JP7210325B2 - 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, in the present invention, a pair of left and right ferrule housings each holding a ferrule, a slide cover attached to the pair of left and right ferrule housings, and a pair of left and right ferrule housings. A tab slide guide hole is formed in the center of the slide cover so as to sandwich the tab slide guide hole, and the tab slide guide hole can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction while being cantilevered parallel to the connector inserting/removing direction on the upper wall surface of the tab slide guide hole. A lock lever, a rotatably operable tab inserted into the tab slide guide hole from the rear side of the slide cover, and a locking operating portion formed at the tip of the tab to rotate the tab in either the left or right direction. In the optical connector, the movement of the lock lever can be restricted by the locking operation portion of the tab, wherein the tab is positioned between the tab and the slide cover at a position where the tab is pulled rearward of the slide cover. the tab is engaged with the slide cover to prevent the tab from rotating with respect to the slide cover, and the tab is disengaged from the slide cover when the tab is positioned at the position where the tab is pushed forward, A tab rotation blocking mechanism is provided so that the tab rotates.

The rotation prevention mechanism includes a plurality of locking projections protruding from the outer periphery of the tab at predetermined intervals, locking recesses between the locking projections, and a tab slide guide of the ferrule housing. On the hole surface side, when the tab is positioned at the rear, it engages with the locking recess of the tab, and when the tab is positioned at the front pushing portion, it rotates to disengage from the locking recess of the tab. It is characterized by forming a blocking projection.

The engaging portion of the tab is characterized by having a rectangular, oval, elliptical, or oval shape when viewed from the front.

Protrusions are formed at the center of both sides in the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion of the tab, and by rotating the tab, a lower recess formed on the inner wall surface of the center lower portion of the tab slide guide hole is formed. The protrusion on one side is engaged with the streak, and the protrusion on the other side is engaged with the upper recessed streak formed on the lower surface of the lock lever facing the lower recessed streak. Characterized by

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 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.

That is, according to the present invention, when the tab is positioned at a portion pulled rearward from the tab slide guide hole of the ferrule housing of the slide cover, the tab is engaged with the slide guide hole of the slide cover. is prevented from rotating, and when the tab is positioned at the position where the tab is pushed forward, the tab is disengaged from the slide guide hole of the slide cover, and the tab is rotated. In the past, the tab could be rotated even if it was positioned in front of and behind the slide guide hole of the slide cover. The tab can be easily removed by pulling it in a certain direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the locking portion from being bent downward even when an unintended forcible pull-out action acts on the optical connector or an obstacle accidentally presses against the lock lever from the periphery of the optical connector. can be done.

Here, the rotation prevention mechanism has a plurality of locking projections projecting from the outer circumference of the tab at predetermined intervals, locking recesses between the locking projections, and the slight cover. On the side of the tab slide guide hole of the ferrule housing, the tab is engaged with the locking recess of the tab when the tab is positioned at the rear, and the tab is engaged when the tab is positioned at the front push-in portion. Since the rotation-preventing protrusion is formed so as to be disengaged from the retaining recess, it is possible to prevent the optical connector 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 streak formed on the lower surface of the lock lever facing the lower concave streak. Therefore, the movement of the lock lever can be reliably restricted by the engaging 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.

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. Since it is formed to function as an indicator to indicate what position it is, for example, when the concave or convex portion of the handle is directed upward or laterally, the lock lever is in an unlocked state (unlocked state) in which it can be bent downward, or whether the lock lever is in a locked state in which it cannot be bent downward.

1 is a perspective view of a state in which a tab is separated from an optical connector showing one embodiment for carrying out the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view of an optical connector; FIG. In FIG. 2, it is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the optical connector cut at its central portion; It is a front view of an optical connector. It is a rear view of an optical connector. (a) is a side view, (b) is a side view when rotated 90 degrees, (c) is a side view when rotated 180 degrees, and (d) is a side view when rotated 270 degrees. It is a diagram. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state after the tab is assembled to the optical connector; In FIG. 8, it is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state after the tab has been assembled to the optical connector, as seen obliquely from the front; 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. 10 is a front view of the state after the tab is assembled to the optical connector, (a) is a front view when the tab is rotated in the non-locking (unlocking) direction, and (b) is a front view when the tab is rotated in the locking direction. 1 is a front view of the case; FIG. Fig. 13(a) is a plan view and Fig. 13(b) is a sectional view taken along the line CC of Fig. 13(a), showing the state before the optical connector is connected to the optical adapter; 14(a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 14(a), showing a state after the optical connector is connected to the optical adapter. FIG. FIG. 3 shows the entire rotation blocking mechanism, where (a) is a cross-sectional view of the rotation blocking state, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the rotation blocking released state.

