JP3342830B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector, and more particularly, to an optical connector in which a backplane is sandwiched between front and back sides by a housing main body and a fixing component.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a plug-in type optical connector, a so-called backplane connector has been conventionally provided. FIG. 6 shows an example of the backplane connector. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes a plug-in unit, 2 denotes a printed board, 3 denotes a backplane, 4a and 4b denote MPO connector plugs (hereinafter, "MPO plugs"), 5 denotes a printed board housing, and 6 denotes a backplane housing. The backplane connector is formed by inserting the printed board 2 to which the printed board housing 5 is fixed into the plug-in unit 1, and connecting the printed board 2 to the backplane housing 6 attached to the backplane 3 disposed on the side of the plug-in unit 1. Are fitted and assembled. The fitted printed board housing 5 and the backplane housing 6 constitute an optical connector adapter 7, and an MPO plug 4 inserted from both sides.
a and 4b are connected to each other. Print board housing 5
MPO plug 4 to be inserted into optical connector adapter 7 from the side
“a” is inserted in the print board housing 5 in advance, and the print board 2 is inserted into the optical connector adapter 7 at the same time as the plug-in unit 1 is inserted. Since a plurality of printed boards 2 can be housed in parallel in the plug-in unit 1 at high density, the optical connector adapter 7 can be mounted at high density in this backplane connector. The MPO plugs 4a, 4b
Is an optical connector having a configuration in which an optical connector ferrule 4c defined in JIS C5981 is supported by a plastic housing.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the backplane housing 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the backplane housing 6 includes a housing main body 8 and a rear housing 9 which are arranged on both sides of the backplane 3 so as to face each other. The housing body 8 is on the side of the printed board 2 (FIG. 7).
The rear housing 9 is disposed on the opposite side of the housing main body 8 via the back plane 3.
A pin 10 protrudes from the housing body 8, and the pin 10 is inserted into a mounting hole 11 opened in the backplane 3 and protrudes to the opposite side of the backplane 3. It is fixed with screws 12.

FIG. 8 shows a mounting hole 11. As shown in FIG. 8, the mounting hole 11 has a rectangular shape and has extended portions 13 at four corners. The pin 10 is housed in a pair of extension portions 13, 13 facing each other along a diagonal line of the mounting hole 11, and a gap 14 of about a = 1.60 mm is secured in a vertical direction (up and down in FIG. 8). Also in the horizontal direction (left and right in FIG. 8), b =
A gap 15 of about 0.34 mm is secured. Since the housing main body 8 and the back housing 9 sandwich the backplane 3 so as to be slidable, the backplane housing 6 can float within the movable range of the pins 10 and 10 in the gaps 14 and 15. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the dimension crossing when the print board housing 5 is fitted to the backplane housing 6 is absorbed by the floating of the backplane housing 6 to improve the fitting workability.

[0005]

By the way, in the case of the above-mentioned backplane connector, the screw 12 has a diameter of about 1.2 mm, and it takes time and effort to fix the rear housing 9 with a hand tool, and the workability is unsatisfactory. there were. In particular, when this backplane connector is installed on a wall of a building or the like, in many cases, a sufficient work space cannot be secured, and the problem of the workability becomes more prominent. Further, since the screw 12 itself is a special product, it is difficult to reduce the cost. In addition, since the pins 10 and the screw holes 16 (see FIG. 7) are formed in correspondence with the screws 12, there is a problem that it takes time to manufacture. . Further, mounting holes 1 formed in the backplane 3
Since 1 also has a complicated shape corresponding to the screw 12, there is a problem that it takes time to form the mounting hole 11.

The floating range of the backplane housing 6 depends on the sliding resistance of the housing body 8 and the rear housing 9 with respect to the backplane 3 and the size of the clearance interposed between the backplane 3 and the like. Since the floating range and the degree of freedom of the backplane housing 6 are greatly affected by a subtle difference in size, there is a problem that it takes time to adjust the clearance. That is, if a useless gap is generated between the housing main body 8 and the back surface housing 9 due to the tolerance of the thickness of the back plane 3 in particular, the floating range of the back plane housing 6 becomes unnecessarily large, and the printed board housing 5 becomes large. It becomes difficult to fit. Conversely, if the thickness of the backplane 3 is larger than a predetermined size, the backplane housing 6 becomes difficult to float,
2 may be difficult to fix. However, in view of these problems, if the formation accuracy is required for the entire backplane 3, a significant increase in cost will be caused. Therefore, the development of a technique for efficiently obtaining the desired floating range in the backplane housing 6 without increasing the cost. Was required.

