JP2015132741A - Receptacle having connector coupling detection function and fiber laser device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a safer receptacle, with regard to the receptacle configured to be coupled to a connector in a fiber laser device, through structuring the receptacle to detect a coupling when a stationary coupling of the connector is turned to a predetermined state.SOLUTION: A receptacle has a rotary ring 12 configured to make final stationary coupling of a connector and a coupling detection electrode 14 configured to synchronize with motion of the rotary ring 12. The electrode 14 is configured to make contact with a coupling detection contact point provided in the connector in a predetermined stationary coupling state.

Description

The present invention relates to a receptacle used as a connector connection partner mainly used in a fiber laser apparatus.

For the purpose of application to laser processing and medical applications, fiber lasers are attracting attention because they can easily extract laser light with high efficiency and high beam quality.
A general fiber laser apparatus has a configuration as shown in FIG.
That is, the signal light 2 generated from the signal light source 1 and the excitation light 4 generated from the excitation light source 3 are input to an amplification optical fiber 6 having a core doped with a rare earth element via an optical coupler 5, and the excitation light 4 acts on the rare earth element added to the core, thereby amplifying the signal light 2 propagating through the core of the amplification optical fiber 6 to obtain a laser beam 11 having high energy.

In order to irradiate the laser beam 11 to a predetermined position, a light guide 10 using an optical fiber is often used, and a connector 9 of the light guide 10 is connected and fixed to a receptacle 8 provided in the laser oscillation device 7. Used.
Since the laser has high energy, the connector used for the laser light guide and the receptacle as the connection partner are required to have characteristics according to the use of the laser, such as heat dissipation and safety measures in case of trouble.

One problem is that the connection between the connector and the receptacle is incomplete, the connector is disconnected from the receptacle during laser output, and the laser is irradiated in an unexpected direction, causing damage to surrounding items. . In order to prevent such troubles, there are measures such as providing electrodes for connection detection on connectors and receptacles, monitoring the conduction state between the electrodes to determine the connection state, and stopping the laser output when it is disconnected. Has been done.

As a method of providing an electrode for connection detection on a connector or receptacle, an electrode member is provided on the outer periphery of the receptacle via an insulator, and when the connector is inserted into a predetermined position of the receptacle, the electrode member contacts the receptacle body. There are known methods for connecting and detecting connection. (Patent Document 1)

  As another method, there is known a method of detecting a connection by providing a connection detection switch on the tail end side of the connector and switching the conduction state of the switch when the connector and the receptacle are connected. (Patent Document 2)

  The conventional methods described above are configured such that when the receptacle and the connector are connected, the components such as the receptacle and the connector move in the axial direction of the optical fiber so that the electrodes and the like are in contact with each other at the time of connection. Yes. However, this method has the following problems.

Since the electrical connection state is determined by the positional relationship in the axial direction of the receptacle and connector components, even if the connection between the receptacle and the connector is incomplete, it may be determined that both are in the connected state.
For example, in the above-described conventional method, the coupling nut provided in the connector is used to fix the screw to the receptacle. In this case, it is determined that both are connected, which is not preferable.

JP-A-6-308346 Japanese Patent No. 4554846

An object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle having a higher safety by configuring a receptacle having a connector connection detection function so as to detect the connection when the connection and fixing of the connector is in a predetermined state.

The inventor synchronizes the movement of the connection detection electrode with the movement of the rotating ring for final connection fixation of the connector in the receptacle, and detects the connection provided on the connector when the predetermined connection fixation state is reached. It was clarified that the conventional problem can be solved by making the electrode contact the contact.
The predetermined connection fixing state refers to a state in which the connector is sufficiently fixed by the rotating ring and the connector is not likely to be detached from the receptacle in normal use.

The receptacle provided by the present invention is a receptacle used as a connection partner of a connector provided with a connection detection contact on the outer periphery,
This receptacle is composed of a rotating ring, a connector holder, and an electrode member having an electrode terminal electrically connected to a connection detection contact when the connector and the receptacle are connected and fixed,
The rotating ring is provided with a pressing member that follows the rotating motion of the rotating ring, and the outer peripheral surface of the connector holder moves along the circumferential direction of the connector holder during the rotating motion of the pressing member accompanying the rotating motion of the rotating ring. A moving groove serving as a path and an electrode housing groove for housing an electrode member are provided along the axial direction of the connector holder,
The electrode member is configured by attaching an electrode terminal to the electrode holder, the electrode holder is connected to the connector holder via an elastic member,
When the rotating ring is in the fixed position, the pressing member presses the electrode holder toward the radial center of the connector holder, whereby the electrode terminal is electrically connected to the connection detection contact. .

