JP2015060126A - Repeating optical connection unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a repeating optical connection unit which allows complicated optical wiring using many optical fibers to be easily constructed with high reliability.SOLUTION: The repeating optical connection unit includes a plurality of optical connectors 1 on one side, a plurality of optical connectors 2 on the other side, a movable holder 5 collectively holding the optical connectors 2 on the other side, repeating optical fibers 4 for relay between the optical connectors 1 on one side and the optical connectors 2 on the other side, and an enclosure provided with them. The optical connectors 2 on the other side are connected to reception side optical connectors 52 so that they can be inserted to and extracted from the reception side connectors. The movable holder 5 can be moved toward and away from the reception side optical connectors 52 while collectively holding the optical connectors 2 on the other side. The movable holder 5 includes a movable holder positioning part 50 for positioning relative to a partner unit 51. The movable holder positioning part 50 positions the movable holder 5 to dispose the optical connectors 2 on the other side in positions where they can be fitted to the reception side optical connectors 52.

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay optical connection unit that relay-connects optical lines.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for high-speed and large-capacity data transmission technology, and optical transmission technology using an optical fiber has attracted attention as a technology for realizing this.
An arithmetic device or the like requires complicated wiring using a large number of optical fibers. In order to construct such an optical wiring, a relay connection module may be used (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-500565 Gazette

However, since the arithmetic unit or the like requires complicated wiring using a large number of optical fibers, it takes time to construct the optical wiring even if a module for relay connection is used. In addition, it has been required to improve the reliability of relay connection.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a relay optical connection unit that can easily and highly reliably construct a complicated optical wiring using a large number of optical fibers.

The present invention is a relay optical connection unit that connects a plurality of one-side optical lines to a plurality of other-side optical lines, a plurality of one-side optical connectors to which the plurality of one-side optical lines are respectively connected, and a plurality of A plurality of other side optical connectors to which the other side optical lines are respectively connected, a movable holding body that collectively holds the plurality of other side optical connectors, and one of the plurality of one side optical connectors as one side. A plurality of relay optical fibers, each having one of the plurality of other side optical connectors on the other terminal, respectively, the plurality of one side optical connectors, the plurality of other side optical connectors, the movable A holding body and a housing provided with the plurality of relay optical fibers, wherein each of the plurality of other-side optical connectors is provided with a plurality of receivers provided at terminals of the plurality of other-side optical lines, respectively. Side light connector Each of the movable holding body is movable in a direction approaching and separating from the plurality of receiving side optical connectors while holding the plurality of other side optical connectors collectively, The movable holding body is movable in a direction to be inserted into and removed from the receiving side optical connector, and the movable holding body has a movable holding body positioning portion for positioning with respect to a counterpart unit provided with the plurality of receiving side optical connectors, Provided is an optical connection unit for relay in which the movable holding body is positioned by a movable holding body positioning portion, and each of the plurality of other optical connectors is arranged at a position where it can be fitted to a corresponding receiving optical connector.
The housing has a housing positioning portion that positions the counterpart unit provided with the plurality of receiving-side optical connectors, and positions the housing by the housing positioning portion to move the movable body. It is preferable to arrange the holding body at a position that can be positioned by the movable holding body positioning portion.
Each of the plurality of optical connectors on the other side can be moved in the insertion / removal direction with respect to the receiving side optical connector by operating the operating body provided in the optical connector body, and the movable holding body is positioned by the movable holding body positioning portion. It is preferable that each of the plurality of optical connectors on the other side is fitted to a corresponding optical connector on the receiving side by operating the operating body in a state where is positioned.
It is preferable that the plurality of one-side optical connectors and the plurality of other-side optical connectors have different installation positions when viewed from the insertion / extraction direction in any combination.
Each of the plurality of other-side optical connectors is biased in a direction away from the receiving-side optical connector in the insertion / extraction direction, and is not fitted into the corresponding receiving-side optical connector and the operating body is not operated, It is preferable not to protrude from the outer surface of the housing.
The plurality of other optical connectors are preferably movable independently of each other with respect to the receiving optical connector of the other optical line.
The one-side optical connector is preferably a receiving-side optical connector that is fixed to the casing and into which an optical connector plug provided at a terminal of the one-side optical line is inserted and removed.

According to the present invention, in the housing, the one side optical connector and the other side optical connector are connected by the relay optical fiber.
For this reason, if an optical connection unit for relays in which optical connectors are connected to each other according to the purpose is prepared in advance, even if complex optical wiring is required, the optical connection unit for relay is installed on the counterpart unit An optical wiring that is optimal for the application can be constructed with an easy operation. Therefore, a complicated optical wiring using a large number of optical fibers can be easily and reliably constructed.
Further, in the present invention, since the movable holding body that collectively holds the plurality of other side optical connectors is used, the plurality of other side optical connectors are collectively inserted into and removed from the receiving side optical connector with a simple operation. Can be issued.

The optical connection unit for relay according to the present invention can be securely and accurately fitted to the receiving optical connector by receiving the other optical connector through four stages of positioning.
That is, after the fitting concave portion and the fitting convex portion are fitted in the first stage to roughly determine the position of the housing on the counterpart unit, the movable holding body is moved by the movable holding body positioning section in the second stage. Through the process of defining the position of the other side optical connector with respect to the receiving side optical connector in the third stage, and then completely determining the position by operating the other side optical connector in the fourth stage. The other side optical connector can be guided to the side optical connector.
As a result, even if a deviation occurs in the position of the other side optical connector, this deviation can be reliably corrected, the other side optical connector can be guided to the correct position, and can be securely and accurately fitted to the receiving side optical connector. it can.
Therefore, the optical wiring can be constructed with high reliability.

