JP2016061847A - Optical connector ferrule - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector ferrule that suppresses emission of light in a connection direction at the time of non-connection.SOLUTION: An optical connector ferrule 10 includes a front end face 11, a rear end face 12, an upper surface 13, and a lower surface 14. The optical connector ferrule 10 includes an insertion hole 15 that is formed in the rear end face 12 and into which optical fibers F1 can be inserted and first lenses 20 that optically connect the optical fibers F1 and the front end face 11. The front end face 11 is provided with a connection surface 11a to which a counterpart ferrule is connected and guide pins and guide pin holes that position the counterpart ferrule. A connection surface of the counterpart ferrule is made to come into contact with the connection surface 11a, which causes the optical fibers F1 to be optically connected to optical fibers of the counterpart ferrule. When the connection surface of the counterpart ferrule is not made to come into contact therewith, light L emitted from the first lenses 20 toward the front end face 11 does not pass through the front end face 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector ferrule.

  Patent Document 1 describes an optical component for optical transmission that performs optical connection between optical fibers. In this optical component for optical transmission, optical connection is performed by abutting ferrules to which optical fibers are fixed. The ferrule is provided with a lens, and the lens is arranged in the connection direction when the ferrules are brought into contact with each other. Further, a collimated beam is emitted in the connection direction through the lens. This collimated beam is emitted in the connecting direction regardless of whether or not the ferrules are in contact with each other.

JP 2008-151843 A

  When the ferrule with a lens described in Patent Document 1 is used, a collimated beam is emitted in the connection direction even when the ferrules are not in contact with each other. Therefore, there is a possibility that a collimated beam enters the eyes of the operator. Further, since the collimated beam has a high beam density, there is a concern that the collimated beam may hurt eyes when it enters the operator's eyes.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and makes it a subject to provide the optical connector ferrule which can suppress that a light is radiate | emitted in a connection direction at the time of a non-connection.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an optical connector ferrule according to one aspect of the present invention extends to connect a front end surface and a rear end surface facing each other in a first direction, and a front end surface and a rear end surface, and An optical connector ferrule comprising a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other in a second direction intersecting with one direction, an insertion hole formed in the rear end surface and into which an optical waveguide member can be inserted, and an optical waveguide member And a first lens that optically connects the front end face, and the front end face is provided with a connection face for connecting another optical connector ferrule and a positioning portion for positioning the other optical connector ferrule. The optical waveguide member is optically connected to the optical waveguide member of the other optical connector ferrule by contacting the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule with the connection surface. Connector Fell When the connection surfaces of the Le is not abutting, the light emitted toward the front end surface of the first lens is not transmitted through the front surface.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress light from being emitted in the connection direction when not connected.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an optical connector ferrule according to the first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of the optical connector ferrule of FIG. 1 when not connected. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector ferrule of FIG. 1 taken along the line II-II at the time of connection. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector ferrule according to the second embodiment and corresponds to FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector ferrule according to the third embodiment when not connected, and corresponds to FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector ferrule of FIG. 5 at the time of connection, and corresponds to FIG.

[Description of Embodiment of the Present Invention]
First, the contents of the embodiment of the present invention will be listed and described. (1) An optical connector ferrule according to an aspect of the present invention extends to connect a front end surface and a rear end surface facing each other in the first direction, and the front end surface and the rear end surface, and intersects the first direction. An optical connector ferrule having a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other in two directions. The optical connector ferrule is formed on a rear end surface, and an insertion hole into which the optical waveguide member can be inserted, and the optical waveguide member and the front end surface are optically A first lens to be connected to the front end surface, and the front end surface is provided with a connection surface for connecting another optical connector ferrule and a positioning portion for positioning the other optical connector ferrule, When the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is brought into contact with the optical waveguide member, the optical waveguide member is optically connected to the optical waveguide member of the other optical connector ferrule, and the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is connected to the connection surface. Abutted When not, the light emitted toward the front end surface of the first lens is not transmitted through the front surface.

  In the optical connector ferrule according to one aspect of the present invention, light from the first lens does not pass through the front end surface when the connection surfaces of the other optical connector ferrules are not in contact with each other. Therefore, no light is emitted from the front end surface in the connection direction. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent light from being emitted along the connection direction when not connected, and to avoid a situation where light enters the eyes of the operator.

