JP2502092Y2 - Optical connector jack - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial field of application> The present invention is a plug for detachably connecting an optical fiber.
The present invention relates to an optical connector jack used in a jack type optical connector.

<Prior art> Conventional optical connectors include a plug-adapter-plug (PAP) type optical connector and a plug-jack (PJ).
There is a type of optical connector. PAP type optical connector,
It consists of two optical plugs that hold the ferrules to which the ends of the optical fibers are connected, and an optical adapter that holds the aligning sleeves that engage with them and into which both ferrules are inserted. Further, the PJ type optical connector includes an optical connector plug for holding a ferrule to which an optical fiber terminal is connected, a ferrule to which the optical connector plug is locked and an optical fiber terminal is connected, and this ferrule is inserted. And an optical connector jack that holds an aligning sleeve that holds the aligning sleeve.

Of these, PJ type optical connectors are often used for various optical devices and the like. As this PJ type optical connector, for example, a plug-in optical connector having a structure shown in FIG. 6 is known (Japanese Patent Application Nos. 63-190652 and 62-4758).
1). This optical connector includes a package connector 6 attached to a package 8 and a back panel connector 7 attached to a back panel 9. That is, the optical connector plug 5 is attached to the back panel connector 7,
The optical plug 5 integrally holds a ferrule 3'to which an end of an optical fiber (not shown) is connected. On the other hand, an optical jack 1 is attached to the package connector 6, and the optical connector jack 1 has a structure capable of engaging with an optical connector plug. Further, in the jack body 2 of the optical connector jack 1, an alignment sleeve 4, a ferrule 3, and a housing 21 that integrally holds these are housed. The ferrule 3 is inserted into the alignment sleeve 4 and is connected to an end of an optical fiber (not shown).

Therefore, the connection of the optical fiber is the optical connector jack 1
And the optical connector plug 5 are positioned relative to each other, and the optical connector plug 5 is attached to the alignment sleeve 4 in the optical connector jack 1.
It is realized by inserting the inner ferrule 3 ', making the ferrule tip surfaces 31 coaxially face each other, and pressing each other by the pressing spring 28. Further, when disconnecting the optical fiber, if the optical connector plug 5 is pulled from the optical connector jack 1 in the opposite direction, the ferrule 3 ′ can be pulled out from the alignment sleeve 4 of the optical connector jack 1.

Here, not only the ferrule 3 but also the ferrule 3'is inserted into the alignment sleeve 4, so the ferrule tip surface 31
Is located substantially in the center of the alignment sleeve 4. In other words, the front end surface 31 of the ferrule 3 is inside the alignment sleeve 4, that is, inside the optical connector jack 1.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> In the connection of the optical fiber by the optical connector described above, if dust or abrasion powder at the time of attachment / detachment adheres to the ferrule tip surface 31 or the inner surface of the alignment sleeve 4, the connection loss and the return loss are large. And the characteristics deteriorate. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly clean the ferrule tip surface 31 and the alignment sleeve 4.

However, in the conventional optical connector jack, the ferrule tip surface 31 and the inner surface of the alignment sleeve 4 are located inside the jack. Therefore, in order to clean the ferrule tip end surface 31 at the back of the alignment sleeve 4, the alignment sleeve 4 having a small diameter is cleaned.
In addition, since it is necessary to insert and clean a cleaning tool such as a cotton swab, cleaning is difficult.

In the future, with the progress of optical communication technology, optical connectors will become smaller,
Higher density is required. In order to realize these, downsizing and downsizing of the ferrules 3 and 3'and the alignment sleeve 4 are indispensable.

However, in the optical connector jack having the conventional structure, when the inner diameter of the alignment sleeve 4 becomes thin, a cleaning tool such as a cotton swab cannot be inserted, and cleaning of the ferrule tip surface 31 and the inner surface of the alignment sleeve 4 becomes impossible.

