JP3228665B2 - Tube cable connector and connection method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tube cable connector and a tube cable connector used for connecting a tube cable, in which a number of tubes into which communication lines and the like are inserted and laid are integrated, using a tube connector. It is about the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a Bron optical fiber, a tube cable formed by integrating a large number of tubes is used.
The optical fiber is laid by being inserted through a small-diameter tube by a gas pressure method. A tube cable connector is used to set the installation route of the tube before inserting the optical fiber. The individual tubes are connected one by one to each tube of the connected tube cable by a tube connector, and the tube connectors are fixed to a mounting plate or the like.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining a first conventional example to which a tube connector is attached. In the figure, 61 is a tube connector, 61a is a screw groove, 62 is a mounting plate, 62
a is a through hole, 63 is a nut. The tube connector 61 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a thread groove 61
a. A through-hole 62a is provided in the mounting plate 62, the tube connector 61 is fitted into the through-hole 62a, and a nut 63 is screwed in from the opposite side to connect the tube connector 61 to the tube connector 61.
Is fixed to the mounting plate 62.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining a second conventional example to which a tube connector is attached. In the figure, 71 is a tube connector, 71a is a mounting hole, 72 is a mounting plate, 72a
Is a through hole, 72b is a screw hole, and 73 is a screw. The tube connector 71 has a substantially cylindrical shape and has two mounting holes 71a in parallel with the tube connector 71. A through hole 72a and a screw hole 72b are provided in the mounting plate 72, and screws 73 are passed through the mounting hole 71a and fixed to the screw hole 72b.

However, in each of the conventional examples, since the tube connectors 61 and 71 must be mounted, in the case of a tube cable in which a large number of tubes are integrated, the amount of work for mounting is increased and the mounting method is also difficult. It was complicated. Further, since a space is required between the adjacent tube connectors for mounting members such as the nut 63 and the mounting hole 71a, the mounting density on the mounting plates 62 and 72 is reduced, and the size of the box is increased. The material cost of the body was high, and the productivity of the box was not good. Also, the installation of the box required a large space, which was not efficient.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has been made in connection with the connection of a tube cable, in which a large number of tubes are integrated, using a tube connector. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tube cable connector and a connection method that can simplify the operation and reduce the mounting space and the size of the box.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tube cable connector for connecting a tube cable in which a plurality of tubes into which communication lines and the like are inserted and laid are connected. It is characterized by having a plurality of connectors for connecting tubes and an accommodating portion having a groove in which the plurality of connectors are fitted in one row.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the tube cable connector according to the first aspect, the groove is a comb-shaped groove row having a plurality of grooves in parallel. Things.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the tube cable connector according to the first aspect, the accommodating portion includes a plurality of accommodating members having a groove into which a plurality of connectors are fitted in a row, and the accommodating member. It has a supporting member into which the member is fitted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the tube cable connector according to the first aspect, the groove has a loop shape and has an outward opening / closing portion at at least one position of the groove. It is assumed that.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tube cable connecting method in which the tube is taken out from a tube cable in which a plurality of tubes into which a communication line or the like is inserted and laid is integrated and connected by a connector. A plurality of the connectors to which the tubes are joined are fitted into a groove in a single row, and the connectors are movably accommodated.

[0012]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a tube cable connector, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a tube connector. FIG. In the figure, 1 is a tube connector, 1a is a tube mounting hole, 1b is a neck portion, 2 is a mounting plate, 2a is a groove, 2b is a connecting portion, 2c is a mounting portion, and 3 is a tube. FIG.
2A, the tube connector 1 is shown in a simplified manner. This embodiment is a tube cable connector in which a mounting plate 2 for accommodating a plurality of tube connectors 1 has a plurality of grooves 2a, and a plurality of tube connectors 1 are fitted in a single row in the grooves 2a.