[0007] When the backplane housing 6 is applied to an existing backplane connector, the backplane housing 6 attached to the backplane and the existing printboard housing are deformed due to deformation of the backplane or the printed board (warpage or the like). In some cases, there is a problem that the backplane housing 6 and the printed board housing cannot be fitted smoothly. At this time, if the pins 10, the mounting holes 11, the screws 12, the screw holes 16, and the like are changed, the labor becomes enormous and the cost increases. Also,
When the mounting hole is enlarged and the floating range of the backplane housing 6 is expanded, the backplane 3 must be sandwiched between the housing body 8 and the backside housing 9, so that the contact state of the backside housing 9 with the backplane 3 is stabilized. And there is a limit in increasing the size of the mounting hole. For this reason, in the case of the backplane connector, the development of a highly versatile backplane housing has been required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and a reduced portion provided on an elastic claw of a fixed component can sufficiently secure a floating range of a backplane housing. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector having high versatility with respect to a mounting hole shape and the like.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a backplane housing in which a housing body and a fixed component are arranged on opposite sides of a backplane so as to sandwich the backplane. A print board housing attached to a releasably provided print board and removably engaged with the housing body, wherein the print board housing is detachably fitted to a housing body forming the backplane connector. By doing so, an optical connector plug inserted into the housing main body through a mounting hole opened in the backplane and another optical connector plug supported by the print board housing are connected. In the connector, the fixed component By inserting the optical connector plug into the main body having an opened plug insertion hole, opposed to both sides of the plug insertion hole, projecting from the main body, and inserting the optical connector plug into the housing main body through the mounting hole. An elastic claw that engages with the housing main body through the mounting hole of the backplane, so that the housing main body and the fixed component are connected to the housing main body and the main body part. And the plug insertion hole is configured to communicate with the mounting hole and the housing main body, and the elastic claw is engaged with the housing main body. A reduced portion having a cross-sectional shape smaller than that of the front end portion by a recess formed on a side surface between the front end portion and the main body portion, When the elastic claw is inserted into the mounting hole, the reduced portion is positioned in the mounting hole, and the clearance secured around the recess allows displacement of the elastic claw within the mounting hole. The characteristic optical connector is a means for solving the above problem.

This optical connector is mounted so that the backplane is sandwiched between the housing main body and the fixed component by engaging an elastic claw with the housing main body through a mounting hole opened in the backplane. At this time, the dimensional tolerance of the backplane, particularly the thickness, is absorbed within the elastic deformation range of the spring portion, and the desired floating degree of freedom (sliding resistance with the backplane, floating range, etc.) is secured in the housing body. . Further, the elastic claw can be configured to be able to be disengaged from the housing main body, thereby improving the removal workability. Further, in the present invention, when the elastic claw inserted into the mounting hole is engaged with the housing body, the concave portion of the elastic claw is located in the mounting hole, and a sufficient clearance is secured around the elastic claw. Thus, a sufficient floating range is secured in the backplane housing. On the other hand, the tip of the elastic claw engaged with the housing main body can be freely enlarged within a range that can be inserted into the mounting hole, the engaging force with the housing main body can be sufficiently secured, and the fixed component can be secured. The holding state of the backplane between the main body and the housing main body can be stabilized.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The optical connector (backplane connector) of the present embodiment employs a backplane housing denoted by reference numeral 20 in FIGS. 1 and 2 instead of the backplane housing 6 of the backplane connector shown in FIG. The backplane housing 20 is fitted with the printed board housing 5 shown in FIG.
An optical connector adapter for connecting the O plugs 4a and 4b (corresponding to the optical connector plug according to claim 1) is constituted. In the drawings, the same components as those in FIGS. 6 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be simplified.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the backplane housing 20 includes a housing body 21 and a fixed part 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing body 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape from a synthetic resin such as plastic, and has a plug storage hole 23 for storing the inserted MPO plugs 4a and 4b. The inner housing 21a is housed in the plug housing hole 23,
a is the MPO plug 4a inserted into the plug storage hole 23,
4b is housed and positioned so as to be butt-connected by the key groove 21b. Since the inner housing 21a is engaged with the housing main body 21 by the positioning protrusion 21c and the engagement claw 21d, the MPO plug 4a,
4b is stably supported at a predetermined position without displacement. On the surface of the housing body 21 facing the print board housing 5 (the left front side in FIG. 1), a tapered surface 2 for guiding the print board housing 5 to the plug storage hole 23.
1a.

