JP3929971B2 - Clip removal method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a clip removal method for removing a clip for attaching an optical connector to a backplane.

  For plug-in optical connectors, a so-called backplane connector has been conventionally provided (for example, Patent Document 1). FIG. 36 shows an example of a backplane connector. 36, reference numeral 1 denotes a plug-in unit, 2 denotes a print board, 3 denotes a backplane, 4a and 4b denote MPO connector plugs (hereinafter referred to as “MPO plugs”), and 5 denotes a print board housing (hereinafter referred to as “PH housing”). 6) is a backplane housing (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “BH housing”). In this backplane connector, the PH housing 5 is fitted into the BH housing 6 attached to the backplane 3 disposed on the side of the plug-in unit 1 by inserting the printed board 2 to which the PH housing 5 is fixed into the plug-in unit 1. Assembled together. The fitted PH housing 5 and BH housing 6 constitute an optical connector adapter 7 and connect the MPO plugs 4a and 4b inserted from both sides. The MPO plug 4a to be inserted into the optical connector adapter 7 from the PH housing 5 side is previously inserted into the PH housing 5, and the print board 2 is inserted into the plug-in unit 1 and at the same time inserted into the optical connector adapter 7. Since a plurality of printed boards 2 can be stored in the plug-in unit 1 in high density in parallel, the optical connector adapter 7 can be mounted in high density with this backplane connector. The MPO plugs 4a and 4b are optical connectors configured such that an optical connector ferrule 4c established in JIS C 5981 is supported on a plastic housing.

  FIG. 37 is an exploded perspective view showing an attachment structure of the BH housing 6 to the backplane 3. As shown in FIG. 37, the BH housing 6 is mounted on the backplane 3 such that the backplane 3 is sandwiched between the BH housing 6 and the backside housing 9 arranged on the opposite side via the backplane 3. ing. That is, the pin 10 protruding from the BH housing 6 arranged on the printed board 2 side (left side in FIG. 37) of the backplane 3 is inserted into the mounting hole 11 opened in the backplane 3 and is opposite to the backplane 3. The backplane 3 is sandwiched between the BH housing 6 and the backside housing 9 by fixing the backside housing 9 to the protruding tip of the pin 10 with screws 12. The housing body 8 and the back housing 9 of the BH housing 6 have holes into which the optical connector plugs 4b (MPO plugs) are inserted through the mounting holes 11 of the backplane 3, but in FIG. Illustration of this hole is omitted.

  The BH housing 6 is mounted with a slight floating with respect to the backplane 3. For example, in FIG. 37, the screw 12 that connects between the BH housing 6 and the back housing 9 can be slightly moved by the expanded portion 13 that is formed by expanding the four corners of the rectangular mounting hole 11. The BH housing 6 is allowed to float slightly by the movable range of the screw 12. The floating range of the BH housing 6 absorbs a dimensional tolerance between the BH housing 6 and the PH housing 5 and contributes to smooth fitting work.

  By the way, in the case of the backplane connector, the screw 12 is small (about 1.2 mm in diameter), and it takes time to fix the rear housing 9 with a hand tool. The pin 10 corresponding to the screw 12 and the screw hole 16 ( 37), there is also a problem that it takes time to form the mounting hole 11. Further, the floating range of the backplane housing 6 depends on the sliding resistance of the housing body 8 and the back 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 subtle differences, there is a problem that it takes time to adjust the clearance. That is, when a useless gap is generated between the housing main body 8 and the rear housing 9 due to the tolerance of the thickness of the backplane 3 in particular, the floating range of the backplane housing 6 becomes larger than necessary, and the print board housing 5 It becomes difficult to fit. On the other hand, when the thickness dimension of the backplane 3 is larger than a predetermined dimension, it may be difficult to float the backplane housing 6 or to be fixed by the screws 12 in some cases. However, if the formation accuracy is required for the entire backplane 3 in view of these problems, a significant cost increase is caused. As described above, in the backplane connector having the conventional configuration, it takes time and effort to secure a desired floating range in the backplane housing 6.

  By the way, in view of the above problems, the present inventor arranged the clip with the elastic claws protruding so as to face the backplane housing through the backplane, and penetrated the mounting hole opened in the backplane. A backplane connector has been developed in which the backplane housing is mounted on the backplane by engaging the elastic claws with the backplane so that the backplane is sandwiched between the clip and the clip. In this backplane connector, the floating range of the backplane housing can be set by the movable range of the elastic claw in the mounting hole opened in the backplane. It is easy to set the floating range, and if the formation accuracy of the elastic claws is secured, the formation accuracy of the backplane housing and the portions other than the elastic claws of the clip can be relaxed, and the cost can be reduced. .

  However, with this backplane connector, when exchanging the backplane housing, exchanging clips for changing the floating range, etc., it is easy to release the engagement between the backplane housing and the elastic claws of the clip. Technology development was newly required. In other words, since the backplane connector is required to be downsized in order to improve the mounting density, there is a demand to reduce the size of the locking portion and the elastic claw in the backplane housing where the elastic claw is locked. However, if these locking portions and elastic claws are reduced in size, there is a problem that the engagement cannot be easily released this time. Conversely, if the size of the elastic claw is increased in order to facilitate disengagement, it becomes difficult to increase the mounting density. Also, for example, since the backplane housing mounted on the backplane of the plug-in unit is located at the innermost part of the plug-in unit, it is extremely difficult to release the engagement of the elastic claws of the clip with respect to the backlane housing. There is also a problem that it becomes difficult work.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a clip removal tool and a clip removal method that can easily disengage a clip from a backplane housing.

The invention of claim 1, wherein, for a clip for attaching the backplane housing by the engagement of the backplane housing the backplane, is projected from the body portion of the clip is pierced to the backplane, via the backplane a clip removing method of releasing the engagement with the backplane housing of the clip facing the backplane housing disposed opposite to the engaged elastic claw Te, moved back and forth relative to the backplane housing And a clip removal tool having a retaining engaging portion that can be inserted into and engageable with the interior of the backplane housing, and the elastic pawl is disengaged from the backplane housing. With the plain housing on hold, Push the serial clip removal tool toward the backplane housing, after the holding engagement portions engaged inserted and engaged in the interior of the backplane housing, by pulling out the clip removal tool, together with the clip removal tool characterized in that said backplane housing was taken out from the backplane vicinity.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the clip removing method according to the first aspect, the clip removing tool includes an engaging claw pressing portion that presses an engaging claw protruding from a side portion of an elastic claw tip of the clip. is provided, allowed reducing the protrusion amount from the elastic claw end portion of the engaging pawl by pressing the engaging claw, it presses the elastic claw tip while maintaining this state, the backplane housing On the other hand, the elastic claw is moved to a position where the engaging claw is not engaged, thereby releasing the engagement of the elastic claw of the clip with the backplane housing .
According to a third aspect of the invention, the clip for attaching the backplane housing by the engagement of the backplane housing the backplane, is projected from the body portion of the clip is pierced to the backplane, via the backplane a clip removing method of releasing the engagement with the backplane housing of the clip facing the backplane housing disposed opposite to the engaged elastic claw Te, moved back and forth relative to the backplane housing And a clip removing tool having a retaining engaging part that can be inserted into and engaged with the interior of the backplane housing, and the backplane is disposed at the back of the plug-in unit, and the plug The in-unit is the attachment of the clip removal tool. A guide groove for pushing an operation handle attached to the backplane is provided in a direction toward the backplane housing attached to the backplane, and the engagement of the elastic claws to the backplane housing is released to release the backplane housing. In a state where the clip removal tool is held, the operation handle having the clip removal tool is pushed into the guide groove and inserted into the guide groove, and is pressed while being positioned with respect to the backplane housing. After inserting and engaging with the inside of the housing, the clip removing tool is pulled out to take out the back plane housing together with the clip removing tool from the vicinity of the back plane .

According to the present invention, the removal tool body, when the hold engaging portion is engaged with the backplane housing is provided by engagement of the holding engaging portion against the backplane housing, the clip is removed The backplane housing can be prevented from dropping from the backplane, and inconveniences such as damage due to dropping can be prevented, and the backplane housing can also be pulled out integrally with the removal tool by pulling out the removal tool from the vicinity of the backplane. Can do. Thereby, for example, there is an excellent effect that the workability of taking out the backplane housing from a narrow place such as in the plug-in unit can be improved.
In a state in which pending backplane housing by a clip removal tool, so to release the engagement with the clip backplane housing, can prevent a disadvantage such as breakage due to dropping of the backplane housing by disengagement of the clip. Further, by pulling out the clip removal tool from the vicinity of the backplane , the backplane housing can also be pulled out integrally and easily taken out from the vicinity of the backplane. Thereby, in particular, the workability of taking out the backplane housing from a narrow installation place such as in a plug-in unit can be improved.
If the removal tool body is provided with an attachment for separately attaching an operation handle for advancing and retracting the backplane housing , the plug-in can be operated by operating the operation handle attached to the removal tool body using the attachment. It is possible to efficiently perform the pressing operation of the removal tool on the unit and other backplane housings installed in a narrow space, and the workability of the clip removal operation can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, a backplane connector (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “BP connector”) to which the clip removing tool according to the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a BP connector, and FIG. 2 is a front sectional view. 1 and 2, reference numeral 20 denotes a BP connector, 21 denotes a plug-in unit, 22 denotes a print board, 23 denotes a backplane, 24a and 24b denote optical connector plugs, and 25 denotes a print board housing (hereinafter referred to as “PH housing”). , 26 is an optical connector attached to the backplane 23, and here is a backplane housing (hereinafter also referred to as “BH housing”). Hereinafter, the description of “backplane housing” and “BH housing” can be read as “optical connector”.

