JP4079445B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector for connecting an optical fiber, and more particularly to an optical connector provided with a shutter.

  Conventionally, this type of connector has been proposed in Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the optical connector adapter disclosed in Patent Document 1. FIG. Referring to FIG. 12, the optical connector 100 includes a housing 111 in which a fitting portion 114 that fits with a mating connector (not shown) is formed, and a shielding member 110 that shields the optical axis disposed in the fitting portion 114. And. The shielding member 110 includes a shutter plate 102 that shields the optical axis and is rotatably supported by the housing by a rotation shaft, and an elastic portion 101 that urges the shutter plate 102 in a direction to be always closed. The shutter plate 102 is configured to rotate between a position where the optical axis around the rotation axis is blocked and an insertion position where the shutter connector 102 is pushed and moved when the mating connector is inserted.

Figure 13 (a), (b) is an exploded perspective view showing a shutter with adapter of the disclosed optical connector in Patent Document 2. FIG. 13 (a), the (b), the adapter 120 is a generally L-shaped shutter plate 123 and a rising portion 127 which rises from the bottom plate 126 and bottom plate 126 which is provided along the bottom outer wall 131 of the housing 121 A support plate 124 provided with a bottom plate 128 provided along the bottom outer wall 131 of the housing and side plates 129 rising from the bottom plate 128 along both side walls of the housing 121, and the shutter plate 123 as the support plate 124. And the bottom outer wall 131 of the housing 121. The shutter plate 123 is formed of an elastic member, and when the optical connector is inserted into the adapter, the rising portion 127 of the shutter plate 123 is bent. When the optical connector is detached, the rising portion 127 of the shutter plate 123 is elastically restored. It stands up to the optical connector insertion port 122 side and blocks light transmitted toward the optical connector insertion port 122 side.

  FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical connector according to Patent Document 3. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 14, a first main body divided body 154 and a second main body divided body 155 of the connector main body of the optical connector are provided. The first main body divided body 154 is made of an elastic body integrally formed with a plug mounting hole 156, a shutter portion 161 capable of blocking emitted light in the plug mounting hole 156, and an anchor portion 157 for mounting to the connector main body. An anchor hole is formed in the side wall portion of the connector main body, and the anchor portion 157 of the shutter member 160 can be inserted and fixed in parallel with the plug mounting direction from the front. When the shutter member 160 is assembled, when the shutter portion 161 of the shutter member 160 is inserted into the plug mounting hole 156 and the anchor portion 157 of the shutter member 160 is inserted into the anchor hole from the front, the anchor portion 157 is elastically deformed to the return side. And fixed and held in a retaining shape.

  In recent years, FTTH (Fiber To The Home) has been promoted toward realization, and attention has been paid to care for human damage caused by high output light energy, so-called eye hazard. In the domestic optical output port, the manufacturer side needs to take sufficient consideration for the connector structure so that a general user can safely attach and detach the plug.

  15 and 16 are cross-sectional views for explaining the problem of the shielding member of the optical connector according to the prior art. Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, the optical connector includes an optical connector adapter 10 and an optical plug connector 20 fitted to the front and rear ends of the optical connector adapter 10. Here, in the following description, for convenience of explanation, one fitting side of the optical connector adapter is referred to as the front, and the fitting side opposite to the one fitting side is referred to as the rear.

  The optical connector adapter 10 includes a housing 11, a pair of sleeve holders 13 accommodated in the housing 11, a sleeve 12 provided in the sleeve holder 13, and stoppers 14 provided at both ends of the sleeve holder 13. ing.

  The optical connector plug 20 includes a housing 21, a plug frame 22 provided in the housing 21, a cable holder 23 provided at the rear end of the plug frame, and a hood (not shown) provided at the rear end of the cable holder 23. It has. A ferrule 25 is provided in the plug frame 22, and one end of an optical fiber 30 is connected to the rear end of the ferrule 25 through a hood and a cable holder 23.

  The shielding member 110 includes a main body portion 102 and a beam portion 116 that is provided on one end side of the main body portion 102 and is long in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 12, the beam portion 116 includes shutter support portions 117 provided at both ends. The main body portion 102 includes a first corner portion 110a, and the first corner portion is connected to one end side of the beam portion 116.

  Such an optical connector according to the prior art has a structure in which the insertion force of the optical connector plug 20 is increased by the reaction force of the sheet metal because it is opened and closed by bending one sheet metal.