It is a figure which shows typically the optical connection unit for relay of one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. It is a figure which shows the optical connection unit for relay, (a) is the perspective view seen from the upper surface side, (b) is the perspective view seen from the lower surface side. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the optical connection unit for relay, (a) is the perspective view seen from the upper surface side, (b) is the perspective view seen from the direction different from (a). It is sectional drawing which shows a movable holding body and the other side optical connector. It is a top view which shows an example of the other side optical connector. It is a disassembled perspective view of the other side optical connector of a front figure. It is process drawing which shows an example of the process in which the other side optical connector fits into a receiving side optical connector. FIG. 10 is a process diagram illustrating a process of fitting the other side optical connector to the receiving side optical connector following the previous figure. It is sectional drawing which shows the process in which the other side optical connector fits into a receiving side optical connector. It is process drawing which shows the other example of the process in which the other side optical connector fits into a receiving side optical connector. It is a top view which shows the other example of the other side optical connector. It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical connector of a previous figure.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments. First, an outline of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), and then detailed description will be added with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a relay optical connection unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a one-side optical connector 1, an other-side optical connector 2, and a plurality of other sides. The movable holding body 5 that holds the optical connectors 2 in a lump, the relay optical fiber 4 that optically connects the one side optical connector 1 and the other side optical connector 2, and the housing 3 provided with these. .
Hereinafter, the direction in which the other side optical connector 2 approaches the receiving side optical connector 52 of the counterpart substrate 51 (the counterpart unit) (downward in FIG. 1B) is referred to as the front, and the opposite direction (in FIG. 1B). (Upper) is sometimes referred to as the rear. The front is the insertion direction, and the rear is the extraction direction. The insertion and extraction directions may be collectively referred to as “insertion / extraction directions”.

The other optical connector 2 includes an optical connector body 11 that is an optical connector plug, and an operating body 12 that extends from the optical connector body 11.
The other side optical connector 2 is movable in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1B). The optical connector main body 11 can be accommodated in the housing 3 when retreating, and can be connected to the receiving-side optical connector 52 so as to protrude forward from the front surface 3a of the housing 3 when retreating.
The operating body 12 protrudes outward from the rear surface 3b (one surface) of the housing 3.
As shown in FIG. 1A, in this example, the number of the other-side optical connectors 2 is 2, and these may be referred to as the other-side optical connector 2A and the other-side optical connector 2B, respectively.

  The movable holder 5 is movable in the direction approaching and separating from the receiving side optical connector 52 (up and down direction in FIG. 1B) while holding the plurality of other side optical connectors 2 together. In the illustrated example, the movable holding body 5 holds both of the two other optical connectors 2.

The one-side optical connector 1 is provided on the rear surface 3 b side of the housing 3, and an optical connector (not shown) provided at the terminal of the one-side optical line 21 is connected.
The one-side optical connector 1 is different from the other-side optical connector 2 in a plan view position (position viewed from the insertion / extraction direction). In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the one-side optical connector 1 is located slightly to the left of the center of the housing 3, and the other-side optical connector 2 is located slightly to the right of the center of the housing 3. .

As shown in FIG. 1B, a fitting recess 3 c (housing positioning portion) is formed on the front surface 3 a side of the housing 3.
The fitting recess 3 c can position the housing 3 with respect to the counterpart substrate 51 by fitting the fitting convex portion 53 provided on the installation surface 51 a of the counterpart substrate 51.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the relay optical fiber 4 is preferably wired in a generally S shape.
Specifically, the relay optical fiber 4 includes a one-side curved portion 4a that is a portion from the position connected to the one-side optical connector 1 to the middle point 4c (inflection point), and the other-side light from the middle point 4c. It is preferable to have an S-shape that has a curved portion 4b on the other side that is a portion up to a position connected to the connector 2.

The one-side curved portion 4a is curved so as to be convex forward (downward in FIG. 1B), and the other-side curved portion 4b is curved so as to be convex rearward (upward in FIG. 1B). doing. The curved portions 4a and 4b are, for example, generally arcuate, and the curvature thereof is such that the optical characteristics of the relay optical fiber 4 are not affected.
Since the relay optical fiber 4 is wired in an S shape having the curved portions 4a and 4b, a sufficient extra length is ensured by the curved portions 4a and 4b. Even if it moves, it is possible to avoid local bending of the relay optical fiber 4.

A receiving-side optical connector 52 is provided on the mating substrate 51 on which the relay optical connection box 10 is installed. The receiving side optical connector 52 is provided at the terminal of the other side optical line 22.
FIG. 1B shows a state immediately before the relay optical connection box 10 is installed on the counterpart substrate 51.

Next, an outline of a method of using the relay optical connection unit 10 will be described.
(First stage)
As shown in FIG. 1B, the relay optical connection unit 10 is moved downward (forward) and installed on the installation surface 51 a of the counterpart substrate 51.
At this time, the fitting convex portion 53 of the counterpart substrate 51 is fitted into the fitting concave portion 3 c of the housing 3. As a result, the movement of the relay optical connection unit 10 in the direction along the mating substrate 51 (side movement) is restricted, and the position in plan view with respect to the mating substrate 51 is roughly determined.
Positioning of the relay optical connection unit 10 by fitting the fitting convex portion 53 into the fitting concave portion 3 c is referred to as “first positioning”.

(Second stage)
The movable holding body 5 is lowered toward the receiving side optical connector 52. Since the plurality of other optical connectors 2 (2A, 2B) are collectively held by the movable holder 5, the other optical connectors 2A, 2B are also lowered as the movable holder 5 is lowered.
At this time, as will be described later, a guide bar 50 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) protruding from the movable holding body 5 is inserted into a guide hole 54 formed in the counterpart substrate 51. The lateral movement of the movable holding body 5 is restricted.
Thereby, the other side optical connector 2 can be arrange | positioned in the position which can be fitted to the corresponding receiving side optical connector 52. FIG.
The positioning of the movable holding body 5 and the other optical connector 2 when the guide bar 50 is inserted into the guide hole 54 is referred to as “second positioning”.