  In the BP connector 20 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a printed board 22 having a PH housing 25 fixed thereto is inserted into the plug-in unit 21, and the PH housing is attached to the BH housing 26 attached to the back plane 23 of the plug-in unit 21. By fitting 25, the optical connector plugs 24a and 24b inserted and held in advance in the PH housing 25 and the BH housing 26 are connected to each other. The fitted PH housing 25 and BH housing 26 constitute an optical connector adapter 27 that connects the optical connector plugs 24a and 24b inserted from both sides.

  As the optical connector plugs 24a and 24b employed here, for example, a so-called MPO type optical connector (MPO: Multifiber Push On) established in Japanese Industrial Standard JIS C 5982 and International Electrotechnical Commission IEC 1754-7 issuance. Optical connector plug (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “MPO plug”), an optical connector having an optical connector ferrule 24c, which is an MT type optical connector (Mechanically Transferable) established in JIS C 5981, supported by a plastic housing It is. In general, the optical connector ferrule 24c uses a tip whose end is polished by PC (Pyhsical Contact). Specifically, the butt connection between the optical connector ferrules 24c and 24c established in JIS C 5981 is as follows. The guide pin 24p, which is fitted in one optical connector ferrule 24c in advance and protruded from the joining end face, The optical connector ferrule 24c is precisely positioned by being inserted and fitted into a guide pin hole 24o formed in the optical connector ferrule 24c. Since the PH housing 25 is accurately fitted by slightly floating the BH housing 26, the guide pin 24p can be smoothly inserted and fitted into the guide pin hole, and the workability of connecting the optical connector ferrules 24c to each other is improved. Can be improved. The optical connector plugs 24a and 24b are not limited to the MPO plug described above, and various configurations can be employed.

  The BH housing 26 is attached to the back plane 23 so that the back plane 23 is sandwiched between the clip 29 by being engaged with a clip 29 provided on the opposite side via the back plane 23. . The BH housing 26 is disposed on the print board 22 side (right side in FIG. 2) of the back plane 23, and the clip 29 is disposed on the opposite side of the BH housing 26 through the back plane 23. 2 and 3, the clip 29 includes a pair of elastic claws 29b protruding from opposite sides (upper and lower ends in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the rectangular frame-shaped main body portion 29a. The back plane 23 is sandwiched between the BH housing 26 by engaging the elastic claw 29 b pierced through the mounting hole 31 opened in the plane 23 with the BH housing 26. Both the outer shape of the BH housing 26 and the outer shape of the main body portion 29 a of the clip 29 are larger than the mounting hole 31 and do not enter the mounting hole 31. Further, the space inside the frame shape of the main body portion 29 a of the clip 29 is sized to allow the optical connector plug 24 b to be inserted, and communicates with the mounting hole 31. Even if the BH housing 26 floats, the backplane 23 and the main body 29a around the mounting hole 31 do not interfere with the optical connector plug 24b inserted and connected to the BH housing 26, and the optical connector plug 24b with respect to the BH housing 26 does not interfere. The insertion connection state is not adversely affected.

  Further, in the mounting hole 31, for example, the movable dimension c in the left-right direction and the movable dimension d in the vertical direction in FIG. 3 are secured so that both elastic claws 29b of the clip 29 can float, and the BH housing 26 is allowed to float. is doing. Thereby, the dimension crossing at the time of fitting the PH housing 25 to the BH housing 26 is absorbed by the floating of the BH housing 26 to improve fitting workability. Further, the main body 29a of the clip 29 has a vertex 29e at the center in the vertical direction and is bent or curved (bent in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4), and the vertex 29e is brought into contact with the backplane 23. This facilitates rotation and floating of the BH housing 26 in a vertical plane centered on the apex 29e, and also allows the floating range of the BH housing 26 to be achieved by the main body portion 29a functioning like a leaf spring. It comes to secure. The main body portion 29a is configured to always apply a spring force to the elastic claw 29b by a reaction force caused by the top portion 29e pressing the back plane 23, and thus protrudes from the distal end portion 29c of the elastic claw 29b. The engaged claw 29d is kept pressed against the locking portion 34 on the BH housing 26 side to prevent the engagement from being released, and the BH housing 26 is prevented from inadvertently floating (vibrating). Prevents adverse effects such as characteristic deterioration. The clip is not limited to the above-described configuration, and various configurations can be adopted. However, in any configuration, the BH housing 26 is generally allowed to float.

  A plurality of attachment holes 31 are continuously provided on the back plane 23 of the plug-in unit 21 (in FIG. 3, provided on the left and right sides). In the plug-in unit 21, the BH housing 26 is assembled in each of the attachment holes 31. A plurality of BH housings 26 are arranged and mounted. In addition, the print board 22 can be inserted into the plug-in unit 21 corresponding to each BH housing 26. Thereby, in this BP connector 20, the optical connector adapter 27 consisting of the PH housing 25 and the BH housing 26 can be mounted with high density. In the plug-in unit 21, a plurality of print boards 22 are formed in parallel on the upper and lower bottom plates 30a and 30b (see FIG. 2) of the plug-in unit 21 (see FIGS. 1 and 3; not shown in FIG. 2). ), The BH housing 26 into which the PH housing 25 is fitted can be selected. Depending on the positioning accuracy of the printed board 22 by the guide groove 32, the PH housing 25 is positioned with respect to the BH housing 26 and inserted and fitted.

  Specifically, the clip 29 is formed by molding an elastic plate material such as a metal plate to form a main body portion 29a and a pair of elastic claws 29b. FIG. 4 shows an engagement structure between the clip 29 and the BH housing 26. As shown in FIG. 4, the elastic claws 29 b are inserted from the backplane 23 side into the claw insertion holes 33 penetrating the opposite upper and lower side portions (upper and lower side portions in FIG. 4) of the BH housing 26. The elastic claw 29b has an engaging claw 29d protruding to the side of the elastic claw tip 29c protruding through the claw insertion hole 33 and protruding to the PH housing 25 side, on the side of the BH housing 26. By being engaged with the locking portion 34 provided, the BH housing 26 is engaged so as not to be pulled out. The engaging claws 29d are slanted so that a part of the tip 29c of the leaf spring-like elastic claws 29b is opened to the outside of the pair of elastic claws 29b, that is, opposite to the opposing elastic claws 29b. It is a raised part, and has a shape that projects obliquely from the elastic claw tip 29c toward the main body 29a. The elastic claw 29b can be inserted into the claw insertion hole 33 while the engagement claw 29d is elastically deformed by being pushed into the claw insertion hole 33 from the backplane 23 side. The engaging claw 29d of each elastic claw 29b passes through the claw insertion hole 33 to the PH housing 25 side, and at the same time returns to its original protruding state by its own elasticity, and is adjacent to the claw insertion hole 33 and outside the BH housing 26. Is engaged with a wall-like locking portion 34 provided on the wall. As a result, the engagement between the clip 29 and the BH housing 26 is stably maintained unless the engagement claw 29d is pushed substantially parallel to the elastic claw 29b and the engagement with the locking portion 34 is released.

  Next, the clip removal tool 50 according to the present invention (hereinafter may be abbreviated as “removal tool 50”) will be described. 5 is a perspective view showing the removal tool 50, FIG. 6 is a view showing the removal tool 50, (a) is a front view, and (b) is the front side in the pressing direction against the BH housing 26 (left side in FIG. 6 (a)). (C) is a plan view, and (d) is a bottom view. 7A to 7D are views showing the removal tool main body 51 constituting the removal tool 50, and FIGS. 8A to 8D are views showing the frame 58 of the claw blocks 51A and 51B constituting the removal tool 50. FIG. FIGS. 9A and 9B are component diagrams showing disengagement pieces 52a and 52b attached to the frame 58. FIGS. 10A to 10D are holding members provided on the removal tool 50. FIG. FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a configuration of the joint portion 60, FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a state before the removal tool 50 is pressed against the BH housing 26, and FIGS. FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example in which 90 is applied, and FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a state in which the removal tool 50 is pressed against the BH housing 26.

  6A to 6D, FIGS. 11A and 11B, the clip removal tool 50 is a removal tool main body 51 that is advanced and retracted with respect to the BH housing 26, and the removal tool main body 51 is opposed to the removal tool main body 51. It comprises a pair of claw blocks 51A and 51B that are detachably attached to both sides. Specifically, the claw blocks 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B are attached to and detached from the removal tool main body 51 with screws 91. The claw blocks 51A and 51B have the same configuration, but the attachment position with respect to the removal tool main body 51 is reversed.

