JP3384904B2 - Connector for batch connection of electrical and optical composite cables - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector for collectively connecting a metal core (electrical conductor) and an optical fiber core of an electric / optical composite cable. It is. 2. Description of the Related Art In an electric / optical composite cable, a tensile strength wire (FRP wire, etc.) is arranged at the center, a metal core wire and an optical fiber core wire are arranged therearound, and a shielding layer or the like is arranged therearound. It is a structure covered with a sheath. When the metal core and the optical fiber core of such an electric / optical composite cable are connected together with the metal core and the optical fiber core of the mating cable or the device, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 6-471.
A connector for collectively connecting electric and optical composite cables as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1 (JP-A) No. 1 is used. [0003] This kind of collective connection connector includes a plug attached to the tip of a metal core of a composite cable, a ferrule attached to the tip of an optical fiber core, and a tension wire fixing for fixing the tip of the tensile wire. And a cable fixing portion for tightening and fixing the sheath of the composite cable. [0004] The assembly of this connector is performed in the following procedure. A plug and a ferrule are attached to the ends of the metal core and the optical fiber which are exposed by peeling the sheath at the end of the composite cable. The plug and the ferrule are set on the connector body, and the end of the tensile strength wire is fixed to the connector body. The cable sheath is fastened and fixed by the fastening member. [0005] In the connector, it is necessary that the optical fiber core wire from the sheath end of the composite cable to the ferrule has an appropriate slack. If the slack is too large or too small, it causes an increase in loss of the optical fiber core wire or breakage. In the conventional connector, after the cable sheath is fixed, the slack of the optical fiber core wire cannot be visually confirmed, so that the optical fiber core wire may be abnormally bent or the loss may increase. Further, when the cable sheath is fixed, the rotation of the tightening member (screw tightening) may rotate the cable, and the metal core and the optical fiber may be twisted in the connector. This causes an increase in the loss of the optical fiber core wire and a disconnection. Further, the metal core fiber and the optical fiber core may collide with each other in the connector, and the optical fiber core may be bent or subjected to side pressure, thereby increasing the loss. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, it is possible to visually check the looseness of the optical fiber after fixing the cable sheath, and the loss of the optical fiber increases. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical / optical composite cable collective connector capable of obtaining a stable connection state without causing any disconnection or disconnection. According to the present invention, there is provided a connector for collectively connecting an electric / optical composite cable, a core unit, a shell unit for inserting the core unit from the rear end side, and storing the core unit. And a tightening unit for fixing the core unit in the shell unit by screwing to the rear end of the shell unit. The core unit has a connector for connecting a metal core of the composite cable and a ferrule for connecting an optical fiber core around a central axis of a longitudinal end portion, and the ferrule is connected to a central axis of an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction. Has a tensile strength wire fixing portion for fixing the tensile strength wire of the composite cable, has a cable fixing portion for tightening and fixing the sheath of the composite cable at the rear end in the longitudinal direction, further around the tensile strength wire fixing portion, It has a metal core path and an optical fiber core path opened to the outside, and has a partition separating the metal core path and the optical fiber core path. The assembly of this connector is performed in the following procedure. A plug and a ferrule are attached to the ends of the metal core and the optical fiber which are exposed by peeling the sheath at the end of the composite cable. Set the plug and ferrule at the end of the core unit. At this time, the metal core is arranged so as to pass through the metal core passage, and the optical fiber core is arranged so as to pass through the optical fiber core passage. Fix the end of the tensile strength wire to the tensile strength wire fixing part of the core unit. At this time, the slack of the metal core and the optical fiber is adjusted to be appropriate. Tighten the cable sheath to the cable fixing part of the core unit. Insert the core unit into the shell unit. The fastening unit is screwed to the rear end of the shell unit to fix the core unit. [0010] In such a series of assembling steps, the metal core wire with the plug attached to the end and the optical fiber core wire with the ferrule are arranged in passages opened to the outside, respectively. At the stage of fixing the line,
