JP6421149B2 - Optical connector and optical connector connection method - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an optical connector and an optical connector connection method.

  As an example of an optical connector in which a ferrule is accommodated in a retractable housing, for example, an MT type optical connector (F12 type optical connector established in JIS C5981; MT: Mechanically Transferable) is known. In such an optical connector, the end faces of the ferrules holding a plurality of optical fibers abut against each other so that the end faces of the optical fibers physically abut against each other and the optical fibers are optically connected.

Japanese Patent No. 5690005 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-227938

  In some cases, multi-core optical fibers such as 1000 cores and 2000 cores are optically connected between a station building and a closure outside the station in an FTTH (Fiber to the Home) service. At this time, conventionally, such a multi-fiber optical fiber is branched into several bundles and connected by fusing within a closure, so that much work is required for the connection work.

  Also, when connecting using an MT type optical connector, the amount of pushback in one ferrule is limited, so when connecting such multi-fiber optical fibers in a batch with a plurality of ferrules The dimensional tolerance between the ferrules could not be ignored. Further, when trying to absorb the dimensional tolerance by the pushback amount of the ferrule, there arises a problem that the pressing amount is different for each ferrule or the pushback amount needs to be set longer.

  An object of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide an optical connector that can collectively connect a plurality of ferrules that connect high-density multi-core optical fibers.

Some embodiments for solving the above-described problems are optical connectors each having a detachable optical receptacle and an optical plug, and the optical receptacle is accommodated in an external housing, an internal housing, and the internal housing. A plurality of receptacle-side connector modules each having a receptacle-side ferrule and a receptacle-side spring that applies a pressing force to the receptacle-side ferrule. The optical plug includes a plug-side housing and a plug accommodated in the plug-side housing. A plurality of plug-side connector modules each having a side ferrule and a plug-side spring that applies a pressing force to the plug-side ferrule, the inner housing has an engaging portion, and the plug-side housing has an engaged portion. In the state where the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged, The housing and the plug-side housing are in a predetermined positional relationship, and the receptacle-side ferrule and the plug-side ferrule are brought into contact with each other with a predetermined pressing force by the receptacle-side spring and the plug-side spring, The plug-side housing has an unlocking portion, and when the unlocking portion changes from the locked state in which the inner housing is locked to the outer housing to the unlocked state, the inner housing is connected to the outer housing. The optical receptacle includes a receptacle-side cylindrical portion having a thread portion formed on an outer periphery thereof, and the optical plug includes a nut portion that is screwed to the receptacle-side cylindrical portion, and the optical receptacle when connecting the optical plug, to advance the screwing between the nut part and the receptacle-side cylinder portion , In each of the receptacle connector module and the plug-side connector module, after becoming the unlocking state from the latched state, in a state in which the said engaging portion and the engaged portion engaged, the The optical connector is characterized in that an inner housing and the plug-side housing move in an attaching / detaching direction with respect to the outer housing.

  Other features will be clarified in the description and drawings described later.

  According to some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of ferrules that connect high-density multi-core optical fibers can be collectively connected.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the optical connector 1 before the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are coupled. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the receptacle-side connector module 11 portion of the optical receptacle 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the plug-side connector module 12 portion of the optical plug 3. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 1 on the YZ plane at the timing when the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19 start to be screwed together. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connector module 10 on the YZ plane at the timing when the plug-side housing 23 comes into contact with the external housing 13 for the first time. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the connector module 10 on the YZ plane at the timing when the ferrule pin 26 starts to be fitted into the ferrule hole 27. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the connector module 10 on the YZ plane at the timing when the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 are engaged. FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D are explanatory views showing a state of shifting from the locked state to the unlocked state. FIG. 10A is an enlarged perspective view of the receptacle-side connector module 11 portion of the optical receptacle 2. FIG. 10B is an enlarged perspective view of the plug-side connector module 12 portion of the optical plug 3.

  At least the following matters will be apparent from the description and drawings described below.

  An optical connector having a detachable optical receptacle and an optical plug, the optical receptacle including an external housing, an internal housing, a receptacle-side ferrule accommodated in the internal housing, and a pressing force applied to the receptacle-side ferrule A plurality of receptacle-side connector modules each having a receptacle-side spring to be applied; and the optical plug applies a pressing force to the plug-side housing, the plug-side ferrule accommodated in the plug-side housing, and the plug-side ferrule. A plurality of plug-side connector modules each having a plug-side spring, the inner housing has an engaging portion, the plug-side housing has an engaged portion, and the engaging portion and the engaged portion; In the engaged state, the inner housing and the plug-side housing are predetermined. The receptacle-side spring and the plug-side spring cause the receptacle-side ferrule and the plug-side ferrule to abut against each other with a predetermined pressing force, and the plug-side housing has an unlocking portion. When the unlocking portion changes from the locked state in which the inner housing is locked to the outer housing to the unlocked state, the inner housing becomes movable relative to the outer housing, and the optical receptacle And when connecting the optical plug to the receptacle-side connector module and the plug-side connector module, the engagement portion and the engaged portion are changed from the locked state to the locked state. The inner housing and the plug-side housing are attached to and detached from the outer housing in a state in which Optical connector thus being moved countercurrently becomes apparent. According to such an optical connector, it is possible to collectively connect a plurality of ferrules that connect high-density multi-core optical fibers.

  The optical receptacle includes a receptacle-side cylindrical portion having a thread portion formed on an outer periphery thereof, and the optical plug includes a nut portion that is screwed to the receptacle-side cylindrical portion, and the receptacle-side cylindrical portion and the nut portion It is desirable to change from the locked state to the unlocked state by advancing the screwing. As a result, it is possible to easily disconnect a plurality of ferrules that connect high-density multi-core optical fibers together simply by performing a simple operation of screw loosening.

