JP2013054104A - Optical fiber connection device and method for attaching optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber connection device for preventing malfunction of an optical fiber while maintaining assembly easiness, and a method for attaching the optical fiber.SOLUTION: An optical connector 1 includes: a connector body 4 which has a ferrule 3, an optical fiber holding hole 23 for inserting an optical fiber 2 into the side of the ferrule 3, a deflection permission part 13 which is provided so as to be connected to the optical fiber holding hole 23 to permit deflection of the optical fiber, and an opening K which communicates the optical fiber holding hole 23 with the deflection permission part 13; and a fiber guide cover 30 which blocks the opening K. An optical fiber holding part 5 is arranged in the back of the connector body 4 to hold the optical fiber 2. The fiber guide cover 30 is constituted so as to move by insertion force of the optical fiber holding part 5 into the connector body 4 to open the opening K.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector for connecting optical fibers to each other and a method for attaching an optical fiber to the optical fiber connector.

  Conventionally, an optical fiber and another fiber (such as a short fiber) are brought into contact with each other, and further, the optical fiber is bent, so that an elastic restoring force is applied to the optical fiber, thereby connecting the optical fiber and the other fiber. Connectors to maintain are known. For example, the optical connector described in Patent Document 1 has a bending space portion that allows the optical fiber to bend when the optical fiber comes into contact with the ferrule of the counterpart connector. In the bending space portion, the optical fiber and the counterpart fiber are provided. In a state where the optical fiber is not in contact with the optical fiber, the bending of the optical fiber is suppressed by the bending suppression portion. In this optical connector, when the optical fiber protruding from the end face of the ferrule and the ferrule of the mating connector come into contact with each other, the bending suppression portion is moved by the force with which the optical fiber is pushed back toward the inner side of the ferrule. The optical fiber is allowed to be bent.

JP 2010-175760 A

  In the conventional optical connector described above, a bending space is formed when abutting against the counterpart fiber, and therefore, for example, a work for removing a wedge or the like that closes the bending space can be omitted, which is effective for simplifying the assembly work. It is. However, in this conventional optical connector, when the optical fiber protruding from the end face comes into contact with the ferrule of the mating connector, a load is applied to the end face of the optical fiber, so that the end face of the optical fiber may be damaged. Even if a load is applied to the optical fiber in this way, if a sufficient load is not applied to form the bending space, the bending space is not formed, and the load causes the optical fiber to move inside the connector. Occurrence of defects such as breakage is assumed.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber connector and an optical fiber mounting method capable of preventing a problem that an optical fiber is damaged while maintaining ease of assembly. And

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an optical fiber connector according to the present invention includes a ferrule, an optical fiber holding hole through which the optical fiber is inserted into the ferrule side, and the optical fiber. A bendable portion that is provided to communicate with the holding hole and allows the optical fiber to bend, an opening that connects the optical fiber holding hole and the bendable portion, a closing member that closes the opening, and a closing member are accommodated The closure member can be moved by the insertion force of the optical fiber gripping part, which is disposed on the rear end side of the main body part and grips the optical fiber, to open the opening part. It is comprised by these.

  In this optical fiber connector, the closing member moves by the insertion force of the optical fiber gripping part into the main body part to open the opening part. That is, by the operation of inserting the optical fiber gripping part that grips the optical fiber, the opening is opened and the bending allowance part and the optical fiber holding hole are communicated. Accordingly, since the opening can be opened without applying an additional load for opening the opening at the tip of the optical fiber, problems such as breakage or damage of the optical fiber can be prevented. Further, since the opening is opened by the operation of inserting the optical fiber gripper, for example, the work of removing the wedge can be omitted, and the assembly can be easily performed.

  The closing member or the accommodating portion is provided with a movement control unit that controls the moving direction of the closing member, and the closing member preferably opens the opening by moving in a predetermined direction by the movement control unit. According to such a configuration, the closing member can be moved in the direction in which the opening is opened, and the opening can be more reliably opened by the insertion of the optical fiber gripping portion. Moreover, since the closing member can be moved in a desired direction, the degree of freedom in designing the optical fiber connector can be increased.

