JPH03186810A - Light transmission line switching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the smooth insertion of guide pins into the pin holes of a connector by providing contact parts which come into contact with the engaging parts of a holding member at the time of moving of the holding member to the one connector and mounting a driving member which moves the one connector in parallel along the joint end face cooperatively with the insertion and removal of the guide pins which take place with the movement of the holding member. CONSTITUTION:The holding member 4 is provided with the engaging parts 4d, 4e. The one connector 2 is provided with the contact parts 21b, 21c which come into contact with the engaging parts 4d, 4e of the holding member 4 at the time of moving of the holding member 4. The driving member 21 which moves the one connector 2 in parallel along the joint end face cooperatively with the insertion and removal of the guide pins 10 to 13 which take place with the movement of the holding member 4 is mounted to the connector. The holding member 4 drives the driving member 21 as the engaging parts 4d, 4e engage with the contact parts 21b, 21c of the driving member 21 at the time when the holding member moves with the switching operation of the optical transmission line, thereby moving the one connector 2 parallel along the joint end face. The centers of the pin holes 2b, 2c, 3b, 3c and the guide pins 10 to 13 are aligned in this way and the insertion of the guide pins 10 to 13 to the pin holes 2b, 2c, 3b, 3c is smoothed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to an optical transmission line switching device.

(Prior Art) In a relay system of an optical communication system using a plurality of optical fibers, an optical transmission line switching device is arranged at each relay point, and this switching device allows the optical transmission line switching device provided at the end of the optical fibers to The optical transmission line is switched by moving the end-face-jointed connector in parallel along the joint end face.

As such a switching device, for example, the optical transmission line switching device 1 shown in FIG.
The connectors 2 and 3 are tape fibers 6. and 8.8 optical fibers 6a and 7a, which serve as optical transmission lines, are arranged at a predetermined pitch d (=0.5 mm).
A guide pin 10° 11 has a guide pin 7 fixed in the center, and has a tapered tip and abuts the joining end surfaces of the front end by coil springs 8 and 9 arranged on the rear end side.
．． 12.13.

The holding member 4 is a U-shaped member in a plan view in which arms 4b and 4c facing each other are formed at both ends of a bridge portion 4a, and the guide pins 10.11 and 12.13 are connected to the arm 4b with their tips facing each other. .

The proximal end of each is fixed to 4c. And the holding member 4
A connecting rod 14 connected to one end of the bridge portion 4a
The guide pin 1 is moved in the direction of arrow A or B in the figure by an electromagnetic solenoid (bistable solenoid) 15 through the guide pin 1.
0. 11. 12. 13 is inserted and removed from the connectors 2 and 3, and in a state where the connector 2 and the connector 3 are brought into contact with the end surface, the optical transmission line is switched by moving the connector 2 in parallel along the joined end surface.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, which is a state before switching, both connectors 2 and 3 have pin holes 2a,
The guide pin 12 inserted into 3a and the pin holes 2d, 3
The guide pin 1O111 is positioned by the guide pin 13 inserted into the connector 2, and the guide pin 1O111 is retracted into the pin holes 2b and 2c of the connector 2, respectively. Here, the pin holes 2b and 2c of the connector 2 and the pin holes 3b and 3 of the connector 3 are connected to each other.
As shown in FIG. 7, c is the arrangement pitch d (=0
．． The position is shifted in the width direction by 5 mm).

Then, by operating the electromagnetic solenoid 15, the holding member 4
When pushed out in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

3d, the guide pins 10.11 move forward and the tapered tips are inserted into the pin holes 3b, 3c. 6a,? The optical transmission line is relatively moved in parallel by the arrangement pitch d of a, and the optical transmission line is switched.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Incidentally, in a conventional optical transmission line switching device in which one connector is moved by inserting and removing a guide pin into a bottle hole, the guide pin is inserted from one connector to the other connector. During this process, the tapered tip collides with the periphery of the bottle hole, damaging or scraping the periphery of the bottle hole and producing fine debris.

