JP7123708B2 - optical connector - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector capable of engaging and disengaging an optical connector plug with respect to an optical adapter by manipulating a tab.

Conventionally, an elastically deformable (returnable) hook arm-like lock lever, locking arm, etc. described later are arranged parallel to the connector insertion/removal direction. By engaging with the locking hole of the adapter, the optical connector is prevented from being unintentionally removed from the optical adapter. This latching portion moves downward through a pullout operation of a slide shaft, an unlocking member, an unlocking operation arm, etc., which are attached to the optical connector, which will be described later, to unlock the optical adapter and release the light from the optical adapter. The connector is configured to be removed.

Specifically, as shown in Patent Document 1, the slide is movably inserted into the connector body, has an engagement groove in the portion inserted into the connector body, and has a finger hook protruding outside the optical connector. a shaft, a lock lever rotatably supported in the connector body and provided with a lock claw and an operating protrusion inserted into an engagement groove of the slide shaft, the connector body, the slide shaft and the lock lever and the lock lever is interposed between the slide shaft and the cover, and the lock claw extends from the optical connector when the optical connector is attached to the mating socket. When the slide shaft protrudes and engages with a locking portion provided on the socket and the finger hook portion is pulled, the side surface of the engagement groove comes into contact with the operation protrusion portion as the slide shaft moves, and further the slide slides. An optical connector is known in which, when the shaft is pulled, the lock lever rotates around the rotation axis, and the lock claw is disengaged from the lock portion.

Further, as shown in Patent Document 2, a locking pawl portion and an unlocking operation portion provided on a lock lever are arranged inward and downward opposite to the outward upward direction in which the claw portions protrude in the vertical direction. A lock release member is provided so as to be positioned within a width dimension in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions of the main body of the optical connector, and the tip of the lock release member is provided. However, there is a known unlocking structure for a connector that is formed to engage with a locking portion of the lock lever to elastically deform the lock lever in the unlocking direction when pulled in the removal direction.

Furthermore, as shown in Patent Document 3, the rear end of a main body to be inserted into a mating component is fixed rearward in the fitting direction from the portion to be inserted into the mating component, and the mating component is positioned forward in the fitting direction. a locking arm extending in a cantilever-like manner to a position where it is inserted into the body, and having a locking protrusion at its tip that rises outward and locks to the mating part; and further along the locking arm while being spaced apart from the locking arm, extending rearward in the fitting direction to a position projecting rearward from the main body to receive the rearward pulling operation. There is known a connector provided with an unlocking operation arm for releasing the locking of the mating part by the locking protrusion by bending the locking arm in the opposite direction.

Japanese Patent No. 4630924 Japanese Patent No. 4843006 Japanese Patent No. 6006575

However, according to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the slide shaft is pulled, the lock lever rotates around the rotation shaft and the lock claw is disengaged from the lock portion. is always present. Therefore, when the optical connector is unintentionally forcibly pulled out, or when an obstacle inadvertently presses against the lock claw from around the optical connector, the lock lever rotates around the rotation axis and the lock claw is removed. is likely to come off easily from the locking portion.

Further, according to Patent Document 2 described above, when the tip of the unlocking member is pulled in the removal direction, it engages with the locking portion of the lock lever to elastically deform the lock lever in the unlocking direction. The locking portion of the lock lever always has a clearance that allows it to move downward in the locking hole of the unlocking member. For this reason, when an unintended forcible pull-out action acts on the optical connector, or when an obstacle inadvertently presses the lock release operation part of the lock lever from around the optical connector, the lock lever bends downward. There is a risk that the unlocking operation portion may easily come off the locking hole of the adapter.

Further, according to Patent Document 3 described above, an unlocking operation arm is integrally formed from a locking arm in a folded shape, and the locking arm is deflected in the opposite direction by being pulled backward by the unlocking operation arm. Therefore, there is always a gap on the lower side of the unlocking operation arm (locking arm) to allow the bending operation. Therefore, when an unintended forcible pull-out action acts on the optical connector, or when an obstacle inadvertently presses against the locking arm from around the optical connector, the locking arm bends downward to lock the adapter. There is a risk that it will come off easily from the hole.

