10 toward the receiving optical connector 110. At this time, the engaging member 40 receives a force from the receiving side optical connector 110 toward the rear side due to a frictional force between the top portion 45 b of the claw portion 45 and the side surface 114 of the receiving side optical connector 110. Since the left and right claw portions 45 receive a force inward from the front edge 53c of the housing 50, the frictional force between the top portion 45b of the claw portion 45 and the side surface 114 of the receiving side optical connector 110 increases, and the engagement member The force that 40 receives from the receiving side optical connector 110 may increase. However, at this stage, even if the left and right claw portions 45 receive a force inward from the front edge 53c of the housing 50, the left and right claw portions 45 cannot be deformed inward because of the side surface 114 of the receiving side optical connector 110. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 7A, the housing 50 cannot move relative to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40 while deforming the left and right claw portions 45 inward. For this reason, when the operator advances the optical connector 10 (the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50) toward the side optical connector 110, the engaging member 40 moves to the front side together with the housing 50. Thus, in this embodiment, since the contact part 46b of the engaging member 40 is in contact with the front edge 53c of the housing 50, even if the operator further advances the optical connector 10 from the state shown in FIG. 7A, The housing 50 does not move forward relative to the engaging member 40.

  When the operator further advances the optical connector 10 toward the receiving optical connector 110, the guide pin 31 of the optical connector 10 is inserted into the guide pin hole of the receiving optical connector 110, and as shown in FIG. Ten ferrules 20 are positioned and butt-connected to the receiving optical connector 110 with high accuracy.

  After the ferrule 20 of the optical connector 10 contacts the receiving side optical connector 110 as shown in FIG. 7B, the ferrule 20 receives a force from the receiving side optical connector 110 toward the rear side. At this time, the engaging member 40 receives a force from the ferrule 20 toward the rear side via the coil spring 33. However, in this embodiment, since the contact portion 46b of the engaging member 40 is in contact with the front edge 53c of the housing 50, the ferrule 20 exerts a force toward the rear side from the receiving side optical connector 110 in the state shown in FIG. 7B. Even if received, the engagement member 40 does not move relative to the rear side relative to the housing 50 (the housing 50 does not move relative to the engagement member 40 relative to the front side).

  From the state shown in FIG. 7B, the operator further advances the optical connector 10 toward the receiving optical connector 110. At this time, since the contact portion 46b of the engagement member 40 is in contact with the front edge 53c of the housing 50, the engagement member 40 also moves forward together with the housing 50 held by the operator. However, since the ferrule 20 is in contact with the receiving side optical connector 110, it cannot move to the front side. For this reason, while the position of the ferrule 20 is fixed, the engaging member 40 and the housing 50 move forward while the coil spring 33 is contracted (the operator resists the repulsive force of the coil spring 33, The engaging member 40 and the housing 50 are moved to the front side). In other words, the ferrule 20 moves relative to the engagement member 40 and the housing 50 while contracting the coil spring 33. When the operator further advances the optical connector 10 toward the receiving optical connector 110 from the state shown in FIG. 7B, the claw portion 45 reaches the position of the locking portion 115 of the receiving optical connector 110.

  When the claw portion 45 reaches the position of the locking portion 115 of the receiving side optical connector 110, the contact portion 46b of the engagement member 40 is in contact with the front edge 53c of the housing 50, so that the deformation portion 44 of the engagement member 40 is reached. The nail | claw part 45 enters into the latching | locking part 115, receiving a force in the direction which deform | transforms inside. When the claw portion 45 enters the locking portion 115, the contact portion 46 b is positioned inside the front edge 53 c of the housing 50, and the contact between the contact portion 46 b and the front edge 53 c is released, and the housing 50 is engaged with the engagement member 40. It becomes movable relative to the front side. On the other hand, the engaging member 40 cannot move in the front-rear direction when the claw portion 45 engages with the locking portion 115. For this reason, when the operator advances the optical connector 10 toward the receiving optical connector 110, only the housing 50 moves forward as shown in FIG. 7C.