Also, at the stage of fixing the cable sheath, the slack of the metal core wire and the optical fiber core wire can be visually confirmed. Therefore, the slack of the metal core wire and the optical fiber core wire can be properly adjusted. Further, since the passage for the metal core and the passage for the optical fiber are separated by the partition wall, the metal core and the optical fiber do not interfere with each other. When the core unit is inserted into the shell unit, the respective core wires become invisible. However, in the step of inserting the core unit into the shell unit and the step of screwing the tightening unit to the shell unit, the respective core wires and the cables are removed. Since no external force is applied to the cable, the state of each core wire and the tightened state of the cable do not change. Therefore, after the cable sheath is fixed to the core unit and before the core unit is inserted into the shell unit (that is, in a state where each core wire can be viewed),
Inspection of the state of each core wire and measurement of light loss and the like are performed, and if there is no abnormality, the quality of the finally assembled connector can be guaranteed. FIG. 1 shows an electric / optical composite cable collective connector 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The connector 11 can be disassembled into a core unit 13 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a shell unit 15 shown in FIG. 6, and a fastening unit 17 shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the core unit 13 is attached to the end of the combined electric / optical cable 19. Reference numeral 21 denotes a tensile strength wire of the electric / optical composite cable 19,
23 is a metal core wire, 25 is an optical fiber core wire, 27 is a shielding layer made of a braided copper wire or the like, and 29 is a sheath. First, the structure of the core unit 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 31 denotes a plug installed at the longitudinal end of the core unit 13, and reference numeral 33 denotes a ferrule. In the illustrated example, four plugs 31 and three ferrules 3 are provided.
Although 3 is two, the number of the plugs 31 and the ferrules 33 is determined according to the number of the metal cores 23 and the optical fiber cores 25 (each indicated by a broken line) of the composite cable. Reference numeral 35 denotes a holder for holding the plug 31 and the ferrule 33. Plug 31 and ferrule 33
Are arranged parallel to the central axis by the holder 35 around the central axis of the connector. On the outer periphery of the holder 35, a step portion 36 having a smaller outer diameter on the distal end side is formed. Reference numeral 37 denotes a tension line fixing member. The holder 35 has a fastening screw 39 attached to the tip of the tensile strength wire fixing member 37.
Has been fixed by. The tensile strength wire fixing member 37 has a hole 41 at the center for inserting a tensile strength wire, and has a structure in which the tensile strength wire inserted into the hole is clamped from both sides by fastening screws 43 and fixed. Reference numerals 45a to 45d denote partition walls formed around the tensile strength wire fixing member 37 (see FIG. 4). Partition wall 45a
And 45b, and between 45c and 45d, the circumferential interval is wide, forming a metal core passage 47. Partition wall 45
The distance between the points a and 45d and the area between the points 45b and 45c are narrow in the circumferential direction, and form a passage 49 for an optical fiber cable. These passages 47 and 49 are open to the outside so that the state of the metal core wire 23 and the optical fiber core wire 25 passing therethrough can be visually confirmed. Reference numeral 51 denotes a connection sleeve screwed to the rear end of the tensile strength wire fixing member 37, and reference numeral 53 denotes a cable gripping sleeve whose front end is fitted inside the connection sleeve 51.
A large number of axial slits 55 are formed at the rear end of the cable gripping sleeve 53 so that the rear end of the cable gripping sleeve 53 can be elastically deformed in the radial direction. Also, unevenness 57 for preventing slippage is formed on the inner peripheral surface on the rear end side of the cable gripping sleeve 53. Reference numeral 59 denotes a fixing nut whose front end is screwed to the outer periphery of the connecting sleeve 51. The fixing nut 59 presses and fixes the cable gripping sleeve 53 to the connection sleeve 51 at a flange portion on the inner peripheral surface. Reference numeral 61 denotes a tightening ring that reduces the diameter of the rear end side of the cable gripping sleeve 53 by screwing it inside the fixing nut 59. The inner peripheral surface of the tightening ring 61 is tapered to reduce the diameter of the rear end side of the cable gripping sleeve 53.
