JPH0440176Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an optical connector for detachably connecting optical fibers.

(Conventional technology) Conventionally, as a technology in this field,
There was one described in Publication No. 62-124513. The configuration will be explained below using figures.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a conventional optical connector.

This optical connector is connected to an optical fiber 1, and has a cylindrical housing 10 with a bottom, and a through hole 10b is formed in the bottom 10a of the housing 10. Further, a recess 10c is formed near the bottom 10b of the housing 10, and a notch 10e is formed in the lock lever 10d extending from the bottom 10a. The ferrule 11 provided at one end of the optical fiber 1 and inserted into the through hole 10b has the recess 1 on its outer periphery.
It has a convex portion 11a that engages with 0c and a reference surface 11b. A coiled spring 12 is provided between the stepped portion 10f and the convex portion 11a in the housing 10.

When such an optical connector is used, it is connected to another optical connector via an adapter (not shown), and optically coupled to each other optical fiber with low loss.

Further, this optical connector is connected to, for example, an optical transmitting/receiving module 20 as shown in FIG.
Each is optically coupled to a light emitting element or a light receiving element.
At this time, the notch 10e of the optical connector engages with the protrusion 20a provided on the optical transmitting/receiving module 20 and is fixed. In addition, in order to absorb dimensional variations in the housing 10, ferrule 11, optical transmission/reception module 20, etc., the ferrule 11 is kept in a floating state by a spring 12.
When coupled with the receiving module 20, the reference surface 11b of the ferrule 11 always contacts the reference surface 20b of the optical transmitting/receiving module 20 with a predetermined pressing force.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the optical connector having the above configuration, in order to maintain a good optical coupling state, the ferrule 11 is attached to the bottom part of the housing 10 using a spring 12.
However, the use of the spring 12 not only increases the number of parts and complicates the structure, but also requires time and effort for assembly, making it difficult to solve these problems.

The present invention provides an optical connector that solves the problems of the prior art, in that the use of springs increases the number of parts, complicates the structure, and complicates assembly work. be.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention includes a housing and an elastic optical fiber that is attached to one end of the optical fiber and is arranged to be movable in the optical axis direction of the optical fiber within the housing. In the optical connector, a first ferrule is provided on an inner wall of the housing.
An engaging portion and a blocking portion for regulating optical fiber displacement are provided, and a second engaging portion is provided on the outer periphery of the ferrule corresponding to the first engaging portion. and,
The second engaging part is press-welded to the first engaging part while regulating the bending distance of the optical fiber in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis using the elastic force of the optical fiber. In this state, the optical fiber is fixed to the housing at a predetermined distance from the second engaging portion.

(Function) According to the present invention, since the optical connector is configured as described above, the optical fiber fixed in the housing can be moved to the second position of the ferrule by its elastic restoring force.
pressing the engaging portion of the housing against the first engaging portion of the housing;
It works to improve the connection with optical transmitting/receiving modules, etc., and eliminates the need for conventional springs.
The blocking portion in the housing suppresses the amount of displacement of the bent portion of the optical fiber caused by the biasing of the optical fiber to a predetermined value or less, thereby allowing smooth light propagation. Therefore, the above problem can be solved.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an optical connector showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

This optical connector is attached to one end of an elastic optical fiber 20 consisting of a core that is an optical transmission region, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer sheath, etc., and is formed by molding using synthetic resin or having a split structure. It has a cylindrical housing 30 consisting of. A recess 30a serving as a first engaging portion is formed on the inner wall of the housing 30, and a blocking portion 30b for restricting displacement of the optical fiber 20 is provided in a protruding manner, and a blocking portion 30b is provided extending from the distal end of the housing 30. An engagement protrusion 30d is formed inside the lock lever 30c. The ferrule 31 inserted into the housing 30 is made of metal or the like and is attached to one end of the optical fiber 20. The outer periphery of this ferrule 31 has the recess 3
A second engaging portion, for example, a convex portion 3, is loosely fitted into the inside of the 0a.
1a is formed, and a stepped reference surface 31b is further formed in front of the convex portion 31a. The optical fiber 20 to which the ferrule 31 is attached is pressed toward the distal end of the housing 30 using its elastic force, and the optical fiber 20 is pushed toward the rear end 3 of the housing 30.
It is clamped and fixed at 0e. Therefore, the ferrule 31 and the rear end portion 30e of the optical fiber 20 are
The bent portion 20a in between presses the convex portion 31a of the ferrule 31 in the floating state against the front wall of the concave portion 30a of the housing 30 by its elastic restoring force.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of connection between the optical connector of FIG. 1 and the optical transmission/reception module, and the operation of FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to this diagram.

The optical transmitting/receiving module 40 shown in FIG. 4 has a built-in light emitting element or a light receiving element, and has a recess 40a formed on its outer periphery for fitting with the protrusion 30d, and a stepped reference surface 40b on the inner wall. is formed.

When the optical connector is inserted into such an optical transmitting/receiving module 40, the protrusion 30d provided on the lock lever 30c is inserted into the recess 4 of the optical transmitting/receiving module 40.
0a, and the reference surface 31b of the ferrule 31 and the reference surface 40 of the optical transmission/reception module 40.
b are in contact with each other with a predetermined pressing force.

