JP6603381B1 - Optical connector system - Google Patents

Abstract

In an optical connector system in which fitting between housings is performed in two stages, an optical connector system is provided that suppresses unintentional release of fittings between housings after the second stage of fitting. A first optical connector 20 including a first ferrule 21 and a first housing 22 that accommodates the first ferrule 21, a second ferrule 61 connected to the first ferrule 21, and a second ferrule 61 are provided. The first housing 22 includes a second inner housing 62 for housing and a second outer housing 63 for housing the second inner housing 62, and the second optical connector 60 to which the first optical connector 20 can be attached and detached. The second outer housing 63 includes a latch protrusion 73, and the second inner housing 62 includes a front latch 71 that can be latched to the latch receiver 31, and a latch receiving portion 31 and a latch releasing portion 32. This is an optical connector system including a rear latch portion 72 on which the latch protrusion 73 can be latched. [Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector system.

  As an example of an optical connector in which a ferrule is retractably accommodated in a housing, for example, an MT type optical connector (F12 type optical connector defined by JIS C 5981, MT: Mechanically Transferable) is known. In the optical connector system configured with such an optical connector, the end faces of the ferrule that holds the end portion of the optical fiber come into contact with each other by fitting the housings, and the optical fibers are optically connected to each other.

  As such an optical connector system, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an optical connector system in which housings are fitted in two stages. In the first stage of fitting, the housing of the receiving side optical connector (receiving side housing) and the housing of the movable side optical connector (moving side housing) are fitted together so that these housings have a predetermined positional relationship. It becomes. Further, in the second stage of fitting, the latching between the receiving side inner housing and the receiving side outer housing constituting the receiving side housing is released, so that the receiving side inner housing can move relative to the receiving side outer housing. Become. In the second and subsequent stages of the fitting, a “floating state” is realized in which the movable housing and the receiving inner housing are movable with respect to the receiving outer housing while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-227938

  In the optical connector system disclosed in Patent Document 1, in the first stage of fitting, the latch portion (the engaged piece 34d) of the movable housing (movable housing 31) and the receiving inner housing (inner housing 24). ) Is engaged with the movable housing 31 and the inner housing 24. In the second stage of fitting, the latch release portion (lock release piece 33g) of the movable housing 31 displaces the latch portion (elastic lock piece 24d) of the internal housing 24 to the inside, thereby 24 becomes movable with respect to the receiving side outer housing (outer housing 23). Here, since a space (movable side window portion 33f) is formed outside the engaging portion of the engaged piece 34d and the engaging piece 24m, when vibration is applied to the floating optical connector system. The engaged piece 34d may be lifted with respect to the engaging piece 24m, and the latch portions may be disengaged.

  It is an object of the present invention to prevent the housings from being unintentionally released after the second stage of fitting in an optical connector system in which the housings are fitted in two stages.

Some embodiments of the present invention include a first optical connector that includes a first ferrule, a first housing that houses the first ferrule, a second ferrule connected to the first ferrule, and the second ferrule. A second inner housing for housing a ferrule; and a second outer housing for housing the second inner housing; and a second optical connector to which the first optical connector can be attached and detached. A latch receiving portion; and a latch releasing portion, wherein the second outer housing includes a latch protrusion, and the second inner housing includes a front latch portion that can be latched to the latch receiving portion, and the latch protrusion. A latchable rear latch portion, and before connecting the first optical connector and the second optical connector, the rear latch portion is latched by the latch protrusion. Then, by moving the first optical connector and the second optical connector relative to each other, the front latch portion is latched by the latch receiving portion, and then the latch protrusion is moved to the rear latch portion. The latch release portion releases the latch, and after the latch projection portion is released from the latch to the rear latch portion, the latch projection portion sandwiches the latch receiving portion with the front latch portion. The latch receiving portion and the latch release portion are provided on the first arm portion that extends toward the second optical connector along the attaching / detaching direction of the first optical connector and the second optical connector. In the optical connector system, the first arm portion is formed with an escape portion through which the latch protrusion protrudes after the latch of the rear latch portion is released .

  Other characteristics of the present invention will be made clear by the description and drawings described later.

  According to some embodiments of the present invention, in an optical connector system in which housings are fitted in two stages, the fitting between housings is unexpectedly released after the second stage of fitting. Can be suppressed.

1A and 1B are perspective views of the optical connector system 10 before connector connection. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the optical connector system 10 after the connectors are connected. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the movable optical connector 60 before connector connection. FIG. 3B is an enlarged perspective view of the receiving arm portion 30 of the receiving optical connector 20. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the receiving side optical connector 20. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the movable side optical connector 60. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views of the optical connector system 10 in a first stage of fitting when cut by a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction. 6A to 6D are cross-sectional views when the optical connector system 10 in the second stage of fitting is cut along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction. 7A to 7D are cross-sectional views when the optical connector system 10 in the second stage of fitting is cut along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. FIGS. 8A to 8C are cross-sectional views of the optical connector system 10 at the stage of releasing the fitting, taken along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction.