Accordingly, the present invention has been devised in view of the conventional circumstances as described above. In the locked state, even if an unintended forcible pull-out action acts on the optical connector, or an obstacle accidentally presses against the lock lever from around the optical connector, the locking portion will remain downward. To provide an optical connector capable of preventing bending and preventing careless removal of the optical connector from an optical adapter.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a pair of right and left square tubular ferrule housings each holding a ferrule, a horizontally elongated rectangular slide cover attached to the ferrule housing, and the right and left a tab slide guide hole formed in the center of the slide cover so as to be sandwiched between the pair of ferrule housings,
A lower concave streak is formed along the tab insertion direction on a lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole,
On the other hand, above the tab slide guide hole facing the lower inner wall surface, a lock which projects forward in parallel with the direction of connector insertion/removal and is cantilevered behind the central portion of the slide cover can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction. A lever is provided, and an upper recessed line is formed on the lower surface of the lock lever so as to face the lower recessed line along the insertion direction of the tab,
and a rotatably operable tab inserted into the tab slide guide hole from the rear side of the slide cover, the optical connector comprising:
A locking operation portion having a rectangular, oval, elliptical, or oval shape when viewed from the front is formed on the distal end side of the tab through the neck portion, and the locking operation portion extends in the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion. At the center of both sides, it is engaged with a lower recess formed on the lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole and an upper recess formed on the lower surface of the lock lever above the tab slide guide hole. A projection is formed on each of the tabs, and a support projection is formed substantially in the middle of the tab so as to be slidably supported by the inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole,
At the lower right and left sides of the lock lever in the width direction, a forward-inclined tapered surface is provided on the rear end side so that the locking operation portion at the tip end of the tab can slidably contact when the tab is inserted from the rear into the tab slide guide hole. When the tab is inserted to the tip of the tab slide guide hole, the tabs are arranged in a pair on both left and right sides of the neck portion in a state of sandwiching the neck portion provided at the rear of the locking operation portion, and the tabs are arranged in pairs. A locking projection that engages the locking operation portion at the tip of the tab when pulled out rearward is formed to face each other,
Therefore, when the tab is inserted to the tip of the tab slide guide hole, if the longitudinal direction of the locking action portion at the tip of the tab is oriented horizontally, the locking action portion of the tab A gap is generated between the tab and the lock lever, and the entire tab is supported only by two points: a support projection supported by the tab slide guide hole, and a neck portion that is sandwiched and slidably contacted between the locking projections. By doing so, the lock lever is in an unlocked state in which it can be bent downward,
On the other hand, when the tab is rotated by an angle of 90° so that the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion is oriented vertically, the tab as a whole is supported by the tab slide guide hole and the inner surface of the lock lever. a locking operating portion in which projections formed on both longitudinal sides of the formed upper recessed line and the lower recessed line formed on the lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole are engaged with each other; It is characterized in that the lock lever is in a locked state in which it cannot be bent downward by being held between locking projections arranged on both sides and supported at three points with the neck portion which is in sliding contact with the lock lever. and

A handle having a large diameter is provided on the rear end side of the tab, and the handle is formed with a depression or a protrusion, and the depression or protrusion determines the posture of the locking operation portion due to rotation of the tab. It is characterized in that it is formed so as to function as an indicator that indicates what kind of position it is.

According to the present invention, when the optical connector is inserted into the optical adapter and the locking portion of the locking lever of the optical connector is engaged with the locking hole of the optical adapter and locked, the optical connector is unintentionally pulled out. or an obstacle accidentally presses against the lock lever from the periphery of the optical connector, the locking portion can be prevented from being bent downward, and the optical connector can be unintentionally removed from the optical adapter. can be prevented in advance, and various plug security systems can be constructed.

That is, in the present invention, a locking operation portion is formed at the tip of the tab, and by rotating the tab in either direction, the movement of the lock lever can be restricted by the locking operation portion of the tab. , the optical connector can be prevented from being unintentionally removed from the optical adapter.

The engaging portion of the tab has a rectangular, oval, elliptical, or oval shape when viewed from the front. The movement of the lock lever can be easily restricted by simply rotating it in either direction.