That is, when the optical connector is inserted, the ferrule 3
1 reference plane 31b is the optical transmission/reception module 40
The optical fiber 20 contacts the reference surface 40b, receives a rearward reaction force from the reference surface 40b, and retreats against the elastic force of the bent portion 20a of the optical fiber 20. At this time, the maximum retreat distance of the ferrule 31 is regulated by the rear wall of the recess 30a. Furthermore, although the bent portion 20a bends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical fiber 20, the maximum bending distance in the orthogonal direction is regulated by the blocking portion 30b of the housing 30. Therefore, by appropriately setting the maximum retraction distance and the maximum bending distance, the angle of the light beam hitting the interface between the core and the cladding becomes critical due to the recess 30a and the blocking part 30b when the bending part 20a is bent at its maximum. It leans within the corner and is restricted within the bending range that allows light to propagate. and bent part 2
Due to the elastic restoring force of 0a, the reference surface 31b of the ferrule 31 and the reference surface 4 of the optical transmission/reception module 40
0b is in contact with the housing 3 with a predetermined pressing force.
0, ferrule 31, optical transmitting/receiving module, etc. are absorbed, and a good bonding state can be obtained.

To remove the optical connector, press the protrusion 30d of the lock lever 30c and the recess 4 of the optical transmitting/receiving module 40.
0a and pull out the housing 30 rearward, thereby removing the ferrule 31.
returns to its original position due to the elastic restoring force of the bent portion 20a.

In addition, attaching and detaching the optical connector to the adapter is also
The operation mode is the same as above.

This embodiment has the following advantages.

(1) Since the ferrule 31 is constantly pressed forward using the elastic force of the bent portion 20a of the optical fiber 20, a good optical coupling state can be obtained without using a conventional spring. Therefore,
The number of parts is reduced, the structure is simplified, and assembly work can be simplified and costs reduced.

(2) Since the amount of displacement of the bent portion 20a caused by the biasing of the optical fiber 20 is suppressed to a predetermined value or less by the blocking portion 30b, the bent portion 20a
In addition to preventing optical propagation loss within the bending portion 20a, breakage of the bent portion 20a can also be prevented.

(3) The optical fiber 20 is connected to the rear end 3 of the housing 30.
Since it is fixed at 0e, even if an external tensile force is applied to the optical fiber 20, connection loss can be prevented.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an optical connector showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and elements common to those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

In this optical connector, the housing 30 in FIG.
In place of the recess 30a, a protrusion 30a1 is provided on the inner wall of the housing 30, and in place of the protrusion 31a of the ferrule 31 in FIG.
The recess 31a1 for loosely fitting the ferrule 3
It is provided on the outer periphery of 1. Due to the loose fit between the convex portion 30a1 and the concave portion 31a1, the maximum retraction distance of the ferrule 31 is regulated as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this optical connector, an engagement notch 30d1 is provided on the lock lever 30c in place of the protrusion 30d provided on the lock lever 30c in FIG.
It is set in. Correspondingly, if the recess 40a of the optical transmission/reception module 40 is replaced with a protrusion, the projection and the notch 30d1 fit together to lock the optical connector and the optical transmission/reception module 40 when connected. .

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an optical connector showing a third embodiment of the present invention, and elements common to those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

This optical connector has a two-core structure, and two ferrules 31, 31 connected to two optical fibers 20, 20 are inserted into a housing 30, and the two optical fibers 20, 20 are pressed. It is fixed to the rear end portion 30e of the housing 30 in this state. Even with such a two-core structure, almost the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment;
Various modifications are possible. As a variation,
For example:

(a) The optical connectors shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 can be made by changing the shape and structure of the housing 30, etc.
For example, the FA described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-77810
It can also be applied to optical connectors of the same type and other types of optical connectors.

(b) The optical connector shown in Figure 6 can also have a structure with three or more cores.

(c) The bent portion 20e of the optical fiber 20 can also be formed into another bent shape such as a meandering shape.

(Effects of the invention) As explained in detail below, according to the invention,
Since the elasticity of the entire optical fiber, which is composed of the core, cladding, sheath, etc., is efficiently utilized to bias the ferrule in the forward direction, a conventional spring is not required. Moreover, since the amount of displacement of the bent portion of the optical fiber caused by the biasing of the optical fiber is suppressed to a predetermined value or less by the blocking portion in the housing, it is possible to prevent light propagation loss within the bent portion. At the same time, breakage of the core, etc. within the optical fiber can be prevented. Therefore, while maintaining high reliability, it is expected that the number of parts will be reduced, the structure will be simplified, and the assembly will be simplified and costs will be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an optical connector showing a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional optical connector, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of an optical transmitting/receiving module, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an optical connector. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection state between the optical connector and the optical transmitting/receiving module, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of the optical connector showing second and third embodiments of the present invention. 20...Optical fiber, 20a...Bending portion, 30
...Housing, 30a...Recess, 30a1...
Convex portion, 30b...Blocking portion, 30c...Lock lever, 30e...Rear end portion, 31...Ferrule, 3
1a... Convex portion, 31a1... Concave portion, 31b... Reference surface, 40... Optical transmission/reception module.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] An optical connector comprising a housing and a ferrule attached to one end of an elastic optical fiber and movably disposed within the housing in the optical axis direction of the optical fiber, comprising: A first engaging part and a blocking part for regulating displacement of the optical fiber are provided on the inner wall of the housing, and a second engaging part is provided on the outer periphery of the ferrule corresponding to the first engaging part, and the light While the bending distance of the optical fiber in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis is restricted by the blocking part using the elastic force of the fiber, the second engaging part is brought into pressure contact with the first engaging part. . An optical connector, wherein the optical fiber is fixed to the housing at a predetermined distance from the second engaging portion.