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

A first optical connector comprising a first ferrule, a first housing that houses the first ferrule, a second ferrule connected to the first ferrule, and a second inner housing that houses the second ferrule; A second outer housing that houses the second inner housing, and a second optical connector to which the first optical connector can be attached and detached,
The first housing includes a latch receiving portion and a latch releasing portion, the second outer housing includes a latch protrusion, and the second inner housing includes a front latch portion that can be latched to the latch receiving portion, And a rear latch portion that can latch the latch protrusion,
Prior to connecting the first optical connector and the second optical connector, the rear latch portion is latched by the latch protrusion, and connects the first optical connector and the second optical connector. The latch release part releases the latch to the rear latch part of the latch protrusion after the front latch part is latched to the latch receiving part by relatively moving to the side,
After the latch projection of the latch projection is released to the rear latch portion, the latch projection is positioned so as to sandwich the latch receiving portion with the front latch portion. The connector system becomes clear. According to such an optical connector system, in the optical connector system in which the housings are fitted in two stages, the fitting between the housings is prevented from being unexpectedly released after the second stage of fitting. be able to.

  When the front latch portion is latched to the latch receiving portion, the first housing and the second inner housing are in a predetermined positional relationship, and when the rear latch portion is unlatched, Desirably, the second inner housing is movable relative to the second outer housing. Thereby, in the optical connector system in which the fitting between the housings is performed in two stages, the fitting between the housings can be prevented from being unexpectedly released after the second stage of the fitting.

  The latch receiving portion and the latch release portion are provided on a first arm portion that extends toward the second optical connector along the attaching / detaching direction of the first optical connector and the second optical connector, It is preferable that the first arm portion is formed with an escape portion through which the latch projection portion passes after the latch of the rear latch portion is released. Thereby, the latch protrusion can move in the front-rear direction without contacting the first arm.

  The escape portion is preferably formed in a groove shape along a direction in which the first optical connector and the second optical connector are attached and detached. Thereby, the latch protrusion can move in the front-rear direction without contacting the first arm.

=== This Embodiment ===
<Overall Configuration of Optical Connector System 10>
1A and 1B are perspective views of the optical connector system 10 before connector connection. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the optical connector system 10 after the connectors are connected. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the movable optical connector 60 before connector connection. In FIG. 1A, the plug-in unit 15 to which the receiving side optical connector 20 and the movable side optical connector 60 are attached is indicated by broken lines. Moreover, in FIG. 1B, FIG. 2B, and FIG. 3A, the inside of the receiving side optical connector 20 or the movable side optical connector 60 is shown by showing a part of the optical connector system 10 with a broken line.

  In the following description, each direction is defined as shown in the figure. That is, the attaching / detaching direction of the optical connector system 10 is “front-rear direction”, the connection side of each of the receiving side optical connector 20 and the movable side optical connector 60 is “front”, and the opposite side is “rear”. Further, the width direction of the receiving ferrule 21 and the movable ferrule 61 is referred to as “left-right direction”. In the receiving ferrule 21, the direction in which the pair of ferrule pins 25 are arranged (see FIG. 3B described later) is also the “left-right direction”. In addition, the thickness direction of the receiving ferrule 21 and the movable ferrule 61 is defined as “vertical direction”. The vertical direction is also a direction orthogonal to the “front-rear direction” and the “left-right direction”.

  The optical connector system 10 is an optical connector system for connecting multiple optical fibers. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3A, in the optical connector system 10 of the present embodiment, nine 12-fiber ferrules (receiving ferrule 21 and movable ferrule 61) are arranged in the vertical direction. Therefore, in the optical connector system 10 of this embodiment, a total of 108 optical fibers can be connected. However, the number of optical fibers held by the ferrule and the number of ferrules included in the optical connector system 10 are not limited thereto.

  The optical connector system 10 of the present embodiment is an optical connector system configured with a so-called backplane connector. The backplane connector is a plug-in type optical connector that constitutes an optical connector adapter that connects the optical connector on the backplane board side and the optical connector on the printed board side. As shown in FIG. 1A, in the optical connector system 10 of the present embodiment, a plug-in unit 15 is configured by a backplane board 16 and a print board 18. 2A, the housing (movable side housing 66) of the movable optical connector 60 attached to the print board 18 is replaced with the housing (receiving side housing) of the receiving optical connector 20 attached to the backplane board 16. 22), the movable side optical connector 60 and the receiving side optical connector 20 are connected by connectors.

  When connecting the optical connector system 10 to the connector, the operator moves the printed board 18 to which the movable optical connector 60 is attached toward the backplane board 16 to which the receiving optical connector 20 is attached (FIG. 1A). See arrow). At this time, the operator slides and moves the print board 18 along the guide groove 72 formed in the lower portion of the backplane board 16 in the plug-in unit 15. The movable optical connector 60 and the receiving optical connector 20 are connected to each other by connecting the movable housing 66 to the receiving housing 22 by sliding the print board 18 toward the backplane board 16 and moving it. At this time, the connection end surfaces of the receiving ferrule 21 and the movable ferrule 61 are brought into contact with each other. By connecting the movable optical connector 60 and the receiving optical connector 20 to each other, the receiving optical fiber 1 held by the receiving ferrule 21 and the movable optical fiber 2 held by the movable ferrule 61 are optically connected. Will be. In addition, as long as the optical connector system in which the receiving side optical fiber 1 and the movable side optical fiber 2 are optically connected, the optical connector system 10 of the present embodiment may not be configured with a backplane connector.

  The optical connector system 10 includes a receiving side optical connector 20 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “first optical connector”) and a movable side optical connector 60 (hereinafter also referred to as “second optical connector”). Have.

