JPH09197185A - Repeating connector for optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of parts, working manhour and the cost without reducing the dimensional accuracy of a connection hole into which the terminal of an optical fiber is to be inserted. SOLUTION: Since a lightening part 19 is formed, the whole peripheral wall part of the connection hole 17 is molded like a cylinder with uniform thickness. Thereby, the contraction distortion of the molded connection hole 17 is made almost uniform as a whole and the circularity of the hole 17 and the accuracy of the inner diameter are improved. As compared with a product obtained by assembling an independent cylindrical, member with a connector body, the number of parts and working manhour can be reduced and the cost can also be suppressed to a low value.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a relay connector for abutting and connecting terminals of optical fibers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a means for relaying an optical fiber, there is a method using a terminal connector having a cylindrical holding portion for holding the end portion of the optical fiber and a relay connector for connecting the terminal connectors. In the terminal connector, the tip end surface of the optical fiber is exposed at the opening surface of the cylindrical holding portion, and the relay connector is provided with a connection hole having a circular cross section that allows the cylindrical holding portion to be fitted through the openings at both ends.

When the terminal connectors are fitted to the relay connector so as to be sandwiched from both sides, both cylindrical holding portions are fitted in the connection holes and the tip surfaces of the optical fibers are butted against each other, and the optical fibers are connected in the connection holes. It

When connecting optical fibers to each other as described above, it is necessary to match the axes of both optical fibers in order to suppress the loss of the light transmitted between the optical fibers. High accuracy is required for the roundness and inner diameter of the hole.

[0005]

As a means for improving the accuracy of the roundness and the inner diameter of the connection hole, conventionally, a cylindrical member formed of a material such as metal or ceramic that can obtain high dimensional accuracy is used. A method has been adopted in which this is integrated with the connector body made of synthetic resin by press fitting or insert molding. However, such a method has a problem that the number of parts and the number of processing steps increase, resulting in high cost.

The present invention was created in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce the number of parts and the number of processing steps to keep the cost low.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber relay connector for abutting and connecting terminal connectors holding optical fiber terminals, the connector body being made of a synthetic resin material; An optical fiber is insertable and has a circular cross-section connection hole provided so as to penetrate the connector body, and the peripheral wall of this connection hole has a uniform thickness by forming a thinned portion in the connector body. It is characterized in that it is formed in a tubular shape and is partially connected and supported by the connector body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber relay connector for abutting and connecting terminal connectors for holding optical fiber terminals, wherein a connector body made of a synthetic resin material and the optical fiber can be fitted. And a cylindrical connecting portion provided so as to penetrate through the connector body, wherein the cylindrical connecting portion is integrally molded with the connector body by a synthetic resin material having higher dimensional stability than the connector body. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber relay connector for abutting and connecting terminal connectors holding optical fiber terminals, wherein a connector body made of a synthetic resin material and the optical fiber can be fitted. A peripheral wall portion that is provided with a connection hole having a circular cross section that is provided so as to penetrate the connector body,
It is characterized in that it is molded by injecting molten resin in the axial direction of the connection hole from a plurality of gates arranged on the opening edge of the connection hole.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber relay connector for abutting and connecting terminal connectors holding optical fiber terminals, wherein a connector body made of a synthetic resin material and the optical fiber can be fitted. A peripheral wall portion that is provided with a connection hole having a circular cross section that is provided so as to penetrate the connector body,
It is characterized in that the molten resin is molded by flowing in the axial direction of the connection hole through a film gate arranged in an annular shape so as to correspond to the opening edge of the connection hole.

[0011] The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 4.
The invention described in any one of the above 1 to 4 is characterized in that an attachment portion is formed on the outer periphery of the connector body so as to be connectable with another optical fiber relay connector.

[0012] The invention of claim 6 is from claim 1 to claim 5.
In any one of the inventions, the relay connector fitted into the mounting hole and mounted is characterized in that a seal portion capable of being elastically fitted into the mounting hole is provided on the outer periphery. .

