JP2020204707A - Optical connector, connection structure, and method for connecting optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an optical connector, a connection structure therefor, and a method for connecting the optical connector, with which it is possible to secure the accuracy of positioning a ferrule while suppressing the breakage of a guide hole in which a guide pin of the optical connector is inserted.SOLUTION: An optical connector comprises a guide pin 6, a ferrule 4 in which is provided a first through-hole 11 in which the guide pin is inserted, and a pin holding member 7 for holding the base end of the guide pin. The guide pin includes a tapered part 15 provided at a tip 6a and a straight part 16. The tapered part is constructed so that the diameter is progressively expanded as it gets close to the straight part. The straight part is constructed so that its diameter is the same for a given distance along the longitudinal direction. The optical connector is made possible by a relative movement of the ferrule to the guide pin to transition between a first state in which the straight part is accommodated in the first through-hole and a second state in which the straight part projects from the first through-hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present disclosure relates to an optical connector, a connection structure, and a method of connecting the optical connector.

Optical connectors are known that have a ferrule that holds the optical fiber and a guide pin that positions the ferrule. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an optical connector in which a guide pin is inserted into a through hole provided in a ferrule. By inserting this guide pin into the guide hole of the ferrule of the optical connector to be connected, the ferrule is positioned with respect to the ferrule of the optical connector to be connected.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-8415 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-49650 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-4728

When the guide pin of the optical connector is inserted into the guide hole of the optical connector to be connected, the guide hole may be damaged due to the contact between the tip of the guide pin and the edge of the guide hole or the vicinity of the insertion port of the guide hole. is there. For example, if the optical connector is repeatedly connected, chipping may occur due to the accumulation of collision damage between the guide pin and the edge of the insertion port of the guide hole.

Further, the guide pin has a straight portion having a relatively small clearance with respect to the through hole and the guide hole in order to position the connected ferrules with high accuracy. The guide hole may be damaged even when an external force is applied to the ferrule in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the guide pin in a state where the straight portion is halfway inserted into the guide hole of the ferrule to be connected. If the guide hole is damaged, the connection loss may increase due to the misalignment of the core portion of the optical fiber held by the ferrule.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical connector, a connection structure thereof, and a method for connecting the optical connector, which can secure the positioning accuracy of the ferrule while suppressing damage to the guide hole into which the guide pin of the optical connector is inserted. To do.

The optical connector according to the present disclosure includes a guide pin having a tip and a base end, a ferrule provided with a first through hole into which the guide pin is inserted, and a second through hole configured to hold an optical fiber, and a guide. The guide pin includes a pin holding member for holding the base end of the pin, and the guide pin has a tapered portion provided at the tip and a straight portion located closer to the pin holding member than the tapered portion. The diameter is configured to increase toward the straight portion, and the straight portion is configured so that the diameter is the same for a certain distance along the longitudinal direction, and the optical connector is a ferrule with respect to the guide pin. By relative movement, it is possible to transition between the first state in which the straight portion is housed in the first through hole and the second state in which the straight portion protrudes from the first through hole.

The connection structure according to the present disclosure includes a first optical connector which is the optical connector and a second optical connector connected to the first optical connector, and the second optical connector is a guide pin of the first optical connector. The first optical connector and the second optical connector are a part of the tapered portion and the straight portion of the guide pin of the first optical connector, which are provided with a guide hole into which the connector is inserted and have a ferrule for holding the optical fiber. Is connected while being inserted into the guide hole of the second optical connector.

The optical connector connection method according to the present disclosure is to connect the first optical connector, which is the optical connector, and the second optical connector, which has a ferrule provided with a guide hole into which a guide pin is inserted and holds an optical fiber. After the tapered portion of the guide pin is inserted into the guide hole and the ferrule of the first optical connector and the ferrule of the second optical connector come into contact with each other, a part of the straight portion guides the second optical connector. It is inserted into the hole.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an optical connector, a connection structure thereof, and a method for connecting the optical connector, which can secure the positioning accuracy of the ferrule while suppressing damage to the guide hole into which the guide pin of the optical connector is inserted. it can.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state before the connection of the optical connector according to the embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state after the connection of the optical connector according to the embodiment. is there. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical connector according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a guide pin. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the optical connector in the first state, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the optical connector in the second state. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which ferrules of optical connectors connected to each other face each other, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the end faces of the ferrules are in contact with each other. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first elastic member is contracted. FIG. 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the end faces of the ferrules are in contact with each other, and FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first elastic member is contracted. (C) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the second elastic member is contracted.