  It is preferable that the ferrule incorporates a short fiber to be connected to the optical fiber, and the ferrule and the housing portion are relatively movable in the proximity direction. According to such a configuration, after the short fiber and the optical fiber are brought into contact with each other, the optical fiber can be bent at the bending allowance portion by further moving the ferrule and the housing portion in the proximity direction. In addition, even when foreign matter or the like is attached to the optical fiber holding hole and the optical fiber is inserted only partway, the short fiber and the optical fiber can be moved relative to each other by moving the ferrule and the housing portion in the proximity direction. Connection can be made and connection failure can be prevented.

  The optical fiber is a coated optical fiber, and the main body portion is pressed from the tip of the coated optical fiber by abutting and pressing the tip surface of the coated optical fiber held by the optical fiber holding portion. It is preferable to further include a removable coating removal unit. According to such a configuration, since the coating is removed at the coating removing unit by the optical fiber insertion operation, the work of attaching the optical fiber to the optical fiber connector can be further simplified.

  The optical fiber mounting method according to the present invention includes a ferrule incorporating a short fiber, an optical fiber holding hole through which the optical fiber is inserted into the ferrule side, and an optical fiber provided so as to communicate with the optical fiber holding hole. A main body having a bendable portion that allows bend, an opening that connects the optical fiber holding hole and the bendable portion, a closing member that closes the opening, and a receiving portion that houses the closing member; An optical fiber is connected to an optical fiber connector configured such that a member is disposed on the rear end side of the main body portion and moves by an insertion force into the main body portion of the optical fiber gripping portion that grips the optical fiber so that the opening can be opened. In the mounting method, the optical fiber is gripped by the optical fiber gripping part, the optical fiber is inserted into the optical fiber holding hole, and the closing member is moved by the insertion force of the optical fiber gripping part. After opening the opening, with connecting abut the short fiber and the optical fiber, characterized in that deflecting the optical fiber at the bending allowable part.

  In this optical fiber mounting method, the closing member is moved by the insertion force of the optical fiber gripping portion into the main body, and the opening is opened. That is, by the operation of inserting the optical fiber gripping part that grips the optical fiber, the opening is opened and the bending allowance part and the optical fiber holding hole are communicated. Therefore, the opening can be opened without applying a load to the optical fiber, and the short fiber and the optical fiber can be connected, so that problems such as breakage and damage of the optical fiber can be prevented. Further, since the opening is opened by the operation of inserting the optical fiber gripper, assembly can be easily performed.

  The optical fiber is a coated optical fiber, and the main body portion is provided with a coating removing unit that can be pressed against the coated optical fiber to remove the coating of the coated optical fiber. When gripping the fiber and inserting the optical fiber into the optical fiber holding hole, the tip of the coated optical fiber is brought into contact with the coating removal portion, and a first insertion force is applied to the optical fiber gripping portion to apply the coated light. After pressing the tip of the fiber against the coating removal part and removing the coating from the tip of the coated optical fiber, the second insertion force is applied to the optical fiber gripping part to move the blocking member to open the opening. Is preferred. Thereby, since the coating is removed by the operation of inserting the optical fiber, the work of attaching the optical fiber to the optical fiber connector can be further simplified. In addition, since the bending allowance part is opened after the coating removal operation, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a failure such that the optical fiber is bent during the coating removal operation and the insertion force necessary for the coating removal is insufficient to cause the coating removal to fail. it can.

  The coating removal unit is provided so as to be movable in a direction close to the ferrule, and after removing the coating of the coated optical fiber, a second insertion force larger than the first insertion force is applied to the optical fiber gripping unit. Accordingly, it is preferable that the closing member is moved to open the opening, the coating removal portion is brought close to the ferrule to connect the short fiber and the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is bent at the bending allowance portion. In this way, by applying a second insertion force that is greater than the first insertion force when removing the coating, the bending allowance portion is opened, so that the optical fiber is bent during the coating removal operation. It is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of a failure such as the occurrence of the occurrence of a shortage of the insertion force necessary for the coating removal and the failure of the coating removal.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the malfunction of an optical fiber can be prevented, maintaining assembly ease.