As shown in FIG. 1A, two grooves 2a penetrating along the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 2 are formed in parallel,
Both ends are closed by the connecting portion 2b. The length of the groove 2a is longer than the total length of the twelve tube connectors 1 housed in a line in close contact with each other to provide a margin. The connecting portion 2b connects and integrates three members forming the groove 2a,
It also serves as an outward opening / closing portion of the groove 2a, and the groove 2a is opened to the outside by removing one of the two or rotating the groove 2a around an appropriate mounting axis.
The rear of the mounting plate 2 is a mounting portion 2c for mounting the mounting plate 2 to a box (not shown), and is orthogonal to a plane having the groove 2a.

FIG. 1B shows an example of the tube connector 1. The tube connector 1 connects tubes one by one, is a substantially cylindrical member, and is provided with a tube mounting hole 1a for inserting a tube at both ends.
A small-diameter neck 1b is provided at the intermediate portion. The tube mounting holes 1a at both ends are communicated inside the tube connector 1. Since the diameter of the neck 1b is reduced, the tube connector 1 slides along the groove 2a by opening the groove 2a and passing the neck 1b through the groove 2a of the mounting plate 2.

As a specific example, the outer diameter of the tube connector 1 is 8 mm, and the length of the neck 1b is 6 mm. The tube connector 1 is not limited to one having the neck portion 1b, but may have a portion that slides along the groove 2a. The tube connector 61 shown in FIG. 7 may be used. In this case, if the nut 63 is not completely tightened and is fixed to an intermediate portion of the thread groove 61a of the main body with an adhesive, a portion corresponding to the neck can be formed. When the mounting plate 2 is arranged horizontally and the tube connector 61 is mounted upright in the vertical direction, the nut 63 is not used, and the tube connector 61 slides along the groove 2a simply by fitting the tube connector 61 into the groove 2a from above. Can be done.

Returning to FIG. 1A, the operation of attaching and detaching the tube will be described. In this figure, only one tube connector 1 to which the tube 3 is attached is shown,
This is for the purpose of making the drawing easy to see, and the tube 3 is attached to the tube connector 1 except for the actual ones.

Now, the tube connector 1 in which the tube 3 is illustrated is an object to which the tube 3 is attached and detached. The tube connector 1 is housed in the groove 2a at the back. Since the plurality of tube connectors 1 are housed in the groove 2a with a margin of adjacent space, both rows of the tube connectors 1 housed in the groove 2a on the near side are separated from the front part of the tube connector 1 to be detached. The tube connectors 1 can be pushed sideways to open the rows of the tube connectors 1 to the left and right, thereby creating a space for attaching and detaching the tubes 3 of the rear connector 1. In this manner, the tube 3 can be easily attached to and detached from the tube connector 1 to be detached and accommodated in the groove 2a at the back from the near side. The tube connector 1 may be opened by about 60 mm.

Since the plurality of tube connectors 1 are accommodated in the deep groove 2a with a margin, the distance between the tube connector 1 to be attached and detached and the adjacent tube connector can be increased to, for example, about 30 mm. Therefore, the work is also easy in this respect. Groove 2a on the near side
This also facilitates the work for attaching and detaching the tube connector 1 housed in the housing.

Moreover, the margin of the adjacent space between the grooves 2a can be commonly used for attaching and detaching any of the plurality of tube connectors 1 arranged in a line, so that the margin per tube connector is small. The mounting density of the tube connector 1 on the mounting plate 2 can be increased.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first connection example using the tube cable connector of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 11,
12 and 13 are tube cables, and 14 is a box. Illustration of the front door of the box 14 is omitted. This connection example is an example in which one tube cable 11 is branched and connected to two tube cables 12 and 13 in a casing 13.

The tube cable 11 is taken in from the upper part of the box 13, and the tube cables 12, 13 are
3 from below. Fig. 1
Is accommodated. When a tensile strength member is provided in the tube cables 11, 12, and 13, end processing of the tensile strength member is performed, but illustration is omitted. The plurality of tubes 3 on the tube cable 11 side are connected to one of the two tube cables 12 and 13 via the tube connector 1 housed in the groove of the mounting plate 2.

