JP2544138Y2 - Guide key conversion mechanism for optical connectors - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a guide key conversion mechanism for an optical connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in optical connectors, different types of guide keys are assigned to different types of optical connectors in order to prevent fitting of different types of optical connectors. A system has been adopted in which the fitting cannot be performed, and the occurrence of a trouble due to such erroneous fitting is prevented beforehand. In this system, for example, four different types of guide keys of A type, B type, M type and S type are provided.

[0003] These guide keys are usually provided at corresponding positions where the connector housings are fitted to each other. However, even if optical connectors of different types are used, the shape of the connector housing, shroud, etc. for them is Except for the guide key part, it is exactly the same. Nevertheless, if a connector housing or the like having a guide key assigned to each type of optical connector is prepared completely separately, the manufacturing cost is unnecessarily high. In addition, if an optical connector having a guide key of one type is used and the optical connector is to be replaced with an optical connector having a guide key of another type, the optical connector including the connector housing is used. The entire connector must be replaced.

[0004] In order to eliminate such costly waste and inconvenience in use, conventionally, the connector housing and the shroud have the same structure, and are separately provided with different types of optical connectors. Different types of optical connectors are being prepared by preparing different guide key members and attaching different types of guide keys to the connector housings. Examples of these are U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,968 and U.S. Pat.
For example, there was one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 797792.

[0005]

However, in these conventional configurations, guide key members of different types are prepared completely separately, and storage locations are separately provided for guide key members that are not used. In addition, the guide key member that is not used is easily lost due to no storage space provided for it, which often causes trouble on site. That is, when a guide key member not used for the connector cap is attached, the guide key member may fall off the connector cap and be lost. In addition, if the storage space for the unused guide key members is not provided, the worker must always carry the unused guide key members, which is inconvenient. Often lost them.

An object of the present invention is to provide a guide key conversion mechanism for an optical connector which can solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided an optical connector having at least two different types of guide keys which can be selectively fitted to a connector housing of a mating optical connector. In the guide key conversion mechanism, a guide key member having different types of guide keys formed on at least two surfaces, respectively, and the connector housing that fits with the guide key of the mating optical connector when mating with the mating optical connector. A guide key member mounting recess for mounting the guide key member formed at a position, wherein the guide key member has a desired one of the at least two surfaces in the guide key member mounting recess. In a state where the optical connector is arranged at a position fitted by the guide key of the mating optical connector, it can be selectively fixed. Is the elephant.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an entire structure of an optical connector to which a guide key conversion mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, with a guide key member removed. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical connector 10 includes a connector housing 11 formed by fitting a cover portion 12 to a base portion 13 on which a guide key member 40 and a ferrule 19 are arranged. The connector housing 11 mainly includes a shroud 16 provided at a front portion of the connector housing 11 and a slide cover portion 15 and a boot portion 17 provided at a rear portion of the connector housing 11. Since the structure itself of each of these parts is the same as that of a normal optical connector, the same parts will not be described in detail.

The optical connector 10 includes an optical cable 20.
Are connected to pass through the boot portion 17, the slide cover portion 15, and the connector housing 11. The distal end of the optical fiber which is each core of the optical cable 20 is terminated as a connector plug 18 via a ferrule 19. These configurations are also the same as those of the conventional optical connector, and will not be described in further detail. A mating optical connector (not shown) is provided on the base portion 13 of the connector housing 11.
A key groove 14 for receiving a corresponding key provided in the mating optical connector at the time of fitting is formed.

In this embodiment of the present invention, a guide key member mounting recess 30 is formed at the position of the key groove 14. A guide key member 40 is provided which is removably mounted and fixed in the guide key member mounting recess 30. The guide key member 40 is made of, for example, the same plastic material as the cover 13 of the connector housing 11 and is integrally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.

Next, these guide key member mounting recesses 30
And the detailed structure of the guide key member 40,
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical connector 10 shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the guide key member 40 is not mounted. As best shown in FIG. 2, the guide key member mounting recess 30 is provided with guide key surface portions 41, 4 of a guide key member 40 having a structure described later.
It is divided into a guide key surface receiving portion 31 for receiving 2, 43 and 44, and a locking portion receiving portion 32 for receiving the locking portion 45 of the guide key member 40. Locking part receiving part 3
On both inner side walls of 2, locking projections 33 that perform an operation to be described later are formed.

