JP4542938B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector, for example, an optical connector that can be connected to a counterpart optical fiber via an adapter in the field.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an optical connector that can be connected to a counterpart optical fiber via an adapter in the field is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
As shown in FIG. 14, an optical connector 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a ferrule 102 that houses a first optical fiber 101, a splice member 103 that supports the ferrule 102, and a housing 106 that encloses these. It has. In the splice member 103, the first optical fiber 101 protruding from the rear end surface of the ferrule 102 is inserted from the front of the splice member 103, and the second optical fiber 105 exposed from the tip of the optical fiber core wire 104 is inserted from the rear of the splice member 103. By inserting, the rear end surface of the first optical fiber 101 and the front end surface of the second optical fiber 105 are connected. The housing 106 includes a front housing 107 and a rear housing 108.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-160563 (FIG. 1)

  However, as described above, in the optical connector 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the front end portion 102a of the ferrule 102 is exposed forward from the front housing 107, the ferrule 102 is used during carrying or connection work. There is a risk of hitting the tip 102a.

The objective of this invention is providing the optical connector which can protect the front-end | tip part of a ferrule.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an optical connector according to the present invention includes a ferrule that houses a built-in fiber in a state of protruding from a rear end portion, a ferrule protection portion that includes a front end portion of the ferrule, and a protrusion from the ferrule. A mechanical splice that connects the rear end surface of the built-in fiber and the optical fiber front end surface of the optical fiber core, a mechanical splice protection portion that covers the mechanical splice, and a mechanism that externally fits the mechanical splice protection portion and locks the adapter. a housing having a stop portion on the outer surface, the tip of the ferrule protection unit is characterized Rukoto of a cylindrical shape having a slit in the longitudinal direction have a fitted possible split sleeve to the ferrule.

  In the optical connector configured as described above, since the ferrule containing the built-in fiber joined to the optical fiber tip surface of the optical fiber core wire by the mechanical splice is contained up to the tip by the ferrule protection unit, the ferrule is externally provided. Will not be exposed. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the ferrule from being damaged by being hit or dropped during transportation or transportation. The mechanical splice is protected by a mechanical splice protector, and a housing is fitted on the mechanical splice. An adapter connected to the optical connector is engaged by a locking portion provided on the outer surface of the housing. Will be stopped.

  In the optical connector configured as described above, the split sleeve guides the mating ferrule of the mating optical connector to be connected via the adapter and aligns with the ferrule, so that the built-in optical fiber built in both ferrules is centered. Can be easily performed. Also, the ferrule can be protected by the split sleeve.

  Further, in the optical connector according to the present invention, the housing includes a projection in which the locking portion protrudes outward from both outer side surfaces, and is fitted into the adapter on at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing. It has a joint part.

  In the optical connector configured as described above, since the locking portion is formed by the protrusions projecting on both outer sides of the housing, it can be easily attached to the adapter, and the gap between the adapter and the housing is formed on both sides. It can be locked by filling with a surface to suppress rattling. Moreover, since the fitting part provided in at least one of the upper and lower surfaces where the locking part is not provided is fitted into the fitting part of the adapter, the positioning between the optical connector and the adapter is ensured. Shaking can be prevented.

  Further, the optical connector according to the present invention is characterized in that the locking portion locking the adapter can be opened only by using a removal jig.

  In the optical connector configured as described above, since the optical connector cannot be removed from the adapter without using a removal jig, it is possible to prevent the optical connector from being mistakenly removed.

Further, the optical connector according to the present invention, the housing is characterized in that graspable locked by the detaching jig.

  In the optical connector configured as described above, when the optical connector is detached from the adapter using the removal jig, the holding part of the removal jig holds the optical connector, thereby preventing the optical connector from being dropped. be able to.