[Explanation of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

The optical connector according to the present disclosure includes a guide pin having a tip and a base end, a ferrule provided with a first through hole into which the guide pin is inserted, and a second through hole configured to hold an optical fiber, and a guide. The guide pin includes a pin holding member for holding the base end of the pin, and the guide pin has a tapered portion provided at the tip and a straight portion located closer to the pin holding member than the tapered portion. The diameter is configured to increase toward the straight portion, and the straight portion is configured so that the diameter is the same for a certain distance along the longitudinal direction, and the optical connector is a ferrule with respect to the guide pin. The relative movement makes it possible to transition between the first state in which the straight portion is housed in the first through hole and the second state in which the straight portion protrudes from the first through hole.

In this optical connector, the guide pin has a tapered portion and a straight portion located closer to the pin holding member than the tapered portion. In the first state, the straight portion is housed in the through hole, and in the second state, the straight portion protrudes from the through hole. Therefore, in the first state, the position of the guide pin and the ferrule to be connected can be adjusted by sliding the ferrule to be connected with respect to the tapered portion. Therefore, damage to the guide hole due to contact between the tip end portion of the guide pin and the edge of the guide hole or the vicinity of the insertion port of the guide hole is suppressed. Further, in the first state, the ferrule of the optical connector to be connected is brought into contact with the ferrule of the optical connector to be connected, and after the above position adjustment is performed, the transition to the second state is performed to guide the ferrule of the optical connector to be connected. The straight part of the guide pin can be inserted into the hole. Therefore, even when the straight portion is inserted, damage to the guide hole into which the guide pin of the optical connector is inserted is suppressed. The positioning accuracy of the ferrule can be ensured when the straight portion is inserted.

A first elastic member that comes into contact with the pin holding member and the ferrule and urges the ferrule toward the tip of the guide pin in the first state and the second state may be further provided. In this case, since the elastic force for returning from the second state to the first state is given to the ferrule, the optical connector can be used repeatedly by simple handling.

A housing accommodating at least a part of the ferrule and the pin holding member, and a second elastic member which is in contact with the housing and the pin holding member and urges the pin holding member toward the ferrule may be further provided. The first elastic member and the second elastic member may be push spring members. The spring constant of the first elastic member may be smaller than the spring constant of the second elastic member. In this case, when the guide pin is inserted into the ferrule to be connected, the pin holding member is fixed to the housing. After the guide pin has been inserted into the ferrule to be connected, the ferrule can be put into a floating state. When the ferrules are in a floating state, a load due to an external force is unlikely to occur at the connection portion between the ferrules.

The housing may have a first regulating section that regulates the movement of the ferrule toward the tip of the guide pin and a second regulating section that regulates the movement of the pin holding member to the ferrule. In this case, the movement of the ferrule is restricted by the first elastic member and the movement of the pin holding member is restricted by the second elastic member until the ferrule to be connected comes into contact.

The tapered portion may protrude from the first through hole in both the first state and the second state. If the tapered portion protrudes from the first through hole in the first state, the ferrules to be connected are guided by the tapered surface, and the ferrules are smoothly contacted with each other.

The taper angle of the tapered portion may be 20 ° or more and 55 ° or less with respect to the axis of the guide pin. In this case, the ferrule to be connected is slid more smoothly in the tapered portion, and damage to the guide hole of the ferrule to be connected is further suppressed.

In the longitudinal direction of the guide pin, the length of the tapered portion may be larger than 0.08 times the length of the straight portion. In this case, in the tapered portion, a wider range in which the ferrule to be connected is slid is secured, and damage to the guide hole of the ferrule to be connected is further suppressed.

