JP2013064959A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector that facilitates fitting work and can increase strength against a shock etc.SOLUTION: There is provided an optical connector M fitted to a terminal part of an optical fiber cable 40, the optical connector including an inner housing 10 holding the terminal part of the optical fiber cable 40 and an outer housing 20 covering the inner housing 10. The inner housing 10 has a cable terminal accommodation part 11 opened on one surface side so as to accommodate the terminal part of the optical fiber cable 40 in a direction crossing an extension direction thereof, and the outer housing 20 is provided with a cover wall part 23 closing the opening side of the cable terminal accommodation part 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector.

Conventionally, an optical connector attached to a terminal portion of an optical fiber cable is known.
In general, in a terminal portion of an optical fiber cable, a protective coating covering the optical fiber is cut, and a ferrule is attached to the exposed optical fiber. By abutting the front end face of the ferrule against the other side, the optical fiber cable is optically connected to the other side.

  Many optical connectors are divided into a plurality of parts so that they can be easily attached to the end portions of such optical fiber cables. For example, the optical connector described in Patent Document 1 is divided into front and rear, and a terminal portion of the protective coating of the optical fiber cable and a biasing spring for biasing the ferrule forward are accommodated in the rear housing. The ferrule is accommodated in the front housing. The end portion of the optical fiber cable is inserted into the rear housing from the rear, and a biasing spring is inserted into the optical fiber protruding forward of the rear housing, and the biasing spring is accommodated in the rear housing from the front. The Next, a ferrule is attached to the optical fiber, and the ferrule is accommodated in the front housing. Thereafter, the front and rear housings are assembled together.

JP 2010-2111030 A

  However, in the optical connector as described above, the housing for holding the end portion of the optical fiber cable is divided into the front housing and the rear housing, and the divided portion is exposed to the outside, so that the strength against impact or the like is insufficient. Is concerned. However, if the front housing and the rear housing are integrated, there is a problem that it is difficult to attach the optical connector, and a countermeasure has been desired.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an optical connector that can be easily attached and can increase the strength against an impact or the like.

  The present invention is an optical connector attached to a terminal portion of an optical fiber cable, and includes an inner housing that holds the terminal portion of the optical fiber cable, and an outer housing that covers the inner housing. A cable end accommodating portion opened to one side is formed so that the end portion of the optical fiber cable can be accommodated in a direction crossing the extending direction, and the outer end of the cable end accommodating portion is opened in the outer housing. The covering wall part which closes the side is provided.

  According to such a configuration, the end portion of the optical fiber cable can be easily held in the inner housing. In addition, since the inner housing is covered and protected by the outer housing, the strength against impact and the like is increased. That is, according to the configuration of the present invention, the attachment work is easy and the strength against impact or the like can be increased.

  In addition, the inner housing and the outer housing may be provided with a lifting restricting portion that restricts the lifting of the inner housing to the side away from the cover wall portion by being locked to each other. According to such a configuration, the cable terminal accommodating portion is held in a state where it is reliably closed by the covering wall portion.

  In addition, a mounting portion to which a lock member that holds the inner housing and the outer housing is attached is opened on a peripheral wall that covers the inner housing of the outer housing, and the lock member includes the mounting portion. When attached to the outer housing, it protrudes to the inside of the outer housing and engages with the inner housing, and when removed from the mounting portion, the engagement with the inner housing may be released. According to such a configuration, the inner housing and the outer housing can be locked and unlocked by attaching and removing the lock member.

  The inner housing may include a plurality of types corresponding to the plurality of types of optical fiber cables having different standards, and any of the inner housings may be assembled to the common outer housing. . According to such a configuration, it is possible to cope with a plurality of types of optical fiber cables while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost and an increase in the number of parts as compared with a case where a plurality of types of both the inner housing and the outer housing are required. be able to.

  Further, the outer housing is provided with a lock arm that engages with the mating connector, and the lock arm is formed on the opposing wall portion on the side facing the cover wall portion of the peripheral wall of the outer housing. It is good also as what is provided in the opening part. According to such a configuration, the outer housing can be thinned.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical connector that can be easily attached and can increase the strength against impact or the like.