  When the housing 50 moves to the front side, as shown in FIG. 7C, the stopper 56 formed on the inner surface of the side wall portion 53 of the housing 50 comes into contact with the contact portion 46 b of the engagement member 40, and the housing 50 with respect to the engagement member 40. Cannot move to the front. As described above, in the present embodiment, the contact portion 46b restricts the relative movement of the housing 50 to the front side in the released state, and restricts the relative movement of the housing 50 to the rear side in the restricted state. When the housing 50 moves to the front side, as shown in FIG. 7C, the rear edge of the long hole 53b of the side wall 53 of the housing 50 and the protrusion 43b of the engaging member 40 come into contact with each other. 50 cannot move to the front side. That is, when the housing 50 moves to the front side, as shown in FIG. 7C, the housing 50 moves to the “restraint position” (the optical connector 10 is in a restrained state). The operation of moving the housing 50 forward by the operator ends when the housing 50 reaches the “restraint position”.

  When the housing 50 reaches the “restraint position” as shown in FIG. 7C, the elastic piece of the engaging member 40 with the claw portion 45 of the engaging member 40 engaged with the engaging portion 115 of the receiving side optical connector 110. The outer side of 42 (claw portion 45) is restrained by the inner surface of the side wall portion 53 of the housing 50. That is, the deformation of the claw portions 45 in the directions away from each other is restricted by the inner surface of the housing 50. As a result, even if a repulsive force of the coil spring 33 is generated between the ferrule 20 and the engaging member 40, the claw portion 45 is not detached from the locking portion 115, and the engaging member 40 is pulled out to the rear side. Nor. Further, since the housing 50 does not receive a force in the front-rear direction from the engaging member 40, the housing 50 does not move from the “restraint position” even if the operator removes his / her hand from the housing 50. That is, the restraint state in which the claw portion 45 is engaged with the locking portion 115 of the receiving side optical connector 110 is maintained, and the state in which the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving side optical connector 110 is maintained.

  Through the above procedure, the optical connector 10 is fastened (connected) to the receiving side optical connector 110. According to the optical connector 10 described above, the contact portion 46b of the engagement member 40 is in contact with the front edge 53c of the housing 50 when the housing 50 is in the release position. Due to such a structure, the operator simply advances the optical connector 10 toward the receiving optical connector 110 while grasping the housing 50 with a finger, and moves the housing 50 from the “release position” to the “restraint position”. The optical connector 10 can be moved and fastened to the receiving optical connector 110.

  Next, a situation when the optical connector 10 is extracted from the receiving side optical connector 110 will be described.

First, from the state (restraint state) shown in FIG. 7C, the operator picks the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 of the optical connector 10 with a finger and moves the housing 50 to the rear side (pulls the housing 50 to the rear side). ). When the housing 50 is in the “restraint position” (in the restrained state), the claw portion 45 of the engagement member 40 is engaged with the locking portion 115 of the receiving side optical connector 110. It cannot move in the front-rear direction, and only the housing 50 moves to the rear side.
When only the housing 50 moves rearward and the front edge 53c of the housing 50 reaches the recess 46 of the engaging member 40, that is, the front edge 53c of the housing 50 reaches the position of the contact portion 46b of the engaging member 40. Then, the restraint from the outside with respect to the elastic piece 42 (claw part 45) of the engaging member 40 is released, and the deformed part 44 tries to return to the original shape. As a result, the claw part 45 is detached from the locking part 115. At this stage, the housing 50 is in the release position. When the claw portion 45 is disengaged from the locking portion 115, the engaging member 40 moves rearward together with the housing 50. At this time, the ferrule 20 does not move, the engaging member 40 and the housing 50 move to the rear side with respect to the ferrule 20, the coil spring 33 that has been shrunk at the time of connection is restored, and then the engaging member 40 The front edge of the housing recess 43a and the front end surface of the flange portion 23 of the ferrule 20 come into contact with each other, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 7B.
When the operator further moves the housing 50 to the rear side from the state shown in FIG. 7B, the ferrule 20 moves to the rear side together with the engaging member 40 (and the housing 50), and the ferrule 20 moves away from the receiving side optical connector 110. 7A, the optical connector 10 is extracted from the receiving side optical connector 110. As shown in FIG. When the optical connector 10 is removed, the housing 50 is in the release position.

  Through the above procedure, the optical connector 10 is extracted from the receiving side optical connector 110. As described above, the operator simply pulls the optical connector 10 from the receiving optical connector 110 while picking the housing 50 with a finger, and moves the housing 50 in the “restraint position” to the “release position” The connector 10 can be removed from the receiving optical connector 110.