  Each claw block 51A, 51B is pivotally supported by a frame 58 made of hard resin, metal or the like (see FIGS. 8A to 8D) so that the disengagement pieces 52a, 52b can be rotated by a shaft 53. It has a configuration attached. Each of the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b has a front end side with respect to a base end portion pivotally attached to the shaft 53, and a front side in the pressing direction of the removal tool 50 against the BH housing 26 (FIGS. 6A, 6C, and 6D) The left side of Fig. 11 is attached in such a manner that this direction may be referred to as "front" and the opposite side may be referred to as "rear". The claw blocks 51A and 51B have stopper walls 57 formed so as to protrude from the frame 58 to the front side of the shaft 53. The disengagement pieces 52a and 52b are urged and pressed against the stopper wall 57 from the side of the claw block opposite to the tip side by the springs 56 provided on the claw blocks 51A and 51B, respectively. ing. However, the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b can be displaced from the stopper wall 57 to the opposing claw block side through the removal tool main body 51 within the range of expansion and contraction of the spring 56, whereby a pair of disengagement pieces 52a. , 52b, the separation distance between the tips is variable. When each disengagement piece 52a, 52b contacts the stopper wall 57, the distance between the tips of the pair of disengagement pieces 52a, 52b is maximized.

When the removal tool 50 is pressed against the BH housing 26, both the disengagement pieces 52 a and 52 b are pressed against the elastic claw tip portions 29 c of the clip 29, respectively, and against the locking portion 34 of the BH housing 26. The engagement of the engagement claw 29d is released.
At the front end of each of the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b in the protruding direction from the claw blocks 51A and 51B, a contact portion 54 that comes into contact with the elastic claw tip 29c and the engagement claw 29d of the elastic claw 29b are provided. An engaging claw pressing portion 55 to be pressed is provided. When the pair of engagement release pieces 52a and 52b are in contact with the stopper wall 57, the distance between the engagement piece pressing portions 55 of the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b is the pair of engagement pieces 29d of the clip 29. The distance between the contact portions 54 of the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b is substantially the same as the distance between the pair of elastic claw tip portions 29c of the clip 29. Therefore, by pushing the removal tool 50 toward the BH housing 26, the engagement piece pressing portions 55 of the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b can be pressed against the pair of engagement pieces 29d of the clip 29. The contact portions 54 of the disengagement pieces 52 a and 52 b can be pressed against the pair of elastic claw tip portions 29 c of the clip 29.

  The retaining engagement portion 60 provided in a protruding state between the removal tool main body 51 and the disengagement pieces 52a, 52b is a plug hole 28a (see FIG. 21) penetrating through the internal housing 28 built in the BH housing 26. It is formed in an elongated shape that can be inserted into The holding engaging portion 60 has a retractable engaging / disengaging piece 64 on the side, and is inserted into the plug hole 28a to engage the retracting engaging piece 64 with the inner housing 28. It functions to hold the BH housing 26 after removal of the clip 29 to the removal tool 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 (a) to 6 (d) and FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (d), the retaining engagement portion 60 is configured by assembling a plurality of components on a central shaft 61. . Hereinafter, the configuration of the holding engagement portion 60 will be specifically described. A cap-shaped (bottom-bottomed cylindrical) insertion cap 62 provided to house the tip end portion (side directed to the front side of the removal tool 50) of the central shaft 61 has a central axis along the axial direction of the central shaft 61. It is possible to push in toward the proximal end portion 61, that is, toward the removal tool main body 51. The insertion cap 62 is secured between the bottom surface of the inner space 62a of the insertion cap 62 on the cap tip side (left side of FIGS. 10A, 10C, and 10D) and the tip of the central shaft 61. The spring 65 accommodated in the clearance can be pushed toward the base end side with respect to the central shaft 61 within the range of expansion and contraction (see FIG. 20 for the pushed state), and after pushing, by the biasing force of the spring 65 10 (a) to 10 (d).

  The protrusion / disengagement engagement piece 64 provided in the recess 61a formed in the side portion of the central shaft 61 is orthogonal to the axial direction of the central shaft 61 by the shaft 63 provided in the recess 61a. And is pivotally supported by a rotation axis in the direction of rotation, and is projected from a base end portion pivotally attached to the shaft 63 of the retracting engagement piece 64 by rotation about the shaft 63. The engaging tip 64 a is projected and retracted on the side of the central shaft 61. The spring 61d provided in the recess 61a functions to push out from the recess 61a to the side portion of the central shaft 61.

  The recess 61 a is accommodated in the insertion cap 62. The side wall of the insertion cap 62 is opened with a window 62b having a size capable of inserting the engaging tip 64a of the retracting engagement piece 64, and the engaging tip 64a of the retracting engagement piece 64 is recessed. It protrudes to the side of the insertion cap 62 through the window 62b communicated with the opening of the location 61a. Here, the protruding / engaging engagement piece 64 also functions as a stopper for preventing the insertion cap 62 from coming off from the distal end side of the central shaft 61. That is, the stopper 64b protruding from the protrusion / retraction engagement piece 64 comes into contact with the inner surface of the recess 61a so that the engagement tip 64a moves to the front end side of the holding engagement portion 60. Since the rotation of the joint piece 64 (counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 10A) is restricted, the inner surface of the rear end side (right side in FIG. 18A) of the window 62b of the insertion cap 62 is projected and retracted. The point of contact with the engaging tip 64a (specifically, the engaging tip 64a) is the limit of movement of the insertion cap 62 toward the tip of the holding engaging portion 60. In FIG. 10A and the like, it protrudes from the base end portion of the protruding / engaging engagement piece 64 so as to protrude toward the distal end side of the holding engagement portion 60 with respect to the rotation center of the protruding / engaging engagement piece 64 by the shaft 63. Although the stopper portion 64b is illustrated as an example, the stopper portion formed on the retracting engagement piece is not limited to this, and the engagement tip is brought into contact with the inner surface of the recess 61a toward the tip side of the holding engagement portion. Any configuration can be used as long as it can regulate the rotation of the appearing / engaging engagement piece that moves, and various configurations can be adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 20, when the insertion cap 62 is pushed toward the rear side of the removal tool 50 with respect to the central shaft 61 while the spring 65 is being compressed, the engagement tip 64a is located at the front end of the removal tool 50 of the window 62b. The spring 61d is elastically deformed by the rotation of the projecting / retracting engagement piece 64 about the shaft 63 while being pressed toward the rear side of the removal tool 50 by the positioned inner surface (here, the spring 61d has the engagement tip 64a and the recess). 61a is pushed into the recess 61a. When the pushing force to the rear side of the removal tool 50 with respect to the central axis 61 of the insertion cap 62 is released, the insertion cap 62 is moved along the central axis 61 by the urging force of the spring 65 as shown in FIG. 50, when the engaging tip 64a of the retracting engagement piece 64 can enter the window 62b, the engaging tip 64a of the retracting engagement piece 64 is moved by the biasing force of the spring 61d. 62b enters and protrudes outward from the window 62b. In other words, in the retaining engagement portion 60, by moving the insertion cap 62 along the axial direction of the central shaft 61, the protrusion / recession engagement portion 60 comes and goes from the window 62b on the side of the insertion cap 62. Yes.

  On the base end side of the central shaft 61 opposite to the distal end, a pressing member 66 is provided outside the central shaft 61 so as to be movable along the axial direction of the central shaft 61, and the central shaft 61 is provided. And a spring 67 that is interposed between the pressure receiving portion and the pressing member 66 and that can be expanded and contracted in the direction of the central axis 61.

  The holding engaging portion 60 is protruded from the removal tool main body 51 by inserting and fixing the insertion fixing portion 68 provided on the proximal end side of the central shaft 61 to the removal tool main body 51. Specifically, the insertion fixing portion 68 is a fixing ring inserted and fixed outside the base end of the central shaft 61 (hereinafter, the insertion fixing portion may be referred to as a “fixing ring”). 68 is accommodated so as to be fitted in a fixing hole 51a that is opened on the front side in the pressing direction of the removal tool main body 51 and extends to the rear side, and is fixed to the removal tool main body 51 by fixing means such as a screw 92, It is attached so that it cannot be pulled out. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), specifically, the retaining engagement portion 60 penetrates the removal tool main body 51 from the fixing hole 51a and is opened on the rear surface 51c (FIG. 7 (a), ( The screw 92 inserted from the rear surface side of the removal tool main body 51 in (c) and (d)) is screwed into the screw hole 61e at the rear end of the central shaft 61 so that the removal tool main body 51 cannot be pulled out. . If the screw 92 is removed, the holding engagement portion 60 can be detached from the removal tool main body 51. Further, the engagement of the key groove 68a (see FIGS. 10A to 10C, etc.) formed on the side of the fixing ring 68 and the key 51b projecting from the inner surface of the fixing hole 51a results in the retention mechanism. The mounting direction of the joint 60 in the direction around the axis about the central axis 61 is determined. The key and the key groove for determining the fixing direction of the holding engagement portion 60 with respect to the removal tool main body 51 may be formed on the fixing ring 68 side and the key groove on the fixing hole 51a side of the removal tool main body 51.