Sectional drawing showing the state which the male connector and female connector in Embodiment 1 fitted Perspective view showing male connector Front view showing male connector Rear view showing male connector Side view showing male connector Bottom view showing male connector Cross section showing male connector Perspective view showing the inner housing Front view showing the inner housing Bottom view showing the inner housing Cross section showing the inner housing Perspective view representing the outer housing Rear view showing the outer housing Perspective view showing female connector Front view showing female connector Rear view showing female connector Cross section showing female connector The perspective view showing the 2nd inner housing of the male connector in Embodiment 2. FIG. Bottom view showing the second inner housing

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 which actualized this invention is demonstrated in detail, referring FIGS. 1-17.
The male connector M and the female connector F in the present embodiment are optical connectors that are attached to the end portion of the optical fiber cable 40 that is obtained by covering the optical fiber 41 with the protective coating 42, and can be fitted to each other. The male connector M and the female connector F have an inner housing 10 that holds a terminal portion of the optical fiber cable 40 and an outer housing 20 that covers the inner housing 10. Hereinafter, in each component member, the fitting surface side with the mating connector will be described as the front, the opposite side as the rear, and the upper side in FIG. 1 as the upper side and the lower side as the lower side.

  In the optical fiber cable 40, the protective coating 42 is cut at the end portion thereof, and the optical fiber 41 is exposed. A metal caulking ring 43 is caulked to the end of the protective coating 42, and a ferrule 44 is attached to the tip of the optical fiber 41. The ferrule 44 is provided with a flange 45 protruding outward in the radial direction.

First, the male connector M will be described.
The inner housing 10 of the male connector M is made of synthetic resin, and can hold two single-core optical fiber cables 40 having one optical fiber 41 (see FIG. 10). The inner housing 10 is provided with a pair of cable terminal accommodating portions 11 that can accommodate the optical fiber cables 40 one by one in a line in the width direction. The pair of cable terminal accommodating portions 11 are partitioned by a partition wall 12. Each cable terminal accommodating part 11 is open | released by the lower surface side (one surface side) so that the terminal part of the optical fiber cable 40 can be accommodated from the lower side. Moreover, the upper surface side of the cable terminal accommodating part 11 is covered with the cover wall part 13 (refer FIG. 11).

  Each cable terminal accommodating portion 11 includes a covering accommodating portion 11A in which the terminal portion of the protective covering 42 is accommodated, and an optical fiber accommodating portion 11B in which the exposed optical fiber 41 is accommodated. The covering housing portion 11A and the optical fiber housing portion 11B are provided continuously in the front-rear direction. The covering housing portion 11A is provided with a covering end fitting portion 14 into which the caulking ring 43 is fitted, and the caulking ring 43 is fitted into the covering end fitting portion 14 so that the front and rear of the end portion of the optical fiber cable 40 Directional positioning is performed (see FIG. 10).

  The cover wall portion 13 that covers the cable terminal housing portion 11 is formed such that a portion corresponding to the sheath housing portion 11A protrudes one step higher than a portion corresponding to the optical fiber housing portion 11B. It is deeper than the optical fiber housing portion 11B.

  An urging member accommodating portion 15 that accommodates a coil spring (urging member) 46 that urges the ferrule 44 forward is provided in front of the cable terminal accommodating portion 11 (see FIG. 8). The urging member accommodating portion 15 has locking walls 16 that are locked on both radial sides of the coil spring 46, and the coil spring 46 is inserted and held between the pair of locking walls 16. A space between the pair of locking walls 16 is open in the vertical direction.

  A pair of urging member accommodating portions 15 are provided side by side in the width direction, each urging member accommodating portion 15 is connected to the front of each cable terminal accommodating portion 11, and the optical fiber 41 is connected to the covering accommodating portion 11A. The urging member accommodating portion 15 is linearly extended. Thereby, the optical fiber 41 is prevented from being greatly bent in the inner housing 10, and radiation loss due to the bending of the optical fiber 41 can be reduced.

  On the rear side of the urging member accommodating portion 15, a receiving portion 17 that abuts the rear end portion of the coil spring 46 from the rear and urges the coil spring 46 forward when the female connector F is fitted is provided. (See FIG. 1). The receiving portion 17 is substantially U-shaped along the coil spring 46, and a central portion thereof is an insertion hole 17 </ b> A through which the optical fiber 41 is inserted from the cable terminal housing portion 11 to the biasing member housing portion 15. The insertion hole 17A is opened to the lower side so that the optical fiber 41 can be passed from the lower side.