Each component from the connection sleeve 51 to the tightening ring 61 constitutes a cable fixing portion. Next, the structure of the shell unit 15 will be described with reference to FIG. The shell unit 15 is formed by screwing a front shell 63 and a rear shell 65 together. A first O-ring 6 is provided at the threaded connection to maintain watertightness.
7 is interposed. The front end of the front shell 63 is a portion that fits with the shell of the mating connector, and a second O-ring 69 for maintaining watertightness is mounted on the inner peripheral surface thereof. On the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate portion of the front shell 63, a step portion 71 having a smaller inner diameter on the distal end side is formed. The step 71 is a portion where the step 36 of the core unit 13 abuts. A rear shell 65 is provided on the rear end side of the step 71.
And the inner diameter of the core unit 13 is constant. Next, the structure of the tightening unit 17 will be described with reference to FIG. In this fastening unit 17, a fastening cylinder 73 and a male screw cylinder 75 are screw-connected via a gasket 77. The tightening cylinder 73 has a male screw part whose front end is screwed into the rear end of the shell unit 15, and has an inward flange 79 on the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate part. The inward flange 79 is a portion that comes into contact with the rear end surface of the core unit 13. The gasket 77 is interposed between the inward flange portion 79 and the distal end surface of the male screw cylinder 75. When the male screw cylinder 75 is tightened, the inner diameter is reduced and the gasket 77 comes into close contact with the sheath of the composite cable. A third O-ring 8 is provided on the outer periphery of the tightening cylinder 73 to maintain water tightness with the rear end of the shell unit 15.
1 is attached. The above is the structure of each unit constituting the collective connection connector 11 of FIG. The connector 11 is assembled in the following procedure. First, the fastening unit 17 is inserted into the composite cable 19, and then the cable fixing portions 51 to 61 of the core unit 13 are inserted into the composite cable 19. Next, the sheath 29 and the shielding layer 27 at the end of the composite cable 19 are stripped off by a required length to expose the tensile strength wire 21, the metal core wire 23, and the optical fiber core wire 25 (see FIG. 8). Next, after appropriately adjusting the lengths of the tensile wire 21, the metal core wire 23 and the optical fiber core wire 25, a plug 31 is attached to the end of the metal core wire 23, and the end of the optical fiber core wire 25 is adjusted. Attach the ferrule 33 to the part. Thereafter, the end of the tensile strength wire 21 is inserted into the tensile strength wire fixing member 37, and the plug 31 and the ferrule 33 are attached to the holder 35. At this time, the metal core 23 is disposed in the metal core passage 47, and the optical fiber core 25 is disposed in the optical fiber core passage 49 (see FIG. 4). Next, the holder 35 and the tensile strength wire fixing member 37
Is fixed with a fixing screw 39. In this state, the fixing member 37 and the tensile strength wire 21 are slid in the axial direction to adjust the slack of the metal core wire 23 and the optical fiber core wire 25. When the slack becomes appropriate, the tightening screws 43 are tightened from both sides. Then, the tensile strength wire 21 is fixed to the fixing member 37. At this stage, since the passages 47 and 49 are open to the outside, the slack state of the metal core 23 and the optical fiber 25 can be visually confirmed. In addition, since the passages 47 and 49 are separated by the partition walls 45a to 45d, the metal core 23 and the optical fiber 25 do not collide or intersect. Next, a connecting sleeve 51 is screwed to the rear end of the tensile strength wire fixing member 37. Then, the connecting sleeve 5
A cable fixing sleeve 53 is inserted into the rear end of the composite cable 19, and the shielding layer 27 of the composite cable 19 is sandwiched between the two. Thereafter, the fixing nut 59 is screwed to the connecting sleeve 51, and the cable fixing sleeve 53 is fixed at a fixed position. Next, when the tightening ring 61 is screwed into the fixing nut 59, the rear end of the cable fixing sleeve 53 (the portion having the slit 55) is reduced in diameter, and the sheath 29 of the composite cable 19 is tightened. Thus, the composite cable 19 is fixed to the core unit 13. This composite cable 1
Even at the stage of fixing the core 9 to the core unit 13, the state of the metal core wire 23 and the optical fiber core wire 25 can be visually confirmed, so that if there is any abnormality, the operation can be immediately restarted.
