JP2017003693A - Optical communication connector and optical communication harness - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical communication connector capable of suppressing an increase in propagation loss, avoiding occurrence of change in propagation mode, and reducing generation of optical noise by suppressing wraparound of light at butt-joints of optical fibers, and to provide an optical communication harness having the same.SOLUTION: An optical communication connector 1a is for connecting a plurality of plastic optical fiber cables 2 together by placing end faces of optical fibers 21 of one plastic optical fiber cable face-to-face with those of another, and comprises a clamp 11 consisting of a pair of halved tubular members 12 for linearly clamping an end of a plastic optical fiber cable 2 having optical fibers with exposed end faces, and a tubular holding member 10a for holding the fitted clamp 11 inside. The tubular members 12 each has a bottom plate 14, which covers an opening at one end, with a plurality of cutout portions 141, provided on a halved side of the bottom plate 14, obtained by cutting away semicircular portions of a size corresponding to a diameter of the plurality of optical fibers 21, and a protrusion 17 formed between the plurality of cutout portions 141 on an outer surface of the bottom plate 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting plastic optical fibers, and more particularly to an optical communication connector and an optical communication harness capable of suppressing propagation loss and propagation mode change in the connector and further suppressing noise generated in the connector portion.

  In the field of in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network), an increase in the amount of data communication and an increase in communication speed are required in order to meet the demand for an increase in the functions of the entire system. Furthermore, in the field of in-vehicle LAN, in order to prevent ringing in metal communication, and to suppress electromagnetic noise between high voltage cables in EV (Electronic Vehicle) vehicles and HEV (Hybrid EV) vehicles, there is communication that is not affected by these. It has been demanded. There is an increasing demand for optical communication using an optical fiber cable capable of realizing such high speed and noise elimination.

  In the field of in-vehicle LAN, optical communication is used in MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) communication. In MOST communication, a POF cable using a plastic optical fiber (hereinafter referred to as POF (Plastic Optical Fiber)) that is strong against bending and light is used. (IDB-1394). In addition, since it is used for an in-vehicle LAN, a short-distance step index type fiber having a simple structure is frequently used for a core wire composed of a POF core and a clad. Such a transmission band unique to POF is limited, and even if NA (Numerical Aperture) is adjusted, a communication distance of about 100 m at 130 MHz is the limit. Moreover, in order to guarantee a communication distance of 100 m at 130 MHz, it is necessary to reduce the bending of the POF cable as much as possible. At the bent part, light easily enters the cladding beyond the critical angle and the propagation loss of light increases, and the propagation mode of light traveling in the core easily changes to the higher order side due to the deviation of the reflection angle, This is because it is difficult to realize broadband optical communication.

  It is difficult to route a long distance POF cable without bending it in the vehicle. A POF cable in an in-vehicle LAN is required to have a configuration in which a plurality of short-distance cables are connected in series and can be handled in the same manner as a metal wire harness.

  In order to connect a plurality of POF cables in series, an optical communication connector for coaxially butting the end faces of the core wires is used. However, an optical communication connector for connecting a two-fiber POF cable (or two POF cables) in a conventional in-vehicle LAN covers the two-fiber POF cable so that the two fibers are separated from each other by a predetermined distance within the connector. Has been configured to bend between the two core wires and bend each of the core wires (Patent Document 1). This is because the optical communication connector has a common configuration when used for relaying between POF cables and when used for connecting to an optical transceiver (photoelectric conversion device). In order to connect to the optical transceiver, a transmission core (LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a drive circuit, etc.) provided at a predetermined distance to prevent the light from passing around in the optical transceiver, and It is necessary to separate the two core wires at the predetermined distance, that is, the pitch between the cores so that the core wires are directed to the receiving cores (PD (Photo Diode), amplifier circuit, etc.).