Also, in the case of optical connectors, the ferrule should be
Abrasion powder is generated due to friction between 3, 3'and the alignment sleeve 4, and if the abrasion powder adheres to the ferrule tip surface 31, connection loss and reflection increase and the connection characteristics deteriorate. In order to reduce the generation of this abrasion powder, ceramics with good abrasion resistance such as zirconia ceramics have been used in recent years as the material of the alignment sleeve. Here, since the ceramic alignment sleeve is brittle, the alignment sleeve is apt to be damaged if a twisting force greater than a design value is erroneously applied to the alignment sleeve during operation. For this reason, it is desirable to have a structure in which the alignment sleeve can be easily replaced.

However, in the conventional optical connector jack, since the alignment sleeve 4 is not easily taken out from the optical connector jack, when the alignment sleeve 4 is damaged, it is difficult to remove the alignment sleeve 4 from the tip side 11 and replace it. Or it was impossible.

As described above, in the conventional PJ type optical connector, since the alignment sleeve 4 is integrally held in the optical connector jack, it is difficult to clean the ferrule tip surface 31 and the alignment sleeve 4 inner surface, and the alignment sleeve There is a problem that it is difficult to replace the alignment sleeve 4 in the case where 4 is damaged. As described above, it is difficult to clean the ferrule 3 and to replace the alignment sleeve 4, which means that the optical connector will become smaller and higher in density in the future, and the ferrule 3 and the alignment sleeve 4 will have a smaller diameter and the ceramic of the alignment sleeve 4 will become smaller. It will become a serious problem as it becomes increasingly popular.

The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art, and an object thereof is to provide an optical connector jack in which the ferrule and the alignment sleeve can be easily cleaned and the alignment sleeve can be easily replaced.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The structure of the present invention for achieving the above object is to insert a ferrule to which an end of an optical fiber is connected into an aligning sleeve, and to arrange the aligning sleeve and the ferrule in a housing. In the optical connector jack held in the above, the housing can be unlocked between the front housing and the rear housing via a locking means at a rear portion of the housing from a position where the front end surface of the ferrule is inserted into the aligning sleeve. While the ferrule is held in the rear housing, the aligning sleeve is mounted in the front housing, and the locking means is either the front housing or the rear housing. A locking projection provided on one side so as to be displaceable in the radial direction, and the rear housing not provided with the locking projection Alternatively, it is characterized in that it comprises a locking recess formed in the front housing to engage with the locking projection in a positioned manner.

Here, the front housing is a cylindrical member that loosely fits and accommodates the alignment sleeve, and engages with a rear end portion of the alignment sleeve to prevent the alignment sleeve from coming off. It is desirable that a protrusion be provided.

<Operation> The front housing and the rear housing can be easily removed by releasing the locking by the locking means. That is, the locking is released by displacing the locking projection in the radial direction and releasing it from the locking recess, and the locking projection is engaged with the locking recess so that the front housing and the rear housing are positioned relative to each other. Stop. By removing the front housing from the rear housing, the tip surface of the ferrule protrudes for easy cleaning.

<Example> Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a partial cross section of a PJ type optical connector incorporating an optical connector jack according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) shows the entire structure, and FIG. ) Shows the main part. The same members as those shown in FIG. 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be omitted.

The plug-in optical connector includes a package connector 6 attached to the package 8 and a back panel connector 7 attached to the back panel 9. The package connector 6 holds the optical connector jack 51, and the back panel connector 7 holds the plug 5.

For connection of the optical fibers, the ferrule 3 in the optical connector jack 51 and the ferrule 3'in the plug 5 serve as an aligning sleeve 4 as an aligning sleeve in the optical connector jack 51.
This is done by being aligned (as shown in FIG. 2 below). Optical connector jack 51 housing 2
Is composed of a rear housing 21 and a front housing 22 that is releasably locked to the rear housing 21 via locking means described later. Inside the optical connector jack 51, a ferrule 3 (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 1B) and an alignment sleeve 4 attached to the ferrule 3 are included. The alignment sleeve 4 is retained in the front housing 22.

The configuration of the optical connector jack 51 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 shows a partial cross section of an optical connector jack according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 (a) is its plan view, FIG. 2 (b) is its front view, and FIG. The side view is shown in (c).