  The coil spring 46 is arranged such that the tip end of the coil spring 46 protrudes forward from the biasing member accommodating portion 15 in a natural state before the fitting with the female connector F (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The rear end of the ferrule 44 attached to the optical fiber 41 (the rear side of the flange 45) is fitted to the front end of the coil spring 46, whereby the ferrule 44 is held in the inner housing 10.

  The inner housing 10 is engaged with a groove 25 of the outer housing 20 which will be described later, thereby ribs (lifting restricting portions) 18 for restricting the lifting of the inner housing 10 (displacement to the side away from the lower covering wall portion 23). (See FIGS. 8 and 9). The ribs 18 are provided at both upper corners of the inner housing 10 and protrude upward and laterally. The rib 18 extends long in the front-rear direction along both side edges of a portion of the lid wall portion 13 corresponding to the covering housing portion 11A.

  The outer housing 20 of the male connector M is made of synthetic resin, is longer in the front-rear direction than the inner housing 10 and is slightly larger than the inner housing 10 so that the inner housing 10 can be accommodated therein.

  The outer housing 20 is provided with a housing fitting portion 21 into which the inner housing 10 can be fitted from behind (see FIGS. 2 and 12). The housing fitting portion 21 is surrounded by a peripheral wall that surrounds the inner housing 10, and the peripheral wall includes an upper cover wall portion 22 that extends along the upper surface of the inner housing 10 and a lower cover wall portion 23 that extends along the lower surface of the inner housing 10. And side wall portions 24 along both side surfaces of the inner housing 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lower covering wall portion 23 covers the entire lower surface of the inner housing 10, that is, the lower side (open side) of the biasing member accommodating portion 15 and the cable terminal accommodating portion 11. is there. The upper cover wall portion 22 mainly covers the open portion of the upper surface of the inner housing 10, and covers the portion corresponding to the optical fiber storage portion 11 </ b> B of the lid wall portion 13 from the upper side of the biasing member storage portion 15. . The side wall portion 24 covers the entire side surface of the inner housing 10 and rises further upward.

  The outer housing 20 is provided with a groove (lifting restricting portion) 25 that engages with the rib 18 of the inner housing 10 and restricts the lifting of the inner housing 10. The groove 25 is formed on the inner surface of the side wall portion 24. The groove 25 is opened to the rear of the outer housing 20, and the rib 18 is inserted from the rear. As shown in FIG. 4, each groove 25 has a shape covering the inside of the rib 18, and the displacement of the inner housing 10 in the width direction is restricted by the engagement between the groove 25 and the rib 18, and the rib 18 and the groove 25. Is securely held. When the rib 18 and the groove 25 are locked, for example, the lifting of the inner housing 10 when the optical fiber cable 40 is lifted upward is restricted. In addition, the part in which the groove | channel 25 was formed among the side wall parts 24 has protruded outside (refer FIG. 2).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the front end of the outer housing 20 (in front of the housing fitting portion 21) has a front end of the ferrule 44 held at the end of the optical fiber cable 40 (front side of the flange 45). Is formed with a cylindrical hole portion 26 that is individually accommodated. The cylindrical hole portion 26 has a substantially circular cross section that is slightly larger than the ferrule 44 and penetrates in the front-rear direction. Between the cylindrical hole portion 26 and the ferrule 44, a cylindrical protrusion portion of a female connector F, which will be described later. 65 can be fitted.
On the rear side of the cylindrical hole portion 26, a stopper portion 27 that is locked from the front with respect to the flange 45 of the ferrule 44 and prevents the ferrule 44 from coming out to the front is provided.

  The outer housing 20 has an outer cover wall portion (opposing wall portion) 28 that covers a further side of the housing fitting portion 21, and a lock arm 29 that engages with the female connector F is provided on the outer cover wall portion 28. Is provided. The lock arm 29 is provided by forming an opening 31 in the outer covering wall portion 28, and extends rearward from the front end portion of the outer housing 20 so as to close the opening 31. The lock arm 29 constitutes a part of the outer covering wall portion 28, and side wall portions 24 stand up on both sides thereof. A lock portion 32 protrudes from the upper surface of the lock arm 29, and the lock portion 32 engages with the lock portion 66 of the female connector F so that the male connector M and the female connector F are locked in a fitted state. (See FIG. 1). At the rear end of the lock arm 29, an operation unit 33 that is pressed when releasing the lock is provided. Above the operation unit 33, an operation restricting unit 34 is provided to prevent an inadvertent unlock operation. It is spanned in the width direction (see FIG. 2).

