JP3557519B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical connector for connecting optical fibers, and more particularly to an optical connector of a type (JIS F04 or the like) for connecting an adapter by interposing an adapter between two identical plugs.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventional examples of this type of optical connector of the JIS F04 type include Japanese Patent Application No. 60-218932 and JP-A-6-51165.
[0003]
By the way, the optical fiber used for the optical connector has a waveguide portion of about 10 μm, which is very small (single mode fiber: 10 μm, multimode fiber: 50 μm). Therefore, even if a small amount of dust adheres to the ferrule end face of the optical connector, the performance is degraded.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the optical connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-51165, the plug frame locking groove needs to be formed to be considerably long in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, the structure of this conventional example has a drawback that it hinders miniaturization.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-performance, compact optical connector that has good operability for attachment and detachment without using a dedicated jig, and has excellent optical characteristics and can be used for an inline filter.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
[0007]
(1) An optical connector having an adapter interposed between a first plug and a second plug for connecting the first and second optical fibers,
The adapter is a tubular outer shell member extending along the longitudinal direction so as to have first and second ends, and the first and second adapter ends respectively connect the first and second plugs. Consisting of first and second opposed ends having first and second insertion openings along the longitudinal direction for storage, and first and second outer peripheral ends having first and second locking grooves. ,
The first plug includes:
A first inner body having a first insertion hole for inserting the first optical fiber and a first engagement projection fitted into the first locking groove; and accommodates, mounts and holds the first optical fiber. A first ferrule,
The second plug,
A second inner body having a second insertion hole for inserting the second optical fiber and a second engagement protrusion fitted into the second locking groove; and a second inner body for mounting and holding the second optical fiber. With a ferrule,
The first ferrule and the second ferrule each include a ferrule body having ferrule end faces joined to each other, and first and second rectangular ferrule flanges,
The second plug includes a cylindrical alignment member that is positioned when the first and second ferrules are joined to each other, a collar disposed at an outer peripheral end of the alignment member, and biases the second ferrule. Elastic member , whereby the alignment member is positioned at an intermediate portion between the first and second ferrule joining points by the collar, and the first and second ferrules are pressed against each other,
The first and second adapter ends are formed with rectangular square holes for accommodating the first and second inner bodies and the first and second ferrule flanges, respectively.
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first and second ferrules are sandwiched between the first and second inner bodies, locked and held.
[0009]
( 2 ) In the optical connector according to (1),
The first and second opposed ends of the outer shell member have rectangular openings, and extend from both diagonal corners to the vicinity of the first and second locking grooves at the first and second outer peripheral ends. An optical connector, wherein escape recesses are respectively formed along the longitudinal direction.
[0010]
(3) An optical connector having an adapter interposed between a first plug and a second plug to connect the first and second optical fibers,
The adapter is a tubular outer shell member extending along the longitudinal direction so as to have first and second ends, and the first and second adapter ends respectively connect the first and second plugs. Consisting of first and second opposed ends having first and second insertion openings along the longitudinal direction for storage, and first and second outer peripheral ends having first and second locking grooves. The first locking groove is formed so as to have a T shape including a large groove for provisional insertion on the ferrule connection position side and a small fixing groove on the outer peripheral end side. Has a tapered portion,
The first plug includes:
A first inner body having a first insertion hole for inserting the first optical fiber and a first engagement projection fitted into the first locking groove; and accommodates, mounts and holds the first optical fiber. A first ferrule,
The second plug,
A second inner body having a second insertion hole for inserting the second optical fiber and a second engagement protrusion fitted into the second locking groove; and a second inner body for mounting and holding the second optical fiber. With a ferrule,
The first ferrule and the second ferrule each include a ferrule body having ferrule end faces joined to each other, and first and second rectangular ferrule flanges,
The second plug has a cylindrical alignment member that is positioned when the first and second ferrules are joined to each other,
The first and second adapter ends are formed with rectangular square holes for accommodating the first and second inner bodies and the first and second ferrule flanges, respectively.
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first and second ferrules are sandwiched between the first and second inner bodies, locked and held.
[0012]
[Action]
The adapter of the optical connector of the present invention is a tubular outer shell member extending along the longitudinal direction so as to have first and second adapter ends. The first plug and the first optical fiber are inserted through the insertion port at the first opposing end of the first adapter end, while the second plug and the second optical fiber are inserted through the insertion port at the second opposing end of the second end. Inserted from.