<Configuration of receiving side optical connector 20 (first optical connector)>
The receiving side optical connector 20 is an optical connector that becomes a receiving side when the optical connector system 10 is connected to the connector. In the present embodiment, the optical connector system 10 is connected to the connector by inserting the movable optical connector 60 into the receiving optical connector 20. Further, when the movable side optical connector 60 is extracted from the receiving side optical connector 20, the connector connection of the optical connector system 10 is released. As described above, the receiving side optical connector 20 is attached to the back plane board 16 side of the plug-in unit 15.

  The receiving optical connector 20 includes a receiving ferrule 21 (hereinafter may be referred to as “first ferrule”), a receiving housing 22 (hereinafter also referred to as “first housing”), a cover 23, and the like. And a receiving shutter 24.

  The receiving ferrule 21 is a member that holds the end of the receiving optical fiber 1. The receiving ferrule 21 is, for example, a ferrule of an MT type optical connector (optical connector defined by JIS C 5981, MT: Mechanically Transferable). As shown in FIG. 1B, in the optical connector system 10 of the present embodiment, nine receiving ferrules 21 are arranged in the vertical direction in the receiving housing 22. However, the number and arrangement direction of the receiving ferrules 21 are not limited to this.

  The front end face of the receiving ferrule 21 is a connection end face when the optical connector system 10 is connected by a connector. In addition, the receiving ferrule 21 has a receiving ferrule collar 27 (see FIG. 4A described later) at the rear portion. The receiving-side ferrule flange portion 27 is a flange portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the receiving-side ferrule 21 main body. The receiving-side ferrule collar portion 27 is pressed forward by a receiving-side spring 26 (described later) by contacting a front removal preventing portion 34 (see FIG. 4A described later) formed inside the receiving-side housing 22. The front drop of the side ferrule 21 is prevented.

  A receiving spring 26 is provided on the rear side of the receiving ferrule 21 (see FIG. 4A described later). The receiving spring 26 is an elastic member for restoring the positional relationship between the receiving ferrule 21 and the receiving housing 22. The receiving side spring 26 is disposed in a compressible state between a rear portion of the receiving side ferrule 21 and a spring receiving portion (not shown) provided in the receiving side housing 22. Specifically, the front end portion of the receiving spring 26 is held by the rear portion of the receiving ferrule 21, and the rear end portion of the receiving spring 26 is a spring receiving portion (provided in the receiving housing 22 ( (Not shown). When the connector end of the optical connector system 10 is connected, the connecting end surface of the movable ferrule 61 abuts on the connecting end surface of the receiving ferrule 21, and when the receiving ferrule 21 moves rearward with respect to the receiving housing 22, the receiving spring 26 is compressed. Deform. The receiving ferrule 21 is biased forward by the elastic force of the receiving spring 26 that has been compressed and deformed. Further, the receiving ferrule 21 can be pushed backward against the elastic force of the receiving spring 26.

  The receiving housing 22 is a member that houses a plurality of receiving ferrules 21. The receiving-side housing 22 is a cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction, and accommodates a plurality (here, nine) receiving-side ferrules 21 in the up-down direction. The receiving housing 22 may be formed integrally with the cover 23. The detailed configuration of the receiving housing 22 will be described later.

  The cover 23 is a member that houses a plurality of receiving ferrules 21 and receiving arm portions 30 (described later) of the receiving housing 22. The cover 23 is a cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction, and is provided on the front side of the receiving-side housing 22 (on the movable side optical connector 60 side). In the present embodiment, the cover 23 is provided separately from the receiving housing 22, but may be formed integrally with the receiving housing 22.

  The receiving shutter 24 is a member that closes the opening on the front side of the cover 23 (see FIG. 1A). When the receiving shutter 24 closes the opening on the front side of the cover 23, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the receiving ferrule 21. The receiving shutter 24 is formed in a plate shape. In the receiving side optical connector 20 before the connector connection shown in FIG. 1A, the receiving side shutter 24 is in a closed state, and is perpendicular to the front-rear direction (the direction in which the optical connector system 10 is attached or detached). And the receiving side shutter 24 can fall and open inside (rear side, the opposite side to the movable side optical connector 60). As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D to be described later, when the receiving shutter 24 is opened, it is perpendicular to the left-right direction.

<Configuration of movable optical connector 60 (second optical connector)>
The movable optical connector 60 is an optical connector that is movable when the optical connector system 10 is connected to the connector. As described above, in this embodiment, the optical connector system 10 is connected to the connector by inserting the movable optical connector 60 into the receiving optical connector 20. Further, the connector connection of the optical connector system 10 is released by extracting the movable optical connector 60 from the receiving optical connector 20. Further, as described above, the movable side optical connector 60 is attached to the side of the print board 18 of the plug-in unit 15.

  The movable-side optical connector 60 includes a movable-side ferrule 61 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “second ferrule”), a movable-side inner housing 62 (hereinafter also referred to as “second inner housing”), and a movable It has a side external housing 63 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “second external housing”) and a movable shutter 64. The movable side inner housing 62 and the movable side outer housing 63 may be collectively referred to as a movable side housing 66 (second housing).

  The movable ferrule 61 is a member that holds the end of the movable optical fiber 2. A movable spring 65 is provided on the rear side of the movable ferrule 61 (see FIG. 4B described later). Since the movable ferrule 61 and the movable spring 65 have the same configuration as that of the receiving ferrule 21 and the movable spring 65 described above, description thereof is omitted.