  According to the present invention, since the ferrule joined to the optical fiber core wire by the mechanical splice is contained up to the tip by the ferrule protector, the ferrule protruding from the tip of the optical connector by hitting or dropping as in the prior art The effect that it can prevent that is damaged is acquired.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention as seen from diagonally below, FIG. 1B is an overall perspective view of the optical connector as seen from diagonally above, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a mechanical splice.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an optical connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a ferrule 11 in which a built-in fiber 11a is housed in a state of protruding from a rear end (right end in FIGS. 1 to 3), and a ferrule. 11 is a mechanical splice that connects the ferrule protection part 12 including the tip (left end in FIGS. 1 to 3) of the optical fiber 13a and the rear end face of the built-in fiber 11a protruding from the ferrule 11 and the tip end face of the optical fiber 13a of the optical fiber core wire 13. 14, a mechanical splice protection portion 15 that covers the mechanical splice 14, and a housing 16 that is fitted on the mechanical splice protection portion 15 and has a locking portion 16 a that locks the adapter 20 (see FIG. 6) on the outer surface. ing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mechanical splice 14 has a substrate 14a and a holding plate 14b, and the built-in fiber 11a and the optical fiber 13a are abutted via a refractive index matching agent 14f in a V groove 14c of the substrate 14a. ing. The substrate 14a and the pressing plate 14b are sandwiched and connected by a clamper 14d made of a spring member. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, a wedge is provided between the substrate 14a and the holding plate 14b in order to open the space between the substrate 14a and the holding plate 14b when the built-in fiber 11a and the optical fiber core wire 13 are connected. Two wedge insertion openings 14e for inserting 46 (see FIG. 4) are provided at the front and rear.
The connecting method between the built-in fiber 11a and the optical fiber 13a and the assembly jig 40 used for the connection will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 1 (A), a ferrule protection section 12 for enclosing and protecting a ferrule 11 is provided at the tip of a mechanical splice protection section 15 that covers the mechanical splice 14 to protect the mechanical splice 14. Yes. Here, the ferrule protection part 12 is provided integrally with the mechanical splice protection part 15, but it may be provided separately and coupled. As a result, the ferrule 11 has no portion exposed to the outside, and can be prevented from being damaged by being hit or dropped during transport or connection.
A wedge window 15 a is provided on the side surface of the mechanical splice protection portion 15 so as to correspond to the wedge insertion port 14 e of the mechanical splice 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the housing 16 is provided with protrusions 16a that protrude outward from both outer surfaces of the housing 16 as locking portions. As a result, it can be easily attached to the adapter 20, and the gap between the adapter 20 and the housing 16 can be filled with the protrusions 16a on both side surfaces to prevent rattling. A plurality of protrusions 16d used for removing the optical connector 10 from the adapter 20 using a removal jig 60 described later is provided behind the protrusion 16a.
Further, at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing 16 is provided with a fitting portion 16b that fits into the concave portion 21 (see FIG. 6) of the adapter 20, and the fitting portion 16b fits into the concave portion 21 of the adapter. By doing so, it is possible to reliably position the optical connector 10 with respect to the adapter 20 and to prevent rattling between the optical connector and the adapter.

In the housing 16, the position corresponding to the wedge window 15 e provided in the mechanical splice protection portion 15 when the housing 16 is fitted on the mechanical splice protection portion 15, or the wedge insertion ports 14 e and 14 e of the mechanical splice 14. Wedge openings 16c and 16c are provided at positions corresponding to.
Therefore, in a state where the housing 16 is externally fitted to the mechanical splice protector 15 including the mechanical splice 14, the wedge opening 16 c and the wedge insertion opening 14 e are opened at the position of the wedge insertion opening 14 e of the mechanical splice 14. Thus, the wedge 46 can be inserted into the wedge insertion openings 14e, 14e from the outside of the housing 16.