[0013]
When the optical connector is mated, the first engagement projection of the first inner body of the first plug is loosely inserted into the clearance recess at the corner at the first opposed end of the first adapter end, and then the first engagement projection is formed. It is temporarily inserted into the large groove of the stop groove. Thereafter, the first engaging projection is fitted into the small groove, hooked and fixed.
[0014]
Similarly, the second plug is inserted from the insertion port at the second opposed end of the second adapter end.
[0015]
To describe the inside of the optical connector in detail, in the outer shell member, the ferrule end faces are in contact with each other in the centering member, and the centering member is located between the joining points (contact portions) of the first and second ferrules by a collar. Is positioned on the part.
[0016]
At the same time, the first and second ferrules are pressed against each other by the elastic member. Therefore, the ferrules are sandwiched between the inner bodies, which facilitates the assembly. Therefore, the optical connector of the present invention is detachable without using a dedicated jig, and operability is improved.
[0017]
As described above, the engaging protrusion fits into and engages with the small groove of the locking groove, and the locking groove requires only a small space in the longitudinal direction, so that the optical connector can be downsized.
[0018]
Further, the rectangular ferrule flanges are fitted into the square holes at the adapter end of the outer shell member, so that the ferrules are sandwiched between the rectangular ferrule flanges without rotating. Therefore, the end faces of the ferrules are arranged at desired positions of the round holes in the intermediate portion of the outer shell member, and are joined together and held (locked).
[0019]
As a result of the fitting of the optical connector, the rotation of the ferrule is prevented, and the performance does not vary.
[0020]
Moreover, if a desired filter is formed on the ferrule end face, the optical connector of the present invention can be used as an in-line filter, and becomes a high-performance optical connector.
[0021]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An optical connector 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0022]
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 16, the optical connector 11 connects the adapter 13 between the first plug 23 and the second plug 33 in order to connect the first and second optical fibers 10-1 and 10-2. It is interposed between these three parts.
[0023]
The adapter 13 of the optical connector 11 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a rectangular tubular outer shell member (outer body) extending in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the first and second adapter ends 15-1 and 15-2 of the adapter 13 have first and second opposed ends having first and second square holes, respectively. -Each has a second outer peripheral end.
[0024]
In addition, both square hole parts are each connected through the round hole 17-1 mentioned later, and are insertion holes which receive the components of the 1st plug 23 and the 2nd plug 33 from front and back, respectively.
[0025]
On the other hand, the intermediate portion 17 extending forward from the center in the longitudinal direction of the adapter 13 to 1/4 thereof is formed with a round hole 17-1 for holding a connection position between ferrule end faces to be joined to each other, which will be described later. . The tapered portion (boss 17-2) acts as an insertion guide at the front edge of the elongated hole 17-1, and the end surface portion A (see FIG. 3) acts as a stopper.
[0026]
Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, first and second engagement grooves 16-are formed on upper and lower surfaces of a first outer peripheral end of a first adapter end 15-1 of an outer shell member (outer body) 13. 1a and 16-1b have second locking grooves 16-2a and 16-2b formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the second outer peripheral end of the second adapter end 15-2, respectively. The first locking grooves 16-1a and 16-1b and the second locking grooves 16-2a and 16-2b are formed in a T shape with a large groove on the ferrule connection position side and a small groove on the outer peripheral end side.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 5, the small grooves of the first locking grooves 16-1a and 16-1b and the second locking grooves 16-2a and 16-2b may have a tapered portion (trapezoidal shape). . In this modified example, the first locking grooves 16-1a and 16-1b and the second locking grooves 16-2a and 16-2b are formed as two-step grooves having trapezoidal small grooves. The convex portions (first engaging convex portions) 27-1, 27-2, and 37 of the two inner bodies 29 and 39 (there are two convex portions as in the case of 27) are less likely to come off than in the embodiment.
[0028]
Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, outer shell member (outer body) 13 has two rectangular opposite ends perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is formed with each square hole. It extends from both corners on the diagonal line of each opposed end to the vicinity of the large groove of the first and second locking grooves 16-1a, 16-1b, 16-2a, 16-2b at the first and second outer peripheral ends. Escape recesses 28-1 and 28-2 are formed along the direction.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 16, escape recesses 28-1, 28-2, 28-3, and 28-4 may be formed at four corners on both diagonal lines of the rectangular end.
[0030]
The first plug 23 has a first insertion hole 25 for accommodating the first optical fiber 10-1 and a convex portion (first engagement convex portion) 27 that fits into the first locking grooves 16-1a and 16-1b. And a first ferrule 31 for mounting and holding the first optical fiber 10-1. The first ferrule 31 includes a ferrule end face 31-1.
