JP2013092641A - Optical receptacle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce influence on a surface of a ferrule from outside.SOLUTION: An optical receptacle 1 includes: a ferrule 2; a sleeve 7 in which a tip of the ferrule 2 is inserted; a metal first holder 4 surrounding and holding the ferrule 2 at a location closer to a rear end side than the sleeve 7; and a metal second holder 5 surrounding and holding the ferrule 2 at a location closer to the rear end side than the first holder, and arranged alienated from the first holder 4. A groove part 9 is formed by the ferrule 2, the first holder 4 and the second holder 5. The groove part 9 is bent at a portion between a bottom face 91 and an opening 92, in a cross section sectioned at a planar surface including an optical axis of ferrule 2. Accordingly, influence on a surface of the ferrule 2 from outside can be reduced.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical receptacle.

  An optical receptacle is known as a component for optically connecting optical fibers. As an optical receptacle, the optical receptacle of patent document 1 is mentioned, for example. In the optical receptacle described in Patent Document 1, the ferrule is held by two metal holders arranged apart from each other for the purpose of electrically blocking the front end side and the rear end side of the optical receptacle. Yes.

JP 2007-133225 A

  In the optical receptacle described in Patent Document 1, the two holders are arranged apart from each other, so that the surface of the portion of the ferrule located between the two holders is exposed to the outside. For this reason, the surface of the ferrule is easily affected by the outside, and it has been difficult to improve the reliability of the optical receptacle.

  Specifically, for example, when a YAG laser is irradiated on the surface of the holder in order to attach the optical receptacle to an external device, the metal particles on the surface of the holder may scatter and adhere to the surface of the ferrule. . Since the metal particles scattered by the YAG laser are in a high temperature state, the surface of the ferrule to which the metal particles are attached may partially melt and cause defects. When an external pressure is applied to the optical receptacle, there is a possibility that the force tends to concentrate on the above-described defect. As a result, it has been difficult to improve the reliability of the optical receptacle.

  The present invention has been devised to solve such problems in the prior art, and an object thereof is to reduce the external influence on the surface of the ferrule.

  An optical receptacle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a ferrule, a sleeve into which the tip of the ferrule is inserted, a first metal holder that surrounds and holds the ferrule on the rear end side of the sleeve, and a first holder A metal second holder that is positioned away from the first holder and that surrounds and holds the ferrule on the rear end side, and a groove portion whose bottom surface is the surface of the ferrule by the ferrule, the first holder, and the second holder In the formed optical receptacle, the groove is bent from the bottom surface to the opening in the cross section cut along the plane including the optical axis of the ferrule.

According to the optical receptacle according to the above aspect, the influence from the outside on the surface of the ferrule can be reduced by bending the groove. Specifically, for example, if the surface of the holder is irradiated with a YAG laser as described above, even if scattered metal particles enter the groove portion from the opening, they contact the first holder or the second holder. Can be easier. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the metal particles reach the bottom surface of the groove (the surface of the ferrule). As a result, the reliability of the optical receptacle can be improved.

It is sectional drawing which cut the optical receptacle of this invention in the cross section containing an optical axis. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the optical receptacle shown in FIG. 1 by the A-A 'line. It is sectional drawing when a plug ferrule is inserted and fixed to the optical receptacle shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification 1 of the optical receptacle shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification 2 of the optical receptacle shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification 3 of the optical receptacle shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification 4 of the optical receptacle shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an optical receptacle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, all the drawings are schematic and do not strictly represent actual dimensions.

<Configuration of optical receptacle>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the optical receptacle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention holds the ferrule 2, the sleeve 7 into which the tip of the ferrule 2 is inserted, and the ferrule 2 on the rear end side of the sleeve 7. The first holder 4, the case 6 surrounding the sleeve 7 and press-fitted into the first holder 4, and the ferrule 2 held on the rear end side of the first holder 4 are located away from the first holder 4. A second holder 5 is provided. The optical receptacle 1 has a function of holding the plug ferrule 8 while aligning the optical axis of the plug ferrule 8 to be inserted with the optical axis of the optical fiber 3 inside the optical receptacle 1.