Protrusions are formed at the center of both longitudinal sides of the locking operation portion of the tab, and by rotating the tab, the lower recess formed on the lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole can be moved. The convex portion on one side is engaged with the portion, and the convex portion on the other side is engaged with the upper concave portion formed on the lower surface of the lock lever facing the lower concave portion. Movement of the locking lever can be reliably limited by the locking actuation portion of the tab. In addition, since the protrusions on both sides of the locking operation portion of the tab are engaged with each other while emitting a fitting sound such as "click", it is possible to reliably confirm that the lock lever is in a locked state in which it cannot be bent downward. can know

The tab has a support projection that is slidably supported by the inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole, and a pair of right and left tabs that are slidably held by the lower surface of the lock lever on the locking operation portion side of the tab. , the entire tab is supported at two points by the supporting projection of the tab and the locking projection of the lock lever, so that the tab can be rotated stably and reliably. In the unlocked state, by pulling out the tab rearward through the handle, the locking operating portion of the tab is caught by the locking protrusion of the lock lever, and a moment acts on the locking portion of the lock lever. The engaging portion side of the lock lever bends downward. This allows the optical connector to be easily removed from the optical adapter.

A handle having a large diameter is provided on the rear end side of the tab, and the handle is formed with a recessed portion or a convex portion, and the recessed portion or the convex portion changes the posture of the locking operation portion due to rotation of the tab. It is formed to function as an indicator that indicates what position it is in, so if, for example, the concave or convex portion of the handle is oriented upwards or sideways, It can be easily determined whether the lock lever is in an unlocked state (unlocked state) in which it can be bent downward or in a locked state in which it cannot be bent downward.

The tab is unlocked with respect to the lock lever by maintaining a horizontal position in the longitudinal direction of the locking actuating portion. By holding the tab, the lock lever is locked, so that the unlocked state and the locked state of the lock lever can be easily and instantaneously switched only by a slight rotational operation on the rear end side of the tab.

1 is a perspective view of a state in which a tab is disassembled from an optical connector showing one embodiment for carrying out the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state after the tab is assembled to the optical connector; FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a state after the tab is assembled to the optical connector, as seen obliquely from the rear; FIG. 4 is a front view of the optical connector when the tab is rotated in the unlocking direction; FIG. 4 is a front view of the optical connector when the tab is rotated in the lock direction; FIG. 4 shows a state in which a tab is removed from the optical connector, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of (a). FIG. 12 shows the optical connector when the tab is rotated in a non-locking (unlocking) direction, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of (a). FIG. 10 shows the optical connector when the tab is rotated in the lock direction, (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a sectional view taken along line CC of (a). FIG. 4 shows a state before an optical connector is connected to an optical adapter, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of (a). FIG. 4 shows a state in which an optical connector is connected to an optical adapter, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of (a). It shows an example of tab configuration, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a right side view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a left side view, (e) is a front view, and (f) is a (g) is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF of (b), and (h) is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG of (c).

An embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The optical connector 1 according to the present invention has a mechanism that enables the plug to be engaged with and disengaged from the optical adapter Q by operating a tab 11, which will be described later.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the optical connector 1 includes a pair of left and right square tubular ferrule housings FH each holding a ferrule F, and a horizontally elongated rectangular slide mounted on the rear portion of the ferrule housing FH. The slide cover 2 has curved concave knob portions 2A on the right and left side walls thereof, and a flange portion 2B at the rear end thereof.

A tab slide guide hole 3 is formed in the center of the slide cover 2 so as to be sandwiched between the pair of left and right ferrule housings FH. A possible hook-arm-shaped lock lever 4 is projected in parallel with the connector inserting/removing direction and is cantilevered. That is, both ends of a tab slide guide hole 3 provided between the pair of right and left ferrule housings FH at a predetermined interval (width of the lock lever) at the center position of the slide cover 2 communicate with the front end, which will be described later. By providing a pair of two slits 4a that are closed behind the pressing projection 6, the lock lever 4 that is vertically bendable is formed.