[0013]

According to the invention of claim 1, since the peripheral wall of the connection hole is formed into a cylindrical shape having a constant wall thickness by forming the lightening portion, the contraction strain after the formation in the connection hole portion is formed. Is almost uniform over the whole, and the accuracy of the roundness and inner diameter of the connection hole is high. The number of parts and the number of processing steps are smaller than those in which these are assembled using a cylindrical connecting member formed separately from the connector body, and the cost can be kept low.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, both the connector body and the cylindrical connecting portion are made of synthetic resin material, so that they can be molded in one mold by a two-kind injection molding method or the like. Since the synthetic resin material having high dimensional stability is used for the cylindrical connection portion, the roundness and the inner diameter are highly accurate.
Since high dimensional accuracy is not required for the connector main body portion, a synthetic resin material that is cheaper than the cylindrical connection portion can be used. Since the connector main body and the cylindrical connection part can be integrally molded in the same mold, the number of parts and processing man-hours are smaller than those when assembled after molding using a cylindrical connection member that is a separate component from the connector main body. I'm done. Further, since a cheap material can be used for the connector body which does not require high dimensional accuracy, the cost can be kept low.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the peripheral wall portion forming the connection hole is formed by injecting molten resin in the axial direction of the connection hole from a plurality of gates arranged on the opening edge of the connection hole. Therefore, for example, the degree of uniformity of the shrinkage ratio of the peripheral wall portion is higher than that in the case where the circumferential flow and the axial flow are mixed and molded. Therefore, the roundness and the inner diameter of the connection hole are highly accurate. Since it is not necessary to use a member separately molded from the connector body to provide the connection hole, the number of parts and the number of processing steps can be reduced. Moreover, since a connection hole with high dimensional accuracy can be obtained without using an expensive resin material having high dimensional stability, the cost can be kept low.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the peripheral wall portion forming the connection hole allows the molten resin to flow in the axial direction of the connection hole from a ring-shaped film gate arranged so as to correspond to the opening edge of the connection hole. Since it is formed by molding, the uniformity of the shrinkage ratio of the peripheral wall portion is higher than that in the case where the circumferential flow and the axial flow are mixed and molded. Therefore, the roundness and the inner diameter of the connection hole are highly accurate. Since it is not necessary to use a member separately molded from the connector body to provide the connection hole, the number of parts and the number of processing steps can be reduced. Moreover, without using an expensive resin material with high dimensional stability,
Since the connection hole with high dimensional accuracy can be obtained, the cost can be kept low.

In the fifth aspect of the invention, since the relay connectors can be connected to each other by the mounting portion, the handling of the relay connector becomes easy when the optical fiber has multiple poles.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the relay connector is fitted into the mounting hole, the seal portion is elastically fitted into the mounting hole, and no gap is formed between the relay connector and the mounting hole. Therefore, it is possible to improve waterproofness and airtightness at the mounting portion with the mounting hole and to improve the aesthetic appearance.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The relay connector 10 of the present embodiment connects the terminal connectors 30 attached to the end portions of the optical fibers 31, and the relay connector 10 allows optical information to be transmitted between the optical fibers 31. There is.

The terminal connector 30 is formed by projecting a pair of cylindrical holding portions 33 on the front surface of a connector body 32 made of a synthetic resin material, and holding the cylindrical holding portion 33 from the tip end surface to the back surface of the connector body 32. The holes 34 are formed. The holding hole 34 has a circular cross-sectional shape concentric with the cylindrical holding portion 33.
The terminal is held irremovably. The tip end surface of the optical fiber 31 is flush with the protruding end surface of the cylindrical holding portion 33.

Next, the relay connector 10 of this embodiment will be described. The relay connector 10 is molded by a mold (not shown) using a synthetic resin material, and includes a connector body 11 and a hood portion 12. Connector body 1
1 has a rectangular plate shape as a whole, and the terminal connector 3
When 0 is connected, the plate surface is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the axial direction of the optical fiber 31. A hood portion 12 that extends in both directions along the axial direction of the optical fiber 31 is integrally formed on the peripheral edge of the connector body 11. The hood portion 12 has a substantially rectangular tubular shape, and the terminal connector 30 is fitted therein. Hood part 12
A lock hole 13 into which a lock arm (not shown) provided in the terminal connector 30 is engaged is formed in the. Tapered surfaces 14 for determining a fitting posture of the terminal connector 30 with respect to the hood portion 12 are formed at two corners of the inner surface of the hood portion 12.