  The fixing ring 68 also functions as the aforementioned pressure receiving portion for the spring 67. In other words, the spring 67 is interposed between a fixing ring 68 serving as a pressure receiving portion and a pressing member 66 disposed on the front side of the fixing ring 68, and is located rearward along the central axis 61 of the pressing member 66. When it is pressed and contracted as it is pushed, the reaction force is applied to the fixed ring 68 to urge the pressing member 66 forward. Specifically, the pressing member 66 is a ring inserted outside the central shaft 61. The pressing member 66 is restricted from moving forward from the contact position with the fixed block portion 61b having a shape projecting from the central portion of the central shaft 61 in the axial direction to opposite sides of the central shaft 61. . The pressing member 66 is pressed against the fixed block portion 61 b by the urging force of the spring 67.

  A pair of slide bars 69 a and 69 b extending along the central axis 61 are fixed to both sides of the central axis 61 on a fixed block 61 b formed at the central part in the axial direction of the central axis 61. Each slide bar 69a, 69b extends forward from the fixed block portion 61b, and the tip of the central shaft 61 and the tips of the slide bars 69a, 69b arranged side by side on both sides of the central shaft 61 are arranged. , Stored in the insertion cap 62. The insertion cap 62 is slidably movable back and forth along the longitudinal direction (extending direction) with respect to the two slide bars 69a and 69b. Movement has been realized. The fixed block portion 61b also functions as a fixed portion for the slide bars 69a and 69b and a stopper for setting a forward movement limit of the pressing member 66, but the fixed portion for the slide bars 69a and 69b. Needless to say, it is also possible to adopt a structure that realizes the function as a stopper and the function as a stopper for setting the forward movement limit of the pressing member 66 by separate members. Here, the fixed block portion 61 b is an overhang portion protruding from the central shaft 61, but is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration including a separate part fixed to the outside of the central shaft 61 can be employed.

  FIGS. 11A and 11B show an example in which the printed board 22 is used as an operation handle and is attached to the removal tool body 51. FIGS. 13A and 13B show a rod-shaped operation rod 90 as an operation handle. Is attached to the removal tool main body 51. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the print board 22 is fixed to the side of the attachment 59 protruding from the rear portion of the removal tool main body 51 by screws. As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the operating rod 90 is provided on the rear surface side of the block-shaped attachment 59a fixed to the rear surface of the removal tool main body 51 by screws or the like (FIGS. 13A and 13B). ) It is fixed to the removal tool main body 51 via the attachment 59a by being inserted and screwed into the screw hole opened on the right side). The clip removal tool 50 uses these operation handles 22 and 90 to perform operations such as pressing against the BH housing 26 mounted on the back plane 23 at the back of the plug-in unit 21 and drawing out from the plug-in unit 21. It can be done efficiently. When the print board 22 is attached as an operation handle, the removal tool 50 is attached to the BH housing 26 only by pushing the print board 22 into the plug-in unit 21 and inserting the print board 22 according to the positioning accuracy of the print board 22 with respect to the plug-in unit 21. There is an advantage that the pressing operation can be performed in a state of being accurately positioned, and the work of removing the clip 29 from the BH housing 26 can be efficiently performed.

  FIG. 21 to FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B show specific examples of the BH housing 26. 21 to 23 (a) and 23 (b), the BH housing 26 is configured to store and hold only one optical connector plug 24b, which is an MPO plug, and together with the PH housing 25 shown in FIG. A BP connector for connecting certain optical connector plugs 24a and 24b at 1: 1 is configured. When the PH housing 25 is fitted to the BH housing 26 to constitute the optical connector adapter 27, the optical connector plug 24b inserted into the BH housing 26 and held in engagement is inserted into the PH housing 25 and held in engagement. An optical connector plug 25a is connected.

  The BP housing 26 includes a rectangular tubular housing main body 35 and an internal housing 28 that is inserted into and accommodated in the internal space 36 penetrating the housing main body 35 from the abutment surface 37 side with respect to the back plane 23. Has been. The inner housing 28 has a sleeve shape through which a plug hole 28a is passed. As the internal housing 28, for example, an entire housing formed of a synthetic resin such as plastic is used.

  The BH housing 26 is assembled by housing the inner housing 28 in the housing body 35 (the assembled state shown in FIGS. 22 and 23A). The inner housing 28 inserted into the inner space 36 of the BH housing 26 from the abutting surface 37 side has the abutting pieces 28b projecting on the opposite upper and lower side portions (up and down in FIG. 21, up and down in FIG. 22). The main body 35 abuts against a stopper wall 38 provided on the PH housing 25 side facing the abutment surface 37 and faces both left and right sides (upper left to lower right in FIG. 21, upper left to lower right in FIG. 22, FIG. 23). The retaining engaging claws 28c protruding in (a) middle and upper) are engaged with engaging protrusions 39 formed on opposite left and right sides of the internal space 36 of the housing body 35. The stopper wall 38 plays a role of preventing the inner housing 28 from coming off to the PH housing 25 side, and the engagement protrusion 39 engages with the retaining engagement claw 28c to bring the inner housing 28 toward the back plane 23 side. Since it plays a role of retaining, the inner housing 28 is stored and held at a predetermined position in the housing main body 35 of the BH housing 26.

  The claw insertion hole 33 is formed in a slit shape that penetrates the protruding proximal end portion of the locking portion 34 that protrudes from the upper and lower side portions of the housing body 35, and the elastic claw distal end portion 29c is formed from the contact surface 37 side. By pushing in, the elastically deformed engaging claw 29d can be passed in a state of being pushed into the hole 29f (see FIG. 21) of the elastic claw tip 29c. The engaging claws 29d that have passed through the claw insertion holes 33 return to their original protruding state due to their own elasticity, and open so as to protrude from the elastic claws 28b to the outside of the BH housing 26, respectively, as shown in FIG. Engage with the stop 34. The engaging claw 29d engaged with the locking portion 34 is exposed facing the PH housing 25, and when the clip removing tool 50 is pressed against the BH housing 26 as described later, the clip removing tool 50 is exposed. The engagement claw pressing portion 55 of each of the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b presses the engagement claw 29d from the outside of the BH housing 26 to reduce the amount of protrusion of the engagement claw 29d from the elastic claw 29b. Since the engagement with the portion 34 is released, the clip 29 can be easily removed. As shown in FIG. 23 (b), the engagement recesses (not shown) on both sides of the optical connector plug 24b inserted from the back plane 23 side can be engaged with and disengaged on both sides of the plug hole 28a of the inner housing 28 facing each other. A pair of connector holding claws 40, which are elastic claws that hold the optical connector plug 24b by engaging with the optical connector plug 24b, project.

  As shown in FIGS. 21, 22, 23A, and 23B, the inner housing 28 of the BH housing 26 that holds the MPO plug that is the optical connector plug 24b has an elongated hole shape corresponding to the outer shape of the MPO plug. Plug hole 28a, and a key groove 28g having a shape in which one side portion in the short axis x direction (see FIG. 22) which is the left-right direction of the plug hole 28a is expanded, so that the plug hole 28a is only in a predetermined direction. The optical connector plug 24b can be inserted into the cable. The connector holding claws 40 are disposed opposite to both sides of the plug hole 28a in the long axis y direction, that is, both sides in the vertical direction, and the formation position of the connector holding claws 40 is shifted from the retaining engagement claws 28c with respect to the housing body 35 of the inner housing 28. ing.

  Next, a clip removal method using the removal tool 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. The removal tool 50 also functions as a holding tool for holding the optical connector (BH housing 26) in the clip removing method. FIG. 11 shows a state before the removal tool 50 is pressed against the BH housing 26. Next, the removal tool 50 is inserted into the back side (backplane 23 side) of the plug-in unit 21 and pressed against the BH housing 26. Thereby, first, the retaining engagement portion 60 protruding forward from the pair of disengagement pieces 52a and 52b is inserted into the plug hole 28a of the inner housing 28 of the BH housing 26, and then the pair of engagement release pieces 52a and 52b. The engagement claw pressing portion 55 at the tips of the engagement release pieces 52 a and 52 b is pressed by the engagement claw 29 d of the pair of elastic claws 29 b of the clip 29.