The connection structure according to the present disclosure includes a first optical connector which is the optical connector and a second optical connector connected to the first optical connector, and the second optical connector is a guide pin of the first optical connector. The first optical connector and the second optical connector are a part of the tapered portion and the straight portion of the guide pin of the first optical connector, which are provided with a guide hole into which the connector is inserted and have a ferrule for holding the optical fiber. Is connected while being inserted into the guide hole of the second optical connector.

The optical connector connection method according to the present disclosure includes the first optical connector which is the optical connector and a ferrule provided with a guide hole into which a guide pin is inserted, and the optical connector is optical. A process of connecting to a second optical connector that holds the fiber is provided, the tapered portion of the guide pin is inserted into the guide hole, and the ferrule of the first optical connector and the ferrule of the second optical connector come into contact with each other and then straight. A part of the portion is inserted into the guide hole of the second optical connector. In this method of connecting the optical connector, the straight portion is inserted into the guide hole of the ferrule of the second optical connector after the ferrule of the first optical connector and the ferrule of the second optical connector come into contact with each other to adjust the position. Therefore, when the straight portion is inserted, damage to the guide hole of the second optical connector is suppressed. The positioning accuracy of each ferrule can be ensured when the straight portion is inserted.

[Details of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
Specific examples of the optical connector and its connection structure according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the optical connector of the present invention and its connection structure are not limited to these examples, but are indicated by the scope of claims, and include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims. Is intended to be. In the following description, the same elements will be designated by the same reference numerals in the description of the drawings, and duplicate description will be omitted.

An outline of the optical connector according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state before the connection of the optical connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state after the optical connector according to the embodiment is connected.

The optical connectors 1A and 1B are MPO optical connectors. The connection structure 20 is formed by connecting the optical connector 1A and the optical connector 1B to each other. The optical connectors 1A and 1B are detachably connected to each other via the adapter 2. The optical connectors 1A and 1B have a housing 10 at the tip of each of the optical connectors 1A and 1B. Each housing 10 houses at least a part of the ferrule 4. The ferrule 4 is exposed from the housing 10 at the tips of the optical connectors 1A and 1B. The ferrule 4 is an MT type optical connector ferrule. A multi-core (here, 4-core) optical fiber tape core wire 5 is assembled to the ferrule 4.

The optical connector 1A has a pair of guide pins 6 that penetrate the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A. The optical connector 1B does not have a guide pin. The guide pin 6 of the optical connector 1A is inserted into a guide hole provided in the optical connector 1B when the optical connectors 1A and 1B are connected to each other.

Next, the configuration of the optical connector 1A will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 (a) and 4 (b). FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical connector 1A. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the guide pin 6. (A) and (b) of FIG. 4 show a perspective view of the internal structure of the optical connector 1A. FIG. 4A shows the internal structure of the optical connector 1A in the first state, and FIG. 4B shows the internal structure of the optical connector 1A in the second state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the optical connector 1A further includes a pinkeeper 7, a first elastic member 8, and a second elastic member 9. The pink keeper 7, the first elastic member 8, and the second elastic member 9 are housed in the housing 10. A part of the ferrule 4, a part of the guide pin 6, a pink keeper 7, a first elastic member 8, and a second elastic member 9 are arranged inside the housing 10. The ferrule 4 is positioned with respect to the housing 10 by the guide pin 6, the pink keeper 7, the first elastic member 8, and the second elastic member 9.

The ferrule 4 has planes 4a and 4b facing each other. The flat surface 4a is located closer to the tip end side of the optical connector 1A than the flat surface 4b and is exposed from the housing 10. The ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A comes into contact with the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B on the plane 4a. The ferrule 4 has a pair of through holes 11 and a plurality of through holes 12 that penetrate between the planes 4a and 4b. The pair of through holes 11 are configured so that the guide pin 6 is inserted. The plurality of through holes 12 are configured to hold the optical fiber. The pair of guide pins 6 are each inserted into the corresponding through holes 11. The ferrules 4 are positioned with each other by the guide pins 6. The ferrule 4 is not fixed to the housing 10 and is movable with respect to the housing 10.