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 it 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 6 and 8 to 14, the optical connector 1 includes a pair of left and right square tubular ferrule housings FH each holding a ferrule F, and an externally mounted ferrule housing FH. It is formed by a horizontally long rectangular slide cover 2 that The left and right side walls of the slide cover 2 are provided with curved concave knob portions 2A, and the rear end thereof is provided with a flange portion 2B.

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 hook-arm-shaped lock lever 4 is cantilevered parallel to the connector inserting/removing direction. That is, both ends and the front end of the tab slide guide hole 3 provided between the pair of left and right ferrule housings FH with a predetermined interval (the lateral width of the lock lever) at the center position of the slide cover 2 are communicated with each other, and By providing a pair of two slits 4a that are closed behind the pressing projection 6, which will be described later, the lock lever 4 is formed to be vertically bendable. An open portion 19 is formed at the lower center of the tab slide guide hole 3 .

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. 13 and 14) 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. is formed to protrude toward the 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 width portion is fitted (see FIG. 14). A triangular wave-shaped non-slip groove is formed on the upper surface of the pressing projection 6 as shown in the drawing.

Further, on both sides of the lock lever 4 in the width direction, substantially right-angled triangular locking projections 7 (FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 9) having a forward-inclined tapered surface 7A on the rear end side are provided. 12) are formed facing downward, and the lower end of the engaging projection 7 serves as a fall-off prevention portion 7B for the tab 11, which is L-shaped in front view. 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 to be inserted into the tab slide guide hole 3, which will be described later, is sandwiched and slidably contacted. It has become. As a result, the pair of left and right locking protrusions 7, 7 can also serve as a tab holder for preventing the tab 11 from falling into the open portion 19 at the lower center of the tab slide guide hole 3. It's becoming Incidentally, in FIGS. 3 and 4, only one side of the pair of left and right locking protrusions 7 is visible.

A lower concave streak 8 is formed along the insertion direction of the tab 11 on the central lower inner wall surface of the tab slide guide hole 3. An upper concave streak portion 9 is formed along the insertion direction of the tab 11 . 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 the tab 11 inserted into the tab slide guide hole 3 (Fig. 12(b)). )reference).

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1, 7, 12, 13 and 14, 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 above-described neck portion 14, a locking operation portion 15 having a rectangular, oval, elliptical, oval shape, or the like in front view is provided. are formed, and support portions 15c and 15d shorter than the convex portions 15a and 15b are formed in the minor axis direction.

A plurality of locking projections 16 (four in this embodiment) are protruded approximately in the middle of the operating rod 12 at predetermined intervals on the outer circumference, whereby the locking projections 16 are The same number of locking recesses 16a are provided between them.

A pair of left and right rotation-preventing projections 18 are formed on the upper inner wall of the tab slide guide hole 3 of the slide cover 2 , and the tab 11 is positioned behind the tab slide guide hole 3 . When the projection 18 for preventing rotation is engaged with the engaging recess 16a of the tab 11, and the tab 11 is positioned at the push-in portion in front of the tab slide guide hole 3, the tab 11 is engaged. The rotation-preventing protrusion 18 is detached from the stopper recess 16a.

A rotation-preventing mechanism G for the tab 11 is formed by the rotation-preventing projection 18 and the locking projection 16 (locking recess 16a) (see FIGS. 12, 13, 14, and 15).

In this embodiment, four locking projections 16 are provided on the outer circumference of the tab 11, and four locking recesses 16a are provided between the locking projections 16, but the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, it is possible to provide only two on both upper and lower sides or two on both left and right sides.

In addition, in this embodiment, two projections 18 for preventing rotation of the tab slide guide hole 3 of the slide cover 2 are also provided on both sides of the tab slide guide hole 3 in the upper part of the tab slide guide hole 3. Both sides are fine. In short, it is sufficient that the rotation-preventing protrusion 18 is engaged with the engaging recess 16a of the tab 11 so that the tab 11 is prevented from rotating.