The optical connector jack 51 includes a rear housing 21, a front housing 22, a ferrule 3, an alignment sleeve 4, and
And a pressure spring 28. The ferrule 3 and the pressing spring 28 are held in the rear housing 21 and
The alignment sleeve 4 is held in the inside 22.

The rear housing 21 is provided with a locking recess 32, and the front housing 22 is provided with a locking projection 27. The engagement between the locking recess 32 and the locking projection 27 causes the rear housing 21 and the front housing. 22 and 22 are releasably locked. That is, the locking means is composed of the locking recess 32 and the locking projection 27. The alignment sleeve 4 is held in the front housing 22, and the front housing 22 is connected to the rear housing.
The alignment sleeve 4 is attached to the ferrule 3 in a state of being locked at 21.

The configuration of the front housing 22 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a partial cross section of the front housing 22. FIG. 3 (a) shows its plane, FIG. 3 (b) shows its left side, and FIG. 3 (c) shows its left side. The front side, the right side of FIG. 3 (d) is shown.

The front housing 22 is composed of a cylindrical member 25 and an alignment sleeve 4 held therein so as to be slightly floating. The cylindrical member 25 is provided with a protrusion 24 for preventing the alignment sleeve 4 from coming off and a locking piece 26 in the form of a cantilever with a split groove 34. At the tip of the locking piece 26, a locking projection 27 that is a means for locking the rear housing 21 is provided. Since the locking piece 26 has a cantilever shape, it has a spring property and can elastically bend up and down in FIG. 3 (c), for example. The cylindrical member 25 is integrally formed of, for example, a plastic material. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), since the rear portion 35 of the cylindrical member 25 expands somewhat elastically due to the provision of the split groove 34, the alignment sleeve 4 is formed on the molded cylindrical member 25 later. Spread the rear part 35 and insert it. After the mounting, the alignment sleeve 4 does not come off due to the protrusion 24.

The configuration of the rear housing 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a partial cross section of the rear housing 21. FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view thereof, FIG. 4 (b) is a front view thereof, and FIG. 4 (c) is a right side view thereof. Is shown.

The rear housing 21 holds the ferrule 3 and the pressing spring 28, and the front end surface 31 of the ferrule 3 projects from the rear housing 21 when the front housing 22 is removed. The rear housing 21 is provided with a cylindrical recess 29, a groove 33, and a locking recess 32. The cylindrical recess 29 is a space for mounting the cylindrical member 25, and its inner diameter is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the cylindrical member 25. As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4 (b), the inner surface of the cylindrical recess 29 has a rear housing 21.
A groove 33 extending in the axial direction from the tip of the is provided, and the other end is connected to the locking recess 32. The groove 33 is formed in the rear housing 21.
It is a groove for the locking projection 27 of the cylindrical member 25 to pass through in a bent state when the front housing 22 is inserted into, and its width is slightly larger than the width of the locking projection 27 of the cylindrical member 25. And, the depth thereof is larger than the height of the locking projection 27 protruding from the surface of the cylindrical member 25 in a bent state. The locking recess 32 accommodates and engages with the locking projection 27 of the front housing 22, and is constituted by a through hole provided in the rear housing 21 in this example.

 The operation of the optical connector jack having the above structure will be described.

When attaching the front housing 22 to the rear housing 21, the locking protrusions 27 of the front housing 22 should be engaged with each other.
The front housing 22 is pushed into the rear housing 21 while the locking piece 26 is flexed inward in alignment with the groove 33 of FIG. After the front housing 22 hits the inner side of the cylindrical recess 29 of the rear housing 21, the front housing 22 is rotated and the locking projection 27 is engaged with the locking recess 32, so that the front housing 22 and the rear housing 21 and lock.

When removing the front housing 22 from the rear housing 21, the root 261 of the locking piece 26 is first pressed by a jig (not shown), contrary to the time of mounting, so that the locking projection 27 is locked in the locking recess 32. Unlock from the front housing in this state
22 is rotated to move the locking protrusion 27 from the locking recess 32 to the groove 33, and then the cylindrical member 25 is pulled out.