  When the optical communication connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 or the like is used for relaying, since there is a bent portion in the core wire in each of the plug-type and socket-type optical communication connectors to be paired, an increase in propagation loss and The change of the propagation mode becomes remarkable. To connect three or more two-fiber POF cables in series, it is necessary to use many optical communication connectors, and increase in propagation loss and change in propagation mode become more prominent to realize high-speed and large-capacity communication. Is difficult. Therefore, in an optical communication harness that uses a conventional optical communication connector for relaying, an upper limit is set on the number of optical communication connectors.

  In patent document 2, in order to prevent the bad influence by bending of a core wire, the fiber cable which spaced apart the core wires according to the said pitch between cores is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-153727 JP 2006-139209 A

  With the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is not necessary to bend the core wire in the optical communication connector, so that adverse effects such as an increase in propagation loss and a change in propagation mode can be prevented. However, it is difficult to replace the conventionally used two-core POF cable with the fiber cable disclosed in Patent Document 2.

  Furthermore, in the optical communication connector for connecting the two-core POF cable (or two POF cables), the end faces of the two core wires are adjacent to each other at the abutting portion of the core wires. It is unavoidable that a certain amount of gap (several hundred microns or less) is generated at the end portion of the end face of the core wire in the optical communication connector. Therefore, there is a possibility that light emitted from the end face of one set of the core wires of which two end faces face each other leaks from the gap and repeats reflection, and enters the end face of the other set of core wires. This causes optical noise and causes crosstalk.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, while suppressing the increase in propagation loss, avoiding a propagation mode change, and further using a POF cable that has been used in the past. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical communication connector and an optical communication harness that can reduce the occurrence of optical noise by suppressing the wraparound of light.

  The optical communication connector according to the present invention is an optical communication connector in which a plurality of plastic optical fiber cables are connected to each other by abutting end surfaces of a plurality of core wires held by each of the optical fiber connectors, and the end surfaces of the plurality of core wires are exposed. A clamping tool having a pair of half-shaped cylindrical members that linearly clamp the ends of the plastic optical fiber cable, and a cylindrical holding member that fits and holds the clamping tool inside, The cylindrical member includes a bottom plate that covers an opening on one end side, a plurality of cutouts in which a split surface side of the bottom plate is cut into a semicircular shape having a size corresponding to the diameter of the plurality of core wires, and the bottom plate And a convex portion formed at an intermediate position of the plurality of notches on the outer surface.

  The optical communication connector according to the present invention is characterized in that the convex portion has a convex reflective surface on the outside and is continuously provided until reaching the split surface.

  The optical communication connector according to the present invention is characterized in that the reflection surface has an arcuate outer surface having a central axis in a direction orthogonal to the split surface.

  In the optical communication connector according to the present invention, the convex portion is provided on the outer surface of the bottom plate on the bottom surface of the concave portion formed so as to be continuous with the split surface, and the height of the convex portion is the depth of the concave portion. It is characterized by being lower than that.

  An optical communication harness according to the present invention is an optical communication harness comprising a plurality of plastic optical fiber cables and optical communication connectors provided at one end or both ends of each of the plastic optical fiber cables. A holding tool having a pair of halved cylindrical members that linearly hold the end portion of the plastic optical fiber cable from which the end face of the core wire is exposed, and the holding tool is fitted inside and held. A cylindrical holding member, and the cylindrical member has a bottom plate that covers an opening on one end side, and a split surface side of the bottom plate is cut into a semicircular shape having a size corresponding to the diameter of the plurality of core wires. A plurality of cutouts, and a convex portion formed at an intermediate position of the plurality of cutouts on the outer surface of the bottom plate.

  In the present invention, a multi-core POF cable (a plurality of single-core POF cables) is linearly held at the end where the core wire is exposed by a holding tool having a pair of cylindrical members, and is held by the holding tool. It is fitted and held inside the member. The bottom plate provided so as to close the opening at one end of the holding tool is provided with a notch for holding the side surface of the core wire with the side surface exposed by removing the coating. With a simple configuration of two points of the holding tool and the holding member, the end faces are brought into contact with each other without bending the core wire. Moreover, there is a possibility that light emitted from one end face of a plurality of core wires sandwiched between the notches leaks and enters from the end face of another core wire by the convex portion provided between the notches. Reduced.

