JP6035631B2 - Optical communication module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical communication module having a light emitting element.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an optical communication module having a light emitting element such as VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) has a columnar shape for optically connecting a light emitting element and an optical fiber held by a ferrule of a plug side optical connector. An optical connecting member, a cylindrical elastic sleeve in which the ferrule and the optical connecting member are held in a state where the ends of the ferrule and the optical connecting member are inserted into the cylinder, an end of the ferrule can be inserted into the cylindrical elastic sleeve, and an optical connection A sleeve holding portion provided with a holding accommodation hole in which the cylindrical elastic sleeve is held and accommodated so that the end surface of the member exposed from the cylindrical elastic sleeve faces the light emitting element. There is something.

  In such an optical communication module, an optical signal emitted from a light emitting element is transmitted to an optical fiber of a plug-side optical connector via an optical connection member such as an optical fiber stub.

By the way, in recent years, with the increase in communication speed, the light emitted from the light emitting element has been increased in output. Such high output light may cause damage when irradiated to the eyes.
Therefore, when the plug-side optical connector is extracted from the optical communication module in operation, high-power light is emitted from the light emitting element to the outside of the optical communication module, and thus it is necessary to protect the eyes from this light. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes an optical communication module having a function of protecting eyes from light emitted from a light emitting element when a plug-side optical connector is extracted.

  In the optical communication module described in Patent Document 1, when the ferrule is extracted from the ferrule hole, the light is blocked from being transmitted from the light emitting element through the lens (optical connection member) to the outside of the optical communication module. An elastic piece is provided as a light shielding means.

JP-A-3-132708

  However, the optical communication module described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the provision of the light shielding means increases the number of parts, increases the part cost, and makes the assembly work complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is an optical communication module that protects eyes from light emitted from a light emitting element to the outside, reduces component costs, and does not complicate assembly work. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an optical communication module according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a light emitting element, a light emitting element installation portion in which the light emitting element is installed, and the light emitting element and plug side. A columnar optical connection member for optically connecting an optical fiber held by a ferrule of an optical connector, and a cylinder whose inner diameter is deformed to be elastically expandable / reducing in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the ferrule and the optical connection member A cylindrical elastic sleeve that is held in a state in which the ends of the ferrules are inserted therein, and the end of the ferrule can be inserted into the cylindrical elastic sleeve, and is exposed from the cylindrical elastic sleeve of the optical connection member. An optical communication module including a sleeve holding portion provided with a holding accommodation hole in which the cylindrical elastic sleeve is held and accommodated so that an end face on the side to be disposed is opposed to the light emitting element. The sleeve holding portion includes the movement restricting portion that restricts movement of the cylindrical elastic sleeve out of the holding receiving hole by abutting an end surface of the cylindrical elastic sleeve on the ferrule insertion side. The light emitting element installation portion is a wall that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the optical connection member, and guides the optical connection member to be positioned at a position where the optical connection member is optically connected to the light emitting element. A case in which an enclosure wall portion and an abutment surface against which an end face of the optical connection member guided by the guide enclosure wall portion abuts are provided, and the ferrule is inserted into the holding accommodation hole , in a state in which the optical connecting member is guided by the guide enclosing wall part, by the end surface of the optical connecting member is abutted on the abutting surface, the said optical connecting member onset Element gap between the optical connecting member and the light emitting element in a state that is optically connected is, is the distance to optimize the optical connection efficiency, and the tubular elastic sleeve the movement restriction and said edge face The cylindrical elastic sleeve holds the ferrule and the optical connecting member when the ferrule is pulled out from the holding and receiving hole. The cylindrical elastic sleeve causes the ferrule and the optical connection member to be moved to a position away from the position where the optical connection member is abutted against the movement restricting portion and moved away from the abutment surface. The holding force to be held is largely adjusted as compared with the holding force for the sleeve holding portion to hold the ferrule and the cylindrical elastic sleeve in which the optical connecting member is contained. It is a sign.

  In the optical communication module according to claim 2 of the present invention, in the above invention, the ferrule and the optical connecting member have a columnar shape, the cylindrical elastic sleeve has a cylindrical shape, and the sleeve holding portion. An outer peripheral shape of the holding and housing hole provided in a circular shape is formed, and an outer diameter of the ferrule and the optical connection member, an inner diameter and an outer diameter of the cylindrical elastic sleeve, and a hole diameter of the holding and housing hole are By adjusting, the holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve and the sleeve holding portion is adjusted.