  As described above, according to the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment, it can be easily attached to and detached from the receiving side optical connector 110 by a push-pull method.

=== Jig ===
As described above, the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment is configured to be detachable by the operator by hand. However, since the optical connector 10 is small, it may be difficult for people with large hands to attach and detach. Therefore, the attaching / detaching operation of the optical connector 10 may be performed using a jig described below.

<Configuration>
8A and 8B are perspective views of a jig 200 suitable for attaching / detaching the optical connector 10.
In the following explanation, as shown in the figure, the front, back, top, bottom, left and right of the jig are defined. The definition of this direction follows the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions defined when the optical connector 10 is described. When the optical connector 10 is held by the jig 200 for attaching / detaching the optical connector 10, the direction of the optical connector 10 described above coincides with the direction of the jig shown in the drawing.

  The jig 200 includes a jig upper surface portion 210 and a pair of opposed jig side surface portions 220. The pair of jig side surfaces 220 is formed from the left and right sides of the jig upper surface 210 to the lower side. Thus, the jig 200 is an inverted U-shaped member as a whole, and has a shape that covers the optical connector 10 from the outside. Thereby, the outer dimension of the jig 200 is larger in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction than the outer dimension of the housing 50 of the optical connector 10. For this reason, it is easier for an operator with a large hand to grip the jig 200 with a finger than to grip the housing 50 with a finger.

  The jig 200 of this embodiment is integrally molded with resin or the like. For this reason, the jig 200 can be manufactured at low cost.

  On the inner peripheral surfaces of the jig upper surface portion 210 and the jig side surface portion 220, a restricting portion 211 is formed so as to protrude inward. The restricting portion 211 is a ridge extending in the left-right direction of the inner surface of the jig upper surface portion 210. Further, the restricting portion 211 is formed at the center portion of the jig 200 in the front-rear direction.

  A holding part 221 is formed on the lower inner surface of the jig side part 220 so as to protrude inward. The grip portion 221 is a ridge extending in the front-rear direction. The grip portion 221 is a portion for supporting the lower side of the operation convex portion 54 of the side wall portion 53 of the housing 50 of the optical connector 10. For this reason, the space | interval of the left-right direction of the holding parts 221 of the left and right jig | tool side parts 220 is narrower than the external dimension of the left-right direction of the operation convex part 54 of the optical connector 10, and a pair of side wall part 53 of the optical connector 10 is. These are set slightly wider than the outer dimensions of the outer surfaces in the left-right direction (the outer dimensions of the upper surface portion 51 and the lower surface portion 52 in the left-right direction).

  Note that the protruding amount of the grip portion 221 with respect to the jig side surface portion 220 is the same as the protruding amount of the restricting portion 211 with respect to the jig upper surface portion 210 and the jig side surface portion 220. The restricting portion 211 and the grip portion 221 formed on the jig side surface portion 220 are connected at the lower center portion of the jig side surface portion 220. That is, an inverted T-shaped protrusion is formed on the inner surface of the jig side surface portion 220.

  On the front side of the restricting portion 211, a front side accommodation portion 212 surrounded by the inner peripheral surfaces of the jig upper surface portion 210 and the jig side surface portion 220 is formed. Similarly, a rear housing portion 213 surrounded by the inner surfaces of the jig upper surface portion 210 and the jig side surface portion 220 is formed on the rear side of the restricting portion 211. When the optical connector 10 is attached to the receiving optical connector 110, the operation convex portion 54 of the optical connector 10 is accommodated in the front accommodating portion 212. Further, when the optical connector 10 is removed from the receiving optical connector 110, the operation convex portion 54 of the optical connector 10 is accommodated in the rear accommodating portion 213.

  By the way, as already explained, since the operation convex portion 54 of the optical connector 10 is not formed up to the lower side of the side wall portion 53 (see FIG. 2A), the lower surface portion 52 of the optical connector 10 is temporarily in contact with the substrate or the like. Even so, there is a gap between the operation convex portion 54 and the substrate. The vertical dimension of the grip portion 221 is set so that the grip portion 221 of the jig 200 can enter the gap. Thereby, even if the lower surface portion 52 of the optical connector 10 is in contact with the substrate or the like, the optical connector 10 can be attached and detached using the jig 200.