  In the present invention, the convex portion has an outwardly convex reflecting surface continuous with the split surface, and thus the light emitted from one of the end faces of the core wire held by the notch is reflected even if it leaks out. This increases the possibility of returning to the original core side again.

  In the present invention, the reflecting surface of the convex portion is formed continuously from the arcuate outer surface having the central axis in the direction perpendicular to the dividing surface until reaching the dividing surface. When they are combined, the reflecting surface becomes a continuous arc shape, and it becomes possible to more efficiently reflect light leaking from the end face of the core wire sandwiched between the notches.

  In the present invention, the convex portion provided on the outer surface of the bottom plate of the cylindrical member is provided on the bottom surface of the concave portion formed at the middle position of the notch on the outer surface of the bottom plate, and the height of the convex portion is greater than the depth of the concave portion. Is also low. As a result, when the bottom plates of the cylindrical members are brought into close contact with each other as much as possible, the convex portion is located on the inner side of the outer surface of the bottom plate, and can sufficiently perform a reflection function.

  According to the present invention, the core of the optical fiber is not bent in the optical communication connector used for relaying. Therefore, even if it is the structure which connects a some optical fiber cable in series, the increase in the propagation loss in an optical communication connector is suppressed and a propagation mode change is avoided. Further, in the optical communication connector, since the possibility that the leaked light from the butted portion enters the other core wire is reduced, it is possible to suppress the wraparound of light and reduce the generation of optical noise.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical communication connector in this Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical communication connector in this Embodiment. It is an external appearance perspective view of the optical communication connector by the side of a plug. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view by the AA 'line in FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the optical communication connector by the side of a socket. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view by the BB 'line in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the connection state of the optical communication connector by the side of a plug in this Embodiment, and the optical communication connector by the side of a socket. It is a block diagram of the optical communication harness using an optical communication connector. It is a top view of a cylindrical member. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC ′ of FIG. 9. It is a side view from the collar part side of a cylindrical member. It is a side view from the baseplate side of a cylindrical member. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the optical fiber cable clamped by the clamping tool. It is sectional drawing by the DD 'line in FIG. It is an enlarged view of the butting | matching part of the core wire in the optical communication connector of the connection state in this Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof. In addition, the embodiment shown below is an illustration, and of course, the present invention is not limited to the following configuration.

  1 and 2 are exploded perspective views of the optical communication connector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an optical communication connector on the plug side, and FIG. 2 shows an optical communication connector on the socket side. Reference numeral 1a in FIG. 1 denotes an optical communication connector on the plug side. The optical communication connector 1a on the plug side is provided at one end of an optical fiber cable indicated by reference numeral 2, and includes a holding tool 11 and a holding member 10a.

  The optical fiber cable 2 is a two-fiber POF (Plastic Optical Fiber) cable having a cross-sectional glasses type. The optical fiber cable 2 includes two core wires 21 in which the outer periphery of a core made of a transparent resin such as acrylic is covered with a fluorine-based resin clad, and polyethylene (PE: Polyethylene) coating 22. The optical fiber cable 2 may be a pair of POF cables in which the two core wires 21 are each covered with a coating 22.