  An optical communication module according to claim 3 of the present invention is the optical communication module according to the above invention, wherein the ferrule and the optical connecting member have outer surface roughness, surface inner surface of the cylindrical elastic sleeve, and tube outer surface. The holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve and the sleeve holding part is adjusted by adjusting the surface roughness of the cylinder or the surface roughness of the inner peripheral surface of the holding housing hole.

  In the optical communication module according to claim 4 of the present invention, in the above invention, the sleeve holding portion is formed in a cylindrical shape so that a hole inner surface of the holding accommodation hole is a cylindrical inner surface, and the ferrule is It has a cylindrical holding part including a notch part that is cut from the ferrule insertion port that is an opening on the insertion side toward the back side in the insertion direction of the ferrule, and the notch part allows the sleeve holding part to The holding force is adjusted.

  In the optical communication module according to claim 1 of the present invention, when the ferrule is pulled out from the holding housing hole, the light connection member moves together with the cylindrical elastic sleeve in the direction of the ferrule insertion port, thereby The gap between the element and the optical connecting member is increased. When the gap between the light emitting element and the cylindrical elastic sleeve increases, the optical connection loss between the light emitting element and the optical connecting member increases, so the light intensity emitted outside the optical communication module ensures eye safety. Can be adjusted to the light intensity. Since the light intensity can be adjusted by adjusting the holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve and the sleeve holding portion without providing a light shielding means, the cost of components can be reduced while protecting the eyes from the light emitted from the light emitting element to the outside. And the assembly work is not complicated.

  In the optical communication module according to claim 2 of the present invention, the outer diameter of the ferrule and the optical connecting member, the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the cylindrical elastic sleeve, and the hole diameter of the holding accommodation hole are adjusted. The holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve and the sleeve holding part can be easily adjusted.

  An optical communication module according to a third aspect of the present invention is the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface of the ferrule and the optical connecting member, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical elastic sleeve, and the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder, By adjusting the surface roughness of the inner peripheral surface of the holding housing hole, the holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve and the sleeve holding portion can be easily adjusted.

  In the optical communication module according to claim 4 of the present invention, the holding force of the sleeve holding portion can be easily adjusted by adjusting the number and dimensions of the cut portions.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an optical communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the optical communication module shown in FIG. 1 in cross section. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation of each part of the optical communication module from when the ferrule starts to be inserted into the holding housing hole until the insertion is completed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation of each part of the optical communication module when the ferrule is extracted out of the holding accommodation hole. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of each part of the optical communication module when the ferrule is extracted out of the holding accommodation hole. FIG. 6 shows a VCSEL and an optical fiber stub using a VCSEL having a wavelength of 850 nm and an emission intensity of 4 dBm as the light emitting element 20 and an optical fiber stub (optical connection member) in which an optical fiber having a core diameter of 50 μm is built. It is a graph which shows the result of having measured the relationship between the gap | interval and optical connection loss. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the optical communication module of Modification 1 of the optical communication module according to the embodiment of the present invention in cross section. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the optical communication module of Modification 2 of the optical communication module according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Preferred embodiments of the optical communication module according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an optical communication module 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the optical communication module 1 shown in FIG. 1 in cross section.
The optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a light emitting element 20, a light emitting element installation portion 50 in which the light emitting element 20 is installed, and a columnar shape that optically connects the light emitting element 20 and the ferrule 11 of the plug side optical connector 10. The optical connection member 30, the ferrule 11, and the optical connection member 30 are held in a state where the end portions 11 c and 30 c are inserted into the cylinder, and the inner diameter can be elastically expanded and contracted in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 to be deformed, the end 11c of the ferrule 11 can be inserted into the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40, and the end surface 30d of the optical connecting member 30 exposed from the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is connected to the light emitting element 20. And a sleeve holding portion 60 provided with a holding hole 61 for holding and holding the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 so as to face each other.

First, the plug side optical connector 10 will be described.
The plug-side optical connector 10 is for optically connecting the ferrule 11 to the optical connection member 30 by being connected to the sleeve holding portion 60. The ferrule 11 has a through hole formed in the axial center of a cylindrical member 11a made of, for example, zirconia, and an optical fiber 11b is inserted into the through hole. When such a plug-side optical connector 10 is connected to the sleeve holding portion 60, a force directed toward the optical connection member 30 is applied to the ferrule 11 by a biasing force of a spring (not shown). These end surfaces and the end surface of the optical connecting member 30 are held in contact with each other.