The fixed part 22 is entirely formed of a spring material, and has a rectangular frame-shaped main body 24 and a pair of elastic claws 25 projecting from both sides of the main body 24 in the longitudinal direction (up and down in FIG. 1).
25. The protruding positions of the elastic claws 25, 25 coincide with a pair of engaging holes 26, 26 formed on opposite sides of the housing main body 21 (the engaging holes 26 are shown in FIG. 1).
And also below the housing body 21 of FIG. 2). Each of the elastic claws 25, 25 has a plate spring shape.
An engaging claw 27 protrudes from the distal end portion 25a in the protruding direction of the main body 24. The concave portions 25b, 25b formed on both side surfaces between the distal end portion 25a and the main body portion 24 make it thinner than the distal end portion 25a. It has the formed reduced portion 25c. In FIG. 2, the two elastic claws 25, 25 are inserted through the mounting holes 30 of the backplane 3, and are respectively inserted into the engaging holes 26, 26 of the housing main body 21 installed on the opposite side via the backplane 3. The engaging claws 27 are engaged with the engaging portions 28, 28.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting hole 30 is rectangular, and extends vertically above and below the back plane 3.
The main body 24 of the fixed component 22 is larger than the mounting hole 30,
The plug insertion hole 29 opened at the center of the main body 24 is smaller than the mounting hole 30. As shown in FIG. 2, in the assembled backplane housing 20, the spring part 31 formed on the main body part 24 of the fixed part 22 and the housing main body 2
1 and the backplane 3 is lightly sandwiched by a clamping force capable of sliding.

As shown in FIG. 3, both elastic claws 25,
The distal end portion 25a has a dimension substantially coincident with the horizontal direction (left and right in FIG. 3) of the mounting hole 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the reduced portion 25c is reduced with a step of, for example, 0.4 mm on one side and a total of about 0.8 mm on both sides with respect to the elastic claw tip portions 25a, 25a. As shown in FIG.
When the elastic claws 25, 25 are inserted into the mounting holes 30 and engaged with the engaging portions 28, 28 of the housing body 21, the reduced portions 25c are located in the mounting holes 30, as shown in FIG. Thus, a clearance is secured around the reduced portion 25c, and the displacement of the elastic claws 25, 25 is allowed in the mounting hole 30 within the range of the clearance. Therefore, the backplane housing 20 attached to the backplane 3 is allowed to float within the movable range of the elastic claws 25 within the attachment hole 30.

For example, in FIG. 4, the clearance is c = 1.00 mm or more in the horizontal direction (left and right in FIG. 4) and d = 1.60 mm in the vertical direction (up and down in FIG. 4). , The elastic claws 25 can be displaced, and the floating range of the backplane housing 20 is sufficiently set. The floating range of the backplane housing 20 is significantly larger than when the reduced portions 25c are not formed on the elastic claws 25,25. Thus, when the print board 2 is inserted into the plug-in unit 1 (see FIG. 6) and the print board housing 5 is fitted to the backplane housing 20, the print board housing 5
Misalignment between the backplane housing 20 and the backplane housing 20 can be absorbed by the floating of the backplane housing 20, and the fitting workability is improved.

In FIG. 1, since the taper amount (dimension f-dimension g in FIG. 5) of the tapered surface 21a of the housing body 21 is 1.275, the print board housing 5 is inserted into the plug housing hole 23. Then, between the backplane housing 20 and the printed board housing 5, in both horizontal and vertical directions, a maximum of 0.5 m
A displacement of about m is allowed, and if the displacement is within this range, the print board housing 5 can be inserted into the backplane housing 20, and high versatility can be obtained with respect to the displacement. It is needless to say that the taper amount can be appropriately selected and can be larger than 1.275.