  Further, when the optical connector plug 20 is inserted, as shown in FIG. 15, the ferrule 25 is in contact with the main body portion 102, and the end fiber 25a of the ferrule 25 is not damaged, and the internal fiber that emits light is completely removed. If the shutter structure is covered, the shutter contacts the sleeve holder 13 holding the sleeve 12 when the shutter is opened and closed.

  In order to avoid this, a short sleeve or means for increasing the total length of the connecting portion to the optical connector plug 20 has been used. However, the cost increases because the general-purpose sleeve cannot be used, and the total length is increased. And had problems such as needless space.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, both ends of the beam portion 116 of the body portion 102 of the shield member 110, a plate-shaped shutter supporting portion 117 which is bent upright respectively L-shaped is provided. The shutter support 117 is provided with a slender hole that is inclined obliquely.

  In the recessed portions on both sides of the fitting end of the optical connector adapter 10, there are provided substantially elliptical columnar shaft portions (rotating shafts) 118 protruding on both sides. A hole of the shutter support portion 117 is fitted into the shaft portion 118. In the case where the shielding member 110 and the housing 11 of the optical connector adapter 10 are fixed only by simple fitting by the shaft portion 118 and the hole 117a, the shutter against the external force applied to the fitting portion due to insertion / extraction of the optical connector plug 20 or the like. If the optical connector plug 20 is repeatedly inserted and removed without the function of suppressing the disconnection, the shielding member 110 may come off.

JP 2004-126353 A JP 2001-194562 A JP 2005-17598 A

  Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention is to propose a new method in the shutter structure provided in the plug connecting portion.

  Specifically, one technical problem of the present invention is to provide an optical connector in which the shielding member does not fall off even when the optical connector plug is repeatedly inserted and removed.

  In addition, another technical problem of the present invention is to provide an optical connector that does not contact the ferrule and the shielding member when the optical connector plug and the optical connector adapter are fitted, and does not damage or damage the ferrule. It is to provide.

According to the present invention, in the optical connector, the optical connector includes a housing that accommodates and holds an optical fiber, and a shielding member that includes a main body that shields the optical axis of the optical fiber, and the shielding member includes: The main body is rotatably held by the housing, and the main body is formed to have a plurality of different angles by bending at a plurality of locations, and the shielding member is formed in the direction intersecting the connection direction with the counterpart optical connector. Each of the rotating shafts of the housing and the shielding member is a cylindrical protrusion, and the other is formed as a long hole or an elliptical hole. When connecting to the side optical connector, the main body is biased by the spring piece so that one of the rotating shafts is relatively relative to the other of the rotating shafts in a direction intersecting the connecting direction with the counterpart. To move Optical connector, characterized by being made is obtained.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical connector in which the shielding member is not likely to drop off due to the insertion and removal of the optical connector plug.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical connector in which the ferrule and the shielding member are not contacted when the optical connector plug and the optical connector adapter are fitted, and the ferrule is not damaged or damaged.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a side view showing a state before the optical connector is fitted according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical connector of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the optical connector of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view, partly cut away, mainly showing a shielding member of the optical connector adapter of FIG. FIG. 5 is a partial side sectional view showing a state before fitting. 6A is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the shielding member after the optical connector is fitted according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. 6A. . 7A is a partial plan view showing a shutter detachment prevention mechanism of the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7B is a partially enlarged side view of the shutter detachment prevention mechanism of FIG. 7A, and FIG. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the back surface side of the shutter detachment prevention mechanism of Fig.7 (a).

  1 to 3, the optical connector includes an optical connector adapter 10 and an optical connector plug 20 that is fitted to the optical connector adapter 10 from the front and rear. Here, in the following description, for convenience of explanation, one fitting side of the optical connector adapter 10 is referred to as the front, and the fitting side opposite to the one fitting side is referred to as the rear. Similarly, the fitting side of the optical connector plug 20 is referred to as the front, and the portion where the optical fiber on the opposite side is drawn out is referred to as the rear.

  The optical connector adapter 10 is provided at both ends of a box-shaped housing 11, a pair of sleeve holders 13 accommodated in the housing 11, a sleeve 12 held in the sleeve holder 13, and the pair of sleeve holders 13. The stopper 14 is provided.

  The optical connector plug 20 is provided at the rear end of the box-shaped housing 21, the plug frame 22 provided in the housing 21, the cable holder 23 provided at the rear end of the plug frame, and the cable holder 23. And a hood 24. For fitting, the housing 21 is fitted with a groove 11 b provided in the fitting direction of the optical connector adapter 10, and the projection 21 a to be guided and the bellows provided over the four surfaces of the housing 21. Part 21b.