[0031]
On the other hand, the second plug 33 has a second insertion hole 35 for accommodating the second optical fiber 10-2, and a second engagement projection 37 that fits into the second locking grooves 16-2a and 16-2b. It has a second inner body 39 and a second ferrule 41 for mounting and holding the second optical fiber 10-2. The optical fibers 10-1 and 10-2 and the ferrules 31 and 41 may be held and fixed by bonding.
[0032]
By the way, the first ferrule 31 and the second ferrule 41 are the same member, and a ferrule body having a φ1.25 mm cylindrical portion made of zirconia or crystallized glass, that is, a ferrule body having ferrule end faces 31-1, 41-1 and a stainless steel. And a rectangular ferrule flange 31-2, 41-2. The rectangular ferrule flange portions 31-2 and 41-2 are disposed in the respective square holes, and clamp the center portion 17, thereby suppressing and preventing rotation of the ferrule end surfaces 31-1 and 41-1 of the ferrule body. Is set to
[0033]
The second plug 33 is provided with a split sleeve 43 as a centering member for positioning the ferrule end surfaces 31-1 and 41-1 to be joined to each other, and a split sleeve 43 for keeping the ferrule connection position in the split sleeve 43 constant. The collar further includes a collar 45 disposed on the outer peripheral end of the sleeve 43 and a coil spring (elastic member) 47 for pressing the second ferrule 41. More specifically, the collar 45 is positioned so that the split sleeve 43 completely covers the joint between the ferrule end surfaces 31-1 and 41-1 in the intermediate portion 17 of the outer shell member (outer body) 13.
[0034]
With reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, a procedure for assembling the optical connector 11 will be described.
[0035]
First, as shown in Step 1 of FIG. 15, the upper and lower convex portions (first engaging convex portions) 27-1 and 27-2 of the inner body 29 are aligned with the corner positions of the escape concave portion 28-1 of the outer body 13. The first ferrule 31 and the inner body 29 are inserted into the component insertion opening in the front of the outer body 13, that is, the square hole at the first adapter end portion 15-1 while being inclined.
[0036]
Next, in step 2 of FIG. 15, referring also to FIG. 3, the upper and lower convex portions (first engaging convex portions) 27-1 and 27-2 of the inner body 29 are connected to the first locking grooves 16-1a and Further push it into the vicinity of the second locking groove 16-1b and insert it.
[0037]
In step 3, the inner body 23 is rotated.
[0038]
In step 4, the projection 27-1 of the inner body 29 is hooked and fixed to a small groove in the first locking groove 16-1a and the second locking groove 16-1b of the outer body 13.
[0039]
In addition, the split sleeve 43, the second ferrule 41, the coil spring (elastic member) 47, the collar 45, and the inner body 29 are inserted from the component insertion opening on the rear side of the outer body 13, and similarly fixed. In this embodiment, one coil spring (elastic member) 47 is used.
[0040]
By the way, the procedure of assembling the optical connector 11 described above may be reversed. That is, after inserting the split sleeve 43 of the second plug 33, the second ferrule 41, the coil spring (elastic member) 47, the collar 45, and the inner body 29, the first ferrule 31 and the inner body 29 of the first plug 23 are removed. Similarly, insert and fix.
[0041]
With reference to FIGS. 10 to 13, the polished state of the ferrule end faces 31-1 and 41-1 used for the optical connector 11 of the present invention will be described.
[0042]
In FIG. 11, convex spherical surfaces (PC polished surface / AdPC polished surface) 31-1A and 41-1A are processed and formed on the ferrule end surfaces 31-1 and 41-1.
[0043]
In FIG. 12, oblique convex spherical surfaces (angle PC polished surfaces) 31-1B and 41-1B are processed and formed on the ferrule end surfaces 31-1 and 41-1.
[0044]
In FIG. 13, oblique convex spherical surfaces are machined and formed on the ferrule end surfaces 31-1 and 41-1. In this case, a filter (non-reflective film) 31-1C is formed on one (left) ferrule end face 31-1 by vapor deposition.