  An operation portion 222 is formed on the outer surface of the jig side surface portion 220. The operation unit 222 is formed in a concave arc shape so that the operator can easily pick it. Further, in order to make it easier for the operator to pick, knurling (small jagged irregularities) is provided on the surface of the operation unit 222.

  The jig 200 is formed symmetrically in the front-rear direction, with the restriction portion 211 formed at the center as the center. For this reason, it is possible to use it upside down. Thereby, the operator can use the jig 200 without worrying about the front-rear direction.

<Status at the time of detachment>
FIG. 9A is an explanatory diagram when the optical connector 10 is connected using the jig 200. FIG. 9B is an explanatory diagram of a relationship between the restriction portion 211 and the grip portion 221 of the jig 200 and the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 when the optical connector 10 is connected. In FIG. 9B, for convenience of explanation, only the restriction portion 211 and the gripping portion 221 that protrude inward in the jig 200 are shown in black.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the operator inserts the jig 200 from the rear side of the optical connector 10 while grasping the operation section 222 of the jig 200 with a finger, and the front side accommodation section 212 (regulation section 211 of the jig 200). The optical connector 10 is accommodated in a space surrounded by the inner surface of the jig upper surface portion 210 and the jig side surface portion 220 on the front side. At this time, the optical connector 10 is held by the jig 200 by the grip portion 221 of the jig 200 supporting the operation convex portion 54 of the optical connector 10 from below. For this reason, even if the operator releases the hand from the optical connector 10, the optical connector 10 does not fall from the jig 200.

  The operator advances the jig 200 holding the optical connector 10 toward the receiving optical connector 110. When the optical connector 10 comes into contact with the receiving optical connector 110, the front end surface of the restricting portion 211 of the jig 200 pushes the rear end surface of the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 of the optical connector 10 forward. Thereby, the operator can move the housing 50 to the front side via the jig 200 in the same manner as when the housing 50 is directly operated with a finger. As a result, the components of the optical connector 10 act and the optical connector 10 is fastened (connected) to the receiving-side optical connector 110 in the same manner as already described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 9C is an explanatory diagram of an internal situation when the optical connector 10 is removed using the jig 200. FIG. 9D is an explanatory diagram of a relationship between the restriction portion 211 and the grip portion 221 of the jig 200 and the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 when the optical connector 10 is removed. In FIG. 9D, as in FIG. 9B, only the restriction portion 211 and the grip portion 221 that protrude inward are shown in black in the jig 200.

  As shown in FIG. 9C, the operator inserts the jig 200 from the front side of the optical connector 10 while grasping the operation section 222 of the jig 200 with his / her finger, and the rear housing portion 213 (the restriction portion 211) of the jig 200. The optical connector 10 being connected to the receiving-side optical connector 110 is accommodated in a space surrounded by the inner surface of the jig upper surface portion 210 and the jig side surface portion 220 on the rear side. Then, from the state shown in FIG. 9C, the operator moves (pulls) the jig 200 to the rear side. At this time, the rear end surface of the restricting portion 211 of the jig 200 pushes the front end surface of the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50 of the optical connector 10 to the rear side. As a result, the operator can pull the housing 50 to the rear side via the jig 200 in the same manner as when the housing 50 is directly operated with a finger. As a result, as already described, each component of the optical connector 10 acts and the optical connector 10 is detached from the receiving side optical connector 110.

  In addition, after the optical connector 10 is removed from the receiving side optical connector 110, the holding part 221 of the jig | tool 200 supports the operation convex part 54 of the optical connector 10 from the lower side, and the optical connector 10 is the jig | tool 200. Retained. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the optical connector 10 from dropping from the jig 200 immediately after the optical connector 10 is removed.

=== Connector connection system ===
FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram of a first example of the connector connection system.
A photoelectric conversion unit 130 is provided on the circuit board 120. The photoelectric conversion unit 130 is provided with an optical element 131 (photoelectric conversion element). The optical element 131 is electrically connected to the electronic circuit of the circuit board 120. The optical element 131 is a light emitting element or a light receiving element. As a light emitting element, LD (semiconductor laser element, LD: Laser Diode), LED (light emitting diode, LED: Light Emitting Diode) etc. are employable, for example. As the light receiving element, for example, a photodiode (for example, PIN-PD (PIN PhotoDiode) or APD (Avalanche PhotoDiode)) can be employed.
The aforementioned receiving side optical connector 110 is connected to the photoelectric conversion unit 130. The optical fiber 111 of the receiving side optical connector 110 is optically connected to the optical element 131 of the photoelectric conversion unit 130. Thereby, when the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving side optical connector 110, the optical fiber of the optical connector 10 is optically connected to the optical element 131.

FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram of a second example of the connector connection system. In the second example, the optical fiber 111 of the receiving optical connector 110 is not directly connected to the optical element 131.
The receiving side optical connector 110 is provided with a mirror 112. A mirror 112 is provided at the end of the optical fiber 111, and the optical element 131 and the optical fiber 111 are optically connected via the mirror 112. According to the second example, the light emitting surface and the light receiving surface of the optical element 131 can be substantially parallel to the circuit board 120. Instead of providing the mirror 112 inside the receiving side optical connector 110, the mirror 112 may be provided outside the receiving side optical connector 110.

  FIG. 10C is an explanatory diagram of a third example of the connector connection system. In the third example, the optical fiber 111 is bent by the receiving optical connector 110 and is optically connected to the optical element 131 of the photoelectric conversion unit 130. Even in this case, the light emitting surface and the light receiving surface of the optical element 131 can be substantially parallel to the circuit board 120.

  According to the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment, the pair of elastic pieces 42 of the engaging member 40 are provided in the left-right direction, and the claw portions 45 of the elastic pieces 42 are in contact with the locking portions 115 of the receiving-side optical connector 110 from the left-right direction. When engaged, the housing 50 is configured to restrain the claw portion 45 from the left-right direction. Due to such a configuration, the vertical dimension of the optical connector 10 can be reduced (thinned). As a result, for example, compared with the case where an adapter for connecting an MPO optical connector is provided on the circuit board 120, the vertical direction of the connector connection system including the receiving side optical connector 110 and the photoelectric conversion unit 130 on the circuit board 120 Can be reduced (thinned).

  Further, since the operation convex portion 54 of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment is not formed up to the lower side of the side wall portion 53 (see FIG. 2A), even if the optical connector 10 is connected to the receiving side optical connector 110. A gap is formed between the operation convex portion 54 and the circuit board 120, and the grip portion 221 of the jig 200 can enter the gap. Since the operation convex portion 54 of the optical connector 10 is configured in this way, the distance between the receiving optical connector 110 and the upper surface of the circuit board 120 can be reduced, so that the vertical dimension of the connector connection system is reduced (thinly thinner). )it can.

=== Comparative Example ===
<Comparative optical connector>
11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams of an optical connector of a comparative example. FIG. 11B is the same view as FIG. 4C. In the optical connector of the comparative example, the claw portions 45 of the left and right engaging members 40 are not opened outward, and the contact portion 46 b is not in contact with the front edge 53 c of the housing 50.

  In the case of such an optical connector of the comparative example, the housing 50 moves forward with respect to the engaging member 40 when the receiving optical connector 110 comes into contact with the tip of the claw portion 45 or the front inclined surface 45a when the optical connector is connected. There is a risk. If the housing 50 moves to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40 at this stage, the left and right claw portions 45 cannot be opened outward by the housing 50, and the receiving side optical connector is placed between the left and right claw portions 45. Can not be inserted into. Furthermore, if the receiving optical connector 110 is to be inserted between the left and right claws 45 in a state where the housing 50 has moved to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40, the claws 45 may be damaged.

<Jig of comparative example>
In the case of the optical connector of the comparative example, the engaging member 40 and the housing 50 can be pushed forward together until the claw portion 45 reaches the position of the locking portion 115 of the receiving side optical connector 110 when the optical connector is connected. It is necessary to configure a jig. On the other hand, after the claw portion 45 reaches the position of the locking portion 115 of the receiving optical connector 110, the housing 50 can be pushed forward with respect to the engaging member 40 (only the housing 50 can be pushed forward). ), It is necessary to configure the jig. For this reason, the jig for attaching the optical connector of the comparative example to the receiving side optical connector 110 needs to be configured with at least two parts, and further, the two parts need to be configured to be movable relative to each other. As a result, the jig of the comparative example has a complicated structure and is expensive.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the optical connector 10 is configured such that the contact portion 46b of the engagement member 40 contacts the front edge 53c of the side wall portion 53 of the housing 50 when the housing 50 is in the release position. Therefore, the jig may be configured to simply push the housing 50 to the front side. For this reason, the jig 200 of the present embodiment can be integrally formed with one component and can be manufactured at low cost.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above-described embodiments are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved as follows, for example, without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