  The optical plug preferably includes a plug-side cylindrical portion that fits inside the receptacle-side cylindrical portion. Thereby, rough positioning can be performed before the receptacle-side housing and the plug-side housing are fitted together.

  The optical receptacle preferably includes a housing that holds the external housing, and the external housing is provided to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the attaching / detaching direction with respect to the housing. As a result, it is possible to absorb the relative displacement between the receptacle-side housing and the plug-side housing when the optical connector is connected.

  The receptacle-side ferrule and the plug-side ferrule are preferably lens-coupled ferrules. Thereby, the pressing force of the spring for elastically urging the ferrule can be reduced.

  A method of connecting an optical connector having a detachable optical receptacle and an optical plug, wherein the optical receptacle includes an external housing, an internal housing, a receptacle-side ferrule accommodated in the internal housing, and the receptacle-side ferrule. A plurality of receptacle-side connector modules each having a receptacle-side spring for applying a pressing force, and the optical plug includes a plug-side housing, a plug-side ferrule accommodated in the plug-side housing, and a pressing force applied to the plug-side ferrule A plurality of plug-side connector modules having a plug-side spring, the inner housing having an engaging portion, the plug-side housing having an engaged portion, and the engaging portion and the engaged portion. In the state where the joint portion is engaged, the inner housing and the plug-side housing And the receptacle-side spring and the plug-side spring are brought into contact with the receptacle-side ferrule and the plug-side ferrule with a predetermined pressing force, and the plug-side housing is locked. When the lock release portion has a lock release state from the lock state in which the internal housing is locked to the external housing, the internal housing becomes movable with respect to the external housing. When the optical receptacle and the optical plug are connected, in each of the receptacle-side connector module and the plug-side connector module, after the locked state is changed to the unlocked state, the engaging portion and the covered portion are connected. With the engagement portion engaged, the inner housing and the plug-side housing are connected to the outer housing. Connection of the optical connector, characterized in that to move the detaching direction is apparent. According to such an optical connector connection method, a plurality of ferrules connecting high-density multi-core optical fibers can be connected together.

=== First Embodiment ===
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the optical connector 1 before the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are coupled. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the receptacle-side connector module 11 portion of the optical receptacle 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the plug-side connector module 12 portion of the optical plug 3. In the present embodiment, a basic configuration of the optical connector 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described.

  In the following description, each direction is defined as shown in FIG. That is, the direction in which the optical connector 1 is attached / detached is “front / rear direction”, the optical receptacle 2 side is “front”, and the opposite side (optical plug 3 side) is “rear”. The front-rear direction may be referred to as “Z direction” or “detachment direction”. Further, in the surface including the flat portion 7A of the inner surface of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is “left-right direction”, the right side toward the connection end surface of the receptacle-side connector module 11 is “right”, and the left side is “Left”. The left-right direction may be referred to as the “X direction”. Also, the front-rear direction and the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction are “up-down direction”, the receptacle-side concave portion 8 side of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 is “lower”, and the opposite side (receptacle-side convex portion 9 side) is “upward”. " The vertical direction may be referred to as the “Y direction”.

<Basic configuration of optical connector 1>
The optical connector 1 is a connector for connecting a high density multi-core optical fiber. The “high density multi-fiber optical fiber” refers to an optical fiber bundle having a large number of cores such as 1000 cores and 2000 cores. An optical connector that connects the high-density multi-core optical fibers using a plurality of connector modules is referred to as a “high-density multi-core optical connector”. The optical connector 1 of FIG. 1 shows a high density multi-fiber optical connector when connecting 2000 optical fibers as an example. The “high density multi-core” in the present embodiment is not limited to a specific number of hearts such as 1000 or 2000, but may refer to a considerably large number of hearts.

  The optical connector 1 includes an optical receptacle 2 and an optical plug 3.

  The optical receptacle 2 includes a receptacle-side connector module 11 that becomes a receiving side when the connector modules 10 are connected to each other. The optical receptacle 2 can connect the connector modules 10 by fitting with the optical plug 3. In actual connection work, for example, the operator holds the optical receptacle 2 in the right hand and the optical plug 3 in the left hand, and fits the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 so as to be close to each other. Therefore, the term “receptacle side” or “receiving side” has a convenient meaning, and is not limited to a side (receiving side) that is not necessarily movable with respect to a “plug side” or “movable side” described later. .

  The optical receptacle 2 includes a gripping portion 5, a receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6, an optical fiber holding portion 4 </ b> A, and a receptacle-side connector module 11.

  The grip portion 5 is a portion that can grip the optical receptacle 2 when attaching to and detaching from the optical plug 3. The grip portion 5 has a hexagonal column shape, similar to a nut portion 19 of the optical plug 3 described later. Therefore, when attaching / detaching the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3, the operator turns both spanners on the optical plug 3 side (nut portion 19 described later) and the optical receptacle 2 side (gripping portion 5). Tightening work can be performed. Thereby, the tightening torque between the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 is increased, and the work efficiency of the connection work is improved.

  The receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 is a portion where a plug-side cylindrical portion 20 of the optical plug 3 to be described later can be fitted inside the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and can be roughly positioned before the connector modules 10 are connected to each other. . The inner diameter of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the plug-side cylindrical portion 20 so that the plug-side cylindrical portion 20 does not wobble and can be fitted accurately.

