JP3222482U - Ferrule and optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A ferrule and an optical connector are provided that can eliminate occurrence of cracks in a boot insertion portion into which a ferrule boot is inserted and damage from cracks due to the crack. A front end face is provided with a plurality of fiber holes for inserting a plurality of optical fibers, and a rear end portion is provided with a boot insertion portion for attaching a ferrule boot into which the plurality of optical fibers are inserted. The boot insertion portion 30 is configured to open a part of the rear end surface and the upper surface of the ferrule so as to communicate with each other and hold the ferrule boots on both side surfaces in the width direction of the opening. A boot holding portion 40 is provided. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a ferrule for connecting an optical fiber used in an optical communication system and an optical connector using the ferrule.

  In recent years, with the increase in communication speed, communication remoteness and communication data volume, the use of optical fibers (optical cables) instead of conventional metal signal lines as a medium for transmitting signals in communication systems has increased rapidly. ing. Optical connectors for connecting optical fibers to each other are important components for securing the reliability and flexibility of the optical communication network, and are high in order to construct the optical communication network from now on economically and flexibly. Performance, high reliability, and small optical connectors are becoming increasingly important.

  When wiring various optical fibers (optical cables), it is possible to perform core switching and connection using a corresponding connector. For example, when connecting tape-shaped optical fibers (so-called optical fiber ribbons) in a switchable manner, a so-called MT-type optical connector (Mechanically Transferable) or JIS C 5982 as established in JIS C 5981 or the like. The so-called MPO connector having a structure in which the ferrule for optical connector established in the housing is housed in the housing is often used, and the optical fiber connected by the optical connector is housed in the rear end portion of these optical connectors, Hold (Patent Document 1).

  Further, in recent years, as the size is reduced, the ferrule for an optical connector as shown in FIG. 7 (FIG. 7A, a short MT ferrule is thin or FIG. 7B is a thin MT ferrule) 1, 1 ′ is used. It is like that. These optical connector ferrules 1, 1 ′ are provided with a boot insertion portion 2 for mounting a ferrule boot (not shown) through which an optical fiber is inserted at the rear end 1 a, and the optical fiber is fixed to the upper surface with an adhesive. An adhesive filling portion (adhesive window) 3 for injecting an adhesive for the purpose is provided.

JP 2002-328264 A

  However, the conventional ferrules 1 and 1 'for optical connectors tend to have a thin ferrule structure due to downsizing and thinning, and the strength tends to decrease. Especially when a ferrule boot is inserted, the ferrule boot There is a problem that a crack 4 is easily generated between the insertion portion (boot window) 2 and the adhesive filled portion 3 and breakage due to the crack 4 occurs (see FIG. 7).

  Therefore, there is a problem that the productivity in the assembling operation of the optical connector is poor, and it is difficult to secure the quality.

  Accordingly, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the occurrence of cracks in the boot insertion portion into which the ferrule boot is inserted, and the damage caused by cracks. And providing an optical connector.

  According to the present invention, the front end surface is provided with a plurality of fiber holes for inserting a plurality of optical fibers, and the rear end portion is provided with a boot insertion portion for mounting a ferrule boot through which the plurality of optical fibers are inserted. The boot insertion portion is configured to open a part of the rear end surface and the upper surface of the ferrule so as to communicate with each other and to hold the boots on both side surfaces in the width direction of the opening. Is provided.

  The boot insertion portion is configured to open through a part of the rear end surface and upper surface of the ferrule, and a boot holding portion for holding the boot is provided on both side surfaces of the opening in the width direction. Thus, by opening the fragile portion in advance, generation of cracks in the boot insertion portion and chipping damage due to the cracks can be eliminated when the ferrule boot is inserted.

  It is preferable that the boot holding portion includes a pair of convex portions provided on upper portions of both side surfaces facing each other in the width direction of the boot insertion portion.

  It is preferable that the boot holding portion be an inclined surface in which both side surfaces facing each other in the width direction are gradually inclined inward toward the upper surface of the ferrule body.