It is a perspective view which shows an optical connector as one Embodiment of the optical fiber connector which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the optical connector shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structural member of an optical connector. (A) is a perspective view which shows the state by which the fiber guide was inserted in the fiber guide cover, (b) is the bb sectional view taken on the line in (a). (A) is a perspective view which shows the state by which the fiber guide cover was inserted in the joint, (b) is the figure which looked at (a) from the downward direction. (A) is a perspective view which shows the state by which the fiber guide was inserted in the fiber guide cover, (b) is the bb sectional view taken on the line in (a). (A) is a perspective view which shows the state by which the fiber guide cover was inserted in the joint, (b) is the figure which looked at (a) from the downward direction. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a fiber guide cover. It is a figure explaining the method of attaching an optical fiber to an optical connector. It is a figure explaining the method of attaching an optical fiber to an optical connector. It is a figure explaining the method of attaching an optical fiber to an optical connector. It is a figure explaining the method of attaching an optical fiber to an optical connector. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an optical connector as one Embodiment of the optical fiber connector which concerns on a modification.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an optical connector as an embodiment of an optical fiber connector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical connector shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, illustration of a part of the housing 6 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical fiber connector of the present embodiment is an optical connector 1. The optical connector 1 is a component that optically connects the optical fiber 2 and the short glass fiber 3b to each other. The optical connector 1 includes a ferrule 3, a connector main body (main body portion) 4 that accommodates and holds the optical fiber 2, and an optical fiber holding portion 5 that holds the optical fiber 2 at the rear end portion of the connector main body 4. Yes. The connector body 4 and the optical fiber grip 5 are covered with a housing 6 shown in FIG. In the following description, the left side in FIG. 2 is “front”, the right side is “rear”, the upper side is “upper”, the lower side is “lower”, and the “front”, “rear”, “upper” of the optical connector 1 is described. ”And“ bottom ”.

  The optical fiber 2 is a coated optical fiber, and has a glass fiber 2a made of a core and a clad, and a coating 2b provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the glass fiber 2a, as shown in FIG. Yes. The outer diameter of the glass fiber 2a is 125 μm, and the outer diameter of the coating 2b (optical fiber 2) is 250 μm.

  The ferrule 3 is a columnar member formed of zirconia having high weather resistance and high mechanical strength, and is attached to the front end portion of the connector body 4. In the ferrule 3, a short glass fiber (short fiber) 3b is built in a fixed hole 3a formed coaxially.

  The connector body 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing components of the optical connector. 4A is a perspective view showing a state where the fiber guide is inserted into the fiber guide cover, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a state in which the fiber guide cover is inserted into the joint, and FIG. 5B is a view of FIG. 5A viewed from below. 6A is a perspective view showing a state where the fiber guide is inserted into the fiber guide cover, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 6A. FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing a state in which the fiber guide cover is inserted into the joint, and FIG. 7B is a view of FIG. 7A as viewed from below. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the fiber guide cover.

  As shown in each drawing, the connector body 4 includes a base member 10, a fiber guide 20, a fiber guide cover (blocking member) 30, a joint (accommodating portion) 40, a sheath removing portion 50, and a fiber fixing portion 60. And have. A holding recess 11 that holds the ferrule 3 is formed at the front end of the base member 10. In addition, the base member 10 is formed with an accommodating portion 12 that accommodates and holds the joint 40. On the upper part of the base member 10, a bending allowance portion 13 that allows the optical fiber 2 to be bent is formed. The bending allowance portion 13 is a recess that defines a bending space, and communicates with an optical fiber holding hole 23 described later. The deflection allowing portion 13 is visible from the upper part of the connector body 4. That is, in the connector main body 4, it is possible to confirm the state (the state shown in FIG. 2) where the optical fiber 2 is bent.

  The fiber guide 20 has a guide portion 21 and a distal end portion 22 provided on the distal end side of the guide portion 21. The guide portion 21 forms an optical fiber holding hole 23 in cooperation with the fiber guide cover 30. The optical fiber holding hole 23 introduces the optical fiber 2 to the ferrule 3 side. The tip 22 has a cylindrical shape, and a through hole 22 a through which the optical fiber 2 is inserted is formed. The tip portion 22 is provided with a pair of projecting pieces 24a and 24b projecting outward.

  The fiber guide cover 30 includes a cylindrical guide housing portion 31 that forms a housing space for housing the fiber guide 20, and a cutout portion 32 that is formed by cutting a part along the longitudinal direction of the guide housing portion 31. , A moving portion 33 provided on the distal end side of the guide accommodating portion 31 and a columnar protrusion 34 protruding outward from the guide accommodating portion 31. The fiber guide cover 30 is rotatably provided relative to the fiber guide 20 in a state where the fiber guide 20 is accommodated in the guide accommodating portion 31. The tip of the fiber guide cover 30 is in contact with the tip 22 of the fiber guide 20.