On both side surfaces of the connector body 11 which are parallel to each other, mounting portions 15 for mounting the relay connector 10 on a panel or the like and for coupling with another relay connector 10 are formed. The mounting portion 15 has a plate shape parallel to the connector main body 11. One mounting portion 15 is formed with a notch 16 which is opened downward, and the other mounting portion 15 is opened upward conversely. The cutout portion 16 is formed, and the relay connector 10 can be positioned by fitting a mounting member such as a screw into the cutout portion 16. Both mounting parts 1
The reference numerals 5 and 15 are point-symmetrical with respect to the center line parallel to the axis of the optical fiber 31 in the state where the terminal connector 30 is connected, whereby the relay connector 1
It can be attached even if 0 is reversed.

The connector body 11 is formed with two connecting holes 17, 17 having a circular cross section. The two connection holes 17 and 17 are arranged so that the axes of the two cylindrical holding portions 33 coincide with each other in a state where the terminal connector 30 is connected, and the inner diameter dimension that allows the cylindrical holding portion 33 to be tightly fitted therein. Have

Further, at the opening edge of the connection hole 17 in the connector main body 11, a cylindrical projecting portion 18 having a circular cross section and projecting coaxially with the connection hole 17 is integrally formed. The inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical protruding portion 18 has the same diameter as the connecting hole 17 and is flush with the inner peripheral surface thereof, and the hollow portion of the cylindrical protruding portion 18 covers a part of the connecting hole 17. I am configuring. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical protruding portion 18 has a circular shape concentric with the inner peripheral surface thereof, and the wall thickness of the cylindrical protruding portion 18 is constant over the entire length in the axial direction.

In addition, the connector main body 11 has a pair of upper and lower cut-out portions 19 which are opened at both upper and lower surfaces at right angles to the surface on which the cylindrical protruding portion 18 is formed so as to cut around the connection holes 17. Are formed one by one. By forming the lightening portion 19, thin rib-like portions 20 extending to both sides of the connection hole 17 are left around the connection hole 17 as shown in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. A pair of thin wall-shaped portions 21 is left along the surface from which the cylindrical protruding portion 18 projects. Further, between the lightening portions 19, 19 on the upper surface side, a reinforcing portion 22 that extends upward from the rib-shaped portion 20 between the both connection holes 17, 17 and connects both wall-shaped portions 21, 21 is provided. A reinforcing portion that is left behind and similarly extends between the lightening portions 19 on the lower surface side to extend downward from the rib-shaped portion 20 between the connection holes 17 and 17 to connect the wall-shaped portions 21 and 21. 22 are left.

Inside the lightening portion 19, as shown in FIG. 2, an arcuate outer peripheral surface 23 is formed along the inner peripheral surface of the connection hole 17. This arcuate outer peripheral surface 23 is
It is concentric with the inner peripheral surface of the connection hole 17 and has a substantially semi-circular shape extending over an angle of about 180 °. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the outer diameter of the arc-shaped outer peripheral surface 23 is determined by the cylindrical protruding portion 18.
The outer diameter is set to be the same. Since the lightening portion 19 is formed, the peripheral wall forming the connection hole 17 is formed into a tubular shape having a constant wall thickness over the entire area from the tubular projecting portion 18 to the connector body 11. There is. Further, the peripheral wall is in a state of being partially connected to and supported by the connector body 11 by the rib-shaped portion 20.

A mold (not shown) is provided on one of the surfaces of the connector body 11 on which the cylindrical protrusion 18 is formed.
There is a gate mark 24 to which a shape of a gate (not shown) for injecting the molten resin into the mold at the time of molding by is transferred. As shown in FIG. 4, the gate mark 24 is located in the middle of the axial centers of the both connection holes 17, 17.