  The movable inner housing 62 is a member that houses a plurality of movable ferrules 61. The movable side inner housing 62 is a cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction, and accommodates a plurality (here, nine) of movable side ferrules 61 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 3A, in the present embodiment, the movable side inner housing 62 is accommodated in the movable side outer housing 63. The movable inner housing 62 is movable in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the optical connector system 10 is attached / detached) with respect to the movable outer housing 63. However, as will be described later, before the connector is connected, the rear latch portion 72 of the movable inner housing 62 and the latch protrusion 73 of the movable outer housing 63 are latched. For this reason, the movable inner housing 62 is restricted from moving forward relative to the movable outer housing 63 before the connector is connected. A detailed configuration of the movable inner housing 62 will be described later.

  The movable outer housing 63 is a member that houses the movable inner housing 62. The movable outer housing 63 is a cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction, and houses the movable inner housing 62 inside. A detailed configuration of the movable outer housing 63 will be described later.

  The movable shutter 64 is a member that closes the opening on the front side of the movable outer housing 63 (see FIG. 3A). Since the movable shutter 64 closes the opening on the front side of the movable outer housing 63, it is possible to suppress dust from adhering to the movable ferrule 61. The movable shutter 64 is formed in a plate shape. In the movable optical connector 60 before the connector connection shown in FIG. 3A, the movable shutter 64 is in a closed state and is perpendicular to the front-rear direction (the direction in which the optical connector system 10 is attached / detached). The movable shutter 64 can be opened by falling to the outside (front side, receiving side optical connector 20 side). As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D to be described later, when the movable shutter 64 is opened, it is perpendicular to the left-right direction.

<Detailed Configuration of Receiving Side Housing 22 and Movable Side Housing 66>
FIG. 3B is an enlarged perspective view of the receiving arm portion 30 of the receiving optical connector 20. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the receiving side optical connector 20. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the movable side optical connector 60. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of the receiving side optical connector 20 and the movable side optical connector 60 taken along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction.

  As described above, in the optical connector system 10 of the present embodiment, the movable side optical connector 60 is engaged with the movable side optical connector 60 by fitting the movable side housing 66 of the movable side optical connector 60 into the receiving side housing 22 of the receiving side optical connector 20. The receiving side optical connector 20 is connected to the connector. In the optical connector system 10 of the present embodiment, the fitting between the movable housing 66 and the receiving housing 22 is performed in two stages. In the first stage of fitting (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “first fitting”), the front side latch portion 71 of the movable side inner housing 62 (movable side housing 66) is moved to the latch receiving portion 31 of the receiving side housing 22. The receiving housing 22 and the movable housing 66 are in a predetermined positional relationship. Further, in the second stage of fitting (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “second fitting”), the latch of the movable outer housing 63 with respect to the rear latch portion 72 of the movable inner housing 62 (movable housing 66). By releasing the latch of the protrusion 73, the movable inner housing 62 can move with respect to the movable outer housing 63. After the second stage of the fitting, the movable inner housing 62 and the receiving housing 22 are in a floating state in which they can move with respect to the movable outer housing 63 while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship.

  In the two-stage fitting between the movable housing 66 and the receiving housing 22, the operator can use the printed board 18 to which the movable optical connector 60 is attached to the backplane board to which the receiving optical connector 20 is attached. This can be done simply by moving it toward 16. Below, the example of the backplane connector which moves the movable side housing 66 (movable side optical connector 60) with respect to the receiving side housing 22 (receiving side optical connector 20) is shown. However, in the case of the optical connector system 10 other than the backplane connector, both optical connectors (housings) may be moved closer to each other.

  The receiving-side housing 22 has a receiving-side arm portion 30 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “first arm portion”) (see FIGS. 3B and 4A). The receiving arm portion 30 is a part for fitting the movable housing 66 and the receiving housing 22 together. The receiving side arm 30 is a part that extends to the front side (the movable optical connector 60 side) along the front-rear direction (the direction in which the optical connector system 10 is attached / detached). As shown in FIG. 1B described above, the receiving-side housing 22 of the present embodiment has two receiving-side arm portions 30 up and down so as to sandwich the plurality of receiving-side ferrules 21. In this way, by fitting the movable housing 66 and the receiving housing 22 with the two receiving arms 30 up and down, it is possible to suppress misalignment between the upper portion and the lower portion of both housings. Can do. Hereinafter, the receiving arm 30 provided on the upper side will be described. The receiving arm 30 provided on the lower side has the same configuration except that the vertical direction is reversed, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, a latch receiving portion 31, a latch releasing portion 32, an ear portion 33, and an escape portion 35 are formed on the front side portion of the receiving side arm portion 30.

  The latch receiving portion 31 is a portion that is latched by the front latch portion 71 of the movable side inner housing 62. As will be described later, the movable inner housing 62 is provided with two front latch portions 71 arranged side by side in the left-right direction. For this reason, the two latch receiving portions 31 are provided side by side in the left-right direction so as to correspond to the two front latch portions 71, respectively. Each latch receiving portion 31 is formed so as to penetrate the front side portion of the receiving side arm portion 30 in the vertical direction. The front latch portion 71 is latched to the latch receiving portion 31 by the front latch portion 71 being caught on the inner wall on the front side in the penetrating portion. As will be described later, the front latch portion 71 is formed so as to protrude upward, and the front latch portion 71 is latched to the latch receiving portion 31 so that the front end of the front latch portion 71 is hooked from the lower opening of the latch receiving portion 31. To do.