  In addition, the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 is screwed into the nut portion 19 of the optical plug 3 and fastened. Therefore, a male thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 (not shown). The male screw of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 is screwed and fastened with a female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface of the nut portion 19.

  Further, a part of the lower side of the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 is a flat portion 7A. In the center of the flat portion 7A, a receptacle-side recess 8 extending in the front-rear direction is provided. Further, a receptacle-side convex portion 9 extending in the front-rear direction is provided at a location facing the receptacle-side concave portion 8 on the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6. As a result, the vertical direction in the opening portion of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 can be easily discriminated. Similarly, a flat portion (flat portion 7B), a convex portion (plug-side convex portion 21), and a concave portion (plug-side concave portion 22) are formed. The plug-side cylindrical portion 20 can be easily fitted. Further, since the optical plug 3 can be prevented from fitting upside down with respect to the optical receptacle 2, the work efficiency of the connection work is improved.

  The optical fiber holding portion 4A is a member serving as a cover for holding the high-density multi-core optical fiber up to the receptacle-side connector module 11. The grip portion 5, the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6, and the optical fiber holding portion 4A may be collectively referred to as a receptacle-side casing.

  In the present embodiment, a receptacle-side housing (an outer housing 13 and an inner housing 14 to be described later) is provided so as to move to some extent in the XY plane with respect to the receptacle-side housing. That is, “play” is provided between the receptacle-side housing and the receptacle-side housing (described later: see FIG. 6 which is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4). The movement of the receptacle-side housing to the XY plane relative to the receptacle-side housing is sometimes referred to as “XY floating”, and the mechanism that enables XY floating is sometimes referred to as “XY floating mechanism”.

  Next, the basic configuration of the receptacle-side connector module 11 of the optical receptacle 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, among the connector modules 10, the receptacle side is referred to as a receptacle-side connector module 11, and the plug side is referred to as a plug-side connector module 12. In FIG. 2, in order to explain the basic configuration of the receptacle-side connector module 11, the gripping portion 5, the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6, and the optical fiber holding portion 4 </ b> A are not shown, and the outline is shown by a dotted line. Yes.

  In the optical receptacle 2 of the present embodiment, a total of 12 receptacle-side connector modules 11 are arranged, four in the horizontal direction and three in the vertical direction. The left and right arrangement directions of the receptacle-side connector module 11 are parallel to the X direction (left and right direction), and the upper and lower arrangement directions are parallel to the Y direction (up and down direction).

  The receptacle-side connector module 11 includes an outer housing 13, an inner housing 14, and a receptacle-side ferrule 15A.

  The outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14 hold a receptacle-side ferrule 15A as a receptacle-side housing. The outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14 may be collectively referred to as a receptacle-side housing. The outer housing 13 is a cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction, and accommodates the inner housing 14 therein. The inner housing 14 is a cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction, and accommodates the receptacle-side ferrule 15A therein. Note that the inner housing 14 of the present embodiment accommodates two receptacle-side ferrules 15A in the vertical direction.

  In a state in which the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are not connected, a pair of locking claws 16 (not shown in FIG. 2; see FIG. 9A) provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the inner housing 14 are connected to the outer housing 13. When it is locked by a movement restricting portion 17 (not shown in FIG. 2, refer to FIG. 9A) provided on the opposing surface of the locking claw portion 16 in FIG. 2, the outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14 are locked. Further, the movement of the inner housing 14 toward the front side (the side opposite to the plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13 is further restricted. Further, the inner housing 14 has a regulation protrusion 33 (see FIG. 9A). The restricting protrusion 33 is a portion that protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction at the end of the inner housing 13 and is a portion that comes into contact with the outer housing. When the restriction projection 33 of the inner housing 14 abuts on the outer housing 13, the inner housing 14 is further restricted from moving rearward (plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13. That is, the restriction projection 33 of the inner housing 14 abuts on the outer housing 13, thereby preventing the inner housing 14 from coming out rearward (plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13. Thus, in a state where the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are not connected, the inner housing 14 is locked to the outer housing 13 so that the locking claw portion 16 is locked to the movement restricting portion 17. The movement in the front-rear direction is restricted within the range between the state and the state in which the restriction protrusion 33 is in contact with the external housing. However, when the locking claw portion 16 is released from the state of being locked to the movement restricting portion 17, the inner housing 14 is further on the front side (opposite side of the plug side) than when being locked with respect to the outer housing 13. ) Is movable (described later).

  The inner housing 14 has a pair of engaging portions 18 on the upper and lower surfaces. When the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are connected, the engaging portion 18 engages with an engaged portion 24 (not shown in FIG. 2; see FIG. 3 or FIG. 9A) of the plug-side housing 23 described later. As a result, the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 are connected.

  The receptacle-side ferrule 15A optically connects the optical fibers on the plug side and the receptacle side by physically butting and connecting the end faces of the plug-side ferrule 15B. The receptacle-side ferrule 15A is biased by a pressing force of a spring 28A (not shown in FIG. 2, see FIG. 5) disposed in front of the receptacle-side ferrule 15A in order to physically abut the ferrule end faces. The receptacle-side ferrule 15A is held by the inner housing 14 so as to be retractable while being urged by the pressing force of the spring 28A.

  The receptacle-side ferrule 15A may be a lens-coupled ferrule. The lens-coupled ferrule is a ferrule that can be optically connected without physically contacting the end faces of the optical fibers. In a lens-coupled ferrule, a lens is disposed at the ferrule end, collimates the light emitted from the optical fiber tip, and transmits the collimated light to the connection ferrule. A lens for making collimated light incident on the tip of the optical fiber is arranged at the end of the connection ferrule. The lens-coupled ferrule performs optical connection in this way. As a result, the lens-coupled ferrule can reduce the pressing force of the spring for urging the ferrule toward the connection end face, as compared with the ferrule that abuts the end faces of the ferrule with exposed end faces of the optical fiber.