  The insertion cap 62 at the distal end of the retaining engagement portion 60 has a cross-sectional shape that substantially matches the plug hole 28a, and the retaining engagement portion 60 can be inserted into the plug hole 28a in a direction in which the insertion cap 62 can be inserted. That is, the key 62c protruding from the side of the insertion cap 62 is fixed to the removal tool main body 51 in such a direction as to be inserted into the key groove 29g of the plug hole 28a. The removal tool 50 is positioned with respect to the BH housing 26 by inserting the holding engaging portion 60 into the plug hole 28a prior to the contact of the disengaging claws 52a and 52b with the elastic claws 29b. The removal tool 50 can be pressed against the BH housing 26 in the correct direction, and the engagement and disengagement of the disengagement claws 52a and 52b against the elastic claws 29b can be performed accurately. As shown in FIG. 23 (c), the leading end of the holding engagement portion 60 is inserted into the inner housing 28 so as to push between the opposing connector holding claws 40 on both sides of the inner housing 28 by the insertion work, The inner housing 28 protrudes to the back plane 23 side, that is, the mounting hole 31. Since the tip of the holding engaging portion 60 is tapered, the pair of connector holding claws 40 are pushed and spread and inserted into the plug hole 28a smoothly.

  Since the protruding / extracting engagement piece 64 protruding from the window 62b of the insertion cap 62 has a mountain shape in which the protruding amount from the insertion cap 62 increases from the front side to the rear side, the insertion cap 62 into the plug hole 28a. With the insertion of the plug hole 28a, the plug hole 28a enters the plug hole 28a while being smoothly and smoothly pushed into the recess 61a by contact with the inner housing 28 around the opening end of the plug hole 28a. Then, as shown in FIG. 17, in the retaining engagement portion 60, the protruding / retracting engagement piece 64 protruding from the window 62b of the insertion cap 62 is pushed into the recess 61a by contact with the inner wall of the plug hole 28a. In the state, it is inserted into the plug hole 28a. The projecting / retracting engagement piece 64 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the plug hole 28a by the urging force of the spring 61d built in the recess 61a, while the retaining engagement portion 60 is pushed into the plug hole 28. As shown in FIG. 18, when the plug hole 28a comes out from the end portion on the back plane 23 side, it protrudes from the window 62b of the insertion cap 62 and can be engaged with the inner housing 28.

  It should be noted that the protrusion / retraction engagement piece 64 is pulled out from the plug hole 28a toward the back plane 23, protrudes from the window 62b of the insertion cap 62, and can be engaged with the inner housing 28 before being retained in the plug hole 28a. When the engaging portion 60 is inserted, the holding member 66 of the holding engaging portion 60 is pressed against the inner housing 28 and retracted relative to the central shaft 61, and the compression of the spring 67 is started. In addition, the protrusion / engagement engagement piece 64 can be engaged with the inner housing 28. More specifically, before the engagement between the clip 29 and the BH housing 26 is released by the removal tool 50, more specifically, the BH housing. This is before the engagement of the engaging claw 29d on the clip 29 side with the engaging portion 34 on the 26th side is released by the pair of engagement releasing pieces 52a and 52b. The pressing member 66 has a shape that does not enter the plug hole 28a but is brought into contact with the inner housing 28 by insertion of the retaining engagement portion 60 into the plug hole 28a.

  14 to 16 show the vicinity of one of the disengagement pieces 52a. FIG. 15 shows one of the disengagement pieces 52a, but the pair of disengagement pieces 52a and 52b have the same shape, and the attachment direction of the clip removal tool 50 is reversed. Yes. The pair of disengagement pieces 52a and 52b function in the same manner with respect to the pair of elastic claws 29b so that the disengagement with respect to the locking portion 34 is performed almost simultaneously.

  FIG. 14 shows a state before the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b are pressed against the pair of elastic claws 29b of the clip 29. FIG. When the removal tool 50 is pressed toward the BH housing 26, first, the engagement claw pressing portions 55 of the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b are engaged with the pair of elastic claws 29b of the clip 29 as shown in FIG. As the removal tool 50 is further pressed against the BH housing 26, the engaging claw pressing portions 55 are brought into contact with the outer surface of the elastic claw 29b (the surface on the side where the engaging claw 29d is raised). While sliding substantially toward the back plane 23 while sliding, the engaging claw 29d is pressed so as to eliminate the protrusion from the elastic claw 29b. That is, the engaging claw 29d is pushed down by the engaging claw pressing portion 55 in the hole 29f of the elastic claw tip 29c after the engaging claw 29d bent so as to raise a part of the elastic claw 29b is raised. And push it in. Here, the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b are brought into contact with the stopper wall 57 formed on the frame 58 of the claw blocks 51A and 51B so that the distance between the ends of the pair of disengagement pieces 52a and 52b is increased. Therefore, the engaging claw 29d can be firmly pushed in by the engaging claw pressing portion 55. As a result, the engagement of the engagement claws 29d with the locking portions 34 of the housing body 35 of the BH housing 26 is released. Each engagement release piece 52a, 52b is pressed against the stopper wall 57 by the urging force of the spring 61d provided between the claw blocks 51A, 51B and the frame 58. The engagement release pieces 52a and 52b (specifically, the engagement claw pressing portion 55) are pressed against the engagement claws 29d of the pair of elastic claws 29b in a state where the distance between the tips of the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b is stably maintained. The engagement release pieces 52a and 52b can be reliably pressed against the engagement claw 29d.

  Next, when the removal tool 50 is further pushed into the BH housing 26, the contact portion 54 comes into contact with the elastic claw tip portion 29c and presses the elastic claw tip portion 29c. As shown in FIG. The elastic claw 29b is pushed into the claw insertion hole 33. As a result, the engagement claw 29d cannot be engaged with the locking portion 34. The disengagement pieces 52a and 52b are pivoted by inserting into the shaft 53 a long hole 52c formed in an elongated shape along the extending direction of the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b. When the elastic claw tip 29c starts to be pressed, first, the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b provided with the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 52c along the longitudinal direction of the removal tool 50 are within the range of the elongated hole 52c. It is pushed into the rear side of the removal tool 50. In each disengagement piece 52a, 52b, the abutment position of the abutment portion 54 with respect to the elastic claw tip portion 29c is opposite to the disengagement piece 52a, 52b on the other side than the shaft 53 (rotation center of the disengagement piece). Since the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b elastically deform the spring 56 by the contact and pressing of the contact portion 54 against the elastic claw tip portion 29c, the shaft 53 is centered. The disengagement pieces 52a and 52b rotate in a direction in which the tips of the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b approach the BH housing 26 and in a direction in which the distance between the tips of the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b decreases. As a result, the engagement claw pressing portion 55 of the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b surely pushes the engagement claw 29d into the hole 29f of the elastic claw tip portion 29c, and in this state, the abutment portion 54 causes the elastic claw 29b. Is pushed into the backplane 23 side, so that the elastic claw 29b is smoothly pushed into the claw insertion hole 33 of the housing body 35. If the engaging claw 29d is pushed into the claw insertion hole 33 of the housing body 35, the elastic claw 29b can be easily extracted from the BH housing 26 via the claw insertion hole 33, and the BH housing 26 and the clip 29 can be easily removed. Can be separated.

  In the clip 29 in which the main body portion 29e itself functions like a leaf spring with respect to the backplane 23, the engagement of the engaging claw 29d with respect to the locking portion 34 of the BH housing 26 is released, and at the same time, the spring force of the main body portion 29e. Thus, the elastic claw tip 29c is quickly and surely pulled into the claw insertion hole 33, so that inconveniences such as re-engagement due to the return of the engagement claw 29d released from the engagement part 34 can be reliably prevented. .

  Even if the engagement claw 29d of the clip 29 is disengaged from the engagement portion 34 of the BH housing 26 by the clip removal tool 50, the retaining engagement portion 60 (more specifically, the protrusion / disengagement engagement piece 64) and the BH Due to the engagement with the internal housing 28 built in the housing 26, the BH housing 26 does not fall from the backplane 23 but remains on the clip removal tool 50 side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, when the clip removal tool 50 is pulled out from the plug-in unit 21 after the clip 29 is removed, the BH housing 26 can be taken out of the plug-in unit 21 together with the clip removal tool 50. it can. At this time, the clip removal tool 50 functions as a holding tool for holding the optical connector which is the BH housing 26.

  Specifically, after the engagement of the engaging claw 29d of the clip 29 with respect to the locking portion 34 of the BH housing 26 is released, when the removal tool 50 starts to be pulled out from the plug-in unit 21, the biasing force of the spring 67 causes The BH housing 26 is pulled out from the plug-in unit 21 together with the removal tool 50 in a state where the inner housing 28 is held between the pressing member 66 and the retracting engagement piece 64. Here, since the inner housing 28 is held between the pressing member 66 and the retracting engagement piece 64, unnecessary swinging of the BH housing 26 is prevented, so that the components in the plug-in unit 21 are moved during the drawer movement. And the inconvenience that the BH housing 26 is caught on the optical fiber or the like can be prevented.

  When the contact state between the contact portions 54 of the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b of the removal tool 50 and the elastic claws 29b of the clip 29 is released as the clip 29 is removed, each engagement is performed. The release pieces 52a and 52b return to the state before being pressed against the BH housing 26 by the urging force of the spring 56. Further, the removal tool 50 is pushed toward the BH housing 26 to the limit of pushing, that is, the tips of the engagement release pieces 52a and 52b (specifically, the engaging claw pressing portions 55) are engaged with the housing main body 35 of the BH housing 26. It is only necessary to start pushing out from the plug-in unit 21 until the stopper 34 is brought into contact with the stopper 34. By this operation, the engagement claw 29d of the clip 29 is disengaged from the engaging part 34 of the BH housing 26, the clip A series of operations for pulling out the BH housing 26 detached from the plug-in unit 21 with respect to 29 can be performed.