(3rd stage)
The distal end portion 11 a of the optical connector body 11 of the other optical connector 2 is inserted into the entrance portion of the receiving optical connector 52.
At this time, if necessary, the distal end portion 11 a can be inserted into the inlet portion of the insertion port 58 by holding the operating body 12 and moving the optical connector main body 11 forward.
When the distal end portion 11a is inserted into the entrance portion of the insertion port 58, the optical connector body 11 is restricted from moving sideways, and the planar view position of the optical connector body 11 with respect to the receiving side optical connector 52 is defined.
The positioning of the optical connector body 11 with respect to the receiving side optical connector 52 is referred to as “third positioning”.

(Fourth stage)
When the optical connector main body 11 is further advanced, the distal end portion 11 a of the optical connector main body 11 is inserted deeply into the receiving side optical connector 52 and is completely fitted into the receiving side optical connector 52.
As will be described later, at this time, the joining end surface 16a (see FIGS. 10A to 10C) of the ferrule 16 is abutted against the connection end surface 61a in the receiving side optical connector 52 and formed on the connection end surface 61a. The paired guide pins 61b are inserted into the guide pin holes 16b of the ferrule 16, respectively.
Thus, the other side optical connector 2 is accurately positioned with respect to the receiving side optical connector 52, and the other side optical connector 2 and the receiving side optical connector 52 are optically connected.
The positioning of the other optical connector 2 with respect to the receiving optical connector 52 is referred to as “fourth positioning”.

Next, the relay optical connection box 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3B, the relay optical connection unit 10 includes a plurality of one-side lights to which the one-side optical line 21 is connected. Connector 1, a plurality of other side optical connectors 2 to which the other side optical line 22 is connected, a movable holding body 5 that collectively holds the plurality of other side optical connectors 2, and one side optical connector 1 and the other side light A relay optical fiber 4 for optically connecting the connector 2 and a housing 3 provided with these are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the housing 3 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. Specifically, a rectangular bottom plate 31, a side plate 32 erected on the side edge portion 31 a of the bottom plate 31, an end plate 33 erected on the end edge portion 31 b of the bottom plate 31, the side plate 32 and the end plate 33. And an upper plate 34 provided on the upper edges 32a and 33a.
Hereinafter, the structure may be described with reference to the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system shown in FIG. The X direction is the extending direction of the side edge portion 31 a of the bottom plate 31 and is the longitudinal direction of the bottom plate 31. The Y direction is a direction orthogonal to the X direction in a plane parallel to the bottom plate 31, and is an extending direction of the end edge portion 31b. The Z direction is a height direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the bottom plate 31 is formed with an insertion port portion 38 through which the other optical connector 2 is inserted.
The insertion opening 38 is formed at a position corresponding to the other optical connector 2. The insertion opening 38 may have a shape that collectively surrounds all the other optical connectors 2 in plan view. The insertion port portion 38 in the illustrated example is a rectangle whose longitudinal direction is along the X direction, and has a shape that collectively surrounds the two other optical connectors 2.

As shown in FIG. 2 (b), a fitting recess 3 c is formed in the bottom plate 31 of the housing 3. The fitting recess 3c is a recess or opening formed on the front surface 3a side of the housing 3, and is a fitting protrusion 53 provided on the installation surface 51a of the mating substrate 51 (see FIG. 3A). Can be fitted.
In the illustrated example, the fitting recess 3 c is an opening formed in the bottom plate 31 and having a circular shape in plan view.
The inner diameter of the fitting recess 3c is preferably substantially the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the fitting protrusion 53 (main portion 53a). Thereby, when the fitting convex part 53 fits, the side movement of the housing | casing 3 can be controlled.

The fitting convex part 53 shown to Fig.3 (a) is the cylindrical main part 53a which protrudes upwards (Z direction) from the installation surface 51a of the other party board | substrate 51, and the protrusion direction from the front-end | tip of the main part 53a gradually. And a substantially conical tip 53b having a reduced diameter.
Since the distal end portion 53b has a shape that gradually decreases in diameter in the protruding direction, when the fitting convex portion 53 is fitted into the fitting concave portion 3c, the planar view position of the fitting convex portion 53 is relative to the fitting concave portion 3c. Even when they are misaligned, the housing 3 can be guided to the correct position along the inclination of the outer surface of the tip 53b.

In the relay optical connection unit 10, a structure in which the fitting concave portion 3 c (housing positioning portion) of the housing 3 and the fitting convex portion 53 of the counterpart substrate 51 are fitted is used. A structure in which the movable holding body 5 is disposed at a predetermined position by fitting a fitting convex portion (housing positioning portion) formed on the housing 3 and a fitting concave portion formed on the counterpart substrate 51. May be adopted.
The positioning structure of the housing 3 is not limited to the structure in which the concave and convex fitting is performed with the counterpart substrate 51, and adhesion, adsorption, and other positioning structures may be employed.

  Although the housing 3 in the illustrated example is formed in a box shape, if the one side optical connector 1, the other side optical connector 2, the movable holding body 5, and the relay optical fiber 4 can be held, the structure is as follows. It is not limited to a box shape. For example, the structure which has the baseplate 31, the upper board 34, and the columnar body which connects these may be sufficient.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the other optical connector 2 includes an optical connector main body 11 that is an optical connector plug, and an operation body 12 that extends rearward from the optical connector main body 11. It is possible to move in a direction toward and away from 52.

The optical connector main body 11 includes a connector main portion 13 and a coupling 14 that can move back and forth with respect to the connector main portion 13.
The optical connector body 11 can employ an MPO optical connector (F13 optical connector established in JIS C5982; MPO: Multi-fiber Push On) structure.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the connector main portion 13 includes a ferrule 16 attached to the tip of the optical fiber 42, a spring receiver 17 provided on the rear side of the ferrule 16, and the ferrule 16 elastically attached to the front. A spring 18 (for example, a coil spring) to be energized, an abutting member 19 with which the rear end of the spring 18 abuts, a cylindrical housing 20 for housing them, and a rear member 25 provided at the rear of the housing 20 are provided. Yes.

The ferrule 16 is a multi-fiber optical connector such as an MT-type optical connector, for example, and the front surface is a joining end surface 16a. The ferrule 16 has a guide pin hole 16b into which a guide pin (not shown) is inserted.
The spring 18 can apply a reaction force to the contact member 19 and urge the ferrule 16 forward via the spring receiver 17.