  Next, the configuration of the optical plug 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. The optical plug 3 includes a plug-side connector module 12 that becomes a movable side when the connector modules 10 are connected to each other. The optical plug 3 can connect the connector modules 10 to each other by fitting with the optical receptacle 2. As in the case of the optical receptacle 2 described above, “plug side” or “movable side” has a convenient meaning, and is not necessarily limited to a side movable relative to the “receptacle side” or “receiving side”. It is not a thing.

  The optical plug 3 includes a nut portion 19, a plug-side cylindrical portion 20, an optical fiber holding portion 4 </ b> B, and a plug-side connector module 12.

  The nut portion 19 is a portion that can be screwed and fastened with a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 of the optical receptacle 2. Therefore, an internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the nut portion 19 (not shown). Moreover, the nut part 19 is rotatably provided with respect to the plug side cylindrical part 20 and the optical fiber holding part 4B.

  The plug-side cylindrical portion 20 is a portion that fits inside the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 of the optical receptacle 2 and can be positioned roughly before the connector modules 10 are connected to each other. That is, rough positioning before the engagement between the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 can be performed. The outer diameter of the plug-side cylindrical portion 20 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 so that the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 does not wobble and fits accurately.

  Further, a part of the lower side of the plug-side cylindrical portion 20 is a flat portion 7B. A plug-side convex portion 21 extending in the front-rear direction is provided at the lower center of the flat portion 7B. Furthermore, a plug-side concave portion 22 extending in the front-rear direction is provided at a location facing the plug-side convex portion 21 in the plug-side cylindrical portion 20. As a result, the vertical direction in the opening portion of the plug-side cylindrical portion 20 can be easily distinguished, and similarly, a flat portion (flat portion 7A), a concave portion (receptacle-side concave portion 8), and a convex portion (receptacle-side convex portion 9) are formed. The fitting with the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 is facilitated. In addition, since the optical receptacle 2 can be prevented from fitting upside down with respect to the optical plug 3, the work efficiency of the connection work is improved.

  The optical fiber holding portion 4B is a member serving as a cover for holding the high-density multi-core optical fiber up to the plug-side connector module 12. The nut portion 19, the plug-side cylindrical portion 20, and the optical fiber holding portion 4B may be collectively referred to as a plug-side casing.

  Next, a basic configuration of the plug-side connector module 12 of the optical plug 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, in order to explain the basic configuration of the plug-side connector module 12, the nut portion 19, the plug-side cylindrical portion 20, and the optical fiber holding portion 4 </ b> B of the optical plug 3 are omitted, and the outline is Shown with dotted lines.

  In the optical plug 3 of this embodiment, similarly to the receptacle-side connector module 11, a total of 12 plug-side connector modules 12 are arranged, four in the left-right direction and three in the vertical direction. The left and right arrangement directions of the plug-side connector module 12 are parallel to the X direction (left and right direction), and the upper and lower arrangement directions are parallel to the Y direction (up and down direction). The plug-side connector module 12 is disposed so as to be connected to the corresponding receptacle-side connector module 11.

  The plug-side connector module 12 includes a plug-side housing 23 and a plug-side ferrule 15B.

  The plug-side housing 23 is a member that holds the plug-side ferrule 15B as a plug-side housing. The plug-side housing 23 is a cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction and accommodates the plug-side ferrule 15B. Note that the plug-side housing 23 of the present embodiment accommodates two plug-side ferrules 15B in the vertical direction.

  The plug-side housing 23 has a pair of engaged portions 24 on the upper and lower surfaces. When the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are connected, the engaged portion 24 is engaged with the engaging portion 18 of the internal housing 14 described above, whereby the plug-side housing 23 and the internal housing 14 are connected. Is done.

  The plug-side housing 23 has a pair of locking release portions 25 on the upper and lower surfaces. When the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are connected to each other, the unlocking portion 25 releases the pair of locking claws 16 of the inner housing 14 from the movement restricting portion 17, whereby the outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14. The locked state (the state where they cannot move with respect to each other) is released. The state in which this locked state is released may be referred to as a “locked released state”. When in the unlocked state, the inner housing 14 is movable further to the front side (the side opposite to the plug side) than in the locked state with respect to the outer housing 13 (described later).

  Plug-side ferrule 15B optically connects the plug-side and receptacle-side optical fibers by physically butting and connecting the end faces of receptacle-side ferrule 15A. The plug-side ferrule 15B is urged by a pressing force of a spring 28B (not shown in FIG. 3, see FIG. 5) disposed behind the plug-side ferrule 15B in order to physically abut the ferrule end faces. The plug-side ferrule 15B is held in the plug-side housing 23 so as to be retractable while being urged by the pressing force of the spring 28B. Further, the plug-side ferrule 15B may be a lens-coupled ferrule similarly to the receptacle-side ferrule 15A.

<When the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are connected>
Next, the XY floating mechanism and the Z floating mechanism of the connector module 10 will be described along the connection sequence between the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3.

  The connection sequence between the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 is performed in five stages as shown in Table 1 below. In Table 1, the number of the corresponding drawing in each stage is described. Further, the contact or connection locations on the optical receptacle 2 side and the optical plug 3 side, which are factors of each stage, are described.