  The holding tool 11 has a pair of half-shaped cylindrical members 12 and 12 having a U-shaped cross section. The cylindrical member 12 is made of resin such as liquid crystal polymer, ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) resin, PBT (PolyButylene Terephthalate) resin, and the like, and at least the hardness and the thermal expansion coefficient are equal to the core wire 21 of the optical fiber cable 2. desirable. One end of the cylindrical member 12 is provided with a flange portion 13 that protrudes outward from three outer circumferences excluding the split surface. A bottom plate 14 that covers the opening is attached to the other end of the cylindrical member 12, and a projection 15 described later is provided inside the cylindrical member 12. The bottom plate 14 is formed with semicircular cutouts 141 and 141 at two locations on the split surface side. The diameters of the notches 141 and 141 are substantially the same as the diameter of the core wire 21 of the optical fiber cable 2. On the outer surface of the bottom plate 14, a recess is provided at an intermediate position between the notches 141 and 141. On the bottom surface of the concave portion, a convex portion 17 having an arc-shaped cross section having a central axis in a direction orthogonal to the split surface and convex outward is provided. The height of the convex portion 17 is lower than the depth of the concave portion from the outer surface of the bottom plate.

  The holding member 10a is made of a resin such as a liquid crystal polymer and has a rectangular tube shape. The holding member 10a is provided with a thin part formed by reducing the outer peripheral side from one end part to a substantially half length. The thin portion is provided with an engaging protrusion 16a protruding from the outer surface. The engaging protrusion 16a is urged outward by a spring, and can be sunk against the urging by pressing from the outside. Although one engagement protrusion 16a is shown in FIG. 1, similar engagement protrusions 16a are also provided on opposite surfaces (see FIGS. 4 and 7).

  Next, the optical communication connector on the socket side shown in FIG. 2 will be described. An optical communication connector on the socket side is indicated by reference numeral 1b in FIG. The optical communication connector 1b on the socket side includes a holding tool 11 common to the optical communication connector 1a on the plug side and a holding member 10b different from the optical communication connector 1a.

  The holding member 10b is similarly formed of the same material as the holding member 10a and has a rectangular tube shape. The holding member 10b has an outer diameter substantially the same as that of the holding member 10a of the optical communication connector 1a on the plug side, and a thin portion formed by thinning of the inner circumference is provided from one end to a substantially half length. Engagement holes 16b are formed in the opposing side plates of the thin portion.

  3 is an external perspective view of the optical communication connector 1a on the plug side, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line AA 'in FIG. The optical communication connector 1a on the plug side sandwiches the end portions of the optical fiber cable 2 from which the two core wires 21 are exposed at appropriate lengths by the sandwiching tool 11, and these from the thick portion side of the holding member 10a to the flange portion 13 Is inserted and configured until it hits the end surface of the holding member 10a. At this time, the core wire 21 of the optical fiber cable 2 is held between the inner peripheral surfaces of the notches 141 and 141 of the bottom plate 14 of the holding tool 11, and the end surface of the core wire 21 and the outer surface of the bottom plate 14 coincide (details will be described later). ). Moreover, the coating | cover 22 is clamped by the projection part 15 of the clamping tool 11 (refer FIG. 14). The outer periphery of the cylindrical member 12 of the holding tool 11 is equal to the inner periphery of the holding member 10a. When the optical fiber cable 2 is held, the holding tool 11 is inserted into the holding member 10a from the thick portion side. It is fitted inside and held.

  FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the optical communication connector 1b on the socket side, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line BB ′ in FIG. The optical communication connector 1b on the socket side, like the optical communication connector 1a on the plug side, holds the end portions of the optical fiber cable 2 with the two core wires 21 exposed at appropriate lengths by the holding tool 11, and holds them. It is configured to be inserted from the thick portion side of 1b until the flange portion 13 abuts against the end surface of the holding member 10b. Also in the optical communication connector 1b on the socket side, similarly to the plug side, the core wire 21 of the optical fiber cable 2 is sandwiched between the inner peripheral surfaces of the notches 141 and 141 of the bottom plate 14 of the sandwiching tool 11, and the end surface of the core wire 21 The outer surface of the bottom plate 14 coincides. Moreover, the coating | cover 22 is clamped by the projection part 15 of the clamping tool 11 (refer FIG. 14). The outer periphery of the cylindrical member 12 of the holding tool 11 is equal to the inner periphery of the thick part of the holding member 10b, and when inserted from the thick part side of the holding member 10b while holding the optical fiber cable 2, the holding tool 11 Is fitted and held inside the holding member 10b.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and FIGS. 5 and 6, the length of the holding tool 11 is shorter than the length of the holding member 10 a or the holding member 10 b, and the end surface of the core wire 21 that coincides with the outer surface of the bottom plate 14 is It is located inward from the end surface of the holding member 10a or the holding member 10b. This is to prevent the fingertip from coming into contact with the end surface of the core wire 21 even if, for example, the finger of the assembly operator contacts the opening of the holding member 10a or the holding member 10b. The length of the holding tool 11 and the holding member 10a or the holding member 10b is, for example, the outer surface of the bottom plate 14, that is, the optical fiber cable 2 when a sphere having a diameter of 10 mm is brought into contact with the opening of the holding member 10a or the holding member 10b. It is designed so that the spherical surface does not reach the end face of the core wire 21.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection state between the optical communication connector 1a on the plug side and the optical communication connector 1b on the socket side in the present embodiment. The dimensional relationship between the optical communication connector 1a on the plug side and the optical communication connector 1b on the socket side is as follows. The length of the thin part of the holding member 10a on the plug side is substantially the same as the length of the thin part of the holding member 10b of the optical communication connector 1b on the socket side, and the length of the thin part of the engagement protrusion 16a in the holding member 10a on the plug side. The distance from the opening end is substantially the same as the distance from the step on the inner surface of the opening position of the engagement hole 16b of the holding member 10b on the socket side. Further, the distance from the opening end of the thin portion of the holding member 10a on the plug side to the end surface of the holding tool 11 held on the inner side is held on the inner side from the step position on the inner surface of the holding member 10b on the socket side. It is substantially the same as the distance to the end surface of the holding tool 11 that is present. Due to the above dimensional relationship, as shown in FIG. 7, the gap between the end faces of the two core wires 21 in the plug-side optical communication connector 1a and the end faces of the two core wires 21 in the socket-side optical communication connector 1b is as follows. Each of them is abutted coaxially with a predetermined gap (several hundred microns). The dimensions of the outer surface of the plug-side holding member 10a and the outer surface of the thick-walled portion of the socket-side holding member 10b are substantially the same, and the outer surfaces are continuous in the connected state.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a friction lock is configured by the engagement protrusion 16a in the plug-side holding member 10a and the engagement hole 16b provided in the socket-side holding member 10b. Of course, the engagement protrusion 16a and the engagement hole 16b are not limited to the above-described structure. For example, the engagement protrusion 16a may be configured not to include a spring inside. The plug-side holding member 10a and the socket-side holding member 10b may be firmly engaged by the engagement protrusions 16a and the engagement holes 16b so as not to shift in the length direction. For example, the thin portions of the holding member 10a and the holding member 10b may be configured in a cylindrical shape and engaged in a screw manner.

  FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of an optical communication harness 30 using an optical communication connector. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 8, the optical communication harness 30 in which the optical fiber cables 2 are connected in series can be configured without bending the core wire 21 in the optical communication connector in the connected state. Therefore, it is possible to realize the optical communication harness 30 in which the propagation loss and the propagation mode change are suppressed using the POF cable. In the connection state between the optical communication connector 1a and the optical communication connector 1b, as described above, the outer surface is continuously formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, which facilitates the arrangement in the vehicle.