As shown in FIG. 1 (A) and (B), the tip of the ferrule protecting portion 12, Ru provided a split sleeve 17 which can be fitted on the ferrule 11 in a cylindrical shape having a slit 17a in the longitudinal direction.
As a result, the split sleeve 17 guides the mating ferrule 31 of the mating optical connector 30 (see FIG. 8) to be connected via the adapter 20 and aligns with the ferrule 11, so that it is built in both ferrules 11 and 31. The optical fiber 11a and the optical fiber 31a can be easily centered. Further, the ferrule 11 can also be protected by the split sleeve 17.

Next, an assembly jig 40 used for connecting the optical fibers 11a and 31a in the mechanical splice 14 and an optical fiber connection process using the assembly jig 40 will be described.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the assembling jig, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views showing the assembly process of the optical connector.

As shown in FIG. 4, the assembling jig 40 includes a main body 41 and a slide head 42 that slides relative to the main body 41.
The main body 41 includes an upper main body 41a and a lower main body 41b, and has an internal space 41c. Locking protrusions 43a and 43b for fixing the mechanical splice 14 when the optical fibers 11a and 31a are connected are provided on the upper surface of the upper body 41a, and behind the locking protrusion 43a (to the right in FIG. 4). A guide block 44 for guiding the optical fiber core wire 13 is provided. On the upper surface of the guide block 44, a guide groove 44a such as a V-groove for guiding the optical fiber core wire 13 is formed. Further, a recess 45 is provided on the upper surface of the upper body 41a between the locking projections 43a and 43b so that the locked mechanical splice 14 can be easily removed.

In the internal space 41 c of the upper body 41, a wedge 46 for providing a gap between the substrate 14 a of the mechanical splice 14 and the presser plate 14 b is provided, and is attached between the wedge stopper 47 and the wedge attachment material 48. It has been. The front end surface of the wedge stopper 47 has an inclined surface 47a that is inclined upward toward the rear. In addition, the wedge stopper 47 is provided with a pair of through holes 47b and 47b penetrating vertically, and the tip 46a of the wedge 46 projects through the through hole 47b. Further, the wedge stopper 47 is provided with locking holes 47 c and 47 c for attaching the wedge attachment material 48. On the other hand, a pair of locking pieces 48a and 48a are provided on the upper portion of the wedge mounting material 48, and the wedge 46 is attached to the wedge stopper 47 by fitting into the locking holes 47c and 47c of the wedge stopper 47. It has become. As a result, the wedge 46 moves integrally with the wedge stopper 47.
A pair of guide rails 49a and 49b are provided so as to protrude forward from the upper body 41a, and a wedge guide 51 is provided between the pair of guide rails 49a and 49b.

Locking arms 52 projecting upward are provided at the four corners of the lower body 41b, and are locked to the upper body 41a by the locking arms 52. Further, a notch 53 is provided at the center of the lower main body 41b, and the lower end surface of the wedge attachment member 48 is exposed in the notch 53 so that the operator can press it with a finger.
Therefore, the wedge 46 is pushed up by pushing the wedge attachment material 48 into the main body 41, and the tip 46a of the wedge 46 is pushed into the wedge insertion port 14e of the mechanical splice 14 attached to the upper surface of the upper main body 41a. And a press plate 14b.

  On the other hand, the slide head 42 has a slide head main body 42a and a slide head cover 42b, and a plurality of (for example, three) locking arms 56 provided on the slide head cover 42b are connected to the slide head main body 42a. It is designed to be integrated by pushing inside. In an internal space formed by the slide head main body 42a and the slide head cover 42b, a wedge releasing member 54 protruding rearward is provided. The rear end surface of the wedge release member 54 is provided with an inclined surface 54a that is inclined in a direction to rise rearward, and is parallel to the inclined surface 47a of the wedge stopper 47 on the main body 41 side.