  The apparatus further includes an opening for injecting an adhesive for fixing a plurality of optical fibers whose tips are inserted into the plurality of fiber holes to the ferrule, and the boot holding unit is configured to be in communication with the openings. preferable.

  Further, according to the present invention, the above-mentioned ferrule is provided, and a boot which holds a plurality of optical fibers disposed in the ferrule and is inserted and fixed in the ferrule.

  As a result, when the ferrule boot is inserted into the ferrule, it is possible to eliminate the occurrence of cracks in the boot insertion portion and breakage of the chip due to the crack, thereby ensuring the productivity and quality in the assembly work of the optical connector.

  According to the present invention, the boot insertion portion is configured to open a part of the rear end surface and the upper surface of the ferrule so as to communicate with each other, and to hold the ferrule boot on both side surfaces in the width direction of the opening. By providing the holding portion in advance, a place where damage is likely to occur is opened in advance, so that when the ferrule boot is inserted, the occurrence of cracks in the boot insertion portion and crack damage due to the crack can be eliminated. .

  In addition, since the occurrence of cracks in the ferrule and chipping damage due to the cracks are eliminated, productivity and quality in the assembling operation of the optical connector can be secured.

It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the ferrule in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the ferrule shown in FIG. 1 schematically, (A) Top view, (B) End view on the left side, (C) End view on the right side, (D) Side view. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the optical connector using the ferrule shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the ferrule in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the ferrule shown in FIG. 4 schematically, (A) Top view, (B) End view on the left side, (C) End view on the right side, (D) Side view. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the optical connector using the ferrule shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure and crack generation | occurrence | production state of the conventional ferrule roughly, (A) Short short MT ferrule thin length, (B) MT ferrule thin type.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a ferrule and an optical connector using the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an appearance configuration of a ferrule 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of the ferrule 100, (A) is a top view, (B) It is a left end view, (C) is a right end view, and (D) is a side view. FIG. 3 schematically shows the configuration of the optical connector 200 using the ferrule 100. As shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ferrule 100 of this embodiment includes a ferrule body 10, a plurality of optical fiber insertion holes 20 for inserting a bare fiber 101 a at the tip of the optical fiber 101, and an optical fiber inserted therethrough. A boot insertion portion 30 for mounting the ferrule boots, a boot holding portion 40 for holding the ferrule boot 102, and an adhesive filling portion (opening) for injecting an adhesive for fixing the optical fiber 101 to the ferrule body 10. Section 50 and a guide pin hole 60.

  The ferrule body 10 is formed by molding a resin material filled with an inorganic filler, for example. The resin material is a thermosetting epoxy resin, PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), or the like. For the inorganic filler, for example, granular silica is used. The collar portion 11 is provided on the rear side of the ferrule body 10. In the ferrule body 10, guide pin holes 60 are provided in the vicinity of both ends in the width direction, and between the two guide pin holes 60, a multi-core optical fiber insertion hole 20 is provided.

  The optical fiber insertion holes 20 are a plurality of fine holes having a predetermined interval for inserting an optical fiber provided at the front end 10 a of the ferrule body 10. In the present embodiment, the optical fiber insertion holes 20 are arranged in a row in the lateral direction. The number of optical fibers 101 is appropriately designed as needed. The fiber insertion hole 20 is in communication with the front end surface of the ferrule body 10 and the adhesive filling portion 50 and penetrates in the front-rear direction. The optical fiber insertion hole 20 is configured to have an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the optical fiber to be inserted.

  The boot insertion portion 30 is provided at the rear end 10b of the ferrule body 10, and is provided so as to open the central portion of the rear end face and the rear end of the upper surface 10c in communication. That is, the upper side of the boot insertion portion 30 is open.

  The boot holding portion 40 holds the ferrule boot 102 inserted into the ferrule body 10 and is provided at the upper part of both side surfaces in the width direction of the boot insertion portion 30 provided at the rear end 10 b of the ferrule body 10. It consists of a pair of convex parts.