FIG. 3 shows a front view, a plan view, a bottom view, a right side view and a left side view of the guide key member 40 arranged in a triangular diagram. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide key member 40 has guide key surface portions 41, 42, 43 and 44, and a locking portion 45. An A-type guide key 41A is formed on the guide key surface portion 41, a B-type guide key 42A is formed on the guide key surface portion 42, and an M-type guide key 41A is formed on the guide key surface portion 43. A guide key 43A is formed, and an S-shaped guide key 4
4A are formed. On the four surfaces of the locking portion 45, locking recesses 46 are formed, which perform the following operations.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the guide key member 40 is inserted into the guide key member mounting recess 30 of the base portion 13 of the connector housing 11, and the guide key surface portion 41 for providing the A-type guide key 41 A is located at the position of the key groove 14. FIG. 4 is a partial plan view showing a state where the camera is mounted face-to-face. FIG.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 4. As is apparent from FIGS. 4 and 5, when the guide key member 40 is pushed into the guide key member mounting recess 30, the side surface of the locking portion 45 of the guide key member 40
The locking recesses 46 are fitted over the locking projections 33 formed on the side walls of the locking portion receiving portions 32 of the guide key member mounting recesses 30, and the locking recesses 46 are properly engaged with the locking projections 33. In this state,
The guide key member 40 is provided with an A-shaped guide key in the key groove 14 so that the base portion 1 of the connector housing 11 is formed.
3 and fixed. Therefore, in this case,
The optical connector 10 can be used by fitting only to a mating optical connector of a type having an A-type guide key.

If the optical connector 10 is, for example,
When it is desired to be used by being fitted to a mating optical connector having a type guide key, the engagement state between the locking concave portion 46 and the locking projection 33 as shown in FIGS. Hole 1
5 is removed with a jig or the like, and the guide key member 40 is once pulled out from the guide key member mounting recessed portion 30, and the guide key member 40 is rotated to set the B-shaped guide key 42.
What is necessary is just to make it so that the guide key surface part 42 which has A is located in the keyway 14, and is pushed again in the guide key member mounting recessed part 30. Similarly, when it is necessary to engage with a mating optical connector having an M-type or S-type guide key, the guide key member 40 is extracted once, and the desired guide key surface portion is positioned in the key groove 14. You just need to re-attach it.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a guide key conversion mechanism as another embodiment of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the guide key member is detachable into the guide key member mounting recess. However, in the guide key conversion mechanism of the embodiment of FIG. 6, the guide key member of the base portion 13 of the connector housing is provided. A guide key member 40A is rotatably mounted in the member mounting recess 30. That is, the guide key member 40A is mounted in the guide key member mounting recess 30 through the rotating shaft 47 which can be freely rotated to a desired rotation position using an appropriate tool such as a screwdriver. The guide keys formed on the respective guide key surfaces of the guide key member 40A are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and will not be described repeatedly.

[0017]

[Effect of the Invention] Since guide keys of different types are combined into one guide key member, when a guide key of a certain type is used, an unused guide key is stored in another storage place or the like. This eliminates the need to separately prepare guide keys of different types.

Space is saved since there is no need to provide a special storage area for unused guide keys.
Also, since there is only one guide key member, as long as one type of guide key is used, other guide keys are attached to it, so you can lose unused guide keys. Absent.

The selection of the guide key to be used can be done simply by changing the direction of the guide key member and remounting the guide key member or by rotating the guide key member with a simple tool such as a screwdriver.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a guide key member is removed in order to show an entire structure of an optical connector to which a guide key conversion mechanism as one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical connector shown in FIG. 1 in a state where a guide key member is not mounted.

FIG. 3 is a diagram in which a front view, a plan view, a bottom view, a right side view, and a left side view showing the guide key member 40 are arranged according to a triangular projection.

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view showing a state where the guide key member is mounted in a guide key member mounting recess of a base portion of the connector housing.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic partial view showing a guide key conversion mechanism as another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical connector 11 Connector housing 12 Cover part 13 Base part 14 Keyway 15 Slide cover part 16 Shroud 17 Boot part 18 Connector plug 19 Ferrule 20 Optical cable 30 Guide key member mounting concave part 31 Guide key surface receiving part 32 Lock part receiving part 33 Locking protrusion 40 Guide key member 41, 41, 43, 44 Guide key surface 41A, 42A, 43A, 44A Guide key 45 Locking portion 46 Locking recess

Claims (3)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A guide key conversion mechanism for an optical connector, wherein at least two types of different guide keys to be fitted with guide keys of a mating optical connector can be selectively provided to a connector housing. A guide key member formed with a guide key of a different type on each of the surfaces, and the guide key member formed at a position of the connector housing to be fitted with the guide key of the mating optical connector when mating with the mating optical connector is attached. And a guide key member mounting concave portion for performing the operation of the guide key member, wherein the desired surface of the at least two surfaces is moved by the guide key of the mating optical connector in the guide key member mounting concave portion. It is structured so that it can be selectively fixed in the state where it is placed at the position where it is fitted. Guide key conversion mechanism for optical connectors. 2. The guide key member is a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, and guide keys of different types are formed on four surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped, respectively. When the guide key member is mounted on the inner wall of the guide key member mounting recess, the stop key portion is engaged by the locking recess and the guide key member is engaged with the guide key member mounting recess. 2. A locking projection for detachably fixing the inside of the housing.
A guide key conversion mechanism for the optical connector described in the above. 3. The guide key member is a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, and guide keys of different types are formed on four surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped, respectively. 2. The guide key of an optical connector according to claim 1, wherein one of the faces is rotatably mounted so as to be selectively fixed in a state where the one face is arranged at a position fitted by the guide key of the mating optical connector. Conversion mechanism.