On the upper surface of the tip side of the lock lever 4, a hook claw-shaped locking portion 5 having a forward inclined surface 5a that engages with the locking hole QA (see FIGS. 9 and 10) of the optical adapter Q faces upward. At approximately the middle in the longitudinal direction of the lock lever 4 is a pressing projection 6 rectangular in plan view for releasing the locking portion 5 from the locking hole QA of the optical adapter Q by manual pushing. formed towards. In the recess 4b between the pressing projection 6 and the locking portion 5, there is provided a hole between the opening edge of the insertion opening QB of the optical adapter Q and the hole edge of the locking hole QA on the insertion opening QB side. The narrow portion fits (see FIG. 10).

A triangular-wave anti-slip groove is formed on the upper surface of the pressing projection 6 . On both sides of the lock lever 4 in the width direction, substantially right-angled triangular locking protrusions 7 (see FIG. 6(b)) having a forward-inclined tapered surface 7A on the rear end side are formed facing downward. Between the locking protrusions 7, a small-diameter neck portion 14 provided behind a locking operation portion 15 at the tip of a tab 11 inserted into the tab slide guide hole 3, which will be described later, is sandwiched and slidably contacted. It has become. Incidentally, in FIG. 6(b), only one side of the pair of left and right locking protrusions 7 is visible.

A lower grooved portion 8 is formed on the lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole 3 along the inserting direction of the tab 11 , and a tab 11 is formed on the lower surface of the lock lever 4 so as to face the lower grooved portion 8 . An upper concave streak portion 9 is formed along the insertion direction. These grooves 8 and 9 are engaged with projections 15a and 15b provided on both sides of a locking operation portion 15 at the tip of a tab 11 inserted into the tab slide guide hole 3, respectively.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11(a) to 11(h), the tab 11 has a handle 13 with a large diameter on the rear end side of a cylindrical rod-shaped operating rod 12. On the distal end side of the operating rod 12, a locking operating portion 15 having a rectangular, oval, elliptical, or oval shape is provided through a small-diameter neck portion 14 when viewed from the front. I have. The support projection 16 is slidably supported by the inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole 3, and the neck portion 14 is slidably supported so as to be sandwiched between the pair of left and right locking projections 7. . Further, projections 15a and 15b are formed at the center of both sides in the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15, and the tab slide can be operated by grasping the handle 13 at the rear end and rotating the tab 11. A convex portion 15a (or 15b) on one side is engaged with the lower concave portion 8 of the lower inner wall surface of the guide hole 3, and the upper concave portion on the lower surface of the lock lever 4 facing the lower concave portion 8 is engaged. The projection 15b (or 15a) on the other side is engaged with the portion 9. As shown in FIG.

In addition, a rectangular planar shallow depression 17 is formed at a vertically symmetrical position of the handle 13, and a seal (Fig. not shown) is attached. The recessed portion 17 is formed to function as an indicating portion indicating the longitudinal and lateral positions of the locking operation portion 15 due to the rotation of the tab 11 . The concave portion 17 functioning as the pointing portion may be formed in a convex portion (not shown).

In this embodiment, for example, when the concave portion 17 (or convex portion) of the handle 13 is directed upward (downward), the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 at the tip of the tab 11 is horizontal. The position of the support projection 16 of the operating rod 12 is set so as to face downward (upward). In addition, when the concave portion 17 (or convex portion) of the handle 13 is oriented to the left and right sides, the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 at the tip of the tab 11 is oriented vertically. , and the position of the support projection 16 of the operating rod 12 is set so as to be directed to the left and right sides.

By rotating the handle 13 by an angle of 90° to either the left or the right from a state in which one recessed portion 17 (or a convex portion) of the handle 13 is directed upward, the tip of the tab 11 can The longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 is directed from the horizontal position to the vertical position. For example, when the longitudinal direction of the locking actuating portion 15 of the tab 11 is oriented horizontally, there is a gap between the locking actuating portion 15 of the tab 11 and the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4. is generated, and the lock lever 4 can be bent downward. As a result, the locking portion of the lock lever 4 is released from the locking hole QA of the optical adapter Q by manually pushing the pressing projection 6, thereby releasing the locking portion of the locking lever 4 from the locking hole QA of the optical adapter Q, and the optical connector 1 can be removed from the optical adapter Q. FIG.