The branch connection destination can be changed by changing the tube 3 to be connected with the tube connector 1, and the tube 3 can be made non-use by removing the tube 3. After the tube 3 is attached to and detached from the tube connector 1 to complete the connection between the tubes 3, when an optical fiber core wire is inserted into the tube 3 by a gas pressure feeding method,
The optical fiber core is also inserted into the branch connection destination of the tube 3.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second connection example using the tube cable connector of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIGS.
21 and 22 are tube cables, and 23 is a box. Illustration of the upper cover of the box 23 is omitted. This connection example
This is an example in which one tube cable 21 is connected to one similar tube cable 22.

The tube cables 21 and 22 are arranged so as to cross the box 23. In box 23, FIG.
Is accommodated. In the illustrated example, the grooves are provided in the vertical direction, but may be provided in the horizontal direction. When a tensile strength member is provided in the tube cables 21 and 22, the tensile strength member is taken out and the end portion is processed. The plurality of tubes 3 on the tube cable 21 side are connected to the tubes 3 of the tube cable 22 via the tube connectors 1 housed in the grooves of the mounting plate 2.
Connected to. In the tube connector 1, the tube 3 to be connected can be changed or the tube 3 can be removed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a tube connector similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1, 31 is a mounting plate,
31a is a groove, 31b is a mounting part. This embodiment is a tube cable connector in which a plurality of grooves 31a penetrating in parallel with the mounting plate 31 are arranged in a comb shape to form a groove row. The rear of the mounting plate 31 is a mounting portion 31c, which is orthogonal to a plane having the groove 31a. Illustration of the tube 3 is omitted.

Each groove 31a is always open at the front,
From here, a row of the plurality of tube connectors 1 is inserted into the groove 31a, and if the rear tube connector 1 is to be attached or detached with a tube, the front tube connector 1 may be removed from the groove 31a. Although the depth of the groove 31a is shortened, a large number of tube connectors 1 can be accommodated by increasing the number of grooves 31a. Tube cable 1 described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3
When a plurality of tubes 3 in 1 to 13, 21 and 22 are grouped, the group 31 can be easily identified by determining the groove 31a to be accommodated corresponding to the group. The tube 3 may be inserted in the order of insertion into the groove 31a.
Can be ordered within groups.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a tube connector similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1, 41 is a connector carrier, 41a is a pipe, 41b is a connecting portion, 41c is a U-shaped bar, 42 is a mounting portion, and 42a is a support. It is a stick. This embodiment is a tube cable connector in which a plurality of tube connectors 1 are accommodated in a plurality of connector carriers 41, respectively, and these are slidably mounted on a mounting portion 42. Illustration of the tube 3 is omitted.

A pair of support rods 4 are provided on one side of the mounting portion 42.
2a are arranged in four pairs in parallel. The connector carrier 41 has a pair of pipes 41a. On one end side, a pair of pipe holes is opened and connected by a connecting portion 41b. On the other end side, a U-shaped rod is inserted into the pipe hole. The end of 41c is inserted and fitted and fixed. Before inserting the U-shaped bar 41c, a plurality of tube connectors 1 are inserted into a through groove formed by a pair of pipes 41a, and the opening of the groove is closed by inserting the U-shaped bar 41c. When the pipe hole at one end of the connector carrier 41 is inserted into the support rod 41a in this state, the connector carrier 41
Are slidably supported by the mounting portion 42.