  The male connector M is provided with a retainer (lock member) 35 that holds the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20 in an assembled state (see FIG. 7). When the retainer 35 is attached to the male connector M, the retainer 35 is locked to the inner housing 10. When the retainer 35 is detached from the male connector M, the retainer 35 is unlocked from the inner housing 10.

  The mounting portion 36 to which the retainer 35 is mounted is opened in the lower covering wall portion 23 of the outer housing 20 and has an elongated shape in the width direction of the outer housing 20 (see FIG. 6). The mounting portion 36 is provided with a detachment restricting portion 37 that is engaged with the attached retainer 35 and prevents the retainer 35 from being detached.

  The inner housing 10 is provided with a locking recess 19 in which the retainer 35 is fitted and locked (see FIG. 7). The locking recess 19 is formed at a position corresponding to the mounting portion 36 of the outer housing 20 in the inner housing 10. As shown in FIG. 10, the locking recess 19 is recessed in the partition wall 12 that partitions the cable terminal accommodating portion 11 in the inner housing 10. The locking recess 19 is formed between the adjacent optical fiber accommodating portions 11B, and has a groove shape opened to the lower side and both sides.

Next, an example of the assembly procedure of the male connector M will be described.
First, the terminal portion of the optical fiber cable 40 is temporarily held in the inner housing 10.
Before the coil spring 46 and the ferrule 44 are attached, the terminal portion of the optical fiber cable 40 is inserted and accommodated in the cable terminal accommodating portion 11 from the side (open side). Next, the coil spring 46 is inserted from the tip of the optical fiber 41 and inserted into the urging member accommodating portion 15 from the front and accommodated. Thereafter, the ferrule 44 is attached to the tip of the optical fiber 41, and the rear end portion of the ferrule 44 is fitted to the tip of the coil spring 46. Thereby, the terminal portion of the optical fiber cable 40 is temporarily held in the inner housing 10.

  Next, the inner housing 10 is assembled to the outer housing 20. The inner housing 10 is slid from the rear to the front of the outer housing 20 and fitted into the housing fitting portion 21. At this time, the rib 18 of the inner housing 10 is inserted into the groove 25 of the outer housing 20, and the sliding movement of the inner housing 10 is guided by the engagement between the rib 18 and the groove 25. Then, when the rear end of the upper covering wall portion 22 of the outer housing 20 reaches the position of the step of the lid wall portion 13 of the inner housing 10 and the inner housing 10 reaches the proper assembly position, further sliding operation is restricted. Is done. At this time, the end portion of the optical fiber cable 40 is completely surrounded by the upper cover wall portion 22, the lower cover wall portion 23 of the outer housing 20, and the cover wall portion 13 of the inner housing 10. .

  Next, the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20 are locked in a regular assembled state. When the retainer 35 is fitted into the mounting portion 36 of the outer housing 20, the retainer 35 protrudes inside the outer housing 20 and fits into the locking recess 19 of the inner housing 10. Thereby, the movement of the inner housing 10 in the front-rear direction is restricted, and the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20 are held together. At this time, when the inner housing 10 is displaced from a predetermined position (half-inserted state), the retainer 35 abuts against the inner housing 10, thereby preventing the retainer 35 from being attached. Thereby, half insertion of the inner housing 10 can be detected, and the inner housing 10 can be correctly reassembled with respect to the outer housing 20. Then, by locking the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20, the assembly of the male connector M is completed. When the inner housing 10 is detached from the outer housing 20, the retainer 35 is removed from the mounting portion 36 to allow the inner housing 10 to move backward.

Next, the female connector F will be described.
As shown in FIG. 14, the female connector F includes a hood portion 67 into which the male connector M is fitted, and other portions have substantially the same configuration as the male connector M.
As with the inner housing 10 of the male connector M, the inner housing 50 of the female connector F is provided with a pair of cable terminal accommodating portions 51 that can accommodate the optical fiber cables 40 one by one along the width direction of the inner housing 50. Yes. As shown in FIG. 17, each cable terminal accommodating portion 51 is opened to the upper surface side (one surface side) so that the terminal portion of the optical fiber cable 40 can be accommodated from the upper side, and the lower surface side is covered by the lid wall portion 52. It has been broken.