The ferrule 4 is not fixed to the guide pin 6 and the pin keeper 7, and can move along the guide pin 6. When the ferrule 4 moves with respect to the guide pin 6, the edge of the through hole 11 of the ferrule 4 slides with respect to the guide pin 6. The ferrule 4 has an engaging portion 13 that engages with the housing 10. The engaging portion 13 of the ferrule 4 is housed in the housing 10. The engaging portion 13 has a contact surface 13a that comes into contact with the housing 10. The contact surface 13a is orthogonal to the extending direction of the through hole 11. The forward movement of the ferrule 4 is restricted by the contact between the contact surface 13a of the engaging portion 13 and the housing 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide pin 6 has a long cylindrical shape along the axis α, and is inserted into the through hole 11 of the ferrule 4. The guide pin 6 has a tip end 6a and a base end 6b. The base end 6b of the guide pin 6 is held by the pink keeper 7. The tip 6a of the guide pin 6 is located closer to the tip of the optical connector 1A than the base end 6b. The guide pin 6 moves integrally with the pink keeper 7 with respect to the ferrule 4.

The guide pin 6 has a tapered portion 15 and a straight portion 16. In FIG. 3, hatching is shown on the straight portion 16. The tapered portion 15 guides the insertion of the guide pin 6 into the guide hole of the optical connector 1B. The straight portion 16 positions the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A with respect to the guide pin 6 in the direction orthogonal to the axis α in a state of being arranged inside the through hole 11 of the optical connector 1A. The straight portion 16 positions the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B with respect to the guide pin 6 in the direction orthogonal to the axis α in a state where the straight portion 16 is arranged inside the guide hole of the optical connector 1B.

The clearance between the straight portion 16 and the through hole 11 of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A is equal to or less than the minimum value of the clearance between the tapered portion 15 and the through hole 11 of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A. The tapered portion 15 is provided at the tip 6a of the guide pin 6. The straight portion 16 is located closer to the pinkeeper 7 than the tapered portion 15. In the present embodiment, the tapered portion 15 and the straight portion 16 are continuously provided with each other.

The tapered portion 15 has a tapered surface 15a that is inclined with respect to the axis α. The tapered portion 15 is configured so that the diameter increases toward the straight portion 16. In the present embodiment, the taper angle of the tapered portion 15 is, for example, 20 ° or more and 55 ° or less with respect to the axis α. The "tapered angle" is an angle formed by tapered surfaces 15a facing each other in a cross section of the guide pin 6 along the axis α. The length of the tapered portion 15 in the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6 is, in one example, about 2 mm.

The straight portion 16 is configured so that its diameter is the same for a certain distance along the longitudinal direction. That is, the straight portion 16 extends along the axis α with a constant diameter. The straight portion 16 is not inclined with respect to the axis α. The straight portion 16 has a diameter equal to or larger than the maximum diameter of the tapered portion 15.

The straight portion 16 has a smaller clearance with respect to the through hole 11 of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A and the guide hole of the optical connector 1B than the other portion of the guide pin 6. The straight portion 16 has a diameter equivalent to that of the through hole 11 and the guide hole. The diameter of the straight portion 16 is 0.3 to 1 mm. In one example, the diameter of the straight portion 16 is 0.7 mm. The length of the straight portion 16 in the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6 is, in one example, about 4 mm. The diameter of the portion of the guide pin 6 located closer to the pinkeeper 7 than the straight portion 16 may be less than or equal to the diameter of the straight portion 16.

In the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6, the length of the tapered portion 15 is larger than, for example, 0.08 times the length of the straight portion 16. More preferably, the length of the tapered portion 15 is 0.25 times or more the length of the straight portion 16. The longer the taper portion 15 is, the more the impact applied when it comes into contact with the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B is suppressed. In one example, the length of the tapered portion 15 is 0.5 times the length of the straight portion 16.

The pin keeper 7 is a pin holding member that holds the base end 6b of the guide pin 6. The pink keeper 7 has planes 7a and 7b facing each other. The plane 7a is located closer to the tip of the optical connector 1A than the plane 7b. The plane 7a of the pinkie 7 and the plane 4b of the ferrule 4 face each other. The pink keeper 7 engages with the first elastic member 8 on the plane 7a side and engages with the second elastic member 9 on the plane 7b side. The pink keeper 7 has a housing portion 7c in which the base end 6b of the guide pin 6 is housed, and a housing portion 7d in which at least a part of the first elastic member 8 is housed. The accommodating portion 7c and the accommodating portion 7d extend from the plane 7a toward the plane 7b.