  The connection sequence of the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 (connection stage 1 to connection stage 5) can be performed by only one operation of screwing the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19 together. Hereinafter, the screwing operation between the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19 may be referred to as a “screw tightening operation”. By this screwing operation, the receptacle-side connector module 11 and the plug-side connector module 12 move so as to approach each other and are connected. Thereby, an operator who connects the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 can easily connect a plurality of ferrules for connecting high-density multi-core optical fibers together simply by performing a simple operation of screw tightening operation. Can do.

・ Before connection phase 1 (before starting screw tightening operation)
Before the connection stage 1, that is, before the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19 start to be screwed together, the inner housing 14 is locked to the outer housing 13 by the locking claw 16 to the movement restricting portion 17. The movement in the front-rear direction is restricted within the range between the locked state and the state in which the restricting protrusion 33 is in contact with the outer housing. In other words, the inner housing 14 is restricted from moving further to the front side (opposite the plug side) than the outer housing 13 is in the locked state. Further, the restriction projection 33 of the inner housing 14 abuts on the outer housing 13, thereby preventing the inner housing 14 from coming out to the rear side (plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13.

・ Connection stage 1 (coarse positioning)
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 1 on the YZ plane at the timing when the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19 start to be screwed together. At this stage, the receptacle-side connector module 11 and the plug-side connector module 12 are not yet in contact with each other. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the plug-side cylindrical portion 20 is fitted to the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 by a certain length L. As a result, relatively rough positioning of the receptacle-side connector module 11 and the plug-side connector module 12 is performed in advance so that the ferrule pins 26 and the ferrule holes 27 can be accurately fitted in the subsequent connection stage 3. be able to. The length L is sufficiently long that the plug-side cylindrical portion 20 does not wobble with respect to the receptacle-side cylindrical portion.

  In this embodiment, when the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are connected, if the nut portion 19 is not rotated, the receptacle-side connector module 11 and the plug-side connector module 12 can be brought close to each other from the state shown in FIG. Can not. For this reason, when the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are connected, the receptacle-side connector module 11 and the plug-side connector module 12 can be prevented from colliding and damaging the connector module 10.

・ Connection stage 2 (absorption of displacement due to XY floating)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connector module 10 on the YZ plane at the timing when the plug-side housing 23 comes into contact with the external housing 13 for the first time. At this stage, the front contact surface 30 formed on the engaged portion 24 of the plug-side housing 23 contacts the engagement guide portion 29 of the external housing 13. In the present embodiment, since the receptacle-side housing is provided so as to be movable in the XY plane with respect to the receptacle-side housing, the plug-side housing 23 (specifically, the front contact surface 30) is connected to the external housing 13 (specifically, the details). By abutting on the mating guide portion 29), the receptacle-side housing moves to the XY plane with respect to the receptacle-side housing so as to match the position of the plug-side housing 23 (position on the XY plane). As a result, the relative displacement between the receptacle-side housing and the plug-side housing 23 can be absorbed. That is, in this embodiment, the relative position between the receptacle-side housing and the plug-side housing 23 is provided by providing an XY floating mechanism (a mechanism in which the receptacle-side housing can move in the XY plane with respect to the receptacle-side housing). Misalignment can be absorbed.

  Referring to FIG. 4, a pair of convex portions provided in the vertical direction of the external housing 13 of this embodiment are sandwiched from the front-rear direction by two members, the grip portion 5 and the optical fiber holding portion 4A. Thus, it is possible to provide an “play” portion in the XY directions while preventing the outer housing 13 from being detached from the housing on the receptacle side.

  6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, a certain gap G exists at the boundary between the external housing 13 and the grip portion 5. For this reason, the external housing 13 can move in the X direction and the Y direction by the gap. That is, XY floating is possible. A mechanism that can move in the X direction or the Y direction is called an XY floating mechanism.

・ Connection stage 3 (alignment of ferrule end faces)
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the connector module 10 on the YZ plane at the timing when the ferrule pin 26 starts to be fitted into the ferrule hole 27. Since the XY plane alignment between the receptacle-side housing and the plug-side housing 23 has already been performed in the connection stage 2, the ferrule pin 26 of the receptacle-side ferrule 15A is inserted into the ferrule hole 27 of the plug-side ferrule 15B. As a result, the end faces of the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B can be abutted with high accuracy.

  At this time, the convex portion formed by the front abutting surface 30 and the rear abutting surface 31 in the engaged portion 24 of the plug-side housing 23 is plugged by the engaging portion 18 of the outer housing 13. It is elastically displaced to the opposite side to 15B. Thus, in the connection stage 4, the engaging portion 18 of the inner housing 14 is guided so as to be easily engaged with the engaged portion 24 of the plug-side housing 23.

  When the ferrule end faces come into contact with each other, the receptacle-side ferrule 15A receives a force on the front side (the side opposite to the plug side). As a result, the locking claw 16 of the inner housing 14 on the receptacle side is locked with the movement restricting portion 17 of the outer housing 13. Further, at this stage, the inner housing 14 is further restricted from moving to the front side (opposite the plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13 from the locked state.

・ Connection stage 4 (Fixing of mechanical reference plane between ferrule end faces)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the connector module 10 on the YZ plane at the timing when the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 are engaged. The engaging portion 18 of the inner housing 14 is engaged by engaging with the engaged portion 24 of the plug-side housing 23. By this engagement, the contact surfaces (mechanical reference surfaces) of the end surfaces of the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B are fixed. When the engaging portion 18 is engaged with the engaged portion 24, the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 are in a predetermined positional relationship with the end surfaces of the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B being in contact with each other. The spring 28A and the spring 28B are deformed by a predetermined amount. For this reason, in a state where the engaging portion 18 is engaged with the engaged portion 24, the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B are brought into abutment with the spring 28A and the spring 28B with a predetermined pressing force.