  As with the inner housing 10 of the male connector M, each cable terminal accommodating portion 51 includes a covering accommodating portion 51A that accommodates the terminal portion of the protective covering 42 and an optical fiber accommodating portion 51B that accommodates the exposed optical fiber 41. The covering housing portion 51A and the optical fiber housing portion 51B are provided continuously in the front-rear direction. The rear end portion of the ferrule 44 is accommodated in the optical fiber accommodating portion 51 </ b> B, whereby the ferrule 44 is held in the inner housing 50. At the front end of the cable terminal accommodating part 51, a movement restricting part 53 is formed which is engaged with the flange 45 of the ferrule 44 from the rear side and restricts the rearward movement of the ferrule 44.

  Similar to the outer housing 20 of the male connector M, the outer housing 60 of the female connector F is made of synthetic resin, is longer in the front-rear direction than the inner housing 50, and is slightly larger than the inner housing 50. It can be accommodated inside.

  Similar to the outer housing 20 of the male connector M, the outer housing 60 is provided with a housing fitting portion 61 into which the inner housing 50 can be fitted from the rear. The housing fitting portion 61 is surrounded by a peripheral wall surrounding the inner housing 50, and the peripheral wall includes an upper covering wall portion 62 along the upper surface of the inner housing 50 and a lower surface of the inner housing 50 as shown in FIG. 16. And a side wall portion 64 along both side surfaces of the inner housing 50. The upper cover wall portion 62 covers the entire upper surface of the inner housing 50 and functions as a lift restricting portion that locks (abuts) the upper surface of the inner housing 50 and restricts the lift of the inner housing 50.

  A cylindrical protrusion in which the front end portion (the portion on the front side of the flange 45) of the ferrule 44 held on the end portion of the optical fiber cable 40 is individually accommodated in front of the housing fitting portion 61 of the outer housing 60. A portion 65 is formed. The cylindrical protrusion 65 has a substantially circular cross-sectional through-hole having the same diameter as the ferrule 44. The cylindrical protrusion 65 protrudes forward from the ferrule 44 on the female connector F side, and when the male connector M is fitted, the tip thereof is fitted into the cylindrical hole 26 of the male connector M.

  Inside the cylindrical projection 65, a cylindrical metal sleeve 47 mounted on the outer periphery of the ferrule 44 on the female connector F side is accommodated. When the male connector M and the female connector F are fitted, the ferrule 44 on the male connector M side is inserted into the sleeve 47 and the end surfaces of the ferrule 44 abut against each other. With this sleeve 47, the optical fiber 41 on the male connector M side and the optical fiber 41 on the female connector F side are securely connected without misalignment.

  Further, a hood portion 67 that is formed in a substantially square shape and opens forward is provided in front of the housing fitting portion 61. The hood portion 67 surrounds the entire front half of the male connector M when mated with the male connector M. At the front end of the hood portion 67, a lock portion 66 that is engaged with the lock arm 29 of the male connector M protrudes inward.

According to the first embodiment configured as described above, the following effects are obtained.
The male connector M and the female connector F of the present embodiment are optical connectors that are attached to the terminal portion of the optical fiber cable 40, and the inner housings 10 and 50 that hold the terminal portion of the optical fiber cable 40 and the inner housings 10 and 50. Cable ends that are open on one side so that the end portions of the optical fiber cables 40 can be inserted in a direction crossing the extending direction. The accommodating portions 11 and 51 are formed, and the outer housings 20 and 60 are provided with a lower covering wall portion 23 and an upper covering wall portion 62 that block the open side of the cable terminal accommodating portion 11.

  Thereby, the terminal part of the optical fiber cable 40 can be easily held in the inner housings 10 and 50. Moreover, since the inner housings 10 and 50 are covered and protected by the outer housings 20 and 60, the strength against impacts and the like is increased. That is, according to the male connector M and the female connector F of this embodiment, attachment work is easy and the intensity | strength with respect to an impact etc. can be raised.