In the receptacle of the present invention, the excellent effects described below can be expected.

(1) Since the connection is detected only when the connector and the receptacle are in a predetermined connection fixed state, safety is further improved.

(2) When the connector is inserted, since the electrode on the receptacle side does not protrude into the fitting hole, wear of the electrode can be prevented.

It is an example of a general fiber laser apparatus. In the receptacle of the present invention, the rotating ring is in a fixed release position. In the receptacle of the present invention, the rotating ring is in a fixed state. It is an example of the connector inserted in the receptacle of this invention. The state which fixed the connector to the receptacle of this invention is shown. It is an example of the fiber laser apparatus using the receptacle of this invention.

Hereinafter, the basic configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2 and 3, 12 is a rotating ring, 13 is a connector holder, 14 is an electrode member, 15 is a pressing member, 16 is a moving groove, 17 is an electrode receiving groove, 18 is an electrode holder, 19 is an elastic member, 20 Is an electrode terminal, 21 is an O-ring, and 22 is a receptacle of the present invention.
2 (b) and 3 (b) are cross-sectional views taken along line AA in FIGS. 2 (a) and 3 (a), respectively. For convenience of explanation, the electrode terminals 20 that are not on AA are also shown. Have been described.

What is characteristic of the present invention is that the pressing member 15 is attached to the rotating ring 12, so that the pressing member 15 is synchronized with the movement of the rotating ring 12, and the pressing member 15 is moved to the electrode when the rotating ring 12 is in the fixed position. By pressing the member 14 (electrode holder 18), the electrode terminal 20 is electrically connected to the connection detection contact.
The fixed position refers to the rotational position of the rotating ring 12 where a predetermined connection fixed state can be obtained, and FIG. 3 shows the state where the rotating ring 12 is in the fixed position.

Since the connector holder 13 and the electrode holder 18 are connected via the elastic member 19, when the rotary ring 12 is in the fixed release position, the electrode holder 18 is moved outward in the radial direction of the connector holder 13 by the elastic member 19. Therefore, the tip of the electrode terminal 20 does not protrude inside the connector holder 13. For this reason, when inserting a connector into a receptacle, since the electrode terminal 13 does not touch the outer periphery of a connector, abrasion of the electrode terminal 13 can be prevented.
The term “fixed release position” refers to the rotational position of the rotating ring in which the connector can be inserted into and removed from the receptacle, and FIG. 2 shows the state where the rotating ring 12 is in the fixed released position.

In addition, since the connection detection contact and the electrode terminal 19 do not contact when the rotating ring 12 is in the unlocking position, the connector and the receptacle are in a predetermined connection fixed state even when the connector is inserted into the receptacle. It is not judged to be in.

When the rotating ring 12 is rotated to a fixed position, the pressing member 15 rotated along with the rotation ring presses the electrode holder 18 as shown in FIG. 3, and the force for projecting the electrode terminal 20 toward the inner side of the connector holder 13 is generated. Therefore, the electrode terminal 20 comes into contact with the connection detection contact. That is, the connection detection is performed only when the receptacle and the connector are in a predetermined connection fixing state, in other words, when the fixing of the connector is completed.
Since the pressing member 15 moves along the outer peripheral surface of the connector holder 13 having a circular cross section, it is preferable that the pressing member 15 has a substantially arc shape in accordance with the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the connector holder 13.

It is preferable to use an elastic member for the electrode terminal 20. For example, when the electrode terminal 20 is a conductive spring, the contact of the electrode terminal 20 to the connection detection contact is more reliably performed when a predetermined connection fixed state is achieved.

When the rotating ring 12 is rotated to the fixed position, the end of the pressing member 15 first comes into contact with the edge of the electrode holder 18, and chamfering is provided at the end of the pressing member 15 and the edge of the electrode holder 18. Is preferred. By providing chamfering at the end of the pressing member 15 and the edge of the electrode holder 18, resistance when the two come into contact with each other is reduced, and the pressing member 15 can smoothly press the electrode holder 18.

An O-ring 21 is preferably sandwiched between the connector holder 13 and the rotating ring 12. By sandwiching the O-ring 21, an appropriate resistance against the rotation of the rotating ring 12 is generated, and the rotating ring 21 can be prevented from rotating carelessly.