  At this stage, the pair of locking claws 16 provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the inner housing 14 are locked to the movement restricting portions 17 provided on the opposing surfaces of the locking claws 16 in the outer housing 13. The outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14 are in a locked state (a state where they cannot move relative to each other). At this stage, the locking release portion 25 of the plug-side housing 23 (optical plug 3 side) is in contact with the locking claw portion 16 of the internal housing 14 (optical receptacle 2 side). Does not elastically deform the locking claw 16 toward the receptacle-side ferrule 15A, and is not in the unlocked state. For this reason, at this stage, the positional relationship between the external housing 13 and the internal housing 14 remains fixed.

・ Connection stage 5 (Release of locked state and absorption of dimensional tolerance by Z-floating)
FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D are explanatory views showing a state of shifting from the locked state to the unlocked state.

  FIG. 9A shows the state shown in FIG. 8 (the state where the engaging portion 18 is engaged with the engaged portion 24). As described above, in the state shown in FIG. 9A, the locking claw portion 16 of the inner housing 14 is locked to the movement restricting portion 17 of the outer housing 13, and the outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14 are locked. It is in a state (a state where it cannot move relative to each other).

  When the screw tightening operation is further continued from the state shown in FIG. 9A (the engaging portion 18 is engaged with the engaged portion 24) and the connector modules 10 are further brought closer to each other, as shown in FIG. The locking release portion 25 of the housing 23 elastically deforms the locking claw portion 16 of the inner housing 14 toward the receptacle-side ferrule 15A (lower side in FIG. 9A), thereby moving the outer housing 13 (the optical receptacle 2 side). The locking claw portion 16 is unlocked by the restricting portion 17, and the locking state is released. As a result, the locked state between the outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14 is released, and the inner housing 14 can move to the front side (the side opposite to the plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13. In the state shown in FIG. 9B, the spring 28A and the spring 28B are compressed and deformed compared to the state shown in FIG. 9A.

  In the unlocked state as shown in FIG. 9B, the inner housing 14 can move to the front side (the opposite side to the plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13, and as shown in FIG. 9C, the spring 28A and the spring The inner housing 14 is moved rearward (plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13 by the force 28B, and the engaging portion 18 is engaged with the engaged portion 24 again. As a result, the internal housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 are in a predetermined positional relationship, and the spring 28A and the spring 28B are deformed by a predetermined amount, so that the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B The spring 28B is brought into a state of being abutted with a predetermined pressing force.

  By the way, the optical connector 1 of this embodiment is provided with the some connector module 10, and the shift | offset | difference has arisen in the position of the Z direction of each connector module 10 by the influence of the attachment error of each connector module 10, etc. Since there is a positional deviation (dimensional tolerance) in the Z direction of the connector module 10 as described above, even if a certain connector module 10 shifts from the locked state (see FIG. 9A) to the locked state (see FIG. 9C), There is a possibility that another connector module 10 has not yet shifted to the unlocked state. Therefore, it is necessary to continue the screw tightening operation from the state shown in FIG. 9C to bring the connector modules 10 closer together so that all the connector modules 10 shift to the unlocked state.

  When the connector modules 10 are further brought closer to each other from the state shown in FIG. 9C, the lock is already released, so that the inner housing 14 is on the front side (plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13 as shown in FIG. 9D. The other side). At this time, since the engaging portion 18 is engaged with the engaged portion 24, the plug-side housing 23 engaged with the inner housing 14 is also integrated with the inner housing 14 with respect to the outer housing 13. Will move. As described above, the movement of the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 integrally with the outer housing 13 in the Z direction (here, particularly on the side opposite to the plug side) may be referred to as “Z floating”. A mechanism that enables Z floating may be referred to as a “Z floating mechanism”.

  In the present embodiment, the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 are integrally moved to the front side (opposite the plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13 after the unlocked state. The state where the side housing 23 is in a predetermined positional relationship is maintained. For this reason, even after the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 are integrally moved in the Z direction with respect to the outer housing 13, the state in which the spring 28A and the spring 28B are deformed by a predetermined amount is maintained. The state in which the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B are abutted with a predetermined pressing force is also maintained.

  Further, in this embodiment, even if there is a displacement (dimension tolerance) in the Z direction of the connector module 10, each connector module 10 performs Z floating with a movement amount corresponding to the dimension tolerance, thereby causing a dimension tolerance. Can be absorbed. Further, according to the present embodiment, when the dimensional tolerance is absorbed, the pressing force applied to the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B does not differ for each connector module 10, and in any connector module The state in which a predetermined pressing force is urged to the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B can be maintained.

  The optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of connector modules 10. Therefore, in order for the internal housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 of all the connector modules 10 to have a predetermined positional relationship (a state in which the engaging portion 18 is engaged with the engaged portion 24), each connector module 10 It is necessary to deform all the springs 28A and 28B provided in FIG. In order to deform all the springs (spring 28A and spring 28B) of the plurality of connector modules 10 by a predetermined amount, a large force is required. Therefore, it is difficult to directly press and act on the operator's hand. is there.