  The ferrule 2 is a cylindrical member having a through-hole penetrating from the front end surface to the rear end surface. An optical fiber 3 is inserted into the through hole of the ferrule 2 over the entire length of the ferrule 2. The ferrule 2 is provided to hold the optical fiber 3.

  The ferrule 2 is formed such that the rear end face is inclined with respect to the optical axis direction of the optical fiber 3. Thereby, when light emitted from an external light emitting element (not shown) enters the rear end face of the ferrule 2, the possibility of reflecting this light toward the light emitting element can be reduced.

  The ferrule 2 is chamfered at each of a front end and a rear end so as to take a corner between the end face and the side face. Thereby, when the ferrule 2 is inserted into the sleeve 7, the possibility that the sleeve 7 is damaged due to the contact between the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 7 and the corner portion of the ferrule 2 can be reduced.

  For the ferrule 2, for example, a ceramic material such as alumina or zirconia can be used. In particular, it is preferable to form with zirconia. Specifically, it is preferable to use partially stabilized zirconia mainly composed of tetragonal crystals. By using such partially stabilized zirconia, the abrasion resistance, moisture resistance, temperature resistance and chemical resistance of the ferrule 2 can be improved.

  The dimension of the ferrule 2 can set the outer diameter to 1.25 to 2.5 mm, for example.

The first holder 4 is a substantially cylindrical member. The first holder 4 has a first region 41 located on the rear end side of the first holder 4 and a second region 42 adjacent to the first region 41. The inner peripheral surface is continuously formed from the first region 41 to the second region 42. The outer diameter of the first region 41 is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the second region 42. In the second region 42, a first flange portion 421 and a second flange portion 422 are formed so that the outer diameter increases near the rear end and the front end. The first flange portion 421 and the second flange portion 422 are used for fixing to an external device (not shown). The vicinity of the tip of the second region 42 has a large inner diameter, and the case 6 is press-fitted.

  The first holder 4 holds the ferrule 2 on the rear end side of the sleeve 7. Specifically, the first holder 4 surrounds and holds the vicinity of the center of the ferrule 2 from the outside. For the holder, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel can be used.

  As for the dimensions of the holder, for example, the outer diameter of the first flange portion 421 and the outer diameter of the second flange portion 422 are 3.1 to 6.2 mm, and the first flange portion 421 and the second flange portion 422 in the second region 42 are The outer diameter of the area | region which is not provided can be set to 2.1-4.2 mm. The outer diameter of the first region 41 can be set to 1.1 to 2.2 mm.

  The case 6 is a substantially cylindrical member and is provided so as to surround the sleeve 7 and the first holder 4. The tip of the case 6 is located on the tip side of the tip of the sleeve 7, and the inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the sleeve 7. As a result, the possibility that the sleeve 7 falls off the ferrule 2 can be reduced.

  For the case 6, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel can be used. For example, the outer diameter of the case 6 can be set to 2.3 to 4.6 mm.

  The second holder 5 is a substantially cylindrical member. The second holder 5 has a third region 53 located on the rear end side of the second holder 5 and a fourth region 54 adjacent to the tip of the third region 53. The outer peripheral surface is continuously formed from the third region 53 to the fourth region 54. The inner diameter of the fourth region 54 is formed larger than the inner diameter of the third region 53. The outer peripheral surface of the 2nd holder 5 can be used as a joining surface for attaching to an external apparatus (not shown).

  For the second holder 5, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel can be used.

  As for the dimension of the second holder 5, for example, the outer diameters of the third region 53 and the fourth region 54 can be set to 2.1 to 4.2 mm. In addition, the inner diameter of the fourth region 54 can be set to 1.7 to 3.4 mm.