The pink keeper 7 moves integrally with the guide pin 6 with respect to the housing 10 and the ferrule 4. The pink keeper 7 has an engaging portion 17 that engages with the housing 10. The engaging portion 17 includes the above-mentioned flat surface 7a and comes into contact with the housing 10 on the flat surface 7a. The forward movement of the pinkeeper 7 and the guide pin 6 is restricted by the contact between the engaging portion 17 and the housing 10.

The first elastic member 8 and the second elastic member 9 are, for example, push spring members. In the present embodiment, the first elastic member 8 and the second elastic member 9 use a compression coil spring as a push spring member. The spring constant of the first elastic member 8 is smaller than the spring constant of the second elastic member. The first elastic member 8 and the second elastic member 9 may be members having elasticity other than the compression coil spring.

The first elastic member 8 is located between the ferrule 4 and the pink keeper 7, and has an end portion 8a in contact with the ferrule 4 and an end portion 8b in contact with the pink keeper 7. "Contact" includes the case of direct contact and the case of indirectly contacting with another member sandwiched between them.

The first elastic member 8 expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6 between the ferrule 4 and the pink keeper 7, and urges the ferrule 4 toward the tip 6a of the guide pin 6 by an elastic force corresponding to the expansion and contraction. The ferrule 4 moves relative to the guide pin 6 according to the expansion and contraction of the first elastic member 8. The optical connector 1A can transition between the first state and the second state by the relative movement of the ferrule 4 with respect to the guide pin 6. When no external force is applied to the ferrule 4, the optical connector 1A is in the first state.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in the first state, the straight portion 16 is housed in the through hole 11. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, in the second state, the straight portion 16 protrudes from the through hole 11 of the ferrule 4. In the second state, a part of the straight portion 16 is located outside the through hole 11, and the remaining portion of the straight portion 16 is located inside the through hole 11. In the present embodiment, the tapered portion 15 protrudes from the through hole 11 of the ferrule 4 in both the first state and the second state. In the second state, the first elastic member 8 is contracted, and in the first state, the first elastic member 8 is stretched more than in the second state. In the first state, the first elastic member 8 may be in a natural state or may be in a contracted state from the natural state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second elastic member 9 is located between the housing 10 and the pink keeper 7, and has an end (not shown) in contact with the housing 10 and an end 9a in contact with the pink keeper 7. Have. "Contact" includes the case of direct contact and the case of indirectly contacting with another member sandwiched between them.

The second elastic member 9 expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6 between the housing 10 and the pink keeper 7, and urges the pink keeper 7 toward the ferrule 4 by an elastic force corresponding to the expansion and contraction. The pink keeper 7 moves relative to the housing 10 according to the expansion and contraction of the second elastic member 9.

The housing 10 has a first regulation unit 18 and a second regulation unit 19. The first regulating unit 18 comes into contact with the contact surface 13a of the ferrule 4, and the contact restricts the movement of the ferrule 4 toward the tip of the optical connector 1A. As a result, the ferrule 4 is prevented from being separated from the housing 10. The second regulating unit 19 comes into contact with the edge of the flat surface 7a of the pinkeeper 7, and the contact restricts the movement toward the tip of the optical connector 1A. As a result, the pinkeeper 7 is positioned with respect to the housing 10. The first regulation unit 18 and the second regulation unit 19 are formed in a stepped shape on the inner surface of the housing 10. The first regulation unit 18 is located closer to the tip end side of the optical connector 1A than the second regulation unit 19. The first regulation unit 18 is located on the axis α side of the guide pin 6 with respect to the second regulation unit 19.