(2) In the above optical connector ferrule, when the connection surface of another optical connector ferrule is not in contact with the connection surface, the light emitted from the first lens toward the front end surface is totally reflected by the connection surface. When the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is in contact with the connection surface, the light may pass through the front end surface and enter the optical waveguide member of the other optical connector ferrule. Thereby, the structure which does not radiate | emit light in a connection direction is easily realizable.

(3) In the above optical connector ferrule, the holding hole for holding the optical waveguide member inserted into the insertion hole and the position of the tip of the optical waveguide member held by the holding hole are defined so as to be separated from the first lens. And an incident / exit section for entering / exiting light to / from the first lens. Thereby, the optical connection loss between the optical connector ferrules can be reduced.

(4) The optical connector ferrule includes a second lens that is optically connected to the first lens through the connection surface when the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is not in contact with the connection surface. Also good. As a result, when the connection surfaces of the other optical connector ferrules are not in contact with each other, the light emitted from the first lens is totally reflected and enters the second lens. Therefore, by arranging the optical element on the optical axis of the light incident on the second lens, it is possible to make the light incident on the optical element when not connected. Therefore, the said optical element can be utilized as a monitor which detects a non-connection, and the use of an optical connector ferrule can be expanded.

(5) In the above optical connector ferrule, the front end surface may be provided with a non-contact portion that does not come into contact with another optical connector ferrule when the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is in contact with the connection surface. Good. Thereby, the contact area with respect to another optical connector ferrule can be made small. Accordingly, the contact pressure with the other optical connector ferrule can be increased, so that the connection surfaces can be reliably brought into contact with each other even if the load applied in the connection direction is small.

(6) In the above optical connector ferrule, the non-contact portion may be a notch extending from the front end surface toward the rear end surface. Thereby, a non-contact part can be formed easily.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
A specific example of the optical connector ferrule according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and intends that all the changes within the range equivalent to a claim are included. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements in the description of the drawings, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an optical connector ferrule 10 according to the first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. The optical connector ferrule 10 is a transparent resin member. Examples of the resin constituting the optical connector ferrule 10 include Ultem and PEI (polyetherimide). The refractive index of light in the material constituting the optical connector ferrule 10 is about 1.60 to 1.65. The optical connector ferrule 10 holds a plurality of optical fibers (optical waveguide members) F1. The other optical connector ferrule 10 is connected to the optical connector ferrule 10 along a predetermined connection direction (first direction) A1 by facing the other optical connector ferrule 10 inverted up and down. Hereinafter, the other optical connector ferrule 10 is referred to as a counterpart ferrule.

  The optical connector ferrule 10 has a front end surface 11, a rear end surface 12, an upper surface (first side surface) 13, and a lower surface (second side surface) 14. The front end surface 11 is a surface facing the counterpart ferrule, and the rear end surface 12 is a surface opposite to the front end surface 11. Hereinafter, a direction intersecting with the connection direction A1 is referred to as a direction A2. In the present embodiment, the connection direction A1 indicates the front-rear direction, the direction A2 indicates the up-down direction, and the left-right direction orthogonal to the connection direction A1 and the direction A2 is defined as a direction A3.

  The front end surface 11 is provided with a connection surface 11a that abuts when the counterpart ferrule is connected, and a guide pin 11b and a guide pin hole 11c for positioning the counterpart ferrule. The connection surface 11a extends from the upper surface 13 to the lower surface 14, and is inclined with respect to the direction A2. The guide pin 11b and the guide pin hole 11c function as a positioning portion that positions the counterpart ferrule. The guide pin 11b and the guide pin hole 11c are arranged side by side vertically. The guide pin 11b and the guide pin hole 11c are provided on both sides of the connection surface 11a in the direction A3. Each guide pin hole 11c is provided above each guide pin 11b.

  The connection surface 11a functions as a reflection surface that totally reflects the light L emitted from the optical fiber F1. That is, when the counterpart ferrule is not connected, the light L reaching the connection surface 11a is totally reflected downward due to the difference between the refractive index of the optical connector ferrule 10 and the refractive index of air. Thereby, when the counterpart ferrule is not connected, the light L is not emitted from the connection surface 11a in the connection direction A1.