  The second holder 5 surrounds and holds the ferrule 2 from the outside on the rear end side of the first holder 4. Specifically, the vicinity of the rear end of the ferrule 2 is press-fitted into the third region 53 of the second holder 5. The second holder 5 is located away from the first holder 4, and the ferrule 2, the first holder 4, and the second holder 5 form a groove portion 9 having the surface of the ferrule 2 as a bottom surface 91. Thereby, the 1st holder 4 and the 2nd holder 5 are electrically insulated. The first region 41 of the first holder 4 is located inside the space surrounded by the fourth region 54 of the second holder 5.

  The groove 9 is bent between the bottom surface 91 and the opening 92. Specifically, the groove 9 includes a portion extending from the bottom surface 91 along the front end surface of the third region 53 and the rear end surface of the first region 41 in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis, the inner peripheral surface of the fourth region 54, and A portion extending in the optical axis direction along the outer peripheral surface of the first region 41, and a portion extending perpendicularly to the optical axis along the front end surface of the fourth region 54 and the rear end surface of the second region 42. Yes. As described above, since the groove portions 9 have portions extending in different directions, the groove portions 9 can be bent from the bottom surface 91 to the opening 92.

The “opening” here can be defined by, for example, an imaginary line that connects the front end of the outer peripheral surface of the fourth region 54 and the rear end surface of the second region 42 with the shortest distance.

  By having the configuration in which the groove portion 9 is bent between the bottom surface 91 and the opening 92, the influence of the outside on the surface of the ferrule 2 can be reduced. Specifically, for example, if the surface of the holder is irradiated with a YAG laser as described above, even if scattered metal particles enter the groove portion 9 from the opening 92, the first holder 4 or There is a high possibility of coming into contact with and adhering to the second holder 5. For this reason, possibility that a metal particle will arrive at the bottom face 91 (surface of the ferrule 2) of the groove part 9 can be reduced. As a result, damage due to high-temperature metal particles can be reduced, and the reliability of the optical receptacle 1 can be improved.

  The groove 9 in the present embodiment is bent so that at least a part of the bottom surface 91 can be seen when the groove 9 is viewed from the opening 92. Thereby, when the foreign material has entered between the 1st holder 4 and the 2nd holder 5, this foreign material can be checked and removed.

  In addition, the first region 41 of the first holder 4 is located inside the space surrounded by the fourth region 54 of the second holder 5, and the third region 53 and the fourth region 54 of the second holder 5 are By forming the outer peripheral surface continuously, it is possible to secure a wide joint surface with an external device and to secure a wide area where the first holder 4 holds the ferrule 2. Thereby, the ferrule 2 can be firmly held by the first holder 4 while improving the reliability at the time of joining the second holder 5 and the external device.

  The dimensions of the groove 9 are, for example, a width of the bottom surface 91 in the optical axis direction of 0.2 to 0.4 mm, and an interval in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the first region 41 and the fourth region 54 of 0.2 to 0.4 mm. The width in the optical axis direction of the fourth region 54 can be set to 0.3 to 0.6 mm, and the distance in the optical axis direction between the second region 42 and the fourth region 54 can be set to 0.3 to 0.6 mm. .

  The sleeve 7 is a substantially cylindrical member having a slit. At the rear end side of the sleeve 7, the tip end portion of the ferrule 2 is inserted and fixed. The sleeve 7 is provided apart from the case 6. Thereby, when the plug ferrule 8 is inserted in the sleeve 7, the outer diameter of the sleeve 7 can be easily expanded.

  The sleeve 7 has a hollow portion 72 formed on the distal end side by inserting and fixing the ferrule 2. The plug ferrule 8 is inserted into the hollow portion 72 from the tip side. The sleeve 7 is formed from the front end portion to the rear end portion, and has slits that open to the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 7. Since the sleeve 7 has such a slit, the inner diameter can be expanded when the plug ferrule 8 is inserted and fixed. Thereby, the plug ferrule 8 can be inserted easily. For example, the width of the slit can be set to 0.2 to 0.4 mm.