  Further, the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20 of the male connector M are provided with ribs 18 and grooves 25 that restrict the lifting of the inner housing 10 by being locked to each other. Thereby, the cable terminal accommodating part 11 is hold | maintained in the state closed reliably by the lower side covering wall part 23. FIG.

  Further, the male connector M is provided with a retainer 35 that holds the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20 in an assembled state, and a mounting portion 36 to which the retainer 35 is mounted is attached to the lower cover wall portion 23 of the outer housing 20. When the retainer 35 is opened and attached to the mounting portion 36, the retainer 35 protrudes to the inside of the outer housing 20 and is locked to the inner housing 10. When the retainer 35 is detached from the mounting portion 36, the retainer 35 is unlocked from the inner housing 10. is there. Therefore, since the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20 can be locked and unlocked by attaching and removing the retainer 35, the assembling work and the detaching work of the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20 are relatively easy. It can be carried out.

  Further, the outer housing 20 of the male connector M is provided with a lock arm 29 that engages with the female connector F, and the lock arm 29 is located on the outer side of the peripheral wall of the outer housing 20 on the side facing the lower covering wall portion 23. It is provided in an opening 31 formed in the covering wall portion 28. Thereby, compared with the case where a lock arm is provided in the outer side of an outer side covering wall part, the outer housing 20 can be reduced in thickness, for example.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, an optical connector according to a second embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The optical connector of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a first inner housing 10 and a second inner housing 70 corresponding to two types of optical fiber cables 40 and 71 having different standards are provided. . In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to Embodiment 1, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The male connector M according to this embodiment includes two types of inner housings corresponding to two types of optical fiber cables 40 and 71 having different standards. One of the inner housings is for a single-core optical fiber cable 40 having one optical fiber 41 (referred to as first inner housing 10), and the other is the same as the inner housing 10 of the first embodiment. This is for a two-core optical fiber cable 71 having two optical fibers 41 (referred to as a second inner housing 70). The first inner housing 10 has the same configuration as the inner housing 10 of the male connector M of the first embodiment.

  The second inner housing 70 is made of synthetic resin and can hold two two-core optical fiber cables 71. The second inner housing 70 is provided with a cable terminal accommodating portion 11 capable of accommodating the two-core optical fiber cable 71 at the center in the width direction of the second inner housing 70. Similar to the first inner housing 10, the cable terminal accommodating portion 11 is opened to the lower surface side (one surface side) so that the terminal portion of the two-core optical fiber cable 71 can be accommodated from below, and the upper surface side is the lid wall. Covered by the portion 13. Moreover, the cable terminal accommodating part 11 has 11 A of coating | coated accommodating parts and the optical fiber accommodating part 11B similarly to the 1st inner housing 10, and these are provided in a row in the front-back direction, and cover the cable terminal accommodating part 11 The lid wall portion 13 is formed so that a portion corresponding to the covering housing portion 11A protrudes one step above a portion corresponding to the optical fiber housing portion 11B.

  In the second inner housing 70, as in the first inner housing 10, a biasing member housing portion 15 that houses a coil spring 46 that biases the ferrule 44 forward is provided in front of the cable terminal housing portion 11. ing.

  Like the first inner housing 10, the urging member accommodating portion 15 is provided with a pair in the width direction, and the cable terminal accommodating portion 11 is located substantially in the middle of the pair of urging member accommodating portions 15. Thereby, the optical fiber 41 of the two-core optical fiber cable 71 accommodated in the cable terminal accommodating portion 11 extends substantially linearly and is disposed in each biasing member accommodating portion 15. Here, for example, when the two-core optical fiber cable 71 is accommodated in the cable terminal accommodating portion 11 of the first inner housing 10, one of the two optical fibers 41 is changed from one to the other in the width direction. It will be bent greatly towards. However, if the second inner housing 70 for the two-core optical fiber cable 71 is used, both the two optical fibers 41 can be accommodated without being greatly bent, so that radiation loss due to bending of the optical fiber 41 is reduced. be able to.