The wedge release member 54 can be inserted into the main body 41 along the wedge guide 51 on the main body 41 side. The slide head 42 is slid to the main body 41 side and the wedge stopper 47 is pushed backward by the wedge release member 54. Then, the wedge stopper 47 is moved downward by the action of the both slopes 47a, 54a. As a result, the wedge 46 is moved downward and detached from the wedge insertion port 14e of the mechanical splice 14. Accordingly, in the mechanical splice 14, the substrate 14a and the presser plate 14b are brought into close contact with each other by the clamper 14d, and the built-in fiber 11a and the optical fiber 13a are connected.
The slide head main body 42 a is provided with spaces 55 for accommodating guide rails 49 a and 49 b protruding from the main body 41, and springs 57 are provided inside the spaces 55 and 55. For this reason, when the slide head 42 is slid to the main body 41 side, the tips of the guide rails 49a and 49b compress and shrink the spring 57. Therefore, when the pressing is stopped, the slide head 42 separates from the main body 41 and returns to a predetermined position. It has become.

Next, the optical fiber connection process will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the slide head 42 of the assembling jig 40 is pulled out from the main body 41, and mechanical splices are placed on the locking projections 43a and 43b provided on the upper surface of the upper main body 41a. 14 is installed. At this time, the mechanical splice 14 is attached with the wedge insertion opening 14e facing downward. Then, the wedge attachment member 48 in the notch 53 of the lower main body 41b is pushed into the main body 41, the tip 46a of the wedge 46 is pushed into the wedge insertion port 14e of the mechanical splice 14, and a gap is formed between the substrate 14a and the holding plate 14b. Is provided. The rear end portion of the built-in fiber 11a of the ferrule 11 is inserted into the gap from the front, and positioned in the V groove 14c of the substrate 14a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the optical fiber 13a exposed at the tip of the optical fiber core wire 13 passing through the housing 16 is moved from the rear to the substrate 14a and the holding plate 14b of the mechanical splice 14. And is positioned in the V-groove 14c of the substrate 14a. At this time, the front end surface of the optical fiber 13a and the rear end surface of the built-in fiber 11a of the ferrule 11 are brought into surface contact. If necessary, a refractive index matching agent 14f (see FIG. 3) is applied between both end faces.

Then, the slide head 42 is slid to the main body 41 side, the wedge stopper 47 on the main body 41 side is lowered by the wedge release member 54 of the slide head 42, and the wedge 46 is removed from the wedge insertion port 14 e of the mechanical splice 14. Thereby, the substrate 14a of the mechanical splice 14 and the pressing plate 14b are brought into close contact with each other by the clamper 14d, and the built-in fiber 11a and the optical fiber 13a are connected.
When the joining of the built-in fiber 11a and the optical fiber 13a is completed as described above, when the hand is released from the slide head 42, the spring 57 pushes the guide rails 49a and 49b as shown in FIG. The slide head 42 is returned to the original predetermined position.

  The optical connector 10 covers the mechanical splice protector 15 and the ferrule 11 manufactured as described above by covering the mechanical splice protector 15 from the front and the housing 16 from the rear. And the housing 16 can be integrated.