Once the composite cable 19 is fixed to the core unit 13, the slack between the metal core 23 and the optical fiber 25 does not change significantly. Measurement and inspection of characteristics required for Next, the core unit 13 shown in FIG.
From the rear end side, and the step 36 of the core unit 13 abuts against the step 71 of the shell unit 15. Thereafter, when the tightening cylinder 73 of the tightening unit 17 of FIG. 7 previously fitted around the cable outer periphery is screwed into the rear end of the shell unit 15, the core unit 13 is fixed in the shell unit 15, and as shown in FIG. Become. Finally, when the male screw cylinder 75 is tightened, the gasket 77 comes into close contact with the outer periphery of the cable sheath 29, and water tightness is secured. The above is one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. The structure of each part can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. As described above, the connector of the present invention is composed of a core unit, a shell unit, and a tightening unit. In the process of assembling the core unit, the metal core of the composite cable and the optical fiber core are assembled. The state of the slack in the line can be visually confirmed. After the core unit is assembled, the cable sheath is also fixed to the core unit, so that the slack of the metal core and the optical fiber core does not change significantly. Moreover, since the metal core and the optical fiber are arranged in separate passages separated by a partition, they do not interfere with each other. Further, in the process of inserting the core unit into the shell unit and tightening with the tightening unit, the state of the metal core wire and the optical fiber core does not change. Therefore, if there is no abnormality in the inspection in a state where the core unit is assembled (a state in which looseness of the core wire can be visually confirmed), it is possible to guarantee that there is no abnormality even in the finally assembled state. For this reason, it is possible to provide a highly reliable electrical / optical composite cable collective connector capable of obtaining a stable connection state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a half sectional front view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a half sectional front view showing a core unit of the connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 2; FIG. 6 is a half sectional front view showing a shell unit of the connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is a half sectional front view showing the tightening unit of the connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 8 is a half sectional front view showing a state where the end of the composite cable is attached to the core unit of FIG. 2; [Description of Signs] 11: Connector for batch connection of electric / optical composite cable 13: Core unit 15: Shell unit 17: Tightening unit 19: Electric / optical composite cable 21: Tensile wire 23: Metal core wire 25: Optical fiber core Wire 29: Sheath 31: Plug 33: Ferrule 35: Holder 37: Tensile wire fixing members 45a, 45b, 45c, 45d: Partition wall 47: Metal core passage 49: Optical fiber core passage 53: Cable fixing sleeve 55 : Slit 61: Tightening ring 63: Front shell 65: Rear shell 73: Tightening cylinder 75: Male screw cylinder 77: Gasket

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Noriyuki Chiba 2-29-1, Ebisu Minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside Tajimi Radio Electric Co., Ltd. No. 1 Inside Tajimi Radio Electric Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-62-19813 (JP, A) JP-A-6-51157 (JP, A) JP-A 61-65404 (JP, U) JP-A 61-65404 −64683 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G02B 6/36 G02B 6/44

Claims (1)

(1) A core unit (13), a shell unit (15) for inserting and storing the core unit (13) from the rear end side, and a shell unit (15). 15) a fastening unit (17) which is screwed to a rear end of the core unit (13) to fix the core unit (13) in the shell unit (15); Around the central axis, the metal core of the composite cable (19) (2
3) Connecting plug (31) and optical fiber cable (25)
And a ferrule (33) for connecting the tension cable (2) of the composite cable (19) on the central axis at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction.
1) has a tensile strength wire fixing portion (37) for fixing, and a cable fixing portion (51-61) for tightening and fixing the sheath (29) of the composite cable (19) at the rear end in the longitudinal direction; Further, a metal core path (47) and an optical fiber core path (49) which are open to the outside are provided around the tensile strength wire fixing part (37). A connector for collectively connecting electric and optical composite cables, comprising a partition wall (45a to 45d) for separating a fiber core passage (49).