[0045]
When simultaneously transmitting different wavelengths (for example, 1.3 μm and 1.55 μm), the optical connector 11 according to the present invention transmits only one wavelength by depositing a filter on one ferrule end face to form a film. It can also be used as a component that has the function of performing
[0046]
When the ferrule ends are formed into obliquely convex spherical surfaces (FIGS. 12 and 13) by the structure of the rectangular ferrule flange portions 31-2 and 41-2 described above, the ferrule ends are stably joined. , The ferrules are connected. Further, even when the ferrule end is processed into a convex spherical surface (FIGS. 10 and 11), the performance is more stable if the connection is always made under a constant condition (the first and second members use the same material).
[0047]
In the case of connection between ferrules whose ferrule ends are formed into oblique convex spherical surfaces (FIGS. 12 and 13), it is necessary to suppress the rotation of the ferrule at the time of fitting to ± 2 degrees or less. When the rotation of the ferrule occurs, the performance and the loss are significantly deteriorated. Further, in the case of connection between ferrules whose ferrule ends are processed into a convex spherical surface (FIGS. 10 and 11), there is no significant deterioration in performance and loss due to rotation of the ferrule.
[0048]
Incidentally, the optical fiber has a diameter of 125 μm. However, the core portion of the optical fiber bonded to the ferrule is 1 μm or less, but is eccentric. In the connection between single mode fibers, a loss of about 0.2 dB occurs due to an axis shift of 1 μm in the core portion. The above has been clarified by an evaluation test performed by the inventor, and it is desirable that the ferrule does not rotate during fitting.
[0049]
Referring to FIG. 17, an optical connector 11 according to a second embodiment of the present invention uses two coil springs 48. In this case, the intermediate portion 17 of the adapter (outer body) 13 is formed substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
The optical connector according to the present invention has a simple configuration in which the ferrules are sandwiched between the respective inner bodies, and thus has the following effects.
[0051]
1. Can be assembled without using dedicated jigs. As a result, it is inexpensive because of good operability of attaching and detaching.
[0052]
2. Highly versatile because it can be connected regardless of the end shape of the ferrule. Therefore, the optical connector can be used for an in-line filter, and a high-performance optical connector having excellent optical characteristics can be obtained.
[0053]
3. Since the ferrule has a rectangular member structure in which rotation is unlikely to occur at the time of fitting, an optical connector with small variations in performance and high performance can be obtained.
[0054]
4. The engaging projection fits into the small groove of the locking groove and is hooked, so that the locking groove requires only a small space in the longitudinal direction. In addition, since the holding (locking) mechanism uses a rectangular member having a square hole, the optical connector can be reduced in size.
[0055]
5. Since the inner bodies for pressing the ferrules are formed separately, the structure is simple and the assembly is easy.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an optical connector 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an adapter 13 constituting the optical connector 11 of FIG.
3 is a partially sectional perspective view of the adapter 13 of FIG. 2 cut diagonally.
4 is an enlarged perspective view of a first adapter end portion 15-1 of the adapter 13 of FIG. 2, in which a first locking groove 16-1a is formed on an upper surface of a first outer peripheral end portion.
FIG. 5 is a modification of the first adapter end 15-1 of the adapter 13 of FIG. 4, in which a first locking groove 16-1A is formed on the upper surface of the first outer peripheral end. The small groove of the first locking groove 16-1A has a taper.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the optical connector 11 after assembling the optical connector 11 of FIG. 1 with optical fibers 10-1 and 10-2.
FIG. 7 is a partially sectional perspective view showing a fitted state of the optical connector 11 of FIG. 6;
8 is a side view of the optical connector 11 after being assembled together with the optical fibers 10-1 and 10-2 of FIG.
9 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 11 assembled with the optical fibers 10-1 and 10-2 of FIG. 6 cut longitudinally along the longitudinal direction.
FIG. 10 is a partial side view of ferrules having ferrule end surfaces 31A and 41A, and is also a partial cross-sectional view of a first modified example having a different polishing state.
11 is an enlarged view of an intermediate portion 17 in FIG.
12 is a partial side view of ferrules having ferrule end surfaces 31B and 41B of FIG. 10, and is an enlarged view of an intermediate portion 17 of a second modified example having different polishing states.
FIG. 13 is a partial side view of ferrules having ferrule end surfaces 31C and 41C of FIG. 10, and is an enlarged view of an intermediate portion 17 of a third modified example having different polishing states.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along a facing end of the optical connector 11 for explaining a procedure when the inner body 29 is incorporated into the outer body 13 together with the ferrule 31.
15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the opposing end of the optical connector 11 in Steps 1 to 4 for explaining the procedure in FIG. 14 and a top view of Step 4;
FIG. 16 is a front view of a modified example of the outer body 13; The first opposing end has escape recesses 27-1, 27-2, 27-3, 27-4 formed at four corners thereof along the longitudinal direction.