Next, an example of the adapter 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 is a perspective view of the adapter, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the adapter, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the optical connector and the counterpart optical connector are joined via the adapter.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the adapter 20 has a main body 22 and a mask member 23, and the optical connector 10 described above is inserted through an opening 22 a at the rear of the main body 22. At this time, the fitting portion 16 b provided in the housing 16 is fitted into the recess 21 provided in the rear end portion of the adapter main body 22 and positioned. As shown in FIG. 8, a locking arm 24 that locks the protrusion 16 a provided on the housing 16 of the optical connector 10 is provided on the inner surface of the rear end portion of the adapter main body 22. The protrusion 16a of the optical connector 10 is locked by the locking claw 24a at the tip of the 24 so as not to fall off.
The removal jig 60 for removing the optical connector 10 from the adapter 20 and how to remove it will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of left and right doors 27 and 24 are provided in the opening 22 b in front of the adapter main body 22. When the counterpart optical connector 30 is not attached, the opening is provided by a spring (not shown). It is urged to close 22b. This prevents entry of dust and the like. A concave portion 25 for attaching the mask member 23 is provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the front end portion of the adapter main body 22. As shown in FIG. 8, an attachment arm 28 for locking the counterpart optical connector 30 is provided on the inner surface of the center portion of the adapter main body 22.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the mask member 23 is provided with an opening 23 a for inserting the mating optical connector 30, and mounting arms 26 are provided rearward on both upper and lower surfaces. It has been. Therefore, the adapter 20 can be formed by pressing the mask member 23 from the front of the adapter body 22 and fitting the mounting arm 26 into the recess 25 of the adapter body 22.
8, the counterpart optical connector 30 is inserted from the opening 23a on the front surface of the adapter 20, and the doors 27 and 27 are pushed in while being opened. The connection is completed when the locking protrusion 32 provided on the outer surface of the distal end portion of the counterpart optical connector 30 is locked by the locking claw 28a at the distal end of the mounting arm 28 of the adapter 20.

  Since the optical connector 10 is not provided with a spring member for pressing the ferrule 11 against the counterpart ferrule 31, the counterpart ferrule 31 is attached by a spring member (not shown) provided in the counterpart optical connector 30. The connection is made by pressing against the ferrule 11.

Next, the removal jig 60 used when removing the optical connector 10 attached to the adapter 20 and how to remove it will be described.
9A is a perspective view of the removal jig as viewed from above, FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the removal jig as viewed from below, FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing the gripping portion between the removal jig and the optical connector, and FIG. FIGS. 12A to 12C are perspective views showing a process of removing an optical connector from an adapter using a removal jig, FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the removal jig is inserted halfway, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted the front-end | tip of a jig | tool completely.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the detaching jig 60 is formed in a U-shaped cross section from a bottom plate 61 and both side walls 62, 62 suspended from both left and right ends of the bottom plate 61. The front ends 62 a of the side walls 62 and 62 protrude forward from the front end of the bottom plate 61. Moreover, the center part of both side walls 62 and 62 is each provided with the recessed part 62c so that an operator may hold the removal jig | tool 60 easily.
As shown also in FIG. 10, a plurality of (for example, two in this case) locking grooves 62b are recessed in the inner side surfaces of the front end portions of the side walls 62, 62 as grip portions for gripping the optical connector 10 to be removed. ing. The protrusions 16d provided on the outer surface of the housing 16 of the optical connector 10 are locked by the locking grooves 62b to grip the optical connector 10. Therefore, when the optical connector 10 is removed from the adapter 20, it is dropped. Can be prevented.

Next, the removal process will be described.
As shown in FIG. 11A, behind the optical connector 10 attached to the adapter 20 (to the right in FIG. 11), the bottom plate 61 is down, and the optical fiber 13 is positioned between the side walls 62 and 62. The removal jig 60 is arranged as described above.
As shown in FIG. 11 (B), the optical connector 10 is inserted between both side walls 62, 62 of the removal jig 60 so that the tip 62a of the removal jig 60 is interposed between the optical connector 10 and the adapter 20. Insert (see FIG. 12A). When the distal end portion 62a of the removal jig 60 is further pushed in, as shown in FIG. 12B, the distal end portion 62a of the removal jig 60 is engaged between the housing 16 of the optical connector 10 and the distal end of the locking arm 24 of the adapter 20. The locking claw 24a is inserted between the locking claw 24a and moved in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. At this time, since the inside of the locking claw 24a is not released unless it moves further outside than the outside of the protrusion 16a of the housing 16, the thickness of the side wall 62 of the removal jig 60 is larger than the height of the protrusion 16a of the housing 16. It needs to be thick.
As a result, the locking arm 24 is detached from the protrusion 16 a of the housing 16, so that the optical connector 10 is released from the adapter 20.