  Next, the detailed structure of the holding tool 11 and the detailed procedure of the manufacturing method of the optical communication connectors 1a and 1b using the holding tool 11 will be described. First, details of the structure of the cylindrical member 12 constituting the holding tool 11 will be described. 9 is a plan view of the cylindrical member 12, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC 'in FIG. 11 is a side view of the tubular member 12 from the flange 13 side, and FIG. 12 is a side view of the tubular member 12 from the bottom plate 14 side. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, for example, a protrusion 15 having an isosceles triangular cross section is provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical member 12 over the entire length. Further, a plurality of protrusions 152 are arranged in parallel in the axial direction on the slope of the protrusion 15 so as to cross the cylindrical member 12. Each of the protrusions 152 is provided so as to be inclined so that the center side is away from the bottom plate 14. As shown in FIG. 10, each of the protrusions 152 has a triangular cross section with the flange 13 side as an inclined side and the bottom plate 14 side with a line substantially perpendicular to the side plate of the cylindrical member 12 as one side. ing. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the optical fiber cable 2 sandwiched by the sandwiching tool 11, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line DD 'in FIG. FIG. 13 corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC ′ of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the plurality of protrusions 152 bite into the coating 22 from the outside. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion 152 is inclined in the direction in which the center side is away from the bottom plate 14, so that when the optical fiber cable 2 is pulled out, the component force is applied in the direction in which the core wires 21 are close to each other. And the force in the direction of pulling out the optical fiber cable 2 weakens, making it difficult to pull out. Thus, the shape of the protrusion 15 is designed on the inner surface of the cylindrical member 12 so as to fix the cable. Needless to say, the protrusion 152 is not limited to the configuration in which the plurality of protrusions 152 are obliquely arranged in parallel in the axial direction. The plurality of protrusions 152 may be provided in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction without being skewed, and the protrusions 152 are provided so as to cross one by one so as to correspond to the two core wires 21. It may be a configuration. Moreover, the structure in which protrusion 152 itself is not provided may be sufficient.

  The optical communication connectors 1a and 1b using the holding tool 11 shown in FIGS. 9 to 14 are manufactured by the following procedure. The coating 22 at one end of the optical fiber cable 2 is cut to a depth that does not reach the core wire 21 in a plane orthogonal to the core wire 21, and the coating 22 is removed by cutting to expose the core wire 21. At this time, the exposed length of the core wire 21 is set longer than the thickness of the bottom plate 14 of the tubular member 12. The optical fiber cable 2 is placed on one cylindrical member 12 of the holding tool 11 so that the boundary between the exposed portion and the covered portion of the core wire 21 is aligned with the inner surface of the bottom plate 14. Next, the other cylindrical member 12 is aligned with the one cylindrical member 12, and the optical fiber cable 2 is sandwiched between the cylindrical members 12, 12 as shown in FIG. At this time, since the exposed length of the core wire 21 is longer than the thickness of the bottom plate 14 as described above, the end surface of the core wire 21 protrudes from the outer surface of the bottom plate 14. The clamp 11 is further clamped from the outside with another jig, and both the bottom plate 14 of the clamp 11 and the end surface of the core 21 of the optical fiber cable 2 are connected to the E line (the axis of the core 21 in FIG. 13). 2 cores are cut at the same time along an orthogonal plane. By using a cutter with a single crystal diamond and a cutting tool for cutting, it is possible to obtain an effect of polishing the end face of the core wire 21 by cutting. By using a diamond cutter or the like, it is possible to cut with high precision on an orthogonal plane, so that the characteristics of the end faces of the two core wires 21 can be made identical. In addition, the convex part 17 of the baseplate 14 is provided previously, and the E line at the time of cutting is set outside the top part of the convex part 17. Thereby, even after cutting and polishing, the convex portion 17 is located inward from the outer surface of the bottom plate 14.

