JPH058566Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) This invention relates to a plug-in type optical connector structure.

(Prior Art) Optical connectors for connecting optical signals are used in communication devices that transmit information using optical fibers. Normally, optical connectors are held by a locking mechanism such as a coupling screw or a bayonet, but recently plug-in type connectors have been increasingly used due to concerns about maintainability. An example of the configuration of a conventional plug-in optical connector will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a conventional plug-in type optical connector, Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the optical connector shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the elasticity of the optical connector shown in Fig. 3. It is a perspective view showing a sleeve. As shown in Figure 3, 1 is a communication equipment rack, 2 is a shelf frame, and 3
is the printed circuit board unit, 4 is the back panel, 5
is the first part attached to the back panel 4 in a semi-movable state.
6 is a second housing fixed to the printed circuit board unit 3; 7 and 8 are first and second plugs held in the first and second housings 5 and 6; 9 is a first housing; A guide pin 9 is attached to the second housing 6 and protrudes from the joint surface with the second housing 6, and a guide pin 9 is attached to the second housing 6 and is provided on the joint surface with the first housing 5. is a guide hole that can be inserted freely. Reference numeral 11 denotes an elastic sleeve made of a cylindrical elastic body, which is installed in the guide hole 10 as shown in FIG. 5, and holds the guide pin 9 inserted into the guide hole 10 by frictional force. . 1
2 is a pressure spring that urges the ferrule portion of the second plug 8 toward its joint surface; 13 is the plug 7 and 8;
It is a fiber optic cord attached to. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the first plug 7 consists of a ferrule 14 to which the end of the optical fiber cord 13 is fixed, and an adapter 15 having an alignment sleeve.
Further, the second plug 8 has a ferrule 16 that fits into the adapter 15.

The optical connector is connected by inserting the printed circuit board unit 3 into the shelf frame 2 in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

At this time, the guide pin 9 is first inserted into the guide hole 10 to position the housings 5 and 6, then the ferrule 16 of the plug 3 is fitted into the adapter 15 of the plug 7, and the ferrule 1 of the plug 7 is fitted.
4 and the ferrule 16 of the plug 8 are aligned with each other at their end faces, and the pressing spring 12 is compressed by a required amount to press the ferrule 16 of the plug 8. This pressing spring 12 absorbs slight dimensional variations between the housings 5 and 6, and also prevents the ferrule 1 from vibrating.
This is to ensure a stable connection so that the end faces of Nos. 4 and 16 do not come into contact with each other. In addition, the guide hole 1 is arranged so that the housings 5 and 6 do not separate due to the pressing force of the pressing spring 12, etc.
The guide pin 9 is held by the frictional force generated by the elastic sleeve 11 mounted inside the guide pin 9.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above structure, the alignment between the first housing 5 and the second housing 6 is maintained and stabilized by the frictional force between the guide pin 9 and the elastic sleeve 11. There is. In this case, even if the required holding force was obtained at the beginning of manufacture, the required holding force could not be obtained if the coefficient of friction between the guide pins 9 decreased due to factors such as the adhesion of oil to the guide pin 9. Therefore, during manufacturing, it is necessary to set the above-mentioned holding force to be quite large. For this reason, the force required to insert and remove the printed circuit board unit 3 becomes large, resulting in a problem that the workability of attaching and detaching becomes poor.

Therefore, this invention solves the problems of the prior art, has a stable holding function that does not reduce the holding force, and makes it possible to control the pressing force of the pressing spring during manufacturing regardless of external factors. The present invention provides a holding structure for an optical connector that can obtain a sufficient holding force without any problems.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, this invention provides a protruding guide pin on the joint surface of the first housing that holds the first plug to hold the second plug. A guide hole into which the guide pin can be freely inserted is provided in the joint surface of the second housing, and an elastic sleeve for holding the guide pin is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole, and the first plug and the second plug are connected to each other. In this optical connector holding structure for holding the ferrules aligned with their end faces, a cleaning sleeve for cleaning the guide pin is installed between the joint surface of the second housing and the elastic sleeve.