  The rear end surface 12 is formed with an insertion hole 15 into which the optical fiber F1 can be inserted from behind. A plurality of optical fibers F1 are inserted into the insertion hole 15 at once. The plurality of optical fibers F1 are arranged along the direction A3, and the plurality of arranged optical fibers F1 are integrated with resin. The integrated optical fiber F1 is inserted into the insertion hole 15 in the form of a tape fiber. The insertion hole 15 extends forward from the rear end surface 12. A holding hole 16 for holding the optical fiber F1 is provided in the back of the insertion hole 15. A bare fiber exposed portion, which is the optical fiber F1 from which the coating has been removed, is inserted into the holding hole 16.

  The upper surface 13 and the lower surface 14 face each other in the direction A2. The upper surface 13 includes a first plane 13a located on the front side and a second plane 13b located on the rear side. The height of the second plane 13b is higher than the height of the first plane 13a. The first plane 13a has a first opening 17 located on the front side, a second opening 18 located on the rear side of the first opening 17, and a window 19 located on the further rear side of the second opening 18. Is formed.

  The lower surface 14 includes a transmission surface 14a positioned below the connection surface 11a, a third plane 14b positioned on the rear side of the transmission surface 14a, and a fourth plane 14c positioned further on the rear side of the third plane 14b. It is out. The height of the fourth plane 14c is higher than the height of the third plane 14b. The light L totally reflected downward by the connection surface 11a is transmitted through the transmission surface 14a. The transmission surface 14 a is optically connected to the connection surface 11 a and the first lens 20.

  The first opening 17 has a first surface 17a located on the front side and a second surface 17b located on the rear side. A first lens 20 that optically connects the optical fiber F1 and the front end surface 11 is disposed on the first surface 17a. The first lens 20 may be disposed on the second surface 17b.

  The exposed portion of the bare fiber of the optical fiber F1 extends from the second opening 18. The second opening 18 has a third surface 18a located on the front side and a fourth surface 18b located on the rear side. The holding hole 16 described above is formed in the fourth surface 18b. The second opening 18 communicates with the insertion hole 15 through the holding hole 16. Further, the tip of the bare fiber exposed portion is in contact with the third surface 18a. The position of the tip of the optical fiber F1 is defined by the third surface 18a. The tip position of the optical fiber F1 defined by the third surface 18a is a position separated from the first lens 20 by a predetermined distance.

  On the third surface 18a, light L enters and exits from the first lens 20. That is, the third surface 18 a functions as an incident / exit section that performs incident / exit of the light L with the first lens 20. The light L emitted from the optical fiber F1 reaches the first lens 20 via the third surface 18a and the second surface 17b. The light L that has reached the first lens 20 is collimated by the first lens 20. The light L collimated by the first lens 20 reaches the connection surface 11a.

  The window 19 communicates with the insertion hole 15. An adhesive (not shown) is introduced into the window 19. The window 19 has a fifth surface 19a located on the front side and a sixth surface 19b located on the rear side. The fifth surface 19a is formed with a plurality of steps (two steps in the present embodiment) of the support surface 21, and the support surface 21 supports the coated portion of the optical fiber F1. Each support surface 21 is provided along the direction A2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the counterpart ferrule is connected, the connection surface 11a of the counterpart ferrule is brought into contact with the connection surface 11a. When the counterpart ferrule is connected, each guide pin 11b is inserted into each guide pin hole 11c of the counterpart ferrule, and the guide pin 11b of the counterpart ferrule is inserted into each guide pin hole 11c. By such insertion of the guide pin 11b into the guide pin hole 11c, positioning of the counterpart ferrule with respect to the optical connector ferrule 10 is realized.

  When the counterpart ferrule is connected, the light reaching the connection surface 11a from the optical fiber F1 passes through the connection surface 11a. That is, there is no interface that causes a difference in refractive index between the optical connector ferrule 10 and air due to the contact of the connection surface 11a of the counterpart ferrule. Thereby, since the connection surface 11a does not function as a reflection surface, the light L is transmitted through the connection surface 11a. When the light L passes through the connection surface 11a, the optical connection between the first lens 20 and the transmission surface 14a is released. The light L transmitted through the connection surface 11a is collected by the first lens 20 of the counterpart ferrule and is incident on the core of the optical fiber F1 of the counterpart ferrule. Thus, when the connection surface 11a of the counterpart ferrule is in contact, the light L is transmitted through the front end face 11, so that an optical connection with the optical fiber F1 of the counterpart ferrule is realized.