  The latch release portion 32 is a portion that can release the latch between the rear latch portion 72 of the movable inner housing 62 and the latch protrusion 73 of the movable outer housing 63. When the movable-side optical connector 60 moves to the front side with respect to the receiving-side optical connector 20, the latch release portion 32 comes into contact with a pressing surface 68 of a movable-side arm portion 70 (movable-side inner housing 62), which will be described later. The arm part 70 is elastically deformed and pushed down. Thereby, the latch of the latch projection 73 with respect to the rear latch 72 can be released. The latch release portion 32 is formed at the front end portion of the receiving arm portion 30. As will be described later, a groove-shaped relief portion 35 is formed in the central portion of the receiving arm portion 30 along the front-rear direction, and the portion of the receiving arm portion 30 where the relief portion 35 is formed is a latch. The release part 32 is not formed. That is, the front end portion of the receiving arm 30 is recessed by the relief portion 35, and this portion is a portion where the latch release portion 32 is not formed. Therefore, the two latch release parts 32 are provided side by side in the left-right direction at the front end of the receiving arm 30 (see FIG. 3B).

  The lower part of the latch release part 32 is formed by a slope facing downward (see FIG. 4A). As will be described later, the pressing surface 68 of the movable arm 70 (movable inner housing 62) is formed by an inclined surface facing upward. When the movable side optical connector 60 moves to the front side with respect to the receiving side optical connector 20, the downward slope of the latch release portion 32 comes into contact with the upward slope of the pressing surface 68, and further presses the pressing surface 68 forward. Accordingly, the movable arm 70 can be elastically deformed and pushed down.

  The latch release portion 32 is provided at a position adjacent to the front side (the movable optical connector 60 side) with respect to the latch receiving portion 31. As a result, when the movable optical connector 60 moves relative to the receiving optical connector 20 in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the optical connector system 10 is attached or detached), the first stage of fitting and fitting are performed depending on the site of the receiving arm 30. Both the combined second stage will be made. That is, the latch receiving portion 31 of the receiving side arm portion 30 is latched by the front side latch portion 71 of the movable side inner housing 62 (first stage of fitting), and the latch releasing portion 32 of the receiving side arm portion 30 moves the movable side. The latch of the latch protrusion 73 of the movable outer housing 63 with respect to the rear latch 72 of the inner housing 62 is released (second stage of fitting). Therefore, it is not necessary to provide separate members for the first stage of fitting and the second stage of fitting, and only one member of the receiving arm 30 is required, so that the housings can be fitted in two stages. The optical connector system can be downsized.

  The ear part 33 is a part that rides on the riding part 74 of the movable-side outer housing 63 when the connector connection of the optical connector system 10 is released. Two ears 33 are formed on the left and right sides of the front portion of the receiving arm 30, and each ear 33 is formed so as to protrude outward (on the side opposite to the escape portion 35).

  The relief portion 35 is configured so that the latch projection 73 does not contact the receiving arm portion 30 after the latching between the rear latch portion 72 of the movable inner housing 62 and the latch projection 73 of the movable outer housing 63 is released. This is a part that can move in the front-rear direction. The relief portion 35 is formed in the central portion of the receiving arm portion 30. Moreover, the relief part 35 is a groove-shaped part along the front-back direction. The upper surface of the escape portion 35 is a portion that is recessed from the upper surface of the receiving arm portion 30. The front end portion of the relief portion 35 is also a portion that is recessed from the front end portion of the latch release portion 32. When the latch protrusion 73 passes through such a recessed portion, the latch protrusion 73 can move in the front-rear direction without contacting the receiving arm 30.

  A front latch portion 71 is formed in the front portion of the movable inner housing 62. The front side latch part 71 is a part latched in the latch receiving part 31 of the receiving side arm part 30 (receiving side housing 22). The front latch portion 71 is formed so as to protrude upward. The front latch portion 71 is provided on the front side (receiving optical connector 20 side) with respect to the rear latch portion 72 described later.

  The movable-side inner housing 62 has a movable-side arm portion 70 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “second arm portion”). The movable arm portion 70 is a portion that extends to the front side (the receiving side optical connector 20 side) along the front-rear direction (the direction in which the optical connector system 10 is attached or detached). As shown in FIG. 3A, the movable inner housing 62 of the present embodiment has two movable arm portions 70 on the upper and lower sides so as to sandwich a plurality of movable ferrules 61. Hereinafter, the movable arm 70 provided on the upper side will be described. The movable arm portion 70 provided on the lower side has the same configuration except that the vertical direction is reversed, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  A rear latch portion 72 is formed in the front portion of the movable arm portion 70. The rear latch portion 72 is a portion that is latched by the latch protrusion 73 of the movable outer housing 63. The rear latch 72 is a recess formed on the upper surface of the movable arm 70. The latch projection 73 is latched to the rear latch portion 72 when the latch projection 73 is caught on the front inner wall of the recess.

  A latch protrusion 73 is formed on the movable outer housing 63. The latch protrusion 73 is a portion that latches to the rear latch portion 72 of the movable inner housing 62. The latch projection 73 latches on the rear latch 72, so that the movable inner housing 62 is restricted from moving forward relative to the movable outer housing 63. Note that, in the connector connection of the optical connector system 10, the latch protrusion 73 remains latched to the rear latch 72 until the second stage of fitting is completed. That is, in the connector connection of the optical connector system 10, the movement of the movable side inner housing 62 to the front side with respect to the movable side outer housing 63 remains restricted until the second stage of fitting is completed.