  The notch 32 defines an opening K in cooperation with the guide 21 of the fiber guide 20 as shown in FIG. The moving part 33 protrudes outside the guide housing part 31 and has a side surface formed in a spiral shape. The moving unit 33 has a shape corresponding to a movement control unit 45 of the joint 40 described later.

  The joint 40 is provided at the front end side of the small cylindrical portion 41, the rear of the small cylindrical portion 41, the large cylindrical portion 42 having an outer diameter larger than that of the small cylindrical portion 41, and the rear of the large cylindrical portion 42. And a side wall portion 43 having a semicircular cross section. The small cylindrical portion 41 is formed with a locking portion 44 that engages with the locking claw 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the locking claw 14 is formed so as to protrude inside the base member 10. The locking claw 14 has a triangular cross section, and has an upward slope from the rear to the front of the base member 10. As a result, the locking portion 44 engaged with the locking claw 14 is allowed to move forward (in the direction close to the ferrule 3) and is restricted from moving backward (in the direction away from the ferrule 3). The The locking claw 14 of the base member 10 and the locking part 44 of the joint 40 are a latch mechanism.

  A movement control unit 45 is provided inside the large cylindrical portion 42. The movement control unit 45 is a part that controls the moving direction of the moving unit 33 of the fiber guide cover 30. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the movement control unit 45 is in contact with the movement unit 33 of the fiber guide cover 30, and the shape of the movement unit 33 is changed so as to change the forward movement of the fiber guide cover 30 into a rotational movement. The side surface is formed in a spiral shape. Thereby, the moving part 33 of the fiber guide cover 30 slides along the movement control part 45 of the joint 40, whereby the fiber guide cover 30 is rotated by the forward movement.

  A guide groove 46 is formed in the side wall portion 43. As shown in FIG. 5B, the guide groove 46 is formed from the side wall portion 43 of the joint 40 to the large cylindrical portion 42. The guide groove 46 is formed in a straight line in the side wall portion 43, and is curved along the outer peripheral portion in the large cylindrical portion 42. Accordingly, the fiber guide cover 30 that moves along the guide groove 46 rotates by moving along the curved portion of the guide groove 46.

  Next, the movement of the fiber guide cover 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the fiber guide cover 30 has an initial position of the guide groove 46 of the joint 40 in the initial state, that is, in a state where the optical fiber gripping portion 5 is not attached to the connector body 4. Is located. The initial position of the guide groove 46 is the foremost position of the straight line portion in the guide groove 46. When the protrusion 34 is positioned at the initial position of the guide groove 46, the opening K is closed by the fiber guide 20 as shown in FIG. That is, the bending allowance portion 13 and the optical fiber holding hole 23 are not in communication with each other.

  From this state, when the protrusion 34 of the fiber guide cover 30 moves forward along the guide groove 46 (when the moving unit 33 slides along the movement control unit 45), as shown in FIG. The tip enters the large cylindrical portion 42 of the joint 40. At this time, the fiber guide cover 30 rotates clockwise in the backward view as it moves forward, and opens the opening K as shown in FIG. 6B (opened by the fiber guide 20 and the fiber guide cover 30). Define part K). Thereby, the optical fiber holding hole 23 and the bending allowance portion 13 are communicated with each other by the opening K, and the bending of the optical fiber 2 is allowed.

  Returning to FIG. 2, a coating removing unit 50 is provided at the front end of the fiber guide 20. The coating removing unit 50 removes the coating 2b of the optical fiber 2 to expose the glass fiber 2a. Specifically, the coating removing unit 50 is formed such that the inner diameter of the conical removing unit 51 is smaller than the diameter of the optical fiber holding hole 23 of the fiber guide 20. That is, the optical fiber 2 is formed to be larger than the glass fiber 2a and smaller than the coating 2b, and the front end (tip) of the optical fiber 2 inserted through the optical fiber holding hole 23 is pressed, whereby the optical fiber 2 The coating 2b is removed from the front end. The removed coating 2b is accommodated in the coating accommodating portion 52.

  A holding unit 70 is disposed between the fiber guide cover 30 and the optical fiber gripping unit 5. The holding part 70 is constituted by a plurality of (here, three) support parts 71a, 71b, 71c that pass through the optical fiber 2 and support the outer peripheral surface thereof. The support portions 71a, 71b, 71c are arranged with a predetermined interval in the initial state where the optical fiber gripping portion 5 is not inserted into the base member 10, and are pressed by the optical fiber gripping portion 5. As a result, the distance between the support portions 71a, 71b, 71c is reduced. The predetermined interval between the support portions 71a, 71b, 71c in the initial state is set to an interval at which the optical fiber 2 is not bent. Thereby, the holding part 70 suppresses that the optical fiber 2 bends in the space between the fiber guide cover 30 and the optical fiber holding part 5 when the compressive stress of the optical axis direction acts on the optical fiber 2. .