In the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6, the distance from the plane 7a of the pinkeeper 7 to the edge 16a on the tip 6a side of the straight portion 16 is the distance from the first regulating portion 18 to the second regulating portion 19 and the contact of the ferrule 4. It is smaller than the sum of the distances from the surface 13a to the plane 4a. In the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6, the distance from the plane 7a of the pinkeeper 7 to the tip 6a of the guide pin 6 is the distance from the first regulation portion 18 to the second regulation portion 19 and the plane from the contact surface 13a of the ferrule 4. Greater than the sum with the distance to 4a.

The distance from the flat surface 7a of the pinkeeper 7 to the edge 16a on the tip 6a side of the straight portion 16 in the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6 is larger than the length of the through hole 11. The distance from the plane 7a of the pinkeeper 7 to the edge 16a on the tip 6a side of the straight portion 16 in the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6 is at least smaller than the sum of the natural length of the first elastic member 8 and the length of the through hole 11. ..

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2, 5 (a), (b), and (c), and 6 (a), (b), and (c), the optical connectors 1A and 1B The connection operation and connection method will be described in detail. The description of the adapter 2 will be omitted. In FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, a through hole 12 for holding an optical fiber in the optical connector 1A, a through hole for holding an optical fiber in the optical connector 1B, a housing 10, and a second elastic. The member 9 is omitted. 6 (a), (b), and (c) are schematic views showing the housing 10 and the second elastic member 9 as well.

First, in the connection of the optical connectors 1A and 1B, as shown in FIG. 5A, the tips of the ferrules 4 of the optical connectors 1A and 1B are arranged so as to face each other. The optical connectors 1A and 1B are arranged so that the tips 6a of the pair of guide pins 6 of the optical connector 1A face the opening of the corresponding guide hole 31 of the optical connector 1B. At this time, the optical connector 1A is in the first state, and the straight portion 16 is housed in the through hole 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the first state, the pink keeper 7 is urged toward the second regulating portion 19 by the second elastic member 9, and the plane 7a of the engaging portion 17 and the housing 10 are the first. 2 The regulation unit 19 is in contact with the regulation unit 19. As a result, the movement of the pink keeper 7 to the ferrule 4 is restricted. The pinkeeper 7 is positioned with respect to the housing 10. The ferrule 4 is urged from the pinkeeper 7 toward the first regulating portion 18 by the first elastic member 8, and the contact surface 13a of the engaging portion 13 and the first regulating portion 18 of the housing 10 are in contact with each other. .. As a result, the movement of the guide pin 6 of the ferrule 4 in the direction toward the tip 6a is restricted. The ferrule 4 is urged toward the tip 6a of the guide pin 6 by the first elastic member 8 and the second elastic member 9, and is positioned with respect to the housing 10.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B and FIG. 6A, the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A and the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B are brought into contact with each other. The tapered portions 15 of the pair of guide pins 6 of the optical connector 1A are inserted into the corresponding guide holes 31 of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B, and are arranged in the respective guide holes 31. Also in this case, the optical connector 1A is in the first state, and the straight portion 16 is housed in the through hole 11.

Next, as shown in (c) of FIG. 5 and (b) of FIG. 6, the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B pushes the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A toward the pinkeeper 7. The ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A moves from the tip 6a side of the guide pin 6 to the base end 6b side. The ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B slides the guide pin 6 in the guide hole 31. The first elastic member 8 contracts due to an external force received from the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B via the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A. As a result, the optical connector 1A transitions to the second state, and the tapered portion 15 and the straight portion 16 project from the through hole 11 of the optical connector 1A and are inserted into the guide hole 31. A part of the straight portion 16 is located inside the through hole 11, and the remaining portion of the straight portion 16 is located inside the guide hole 31. In the present embodiment, the first elastic member 8 contracts until the plane 4b of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A and the plane 7a of the pinkeeper 7 come into contact with each other. At this time, the entire first elastic member 8 is housed in the housing portion 7c of the pink keeper 7.

As shown in FIG. 6B, in the second state, the contact surface 13a of the engaging portion 13 of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A is separated from the first regulating portion 18. Similar to the first state, the pink keeper 7 is urged toward the second regulating portion 19 by the second elastic member 9, and the plane 7a of the engaging portion 17 and the second regulating portion 19 of the housing 10 come into contact with each other. ing. The ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A is in contact with the pinkeeper 7 and is positioned with respect to the housing 10.