  In the optical connector 1 of this embodiment, the receptacle-side connector module 11 and the plug-side connector module 12 are moved closer to each other by the screw tightening operation of the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19. Due to the tightening torque of the screw, a large axial force (a force in which the receptacle-side connector module 11 and the plug-side connector module 12 approach each other) is generated. Therefore, the operator can generate a force that deforms all the springs (springs 28A and 28B) of the plurality of connector modules 10 by a predetermined amount only by performing a screw tightening operation.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if there is a position shift (dimension tolerance) in the Z direction of the connector module 10, each connector module 10 performs Z floating with an amount of movement corresponding to the dimension tolerance. For this reason, when a certain connector module 10 shifts from the locked state (see FIG. 9A) to the unlocked state (see FIG. 9C), another connector module 10 that has not yet shifted to the unlocked state is connected. In order to make them closer, the pressing force by the spring 28A and the spring 28B of the connector module 10 in the unlocked state does not increase any more (a predetermined pressing force is maintained). Thereby, compared with the optical connector in which Z floating is not performed, the operator can connect a plurality of ferrules for connecting the high-density multi-core optical fibers together with less force.

<State when optical receptacle 2 and optical plug 3 are removed>
Next, a removal sequence of the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 will be described. Removal of the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 is performed in the reverse order of the connection sequence of the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 described above.

  The removal sequence of the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 can be performed by only one operation of loosening the screwing between the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19. Hereinafter, the operation of loosening the screw engagement between the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19 may be referred to as “screw loosening operation”. By this screw loosening operation, the receptacle-side connector module 11 and the plug-side connector module 12 move away from each other, and the connection is released. As a result, an operator who releases the connection between the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 simply performs a simple operation such as a screw loosening operation, and easily collects a plurality of ferrules that easily connect high-density multi-core optical fibers together. The connection can be released.

・ Before extraction stage 1 (before starting screw loosening operation)
Before the extraction stage 1, that is, before loosening the screw connection between the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19, the locking claw portion 16 is unlocked by the movement restricting portion 17 of the external housing 13 (optical receptacle 2 side). The lock is released. For this reason, the inner housing 14 is movable in the Z direction with respect to the outer housing 13.

Extraction stage 1 (engagement between the outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14)
In the extraction stage 1, the locking release portion 25 of the plug-side housing 23 (optical plug 3 side) elastically deforms the locking claw portion 16 of the inner housing 14 toward the receptacle-side ferrule 15A (lower side in FIG. 9A). Out of state. That is, the locking claw portion 16 is locked again by the movement restricting portion 17 of the external housing 13 (on the optical receptacle 2 side). The outer housing 13 and the inner housing 14 are locked again, and the inner housing 14 is restricted from moving to the front side (the side opposite to the plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13. Further, the restriction projection 33 of the inner housing 14 abuts on the outer housing 13, thereby preventing the inner housing 14 from coming out to the rear side (plug side) with respect to the outer housing 13.

・ Extraction stage 2 (unfixing of the mechanical reference surface between ferrule end faces)
In the extraction stage 2, the engaging portion 18 of the inner housing 14 is disengaged from the engaged state 24 with the engaged portion 24 of the plug-side housing 23, and the inner housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 held in a predetermined positional relationship. , And the contact surfaces (mechanical reference surfaces) of the end surfaces of the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B are released from being fixed. At this time, the rear abutting surface 31 (see FIG. 7) in the engaged portion 24 of the plug-side housing 23 serves as a guide for releasing the engagement by contacting the engaging portion 18. The springs 28A and 28B that have been deformed by a predetermined amount gradually return to their original lengths as the internal housing 14 and the plug-side housing 23 are separated.

-Extraction stage 3 (positioning of ferrule end faces)
At the connection stage 3, the end faces of the receptacle-side ferrule 15A and the plug-side ferrule 15B are not in contact with each other. Further, the fitting between the ferrule pin 26 and the ferrule hole 27 is released.

-Extraction stage 4 and extraction stage 5
In the connection stage 4, the contact between the plug-side housing 23 and the receptacle-side housing is released. Then, at the connection stage 5, the screw connection between the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 and the nut portion 19 is released. Thereby, the removal sequence of the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 is completed.

=== Other Embodiments ===
In the above embodiment, a high-density multi-core optical connector for connecting 2000 optical fibers is shown. However, for example, a high-density multi-core optical connector for connecting 1000 optical fibers may be used. .

  FIG. 10A is an enlarged perspective view of the receptacle-side connector module 37 portion of the optical receptacle 35. FIG. 10B is an enlarged perspective view of the plug-side connector module 38 portion of the optical plug 36. The receptacle-side connector module 37 shown in FIG. 10A is a receptacle-side connector module of the optical connector 34 that connects 1000 optical fibers. A total of six receptacle-side connector modules 37 are arranged, three in the horizontal direction and two in the vertical direction. The plug-side connector module 38 shown in FIG. 10B is a plug-side connector module of the optical connector 34 that connects 1000 optical fibers. A total of six plug-side connector modules 38 are arranged, three in the horizontal direction and two in the vertical direction.

The optical connector 34 differs from the optical connector 1 only in the number of arrangements of the receptacle-side connector module 37 and the plug-side connector module 38, and the arrangement direction and the configuration other than the connector module are the same as those of the optical connector 1. It is.

  In the optical connector 1 for connecting the 2000 optical fibers described above and the optical connector 34 for connecting the 1000 optical fibers, the connector modules may be arranged in other ways. For example, in the connector 1, three connectors may be arranged in the left-right direction and four in the up-down direction, or twelve may be arranged radially.

  In the above-described embodiment, the optical receptacle 2 includes the receptacle-side cylindrical portion 6 having a threaded portion formed on the outer periphery, and the optical plug 3 includes the nut portion 19. The optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 are screwed together. It was. However, the optical receptacle 2 and the optical plug 3 do not have to have a threaded portion. For example, a bayonet mechanism employed in a BNC connector may be formed instead of forming a threaded portion.