Next, the optical connection member 30 will be described.
The optical connecting member 30 has a through hole formed in the axial center of a cylindrical member 30a made of zirconia, for example, and an optical fiber 30b is inserted into the through hole. The optical connection member 30 is so-called physical contact connected to the ferrule 11 when the ferrule 11 is abutted.

Next, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 will be described.
The cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is formed with a slit portion 41 extending linearly from one end to the other end along the axial direction. The slit portion 41 is deformed so that the inner diameter can be elastically expanded and contracted. It is a cylindrical member.
When the ferrule 11 and the optical connection member 30 are inserted into the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40, the ferrule 11 and the optical connection member 30 are elastically deformed in the radial direction, and the outer diameter of the ferrule 11 and the outer diameter of the optical connection member 30 are aligned. The axis of the optical fiber stored and the axis of the optical fiber stored in the optical connecting member 30 are aligned. In this state, the ferrule 11 and the optical connection member 30 are held in the holding accommodation hole 61.

Next, the light emitting element installation unit 50 will be described.
The light emitting element installation unit 50 is realized by a so-called three-dimensional injection molded circuit component (MID: Molded Interconnect Device), and is mounted with an electronic component such as an integrated circuit (IC: integrated circuit) (not shown) related to the function of the optical communication module 1. In addition, a circuit pattern corresponding to the electronic component is formed.
The light emitting element installation part 50 includes a light emitting element arrangement recess 51 in which the light emitting element 20 is arranged, and a positioning part 53 that performs a positioning function of the optical connection member 30.

  The light emitting element placement recess 51 is a recessed portion formed in the optical connection member facing surface 52 that is the surface facing the end face of the optical connection member 30, and the surface on which the light emitting element 20 is disposed on the bottom surface of the recess. The light emitting element installation surface 51a to be formed is provided. The upper edge surface of the recess 51 for arranging the light emitting element is an abutting surface 55 to be described later on which the optical connecting member 30 is abutted for positioning, and the optical connecting member 30 and the light emitting element 20 have a recess depth. They are confronted with a minute gap. The depth of the recess 51 for arranging the light emitting element is set so that the optical connection efficiency between the light emitting element 20 and the optical connecting member 30 is optimized.

The positioning portion 53 includes a guide surrounding wall portion 54 and an abutting surface 55.
The guide surrounding wall portion 54 is a wall that guides the optical connecting member 30 so as to be positioned at a position where the optical connecting member 30 is optically connected to the light emitting element 20. The guide enclosure wall portion 54 is a wall protruding from the optical connection member facing surface 52 so as to surround the outer peripheral surface 31 of the end portion of the optical connection member 30, and is a light emitting element arrangement recess 51 at a substantially central position in the enclosure. Is arranged. The end of the optical connection member 30 is fitted into the enclosure of the guide enclosure wall 54 as described above, thereby suppressing the positional deviation in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical connection member 30 and the light emitting element 20.

  The abutting surface 55 is a surface against which the end surface 30d of the optical connection member 30 guided and moved by the guide surrounding wall portion 54 is abutted, and the upper edge surface of the light emitting element disposing recess 51 functions as the abutting surface 55. It has come to be.

Next, the sleeve holding part 60 will be described.
The sleeve holding part 60 has a cylindrical holding part 62 having a holding accommodation hole 61 and a movement restricting part 63, and a fitting part 64 fitted to the guide surrounding wall part 53 a of the light emitting element installation part 50. Become.

  The holding accommodation hole 61 includes a hole having a circular outer diameter in which the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is accommodated, and a ferrule insertion port 61 a for guiding the ferrule 11 to be inserted into the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40. Become.

  The movement restricting portion 63 protrudes along the inner peripheral surface of the ferrule insertion port 61a, and the end surface 42 on the ferrule 11 insertion side of the tubular elastic sleeve 40 is abutted against the movement restricting portion 63 to form a cylindrical shape. The elastic sleeve 40 is restricted from moving out of the holding accommodation hole 61. The protruding height of the movement restricting portion 63 is set to be smaller than the thickness of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40, and the diameter of the holding housing hole 61 on the back side of the movement restricting portion 63 is inserted into the end 30c of the optical connecting member 30. The outer diameter of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is set slightly smaller. For this reason, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 into which the end 30 c of the optical connection member 30 is inserted is held in the holding accommodation hole 61. When the ferrule 11 is moved out of the holding accommodation hole 61, the end edge surface 42 of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is abutted against the movement restricting portion 63 and stays in the holding accommodation hole 61, and only the ferrule 11 is held in the holding accommodation hole 61. It is designed to be pulled out.