Next, from the state shown in FIG. 6B, the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B further pushes the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A toward the pinkeeper 7. As shown in FIG. 6C, the second elastic member 9 contracts due to an external force received from the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B via the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A. The ferrule 4 and the pinkeeper 7 of the optical connectors 1A and 1B move integrally. In this case, the flat surface 7a of the engaging portion 17 of the pink keeper 7 is separated from the second regulating portion 19. The pink keeper 7 is urged by the second elastic member 9, and the ferrules 4 of the optical connectors 1A and 1B are positioned with each other and are in a floating state.

By the above operation, the connection structure 20 in which the optical connectors 1A and 1B are connected to each other is configured. In the connection structure 20, the optical connector 1A is in the second state, and a part of the tapered portion 15 and the straight portion 16 protrudes from the through hole 11 of the optical connector 1A and is inserted into the guide hole 31. When the connection between the optical connector 1A and the optical connector 1B is disconnected, the optical connector 1A returns to the first state due to the elastic force of the first elastic member 8 and the second elastic member 9.

As described above, in the optical connector 1A, the guide pin 6 has a tapered portion 15 and a straight portion 16 located closer to the pinkeeper 7 than the tapered portion 15. In the first state, the straight portion 16 is housed in the through hole 11, and in the second state, the straight portion 16 projects from the through hole 11. Therefore, in the first state, the position of the guide pin 6 and the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B is adjusted by sliding the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B to be connected with respect to the tapered surface 15a of the tapered portion 15. be able to. Therefore, damage to the guide hole 31 due to contact between the tip portion of the guide pin 6 and the edge of the guide hole 31 or the vicinity of the insertion port of the guide hole 31 is suppressed. Further, in the first state, the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A and the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B come into contact with each other to adjust the position, and then the transition to the second state causes the guide hole of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B. The straight portion 16 of the guide pin 6 can be inserted into 31. Therefore, even when the straight portion 16 is inserted, damage to the guide hole 31 into which the guide pin 6 of the optical connector 1A is inserted is suppressed. With the straight portion 16 inserted, the positioning accuracy of the ferrule 4 can be ensured.

The first elastic member 8 is engaged with the pink keeper 7 and the ferrule 4, and urges the ferrule 4 toward the tip 6a of the guide pin 6 in the first and second states. Therefore, since the elastic force for returning from the second state to the first state is given to the ferrule 4, the optical connector 1A can be used repeatedly with simple handling.

The second elastic member 9 engages with the housing 10 accommodating at least a part of the ferrule 4 and the pink keeper 7, and the housing 10 and the pink keeper 7. The second elastic member 9 urges the pink keeper 7 toward the ferrule 4. The first elastic member 8 and the second elastic member 9 are push spring members. The spring constant of the first elastic member 8 is smaller than the spring constant of the second elastic member 9. Therefore, when the guide pin 6 is inserted into the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B, the pin keeper 7 is fixed to the housing 10. After the insertion of the guide pin 6 into the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B is completed, the ferrule 4 can be put into a floating state. When the ferrule 4 is in a floating state, a load due to an external force is unlikely to occur at the connecting portion between the ferrules 4.

The tapered portion 15 protrudes from the through hole 11 in the first state and the second state. If the tapered portion 15 protrudes from the through hole 11 in the first state, the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B is guided by the tapered surface 15a, and the ferrules 4 come into smooth contact with each other.

The housing 10 has a first regulation unit 18 and a second regulation unit 19. The first regulation unit 18 regulates the movement of the guide pin 6 of the ferrule 4 in the direction toward the tip 6a. The second regulation unit 19 regulates the movement of the pink keeper 7 to the ferrule 4. Therefore, the movement of the ferrule 4 is restricted by the first elastic member 8 and the movement of the pinkeeper 7 is restricted by the second elastic member 9 until the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B comes into contact with the ferrule 4.

The taper angle of the tapered portion 15 is 20 ° or more and 55 ° or less with respect to the axis α of the guide pin 6. Therefore, in the tapered portion 15, the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B slides more smoothly, and damage to the guide hole 31 of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B is further suppressed.