  An engagement protrusion 20a is formed on the outer surface of the housing 20, and a rear side of the engagement protrusion 20a is an engagement recess in which a latch protrusion 60a of a latch 60 of a receiving side optical connector 52 described later is engaged. 20b.

The rear member 25 includes a main body portion 26 having insertion recesses 26 a that are open on both sides, and an extension portion 27 that extends rearward from the main body portion 26.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the insertion recess 26 a can lead out the optical fiber 42 (relay optical fiber 4) in the main body 26 toward the outer side (Y direction).
By directing the optical fiber 42 (relay optical fiber 4) outward, the relay optical fiber 4 can be wired toward the one-side optical connector 1 via a relatively short path. The wiring space of the optical fiber 4 can be reduced.
The optical fiber 42 (relay optical fiber 4) may be led out through either of the two insertion recesses 26a.
The main body portion 26 is attached to the rear end portion of the housing 20 by concave-convex fitting or the like.

A spring 28 is extrapolated to the extending portion 27. The extending portion 27 and the spring 28 externally inserted into the extending portion 27 are inserted into the insertion hole 12 a of the operating body 12.
The spring 28 can apply a reaction force to the upper surface 43a of the base 43 of the movable holding body 5 to urge the other side optical connector 2 backward (see FIG. 4).

The coupling 14 is slidable back and forth with respect to the housing 20, and the latch 60 of the receiving side optical connector 52 with respect to the housing 20 can be released by sliding back and forth.
Engaging convex portions 29 that can be engaged with the inner edges of the engaging concave portions 46 and 47 of the movable holding body 5 are formed on both side surfaces of the coupling 14.

  Although it does not specifically limit as the optical fiber 42, Multi-fiber optical fibers, such as optical fiber tape core wires, such as 4 cores, 8 cores, and 12 cores, can be illustrated. As the optical fiber 42, a plurality of laminated optical fiber ribbons may be used.

The optical connector main body 11 does not protrude from the housing 3 at least when it is at the rearmost position, and protrudes forward from the front surface 3a of the housing 3 through the insertion opening 38 when it moves forward so that it can be connected to the receiving optical connector 52 so that it can be inserted and removed. It is preferable to configure as described above.
The optical connector main body 11 may have a structure that can be projected and retracted from the front surface 3a (the other surface) of the housing 3 by movement in the front-rear direction.

The other side optical connector 2 is preferably positioned rearward by the spring 28 in a state where the other side optical connector 2 is not fitted to the receiving side optical connector 52 and the operating body 12 is not operated, and does not protrude from the outer surface of the housing 3 at this position.
As a result, it is possible to avoid an accident in which the optical connector main body 11 is damaged in the attaching / detaching operation of the relay optical connection box 10 with respect to the counterpart substrate 51.
The optical connector main body 11 may adopt a structure in which the tip portion does not come out of the housing 3 in the entire process. In this case, the fitting to the receiving side optical connector 52 is performed in the housing 3.

As shown in FIG. 6, the operation body 12 is separate from the optical connector body 11 and is formed in a cylindrical shape.
As shown in FIG. 4, the end portion 28a of the spring 28 can be engaged with the step portion 12b formed on the inner surface of the insertion hole 12a.

The operation body 12 can move the optical connector main body 11 forward and backward by being gripped and operated by an operator.
By forming a non-slip uneven portion 12c on the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the operating body 12, the operator can easily perform the operation when holding the operating body 12 and operating the other side optical connector 2. be able to. The concavo-convex portion 12c in the illustrated example includes a plurality of annular concave portions and annular convex portions along the circumferential direction.
The operation body 12 protrudes outward from the rear surface 3b (one surface) through an insertion hole 34c (see FIG. 2A) formed in the upper plate 34 of the housing 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in this example, the number of the other side optical connectors 2 is two, and one of the two other side optical connectors 2 is called the other side optical connector 2A. The other may be referred to as the other side optical connector 2B.
The two other optical connectors 2 (2A, 2B) are installed apart in the X direction.
The number of the other side optical connectors 2 is not limited to 2, and may be 3 or more.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the movable holding body 5 includes a base 43, a pair of side walls 44 erected on the upper surface 43 a (rear surface), and end portions of the side walls 44. And an upper wall portion 45 provided on the outer wall.
The base 43 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is installed with the longitudinal direction directed in the X direction.
The upper portion of the optical connector body 11 of the other side optical connector 2 (2A, 2B) is accommodated in the internal space 41 surrounded by the upper plate 43e of the base portion 43 and the side plate portions 43b, 43c depending from both side edges. ing.
Since the optical connector main body 11 in the internal space 41 is biased upward by the spring 28, the rear member 25 is positioned in the internal space 41 in a state where the rear member 25 is pressed against the upper plate 43e.

An oval engagement recess 46 extending in the height direction (Z direction) is formed in one side plate portion 43b of the base portion 43, and the other side plate portion 43c extends in the height direction (Z direction). An existing engaging recess 47 is formed.
The dimension in the height direction of the engagement recesses 46 and 47 is made larger than the dimension in the front-rear direction of the engagement protrusion 29 of the coupling 14. It can move back and forth relatively with respect to the movable holding body 5 in a state where it enters the inside 46, 47.

As shown in FIG. 4, positioning holes 48 are formed at both ends of the base 43. The positioning hole 48 is formed through the base 43 along the height direction (Z direction).
A positioning bar 35 formed in the housing 3 and extending along the height direction can be inserted into the positioning hole 48.
In the base portion 43, fitting holes 49 and 49 are formed slightly inward from the positioning holes 48 and 48, respectively. The pair of fitting holes 49, 49 are formed at an interval in the X direction.
In the fitting holes 49, 49, a base end portion of a guide bar 50 (movable holding body positioning portion) for positioning the movable holding body 5 with respect to the counterpart substrate 51 is fitted. The guide bar 50 projects downward (forward) from the lower surface 43 d of the base 43.
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the guide bar 50 can restrict the lateral movement of the movable holding body 5 by being inserted into the guide hole 54 formed in the counterpart substrate 51.
The positioning bar 35 is perpendicular to the bottom plate 31 and is fixed to the housing 3.