  The effect obtained by the optical connector ferrule 10 having the above configuration will be described. In the optical connector ferrule 10, the optical connection is realized by the connection surface 11a of the counterpart ferrule coming into contact with the connection surface 11a provided at the front end in the connection direction A1. On the other hand, when the connection surface 11a of the counterpart ferrule is not in contact, the light L does not pass through the front end surface 11, so that no light is emitted from the front end surface 11 in the connection direction A1. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent light from being emitted in the connection direction A1 when not connected, and to avoid a situation where light enters the eyes of the operator.

  Further, when the counterpart ferrule is not connected, the light L is totally reflected by the connection surface 11a. By totally reflecting the light L at the connection surface 11a in this way, a configuration that does not emit light in the connection direction A1 can be easily realized.

  The second opening 18 is provided with a third surface 18a that defines the position of the tip of the optical fiber F1 held by the holding hole 16. With the third surface 18a, the distance between the tip of the optical fiber F1 and the first lens 20 can be made constant. Therefore, the optical connection loss between the optical connector ferrule 10 and the counterpart ferrule can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical connector ferrule 30 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, descriptions overlapping with those in the first embodiment are omitted. In the third embodiment to be described later, a duplicate description is omitted. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the optical connector ferrule 30 includes a second lens 31 on the optical axis of the light L reflected by the connection surface 11a. The second lens 31 is a condenser lens. A light emitting / receiving element (optical element) 32 is provided at a position outside the optical connector ferrule 30 on the optical axis of the light L. The light emitting / receiving element 32 is mounted on a substrate 33 located outside the optical connector ferrule 30.

  In the optical connector ferrule 30, when the counterpart ferrule is not connected, the first lens 20 is optically connected to the second lens 31 via the connection surface 11a. That is, when the counterpart ferrule is not connected, the optical fiber F1 and the light emitting / receiving element 32 are optically connected.

  As the light receiving / emitting element 32, for example, a light receiving element such as a photodiode can be used. In this case, when the optical connector ferrule 30 is mounted on the substrate 33 in a state where the second lens 31 is optically connected to the light emitting / receiving element 32, the light L is incident on the light receiving / emitting element 32 through the second lens 31. Therefore, the non-connection with the counterpart ferrule can be detected by the incidence of the light L on the light emitting / receiving element 32. Further, by detecting the incidence of the light L on the light emitting / receiving element 32, it is possible to monitor that no abnormality has occurred in the optical connector ferrule 30.

  It is also possible to determine that there is no abnormality in the optical connector ferrule 30 when the intensity of the light L received by the light emitting / receiving element 32 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. This makes it possible to determine that the optical path can be opened with the counterpart ferrule before the counterpart ferrule is connected.

  As the light emitting / receiving element 32, a light emitting element such as a VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) may be used. In this case, it is possible to detect that there is no abnormality in the optical fiber F1 by optically coupling the light emitting / receiving element 32 to the optical fiber F1 via the second lens 31, the connection surface 11a, and the first lens 20.

  As described above, the optical connector ferrule 30 includes the second lens 31 that is optically connected to the first lens 20 through the connection surface 11a when the connection surface 11a of the counterpart ferrule is not in contact therewith. Thus, when the counterpart ferrule is not connected, the light L emitted from the first lens 20 is totally reflected by the connection surface 11a and directed in the direction A2, and the light L directed in the direction A2 is reflected in the second lens. 31 is incident. Therefore, by arranging the light emitting / receiving element 32 on the optical axis of the light L, the light L can be incident on the light emitting / receiving element 32 when not connected. Therefore, since the light receiving / emitting element 32 can detect the disconnection of the counterpart ferrule, the light receiving / emitting element 32 can be used for non-connected monitoring, and the application of the optical connector ferrule 30 can be expanded.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical connector ferrule 40 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the optical connector ferrule 40 at the time of connection with the counterpart ferrule. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the front end surface 11 is provided with notches 41 and 42 extending toward the rear end surface 12. The notches 41 and 42 form a space with the notches 41 and 42 of the counterpart ferrule when the counterpart ferrule is connected. The notches 41 and 42 function as non-contact portions that do not contact the counterpart ferrule. By the notches 41 and 42, the contact area that contacts the connection surface 11a of the counterpart ferrule is reduced. The notch 41 is provided at the upper end of the connection surface 11a, and the notch 42 is provided at the lower end of the connection surface 11a. In the present embodiment, the cutouts 41 and 42 are formed by cutting out into a right triangle shape in a side view.