In the relay connector 10 of this embodiment having the above-described structure, the connector body 11 is provided with the thinned portion 19 and the peripheral wall of the connection hole 17 is formed into a tubular shape having a constant wall thickness over the whole. The shrinkage strain after molding in the peripheral wall portion of 17 is almost uniform over the whole, and the accuracy of the roundness and the inner diameter of the connection hole 17 is high.

When the cylindrical holding portion 33 of the terminal connector 30 is fitted into the connection hole 17 having high dimensional accuracy as described above, the tip end faces of the optical fibers 31 are butted and connected to each other in a state in which their axial centers are matched with each other with high accuracy. Therefore, there is almost no optical loss, and good optical communication can be performed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the lightening portion 1
Since the roundness of the connection hole 17 and the accuracy of the inner diameter are improved by providing 9, the cylindrical connecting member formed separately from the connector body is used, and compared with the assembly of these after assembly. The number of parts and processing man-hours are small, and the cost is kept low.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the gate for injecting the molten resin into the mold is arranged at the intermediate position between the both connection holes 17, 17, the inflowing molten resin is in contact with both connection holes 1.
7 and 17 and the cylindrical protrusions 18 and 18 flow evenly. For this reason, the contraction strain becomes even between the connecting holes 17 and 17 and the cylindrical protruding portions 18 and 18, and both of them are molded with the same high precision.

Further, in this embodiment, the connector body 1
Since the mounting portion 15 is provided on the outer surface of 1, it is possible to connect a plurality of relay connectors 10 together to form a unit, which improves workability and facilitates handling when connecting a large number of bundled optical fibers 31. It has the effect of becoming. Moreover, since the mounting portion 15 has a point-symmetrical shape with respect to the axis parallel to the optical fiber 31, it is not necessary to align the upper, lower, left, and right directions when connecting the relay connectors 10, and the workability is excellent.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The relay connector 40 of the present embodiment differs from the above-described first embodiment in the configuration of the portions corresponding to the connection hole 17 and the cylindrical protruding portion 18. Since other configurations of the relay connector 40 and the terminal connector 30 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the structure, operation, and effect, and the illustration of the terminal connector 30 are omitted. .

The relay connector 40 of this embodiment has a structure in which two cylindrical connecting portions 42, 42 are penetrated through a connector body 41. The cylindrical connecting portion 42 has a length dimension larger than the thickness dimension of the connector main body 41 in the axial direction, and both ends thereof are projected from the connector main body 41. Further, the wall thickness of the cylindrical connecting portion 42 is uniform over the whole in both the axial direction and the circumferential direction. The cylindrical holding portion 33 of the terminal connector 30 described in the first embodiment can be fitted into the cylindrical connecting portions 42, 42.

The connector body 41 and the cylindrical connecting portion 42 are made of different kinds of synthetic resin materials and are integrally molded by a two-color molding method. Although not shown, this two-color molding method supplies two kinds of synthetic resin materials to each cylinder of a two-color injection molding machine having two injection cylinders,
It is carried out by plasticizing and melting these two kinds of synthetic resin materials and simultaneously or successively injecting them into one mold cavity.

In the two-color molding method, as the synthetic resin material for molding the connector main body 41, a relatively inexpensive material is used, although the dimensional stability is not so high. On the other hand, as a synthetic resin material for molding the cylindrical connection portion 42, a material that is relatively expensive but has high dimensional stability is used. The synthetic resin material used for the connector body 41 includes, for example, "PBT" (1401-X06 manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.). Also, the cylindrical connecting portion 4
Examples of the synthetic resin material having high dimensional stability used in No. 2 include “LCP” (Vectra E130 manufactured by Polyplastics Co., Ltd.).