As with the ferrule 2, the sleeve 7 can be made of a ceramic material such as alumina or zirconia. In particular, by using the above-mentioned partially stabilized zirconia, it is possible to improve the wear resistance, moisture resistance, temperature resistance and chemical resistance of the sleeve 7. Further, since the slits are provided, when the plug ferrule 8 is inserted, these can be held by being appropriately elastically deformed. For example, if the outer diameter of the ferrule 2 and the plug ferrule 8 to be inserted is 1.25 mm, the inner diameter of the sleeve 7 before the ferrule 2 and the plug ferrule 8 are inserted should be set to 1.2 mm. Can do. By inserting the ferrule 2 and the plug ferrule 8 into the sleeve 7, the inner diameter can be changed to, for example, 1.25 mm, and the ferrule 2 and the plug ferrule 8 can be reliably held by the sleeve 7. In the present embodiment, the sleeve 7 is provided with a slit, but no slit is provided.
A so-called precision sleeve 7 may be used.

  The dimensions of the sleeve 7 can be set such that the inner diameter is 1.2 to 2.4 mm and the outer diameter is 1.6 to 3.2 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plug ferrule 8 is a columnar member having a through hole penetrating from the front end portion to the rear end portion. The optical fiber 3 is inserted into the through hole of the plug ferrule 8 over the entire length of the plug ferrule 8. When the front end surface of the ferrule 2 and the rear end surface of the plug ferrule 8 are abutted, the optical fibers 3 of the ferrule 2 and the plug ferrule 8 are optically connected.

  For the plug ferrule 8, a ceramic material such as alumina or zirconia can be used as in the ferrule 2 and the sleeve 7. In particular, by using the partially stabilized zirconia described above, the wear resistance, moisture resistance, temperature resistance and chemical resistance of the plug ferrule 8 can be improved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, A various change, improvement, etc. are possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the ferrule 2, the sleeve 7, and the plug ferrule 8 are made of a ceramic material, but may be a metal material or a plastic material. As the metal material, stainless steel or phosphor bronze can be used. As the plastic material, epoxy, liquid crystal polymer, or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, the sleeve 7 has a substantially cylindrical shape, but may have an elliptical cylindrical shape. In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the first region 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the second region 42 are formed continuously. There may be a step between the peripheral surface. In other words, the first area 41 may not hold the ferrule 2. In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the third region 53 and the outer peripheral surface of the fourth region 54 are formed continuously, but the inner peripheral surface of the third region 53 and the inner peripheral surface of the fourth region 54 are formed. There may be a step between.

<Modification 1>
Modification 1 of the optical receptacle 1 will be described. In addition, in each structure of this example, about the member which has the structure and function similar to the above-mentioned optical receptacle 1, the same referential mark is attached | subjected and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the optical receptacle 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the groove portion 9 is formed so that the bottom surface 91 can be seen from the opening 92 of the groove portion 9, but is not limited thereto. For example, the groove 9 may be formed by inserting the first holder 4 deeply into the second holder 5 as shown in FIG. By deeply inserting the first holder 4 into the second holder 5, a region where the fourth region 54 surrounds the first region 41 can be formed widely. In this way, the groove portion 9 may be bent so that the bottom surface 91 is not visible when the groove portion 9 is viewed from the opening 92.

  In this modification, the first holder 4 is inserted deeply into the second holder 5, and the groove portion 9 is bent so that the bottom surface 91 cannot be seen when the groove portion 9 is viewed from the opening 92. Thereby, the external influence which the surface of the ferrule 2 receives can be further reduced. Specifically, for example, if the surface of the holder is irradiated with a YAG laser as described above, even if scattered metal particles enter the groove portion 9 from the opening 92, the first holder 4 or The possibility of coming into contact with and adhering to the second holder 5 can be increased. For this reason, possibility that a metal particle will arrive at the bottom face 91 (surface of the ferrule 2) of the groove part 9 can be reduced. As a result, damage due to high-temperature metal particles can be reduced, and the reliability of the optical receptacle 1 can be improved.