  As described above, the front latch portion 71 is provided on the front side (receiving side optical connector 20 side) with respect to the rear latch portion 72. The latch release unit 32 is provided at a position adjacent to the front side (the movable optical connector 60 side) with respect to the latch receiving unit 31. Thus, when the movable optical connector 60 moves relative to the receiving optical connector 20 in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the optical connector system 10 is attached or detached), first, the latch receiving portion 31 and the front latch 71 are latched ( Next, the latch release part 32 releases the latch of the latch protrusion 73 with respect to the rear latch part 72 (second stage of fitting). However, the front side latch part 71 may be provided on the rear side (the side opposite to the receiving side optical connector 20) with respect to the rear side latch part 72. Further, the latch release part 32 may be provided at a position adjacent to the rear side (the side opposite to the movable side optical connector 60) with respect to the latch receiving part 31.

<Connector Connection Procedure of Optical Connector System 10>
First Stage of Fitting FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views when the optical connector system 10 in the first stage of fitting is cut along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction. 5A to 5C show a state from when the connector is connected until the front latch 71 of the movable inner housing 62 is latched to the latch receiver 31 of the receiver housing 22. 5A to 5C, a part of the optical connector system 10 is omitted in order to clearly show the state of fitting.

  FIG. 5A shows a state before the connection end surface of the receiving ferrule 21 and the connection end surface of the movable ferrule 61 abut against each other. As shown in FIG. 5A, a pair of ferrule pins 25 of the receiving ferrule 21 are inserted into ferrule holes 67 of the movable ferrule 61 (not shown in FIG. 5A, see FIG. 3A). As a result, the contact end surfaces of the receiving ferrule 21 and the movable ferrule 61 are positioned together.

  5A, the front latch portion 71 (movable side internal housing 62) is in contact with the downward slope of the latch release portion 32 (receiving side arm portion 30 (receiving side housing 22)). When the movable optical connector 60 moves to the front side with respect to the receiving optical connector 20 from the state shown in FIG. 5A, the front latch portion 71 contacts the downward slope of the latch release portion 32, and further downwards of the latch release portion 32. By pressing the slope forward, the receiving arm 30 is elastically deformed and pushed up. (The state shown in FIG. 5B described later). As a result, the front latch portion 71 can be latched to the latch receiving portion 31 such that the front end of the front latch portion 71 is hooked from the lower opening of the latch receiving portion 31.

  FIG. 5B shows a state in which the connection end surface of the receiving ferrule 21 and the connection end surface of the movable ferrule 61 are abutted. As described above, the receiving ferrule 21 is urged (pressed) forward by the receiving spring 26. The movable ferrule 61 is also urged (pressed) forward by a movable spring 65. For this reason, when the movable side optical connector 60 moves to the front side with respect to the receiving side optical connector 20 from the state shown in FIG. 5B, it receives the elastic force of the receiving side spring 26 and the movable side spring 65 that are compressed and deformed. That is, after the state shown in FIG. 5B, the operator moves the movable optical connector 60 to the front side with respect to the receiving optical connector 20 against the elastic force of the receiving spring 26 and the movable spring 65. become.

  FIG. 5C shows a state in which the front side latch portion 71 (movable side inner housing 62) is latched to the latch receiving portion 31 (receiving side arm portion 30 (receiving side housing 22)). That is, the first stage of fitting is completed and the receiving housing 22 and the movable housing 66 are in a predetermined positional relationship. Thereby, the abutting surface (mechanical reference surface) between the connection end surface of the receiving ferrule 21 and the connection end surface of the movable ferrule 61 is fixed. Further, in a state where the front side latch portion 71 is latched by the latch receiving portion 31, the receiving side housing 22 and the movable side housing 66 are in a state where the connecting end surface of the receiving side ferrule 21 and the connecting end surface of the movable side ferrule 61 are abutted. Are in a predetermined positional relationship, and the receiving spring 26 and the movable spring 65 are compressed and deformed by a predetermined amount. For this reason, in a state where the front side latch portion 71 is latched by the latch receiving portion 31, the receiving side ferrule 21 and the movable side ferrule 61 are abutted by the receiving side spring 26 and the movable side spring 65 with a predetermined pressing force. Fixed to state. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 5C, the elastic force of the receiving side spring 26 and the movable side spring 65 is applied to the latch portion between the front side latch portion 71 and the latch receiving portion 31. 5A to 5C, the rear latch portion 72 of the movable inner housing 62 is still latched by the latch protrusion 73 of the movable outer housing 63, and the movable outer housing 62 has a movable outer portion. The movement to the front side with respect to the housing 63 is restricted.

Second Stage of Fitting FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D are cross-sectional views when the optical connector system 10 in the second stage of fitting is cut along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction. 7A to 7D are cross-sectional views when the optical connector system 10 in the second stage of fitting is cut along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. 6A to 6D (FIGS. 7A to 7D), the latch protrusion 73 is positioned above the escape portion 35 of the receiving arm 30 from the state in which the latch releasing portion 32 is in contact with the tip of the movable arm 70. It shows how it was done. In FIGS. 6A to 7D, a part of the optical connector system 10 is omitted in order to clearly show the state of fitting. FIG. 6A shows the same state as FIG. 5C described above.