  The fitting portion 64 is a portion in which the end hole diameter of the holding housing hole 61 on the light emitting element 20 side is enlarged in a step shape so as to cover the wall outer peripheral surface 54 b of the guide surrounding wall portion 54. The inner circumferential surface 64 b of the fitting portion 64 is fitted to the guide surrounding wall portion 54 so that the inner circumferential surface 54 b of the guide surrounding wall portion 54 is in contact with the wall outer peripheral surface 54 b.

In such an optical communication module 1, when the ferrule 11 is inserted into the holding accommodation hole 61, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is held so as to leave a gap between the end edge surface 42 and the movement restricting portion 63. It arrange | positions in the accommodation hole 61. FIG.
Further, when the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding accommodation hole 61, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is moved so as to be moved until it comes into contact with the movement restricting portion 63 while holding the ferrule 11 and the optical connection member 30. The holding force of the sleeve 40 and the sleeve holding part 60 is adjusted.
That is, as compared with the holding force fa in which the sleeve holding portion 60 holds the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 holding the ferrule 11 or the optical connection member 30, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 has the ferrule 11 or the optical connection member. The holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 and the sleeve holding part 60 is adjusted so that the holding force fb for holding 30 increases.

In the optical communication module 1 of this embodiment, the outer diameters of the ferrule 11 and the optical connecting member 30 and the cylindrical elastic sleeve are used to adjust the holding forces fa and fb of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 and the sleeve holding portion 60. The inner diameter and outer diameter of 40 and the hole diameter of the holding accommodation hole 61 are adjusted.
Further, in this embodiment, the holding force fc of the optical connecting member 30 by the guide surrounding wall portion 54 is sufficiently smaller than the holding forces fa and fb described above and can be ignored. Alternatively, the holding force fb is adjusted to be larger than the sum of the holding force fa and the holding force fc (fb> fa + fc).

Next, the operation of each part of the optical communication module 1 from when the ferrule 11 starts to be inserted into the holding housing hole 61 until the insertion is completed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation of each part of the optical communication module 1 from the start of insertion of the ferrule 11 into the holding accommodation hole 61 to the completion of insertion.
Before the ferrule 11 is inserted into the holding accommodation hole 61, the optical connecting member 30 is held by the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 with the end face 42 abutting against the movement restricting portion 63 ( (See FIG. 3 (a)).

  First, when the ferrule 11 starts to be inserted into the holding accommodation hole 61, the ferrule 11 is inserted into the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40, and the end face of the ferrule 11 is abutted against the end face of the optical connecting member 30 (FIG. 3A). , (B)).

  Thereafter, when the ferrule 11 is further inserted into the holding accommodation hole 61 in a state where the ferrule 11 is abutted against the optical connection member 30, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 moves to the light emitting element 20 side together with the optical connection member 30. The ferrule 11 is completely inserted into the holding accommodation hole 61 by starting and abutting the end surface 30d of the optical connecting member 30 on the light emitting element 20 side against the abutting surface 55 (see FIG. 3C). Here, the end surface 30d of the optical connecting member 30 is abutted against the abutting surface 55 and positioned in the optical axis direction, whereby the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 holding the optical connecting member 30 and the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 are fixed. The held ferrule 11 is positioned and arranged in the optical axis direction.

  In this embodiment, after the ferrule 11 is abutted against the optical connection member 30, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 starts to move toward the light emitting element 20, but the ferrule 11 is attached to the optical connection member 30. The cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 may start moving in the optical axis direction before being abutted. In this case, after the optical connection member 30 is abutted against the abutment surface 55, the ferrule 11 is inserted into the back side of the holding accommodation hole 61 until it abuts against the optical connection member 30.