In the longitudinal direction of the guide pin 6, the length of the tapered portion 15 is greater than 0.08 times the length of the straight portion 16. Therefore, in the tapered portion 15, the range in which the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B is slid is secured wider, and the damage of the guide hole 31 of the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B is further suppressed.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof.

For example, in the above embodiment, the tapered portion 15 protrudes from the through hole 11 in a state where no external force is applied to the optical connector 1A. However, in a state where no external force is applied to the optical connector 1A, the tapered portion 15 may be housed in the through hole 11 together with the straight portion 16 without protruding from the through hole 11. In this case, the tapered portion 15 is inserted into the guide hole 31 by the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1B pushing the ferrule 4 of the optical connector 1A toward the pinkeeper 7.

1A, 1B ... Optical connector, 2 ... Adapter, 4 ... Ferrule, 4a, 4b, 7a, 7b ... Flat surface, 5 ... Optical fiber taper core wire, 6 ... Guide pin, 6a ... Tip, 6b ... Base end, 7 ... Pinky Par, 8 ... 1st elastic member, 8a, 8b ... end, 9 ... second elastic member, 10 ... housing, 11, 12 ... through hole, 13 ... engaging part, 13a ... contact surface, 15 ... tapered part , 15a ... Tapered surface, 16 ... Straight part, 16a ... Edge, 17 ... Engagement part, 18 ... First regulation part, 19 ... Second regulation part, 20 ... Connection structure, 31 ... Guide hole, α ... Shaft.

Claims (9)

It's an optical connector
A guide pin with a tip and a base,
A ferrule provided with a first through hole into which the guide pin is inserted and a second through hole configured to hold the optical fiber, and a ferrule.
A pin holding member for holding the base end of the guide pin is provided.
The guide pin has a tapered portion provided at the tip thereof and a straight portion located closer to the pin holding member than the tapered portion, and the tapered portion has a diameter wider toward the straight portion. The straight portion is configured so that its diameter is the same for a certain distance along the longitudinal direction.
The optical connector has a first state in which the straight portion is housed in the first through hole and a second state in which the straight portion protrudes from the first through hole due to the relative movement of the ferrule with respect to the guide pin. Optical connector that can transition between. The first aspect of claim 1, further comprising a first elastic member which is in contact with the pin holding member and the ferrule and urges the ferrule toward the tip of the guide pin in the first state and the second state. Described optical connector. A housing that houses at least a part of the ferrule and the pin holding member,
A second elastic member that comes into contact with the housing and the pin holding member and urges the pin holding member toward the ferrule is further provided.
The first elastic member and the second elastic member are push spring members, and are
The optical connector according to claim 2, wherein the spring constant of the first elastic member is smaller than the spring constant of the second elastic member. The housing has a first regulating part that regulates the movement of the guide pin of the ferrule in the direction toward the tip, and a second regulating part that regulates the movement of the pin holding member to the ferrule. Item 3. The optical connector according to item 3. The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tapered portion protrudes from the through hole in both the first state and the second state. The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the taper angle of the tapered portion is 20 ° or more and 55 ° or less with respect to the axis of the guide pin. The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the length of the tapered portion is larger than 0.08 times the length of the straight portion in the longitudinal direction of the guide pin. The first optical connector, which is the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A second optical connector connected to the first optical connector is provided.
The second optical connector is provided with a guide hole into which the guide pin of the first optical connector is inserted, and has a ferrule for holding an optical fiber.
The first optical connector and the second optical connector are in a state in which the tapered portion and a part of the straight portion of the guide pin of the first optical connector are inserted into the guide hole of the second optical connector. A connection structure that is connected in. A second optical connector having a first optical connector, which is the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and a ferrule provided with a guide hole into which the guide pin is inserted, and holding an optical fiber. Equipped with a process to connect with a connector
After the tapered portion of the guide pin is inserted into the guide hole and the ferrule of the first optical connector and the ferrule of the second optical connector come into contact with each other, a part of the straight portion is said to be the second. A method of connecting an optical connector, which is inserted into the guide hole of the optical connector.

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