<About optical fiber>
In the above-described embodiment, a single 12-fiber optical fiber ribbon is used. However, the number of optical fibers held by the ferrule 20 is not limited to twelve optical fibers, and other numbers may be used. Further, a plurality of optical fiber ribbons may be provided, and a plurality of optical fibers in which the ferrule 20 is two-dimensionally arranged may be held. Also, the number of optical fibers may be one instead of a plurality.

<About the contact portion 46b>
In the above-described embodiment, the surface of the contact portion 46b is processed to be rougher than other portions outside the elastic piece 42. However, it is not limited to this. The contact portion 46b may have the same surface roughness as other portions. Even with such a configuration, the forward movement of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 can be restricted. However, in this case, the housing 50 is easily moved to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40 as compared with the above-described embodiment.

<About the recess 46>
In the above-described embodiment, the recess 46 is formed outside the elastic piece 42, and the front edge of the recess 46 is in contact with the front edge of the housing in the released state. However, it is not limited to such a structure. For example, the elastic piece 42 may be formed by opening the elastic piece 42 to the outside without forming a recess in the elastic piece 42, thereby bringing the outer side of the elastic piece 42 into contact with the front edge 53 c of the housing 50. Even with such a configuration, the forward movement of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 can be restricted. However, in this case, the housing 50 is easily moved to the front side with respect to the engaging member 40 as compared with the above-described embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, the stopper 56 is formed on the inner surface of the housing, and in the released state, the stopper 56 and the stepped portion 46a located at the rear edge of the recessed portion 46 are in contact with each other, thereby Movement to the side was restricted. However, it is not limited to such a structure. For example, the rearward movement of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 is also restricted by the contact between the front edge of the long hole 53b of the housing 50 and the protrusion 43b of the engaging member 40. It is also possible to eliminate the structure in which the stepped portion 46a contacts with the stepped portion 46a.

  Similarly, in the above-described embodiment, the movement of the housing 50 toward the front side with respect to the engaging member is restricted by the stopper 56 and the contact portion 46b coming into contact with each other in the restrained state. However, it is not limited to such a structure. For example, the forward movement of the housing 50 with respect to the engaging member 40 is also restricted by the contact of the rear edge of the long hole 53b of the housing 50 and the protrusion 43b of the engaging member 40. It is also possible to eliminate the structure in contact with the contact portion 46b.

<About the operation convex part 54>
In the above-described embodiment, the operation convex portion 54 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing 50. However, even without the operation convex portion 54, the operator can attach and detach the optical connector 10 by holding the housing 50 with a finger. However, in this case, as compared with the above-described embodiment, the operator's attachment / detachment work becomes inconvenient and the attachment / detachment work using a jig cannot be performed.

<About the jig 200>
According to the above-described embodiment, the regulation part 211 is formed in the center part of the jig 200, whereby the accommodation part for accommodating the optical connector 10 is configured before and after the regulation part 211. It was possible to use it upside down. However, the jig is not limited to such a structure. For example, the above-described jig 200 may be divided into two at the center, and the housing portion for housing the optical connector 10 may be a single jig. However, in this case, the operator needs to perform the attaching / detaching work while paying attention to the front-back direction of the jig.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the grip portion 221 is formed on the lower inner surface of the jig side surface portion 220 of the jig 200. However, even if the jig does not have the grip portion 221, it is possible to attach and detach the optical connector 10 using the jig by bringing the regulating portion 211 into contact with the operation convex portion 54 of the housing 50. However, in this case, the operator may drop the optical connector 10 when the optical connector 10 is attached or detached.