  When the BH housing 26 is pulled out to the outside of the plug-in unit 21, the insertion cap 62 at the tip of the retaining engagement portion 60 is removed from the rear side of the removal tool 50, that is, the retaining engagement portion 60 as shown by an arrow P in FIG. Is pushed toward the removal tool main body 51 side relative to the central axis 61, thereby releasing the engagement between the projecting / retracting engagement piece 64 and the inner housing 28 and releasing the BH housing 26 from the removal tool 50. That is, when the insertion cap 62 is pushed toward the removal tool main body 51 along the holding engagement portion 60 relative to the central shaft 61, the front end of the window 62b of the insertion cap 62 (the front end side of the holding engagement portion 60). The protruding / retracting engagement piece 64 is pushed back by the side wall of the insertion cap 62 that forms the inner surface (the proximal end side of the retaining engagement portion 60 side, the removal tool main body 51 side) and is pushed into the recess 61 a of the central shaft 61. As a result, the protrusion at the side of the insertion cap 62 is eliminated. When the engagement between the projecting / retracting engagement piece 64 and the inner housing 28 is released, the inner housing 28 is pressed against the pressing member 66 by the urging force of the spring 67 and is pushed out toward the distal end side of the holding engaging portion 60 to be removed. The BH housing 26 can be easily removed from the tool 50.

  In this removal tool 50, the pressing member 66 is formed in a ring shape that contacts only the inner housing 28. However, the pressing member is not limited to this, and for example, the pressing member 66 of the BH housing 26 is used. A configuration in which the housing main body 35 abuts, a configuration in which both the housing main body 35 and the inner housing 28 abut, and the like can also be employed. However, as long as the pressing member has a configuration in which only the inner housing 28 is sandwiched between the protruding and engaging engagement pieces 64, the holding member is held between the protruding and engaging engagement pieces 64 regardless of the floating of the internal housing with respect to the housing body. There is an advantage that the pinching and holding state can be stabilized regardless of the specific structure of the housing body.

  The removal tool 50 can change the separation distance between the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b by exchanging the removal tool main body and attaching the claw blocks 51A and 51B to both sides thereof. Thereby, the clip can be removed corresponding to the BH housing of various dimensions.

  FIG. 24 shows a multiple (four) backplane connector 20A (hereinafter referred to as “BP connector 20A”) corresponding to the connection between a plurality of pairs (here, four pairs) of optical connector plugs 24a, 24b (MPO plugs in FIG. 24). (However, the illustration of the plug-in unit 21 is omitted.) The backplane housing 71 of the BP connector 20A (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “BH housing 71”) is shown in FIG. The internal housing 73 in which a plurality (four) of plug holes 72 are arranged in a line is housed in a rectangular tubular housing body 74. Similarly, a print board housing 75 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “PH housing 75”) in which a plurality of (four) plug holes 75a are arranged is attached to the print board 22. Then, by moving the print board 22 toward the back plane 23 and fitting the PH housing 75 with the BH housing 71, a plurality of optical connector plugs inserted into and held in the plug holes 75 a of the PH housing 75. 24a is connected to a plurality of optical connector plugs 24b inserted into the plug holes 72 of the BH housing 71 and held engaged.

  The housing state of the inner housing 73 within the housing body 74 of the BH housing 71 is the same mechanism as the BH housing 26 illustrated in FIGS. 21 to 23A, 23B, etc. Due to the engagement between the holding claw 73 on the 73 side and the housing main body 74, the contact piece 73a on the inner housing 73 side and the stopper 74a on the housing main body 74 side, etc. The inner housing 73 is stored stably. The inner housing 73 has an elongated shape, and a plurality of the plug holes 72 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the inner housing 73. The housing main body 74 is also a rectangular tube with an elongated rectangular cross section corresponding to the inner housing 73, and the housing main body 74 has longitudinal ends opposite to the BH housing 26 shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 21, FIG. In addition, a claw insertion hole 33 and a locking portion 34 are provided.

  The clip 79 for attaching the BH housing 71 to the backplane 23 has an elongated frame shape corresponding to the BH housing 71 in the main body 79a, compared to the clip 29 applied to the BH housing 26 shown in FIGS. Other than that, the configuration of the pair of elastic claws 29b protruding from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the main body 79a, the engaging claws 29d formed at the tips of the elastic claws 29b, and the like is applied to the BH housing 26. The same as the clip 29 to be performed.

The method of engaging the clip 79 with the BH housing 71 and the mounting structure with respect to the backplane 23 are the same as those of the BH housing 26 shown in FIGS. That is, the tip of the elastic claw inserted and penetrated into the claw insertion holes 33 on both opposite sides of the BH housing 71 (specifically, the housing body 74) through the mounting holes 31a (see FIGS. 28A and 28B). By engaging the engaging claw 29d of the portion 29c with the locking portion 34, the back plane 23 is sandwiched between the BH housing 71 and the clip 79, the movable range of the elastic claw 29b within the mounting hole 31a, the clip The BH housing 71 is mounted on the backplane 23 with a desired floating range by the elastic deformation range of the 79 main body 79a. The apex 79e (the apex 79e due to bending in FIG. 24) due to the bending or bending of the main body 79a is brought into contact with the back plane 23, and the spring force of the main body 79a itself is applied to the locking portion 34 on the BH housing 71 side. Maintaining the engagement state of the engagement claw 29d of the elastic claw tip 29c is the same as the BH housing 26 shown in FIGS.
However, the mounting holes 31a opened in the backplane 23 are optical connector plugs that accompany the insertion of the optical connector plugs 24b into the plug holes 72 of the BH housing 71 (specifically, the internal housing 73) and the floating of the BH housing 71. The size is such that interference with 24b can be prevented and is larger than the mounting hole 31 shown in FIG.

  FIGS. 25 to 35 show a clip removal tool 80 (hereinafter also referred to as “removal tool 80”) applied to the removal of the clip 79 from the BH housing 71 of the BP connector 20A. In FIGS. 25 to 28 (a), 28 (b), etc., the removal tool 80 has claw blocks 51A and 51B attached to both sides of a block-shaped removal tool body 81, and depending on the dimensions of the removal tool body 81, The distance between the disengagement pieces 52a and 52b of the claw blocks 51A and 51B is configured to correspond to the engagement position of the engagement claw 29d with the engaging portions 34 on both sides of the BH housing 71. The claw blocks 51A and 51B can be attached to the removal tool main body 81 with a screw 91.

  In addition, two holding engagement portions 60 are attached to the removal tool main body 81. As shown in FIGS. 27A to 27D, the removal tool main body 81 is formed with a fixing hole 81 a for fixing the holding engagement portion 60. The fixing hole 81a is formed in the same shape as the fixing hole 51a formed in the removing tool main body 51 of the removing tool 50 described above, and the holding engagement portion 60 can be fixed in the same manner as the fixing hole 51a. Furthermore, the retaining engagement portion 60 is fixed in a predetermined direction by the engagement between the key 81b formed in the fixing hole 81a and the key groove 68a on the retaining engagement portion 60 side. This is also the same as the fixing hole 51a of the removal tool main body 51 of the removal tool 50.

  As the removal tool main body, the fixing direction of the holding engagement portion 60 with respect to the removal tool main body corresponds to the direction of the plug hole 72 of the inner housing 73 of the BH housing 71 to which the removal tool 80 is applied. The selective use is also the same as that of the removal tool main body 51 described above. Specifically, in the BH housing 26 to which the removal tool 50 is applied, the cross-sectional major axis y direction of the plug hole 28a of the inner housing 28 (see FIG. 22) is the vertical direction of the BH housing 26 (a pair of claws of the housing body 35). The direction connecting the insertion holes 33 (upper and lower in FIG. 22) is substantially coincident, and the minor axis x direction perpendicular to the major axis direction is substantially coincident with the lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. As described above, in the BH housing 71 to which the removal tool 80 is applied, each plug hole 72 of the inner housing 73 has the same cross-sectional shape as the plug hole 28a of the BH housing 26, but is apparent at the position of the key groove 72a. The minor axis direction substantially coincides with the longitudinal direction (upper and lower in FIG. 24) which is the longitudinal direction of the housing main body 74, the major axis direction substantially coincides with the lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the removal tool 5 Since the orientation of the plug hole is almost 90 degrees different from that of the BH housing 26 to which the removal tool is applied, the fixing direction of the retaining engagement portion 60 with respect to the removal tool main body 81 corresponds to the removal tool 50 accordingly. The orientation is 90 degrees different from the fixed orientation with respect to the removal tool main body 51.