  The fiber fixing part 60 is disposed in front of the joint 40 in the base member 10, and sandwiches and fixes the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a by a mechanical splice. The fiber fixing part 60 has a first fixing part 61 and a second fixing part 62. The 1st fixing | fixed part 61 is arrange | positioned under the short glass fiber 3b (glass fiber 2a), and the substantially V-shaped groove | channel (not shown) is formed. The short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a are disposed in the substantially V-shaped groove. The 2nd fixing | fixed part 62 is arrange | positioned above the short glass fiber 3b (glass fiber 2a). The fiber fixing part 60 fixes the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a by sandwiching (clamping) the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a between the first fixing part 61 and the second fixing part 62. In the fiber fixing portion 60, a refractive index matching grease (not shown) is applied at the abutting position between the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a.

  The optical fiber holding part 5 is a substantially cylindrical member that holds the optical fiber 2 by inserting the optical fiber 2 and holding the outer cover 2 c that covers the optical fiber 2. The optical fiber holding part 5 is attached to the optical fiber 2 so that the optical fiber 2 extends from the distal end surface. The optical fiber gripping part 5 is disposed on the rear end side of the base member 10 and fixes the optical fiber 2 to the optical connector 1.

  Next, a method for mounting the optical fiber 2 on the optical connector 1 having the above-described configuration (a method for mounting the optical fiber 2) will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, illustration of the housing 6 is abbreviate | omitted in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the base member 10, the fiber guide 20, the fiber guide cover 30, the joint 40, the coating removal unit 50, and the fiber fixing unit 60 are assembled to prepare the connector body 4. Further, the ferrule 3 is attached to the connector main body 4 (base member 10). At this time, a gap D is formed between the joint 40 and the fiber fixing portion 60. Further, the protrusion 34 of the fiber guide 20 is positioned in the initial state in the guide groove 46 of the joint 40, that is, the opening K is closed by the fiber guide cover 30 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the tip of the optical fiber 2 is brought into contact with the coating removing unit 50 by inserting the optical fiber gripping part 5 in the insertion direction. Then, an insertion force F <b> 1 is applied to the optical fiber gripping part 5 to press the tip of the optical fiber 2 against the coating removing part 50. As a result, the coating 2 b at the tip of the optical fiber 2 is removed by the coating removing unit 50. At this time, the distance between the support portions 71a, 71b, 71c of the holding portion 70 is reduced by being pressed by the optical fiber gripping portion 5. Normally, there is a portion where the optical fiber 2 is not held by the length of the coating removal portion, and there may be a problem that the coating removal operation fails due to bending of the optical fiber 2 during the coating removal operation. In this way, the portions where the optical fiber 2 is not held by the support portions 71a, 71b, 71c of the holding portion 70 are divided into a plurality of portions, and the portions are narrowed along with the coating removal operation (the insertion operation of the optical fiber 2). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the optical fiber 2 from being bent during the coating removal operation.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11, an insertion force F2 larger than the insertion force F1 is applied to the optical fiber gripping portion 5, and the optical fiber gripping portion 5 is further pushed. Thereby, the fiber guide cover 30 is pressed through the holding part 70, and the protrusion part 34 and the moving part 33 of the fiber guide cover 30 move forward along the guide groove 46 and the movement control part 45 of the joint 40 (FIG. 6). To FIG. 8). At this time, the coating removal part 50 comes close to the ferrule 3 side together with the joint 40 and the like, and the gap D becomes small.