As shown in FIG. 1, spring portions 31, 31 are formed in the main body 24 on both sides of the plug insertion hole 29.
In FIG. 1, a spring portion 31 is a bent portion that protrudes from the main body portion 24 in the direction of the back plane 3, and as shown in FIG. 5, when the elastic claws 25, 25 are inserted into the mounting holes 30, the spring portion 31 comes into contact with the back plane 3. You. Therefore, the elastic claws 25, 2
When the housing 5 is inserted into the mounting hole 30 and engaged with the housing body 21, the backplane 3 is sandwiched between the housing body 21 and the spring portion 31. Since the tolerance of the thickness of the back plane 3 is absorbed within the elastic deformation range of the spring portion 31, the mounting state of the housing main body 21 is stabilized, and the housing main body 21 is provided with the clearance shown in FIG. Since the desired floating range can be obtained stably, the workability of fitting to the print board housing 5 can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 1, the engaging portion 28 of the housing body 21 has a groove-shaped engaging recess 28a. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the engaging concave portion 28a has a square groove shape, and the engaging claw 27 of each elastic claw 25, 25 engages with the engaging portion 28 so as to be inserted into a corner of the engaging concave portion 28a. However, it is possible to prevent the engaging claws 27 from accidentally falling or deforming. For this reason, even if the backplane housing 20 floats, the engagement claws 27 do not easily come off the engagement portions 28. The backplane housing 20 also has a sufficient pull-out resistance when the print board housing 5 is pulled out, and the housing main body 21 is detached from the elastic claws 25, 25 unless the engaging claws 27 are intentionally deformed. There is no.

To assemble the backplane housing 20 with the backplane 3, the plug-in unit 1
(See FIG. 6) The housing main body 21 is arranged close to the target mounting hole 30 on the inner side, and the elastic claws 25 of the fixed component 22 are inserted through the mounting hole 30 from the outside of the plug-in unit 1 (right side in FIG. 1). The engaging claws 27 are engaged with the engaging portions 28 by inserting the engaging claws 27 into the engaging holes 26, 26 of the housing body 21. In addition,
An internal housing 21a is housed in the housing body 21 in advance.

Therefore, since the operation of assembling the backplane housing 20 to the backplane 3 only requires pushing the fixing component 22 into the housing main body 21, it is extremely simple compared with the case of fixing with the pins, and the workability is improved. I do. When the thickness of the back plane 3 is larger than a predetermined dimension, the spring claws 25 are elastically deformed so that the elastic claws 25, 25 are connected to the housing body 21.
Can be engaged with the engaging portions 26, 26. vice versa,
Even when the thickness of the backplane 3 is smaller than a predetermined size, the dimensional tolerance of the backplane 3 is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the spring portion 31, so that there is no useless gap between the fixed component 22 and the housing body 21. Is prevented from being generated, and the elastic claw 2 in the mounting hole 30 is provided in the housing body 21.
A desired floating range by the movable range of 5, 25 is reliably obtained, and the housing main body 21 is prevented from floating more than necessary, so that the work of fitting the print board housing 5 can be performed efficiently.

Further, while fixing with a pin requires a work space for screw fixing, it is sufficient to secure enough space for pressing the fixing component 22, so that the work space is reduced, and the building space is reduced. This is advantageous when installing on a wall or the like. In this optical connector, it is possible to assemble the backplane housing 20 by pushing the housing main body 21 into the fixed component 22 previously fixed to the backplane 3. In this case, it is necessary to secure a working space outside the plug-in unit 1. There is no. Furthermore, since the number of parts is reduced by not using pins, the effect of reducing cost can be obtained.

Further, the clearance around the elastic claws 25, 25 inserted into the mounting hole 30 can be easily adjusted only by adjusting the shape of the elastic claws 25, 25, so that the floating range of the backplane housing 20 can be easily adjusted. Can be set. This simplifies the shape of the mounting hole 30 and improves the forming workability. Specifically, the recess 2 formed in the elastic claw 25
The shape of the reduced portion 25c can be adjusted by the shape of the 5b, and the desired clearance can be easily obtained. In the present embodiment, the recesses 25b, 25b are formed on both sides of the reduced portion 25c. However, the recess 25b may be formed on only one side, thereby limiting the displacement of the backplane housing 20 in a specific direction. For example, it is possible to cope with a displacement of the print board housing 5 with respect to the backplane housing 20 in a specific direction.