On the other hand, when the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 is oriented in the vertical direction, the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 abuts against the lower surface of the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4. Protrusions 15a and 15b on both sides of the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 click into the lower groove 8 of the tab slide guide hole 3 and the upper groove 9 of the lock lever 4. The lock lever 4 cannot be bent downward due to each engagement while releasing. Therefore, the movement of the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4 is blocked by the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11, and the lock lever 4 is locked from the locking hole QA of the optical adapter Q even if the pressing projection 6 is manually pushed. The portion 5 is locked so that it cannot be released, and the removal of the optical connector 1 from the optical adapter Q becomes impossible.

Further, when the tab 11 is pulled out rearward through the handle 13 in the unlocked state in which a gap is generated between the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 and the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4, the lock lever 4 is pulled out. The locking actuating portion 15 of the tab 11 is caught by the locking projections 7 on both left and right sides in the width direction of the tab (see FIG. 9B), and a moment acts on the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4, and the locking portion 5 bends downward. As a result, the optical connector 1 can be easily removed from the optical adapter Q.

Next, an example of use and operation of the configuration configured as described above will be described.

First, when attaching the tab 11 to the optical connector 1, hold the handle 13 of the tab 11 and insert the tab 11 into the tab slide guide hole 3 from behind the optical connector 1. insert.

After the tab 11 is inserted, the support projection 16 of the operating rod 12 is slidably supported by the inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole 3, and the neck portion 14 is held between the pair of left and right locking projections 7. The tab 11 as a whole is supported at two points by the support projection 16 and the neck portion 14 .

When the optical connector 1 is attached to the optical adapter Q, the handle 13 is rotated left or right by 90° so that the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 is oriented horizontally. At this time, the concave portion 17 (or convex portion) of the handle 13 is directed upward. As a result, a gap is generated between the engaging portion 15 of the tab 11 and the engaging portion 5 of the lock lever 4, and the lock lever 4 is in an unlocked state (unlocked state) in which it can be bent downward.

When the distal end of the ferrule F of the optical connector 1 is attached to the insertion opening QB (see FIGS. 9 and 10) of the optical adapter Q in this unlocked state, the lock lever 4 is pushed by the edge of the insertion opening QB of the optical adapter Q. The front inclined surface 5a of the locking portion 5 is pushed and once bent downward, and the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4 is engaged with the locking hole QA of the optical adapter Q by its own elastic restoring force. Then, the tab 11 is rotated by 90° left or right via the handle 13 so that the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 is directed to the vertical position.

As a result, the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 comes into contact with the lower surface of the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4, and the lower recessed line portion 8 of the tab slide guide hole 3 and the upper recessed line portion of the lock lever 4 are engaged. When the projections 15a and 15b on both sides of the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 are engaged with each other while emitting a "click" sound, the lock lever 4 is in a locked state in which it cannot be bent downward.

At this time, the recessed portion 17 (or convex portion) of the handle 13 is oriented sideways, and the entire tab 11 is supported at three points by the support protrusion 16, the locking operation portion 15, and the neck portion 14. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the downward movement of the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4 is blocked by the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11, and even if the pressing projection 6 of the lock lever 4 is manually pushed, the locking hole QA of the optical adapter Q will not move. 4, the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4 is locked so that it cannot be released, and the optical connector 1 cannot be removed from the optical adapter Q.

When the optical connector 1 is to be removed from the optical adapter Q, the handle 13 is rotated by 90° to the left or right so that the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 15 of the tab 11 is oriented horizontally. As a result, a gap is generated between the engaging portion 15 of the tab 11 and the engaging portion 5 of the lock lever 4, and the lock lever 4 can be bent downward.

At this time, the recessed portion 17 (or convex portion) of the handle 13 is directed upward (or downward), and the entire tab 11 is supported at two points by the support projection 16 and the neck portion 14 . Therefore, by manually pushing the pressing projection 6 of the lock lever 4, the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4 can be released from the locking hole QA of the optical adapter Q, and the optical connector 1 can be removed from the optical adapter Q. becomes possible.