  The fiber guide cover 30 is rotated by the forward movement of the fiber guide cover 30, the opening K is defined by the fiber guide 20 and the fiber guide cover 30, and the optical fiber holding hole 23 and the bending allowance portion 13 are separated. The optical fiber 2 is allowed to bend by being communicated. In this state, since the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a are not in contact with each other, there is no problem that the tip is damaged by the insertion force F1 applied to the optical fiber 2 by the coating removal operation. In the fiber guide 20, the protruding pieces 24 a and 24 b provided at the distal end portion 22 are locked by locking portions (not shown) provided inside the joint 40, and the rotation is restricted. Therefore, only the fiber guide cover 30 rotates.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12, after the opening K is opened, the optical fiber gripping part 5 is further pushed in, so that the joint 50 comes close to the ferrule 3 side and the gap D becomes “0”, and the glass fiber 2a hits the short glass fiber 3b. Then, the optical fiber 2 bends at the bending allowance portion 13. Thereby, an elastic restoring force acts on the optical fiber 2, and the tip of the optical fiber 2 is pressed to the short glass fiber 3b side. Therefore, the connection state of the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a is stably maintained.

  Finally, the wedge 63 between the first fixing portion 61 and the second fixing portion 62 of the fiber fixing portion 60 is removed, and the fiber fixing portion 60 is clamped to connect the optical fiber 2 to the optical connector 1 as shown in FIG. Secure to. Thus, the mounting of the optical fiber 2 to the optical connector 1 is completed.

  Next, functions and effects of the optical connector 1 will be described. Conventionally, in an optical connector, in order to stably maintain the connection between the short glass fiber held by the ferrule and the glass fiber of the optical fiber, the short glass fiber and the glass fiber are connected, and the optical fiber is further bent. Furthermore, the structure which presses a short glass fiber with an optical fiber is employ | adopted. In the conventional optical connector having such a configuration, since it is necessary to bend the optical fiber after the short glass fiber and the glass fiber are connected, the bending allowance portion that allows the optical fiber to bend until the fibers are connected to each other. And the optical fiber holding hole must be closed by a wedge (blocking member). Therefore, in the conventional connector, (1) the optical fiber is inserted into the connector main body, (2) the wedge that closes the opening is removed, (3) it is confirmed that the fibers abut each other, and (4) the wedge of the fiber fixing portion. It is necessary to perform the operation of removing the fiber and clamping the fibers, and there is a problem that the workability deteriorates due to the increase in the step (2).

  Regarding this problem, when the optical fiber protruding from the end face of the ferrule and the ferrule of the mating connector come into contact with each other, the bending suppression portion is moved by the force with which the optical fiber is pushed back in the inner direction of the ferrule, so that the bending space portion becomes There has been proposed a connector that is formed and allows the optical fiber to bend. In this connector, an operation of removing, for example, a wedge that closes the bending space when the optical fiber is inserted can be omitted, which is effective in simplifying the assembly operation. However, in this conventional connector, since a load is applied to the optical fiber, the optical fiber may be damaged. Also, it is difficult to set the load that releases the restrained state of the deflection control unit, and if the set load for release is small, the restrained state is released when the fiber is inserted. May not be released and the fiber may be broken.

  On the other hand, in the optical connector 1 of the present embodiment, the fiber guide cover 30 is pressed via the holding portion 70 by the insertion force that inserts the optical fiber gripping portion 5 into the connector main body 4. At this time, the fiber guide cover 30 moves and rotates along the guide groove 46 and the movement control unit 45 of the joint 40. Accordingly, the opening K is defined by the fiber guide 20 and the fiber guide cover 30, the optical fiber holding hole 23 and the bending allowance portion 13 are connected, and the bending of the optical fiber 2 is allowed. Therefore, the opening K is opened by the operation of inserting the optical fiber 2. Therefore, since the operation of removing the wedge that closes the opening K as in the prior art can be omitted, the workability can be improved.

  The opening K is opened by pressing the fiber guide cover 30 with the optical fiber gripper 5. That is, since the optical fiber 2 moves forward integrally with the joint 40, the coating removal part 50, the fiber guide 20 and the fiber guide cover 30, almost no load is applied to the optical fiber 2. Therefore, damage or breakage of the optical fiber 2 due to the operation of opening the opening K can be prevented, and reliability can be ensured.

  In addition, since the holding unit 70 is provided between the optical fiber gripping unit 5 and the fiber guide cover 30, the optical fiber 2 is removed when the coating 2 b of the optical fiber 2 is removed by the coating removing unit 50. It can prevent bending in the space between 30 and the optical fiber holding part 5. FIG. Therefore, in the assembly of the optical connector 1, damage to the optical fiber 2 can be prevented more reliably.