  The adhesive filling portion 50 is provided substantially at the center of the upper surface 10 c of the ferrule body 10 and is an opening for filling the adhesive. In the ferrule body 10, the optical fiber insertion hole 20, the adhesive filling portion 50, and the boot insertion portion 30 communicate with each other. At the bottom of the adhesive filling portion 50, guide grooves 20a having a plurality of semicircular cross sections, which are continuous with the optical fiber holes 20, are provided. The plurality of guide grooves are grooves having lower alignment accuracy than the optical fiber insertion hole 20, and are for guiding the optical fiber 101 inserted from the rear surface side of the ferrule main body 10 to the optical fiber insertion hole 20. is there.

  The guide pin hole 60 is used for positioning at the time of connection by inserting a guide pin when the optical connector 200 is connected to an adapter connectable to the MT connector, another optical connector or the like. The guide pins can be the same as those used in the MT connector.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the optical connector 200 of this embodiment includes a ferrule 100, an optical fiber 101 disposed on the ferrule 100, and a boot 102 that holds the optical fiber 101 and is inserted and fixed to the ferrule 100. .

  Here, the optical fiber 101 is a multicore optical fiber ribbon, and the bare fiber 101a at the tip of the optical fiber 101 exposed by removing the coating of the tip is inserted and fixed in the optical fiber insertion hole 20. The optical fiber 101 is adhesively fixed in a state of being accommodated in the guide groove 20 a by the adhesive filled from the adhesive filled portion 50. Further, the covering portion of the optical fiber 101 is firmly fixed by the ferrule boot 102 inserted and fixed to the boot insertion portion 30.

  The ferrule boot 102 is for fixing the optical fiber 101. The ferrule boot 102 generally has a hollow cylindrical shape with a square cross section. An optical fiber 101 is inserted through the ferrule boot 102 in advance.

  When connecting the optical connectors, for example, the optical connector 200 without the guide pin and the mating optical connector with the guide pin are positioned and connected to each other through the guide pin.

  As described above, the ferrule 100 of the present embodiment includes the ferrule body 10, the plurality of optical fiber insertion holes 20, the boot insertion part 30, the boot holding part 40, and the adhesive filling part 50. . As a result, when the ferrule boot 102 is inserted, generation of cracks in the boot insertion portion 30 and breakage due to the cracks can be eliminated.

  In addition, since the optical connector 200 uses the ferrule 100, it is possible to ensure the productivity and quality in the assembly work of the optical connector by eliminating the occurrence of cracks in the boot insertion portion 30 and the breakage of cracks due to the cracks.

  FIG. 4 shows an external configuration of a ferrule 100A according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the ferrule 100A, (A) a top view, and (B). It is a left end view, (C) is a right end view, and (D) is a side view. FIG. 6 schematically shows a configuration of an optical connector 200A using the ferrule 100A.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the ferrule 100 </ b> A of this embodiment includes a ferrule body 10 </ b> A, a plurality of optical fiber insertion holes 20 for inserting a bare fiber 101 a at the tip of the optical fiber 101, and the optical fiber 101. A boot insertion portion 30A for mounting the inserted ferrule boot 102A, a boot holding portion 40A for holding the ferrule boot 102A, and an adhesive filling portion for injecting an adhesive for fixing the optical fiber 101 to the ferrule body 10A 50 and a guide pin hole 60. The ferrule 100A has the same configuration as that of the ferrule 100 of the first embodiment described above except for the configurations of the boot insertion portion 30A and the boot holding portion 40A, and thus the detailed description will be omitted.

  The boot insertion portion 30A is provided at the rear end 10b of the ferrule main body 10A, and is provided so as to open the central portion of the rear end face and the rear end of the upper surface 10c in communication. In other words, the upper portion of the boot insertion portion 30A is open. Both side surfaces of the boot insertion portion 30A are formed of inclined surfaces so that the width of the upper portion is smaller than the width of the lower portion.