As described above, when a sufficient clearance is obtained by forming the recess 25b, the floating range of the backplane housing 20 becomes large, the workability of fitting the print board housing 5 can be improved, and the existing print board 2 Can be widely applied to the displacement of the print board housing 5 and the versatility is improved. Moreover, in this optical connector, the elastic claw tip portion 25a is larger than the reduced portion 25c, so that the engaging force with the housing body 21 can be sufficiently secured, and the spring portion 3 of the fixed component 22 can be secured.
It is possible to prevent inconveniences such as an unnecessary wobbling of the backplane housing 20 due to insufficient force holding the backplane 3 between the housing 1 and the housing body 21.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the shape of the engaging portion of the housing body, the spring portion,
The elastic claws and the like can be appropriately changed. As the spring portion, a leaf spring, a coil spring, or the like separately attached to a fixed component can be adopted.

[0026]

As described above, according to the optical connector of the present invention, it is possible to easily assemble the backplane housing simply by (a) engaging the elastic claw with the housing main body, thereby improving the assembling workability. (B) (a)
Accordingly, the housing body can be attached to the backplane without using pins or fixing screws, so that the number of parts can be reduced and cost can be reduced. It is assembled so that the backplane is sandwiched between the housing and the housing body, the elastic deformation range of the spring part can absorb the thickness tolerance of the backplane, and the fixed parts and the housing body can be attached to the backplane in a fixed state. (D) When the elastic claw of the fixed component is inserted into the mounting hole and engaged with the housing body, the recess of the elastic claw is located in the mounting hole, and a sufficient clearance is secured around the elastic claw. As a result, the backplane housing has sufficient floating range, and the backplane housing and the printed board housing (E) Due to the above (d), the displacement between the backplane housing and the printed board housing caused by the deformation of the backplane or the printed board can be easily absorbed, and (F) The tip of the elastic claw to be engaged with the housing main body can be freely enlarged within a range that can be inserted into the mounting hole, and a sufficient engaging force with the housing main body is secured. Thus, an excellent effect of stabilizing the sandwiched state of the backplane between the fixed component and the housing body is achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing one embodiment of an optical connector of the present invention, and is an exploded perspective view showing a backplane housing.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the backplane housing of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a mounting hole for mounting the backplane housing of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a clearance secured around an elastic claw in the mounting hole of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a spring portion formed on a fixed component of the backplane housing of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional backplane connector.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a backplane housing of the backplane connector of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a mounting hole of the backplane connector of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Print board, 3 ... Back plane, 4a, 4b
... Optical connector plug (MPO plug), 5 ... Print board housing, 20 ... Backplane housing, 2
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Housing main body, 22 ... Fixed parts, 24 ... Body part,
25: elastic claw, 25a: tip, 25b: recess, 25c
... Reduction part, 29 ... Plug insertion hole, 30 ... Mounting hole, 31 ...
Spring part (curved part).

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Nomura 1440 Mutsuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Inside Fujikura Sakura Plant (72) Inventor Masaaki Takaya 3-192-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Telephone Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinji Nagasawa 3-19-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan Telegraph and Telephone Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-2-40873 (JP, A) JP-A Heisei 2-135305 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G02B 6/38

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A backplane housing (20) which is assembled by arranging a housing body (21) and a fixed part (22) on both front and back sides of a backplane (3) so as to sandwich the backplane, and the backplane. A print board housing (5) which is attached to a print board (2) provided to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the plane, and which is detachably engaged with the housing body, wherein the print board housing is attached to and detached from the housing body. The optical connector plug (4b) inserted into the housing main body through the mounting hole (30) opened in the back plane and another optical connector plug ( 4a), wherein the optical connector is connected to The fixed component includes a main body portion (24) having a plug insertion hole (29) through which the optical connector plug is inserted, and opposed to both sides of the plug insertion hole, protruding from the main body portion, and having the mounting hole. An elastic claw (25) that is engaged by being inserted into the housing main body through the housing main body via the mounting hole of the backplane. A fixing component is attached so as to sandwich the backplane between the housing main body and the main body, and the plug insertion hole is configured to communicate with the mounting hole and the housing main body; and The elastic claw is formed by a concave portion (25b) formed on a side surface between the distal end portion (25a) engaged with the housing main body and the main body portion. A reducing portion (25c) having a cross-sectional shape smaller than that of the tip portion, wherein when the elastic claw is inserted into the mounting hole, the reducing portion is positioned in the mounting hole and secured around the recess; The displacement of the elastic claw in the mounting hole is allowed by the clearance.