At the same time, as shown in FIG. 12B, the tip 62a of the removal jig 60 is pressed inward by the locking arm 24 of the adapter 20, and the protrusion provided in the housing 16 in the locking groove 62b. The strip 16d is fitted, and the optical connector 10 is held by the removal jig 60. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 11C, when the removal jig 60 is detached from the adapter 20, the optical connector 10 is detached from the adapter 20, but the optical connector 10 is dropped by being held by the removal jig 60. Can be prevented.
As shown in FIG. 13, the removal jig 60 is preferably accommodated in the assembly jig 40 described above.

  As described above, according to the optical connector 10 described above, the ferrule 11 that incorporates the rear end surface of the built-in fiber 11a that is joined to the front end surface of the optical fiber 13a of the optical fiber core wire 13 by the mechanical splice 14 is included by the ferrule protection unit 12 to the front end. Therefore, the ferrule 11 is not exposed to the outside. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the ferrule 11 from being hit and damaged during transportation or transportation.

Note that the optical connector of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications and improvements can be made.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the mechanical splice protection unit 15 and the housing 16 are separated, but may be integrally formed.

  As described above, in the optical connector according to the present invention, since the ferrule to be joined to the optical fiber core wire by the mechanical splice is included up to the tip by the ferrule protection part, it protrudes from the tip of the conventional optical connector. It has the effect of preventing the ferrule from being damaged, and is useful as an optical connector or the like that can be connected to the counterpart optical fiber via an adapter in the field.

(A) is the disassembled perspective view seen from diagonally downward which shows embodiment which concerns on the optical connector of this invention. FIG. 2B is an overall perspective view of the optical connector as viewed obliquely from above. It is sectional drawing of an optical connector. It is sectional drawing which shows a mechanical splice. It is a disassembled perspective view of the jig | tool for an assembly. (A)-(C) are sectional drawings which show the assembly process of an optical connector. It is a perspective view of an adapter. It is a disassembled perspective view of an adapter. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which joined the optical connector and the other party optical connector via the adapter. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the removal jig | tool from the upper direction. (B) is a perspective view seen from below. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the holding part of a removal jig | tool and an optical connector. (A)-(C) are perspective views which show the process of removing an optical connector from an adapter using a removal jig | tool. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted the removal jig | tool to the middle. (B) is sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted the front-end | tip of the removal jig | tool completely. It is a perspective view which shows the state which accommodates a removal jig | tool in the assembly jig | tool. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional optical connector.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical connector 11a Built-in fiber 11 Ferrule 12 Ferrule protection part 13 Optical fiber core wire 13a Optical fiber 14 Mechanical splice 15 Mechanical splice protection part 16 Housing 16a Protrusion (locking part)
16b Fitting portion 17 Split sleeve 17a Slit 20 Adapter 21 Recessed portion 60 Removal jig 62b Locking groove (gripping portion)

Claims (4)

A ferrule that houses the built-in fiber in a state protruding from the rear end, a ferrule protection part that contains the tip of the ferrule, a rear end face of the built-in fiber that protrudes from the ferrule, and an optical fiber tip of the optical fiber core. A mechanical splice to be connected; a mechanical splice protection portion that covers the mechanical splice; and a housing that is fitted on the mechanical splice protection portion and has a locking portion that locks the adapter on an outer surface thereof . the tip, the optical connector according to claim Rukoto of a cylindrical shape having a slit in the longitudinal direction have a fitted possible split sleeve to the ferrule. The housing is characterized in that the locking portion is formed of a protrusion protruding outward from both outer side surfaces, and further has a fitting portion that fits the adapter on at least one of an upper surface and a lower surface of the housing. Item 4. The optical connector according to Item 1. The optical connector according to claim 1 , wherein the locking portion that locks the adapter can be opened only by using a removal jig . The optical connector according to claim 3, wherein the housing is locked by the removal jig and can be gripped .

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