In this unlocked state, when the tab 11 is pulled out rearward through the handle 13, the lock operating portions 15 of the tab 11 are caught by the lock protrusions 7 provided on both sides in the width direction of the lock lever 4, thereby releasing the lock lever. A moment acts on the engaging portion 5 of 4, and the engaging portion 5 bends downward. As a result, the optical connector 1 can be easily removed from the optical adapter Q.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 is maintained in a horizontal position, thereby unlocking the lock lever 4, and the tab 11 is held at an angle of 90°. By rotating the locking operation portion 15 so that the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 is maintained in a vertical position, the lock lever 4 is locked. can easily and instantaneously switch between the unlocked state and the locked state with respect to the lock lever 4.

Q Optical adapter QA Locking hole QB Insertion opening F Ferrule FH Ferrule housing 1 Optical connector 2 Slide cover 2A Knob 2B Flange 3 Tab slide guide hole 4 Lock lever 4a Slit 4b Recess 5 Locking part 5a Front slope 6 Pressing protrusion 7 Locking protrusion 7A Forward inclined tapered surface 8 Lower recessed line 9 Upper recessed line 11 Tab 12 Actuating rod 13 Handle 14 Neck part 15 Locking actuation parts 15a, 15b Protruding part 16 Supporting protrusion 17 Recessed part

Claims (2)

A pair of left and right square tube-shaped ferrule housings each holding a ferrule, a horizontally elongated rectangular slide cover attached to the ferrule housing, and a center of the slide cover so as to be sandwiched between the pair of left and right ferrule housings. a formed tab slide guide hole ,
A lower concave streak is formed along the tab insertion direction on a lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole,
On the other hand, above the tab slide guide hole facing the lower inner wall surface, a lock which projects forward in parallel with the direction of connector insertion/removal and is cantilevered behind the central portion of the slide cover can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction. A lever is provided, and an upper recessed line is formed on the lower surface of the lock lever so as to face the lower recessed line along the insertion direction of the tab,
and a rotatably operable tab inserted into the tab slide guide hole from the rear side of the slide cover, the optical connector comprising:
A locking operation portion having a rectangular, oval, elliptical, or oval shape when viewed from the front is formed on the distal end side of the tab through the neck portion, and the locking operation portion extends in the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion. At the center of both sides, it is engaged with a lower recess formed on the lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole and an upper recess formed on the lower surface of the lock lever above the tab slide guide hole. A projection is formed on each of the tabs, and a support projection is formed substantially in the middle of the tab so as to be slidably supported by the inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole,
At the lower right and left sides of the lock lever in the width direction, a forward-inclined tapered surface is provided on the rear end side so that the locking operation portion at the tip end of the tab can slidably contact when the tab is inserted from the rear into the tab slide guide hole. When the tab is inserted to the tip of the tab slide guide hole, the tabs are arranged in a pair on both left and right sides of the neck portion in a state of sandwiching the neck portion provided at the rear of the locking operation portion, and the tabs are arranged in pairs. A locking projection that engages the locking operation portion at the tip of the tab when pulled out rearward is formed to face each other,
Therefore, when the tab is inserted to the tip of the tab slide guide hole, if the longitudinal direction of the locking action portion at the tip of the tab is oriented horizontally, the locking action portion of the tab A gap is generated between the tab and the lock lever, and the entire tab is supported only by two points: a support projection supported by the tab slide guide hole, and a neck portion that is sandwiched and slidably contacted between the locking projections. By doing so, the lock lever is in an unlocked state in which it can be bent downward,
On the other hand, when the tab is rotated by an angle of 90° so that the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion is oriented vertically, the tab as a whole is supported by the tab slide guide hole and the inner surface of the lock lever. a locking operating portion in which projections formed on both longitudinal sides of the formed upper recessed line and the lower recessed line formed on the lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole are engaged with each other; It is characterized in that the lock lever is in a locked state in which it cannot be bent downward by being held between locking projections arranged on both sides and supported at three points with the neck portion which is in sliding contact with the lock lever. and optical connector. A handle having a large diameter is provided on the rear end side of the tab, and the handle is formed with a depression or a protrusion, and the depression or protrusion determines the posture of the locking operation portion due to rotation of the tab. 2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical connector is formed so as to function as an indicator for indicating what kind of position it is.

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