When the connector carrier 41 accommodating the specific tube connector to which the tube is to be attached / detached is slid forward and taken out, the tube can be attached / detached in the spaces on the left and right side surfaces. In the case where the tubes 3 are grouped into a plurality of tubes, the tube carriers 41 accommodated corresponding to the groups are accommodated.
By deciding, it becomes easy to identify the group. Further, in this embodiment, the tube connector 1 housed in the connector carrier 41 is not separated unless the U-shaped bar 41c is pulled out, so that the group can be more easily identified. Since the pipe 41a and the U-shaped bar 41c are fixed by fitting, they can be separated as needed, and the outer peripheral surfaces of both are threaded in opposite directions and the inner peripheral surface is threaded. It is also possible to connect with a connecting pipe.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view for explaining a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 (A) is a perspective view, and FIG. 6 (B) is a plan view. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a tube connector similar to that described with reference to FIG.
a is an outer plate, 51b is an inner plate, 51c is a groove, 51d is an opening / closing plate, 52 is a support rod, and 53 is a screw. As shown in FIG. 6A, in this embodiment, a plurality of connectors are fitted in a row in a ring-shaped groove 51c, and an outer plate 51 of the groove 51c is provided.
This is a tube cable connector in which an opening / closing plate 51d is provided on a.

As shown in FIG. 6B, a substantially ring-shaped outer plate 51a and a disk-shaped inner plate 51 provided therein are provided.
b forms the outer and inner peripheries of the groove 51c.
A portion of 1a is cut out to form an open portion, and an opening / closing plate 51d is fitted into this portion, and is attached to the outer plate 51a by screwing a screw 53 into a hole in the overlapped portion. Thus, the ring-shaped groove 5
1c is formed. The opening / closing plate 51d includes a portion that fits into the notch of the outer plate 51a, and an overlapping portion that is mounted near the outer periphery on both sides of the notch and attached. The opening / closing plate 51d is an opening / closing portion of the groove 51c facing outward, and is a mechanism that makes the tube connector 1 detachable. The opening / closing plate 51d is attached to and detached from the outer plate 51a. However, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which a shaft can be attached to the outer plate 51a and rotated around this shaft to open and close without being removed. .

The inner plate 51b is supported from above and below by a support rod 52 attached to the center, and the support rod 52 is fixed to a box (not shown). The outer plate 51a is supported by the inner plate 51b via the plurality of tube connectors 1 and does not fall off. Conversely, it is also possible to support the inner plate 51b via the plurality of tube connectors 1 by supporting the outer plate 51a.

The opening / closing plate 51d is removed, and a plurality of tube connectors are inserted into the grooves 51c through the open portions of the outer plate 51a.
By attaching the opening / closing plate 51d, the plurality of tube connectors 1 are fitted in a line in the ring-shaped groove 51c. By rotating the entire row of the plurality of tube connectors 1 along the groove 51c, the specific tube connector 1 to which the tube is to be attached / detached is located on the near side,
It can be attached and detached. Alternatively, by rotating a row of the plurality of tube connectors 1 or rotating the outer plate 51a, a specific tube connector 1 to which a tube is to be attached / detached is located beside the opening / closing plate 51d. Remove the tube connector 1 from the groove 5
The tube 3 may be detached from and detached from the tube 1c.

As in the case of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1, when the tube connector 1 is accommodated in the groove 51c with a little extra space, the tube connector row is opened right and left. This facilitates the attachment and detachment work. Further, a tube cable connector having a ring-shaped groove 51c may be separately provided for each group of the tubes 3.

The shape of the groove 51c may be a loop shape having a substantially constant groove width so that the tube connector 1 does not come off. For example, when a ring-shaped groove is divided into two equal parts, and the two are connected by two linear grooves to form a loop such as a competition track, the number of tube connectors 1 to be accommodated can be increased, and a similar method can be used. Can be attached and detached.