  The clip 79 removal operation using the removal tool 80 can be easily performed in the same manner as the clip 29 removal operation by the removal tool 50 shown in FIGS. Further, the removal tool main body 81 can be attached to the print board 22 using an attachment 59 provided on the rear end side in the pressing direction with respect to the BH housing 71, or the operation tool 90 can be attached to the removal tool main body 81. By using the board 22 and the operating rod 90 as an operation handle, operations such as insertion and withdrawal with respect to the plug-in unit 21 and advance and retreat with respect to the BH housing 71 can be performed efficiently. Although the illustration of the attachment state of the operating rod 90 is omitted, the removal tool main body 81 is formed with a screw hole 59b that opens on the rear end face side of the removal tool main body 81. The hook 90 may be screwed and attached. At this time, the part located around the screw hole 59b of the removal tool main body 81 functions as an attachment.

  The removal tool main body 81 is provided with a plurality (two in this case) of retaining engaging portions 60 protruding, and these retaining engaging portions 60 are inserted into and engaged with an internal housing 73 built in the BH housing 71. Thus, the BH housing 71 can be stably supported when the clip 79 is removed. At this time, the clip removal tool 80 also functions as a holding tool for holding the optical connector which is the BH housing 71. As shown in FIG. 28B and the like, the internal housing 73 built in the BH housing 71 is also connected to the connector holding claw 40 in the same manner as the internal housing 28 of the BH housing 26 illustrated in FIGS. Is provided for each plug hole 72, and the retaining engagement portion 60 can support the BH housing 71 by engaging the connector holding claw 40 with the engagement recess 60a. In consideration of the stable support of the BH housing 71, the holding engagement portion 60 is inserted into all or selected parts of the plurality of plug holes 72 of the BH housing 71 (in FIG. Inserted into the two plug holes 72), and the load of the BH housing 71 can be stably supported almost evenly without being unevenly distributed. Needless to say, the removal tool main body to which the retaining engagement portion 60 can be attached in a protruding state corresponding to the position of the plug hole 72 of the inner housing 73 of the BH housing 71 is used.

  A method for removing the clip 79 using the removal tool 80 will be specifically described. As shown in FIG. 33 (however, in FIG. 33, the clip 79 is not shown), the removal tool 80 is inserted into the plug-in unit 21 toward the BH housing 71 attached to the backplane 23. By moving the removal tool 80 closer, insertion of the retaining engagement portion 60 into the plug hole 72 of the inner housing 73 of the BH housing 71 is performed as shown in FIGS. 29 (a), 29 (b), and 34. As a result, the retracting engagement piece 64 is moved from the plug hole 72 to the position where it has come out to the back plane 23 side, and protrudes to the side of the insertion cap 62. Further, by continuing to push the removal tool 80 into the plug-in unit 21, both sides of the clip 79 are engaged by the engagement claw pressing portions 55 of the engagement release pieces 52 a and 52 b of the claw blocks 51 A and 51 B on both sides of the removal tool 80. The engaging claw 29d of the elastic claw 29b is pushed down so as to be pushed into the hole 29f of the elastic claw 29b, and the engagement with the locking portion 34 of the BH housing 71 is released. As the removal tool 80 is pushed in, the claw blocks 51A and 51B on both sides of the removal tool 80 move the clip 29 against the locking portion 29d on the BH housing 26 side by the pair of claw blocks 51A and 51B of the removal tool 50 described above. The engagement tool 29d is disengaged and the elastic claw 29b is pushed into the claw insertion hole 33 of the BH housing 71 (the operation described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16). By reaching the limit (position where the engagement claw pressing portion 55 of the engagement release pieces 52a, 52b is in contact with the engaging portion 34 on the BH housing 71 side), the elastic claw 29b is inserted into the claw insertion hole 33 of the BH housing 71. By being pushed in, the engagement of the clip 79 with the housing body 74 of the BH housing 71 is reliably released.

  When the engagement of the clip 79 with the housing main body 74 of the BH housing 71 is released, the removal tool 80 is pulled out from the plug-in unit 21 as shown in FIGS. Thereby, the BH housing 71 is pulled out from the plug-in unit 21 integrally with the removal tool 80 by engaging the retracting engagement piece 64 of the holding engagement portion 55 with the inner housing 73 of the BH housing 71. . The BH housing 71 is pulled out in a state where the inner housing 73 is sandwiched by the urging force of the spring 67 between the protruding and retracting engagement pieces 64 of the plurality of holding engaging portions 60 and the pressing member 66. In the configuration in which the BH housing 71 is pulled out while being held by the holding engagement portion 60, the BH housing 71 is allowed to swing slightly by the expansion / contraction range of the spring 67. There is an advantage that it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of damaging the optical parts in the contact 21 by contact or by hooking and cutting the optical fiber as much as possible.

  After pulling out the BH housing 71 from the plug-in unit 21, as shown in FIGS. 31 (a) and 31 (b), the insertion cap 62 of the retaining engagement portion 60 is removed from the base end side (removal). By pushing in the tool body 81 side), the engagement of the projecting / engaging engagement piece 64 with the inner housing 73 can be released. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 32 (a) and 32 (b), the removal tool 80 can be removed. The BH housing 71 can be separated.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the embodiment, and various design changes are possible.
For example, the specific shapes of the disengagement piece, the holding engagement portion, and the like can be appropriately changed in design.
The disengagement piece may have any configuration as long as the contact portion and the engagement claw pressing portion are provided at the tip and the engagement claw of the clip with the engagement portion of the backplane housing is released. It can be adopted. Various shapes can be adopted as the engaging claws of the clip that engages with the locking portion of the backplane housing. Correspondingly, the engagement of the clip with respect to the locking portion of the backplane housing can also be used as an engagement release piece. A shape that can release the engagement of the claws is adopted. For example, for a clip having a pair of elastic claws that are engaged with each other so as to be held from both sides facing the backplane housing, a configuration having a pair of engagement release pieces configured to push both elastic claws outward is provided. It can be adopted.
In addition, as a specific configuration of the engagement release piece,
(1) By pushing the clip removal tool toward the backplane housing, first press the engaging claw to reduce the protruding amount from the elastic claw tip, and then start pressing the elastic claw A configuration in which the clip is pushed out to a position where the engagement claw does not engage with the backplane housing while the pushing state of the engagement claw (a state in which the protruding amount is reduced) is maintained (configuration described in the embodiment) And other
(2) By pressing the clip removal tool toward the backplane housing, pressing to reduce the amount of protrusion of the engaging claw from the elastic claw tip and pressing / extrusion of the elastic claw are started almost simultaneously. Constitution,
(3) By pushing the clip removal tool toward the backplane housing, first the pressing and pushing of the elastic claw is started first, and then the amount of protrusion of the engaging claw from the elastic claw tip is reduced. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that starts pushing.
However, in the clip removal tool including the retaining engagement portion, the engagement of the clip engagement claw with the backplane housing is not affected even if the engagement release piece has any of the above-described configurations (1) to (3). Before being released, the holding engagement portion is engaged with the backplane housing or is in an engageable state.

  As illustrated in the above-described embodiment, the holding engagement portion is not limited to the one engaged with the end surface of the inner housing on the back plane side, but is engaged with the inside of the inner housing or the like. Various configurations such as those engaged with the housing main body of the plain housing (the exterior portion that houses the internal housing) can be employed. For example, with respect to a backplane housing having a configuration in which a fitting groove into which a fitting claw projecting from a printed board housing is inserted and fitted is provided between an inner housing and a housing main body that houses the housing. As in the case of the print board housing, it is possible to adopt a configuration that is fitted to the backplane housing, a configuration that has a claw that is inserted into and engaged with the fitting groove, and the like. In the holding engagement portion 60 illustrated in the above embodiment, the pressing member 66 and the spring 67 are configured to stably hold the backplane housing after the clip is removed, and the engagement with the clip is released. As a configuration for realizing pulling out the backplane housing from the plug-in unit together with the removal tool, a configuration in which the pressing member 66 and the spring 67 are omitted is sufficient.

  Moreover, the application range of this clip removal tool is not limited to an optical connector provided with an internal housing, but can also be applied to an optical connector not provided with an internal housing. Furthermore, the clip removal tool according to the present invention can be applied to the removal of a clip for attaching the backplane connector to the backplane, for example, for a backplane connector having a backplane housing in which a plurality of plug holes are formed in a plurality of rows. Needless to say. In this case, for example, a clip removal tool having a plurality of pairs of disengagement pieces is applied to the backplane housing that is enlarged corresponding to a large number of plug holes. It is also possible. A plurality of pairs of disengagement pieces simultaneously release the engagement of the engagement claws of the clip with the backplane housing (specifically, a locking portion thereof), thereby efficiently removing the clip.