1 optical fiber, 10 optical connector,
20 ferrule, 21 tip surface, 22 guide pin hole, 23 flange,
31 guide pin, 31a flange,
32 Pink lamp, 33 Coil spring,
40 engaging member, 41 receiving part,
41a optical fiber insertion hole, 41b spring accommodating portion, 41c spring contact portion,
42 elastic pieces, 43 guide portions, 43a storage recesses, 43b protrusions,
44 deformation part, 45 claw part, 45a front side inclined surface, 45b top part,
46 recessed part, 46a step part, 46b contact part,
50 housing 51 upper surface 52 lower surface 52
53 side wall part, 53a guide groove, 53b long hole, 53c front edge,
54 convex part for operation, 56 stopper,
110 receiving side optical connector, 111 receiving side optical connector optical fiber,
112 mirror, 114 side surface, 115 locking part,
120 circuit boards, 130 photoelectric conversion units, 131 optical elements,
200 jig, 210 upper surface part of jig, 211 regulating part, 212 front side accommodating part,
213 Rear housing part, 220 Jig side face part, 221 Gripping part, 222 Operation part

Claims (10)

A ferrule holding an optical fiber;
The ferrule has a pair of elastic pieces having a claw portion that engages with a locking portion on the side surface of the receiving side optical connector, and the ferrule when the opposite side is the rear side when viewed from the optical fiber. An engagement member that movably accommodates the rear side while urging the force to the front side,
A cylindrical housing that is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the engaging member, wherein the claw portion is engaged with the locking portion by the movement toward the front side with respect to the engaging member. A housing in a restrained state in which the outside is restrained by the inside surface;
With
In the released state, which is a state before the housing is moved to the front side with respect to the engaging member and before the receiving side optical connector is inserted between the pair of claw portions, the elastic piece The optical connector is characterized in that movement of the housing to the front side with respect to the engaging member is restricted by contacting the outer edge of the housing with the front edge of the housing. The optical connector according to claim 1,
The optical connector is characterized in that, in the released state, the elastic piece is opened outward toward the front side. The optical connector according to claim 1 or 2,
The optical connector is characterized in that a portion of the outer side of the elastic piece that contacts the front edge of the housing has a rougher surface than other portions of the outer side of the elastic piece. The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A recess is formed on the outside of the elastic piece,
In the released state, the front edge of the recess and the front edge of the housing are in contact with each other, so that the movement of the housing to the front side with respect to the engaging member is restricted. The optical connector according to claim 4,
A stopper protruding inward is formed on the inner surface of the housing,
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein in the released state, the rearward movement of the housing relative to the engaging member is restricted by contact between the stopper and a rear edge of the recess. The optical connector according to claim 5,
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein movement of the housing relative to the engaging member is restricted by contacting the stopper and the front edge of the recess in the restrained state. The optical connector according to claim 1,
An optical connector, wherein a convex portion protruding outward is formed on at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing. The optical connector according to claim 7,
The said convex part is formed in the upper side of the side wall part which is the outer peripheral surface of the said housing, and is not formed in the lower side of the said side wall part, The optical connector characterized by the above-mentioned. (A) a ferrule holding an optical fiber;
The ferrule has a pair of elastic pieces having a claw portion that engages with a locking portion on the side surface of the receiving side optical connector, and the ferrule when the opposite side is the rear side when viewed from the optical fiber. An engagement member that movably accommodates the rear side while urging the force to the front side,
A convex portion that protrudes outward is formed on at least a part of the outer peripheral surface, and is a cylindrical housing that is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the engagement member. A housing that is in a constrained state in which the outer surface of the elastic piece is constrained by an inner surface in a state where the claw portion is engaged with the locking portion by movement;
An optical connector comprising:
In the released state, which is a state before the housing is moved to the front side with respect to the engaging member and before the receiving side optical connector is inserted between the pair of claw portions, the elastic piece A jig used for attaching and detaching the optical connector in which movement of the housing to the front side with respect to the engaging member is restricted by contacting the front edge of the housing with the outside of the housing,
(B) comprising an upper surface portion and a pair of opposing side surface portions provided on both sides of the upper surface portion;
A space for accommodating the optical connector is formed by the inner peripheral surfaces of the upper surface portion and the pair of side surface portions,
A restricting portion for moving the housing in the front-rear direction relative to the engaging member in contact with the convex portion of the optical connector accommodated in the space protrudes inward from the inner peripheral surface. A jig characterized by being formed. The jig according to claim 9, wherein
A grip portion for gripping the optical connector by supporting the convex portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing of the optical connector housed in the space from below is provided inward from the inner surface of the side surface portion. A jig characterized by projecting toward the surface.

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