  The second inner housing 70 differs from the first inner housing 10 only in the form of the cable terminal accommodating portion 11 and has substantially the same outer shape. The first inner housing 10 and the second inner housing 70 are both A common outer housing 20 can be assembled.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the male connector M includes the first inner housing 10 and the second inner housing 70 that hold the terminal portion of the optical fiber cable 40 or 71, and the first inner housing 10 or the second inner housing. And the first inner housing 10 and the second inner housing 70 so that the end portions of the optical fiber cables 40 and 71 can be accommodated in a direction crossing the extending direction. Since the cable terminal accommodating part 11 opened on the lower surface side is formed, and the outer housing 20 has a lower covering wall part 23 that covers the open side of the cable terminal accommodating part 11, as in the first embodiment, it is attached. Work is easy and the strength against impact and the like can be increased.

  In addition, a first inner housing 10 and a second inner housing 70 corresponding to two types of optical fiber cables 40 and 71 having different standards are provided, and both the first inner housing 10 and the second inner housing 70 are common. The outer housing 20 can be assembled. Thus, compared to the case where two types of both the inner housing and the outer housing are required, it is possible to cope with the two types of optical fiber cables 40 and 71 while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost and an increase in the number of parts. it can.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) In the first embodiment, the inner housing 10 is provided with the locking recess 19 in which the retainer 35 is fitted and locked. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the locking structure between the retainer and the inner housing is as follows. For example, the longitudinal dimension of the inner housing is reduced so that the rear end thereof is positioned forward of the rear end of the outer housing, and the retainer is locked to the rear end of the inner housing. May be.
(2) In the first embodiment, the male connector M is provided with the retainer 35 that holds the inner housing 10 and the outer housing 20 in an assembled state. A locking claw is projected on one of the side surfaces, a locked portion that is locked by the locking claw is formed on the other side surface, and the locking claw is locked to the locked portion. The inner housing and the outer housing may be held in an assembled state. As a result, the inner housing and the outer housing can be held in the assembled state without requiring a separate component such as a retainer, thereby preventing an increase in the number of components. Moreover, the mold can be slid in the front-rear direction by forming the locked part as a notch that is elongated in the front-rear direction opened to the rear side.

(3) In the second embodiment, the case where the male connector M has the first inner housing 10 and the second inner housing 70 has been described, but the female connector is similarly replaced with two types of optical fiber cables having different standards. A corresponding first inner housing and second inner housing may be provided, and these may be housed in a common outer housing.
(4) In the second embodiment, the first inner housing 10 for the single-core optical fiber cable 40 and the second inner housing 70 for the two-core optical fiber cable 71 are provided. Instead, it may be provided with an inner housing for another optical fiber cable having a different standard, or may be provided with three or more kinds of inner housings.

M ... Male connector (optical connector)
F ... Female connector (optical connector)
10, 50, 70 ... inner housing 11, 51 ... cable terminal accommodating part 18 ... rib (lifting restricting part)
20, 60 ... Outer housing 23 ... Lower covering wall (covering wall)
25 ... Groove (lifting regulation part)
28 ... Outside cover (opposite wall)
29 ... Lock arm 31 ... Opening 35 ... Retainer (lock member)
36 ... Installation part 40, 71 ... Optical fiber cable 63 ... Upper covering wall part (covering wall part)

Claims (5)

An optical connector that is attached to the end of an optical fiber cable,
An inner housing that holds a terminal portion of the optical fiber cable; and an outer housing that covers the inner housing;
The inner housing is formed with a cable end accommodating portion that is open on one side so that the end of the optical fiber cable can be accommodated in a direction intersecting the extending direction thereof,
An optical connector, wherein the outer housing is provided with a covering wall portion that closes an open side of the cable terminal accommodating portion.   2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the inner housing and the outer housing are provided with a lifting restricting portion that locks each other and restricts the lifting of the inner housing to the side away from the covering wall portion. . A mounting portion to which a lock member that holds the inner housing and the outer housing in an assembled state is attached to a peripheral wall that covers the inner housing of the outer housing.
The locking member protrudes to the inside of the outer housing when it is attached to the mounting portion and is locked to the inner housing, and when it is removed from the mounting portion, the locking member is unlocked from the inner housing. The optical connector according to claim 1 or 2.   The inner housing includes a plurality of types corresponding to a plurality of types of optical fiber cables having different standards, and any of the inner housings can be assembled to the common outer housing. 4. The optical connector according to any one of 3 above. The outer housing is provided with a lock arm that engages with the mating connector,
The said lock arm is provided in the opening part formed in the opposing wall part of the side which opposes the said covering wall part among the surrounding walls of the said outer side housing. Optical connector.

Images