  The movable holding body 5 is movable in a direction (vertical direction) approaching and separating from the receiving side optical connector 52 while holding the two other side optical connectors 2 (2A, 2B) collectively.

The pair of side wall portions 44 are formed at an interval in the X direction.
A through hole 45a through which the operation body 12 is inserted is formed in the upper wall portion 45 (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the one-side optical connector 1 is, for example, an optical connector receptacle, an optical connector adapter, or the like.
The illustrated one side optical connector 1 is an optical connector receptacle, and has a cylindrical main body 59 having an insertion port 58 into which an optical connector (for example, MPO type optical connector, not shown) of the one side optical line 21 is inserted. In addition, a pair of latches 60 are formed. On the inner surface of the front end portion of the latch 60, a latch convex portion 60a protruding inward is formed.

The one-side optical connector 1 is provided on the upper plate 34 with the insertion port 58 facing outward (upward).
In this example, the number of one-side optical connectors 1 is two, and one of the two one-side optical connectors 1 may be referred to as one-side optical connector 1A, and the other may be referred to as one-side optical connector 1B.
The two one-side optical connectors 1 (1A, 1B) are installed apart in the X direction.
In addition, the number of the one side optical connectors 1 is not limited to 2, and may be 1 or 3 or more.

In this example, the one side optical connector 1 is installed at a position away from the other side optical connector 2 and the movable holding body 5 in the Y direction.
The two one-side optical connectors 1 (1A, 1B) are installed apart from each other in the X direction, and the two other-side optical connectors 2 (2A, 2B) are also installed apart from each other in the X direction.
For this reason, in the plan view, the positions of the one side optical connector 1 and the other side optical connector 2 are different in any combination.
Therefore, a sufficient space for the wiring of the relay optical fiber 4 can be secured around the optical connectors 1 and 2. Therefore, even if the height dimension of the housing 3 is small, no excessive force is applied to the relay optical fiber 4, and thus the relay optical connection unit 10 can be reduced in size.

The relay optical fiber 4 is, for example, an optical fiber or an optical fiber.
The relay optical fiber 4 has one terminal provided in any one of the plurality of one-side optical connectors 1, and the other terminal provided in any one of the plurality of other-side optical connectors 2, The one side optical connector 1 and the other side optical connector 2 are optically connected to each other within the housing 3.
The relay optical fiber 4 can connect any one side optical connector 1 and any other side optical connector 2 according to the purpose.
For example, one or two of the two one-side optical connectors 1 can be connected to one or two of the two other-side optical connectors 2 via the relay optical fiber 4.
In FIG. 1A, the two one-side optical connectors 1 are both connected to both of the two other-side optical connectors 2 via the relay optical fiber 4.

As shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 3B, the optical fiber 4 for relay is wired in a generally S-shape because the other optical connector 2 is movable with respect to the receiving optical connector 52. It is preferable to do this.
Specifically, the relay optical fiber 4 includes a one-side curved portion 4a that is a portion from the position connected to the one-side optical connector 1 to the middle point 4c (inflection point), and the other-side light from the middle point 4c. It is preferable to have an S-shape that has a curved portion 4b on the other side that is a portion up to a position connected to the connector 2.

The one-side curved portion 4a is curved so as to be convex forward (downward in FIG. 3B), and the other-side curved portion 4b is curved so as to be convex in a direction different from the one-side curved portion 4a. ing. The curved portions 4a and 4b are, for example, generally arcuate, and the curvature thereof is such that the optical characteristics of the relay optical fiber 4 are not affected.
Since the relay optical fiber 4 is wired in an S shape having the curved portions 4a and 4b, a sufficient extra length is ensured by the curved portions 4a and 4b. Even if it moves, it is possible to avoid local bending of the relay optical fiber 4.
The relay optical fiber 4 is wired through the engagement recess 47 of the base 43.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the receiving side optical connector 52 is, for example, an optical connector receptacle, an optical connector adapter, or the like.
The receiving side optical connector 52 of the illustrated example is an optical connector receptacle, and a pair of latches 60 are formed in a cylindrical main body 59 having an insertion port 58 into which the optical connector body 11 of the other side optical connector 2 is inserted. Has been. On the inner surface of the front end portion of the latch 60, a latch convex portion 60a protruding inward is formed.

  The receiving side optical connector 52 is provided at a position corresponding to the other side optical connector 2. In the illustrated example, two receiving side optical connectors 52 (52A, 52B) arranged in the X direction are provided at positions where the other side optical connectors 2 (2A, 2B) can be fitted respectively.

Next, a method of using the relay optical connection unit 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.
(First stage)
As shown in FIG. 7A, the relay optical connection unit 10 is moved downward (forward) and installed on the installation surface 51 a of the counterpart substrate 51.
At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and 3 (a), the fitting convex portion 53 of the mating substrate 51 is fitted into the fitting concave portion 3 c of the housing 3. As a result, the relay optical connection unit 10 is restricted from moving (laterally moving) in the direction along the counterpart substrate 51 (for example, the right and left in FIG. 7A and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). Is roughly positioned.
Positioning of the relay optical connection unit 10 by fitting the fitting convex portion 53 into the fitting concave portion 3 c is referred to as “first positioning”.
By positioning the housing 3 by the first positioning, the movable holding body 5 can be arranged at a position that can be positioned by the guide bar 50.

(Second stage)
As shown in FIG. 7B, the movable holder 5 is lowered toward the mating substrate 51 (receiving optical connector 52).
At this time, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the guide bar 50 protruding from the movable holding body 5 is inserted into the guide hole 54 of the counterpart substrate 51, so that the movable holding body 5 and The lateral movement of the other optical connector 2 is restricted, and the upright posture of the movable holding body 5 is maintained.
By restricting the lateral movement of the other optical connector 2, the other optical connector 2 can be disposed at a position where it can be fitted to the corresponding receiving optical connector 52.
The positioning of the movable holding body 5 and the other optical connector 2 when the guide bar 50 is inserted into the guide hole 54 is referred to as “second positioning”.