  A ferrule 25 is provided in the plug frame 22, and one end of an optical fiber 30 penetrating the hood 24 and the cable holding member 23 is connected to the rear end of the ferrule 25.

  Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the shielding member 7 is provided on the plate-like main body 1, the beam 2 long in the width direction provided on one end side of the main body 1, and both ends of the beam 2. And a shutter support 3. The main body portion 1 includes a first corner portion 1 a and a second corner portion 1 b that are formed by bending, and the first corner portion is connected to one end side of the beam portion 2. A portion between the first corner 1a and the second corner 1b of the main body 1 of the shielding member is referred to as a first shutter surface 1c, and a tip surface from the second corner 1b is referred to as a second shutter surface 1d. . An opening 2a is formed in the beam portion 2, and an elongated spring piece 2b is formed by cutting.

  There are angles between the beam portion 2 and the first shutter surface 1c, and between the first shutter surface 1c and the second shutter surface 1d. There is deformation due to the shutter surfaces 1c and 1d.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, at the initial stage of insertion, the shutter of the main body 1 is rotated while the thin beam portion 2 provided on the opening surface is bent and the shutter surface itself rotates while moving the rotation axis. Because it opens, the reaction force is weak and easy to insert. In the prior art, since the shielding member is opened and closed by bending one sheet metal, the plug insertion force is increased due to the reaction force of the sheet metal. This is not the case according to the embodiment.

  In addition, in the prior art, if the shutter structure is such that the ferrule contacts the shutter when the plug is inserted and the end surface of the ferrule is not damaged, and the inner fiber that emits light is completely covered, the shutter is opened and closed. In addition, the shutter comes into contact with the cylindrical portion holding the sleeve. In order to avoid this, short sleeves have been used and means to increase the overall length of the plug connection have been used, but cost increases due to the inability to use general-purpose sleeves and useless space can be saved by increasing the overall length. In the present invention, the shielding member is a shutter having a plurality of surfaces that are angled with each other, and the shielding surface of the shutter has a plurality of surfaces that are angled with each other. Thus, the shutter can be opened and closed in a minimum space, a general-purpose sleeve can be used, and there is no need to unnecessarily extend the entire length.

  Referring to FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) and FIGS. 7 (a), 7 (b), and 7 (c), L-shapes are formed at both ends of the beam portion 2 integral with the body portion 1 of the shielding member. An upright plate-like shutter support portion 3 is provided. The shutter support part 3 is provided with an oblong hole 3a inclined obliquely.

  A rectangular recess 11 c on both sides of the fitting end of the optical connector adapter 10 is provided with a substantially elliptical columnar shaft portion 4 projecting on both sides and a wedge-shaped cut 11 d for accommodating the beam portion 2. A hole 3 a of the shutter support portion 3 is fitted to the shaft portion 4. As best shown in FIG. 7A, a cutout portion 4a is formed on one side of the shaft portion 4 by a circled portion A, while the hole 3a engages with this cutout. A stepped portion 3 b is formed to constitute a shutter detachment prevention mechanism that prevents the stepped portion 3 b from coming off the shaft portion 4 of the shutter support portion 3.

  The shaft portion 4 of the housing has a notch 4a, and the shutter hole end 3b is accommodated in the notch 4a.

  Here, as in the prior art, when the shielding member and the housing of the plug connection portion are fixed only by simple fitting by the shaft portion and the long hole, the shutter against the external force applied to the fitting portion due to plug insertion and removal etc. If there is no function to suppress detachment and the plug is repeatedly inserted and removed, the shutter may come off.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the shielding member 7 from coming off by providing the notch portion 4a in the shaft portion 4 provided in the housing.