Next, the operation of each part of the optical communication module 1 when the ferrule 11 is pulled out of the holding accommodation hole 61 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 and 5 are diagrams showing the operation of each part of the optical communication module 1 when the ferrule 11 is pulled out of the holding accommodation hole 61. FIG.
Before the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding and housing hole 61, the ferrule 11 is disposed at the insertion completion position in the holding and housing hole 61. Therefore, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is connected to the end edge surface 42 and the movement restricting portion 63. Is disposed in the holding accommodation hole 61 so as to leave a gap (see FIG. 4A). In this state, the gap G1 between the optical connection member 30 and the light emitting element 20 is a distance for optimizing the optical connection efficiency.

First, when the ferrule 11 starts to be pulled out of the holding housing hole 61, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is moved in the direction of the ferrule insertion port 61a together with the ferrule 11, and the end edge surface 42 of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is moved to the movement restricting portion 63. (See FIG. 4B). Here, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is moved together with the ferrule 11 compared to the holding force fa in which the sleeve holding portion 60 holds the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 holding the ferrule 11 or the optical connecting member 30. This is because the holding force of the sleeve holding portion 60 is adjusted so that the holding force fb for holding the ferrule 11 or the optical connecting member 30 in the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is increased.
Further, the end surface 42 of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is abutted against the movement restricting portion 63, thereby preventing the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 from dropping out of the holding accommodation hole 61.
Further, the optical connecting member 30 is moved together with the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 in the direction of the ferrule insertion port 61a, so that the gap G2 increased compared to the gap G1 between the light emitting element 20 is moved. The

  Thereafter, when the ferrule 11 is further moved out of the holding accommodation hole 61, the movement of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is restricted by the movement restricting portion 63, and the ferrule 11 is retained in the holding accommodation hole 61. 61 is extracted outside (see FIG. 5C). Thus, when the ferrule 11 is extracted out of the holding and housing hole 61, the gap G1 between the light connecting element 30 and the light emitting element 20 before the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding and housing hole 61 is increased. Adjusted to

Here, the relationship between the gap between the light emitting element 20 and the optical connecting member 30 and the optical connection loss between the light emitting element 20 and the optical connecting member 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows a VCSEL and an optical fiber stub using a VCSEL having a wavelength of 850 nm and an emission intensity of 4 dBm as the light-emitting element 20 and an optical fiber stub (optical connection member 30) including an optical fiber having a core diameter of 50 μm. It is a graph which shows the result of having measured the relationship between the gap | interval and optical connection loss.
In FIG. 6, the vertical axis represents the optical connection loss (unit: dB), and the horizontal axis represents the distance (unit: mm) between the light emitting element and the optical connection member.

As shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the optical connection loss increases as the distance between the light emitting element 20 and the optical connection member 30 increases.
Here, when the ferrule 11 is completely inserted into the holding accommodation hole 61, the distance G1 between the light emitting element 20 and the optical connection member 30 is designed to be 0.05 mm. On the other hand, when the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding accommodation hole 61, the distance G2 between the light emitting element 20 and the optical connection member 30 is designed to be 0.2 mm.

Under this design condition, the distance G1 is 0.05 mm, the optical connection loss is 2.1 dB, the distance G2 is 0.2 mm, and the optical connection loss is 8.0 dB.
For this reason, when the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding accommodation hole 61, the light intensity emitted from the light emitting element 20 to the outside of the optical communication module 1 becomes −4 dBm. This value is smaller than the light intensity value of −1.1 dBm, which can ensure the safety of the eyes, and therefore, when the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding accommodation hole 61 while the light emitting element 20 is driven. Even so, eye safety can be ensured.

When this design condition is applied to the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the gap between the optical connection member 30 and the light emitting element 20 is 0 in a state where the ferrule 11 is inserted into the holding accommodation hole 61. .05 mm, and a clearance of 0.15 mm is set between the end edge surface 42 of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 and the movement restricting portion 63.
Thereby, when the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding accommodation hole 61, the optical connecting member 30 is moved 0.15 mm in the direction of the ferrule insertion port 61 a together with the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40. Since the gap with the connection member 30 is increased from 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm and the light intensity emitted to the outside of the optical communication module 1 is reduced to −4 dBm, eye safety can be ensured.
The design of the optical communication module 1 is not limited to this design condition. When the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding and housing hole 61, optical communication is performed by increasing the gap between the light emitting element 20 and the optical connection member 30 as compared with the case where the ferrule 11 is inserted into the holding and housing hole 61. Other design conditions may be used as long as the intensity of light emitted to the outside of the module 1 is designed to be less than the intensity that can ensure the safety of eyes.