  In addition, about the number of notches 41 and 42, a shape, and an arrangement position, it can change suitably. For example, a notch may be provided between the two lights L shown in FIGS. Further, instead of the cutout, for example, a portion of the connection surface 11a where the two lights L are located may protrude toward the connection direction A1, and a portion other than the protruded portion may be used as a non-contact portion.

  As described above, the optical connector ferrule 40 includes the notches 41 and 42 that function as non-contact portions. For this reason, the contact area with respect to the connection surface 11a of the other party ferrule can be made small. Therefore, since the contact pressure on the connection surface 11a is increased, the load can be concentrated on the connection surface 11a when a load is applied in the connection direction A1. Therefore, even if the load applied to the connection direction A1 is small, the connection surfaces 11a can be reliably brought into contact with each other.

  In the case where the non-contact portions are the cutouts 41 and 42, the connection surface 11a is first formed as a flat surface, and then the cutouts 41 and 42 are formed by cutting out part of the connection surface 11a rearward. Form. In this way, the cutouts 41 and 42 can be formed simply by cutting out a part of the connection surface 11a.

  Further, the load applied in the connection direction A <b> 1 is applied by, for example, a spring provided in a housing (not shown) that houses the optical connector ferrule 40. Therefore, when the non-contact portion is provided as described above, the load applied in the connection direction A1 can be reduced, so that the spring can be manufactured at low cost.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, in the optical connector ferrule 10 described above, the guide pins 11b and the guide pin holes 11c are arranged so as to be lined up and down, but the number and arrangement positions of the guide pins and the guide pin holes can be appropriately changed. For example, one guide pin may be provided on one side in the direction A3 and one guide pin hole may be provided on the other side. Alternatively, only a pair of guide pin holes may be provided in the optical connector ferrule 10, and only a pair of guide pins may be provided in the counterpart ferrule.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 30, 40 ... Optical connector ferrule, 11 ... Front end surface, 11a ... Connection surface, 11b ... Guide pin (positioning part), 11c ... Guide pin hole (positioning part), 12 ... Rear end face, 13 ... Upper surface, 13a ... 1st plane, 13b ... 2nd plane, 14 ... lower surface, 14a ... transmission surface, 14b ... 3rd plane, 15 ... insertion hole, 16 ... holding hole, 17 ... 1st opening, 17a ... 1st surface, 17b ... 1st 2 surfaces, 18 ... 2nd opening, 18a ... 3rd surface (incident / exit part), 18b ... 4th surface, 19 ... window, 19a ... 5th surface, 19b ... 6th surface, 20 ... 1st lens, 21 ... Support surface, 31 ... second lens, 32 ... light emitting / receiving element, 33 ... substrate, A1 ... connection direction, A2, A3 ... direction, F1 ... optical fiber (optical waveguide member).

Claims (6)

A first side surface and a second side surface that extend so as to connect the front end surface and the rear end surface facing each other in the first direction, the front end surface and the rear end surface, and face each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction. An optical connector ferrule comprising a side surface,
An insertion hole formed in the rear end face and into which an optical waveguide member can be inserted;
A first lens that optically connects the optical waveguide member and the front end surface;
The front end surface is provided with a connection surface for connecting the other optical connector ferrule, and a positioning portion for positioning the other optical connector ferrule,
The optical waveguide member is optically connected to the optical waveguide member of the other optical connector ferrule by contacting the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule with the connection surface,
When the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is not in contact with the connection surface, the light emitted from the first lens toward the front end surface does not pass through the front end surface.
Optical connector ferrule. When the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is not in contact with the connection surface, the light emitted from the first lens toward the front end surface is totally reflected by the connection surface,
When the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is in contact with the connection surface, the light passes through the front end surface and is incident on the optical waveguide member of the other optical connector ferrule.
The optical connector ferrule according to claim 1. A holding hole for holding the optical waveguide member inserted into the insertion hole;
A position of the tip of the optical waveguide member held by the holding hole is defined so as to be separated from the first lens, and an incident / exit section for entering / exiting light with the first lens,
The optical connector ferrule according to claim 1 or 2. A second lens optically connected to the first lens through the connection surface when the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is not in contact with the connection surface;
The optical connector ferrule according to claim 2. The front end surface is provided with a non-contact portion that does not contact the other optical connector ferrule when the connection surface of the other optical connector ferrule is in contact with the connection surface.
The optical connector ferrule as described in any one of Claims 1-4. The non-contact portion is a notch extending from the front end surface toward the rear end surface.
The optical connector ferrule according to claim 5.

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