  Further, when the optical fiber 2 is attached to the optical connector 1, the coating removal portion 60 is advanced and bent rather than the insertion force F <b> 1 that pushes the optical fiber 2 when the coating removal portion 50 removes the coating 2 b of the optical fiber 2. The insertion force F2 when opening the allowance part 13 is increased (F1 <F2). Thus, by increasing the insertion force F2 when connecting the fibers 2a and 3b that open the bending allowance portion 13 to each other than the insertion force F1, the bending allowance portion 13 is released after the sheath removal operation. It is possible to prevent a problem that the optical fiber 2 is bent during the coating removal operation and the coating removal operation fails. Therefore, the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a can be reliably abutted, and the connection between the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a can be ensured satisfactorily.

  In addition, the joint 40 to which the sheath removing unit 50 is attached is provided so as to be movable in the direction approaching the ferrule 3. Thus, after the short glass fiber 3 b and the glass fiber 2 a are brought into contact with each other, the optical fiber 2 can be bent at the bending allowance portion 13 by further moving the joint 40 in the direction approaching the ferrule 3. Further, even when foreign matter or the like adheres to the optical fiber holding hole 23 and the optical fiber 2 is only inserted partway, the short glass fiber 3b and the glass fiber 2a are moved by moving the joint 40 to the ferrule 3 side. Can be connected to each other, and connection failure can be prevented.

  Further, in the connector 1, the fiber guide cover 30 is provided with the moving portion 33 and the protrusion 34, and the joint 40 is provided with the movement control portion 45 and the guide groove 46, so that the forward movement of the fiber guide cover 30 is changed to a rotational motion. Yes. As described above, by using the two mechanisms for moving the fiber guide cover 30, the opening K can be more reliably opened.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the fiber guide cover 30 is moved and rotated by inserting the optical fiber gripping portion 5, and the opening K is opened. However, the configuration in which the opening K is opened is as follows. It is not limited to this. That is, it is only necessary that the opening K is opened by the insertion operation of the optical fiber gripping part 5 so that the bending allowance part 13 and the optical fiber holding hole 23 communicate with each other. FIG. 13: is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an optical connector as one Embodiment of the optical fiber connector which concerns on a modification.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the connector body 4 </ b> A is provided with a closing member 80. The rear end portion of the closing member 80 has a taper shape and abuts on the optical fiber gripping portion 5. As shown in FIG. 13A, when the optical fiber gripping portion 5 is inserted, the closing member 80 comes into contact with the front end portion of the optical fiber gripping portion 5, whereby FIG. As shown in FIG. When the blocking member 80 moves upward, as shown in FIG. 13C, the bending allowance portion 81 that allows bending of the optical fiber 2 and the optical fiber holding hole 23 are communicated with each other. Although not shown in FIG. 13, an opening is formed between the closing member 80 and the optical fiber holding hole 23, and the opening is opened by the upward movement of the closing member 80. . Thereby, the bending | flexion allowance part 81 which accept | permits the bending of the optical fiber 2 and the optical fiber holding hole 23 are connected, and the bending of the optical fiber 2 is accept | permitted.

  In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 13, an opening K is formed by sliding in the forward direction or in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the optical fiber 2 by the insertion force of the optical fiber gripping portion 5, thereby forming an optical fiber holding hole. The structure which connects a bending | flexion allowance part may be sufficient. For example, if the tapered shape is formed in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, the closing member 80 can be slid in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the optical fiber 2 (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface). The point is that the closing member that closes the opening may be moved by the insertion force of the optical fiber gripper 5 to open the opening.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the base member 10 and the joint 40 are each made into a separate member, the structure which is not provided with the joint 40 may be sufficient. That is, as for the accommodating part, the base member 10 and the joint 40 may be integrally molded.