  Next, the holding tool 11 cut and polished together with the core wire 21 is fitted and held inside the holding member 10a or the holding member 10b. Since the holding tool 11 holds an elastic coating 22 and the cylindrical members 12 and 12 constituting the holding tool 11 are subjected to a force for separating them from each other, the holding tool 11 is used as the holding member 10a or the holding member. 10b is firmly held. At this time, the cylindrical member 12 and the holding member 10a or the holding member 10b may be fixed by an adhesive.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the butted portion of the core wire 21 of the optical communication connector in the connected state in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, in the state where the plug-side optical communication connector 1a and the socket-side optical communication connector 1b are connected, a gap is inevitably generated between the end surfaces of the holding tool 11 and the core wire 21. Light that travels through the core wire 21 and exits from the end face exits at the maximum angle (θ _{max in the} figure) and becomes leaked light. However, in the optical communication connectors 1a and 1b according to the present embodiment, a convex portion 17 having an arc-shaped cross section is provided on the end surface of the holding tool 11. Since the convex portion 17 changes the direction of reflection of light emitted from the end face of the core wire 21 at the maximum angle and acts to return the emitted light, leakage light from the gap between the pair of facing core wires 21 is reflected on the other side. It is possible to suppress the winding around the core wire 21 of the set. Therefore, generation of optical noise can be reduced and crosstalk during communication can be suppressed. Of course, the shape of the convex portion 17 is not limited to the shape of the present embodiment as long as it has a convex curved surface on the outside. For example, the outer surface may have a spherical shape or a drum shape. You may make it make a curved surface.

  In this way, an optical communication connector that can be connected to each other without bending the core wire 21 can be configured. Moreover, the optical communication connector 1a on the plug side and the optical communication connector 1b on the socket side can be manufactured with a simple configuration in which the common holding tool 11 is fitted and held inside the holding member 10a and the holding member 10b. . Since neither the optical communication connector 1a on the plug side nor the optical communication connector 1b on the socket side can be bent, the core wire 21 cannot be bent. The handling work of the communication harness 30 becomes easy. In addition, the occurrence of crosstalk can be prevented because the butted portion has a structure that suppresses the generation of optical noise.

  It should be thought that embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration and restrictive at no points. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the meanings described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a, 1b Optical communication connector 10a, 10b Holding member 11 Clamping tool 12 Cylindrical member 14 Bottom plate 141 Notch 15 Protrusion part 152 Protrusion 16a Engagement protrusion 16b Engagement hole 17 Protrusion part 2 Optical fiber cable 21 Core wire 22 Covering 30 Light Communication harness

Claims (5)

In an optical communication connector for connecting a plurality of plastic optical fiber cables by connecting the end faces of a plurality of core wires held by each,
A holding tool having a pair of halved cylindrical members that linearly hold the ends of the plastic optical fiber cable from which end faces of the plurality of core wires are exposed;
A cylindrical holding member that fits and holds the holding tool inside,
The cylindrical member is
A bottom plate covering the opening on one end side;
A plurality of cutouts in which the split surface side of the bottom plate is cut into a semicircular shape having a size corresponding to the diameter of the plurality of core wires;
And a convex portion formed at an intermediate position of the plurality of notches on the outer surface of the bottom plate. The optical communication connector according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a convex reflective surface on the outside and is continuously provided until reaching the split surface. The optical communication connector according to claim 2, wherein the reflection surface has an arcuate outer surface having a central axis in a direction orthogonal to the split surface. The convex portion is provided on a bottom surface of a concave portion formed on the outer surface of the bottom plate so as to be continuous with the split surface, and the height of the convex portion is lower than the depth of the concave portion. Item 4. The optical communication connector according to any one of Items 1 to 3. In an optical communication harness comprising a plurality of plastic optical fiber cables and optical communication connectors provided at one or both ends of the plastic optical fiber cables,
The optical communication connectors are respectively
A holding tool having a pair of halved cylindrical members that linearly hold the ends of the plastic optical fiber cable from which end faces of a plurality of core wires are exposed;
A cylindrical holding member that fits and holds the holding tool inside,
The cylindrical member is
A bottom plate covering the opening on one end side;
A plurality of cutouts in which the split surface side of the bottom plate is cut into a semicircular shape having a size corresponding to the diameter of the plurality of core wires;
An optical communication harness comprising: a convex portion formed at an intermediate position of the plurality of notches on an outer surface of the bottom plate.

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