  In the above embodiment, the optical receptacle 2 includes the XY floating mechanism, but the optical receptacle 2 may not include the XY floating mechanism.

  The above-described embodiments are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

1 optical connector, 2 optical receptacles, 3 optical plugs,
4A / 4B optical fiber holding part, 5 gripping part, 6 receptacle side cylindrical part,
7A, 7B Flat part, 8 Receptacle side concave part, 9 Receptacle side convex part,
10 connector module, 11 receptacle side connector module,
12 Plug side connector module, 13 External housing, 14 Internal housing,
15A receptacle ferrule, 15B plug ferrule,
16 locking claw part, 17 movement restricting part, 18 engaging part,
19 Nut part, 20 Plug side cylindrical part, 21 Plug side convex part,
22 plug-side recess, 23 plug-side housing, 24 engaged portion,
25 Unlocking part, 26 Ferrule pin, 27 Ferrule hole,
28A / 28B Spring part, 29 Engagement guide part,
30 front abutting surface, 31 rear abutting surface, 32 convex portion, 33 regulating protrusion,
34 optical connector, 35 optical receptacle, 36 optical plug,
37 Receptacle side connector module, 38 Plug side connector module

Claims (8)

An optical connector having a detachable optical receptacle and an optical plug,
The optical receptacle includes a plurality of receptacle-side connector modules having an outer housing, an inner housing, a receptacle-side ferrule accommodated in the inner housing, and a receptacle-side spring that applies a pressing force to the receptacle-side ferrule,
The optical plug includes a plurality of plug-side connector modules including a plug-side housing, a plug-side ferrule housed in the plug-side housing, and a plug-side spring that applies a pressing force to the plug-side ferrule,
The inner housing has an engaging portion, the plug-side housing has an engaged portion, and the inner housing and the plug-side housing are in a state where the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged. Are in a predetermined positional relationship, the receptacle-side spring and the plug-side spring are in a state where the receptacle-side ferrule and the plug-side ferrule are abutted with a predetermined pressing force,
The plug-side housing has an unlocking portion, and when the unlocking portion changes from the locked state in which the inner housing is locked to the outer housing to the unlocked state, the inner housing is moved to the outer housing. Can be moved against
The optical receptacle includes a receptacle-side cylindrical portion having a thread portion formed on an outer periphery thereof, and the optical plug includes a nut portion that is screwed to the receptacle-side cylindrical portion, and connects the optical receptacle and the optical plug. when, by advancing the screwing between the receptacle-side cylinder portion and the nut portion, in each of the receptacle connector module and the plug-side connector module, after becoming the unlocking state from the latched state The optical connector is characterized in that the inner housing and the plug-side housing move in the attaching / detaching direction with respect to the outer housing in a state where the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged. The optical connector according to claim 1 , wherein when the receptacle-side cylindrical portion and the nut portion are not screwed together, the locked state is not changed to the locked state . The optical connector according to claim 2, wherein the optical plug includes a plug-side cylindrical portion that fits inside the receptacle-side cylindrical portion. When the plug-side cylindrical portion and the receptacle-side cylindrical portion are fitted together without the nut portion being screwed into the receptacle-side cylindrical portion, the receptacle-side connector module and the plug-side connector module are in a non-contact state. is there
The optical connector according to claim 3. The optical connector in the unlocked state engages the engaging portion and the engaged portion after the locked state is obtained by loosening the threaded engagement between the receptacle-side cylindrical portion and the nut portion. the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 which combined state, characterized in that it is released. The said optical receptacle is provided with the housing | casing which hold | maintains the said external housing, The said external housing is provided so that the movement to the direction perpendicular | vertical to the attachment / detachment direction with respect to the said housing | casing is possible. The optical connector according to any one of 5 . Wherein the receptacle ferrule and the plug-side ferrule, an optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lens is a coupling type ferrule. A method of connecting an optical connector having a detachable optical receptacle and an optical plug,
The optical receptacle includes a plurality of receptacle-side connector modules having an outer housing, an inner housing, a receptacle-side ferrule accommodated in the inner housing, and a receptacle-side spring that applies a pressing force to the receptacle-side ferrule,
The optical plug includes a plurality of plug-side connector modules including a plug-side housing, a plug-side ferrule housed in the plug-side housing, and a plug-side spring that applies a pressing force to the plug-side ferrule,
The inner housing has an engaging portion, the plug-side housing has an engaged portion, and the inner housing and the plug-side housing are in a state where the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged. Are in a predetermined positional relationship, the receptacle-side spring and the plug-side spring are in a state where the receptacle-side ferrule and the plug-side ferrule are abutted with a predetermined pressing force,
The plug-side housing has an unlocking portion, and when the unlocking portion changes from the locked state in which the inner housing is locked to the outer housing to the unlocked state, the inner housing is moved to the outer housing. Can be moved against
The optical receptacle includes a receptacle-side cylindrical portion having a thread portion formed on an outer periphery thereof, and the optical plug includes a nut portion that is screwed to the receptacle-side cylindrical portion, and connects the optical receptacle and the optical plug. when, by advancing the screwing between the receptacle-side cylinder portion and the nut portion, in each of the receptacle connector module and the plug-side connector module, after becoming the unlocking state from the latched state The method of connecting an optical connector, wherein the inner housing and the plug-side housing move in a detachable direction with respect to the outer housing in a state where the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged. .

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