  In the above embodiment, the fiber guide cover 30 is provided with the moving portion 33 and the protrusion 34, and the joint 40 is provided with the movement control portion 45 and the guide groove 46, so that the fiber guide cover 30 rotates as it moves forward. Although it is a mechanism, the fiber guide cover 30 may be provided with at least one of the moving part 33 and the protruding part 34. Accordingly, the joint 40 only needs to be provided with the movement controller 45 or the guide groove 46. Furthermore, the structure which forms a guide groove in the fiber guide cover 30, and provides a projection part in the joint 40 may be sufficient. That is, a movement control unit that controls the moving direction of the closing member may be provided in the closing member. In short, it is sufficient that the fiber guide cover 30 has at least a configuration that rotates by forward movement.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it is set as the structure provided with the coating removal part 50 which removes the coating | coated 2b of the optical fiber 2, it can also be set as the structure which is not provided with the coating removal part 50. FIG. In this case, the optical fiber from which the coating has been removed may be inserted by being gripped by the optical fiber gripping portion. Further, when the coating removal unit 50 is not provided, the holding unit 70 does not need to be provided. Moreover, even if it is a case provided with the coating removal part 70, the member which has the function changed to this instead of the holding | maintenance part 70 should just be provided.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it is set as the structure which the components (The fiber guide 20, the fiber guide cover 30, and the coating | coated removal part 50) incorporated in the joint 40 adjoin to the ferrule 3 side, the ferrule 3 adjoins the joint 40 side. It may be a configuration. Alternatively, the joint 40 and the ferrule 3 may be configured to move relative to each other in the proximity direction.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical connector (optical fiber connector), 2 ... Optical fiber, 2b ... Cover | cover, 3 ... Ferrule, 3b ... Short glass fiber (short fiber), 4 ... Connector main body, 5 ... Optical fiber holding part, 13 ... Deflection tolerance , 10 ... base member, 20 ... fiber guide (guide part), 23 ... optical fiber holding hole, 30 ... fiber guide cover (blocking member), 40 ... joint (accommodating part), 50 ... covering removal part, K ... opening Department.

Claims (7)

In an optical fiber connector for connecting optical fibers,
Ferrules,
An optical fiber holding hole through which the optical fiber is inserted into the ferrule side, a bending allowance portion provided to communicate with the optical fiber holding hole and allowing the optical fiber to be bent, the optical fiber holding hole, and the bending allowance A main body having an opening that communicates with the part, a closing member that closes the opening, and a housing that houses the closing member,
The blocking member is arranged on the rear end side of the main body portion and is configured to be movable by an insertion force of the optical fiber gripping portion for gripping the optical fiber into the main body portion to open the opening portion. An optical fiber connector characterized by. The closing member or the accommodating portion is provided with a movement control unit that controls the moving direction of the closing member,
2. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1, wherein the closing member opens the opening by moving in a predetermined direction by the movement control unit. The ferrule contains a short fiber connected to the optical fiber,
The optical fiber connector according to claim 1, wherein the ferrule and the housing portion are relatively movable in a proximity direction. The optical fiber is a coated optical fiber,
The main body further includes a coating removing unit capable of removing the coating from the distal end of the coated optical fiber by contacting and pressing the distal end surface of the coated optical fiber gripped by the optical fiber gripping unit. The optical fiber connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the optical fiber connector is provided. A ferrule containing a short fiber,
An optical fiber holding hole through which an optical fiber is inserted into the ferrule side, a bending allowance portion that is provided to communicate with the optical fiber holding hole and allows the optical fiber to bend, the optical fiber holding hole, and the bending allowance portion A main body having an opening that communicates with each other, a closing member that closes the opening, and a housing that houses the closing member,
An optical fiber configured such that the closing member is disposed on the rear end side of the main body and moves by an insertion force of the optical fiber gripping portion that grips the optical fiber into the main body to open the opening. In the mounting method of mounting the optical fiber on the connector,
Holding the optical fiber in the optical fiber gripping part and inserting the optical fiber into the optical fiber holding hole,
The closing member is moved by the insertion force of the optical fiber gripper to open the opening,
An optical fiber mounting method, wherein the short fiber and the optical fiber are abutted and connected, and the optical fiber is bent at the bending allowance portion. The optical fiber is a coated optical fiber,
The main body includes a coating removal unit that is pressed against the coated optical fiber to remove the coating of the coated optical fiber,
When the optical fiber is gripped by the optical fiber gripping portion and the optical fiber is inserted into the optical fiber holding hole, a tip of the coated optical fiber is brought into contact with the coating removing portion, and the optical fiber gripping portion Applying a first insertion force to press the tip of the coated optical fiber against the coating removing portion, and removing the coating from the tip of the coated optical fiber;
The optical fiber mounting method according to claim 5, wherein the opening member is opened by moving the blocking member by applying a second insertion force to the optical fiber gripping portion. The covering removal portion is provided so as to be movable in a direction close to the ferrule,
After removing the coating of the coated optical fiber, the opening member is opened by moving the blocking member by applying a second insertion force larger than the first insertion force to the optical fiber gripping portion. The optical fiber mounting according to claim 6, wherein the coating removal portion is brought close to the ferrule to connect the short fiber and the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is bent at the bending allowance portion. Method.

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