In order to simplify the operation at the time of unlocking, the locking projection 27 may be provided with a taper portion 262 as shown in an enlarged view of the main part in FIG. In this case, when releasing the front housing
The locking protrusion 27 of the locking piece 26 is tapered by simply rotating the 22.
The locking projection 27 and the locking recess 32 are unlocked by being guided to the groove 33 by 262, and then the front housing 22 is pulled out, whereby the front housing 22 can be easily pulled out from the rear housing 21.

According to the optical connector jack 51 described above, the alignment sleeve 4 can be easily removed from the optical connector jack 51, and the distal end surface 31 of the ferrule 3 projects from the rear housing 21 in the removed state. Since the front housing 22 has a structure that can be removed from the optical connector jack 51, the alignment sleeve 4 can be easily replaced, and the front housing 22 can be easily attached to and removed from the optical connector jack 51. is there. Also, ferrule 3 with it removed
The protruding end surface 31 of the ferrule 3 facilitates cleaning of the ferrule 3.

<Effect of the Invention> The optical connector jack of the present invention has a structure in which the aligning sleeve can be detached from the optical connector jack, and the tip of the ferrule of the optical connector jack projects from the housing of the optical connector jack in the detached state. I am trying. Therefore, replacement of the alignment sleeve and cleaning of the ferrule of the optical connector jack can be easily realized.
As a result, even if the characteristics of the optical connector jack are deteriorated, the characteristics can be easily recovered. Further, even if the alignment sleeve is damaged, it can be easily replaced.

Further, even if the ferrule or the aligning sleeve has a small diameter, the optical connector jack can be easily maintained. Therefore, even if the characteristics of the optical connector jack are deteriorated, the characteristics of the optical connector jack can be recovered by cleaning the optical connector jack or exchanging the alignment sleeve, for example, without replacing the entire package.

Further, the mounting accuracy of the front housing to the rear housing depends on the difference between the inner diameter of the cylindrical recess and the outer diameter of the cylindrical member, that is, the size of the clearance. Since the outer diameter of the cylindrical member is independent of the locking means, the clearance can be set to almost zero, and the locking of the front housing to the rear housing can be performed accurately while the locking can be released. It becomes possible to install it well.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a PJ type optical connector incorporating an optical connector jack according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration explanatory view of an optical connector jack according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a structural explanatory view of a front housing, FIG. 4 is a structural explanatory view of a rear housing, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another example of a locking protrusion, and FIG. 6 is a conventional optical connector jack incorporated. It is a sectional view of an optical connector of PJ type. In the drawing, 2 is a jack body, 3 and 3'are ferrules, 4 is an alignment sleeve, 5 is an optical connector plug, 6 is a package connector, 7 is a back panel connector, 8 is a package, 9 is a back panel, and 11 is a jack tip. , 12 is the rear end of the jack,
21 is a rear housing, 22 is a front housing, 24 is a protrusion, 25 is a cylindrical member, 26 is a locking piece, 27 is a locking protrusion, 28 is a pressing spring, 29 is a cylindrical recess, 31 is a tip surface, 32 is a locking recess, 33 is a groove, and 34 is a split groove.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Yoichiro Kazuki 1-7-12 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mikio Abe 1-12 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo No. Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An optical connector jack in which a ferrule to which an end of an optical fiber is connected is inserted into an aligning sleeve, and the aligning sleeve and the ferrule are held in a housing, wherein the housing has the ferrule tip. The surface is configured to be releasably locked to the front housing and the rear housing via locking means at a rear portion of the position inserted into the aligning sleeve, and the ferrule is held in the rear housing. On the other hand, the alignment sleeve is mounted on the front housing, and the locking means includes a locking projection displaceably disposed in either the front housing or the rear housing in a radial direction. Positioning of the locking projection formed on the rear housing or the front housing without a stop projection It is in optical connector jack, characterized in that it consists of an engaging recess for engaging.