Since the plurality of other optical connectors 2 (2A, 2B) are collectively held by the movable holder 5, the other optical connectors 2A, 2B are also lowered as the movable holder 5 is lowered.
Specifically, by lowering the movable holding body 5, the inner edges of the engagement concave portions 46 and 47 of the base portion 43 press the engagement convex portion 29 downward, and the upper plate 43 e (see FIG. 4) of the base portion 43 emits light. In order to press the connector main body 11 downward, the other side optical connector 2 moves downward.
The movable holder 5 is lowered until the other optical connector 2 (2A, 2B) reaches the receiving optical connector 52.

Further, when the positioning bar 35 (guide portion) formed in the housing 3 is inserted into the positioning hole 48 (see FIG. 4), the lateral movement of the movable holding body 5 is restricted.
For this reason, the other-side optical connector 2 is guided to the receiving-side optical connector 52 without shifting the plan view position.
The other side optical connector 2 in contact with the receiving side optical connector 52 is prevented from further downward movement, and side movement is less likely to occur. That is, the movement is restricted by the receiving side optical connector 52.

(3rd stage)
As shown in FIG. 9A, by lowering the other optical connector 2, the distal end portion 11 a of the optical connector body 11 of the other optical connector 2 is brought into the entrance 58 a of the insertion port 58 of the receiving optical connector 52. Inserted.
At this time, if necessary, the distal end portion 11 a can be disposed in the inlet portion 58 a of the insertion port 58 by holding the operating body 12 and moving the optical connector main body 11 forward.

When the other side optical connector 2 is advanced, all the other side optical connectors 2 may be operated collectively, but only a part of the other side optical connectors 2 may be operated.
At this position, the distal end portion 11a is disposed in the inlet portion 58a of the insertion port 58, so that the lateral movement of the optical connector body 11 is restricted. For this reason, the planar view position of the optical connector main body 11 with respect to the receiving side optical connector 52 is prescribed | regulated.
The positioning of the optical connector body 11 with respect to the receiving side optical connector 52 is referred to as “third positioning”.

(Fourth stage)
As shown in FIG. 7C and FIG. 8A, the other side optical connector 2 is pressed downward (forward), and the distal end portion 11a of the optical connector body 11 is received deeply into the insertion port 58 of the side optical connector 52. Insert it.
As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the engaging convex portion 29 of the other optical connector 2 moves up and down with respect to the movable holding body 5 while being in the engaging concave portions 46 and 47. Since it is possible, even if the height position of the movable holding body 5 does not change, the other side optical connector 2 can advance.
In this example, the two other optical connectors 2 are advanced one by one. That is, in FIG. 7C, only the other optical connector 2A of the two other optical connectors 2 is advanced, and in FIG. 8A, the other optical connector 2B is subsequently advanced.

In the example shown in FIG. 7C and FIG. 8A, when the other side optical connector 2 is advanced, the other side optical connectors 2 are operated one by one, but by lowering the movable holding body 5 All the other side optical connectors 2 may be operated collectively.
For example, from the unfitted state shown in FIG. 9A, the movable holding body 5 is lowered to receive the distal end portion 11a of the optical connector main body 11 as shown in FIG. 9 (c), the movable holding body 5 is further lowered so that all the other optical connectors 2 can be inserted deeply into the insertion port 58 all at once, as shown in FIG. 9 (c). Good.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the engagement protrusion 20a of the housing 20 displaces the latch 60 outward (in the direction in which the distance between the latches 60 increases) by the forward movement of the optical connector body 11. The displaced latch 60 restricts the advancement of the coupling 14.

As shown in FIG. 10 (c), while the forward movement of the coupling 14 is restricted, the housing 20 moves forward, so that the engagement recess 20b is exposed, the latch 60 is displaced inward, and the latch protrusion 60a. Engages with the engagement recess 20b.
Since the forward restriction of the coupling 14 is released by the inward displacement of the latch 60, the coupling 14 moves forward by the elastic force of a spring (not shown) in the coupling 14.
FIG. 10C shows a state where the fitting of the other optical connector 2 to the receiving optical connector 52 is completed.

At this position, the joint end surface 16a of the ferrule 16 is abutted against the connection end surface 61a in the receiving side optical connector 52, and a pair of guide pins 61b formed on the connection end surface 61a are respectively in the guide pin holes 16b of the ferrule 16. Inserted. Thereby, the ferrule 16 is positioned with high accuracy with respect to the receiving side optical connector 52.
The positioning of the other optical connector 2 with respect to the receiving optical connector 52 is referred to as “fourth positioning”.

  Since the other optical connectors 2 can operate independently from each other, only necessary ones of the plurality of other optical connectors 2 can be fitted into the receiving optical connector 52.

(Removal of the other optical connector 2 from the receiving optical connector 52)
The other side optical connector 2 can be detached from the receiving side optical connector 52 as follows.
As shown in FIG. 8 (b), when the movable holding body 5 is lifted upward, an upward force is applied to the engaging convex portion 29 of the coupling 14 by the inner edges of the engaging concave portions 46, 47. The coupling 14 of the other optical connector 2 moves upward.

As shown in FIG. 10B, when the coupling 14 is moved upward, the engagement recess 20b of the housing 20 is exposed, and the latch 60 becomes displaceable outwardly.
When the coupling 14 is further moved upward, the engagement protrusion 20a displaces the latch 60 outward, and the engagement of the latch protrusion 60a with the engagement recess 20b is released.
When the operating body 12 is further pulled upward, the other optical connector 2 is pulled out from the receiving optical connector 52.

  As shown in FIG. 8C, when the restraint from the receiving side optical connector 52 is released, the other side optical connector 2 can move up and down, so that it rises by the urging force of the spring 28. As shown to (a), the optical connector main body 11 returns to the state accommodated in the housing | casing 3. FIG.