The fixing method of the connector and the receptacle 22 is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected from known methods. However, in the present invention, it is preferable to use a bayonet type.
When the bayonet type is used, a connector fixing pin 25 is provided on the inner periphery of the rotating ring, and a fixing groove 23 corresponding to this is provided on the outer periphery of the connector. The fixing groove 23 has a substantially L-shape that extends linearly along the length direction of the connector and then bends in the circumferential direction of the connector. The substantially L shape means that the groove is not limited to a right angle, but as shown in FIG. 4, the groove is bent so as to form an obtuse angle like a dogleg shape.
When inserting the connector into the receptacle 22, the connector fixing pin 25 is inserted in accordance with the fixing groove 23 along the length direction of the connector, and then the rotating ring 12 is turned to the fixed position, as shown in FIG. The connector fixing pin 25 enters the portion of the fixing groove 23 along the circumferential direction of the connector, and at the same time, the electrode terminal 20 comes into contact with the connection detecting contact 24 to be in a predetermined connection fixing state.

Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the receptacle of the present invention, an example used for a fiber laser will be shown.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a known fiber laser device is constructed, and the receptacle of the present invention is used at the connecting portion between the oscillation device and the outgoing fiber.

A lead wire is connected to the electrode terminal in the receptacle, and this lead wire is connected to the connection monitoring monitor of the fiber laser device. When the connection between the two electrode terminals is conducted, it is recognized that the connector is correctly connected and the laser terminal Configure to allow emission.

When the connector is not inserted in the receptacle, laser emission is not permitted because the electrical connection between the electrode terminals cannot be obtained even if the rotating ring is moved to the fixed position.

As the outgoing fiber connector, a connector having connection detection contacts and three substantially L-shaped grooves for bayonet-type fixing on the outer periphery thereof is used.
As shown in FIG. 4, the contact for contact detection has a form in which two contacts corresponding to the two electrode terminals in the receptacle are exposed on the surface of the connector, and these two contacts are electrically connected. ing.

When the connector is inserted into the receptacle and the rotating ring is rotated to the fixed position, the two electrode terminals of the receptacle come into contact with the two contacts on the outer periphery of the connector. As described above, since the contacts are electrically connected, when the electrode terminals come into contact with the contacts, the connection between the electrode terminals is established and the connection is detected, and laser emission is permitted.

When the rotating ring was moved from the fixed position during laser emission, the electrode terminal was removed from the connection detection contact before reaching the fixed release position, and laser emission stopped. Since the laser emission stops before the rotating ring reaches the unlocking position, that is, before the connector may be detached from the receptacle, it is confirmed that the safety is increased compared to the receptacle having the conventional connection detection function. did it.

The above examples are merely examples of the present invention, and it goes without saying that various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the idea of the present invention. For example, it goes without saying that the receptacle of the present invention is provided with various modifications according to the shape of the connector to be connected, and is suitable when a connector connection detection function is required in addition to an optical system using a laser. Available.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Signal light source 2 Signal light 3 Excitation light source 4 Excitation light 5 Optical coupler 6 Amplifying optical fiber 7 Laser oscillator 8 Receptacle 9 Connector 10 Light guide 11 Laser light 12 Rotating ring 13 Connector holder 14 Electrode member 15 Pressing member 16 Moving groove 17 Electrode receiving groove 18 Electrode holder 19 Elastic member 20 Electrode terminal 21 O-ring 22 Receptacle 23 fixing groove 24 Contact detecting contact 25 Connector fixing pin 26 Lead wire

Claims (5)

A receptacle used as a connection partner of a connector having a connection detection contact on the outer periphery,
The receptacle includes a rotating ring, a connector holder, and an electrode member having an electrode terminal that is electrically connected to the connection detection contact when the connector and the receptacle are connected and fixed.
The rotating ring is provided with a pressing member that follows the rotational movement of the rotating ring, and the outer circumferential surface of the connector holder is arranged along the circumferential direction of the connector holder along with the rotational movement of the rotating ring. A movement groove serving as a movement path during the rotational movement and an electrode accommodation groove for accommodating the electrode member are provided along the axial direction of the connector holder,
The electrode member is configured by attaching the electrode terminal to an electrode holder, the electrode holder is connected to the connector holder via an elastic member,
When the rotating ring is in a fixed position, the pressing member presses the electrode holder toward the radial center of the connector holder, whereby the electrode terminal is electrically connected to the connection detection contact. A receptacle characterized by that. The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the electrode terminal has elasticity. The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member has a substantially arc shape. A connector fixing pin that protrudes toward the inner periphery of the rotating ring is provided, and the receptacle and the connector are connected and fixed by fitting the connector fixing pin into a fixing groove provided on the outer periphery of the connector. The receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A fiber laser device using the receptacle according to claim 1.

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