  In FIG. 6A (FIG. 7A), the downward slope of the latch release portion 32 (receiving side arm portion 30 (receiving side housing 22)) is the pressing surface 68 (upward side slope) of the movable side arm portion 70 (movable side inner housing 62). ). 6A (FIG. 7A), when the movable optical connector 60 moves to the front side with respect to the receiving optical connector 20, the downward inclined surface of the latch release portion 32 faces the pressing surface 68 of the movable arm 70. Further, by pressing the pressing surface 68 of the movable arm 70 in the forward direction, the movable arm 70 is elastically deformed and pushed down. (State shown in FIG. 6B described later). Thereby, the latch with respect to the rear side latch part 72 of the latch protrusion 73 of the movable side outer housing 63 can be cancelled | released.

  FIG. 6B (FIG. 7B) shows a state immediately before the latch protrusion 73 (movable-side outer housing 63) is unlatched with respect to the rear latch portion 72 (movable-side inner housing 62). That is, the movable inner housing 62 is movable forward with respect to the movable outer housing 63. As a result, the movable inner housing 62 and the receiving housing 22 can move forward with respect to the movable outer housing 63 while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship.

  FIG. 6C (FIG. 7C) shows a state immediately after the latch protrusion 73 (movable-side outer housing 63) is unlatched with respect to the rear latch portion 72 (movable-side inner housing 62). The movable arm 70 pushed down in the state shown in FIG. 6B (FIG. 7B) moves upward again by the elastic force and returns to the original position (the state shown in FIG. 6A (FIG. 7A)). . Further, in FIG. 6C (FIG. 7C), the latch projection 73, which has been released from the latch with respect to the rear latch 72, is movable toward the relief portion 35 of the receiving arm 30 (receiving housing 22). Is shown. As described above, the relief portion 35 is a portion that is recessed from the front end portion of the receiving arm portion 30, and the latch protrusion 73 passes through the relief portion 35, so that the front side without contacting the receiving arm portion 30. It can move to (the receiving side optical connector 20 side).

  6D (FIG. 7D) shows a state in which the latch protrusion 73 has moved further forward from the picture state shown in FIG. 6C (FIG. 7C). At this time, the tip of the latch projection 73 is in contact with the upper surface of the relief portion 35 of the receiving arm 30. At this time, the latch receiving portion 31 remains latched by the front latch portion 71 of the movable inner housing 62. That is, the latch protrusion 73 is positioned so as to sandwich the latch receiving portion 31 (receiving side arm portion 30) with the front latch portion 71. Thereby, for example, when vibration is applied to the optical connector system 10, even if the receiving side arm portion 30 moves upward and is unlatched by the front latch portion 71, the escape portion 35 (receiving portion 35 (receiving portion) is received by the leading end of the latch protrusion 73. Since the side arm portion 30) is restrained in the downward direction, the upward movement of the receiving side arm portion 30 is restricted. Thereby, it can suppress that the latch (the 1st step of fitting) of the front side latch part 71 to the latch receiving part 31 of the receiving side arm part 30 removes unexpectedly. However, if the latch (first stage of fitting) of the front side latch portion 71 to the latch receiving portion 31 of the receiving side arm portion 30 can be prevented from being unexpectedly released, the leading end of the latch protrusion 73 is the receiving side arm portion. It is not necessary to be in contact with the upper surface of the 30 escape portions 35.

<Procedure for Canceling Connector Connection of Optical Connector System 10>
FIGS. 8A to 8C are cross-sectional views of the optical connector system 10 at the stage of releasing the fitting, taken along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction.

  Before the connector connection of the optical connector system 10 is released, that is, before the movable-side optical connector 60 is pulled out from the receiving-side optical connector 20, a latch protrusion 73 (movable-side external) with respect to the rear-side latch portion 72 (movable-side inner housing 62). The latch of the housing 63) is released. For this reason, the movable side inner housing 62 and the receiving side housing 22 are movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the movable side outer housing 63 while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship.

  When the movable-side optical connector 60 moves rearward with respect to the receiving-side optical connector 20, the rear-side latch portion 72 (movable-side inner portion) is moved in the order shown in FIG. 6C (FIG. 7C) to FIG. The latch protrusion 73 (movable outer housing 63) with respect to the housing 62) is latched again. That is, the movement of the movable inner housing 62 in the front-rear direction with respect to the movable outer housing 63 is again restricted.

  In FIG. 8A, the ear 33 of the receiving arm 30 (receiving housing 22) is in contact with the riding-up portion 74 of the movable outer housing 63. When the movable side optical connector 60 moves rearward with respect to the receiving side optical connector 20 from the state shown in FIG. 8A, the ear portion 33 comes into contact with the riding portion 74 and further presses the ear portion 33 backward. As a result, the receiving arm 30 is elastically deformed and pushed up. (The state shown in FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C described later). Thereby, the front end of the front latch portion 71 can release the latch from the lower opening of the latch receiving portion 31.