(Function) In this way, when connecting an optical connector, the guide pin always passes through the cleaning sleeve before being held by the elastic sleeve provided in the guide hole, so oil adhering to the guide pin can be removed. is cleaned and the holding function with the elastic sleeve is thus stabilized.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the essential parts of an optical connector showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the fitted state thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the first plug 7 is composed of a ferrule 14 to which the end of the optical fiber cord 13 is fixed, and an adapter 15 having an alignment sleeve. Fixed adapter 1
5 and a ferrule 16 that can be freely fitted into the ferrule 5. These first and second plugs 7 and 8 are held in the first housing 5 and second housing 6, respectively, but the plug 8 can be moved within the housing by the required width in the vertical, horizontal, and depth directions, respectively. be held freely. The pressure spring 12 is in its natural length state in the figure, and presses the plug 8 when it is displaced toward the pressure spring 12 side. Furthermore, two guide pins 9 are provided protruding from the joint surface of the housing 5 with the housing 6, and two guide pins 9 into which the guide pins 9 can be inserted are provided on the joint surface of one housing 6 with the housing 5. A hole 10 is provided. Further, in each of the guide holes 10, there is a hole between the joint surface of the housing 6 and the elastic sleeve 11 outside the elastic sleeve 11.
A cleaning sleeve 17 made of ferrite or the like and having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the guide pin 9 is attached. Note that the cleaning sleeve 17 may be impregnated with quick-drying alcohol or the like during use to improve cleaning performance.

The connection of the optical connector configured in this way is as follows:
This is done by joining the first housing 5 and the second housing 6. At this time, first, the guide pin 9 is inserted into the entrance of the guide hole 10 to position the first housing 5 and the second housing 6, and then the guide pin 9 is inserted into the guide hole 10. It passes through the sleeve 17. At this time,
Remove oil etc. adhering to the guide pin 9.

Next, the ferrule 16 of the plug 8 is fitted into the adapter 15 of the plug 7, and the ferrule 14 of the plug 7 is fitted into the adapter 15 of the plug 7.
and the ferrule 16 of the plug 8 are aligned at their end faces, and the pressing spring 12 is compressed by a required amount to press the ferrule 16 of the plug 8.

Further, as the guide pin 9 is inserted, the guide pin 9 is held by an elastic sleeve 11 inserted into the guide hole 10. This holding prevents the housings 5 and 6 from coming apart due to the pressing force of the pressing spring 12 or the like.

In this way, the guide pin 9 passes through the cleaning sleeve 17 before fitting into the elastic sleeve 11, and deposits such as oil are removed, so the guide pin 9 and the elastic sleeve 11 are always maintained in a cleaned state. Ru. Therefore, it can always be maintained in a stable state.

(Effects of the invention) As explained in detail above, according to the invention, the guide hole provided in the housing on the second plug side into which the guide pin of the first plug is inserted cleans the guide pin on the insertion side. Since the sleeve is provided, the guide pin is cleaned before the guide pin and the elastic sleeve are held together, and the holding function of the elastic sleeve is therefore stabilized, so that the holding force can be minimized. Therefore, there is an effect that the force required for inserting and removing the printed circuit board unit becomes larger than necessary and that the workability of attaching and detaching becomes poor. Furthermore, since excessive force is not applied to the back panel, there is an effect that the risk of damaging the back panel is reduced. Particularly when the back panel is a wiring board, there is an advantage that there is no danger of cutting the wiring.

Further, even in the case of a connector with a large number of plugs, the holding force can be suppressed to the necessary minimum, which is extremely advantageous. Furthermore, since a cleaning function for the guide pins is added to the inside of the connector, ease of handling is improved, and furthermore, these advantages greatly contribute to miniaturization of the connector.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the main parts of an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the mated state thereof, and Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a conventional plug-in type optical connector. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the elastic sleeve. 1...Communication equipment rack, 2...Shelf frame, 3...
Printed circuit board unit, 4...back panel,
5, 6...first and second housings, 7, 8...
First and second plugs, 9... Guide pin, 10...
... Guide hole, 11 ... Elastic sleeve, 12 ... Pressing spring, 13 ... Optical fiber cord, 14, 16
...Ferrule, 15...Adapter, 17...Cleaning sleeve.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A guide pin is provided protruding from the joint surface of the first housing that holds the first plug, and the guide pin is inserted into the joint surface of the second housing that holds the second plug. An elastic sleeve is installed on the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole to provide a flexible guide hole and hold the guide pin, and the first plug and the second
A holding structure for an optical connector that holds the ferrules of the plug in alignment with their end faces, characterized in that a cleaning sleeve for cleaning the guide pin is installed between the joint surface of the second housing and the elastic sleeve. Optical connector structure.