[0036]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the plurality of connectors for connecting the tubes and the grooves into which the plurality of connectors are fitted are arranged. Since the housing portion is provided, there is no need to perform the mounting operation for each of the plurality of connectors, and there is an effect that the mounting operation is simple. Since high-density connector arrangement is possible without requiring space for mounting members for each of multiple connectors, the size of the box can be reduced, the cost of the box can be reduced, the productivity of the box can be improved, This has the effect of improving the installation space efficiency. Further, when the connector is fitted into the groove with a margin, there is also an effect that a working space can be secured when attaching and detaching the tube.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the grooves have a plurality of grooves in parallel, there is an effect that it is easy to identify groups of tubes and order them within the groups. In addition, the comb-shaped groove array has an effect that the connector can be easily inserted into and removed from the groove, and a working space can be secured when attaching and detaching the tube.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the housing portion has a plurality of housing members having grooves into which a plurality of connectors are fitted in a row and a support member into which the housing members are fitted. There is an effect that the identification of the group and the ordering within the group are easy, and the identification of the group is further facilitated because the connectors housed in the housing member are not separated. Further, when the housing member is fitted with a slidable fit with respect to the support member, the connector slides along the support member, so that there is an effect that a working space can be secured at the time of attaching / detaching the tube. .

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the groove has a loop shape and at least one of the grooves has an outward opening / closing portion, it is necessary to rotate the entire connector row when attaching and detaching the tube. By rotating a member constituting the outer periphery of the groove, a predetermined connector to be used for operation is matched with an outward opening / closing portion, and by opening this opening / closing portion, the connector can be removed from the groove to secure a working space. At this time, there is an effect that it is not necessary to remove another connector.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of connectors to which the tubes are joined are fitted in the grooves in a single row and accommodated, so that it is not necessary to perform the mounting work for each of the plurality of connectors, and the mounting work is simple. There is an effect that is. Since high-density connector arrangement is possible without requiring space for mounting members for each of multiple connectors, the size of the box can be reduced, the cost of the box can be reduced, the productivity of the box can be improved, This has the effect of improving the installation space efficiency. Also,
Since the connector is movably accommodated, there is also an effect that a working space can be secured when attaching and detaching the tube.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (A) is a perspective view of a tube cable connector, and FIG.
(B) is a perspective view of a tube connector.

FIG. 2 shows a first example using the tube cable connector of the present invention.
It is a perspective view of the example of connection of.

FIG. 3 shows a second example using the tube cable connector of the present invention.
It is a perspective view of the example of connection of.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are explanatory views illustrating a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 6A is a perspective view and FIG. 6B is a plan view.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a first conventional example to which a tube connector is attached.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a second conventional example to which a tube connector is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 61, 71 ... tube connector, 2, 31, 51 ...
Mounting plate, 2a, 31a, 51c groove, 3 tube, 1
1 to 13, 21, 22, ... tube cable, 14, 23
... Box, 31 ... Mounting part, 41 ... Connector carrier, 42
... Mounting part, 52 ... Support rod.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroki Ishikawa 1, Tayacho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Yokohama Works (72) Inventor Shigeru Tanaka 1, Tayacho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Sumitomo Electric Industries Inside Yokohama Works Co., Ltd. Hideo Sasano, Examiner, Communication Electronics Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-4-125503 (JP, A) JP-A-5-72423 (JP, A) JP-A-5-56533 (JP, A) 6-109938 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G02B 6/44 G02B 6/46 H02G 15/08

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tube cable connector for connecting a tube cable in which a plurality of tubes into which communication lines and the like are inserted and laid therein are integrated, wherein the plurality of connectors for connecting the tubes and the plurality of connectors are provided. A tube cable connector having a receiving portion having a groove fitted in one row. 2. The tube cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the groove is a comb-shaped groove row having a plurality of grooves in parallel. 3. The tube according to claim 1, wherein the housing portion includes a plurality of housing members having grooves into which a plurality of connectors are fitted in a row, and a support member into which the housing members are fitted. Cable splicer. 4. The tube cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the groove has a loop shape, and has an outward opening / closing portion at at least one position of the groove. 5. A tube cable connecting method in which a tube is taken out of a tube cable in which a plurality of tubes into which communication lines and the like are inserted and laid are integrated and connected by a connector. The method for connecting a tube cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said connector is fitted in a row in a groove so as to movably accommodate said connector.