FIG. 17 is a sectional view of the optical connector 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, which is cut longitudinally along the longitudinal direction.
[Explanation of symbols]
10-1, 10-2 Optical fiber 11 Optical connector 13 Adapter, that is, rectangular tubular outer shell member (outer body)
15-1 First Adapter End (First Opposite End and First Peripheral End)
15-1A First Adapter End 15-2 Second Adapter End (Second Opposing End and Second Peripheral End)
16-1a, 16-1b First locking groove 17 Intermediate portion 17-1 Round elongated hole 17-2 Boss (stopper)
23 First plug 25 First insertion hole 27-1 First engagement projection 27-2 First engagement projection 28-1 First escape recess 28-2 Second escape recess 28-3 Third escape recess 28- 4 Fourth recessed recess 29 First inner body 31 First ferrule 31-1 Ferrule end face 31-2 of ferrule main body Ferrule flange 33 Second plug 35 Second insertion hole 37 Second engaging projection 39 Second inner body 41 Second ferrule 41-1 Ferrule end face 41-2 of cylindrical ferrule main body Rectangular ferrule flange 43 Split sleeve 45 Collar 47 Elastic member (coil spring)

Claims (3)

An optical connector having an adapter interposed between a first plug and a second plug for connecting the first and second optical fibers,
The adapter is a tubular outer shell member extending along the longitudinal direction so as to have first and second ends, and the first and second adapter ends respectively connect the first and second plugs. Consisting of first and second opposed ends having first and second insertion openings along the longitudinal direction for storage, and first and second outer peripheral ends having first and second locking grooves. ,
The first plug includes:
A first inner body having a first insertion hole for inserting the first optical fiber and a first engagement projection fitted into the first locking groove; and accommodates, mounts and holds the first optical fiber. A first ferrule,
The second plug,
A second inner body having a second insertion hole for inserting the second optical fiber and a second engagement protrusion fitted into the second locking groove; and a second inner body for mounting and holding the second optical fiber. With a ferrule,
The first ferrule and the second ferrule each include a ferrule body having ferrule end faces joined to each other, and first and second rectangular ferrule flanges,
The second plug includes a cylindrical alignment member that is positioned when the first and second ferrules are joined to each other, a collar disposed at an outer peripheral end of the alignment member, and biases the second ferrule. Elastic member , whereby the alignment member is positioned at an intermediate portion between the first and second ferrule joining points by the collar, and the first and second ferrules are pressed against each other,
The first and second adapter ends are formed with rectangular square holes for accommodating the first and second inner bodies and the first and second ferrule flanges, respectively.
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first and second ferrules are sandwiched between the first and second inner bodies, locked and held. The optical connector according to claim 1,
The first and second opposed ends of the outer shell member have rectangular openings, and extend from both diagonal corners to the vicinity of the first and second locking grooves at the first and second outer peripheral ends. An optical connector, wherein escape recesses are respectively formed along the longitudinal direction. An optical connector having an adapter interposed between a first plug and a second plug for connecting the first and second optical fibers,
The adapter is a tubular outer shell member extending along the longitudinal direction so as to have first and second ends, and the first and second adapter ends respectively connect the first and second plugs. Consisting of first and second opposed ends having first and second insertion openings along the longitudinal direction for storage, and first and second outer peripheral ends having first and second locking grooves. The first locking groove is formed so as to have a T shape including a large groove for provisional insertion on the ferrule connection position side and a small fixing groove on the outer peripheral end side. Has a tapered portion,
The first plug includes:
A first inner body having a first insertion hole for inserting the first optical fiber and a first engagement projection fitted into the first locking groove; and accommodates, mounts and holds the first optical fiber. A first ferrule,
The second plug,
A second inner body having a second insertion hole for inserting the second optical fiber and a second engagement protrusion fitted into the second locking groove; and a second inner body for mounting and holding the second optical fiber. With a ferrule,
The first ferrule and the second ferrule each include a ferrule body having ferrule end faces joined to each other, and first and second rectangular ferrule flanges,
The second plug has a cylindrical alignment member that is positioned when the first and second ferrules are joined to each other,
The first and second adapter ends are formed with rectangular square holes for accommodating the first and second inner bodies and the first and second ferrule flanges, respectively.
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first and second ferrules are sandwiched between the first and second inner bodies, locked and held .

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