  In the above-described embodiment, the clip removal tool configured to be assembled by attaching the claw block provided with the disengagement piece to the block-shaped removal tool main body is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, For example, a configuration in which the disengagement piece is directly provided on one predetermined removal tool main body can also be adopted. However, as exemplified in the embodiment, if the removal tool main body is replaceable, it is easy to set the separation distance between the engagement release pieces, and it is attached to the backplane such as the backplane housing. It goes without saying that it is advantageous in that it is easy to select and use a removal tool main body having a retaining engagement portion that matches the optical connector. The optical connector attached to the backplane is not limited to the backplane housing. For example, an optical connector adapter itself (an optical connector adapter of an SC-type optical connector established in JIS C 5973, an MPO established in JIS C 5982). It is possible to employ optical connectors having various configurations of a male-female fitting structure, such as an optical connector adapter of a type optical connector.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the backplane connector to which the clip removal tool of this invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing the backplane connector of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the attachment hole vicinity into which the elastic nail | claw of the clip for attaching the BH housing of the backplane connector of FIG. 1 to a backplane is inserted, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the movable range of the elastic nail | claw in the said attachment hole. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing an engaged state between a BH housing and a clip of the backplane connector of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the clip removal tool applied to the BH housing and clip of the backplane connector of FIG. 6A and 6B are views showing the clip removing tool of FIG. 5, where FIG. 5A is a front view, FIG. 5B is a side view as viewed from the front side in the pressing direction with respect to the BH housing (left side in FIG. 6A), and FIG. (D) is a bottom view. FIG. 6 is a component diagram showing a removal tool main body constituting the clip removal tool of FIG. 5, wherein (a) is a front view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a side view seen from the front side, and (d) is a rear view. It is the side view seen from the side. FIG. 6 is a part view showing a frame of a claw block constituting the clip removal tool of FIG. 5, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view attached to the removal tool body. (D) is a side view seen from the front side. FIGS. 9A and 9B are component diagrams showing a disengagement piece attached to the frame of FIG. 8, wherein FIG. 9A is a plan view and FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the engaging part for a holding | maintenance provided in the clip removal tool of FIG. 5, Comprising: (a) is front sectional drawing, (b) is the figure seen from the front end side, (c) is the window of an insertion cap The side view seen from the side in which is formed, (d) is a side view on the opposite side to (c). It is a figure which shows the state before pressing of the clip removal tool with respect to a BH housing, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view (BH housing is shown in cross section, and the clip removal tool is shown in a half cross section). . It is a figure which shows the example which applied the operating rod as an operation handle, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state which pressed the clip removal tool with respect to the BH housing, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view. It is a figure which shows the disengagement piece of the clip removal tool of FIG. It is a figure which shows the engagement cancellation | release piece of the clip removal tool of FIG. 5, Comprising: The contact part is pressed on the engagement nail | claw of a clip, and the state which pushed down the engagement nail | claw is shown. It is a figure which shows the disengagement piece of the clip removal tool of FIG. 5, Comprising: The state which contact | abutted the contact part with the elastic nail | claw tip part of a clip is shown. It is a figure which shows the state which the protrusion-and-retraction engagement piece of the holding | maintenance engagement part inserted in the plug hole of the inner housing of a BH housing is located in a plug hole. FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the retracting engagement piece of the retaining engagement portion inserted into the plug hole of the inner housing of the BH housing is pulled out from the plug hole to the back plane side and engaged with the inner housing; Front sectional view, (b) is a view seen from the front end side. It is a figure which shows the state which took out the BH housing which removed the clip using the clip removal tool of FIG. 5 from the plug-in unit with the clip removal tool, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view. . 18 is a front sectional view showing a state in which the engagement between the retracting engagement piece and the inner housing is released by pushing the insertion cap of the retention engagement portion into the proximal end side of the retention engagement portion after the state shown in FIG. FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the specific example of the BH housing of the backplane connector of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the assembly state of the BH housing of FIG. FIGS. 22A and 21B are views showing an internal housing of the BH housing of FIG. 21, wherein FIG. 21A is a plan sectional view showing a storage state in the housing body, and FIG. 21B shows an engagement state between a connector holding claw and an optical connector plug. FIG. 7C is a front view showing an engagement state between the holding engagement portion of the clip removal tool of FIG. 6 and the connector holding claw. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of a multiple backplane connector. It is a perspective view which shows the clip removal tool applied to the BH housing and clip of the backplane connector of FIG. It is a figure which shows the clip removal tool of FIG. 25, (a) is a front view, (b) is the side view seen from the pressing direction front side (left side in FIG. 26 (a)) with respect to a BH housing, The state which removed the engaging part, (c) is a plane part, (d) is a side view. It is component drawing which shows the removal tool main body of the clip removal tool of FIG. 25, (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a side view seen from the front side, (d) is from the rear side. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state before pressing with respect to BH housing of the clip removal tool of FIG. 25, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view (BH housing is a cross section, A clip removal tool was shown with a half cross section. ). It is a figure which shows the state which pressed the clip removal tool of FIG. 25 with respect to the BH housing, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state which took out the BH housing which removed the clip using the clip removal tool of FIG. 25 from the plug-in unit with the clip removal tool, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view. . It is a figure which shows the state which pushed the insertion cap of the holding | maintenance engaging part of the clip removal tool of FIG. 30 into the base end part side of the holding | maintenance engaging part, and canceled the engagement with the protrusion / retraction engagement piece and the internal housing. (A) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state which isolate | separated the BH housing from the clip removal tool of FIG. 30, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front sectional view. It is a figure which shows the clip removal method using the clip removal tool of FIG. 25, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the state before pressing of the clip removal tool with respect to a BH housing. It is a figure which shows the clip removal method using the clip removal tool of FIG. 25, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the state which pressed the clip removal tool against the BH housing. It is a figure which shows the clip removal method using the clip removal tool of FIG. 25, Comprising: The state which pulled out from the plug-in unit integrally with the clip removal tool the BH housing which released the engagement with the clip with the clip removal tool FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the backplane connector of a prior art example. FIG. 37 is an exploded perspective view showing a fixing structure between a BH housing and a back housing in the backplane connector of FIG. 36.

Explanation of symbols

20, 20A ... Backplane connector (BP connector), 22 ... Print board, operation handle, 23 ... Backplane, 24a, 24b ... Optical connector plug (MPO plug), 25, 75 ... Print board housing (PH housing), 26 , 71 ... Optical connector (backplane housing; BH housing), 29, 79 ... Clip, 29b ... Elastic claw, 29c ... Elastic claw tip, 29d ... Engaging claw, 31, 31a ... Mounting hole, 34 ... Locking part , 50 ... Clip removal tool (holding tool), 51, 81 ... Removal tool body, 52a, 52b ... Engagement release piece, 54 ... Abutment part, 55 ... Engagement claw pressing part, 60 ... Retention engagement part , 59... Attachment, 80... Clip removal tool (holding tool), 90.

Claims (3)

For the clip (29,79) for mounting said backplane housing by the engagement of the backplane housing (26,71) in the backplane (23), the backplane is projected from the body portion of the clip (29a) pierced, the clip removal method for releasing engagement with the backplane housing of said backplane housing disposed on the opposite side of the clips and face each other with a backplane and engaged elastic claw (29 b) There,
Clip removal tools (50, 80) having a retaining engagement portion (60) that can be inserted into and engaged with the backplane housing while being advanced and retracted with respect to the backplane housing,
In a state where the engagement of the elastic claws with the backplane housing is released and the backplane housing is retained, the clip removing tool is pushed toward the backplane housing, and the retaining engagement portion is moved to the backplane. After being inserted and engaged inside the housing,
Wherein by pulling out the clip removal tool, the clip removing method characterized in that together with the clip removal tool it was to extract the backplane housing from the backplane vicinity. The clip removing tool is provided with an engaging claw pressing portion (55) for pressing an engaging claw (29d) protruding from a side portion of the elastic claw tip portion (29c) of the clip,
The engagement claw is pressed to reduce the amount of protrusion of the engagement claw from the elastic claw tip, and the elastic claw tip is pressed while maintaining this state, and the engagement claw is pressed against the backplane housing . 2. The clip removing method according to claim 1 , wherein the engagement of the elastic claw of the clip with the backplane housing is released by moving the elastic claw to a position where the joint claw is not engaged. For the clip (29,79) for mounting said backplane housing by the engagement of the backplane housing (26,71) in the backplane (23), the backplane is projected from the body portion of the clip (29a) pierced, the clip removal method for releasing engagement with the backplane housing of said backplane housing disposed on the opposite side of the clips and face each other with a backplane and engaged elastic claw (29 b) There,
Clip removal tools (50, 80) having a retaining engagement portion (60) that can be inserted into and engaged with the backplane housing while being advanced and retracted with respect to the backplane housing,
The backplane is arranged at the back of the plug-in unit (21),
In the plug-in unit, a guide groove (32) for pushing an operation handle (22, 90) attached to an attachment (59, 59a) of the clip removal tool has a direction toward a backplane housing attached to the backplane. Provided
In a state where the elastic claws are disengaged from the backplane housing and the backplane housing is retained, the operation handle to which the clip removal tool is attached is pushed into the guide groove and inserted, and the backplane housing is inserted. Pressed in a state where it is positioned, and after inserting and engaging the holding engaging portion inside the backplane housing,
A clip removal method, wherein the backplane housing is taken out from the vicinity of the backplane together with the clip removal tool by pulling out the clip removal tool .

Images