A neck portion 14 in front of the tab 11 is slidably held by a pair of left and right engaging projections 7 (also used as a tab holder) vertically provided in front of the lock lever 4. Protrusions 15a and 15b are formed at the center of both sides in the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15. By rotating the tab 11 by grasping the handle 13 at the rear end, the tab slide guide hole 3 is opened. The convex portion 15a (or 15b) on one side is engaged with the lower concave streak portion 8 on the central lower inner wall surface of the lock lever 4, and the upper concave streak portion 9 on the lower surface of the lock lever 4 facing the lower concave streak portion 8. 12(b)).

In addition, a rectangular planar shallow depression 17 is formed in the upper portion of the handle 13, and a flat planar portion 17A is formed in the lower portion. A sticker (not shown) on which, for example, connector code information, an identification number, a code name, etc. are written is attached to the flat portion 17A. On the other hand, the recessed portion 17 functions as an indicating portion that indicates 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).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, for example, when the concave portion 17 (or convex portion) of the handle 13 is directed upward (downward), the length direction of the locking operation portion 15 at the tip of the tab 11 is horizontal. It is set so as to be directed to the position (see FIG. 12(a)). 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. (see FIG. 12(b)).

As shown in FIGS. 7, 12, 13, 14, and 15, once the tab 11 is pushed forward, the locking projection 16 is separated forward from the rotation-preventing projection 18, and one side of the handle 13 is removed. From the state in which the concave portion 17 (or convex portion) of the tab 11 is directed upward, the handle 13 is rotated by an angle of 90° to either the left or right direction. The length direction of the working part 15 is directed from the horizontal position to the vertical position. For example, when the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 is oriented horizontally, there is a gap between the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 and the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4. A gap is created, and the lock lever 4 can be bent downward. As a result, the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4 is released from the locking hole QA of the optical adapter Q by manually pressing the pressing projection 6, and the optical connector 1 can be removed from the optical adapter Q. .

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 is pulled out. The locking operating portion 15 of the tab 11 is caught by the vertical front portions of the locking projections 7 on both left and right sides in the width direction of the lock lever 4 (see FIG. 13(b)), and a moment acts on the locking portion 5 of the lock lever 4. As a result, the locking portion 5 bends and moves 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. Incidentally, at this time, since the locking operation part 15 once passes between the narrow locking protrusions 7, the protrusions 15a and 15b at both ends are directed upward and downward.

After the tab 11 is inserted, the neck portion 14 is slidably held by being clamped by the pair of left and right engaging projections 7 . That is, the locking projection 7 is prevented from falling downward (to the release portion 19) by the falling-off preventing portion 7B at the lower end thereof.

As shown in 15(a), the tab slide guide hole of the slide cover 2 is inserted into the locking recess 16a provided between four locking projections 16 provided on the outer periphery of the hollow circular operating rod 12 of the tab 11. A pair of left and right rotation-preventing projections 18 provided on the upper wall of the solid portion 3 are engaged to prevent rotation of the tab 11 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15(b), the tab 11 is pushed forward with respect to the slide cover 2 to move the tab 11 forward, thereby preventing the rotation of the slide cover 2 with respect to the locking recess 16a. The tab 11 is rotatable by disengaging the projection 18 for use.

When the optical connector 1 is attached to the optical adapter Q, the locking protrusion 16 (locking recess 16a) is separated from the rotation-preventing protrusion 18 by once pushing the tab 11 forward. , the handle 13 is rotated by 90° to the left or right so that the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 is directed to the horizontal position. At this time, the concave portion 17 (or convex portion) of the handle 13 is directed upward. As a result, a gap is created between the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 and the lower surface of the locking 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.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the distal end of the ferrule F of the optical connector 1 is attached to the insertion opening QB of the optical adapter Q in the unlocked state, the locking lever 4 is engaged by the edge of the insertion opening QB of the optical adapter Q. As shown in FIG. The front inclined surface 5a of the stop 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, as shown in FIG. 14, the tab 11 is rotated by 90° to the 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. 9, the projections 15a and 15b on both sides of the engaging operation portion 15 of the tab 11 are engaged with each other while emitting a "click" sound, whereby the lock lever 4 is in a locked state in which it cannot be bent downward. .