  In the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the ferrule 11 is extracted from the holding accommodation hole 61, the gap between the optical connection member 30 and the light emitting element 20 increases, and thus the light is emitted out of the optical communication module 1. The light intensity is adjusted to a light intensity that can ensure eye safety. For this reason, since the light intensity can be adjusted by adjusting the holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 and the sleeve holding portion 60 without providing a light shielding means, the eyes are protected from the light emitted from the light emitting element 20 to the outside. However, the parts cost is reduced and the assembly work is not complicated.

  Further, in the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the outer diameter of the ferrule 11 and the optical connecting member 30, the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40, and the hole diameter of the holding accommodation hole 61 are adjusted. Accordingly, the holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 and the sleeve holding portion 60 can be easily adjusted.

  In the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surfaces 11e and 30e of the ferrule 11 and the optical connection member 30, the inner peripheral surface 40a of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40, and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder By adjusting the surface roughness of 40b or the surface roughness of the inner peripheral surface 61b of the holding accommodation hole 61, the holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 and the sleeve holding portion 60 can be easily adjusted.

  Further, in the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the optical connecting member 30 is reliably positioned with respect to the light emitting element 20 by the guide surrounding wall portion 54 and the abutting surface 55, the optical connecting member The optical connection loss due to the fact that 30 is displaced from the light emitting element 20 can be reliably suppressed.

(Modification 1)
Next, Modification 1 of the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the optical communication module 2 of Modification 1 of the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention in cross section.
In the optical communication module 2 of the first modification, the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surfaces of the ferrule 11 and the optical connecting member 30, the surface roughness of the cylindrical inner peripheral surface 40a and the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 40b of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40, or the holding. It differs from the optical communication module 1 of the embodiment in that the holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 and the sleeve holding portion 60 is adjusted by adjusting the surface roughness of the inner peripheral surface 61b of the accommodation hole 61.
Other configurations are the same as those in the embodiment, and the same components as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the optical communication module 2 of the first modification, when the ferrule 11 is pulled out from the holding accommodation hole 61, the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 is abutted against the movement restricting portion 63 while holding the ferrule 11 and the optical connecting member 30. Since the holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve 40 and the sleeve holding portion 60 is adjusted so as to be moved, the same effects as those of the optical communication module 1 of the embodiment can be obtained.

(Modification 2)
Next, a second modification of the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the optical communication module 3 of Modification 2 of the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The optical communication module 3 of the second modification is different from the optical communication module 1 of the embodiment in that a sleeve holding unit 70 is provided instead of the sleeve holding unit 60.
Other configurations are the same as those in the embodiment, and the same components as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The sleeve holding portion 70 is formed in a cylindrical shape so that the inner surface of the holding accommodation hole 61 is the inner surface of the cylinder, and from the ferrule insertion port 61a, which is an opening on the side where the ferrule 11 is inserted, to the rear side in the insertion direction of the ferrule 11 It has the cylindrical holding | maintenance part 71 containing the notch part 71a cut | disconnected toward.

  The cut portions 71 a are formed at four locations at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical holding portion 71. As a result, the holding force by the sleeve holding portion 70 is adjusted evenly toward the axial center of the cylindrical holding portion 71.

In the second modification, the holding force of the sleeve holding portion 70 is adjusted by the cut portion 71a.
The number and dimensions of the notches 71a are not limited to this, and may be set as appropriate in order to adjust the holding force of the sleeve holder 70.

  The optical communication module 3 according to the second modification has the same effect as the optical communication module 1 according to the embodiment, and the holding force of the sleeve holding portion 70 can be easily adjusted by adjusting the number and dimensions of the cut portions 71a. can do.

  In addition, although the optical communication modules 1, 2, and 3 which concern on the Example of this invention illustrated what the light emitting element installation part 50 is MID, it is not restricted to this, The other circuit structure body in which an electronic circuit is comprised It does not matter. For example, a circuit structure that uses a lead frame for wiring may be used.

  The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the above-described embodiments of the invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments of the invention and does not depart from the gist thereof. Various changes can be made.