Therefore, if used for a long period of time, these dregs will
There is a problem in that the guide pin enters into the pin hole, increasing the friction between the guide pin and the bottle hole, preventing smooth insertion and removal of the guide pin, and inhibiting movement of the connector along the joining end surface.

As a countermeasure to this problem, it is conceivable to form a tapered surface in the via hole on the joining end surface side of the connector, but this creates a new problem of increasing the number of processing steps in manufacturing the connector.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical transmission line switching device that allows a guide pin to be smoothly inserted into a pin hole of a connector.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pair of connectors to which a plurality of optical fibers are fixed and butt-connected to each other, and a pair of connectors that are inserted into the connectors and connected to each other. and a holding member holding a plurality of guide pins for positioning the connectors, and by moving the holding member in the direction in which the two connectors abut, and inserting and removing the guide pins from both the connectors, one connector can be connected to the other connector. In the optical transmission line switching device that switches the optical transmission line by moving the holding member in parallel along the joint end surface, the holding member is provided with an engaging portion, and the holding member is attached to the one connector when the holding member is moved. and a drive member that moves the one connector in parallel along the joint end surface in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the id pin as the holding member moves. This is what I did.

(Function) When the holding member moves due to the switching operation of the optical transmission line, the engaging portion engages with the abutting portion of the driving member to drive the driving member, and the holding member moves in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the guide pin into the connector. , move one connector parallel to the joining end surface. Thereby, the center of the bottle hole and the guide pin inserted into the bottle hole are aligned, and the guide pin can be smoothly inserted into the bottle hole.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on FIGS. 1 to 4. In the optical transmission line switching device of the present invention, the same components as those of the conventional optical transmission line switching device described above are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical transmission line switching device 20 of the present invention has engaging parts 4d and 4e formed on the bridge part 4a of the holding member 4, and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the bridge part 4a. A drive member 21 is provided to move the connector 2 in parallel along the joint end surface, and the illustrated state is the state before switching the optical transmission line.

The engaging parts 4d and 4e move the driving member 21 to the optical fiber 6a in a direction orthogonal to the bridge part 4a in conjunction with the movement of the holding member 4 in the direction of arrow C or D.

7a is moved by an arrangement pitch d (-0.5 mm), and as shown in FIG. 1, it is formed as a stepped inclined surface on both sides of the bridge portion 4a. Engagement parts 4d, 4
e has a height difference set equal to the arrangement pitch d, and the electromagnetic solenoid 15 is moved from the driving member 21 by half of the stroke of the connecting rod 14 by the electromagnetic solenoid 15.
It is located close to the side.

The driving member 21 has a bridge portion 4a of the holding member 4 on the proximal end side.
A groove 21a is formed to movably hold the groove 21.
Contact portions 21b, 2]c, which are sloped surfaces that contact the engaging portions 4d and 4e, are formed on the wall surface a. Furthermore, a groove 21d for holding the connector 2 from below is formed on the tip side.

The optical transmission line switching device 20 of the present invention is configured as described above, and when switching the optical transmission line from the state shown in FIG. 1 by moving the connectors 2 and 3 in parallel along the joint end faces, Use as follows.

First, the electromagnetic solenoid 15 is activated, and the connecting rod 14
The holding member 4 is pushed out in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

Then, the guide pin 10.1 in the same position as in FIG.
1, 12.13 move together with the holding member 4, the guide pin 10.11 advances to the right in the pin holes 2b, 2c, and the kite pin 12.13 retreats to the right.

When the holding member 4 is pushed out to approximately half of the stroke of the connecting rod 14 by the electromagnetic solenoid 15, the engaging portion 4d engages with the abutting portion 21b of the driving member 21, and the driving member 21 is moved together with the connector 2. , in FIG. 1, it is moved by a distance d downward perpendicular to the bridge portion 4a.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the guide pin 10.1
When the tip with the tapered surface of 1 moves to the joining end surface of both connectors 2 and 3, the guide pin 10.11
The axis of the guide pin 10 and the center of the pin holes 3b and 3c of the connector 3 approximately coincide with each other, and the tips of the guide pins 10 and 11 are aligned with the pin holes 3b and 3c of the connector 3.
It is smoothly inserted into the pin holes 3b and 3c without colliding with the surroundings of pins b and 3c.