=== Summary ===
As shown in FIGS. 1A to 3A, the optical connector system 10 according to the embodiment includes a receiving ferrule 21 (first ferrule) and a receiving housing 22 (first housing) that houses the receiving ferrule 21. A receiving side optical connector 20 (first optical connector);
A movable ferrule 61 (second ferrule) connected to the receiving ferrule 21, a movable inner housing 62 (second inner housing) that houses the movable ferrule 61, and a movable outer that houses the movable inner housing 62 The optical connector system 10 includes a housing 63 (second external housing) and a movable optical connector 60 (second optical connector) that can be attached to and detached from the receiving optical connector 20.
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3B, 4A, and 4B, the receiving housing 22 includes a latch receiving portion 31 and a latch releasing portion 32, and the movable outer housing 63 includes a latch protrusion. 73, the movable inner housing 62 includes a front latch portion 71 that can be latched to the latch receiving portion 31, and a rear latch portion 72 that can latch the latch protrusion 73.
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 7D, before connecting the receiving side optical connector 20 and the movable side optical connector 60, the rear latch portion 72 is latched by the latch protrusion 73. And
Relative movement of the receiving side optical connector 20 and the movable side optical connector 60 to the side where the receiving side optical connector 20 is connected causes the latching part 73 to latch to the rear side latching part 72 after the front side latching part 71 latches to the latching receiving part 31 After the latch release portion 32 is released and the latch to the rear latch portion 72 is released, the latch projection portion 73 sandwiches the latch receiving portion 31 with the front latch portion 71. Located in.
Thereby, in the said embodiment, in the optical connector system 10 with which fitting of housings is performed in two steps, it suppresses that fitting of housings is cancelled | released unexpectedly after the 2nd step of fitting. Can do.

  In the optical connector system 10 of the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 7D, when the front side latch portion 71 is latched by the latch receiving portion 31, the receiving side housing 22 and the movable side inner housing 62 are separated from each other. In a state where the predetermined positional relationship is established and the latch of the rear side latch portion 72 is released, the movable side inner housing 62 can move with respect to the movable side outer housing 63. Thereby, in the said embodiment, in the optical connector system 10 with which fitting of housings is performed in two steps, it suppresses that fitting of housings is cancelled | released unexpectedly after the 2nd step of fitting. Can do.

  In the optical connector system 10 of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the latch receiving portion 31 and the latch releasing portion 32 are movable along the attaching / detaching direction of the receiving side optical connector 20 and the movable side optical connector 60. The receiving side arm portion 30 (first arm portion) that extends toward the side optical connector 60 is provided with a latch protrusion 73 after the latch of the rear side latch portion 72 is released. An escape portion 35 for passing through is formed. Thereby, in the said embodiment, the latching protrusion part 73 can move to the front-back direction, without contacting a 1st arm part.

  Further, in the optical connector system 10 of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the escape portion 35 is formed in a groove shape along the attaching / detaching direction of the receiving side optical connector 20 and the movable side optical connector 60. . Thereby, in the said embodiment, the latch projection part 73 can move to the front-back direction, without contacting the receiving side arm part 30. FIG.

=== Others ===
The above-described embodiments are for facilitating 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 receiving side optical fiber, 2 movable side optical fiber, 10 optical connector system,
15 plug-in units, 16 backplane boards,
17 guide groove, 18 printed board 20 receiving side optical connector (first optical connector),
21 receiving ferrule (first ferrule),
22 receiving housing (first housing), 23 cover,
24 receiving shutter, 25 ferrule pin, 26 receiving spring,
27 receiving ferrule collar, 30 receiving arm (first arm), 31 latch receiving,
32 latch release part, 33 ear part, 34 front removal prevention part, 35 escape part,
60 Movable optical connector (second optical connector),
61 Movable ferrule (second ferrule),
62 movable side inner housing (second inner housing),
63 Movable side outer housing (second outer housing), 64 Movable side shutter,
65 Movable spring, 66 Movable housing (second housing),
67 ferrule hole, 68 pressing surface, 70 movable side arm (second arm),
71 front latch part, 72 rear latch part, 73 latch projection part,
74 Riding Club

Claims (3)

A first optical connector comprising a first ferrule and a first housing that houses the first ferrule;
A second ferrule connected to the first ferrule; a second inner housing for accommodating the second ferrule; and a second outer housing for accommodating the second inner housing, wherein the first optical connector is detachable A second optical connector,
The first housing includes a latch receiving portion and a latch release portion,
The second outer housing includes a latch protrusion,
The second inner housing includes a front latch portion that can be latched to the latch receiving portion, and a rear latch portion that can latch the latch protrusion,
Before connecting the first optical connector and the second optical connector, the rear latch portion is latched by the latch protrusion,
After the front latch portion is latched to the latch receiving portion by moving the first optical connector and the second optical connector relative to each other, the latch projection portion is latched to the rear latch portion. Is released by the latch release unit,
After the latch of the latch protrusion to the rear latch part is released, the latch protrusion is positioned so as to sandwich the latch receiving part with the front latch part ,
The latch receiving portion and the latch release portion are provided on a first arm portion that extends toward the second optical connector along the attaching / detaching direction of the first optical connector and the second optical connector, An optical connector system , wherein the first arm portion is formed with an escape portion through which the latch projection portion passes after the latch of the rear latch portion is released . The optical connector system according to claim 1,
In a state where the front latch portion is latched by the latch receiving portion, the first housing and the second inner housing are in a predetermined positional relationship,
The optical connector system, wherein the second inner housing is movable with respect to the second outer housing in a state in which the latch of the rear latch portion is released. The optical connector system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The said escape part is formed in groove shape along the attachment or detachment direction of a said 1st optical connector and a said 2nd optical connector. The optical connector system characterized by the above-mentioned.

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