The relay optical connection unit 10 has a structure in which the one-side optical connector 1 and the other-side optical connector 2 are connected by a relay optical fiber 4 in the housing 3.
For this reason, if the optical connection unit for relay 10 in which the optical connectors 1 and 2 are connected to each other according to the purpose is prepared in advance, the optical connection unit for relay 10 can be used even when complicated optical wiring is required. An optical wiring optimal for the application can be constructed by an easy operation of installing on the counterpart substrate 51.
Therefore, a complicated optical wiring using a large number of optical fibers can be easily and reliably constructed.
Further, since the relay optical connection box 10 has the movable holding body 5 that collectively holds the plurality of other optical connectors 2, the plurality of other optical connectors 2 are collectively received by a simple operation. The optical connector 52 can be inserted and removed.

Moreover, in the relay optical connection unit 10, the other-side optical connector 2 can be securely and accurately fitted to the receiving-side optical connector 52 by performing positioning in four stages.
That is, after the fitting recess 3c and the fitting projection 53 are fitted in the first stage to roughly determine the position of the housing 3 on the mating substrate 51, it is movable by the guide bar 50 in the second stage. The position of the holding body 5 is determined, the position of the other side optical connector 2 with respect to the receiving side optical connector 52 is defined in the third stage, and then the other side optical connector 2 is operated in the fourth stage, thereby completely Then, the other side optical connector 2 can be guided to the receiving side optical connector 52 through the process of being fixed.
As a result, even if a deviation occurs in the position of the other side optical connector 2, the deviation is surely corrected, the other side optical connector 2 is guided to the correct position, and is securely and accurately fitted to the receiving side optical connector 52. Can be made.
Therefore, the optical wiring can be constructed with high reliability.

11 and 12 show the other side optical connector 72 which is another example of the other side optical connector. The other side optical connector 72 can be used in place of the other side optical connector 2.
The other-side optical connector 72 has an optical connector main body 81 that is an optical connector plug and an operation portion 82 that extends from the optical connector main body 81, and can move in a direction toward and away from the receiving-side optical connector 52. It is.

The optical connector main body 81 includes a connector main portion 83, a coupling 84 that can move back and forth with respect to the connector main portion 83, and a coupling engagement member 85 provided at the rear of the connector main portion 83. .
The optical connector main body 81 can employ an MPO type optical connector (F13 type optical connector established by JIS C5982; MPO: Multi-fiber Push On) structure.

The connector main portion 83 includes a ferrule 86 attached to the tip of the optical fiber 42, a spring receiver 87 provided on the rear side of the ferrule 86, and a spring 88 (for example, a coil spring) that elastically biases the ferrule 86 forward. , A contact member 89 with which the rear end of the spring 88 contacts, and a cylindrical housing 90 for storing these members.
The ferrule 86 is a multi-fiber optical connector such as an MT type optical connector, for example, and the front surface is a joining end surface 86a. The ferrule 86 is formed with a guide pin hole 86b into which a guide pin (not shown) is inserted.
The spring 88 can apply a reaction force to the contact member 89 and urge the ferrule 86 forward via the spring receiver 87.

  An engagement protrusion 90 a is formed on the outer surface of the housing 90, and a rear side of the engagement protrusion 90 a is engaged with an engagement recess 90 b to which the latch protrusion 60 a of the latch 60 of the receiving side optical connector 52 is engaged. It has become.

The coupling 84 is slidable back and forth with respect to the housing 90, and the latch 60 of the receiving side optical connector 52 with respect to the housing 90 can be released by sliding back and forth.
Engagement convex portions 99 that can be engaged with the inner edge of the engagement concave portion 98 are formed on both side surfaces of the coupling 84.

The coupling engaging member 85 includes a main body portion 96 and a pair of extending portions 97 extending forward from the main body portion 96, and is movable back and forth with respect to the connector main body 83 and the coupling 84. Yes.
The main body portion 96 includes a bottom plate portion 96a, side plate portions 96b provided at both side edges thereof, and a rear plate portion 96c provided at the rear edge of the bottom plate portion 96a.

As shown in FIG. 11, insertion concave portions 96d (insertion portions) are formed in both side plate portions 96b.
The insertion recess 96d can lead out the optical fiber 42 (relay optical fiber 4) in the main body 96 toward the outer side (Y direction).
By directing the optical fiber 42 (relay optical fiber 4) outward, the relay optical fiber 4 can be wired toward the one-side optical connector 1 via a relatively short path. The wiring space of the optical fiber 4 can be reduced.
The optical fiber 42 (relay optical fiber 4) may be led out through either of the two insertion recesses 96d.
The bottom plate portion 96a and the side plate portion 96b can contact the rear end portion 90c of the housing 90 to press the housing 90 forward.

  The extending portion 97 is formed in a long plate shape, and an engaging recess 98 is formed in one side edge portion 97a. The front-rear direction dimension of the engagement recess 98 is made larger than the front-rear direction dimension of the engagement protrusion 99 of the coupling 84, whereby the engagement protrusion 99 is inserted into the engagement recess 98. The joint member 85 can move back and forth relative to the coupling 84.

Next, with reference to FIG. 10 to FIG. 12, an insertion and extraction operation with respect to the receiving side optical connector 52 when the other side optical connector 72 is used will be described. In addition, about the operation | movement demonstrated with reference to FIGS. 7-9 etc. and using the other side optical connector 2, it abbreviate | omits.
(First stage)
The relay optical connection unit 10 is installed on the installation surface 51 a of the counterpart substrate 51. At this time, the fitting convex portion 5 is fitted into the fitting concave portion 53 of the mating substrate 51.

(Second stage)
The movable holding body 5 is lowered (advanced) toward the counterpart substrate 51 (receiving optical connector 52), and the guide bar 50 is inserted into the guide hole 54 of the counterpart substrate 51 to position the movable holding body 5. In addition, the other optical connector 72 can be disposed at a position where it can be fitted to the receiving optical connector 52.

(3rd stage)
When the other side optical connector 72 is further lowered (advanced), the distal end portion 81 a of the optical connector main body 81 is inserted into the entrance portion of the insertion port 58 of the receiving side optical connector 52.