1, 2, 3 Optical communication module 10 Plug side optical connector 11 Ferrule 11a Columnar member 11b Optical fiber 11c End 11e Outer peripheral surface 20 Light emitting element 30 Optical connecting member 30a Columnar member 30b Optical fiber 30c End 30d End surface 30e Outer peripheral surface 31 Outer peripheral surface 40 Cylindrical elastic sleeve 40a Cylinder inner peripheral surface 40b Cylinder outer peripheral surface 41 Slit portion 42 Edge surface 50 Light emitting element placement portion 51 Light emitting element placement recess 51a Light emitting element placement surface 52 Optical connection member facing surface 53 Positioning Portion 54 Wall for guide 54a Wall upper surface 54b Wall outer peripheral surface 55 Abutting surface 60, 70 Sleeve holding portion 61 Holding receiving hole 61a, 71a Ferrule insertion port 61b Hole inner peripheral surface 62 Cylindrical holding portion 63 Movement restricting portion 63a Projection End surface 64 Fitting portion 64a Step surface 64b Inner peripheral surface 71 Cylindrical surface Holding part 71b Cut part

Claims (4)

A light-emitting element; a light-emitting element-installing portion where the light-emitting element is installed; a columnar optical connecting member that optically connects the light-emitting element and an optical fiber held by a ferrule of a plug-side optical connector; the ferrule and the light A cylindrical elastic sleeve that is held in a state where the inner ends thereof are inserted into a cylinder whose inner diameter is elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis, and the end portion of the ferrule Can be inserted into the cylindrical elastic sleeve, and the cylindrical elastic sleeve is held and accommodated so that the end face of the optical connecting member exposed from the cylindrical elastic sleeve is disposed to face the light emitting element. In an optical communication module having a sleeve holding portion provided with an accommodation hole,
The sleeve holding portion includes the movement restricting portion that restricts the cylindrical elastic sleeve from being moved out of the holding accommodation hole by abutting an end surface of the cylindrical elastic sleeve on the ferrule insertion side. Have
The light emitting element installation part is
A wall surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the end of the optical connecting member, and a guide surrounding wall for guiding the optical connecting member to be positioned at a position where the optical connecting member is optically connected to the light emitting element ;
An abutting surface against which an end surface of the optical connecting member guided and moved by the guide enclosure wall portion is abutted;
Having
When the ferrule is inserted into the holding housing hole, the end surface of the optical connecting member is abutted against the abutting surface in a state where the optical connecting member is guided by the guide surrounding wall portion. The gap between the optical connecting member and the light emitting element in the state where the optical connecting member and the light emitting element are optically connected is set to a distance for optimizing the optical connection efficiency, and the cylindrical elastic sleeve Is arranged in the holding accommodation hole so as to leave a gap between the edge surface and the movement restricting portion,
When the ferrule is extracted from the holding housing hole, the cylindrical elastic sleeve is abutted against the movement restricting portion while retaining the ferrule and the optical connection member, and the optical connection member is abutted against the abutting surface. The cylindrical elastic sleeve has a holding force for holding the ferrule and the optical connecting member so that the sleeve is moved away from the applied position, and the sleeve holding portion has the ferrule and the optical connecting member inherently present. An optical communication module, wherein the optical communication module is adjusted to be larger than a holding force for holding the cylindrical elastic sleeve . The ferrule and the optical connecting member are
A cylindrical shape,
The cylindrical elastic sleeve is
A cylindrical shape,
The outer peripheral shape of the holding accommodation hole provided in the sleeve holding portion is:
A circular shape,
The outer diameter of the ferrule and the optical connecting member, the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the cylindrical elastic sleeve, and the hole diameter of the holding housing hole are adjusted, thereby holding the cylindrical elastic sleeve and the sleeve holding portion. The optical communication module according to claim 1, wherein the force is adjusted.   The surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface of the ferrule and the optical connecting member, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical elastic sleeve, the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder, or the surface roughness of the inner peripheral surface of the holding housing hole 3. The optical communication module according to claim 1, wherein a holding force of the cylindrical elastic sleeve and the sleeve holding portion is adjusted by the adjustment. The sleeve holding portion is
It is formed in a cylindrical shape so that the inner surface of the holding housing hole is a cylindrical inner surface, and is cut from the ferrule insertion port, which is an opening on the side where the ferrule is inserted, toward the back side in the insertion direction of the ferrule. A cylindrical holding portion including a cut portion,
The optical communication module according to claim 1, wherein a holding force of the sleeve holding portion is adjusted by the cut portion.

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