Then, the electromagnetic solenoid 15 causes the connecting rod 14 to
When the connectors 2 and 3 are fully stroked, the guide pins 10 and 11 of the connectors 2 and 3 move further forward, and the pin holes 2b and 3b and the pin hole 2c of the connectors 2 and 3 are moved forward, respectively, as shown in FIG.
, 3c and positioned at the new switching position. Here, the guide pins 12.13 are connected to the connector 3.
As shown in Figure 4, the guide pin l
o.

The pin holes 2b, 2c of the connector 2, into which the pins 11 are inserted, and the pin holes 3b, 3c of the connector 3 are aligned, and the pin holes 2a, 2d of the connector 2 and the pin holes 3a, 3d of the connector 3 are aligned.
is the arrangement pitch d (
-0.5mm) in the width direction.

On the other hand, when switching the optical transmission line to its original state, the electromagnetic solenoid 5 is activated again. Then, connecting rod 1
4 is pulled back, and the holding member 4 moves in the direction D in FIG. As a result, the engaging portion 4e engages with the abutting portion 21c of the drive member 21, and the connector 2 moves by a distance d4° upward perpendicular to the bridge portion 4a in FIG. Then, the optical transmission line is switched back to its original state.

In the above embodiment, the holding member 4 is connected to the connecting rod I.
It was moved by electromagnetic solenoid 15 via 4, but
It is also possible to move the holding member 4 manually.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, according to the optical transmission line switching device of the present invention, the holding member is provided with the engaging portion, and one connector is provided with the engaging portion when the holding member is moved. The structure has an abutting part that comes into contact with the engaging part, and a driving member that moves one connector in parallel along the joint end surface in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the guide pin as the holding member moves, so the guide Since the pin does not interfere with the pin hole of the connector and no minute debris is generated, the guide pin can be inserted smoothly into the pin hole of the connector, and therefore the connector can move smoothly along the mating end surface for a long period of time. The switching device can be maintained for a long period of time, improving the durability of the switching device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 Figures 1 to 4 show one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1 is a plan view showing an optical transmission line switching device of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view showing an optical transmission line switching device of the present invention.
The figure is a cross-sectional plan view of the main part showing an intermediate state related to switching of the optical transmission line, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of the main part showing the final state of switching the optical transmission line, and Figure 4 is a pin hole at the end of switching. 5 to 7 show a conventional optical transmission line switching device, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the conventional optical transmission line switching device, and FIG. 6 shows an optical transmission line switching device. FIG. 7 is a sectional plan view of a main part showing a state before switching of the transmission line, and a sectional front view of one connector showing the position of the pin hole before switching of the optical transmission line. 2.3... Connector, 4... Holding member, 4d, 4e
...Engaging portion, 6, 7...Tape fiber, 6a, 7
a... Optical fiber, 10, 11, 12.13... Guide pin, 20... Optical transmission line switching device, 21...
Drive members, 21b, 21c... contact portions.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A set of connectors to which a plurality of optical fibers are fixed and are butt-connected to each other, and a holding member that holds a plurality of guide pins that are inserted into the connector and position the connectors, and the holding member is held on both sides. by moving the connectors in the butting direction and inserting and removing the guide pins from both connectors, one connector is moved parallel to the other connector along the joint end surface,
In the optical transmission line switching device for switching optical transmission lines, the holding member is provided with an engaging portion, and the one connector is provided with an abutting portion that comes into contact with the engaging portion of the holding member when the holding member moves. An optical transmission line switching device comprising: a driving member that moves the one connector in parallel along a joint end surface in conjunction with insertion and removal of the guide pin as the holding member moves.