  The boot holding portion 40 </ b> A holds the ferrule boot 202 inserted into the ferrule body 10. The boot holding portion 40A is composed of a pair of inclined surfaces configured such that both side surfaces in the width direction of the boot insertion portion 30A provided at the rear end 10b of the ferrule body 10A contract toward the upper surface. .

  As shown in FIG. 6, the optical connector 200A of the present embodiment includes a ferrule 100A, an optical fiber 101 disposed on the ferrule 100A, a ferrule boot 102A that holds the optical fiber 101 and is inserted and fixed to the ferrule 100A. Is provided.

  Here, the optical fiber 101 is a multi-core optical fiber ribbon, and the bare fiber 101a of at least the tip of the optical fiber 101 exposed by removing the coating of the tip is inserted and fixed in the optical fiber insertion hole 20. The optical fiber 101 is adhesively fixed in a state of being accommodated in the guide groove 20 a by the adhesive filled from the adhesive filled portion 50. Further, the covering portion of the optical fiber 101 is firmly fixed by the ferrule boot 102A inserted and fixed to the boot insertion portion 30A.

  The ferrule boot 102A is for fixing the optical fiber 101. The ferrule boot 102A has a hollow cylindrical shape with a trapezoidal cross section. The optical fiber 101 is inserted and attached in advance to the ferrule boot 102A.

  As described above, the ferrule 100A of this embodiment includes the ferrule body 10A, the plurality of optical fiber insertion holes 20, the boot insertion portion 30A, the boot holding portion 40A, the adhesive filling portion 50, and the guide pin hole. 60. Thereby, when the ferrule boot 102A is inserted, generation of cracks in the boot insertion portion 30A and breakage due to cracks can be eliminated.

  Further, since the optical connector 200A uses the ferrule 100A, it is possible to ensure the productivity and quality in the assembly work of the optical connector by eliminating the generation of cracks in the boot insertion portion 30A and the damage of the chips due to the cracks.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, an example in which the optical fiber 101 is a tape-shaped multi-core optical fiber has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the ferrules 100 and 100A have been described as thin short MT ferrules. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the thin MT ferrules are used. Is also applicable.

  The embodiments described above are illustrative of the present invention and not limiting, and the present invention can be practiced in various other variations and modifications. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the scope of claims of utility model registration and its equivalents.

  The present invention can be used for manufacturing a small ferrule and an optical connector for connecting optical fibers to each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1 'Ferrule for an optical connector 1a, 10b Rear end 2, 30, 30A Boot insertion part 3, 50 Adhesive filling part 4 Crack 10, 10A Ferrule main body 10a Front end 10c Top surface 11 ridge part 20 Optical fiber insertion hole 20a Guide groove 40, 40A Boot holding portion 60 Guide pin hole 100, 100A Ferrule 101, 201 Optical fiber 101a Bare fiber 102, 102A Ferrule boot 200, 200A Optical connector

Claims (5)

The ferrule is provided with a plurality of fiber holes for inserting a plurality of optical fibers in the front end face, and a boot insertion portion for mounting a ferrule boot through which the plurality of optical fibers are inserted in a rear end portion. And
The boot insertion portion is configured to communicate with and open a part of the rear end surface and the upper surface of the ferrule, and a boot holding portion for holding the ferrule boot on both side surfaces in the width direction of the opening is A ferrule characterized by being provided.   The ferrule according to claim 1, wherein the boot holding portion comprises a pair of convex portions provided on upper portions of both side surfaces facing each other in the width direction of the boot insertion portion.   The ferrule according to claim 1, wherein the boot holding portion is an inclined surface in which both side surfaces facing each other in the width direction are gradually inclined inward toward the upper surface of the ferrule body. It further comprises an opening for injecting an adhesive for fixing a plurality of optical fibers, the tip of which is inserted into the plurality of fiber holes, to the ferrule,
The ferrule according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the boot holding portion is configured to communicate with the opening. The ferrule according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An optical connector comprising: a plurality of optical fibers disposed in the ferrule; and a boot inserted in and fixed to the ferrule.

Images