(Fourth stage)
When the other side optical connector 72 is further pressed downward (forward), the pressing force is transmitted to the coupling engaging member 85, and the front ends of the main body portion 96 (for example, the front ends of the bottom plate portion 96 a and the side plate portion 96 b) The housing 90 is pressed forward in contact with the rear end portion 90c. As a result, the optical connector main body 81 moves forward, and the distal end portion 81 a is inserted deeply into the receiving side optical connector 52.
By the forward movement of the optical connector body 81, the engaging projection 90a of the housing 90 displaces the latch 60 outward (in a direction in which the distance between the latches 60 increases). The displaced latch 60 restricts the advancement of the coupling 84.

While the forward movement of the coupling 84 is restricted, the housing 90 moves forward, so that the engagement recess 90b is exposed, the latch 60 is displaced inward, and the latch protrusion 60a engages with the engagement recess 90b. .
Since the forward restriction of the coupling 84 is released by the inward displacement of the latch 60, the coupling 84 moves forward by the elastic force of a spring (not shown) in the coupling 84.
Thereby, the fitting of the other side optical connector 72 to the receiving side optical connector 52 is completed.

(Removal of the other optical connector 2 from the receiving optical connector 52)
When the operation portion 82 is gripped and pulled backward, the tensile force is transmitted to the coupling engagement member 85, and the front edge 98 a of the engagement recess 98 formed in the extension portion 97 is engaged with the engagement protrusion of the coupling 84. By applying a backward force to the part 99, the coupling 84 moves backward.
By the rearward movement of the coupling 84, the engagement recess 90b of the housing 90 is exposed, and the latch 60 is in a state in which it can be displaced outward.
When the coupling 84 is further moved rearward, a backward force is applied to the optical connector main body 81 by a spring (not shown) in the coupling 84, the optical connector main body 81 starts to move rearward, and the engagement protrusion 90a is moved. The latch 60 is displaced outward, and the engagement of the latch protrusion 60a with the engagement recess 90b is released.
When the operation portion 82 is further pulled rearward, the coupling engaging member 85 is separated from the housing 90 and the other side optical connector 2 is pulled out from the receiving side optical connector 52.

Although the details of the present invention have been described above by the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the casing 3 in the illustrated example has a box shape, but the casing is not limited to a box shape as long as the casing can be protected so that an external force does not reach the relay optical fiber or the like. For example, a structure that includes a bottom plate, an upper plate, and a columnar body that connects them, and can accommodate the optical fiber for relay and the other-side optical connector in a space between the bottom plate and the upper plate may be adopted.
The number of optical connectors on the other side is not limited to 2 and may be any number of 3 or more. Even in this case, the movable holding body can hold and move at least two other optical connectors of the plurality of other optical connectors in a lump.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... One side optical connector, 2, 72 ... The other side optical connector, 3 ... Housing | casing, 3a ... Front surface (other surface), 3b ... Rear surface (one surface), 3c ... Fitting recess (housing positioning part), 4 ... relay optical fiber, 5 ... movable holder, 10 ... relay optical connection unit, 11 ... optical connector body, 12. ..Operating body, 21... One side optical line, 22 .. the other side optical line, 50... Guide bar (movable holder positioning part), 51. 53 ... fitting convex part.

Claims (7)

A relay optical connection unit for connecting a plurality of one-side optical lines to a plurality of other-side optical lines,
A plurality of one-side optical connectors to which a plurality of one-side optical lines are respectively connected;
A plurality of other side optical connectors to which a plurality of other side optical lines are respectively connected;
A movable holding body that collectively holds the plurality of other optical connectors;
A plurality of optical fibers for relay, each provided with one of the plurality of one-side optical connectors on one terminal and one of the plurality of other-side optical connectors on the other terminal;
The plurality of one-side optical connectors, the plurality of other-side optical connectors, the movable holding body, and a housing provided with the plurality of relay optical fibers,
Each of the plurality of other side optical connectors is detachably connected to each of a plurality of receiving side optical connectors provided respectively at the terminals of the plurality of other side optical lines,
The movable holding body is movable in a direction approaching and separating from the plurality of receiving side optical connectors while holding the plurality of other side optical connectors in a lump, and is inserted in and removed from the receiving side optical connector. Is movable,
The movable holding body has a movable holding body positioning portion for positioning with respect to a counterpart unit provided with the plurality of receiving side optical connectors,
An optical connection unit for relay, in which the movable holding body is positioned by the movable holding body positioning portion, and each of the plurality of other optical connectors is arranged at a position that can be fitted to a corresponding receiving optical connector. The housing includes a housing positioning unit that performs positioning with respect to the counterpart unit provided with the plurality of receiving optical connectors.
The relay optical connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the casing is positioned by the casing positioning unit, and the movable holding body is arranged at a position where the movable holding body positioning unit can position the movable holding body. Each of the plurality of other optical connectors can be moved in the insertion / extraction direction to the receiving optical connector by operating the operating body provided in the optical connector body,
2. Each of the plurality of other-side optical connectors is fitted to a corresponding receiving-side optical connector by operating the operation body in a state where the movable holding body is positioned by the movable holding body positioning unit. Or the optical connection unit for relay as described in 2.   The installation position of the plurality of one-side optical connectors and the plurality of other-side optical connectors is different in any combination in view of their insertion / extraction directions. Optical connection unit for relay.   Each of the plurality of other-side optical connectors is biased in a direction away from the receiving-side optical connector in the insertion / extraction direction, and is not fitted into the corresponding receiving-side optical connector and the operating body is not operated, The optical connection unit for relay according to claim 3, which does not protrude from the outer surface of the housing.   6. The relay optical connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of other optical connectors are movable independently of each other with respect to the receiving optical connector of the other optical path.   The said one side optical connector is fixed to the said housing | casing, It is a receiving side optical connector in which the optical connector plug provided in the terminal of the said one side optical line is inserted / extracted. The optical connection unit for relay described in the paragraph.