<Modification 2>
Modification 2 of the optical receptacle 1 will be described. In addition, in each structure of this example, about the member which has the structure and function similar to the above-mentioned optical receptacle 1, the same referential mark is attached | subjected and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the optical receptacle 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the first region 41 is located in the space surrounded by the fourth region 54, but is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the fourth region 54 may be positioned in a space surrounded by the first region 41.

  In the present modification, the inner diameter of the first area 41 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the fourth area 54, and the fourth area 54 is located in the space surrounded by the first area 41. By adopting such a shape, the external influence on the surface of the ferrule 2 can be reduced.

  In the present modification, the outer peripheral surface of the first region 41 is formed continuously with the outer peripheral surface of the second region 42. Thereby, since the outer peripheral surface of the 1st holder 4 can be enlarged, the joining property of the 1st holder 4 and an external apparatus can be improved.

<Modification 3>
Modification 3 of the optical receptacle 1 will be described. In addition, in each structure of this example, about the member which has the structure and function similar to the above-mentioned optical receptacle 1, the same referential mark is attached | subjected and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the optical receptacle 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the groove portion 9 is formed only by the ferrule 2, the first region 41, the second region 42, the third region 53, and the fourth region 54, but is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the first holder 4 further has a fifth region 45, and the fifth region 45, the ferrule 2, the first region 41, the second region 42, the third region 53, and the fourth region 54 A groove 9 may be formed.

  The fifth region 45 is positioned so as to surround the first region 41 at the rear end portion of the first holder 4, and has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first region 41. Thus, when the 1st holder 4 has the 5th field 45, the influence from the outside which the surface of ferrule 2 receives can be further reduced.

  Furthermore, by positioning the rear end surface of the fifth region 45 closer to the rear end side than the front end surface of the fourth region 54, it is possible to further reduce the external influence on the surface of the ferrule 2.

  In this example, the fifth region 45 is formed at the rear end portion of the first holder 4 so that the outer peripheral surface is continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the second region 42. Thereby, since the outer peripheral surface of the 1st holder 4 can be enlarged, the joining property of the 1st holder 4 and an external apparatus can be improved.

<Modification 4>
Modification 4 of the optical receptacle 1 will be described. In addition, in each structure of this example, about the member which has the structure and function similar to the above-mentioned optical receptacle 1, the same referential mark is attached | subjected and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the optical receptacle 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the third region 53 and the outer peripheral surface of the fourth region 54 are continuously formed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the configuration may be such that the outer diameter of the fourth region 54 is smaller than the outer diameter of the third region 53.
Also by adopting such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the external influence on the surface of the ferrule 2.

1: Optical receptacle 2: Ferrule 3: Optical fiber 4: First holder 41: First region 42: Second region 421: First flange portion 422: Second flange portion 45: Fifth region 5: Second holder 53: Third area 54: Fourth area 6: Case 7: Sleeve 72: Cavity 8: Plug ferrule 9: Groove

Claims (2)

Ferrules,
A sleeve into which the tip of the ferrule is inserted;
A first metal holder that surrounds and holds the ferrule on the rear end side of the sleeve;
A metal second holder that is positioned away from the first holder and that surrounds and holds the ferrule on the rear end side of the first holder;
An optical receptacle in which a groove having the bottom surface of the ferrule is formed by the ferrule, the first holder, and the second holder,
An optical receptacle characterized in that, in a cross section cut along a plane including the optical axis of the ferrule, the groove is bent from the bottom surface to the opening.   The optical receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the groove portion is bent so that the bottom surface cannot be seen when the groove portion is viewed from the opening.

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