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 the optical adapter Q is locked even if the pressing projection 6 of the lock lever 4 is manually pushed. The lock portion 5 of the lock lever 4 cannot be released from the hole QA, and the optical connector 1 cannot be removed from the optical adapter Q. As shown in FIG.

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 locking operation 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 flat portion 17A of the handle 13 is directed upward (or downward). 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, thereby releasing the optical connector 1 from the optical adapter Q. Removal is possible.

In this unlocked state, when the tab 11 is pulled out rearward through the handle 13, the locking projections 7 on the left and right sides of the lock lever 4 in the width direction catch the locking operating portions 15 of the tab 11, thereby locking. A moment acts on the engaging portion 5 of the lever 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 this embodiment, the tab 11 is once pushed forward to disengage the locking projection 16 (locking recess 16a) from the rotation blocking projection 18 constituting the rotation blocking mechanism G. , the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 of the tab 11 rotates so as to maintain a horizontal position, thereby unlocking the lock lever 4 (see FIG. 12(a)), and setting the tab 11 at an angle of 90°. When the locking operation portion 15 is rotated so that the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion 15 is maintained in a vertical position, it is locked with respect to the lock lever 4 (see FIG. 12(b)). The unlocked state and the locked state of the lock lever 4 can be easily and instantaneously switched only by slightly rotating the handle 13 after slightly pushing it forward.

Q Optical adapter QA Locking hole QB Insertion opening F Ferrule FH Ferrule housing G Rotation blocking mechanism 1 Optical connector 2 Slide cover 2A Knob 2B Flange 3 Tab slide guide hole 4 Lock lever 4a Slit 4b Recess 5 Locking portion 5a Front inclined surface 6 Pressing projection 7 Locking protrusion 7A Forward inclined taper surface 7B Falling prevention portion 8 Lower recessed streak 9 Upper recessed streak 11 Tab 12 Actuating rod 13 Handle 14 Neck portion 15 Locking actuation portions 15a, 15b Convex Portions 15c, 15d Supporting portion 16 Locking projection 16a Locking recess 17 Recess 17A Plane portion 18 Rotation-preventing projection 19 Open portion

Claims (4)

A pair of left and right ferrule housings each holding a ferrule, a slide cover attached to the pair of left and right ferrule housings, and a tab slide guide hole formed in the center of the slide cover so as to be sandwiched between the pair of left and right ferrule housings. a locking lever provided on the upper wall surface of the tab slide guide hole in the upper portion between the pair of left and right ferrule housings so as to be cantilevered parallel to the connector inserting/removing direction so as to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction; A rotatable tab is inserted into the tab slide guide hole from the rear side of the slide cover, and a locking operation portion is formed at the tip of the tab. In the optical connector, the movement of which can be limited by a locking operation portion of the tab, the tab is engaged between the tab and the slide cover when the tab is positioned at a position where the slide cover is pulled rearward. As a result, the tab is prevented from rotating with respect to the slide cover, and when the tab is positioned at the position where the tab is pushed forward, the tab is disengaged from the slide cover and the tab rotates. A rotation prevention mechanism for the tab is provided , and the rotation prevention mechanism has a plurality of locking projections protruding from the outer periphery of the tab at predetermined intervals, and locking recesses are provided between the locking projections. In addition, on the tab slide guide hole surface side of the ferrule housing, when the tab is positioned at the rear, it engages with the locking recess of the tab, and when the tab is positioned at the front push-in portion, the An optical connector characterized in that a rotation-preventing protrusion is formed so as to be disengaged from an engaging recess of a tab . 2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion of the tab has a rectangular, oval, elliptical, or oval shape when viewed from the front. Protrusions are formed at the center of both sides in the longitudinal direction of the locking operation portion of the tab, and by rotating the tab, a lower recess formed on the inner wall surface of the center lower portion of the tab slide guide hole is formed. The protrusion on one side is engaged with the streak, and the protrusion on the other side is engaged with the upper recessed streak formed on the lower surface of the lock lever facing the lower recessed streak. 3. The optical connector according to claim 1 or 2 . 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. 4. The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , 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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