  Next, the optical connector fitting operation according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, FIG. 9 (a) and FIG. 9 (b), FIG. 10 (a) and FIG. 10 (b) are side sectional views showing a state before the optical connector is fitted according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state after the optical connector shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the optical connector plug 20 is fitted into the optical connector adapter 10, first, the lower end of the housing 21 of the optical connector plug 20 comes into contact with the beam portion 2 of the shielding member 7. At that time, as shown in FIG. 9B, since the hole 3a of the shutter support portion 3 is inclined with respect to the beam portion 2, the shaft portion 4 is centered as the optical connector plug 20 advances. As it rotates, it moves downward.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, when the optical connector plug 20 further advances, the lower end portion of the housing 21 comes into contact with the first shutter surface 1c. At that time, as shown in FIG. 10B, the beam portion 2 contacts the inner bottom surface of the optical connector adapter 10. Further, when the optical connector plug 20 advances into the optical connector adapter 10, the second shutter surface 1d does not contact the tip of the ferrule 25, and the ferrule 25 is inserted into the sleeve 12 as shown in FIG. The shielding member fits in a gap between the bottom surface of the housing 21 of the optical connector plug 20 and the inner bottom surface of the housing 11 of the optical connector adapter 10. Therefore, the tip 25a of the ferrule 25 in the housing 21 of the optical connector plug 20 and the other members 22 and 23 are not touched or damaged.

  In the present embodiment, only the case where the shielding member 7 is provided on the adapter and the plugs are connected to each other via the adapter has been described. However, the shielding member 7 is provided on the receptacle to connect the plug and the receptacle. Of course, the present invention can also be applied.

  As described above, the optical connector of the present invention is applied to an optical communication device or the like that connects optical fibers.

It is a side view which shows the state before fitting of the optical connector by embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the optical connector of FIG. It is side surface sectional drawing of the optical connector of FIG. It is the fragmentary perspective view which partly notched mainly showing the shielding member of the optical connector adapter. It is a partial side sectional view showing the state before fitting. (A) is a perspective view used for operation | movement description of the shielding member after the optical connector fitting by embodiment of this invention. (B) is the elements on larger scale of (a). (A) is a partial top view which shows the shutter detachment prevention mechanism of the optical connector by embodiment of this invention. (B) is a partial enlarged side view of the shutter detachment prevention mechanism of (a). (C) is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the back surface side of the shutter detachment prevention mechanism of (a). It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the state before fitting of the optical connector by embodiment of this invention. (A) is side sectional drawing which shows the state before fitting of the optical connector by embodiment of this invention. (B) is a partial side view of the optical connector of (a). (A) is side sectional drawing which shows the state before fitting of the optical connector by embodiment of this invention. (B) is a partial side view of the optical connector of (a). It is sectional drawing which shows the state after the fitting of the optical connector shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the optical connector adapter disclosed by patent document 1. FIG. (A), (b) is a disassembled perspective view which shows the adapter with a shutter disclosed by patent document 2. FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical connector according to Patent Document 3. As shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing with which it uses for description of the problem of the shielding member of the optical connector by a prior art. It is sectional drawing with which it uses for description of the problem of the shielding member of the optical connector by a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main-body part 1a 1st corner | angular part 1b 2nd corner | angular part 1c 1st shutter surface 1d 2nd shutter surface 2 Beam part 2a Opening 2b Spring piece 3 Shutter support part 3a Oval hole 3b Step part 4 Shaft part 4b Notch portion 7 Shield member 10 Optical connector adapter 11 Housing 11c Recessed portion 11d Notch 12 Sleeve 13 Sleeve holder 14 Stopper 20 Optical connector plug 21 Housing 21a Protruding portion 21b Bellows portion 22 Plug frame 23 Cable holder 24 Hood 25 Ferrule 30 Optical fiber 100 Optical connector 101 Elastic portion 102 Shutter plate 110 Shield member 111 Housing 114 Fitting portion 116 Beam portion 117 Shutter support portion 117a Hole 118 Shaft portion 121 Housing 122 Optical connector insertion port 123 Shutter plate 124 Support Plate 126 bottom plate 127 upstanding portion 128 bottom plate 129 side plate 131 bottom outer wall 154 first body divided body 155 second body divided body 156 plug mounting hole 161 shutter 157 anchor portions 160 shutter member

Claims (1)

In the optical connector, the optical connector includes a housing that accommodates and holds an optical fiber, and a shielding member that includes a main body that shields the optical axis of the optical fiber, and the shielding member is rotatable with respect to the housing. The main body is formed so as to have a plurality of different angles by being bent at a plurality of locations, and the shielding member constantly urges the main body in a direction crossing the connection direction with the counterpart optical connector. One of the rotation shafts of the housing and the shielding member is a cylindrical projection, and the other is formed in a long hole or an elliptical hole, and is connected to the counterpart optical connector. In this case, the main body portion is urged by the spring piece so that one of the rotating shafts moves relative to the other of the rotating shafts in a direction intersecting the connecting direction with the counterpart. to have this Optical connector according to claim.

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