In the relay connector 40 of the present embodiment molded by using such two kinds of synthetic resin materials, the cylindrical connecting portion 4 into which the cylindrical holding portion 33 of the terminal connector 30 is fitted.
Since the shrinkage strain after molding of 2 is stable, the accuracy of the circularity and the inner diameter of the inner circumference is high. Therefore, the optical fibers 31 inserted into the cylindrical connecting portion 42 are connected in a state where the axes of the optical fibers 31 are aligned with each other.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the connector main body 41 and the cylindrical connecting portion 42 can be integrally molded in the same mold, molding is performed using a cylindrical connecting member which is a separate component from the connector main body. The number of parts and the processing man-hours are smaller than those to be assembled later, and the cost is kept low.

Further, while the connector body 41 not requiring high dimensional accuracy is made of an inexpensive material, the cylindrical connecting portion 42 is made of an expensive material, and the cylindrical connecting portion 42 is a relay. Since the volume occupied by the entire connector 40 is relatively small, the amount of expensive material required is small, and in this respect also, the cost is kept low.

<Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The relay connector 50 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the position of the gate for inflowing the molten resin of the mold is different. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the structures, operations, and effects will be omitted.

In the manufacture of the relay connector 50 of this embodiment, the gate 52 of the mold 51 has two cylindrical protrusions 18, 18 protruding from the lower surface of the connector body 11 in FIGS. 11 and 12. A plurality of protrusion end faces, that is, a plurality of protrusion end faces, that is, an opening edge of the connection hole 17, are provided. In this embodiment, four gates 52 are provided for each tubular protrusion 18.
Are arranged at an equal angular pitch of 90 ° in the circumferential direction. In addition, a gate mark 53 is left at a position corresponding to the gate 52 of the tubular protruding portion 18.

As shown in FIG. 12, the molding die 51 in this embodiment comprises an upper die 54 and a lower die 55. The upper mold 54 is a cylindrical portion 56 for molding the inner peripheral surface of the connection hole 17.
12, and the tip end surface of the cylindrical portion 56 is flush with the protruding end surface of the lower cylindrical protruding portion 18 in FIG. On the other hand, the lower die 55 has a circular hole 57 for molding the outer peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical protruding portion 18 in FIG. 12, and four gates 52 are opened along the peripheral edge of the inner end surface of the circular hole 57. There is.

The molten resin flowing out from the gate 52 passes through the cylindrical gap between the circular hole 57 and the columnar portion 56, and goes upward in FIG. 12, that is, in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the connection hole 17. While being filled, the cylindrical protruding portion 18 and the connection hole 17 are molded by the molten resin that advances in the axial direction.

As described above, in this embodiment, the flowing direction of the molten resin for molding the cylindrical protruding portion 18 and the connection hole 17 is parallel to the axis thereof. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where the molten resin flows in a turning path in which the molten resin hits the cylindrical portion 56 in the radial direction and then wraps around the outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and advances in the axial direction, in the present embodiment. The uniformity of the contraction rate of the peripheral wall portion forming the connection hole 17 is high, and the accuracy of the roundness and the inner diameter of the connection hole 17 is high.

Moreover, as in the first embodiment, the lightening portion 19 is provided so that the area of the connector body 11 of the connection hole 17 and the area of the cylindrical protruding portion 18 have the same thickness. The contraction strain is constant over the entire length of the connection hole 17, and the accuracy is improved also in this respect.

Further, since it is not necessary to use a member molded separately from the connector main body to provide the connection hole, the number of parts and the number of processing steps can be reduced. Moreover, since a connection hole with high dimensional accuracy can be obtained without using an expensive resin material having high dimensional stability, the cost can be kept low.

<Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The relay connector 60 of the present embodiment has a different gate configuration from that of the third embodiment. Since the other configuration of the relay connector 60 is the same as that of the third embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the structure, action, and effect and illustration of the terminal connector 30 are omitted.

The mold 61 used for molding in this embodiment comprises an upper mold 54 which is the same as that of the third embodiment and a lower mold 62 which is different from the third embodiment. The lower die 62 is provided with a film gate 64 along the peripheral edge of the inner end surface of the circular hole 63. This film gate 64 has a circular hole 6
3 has a configuration in which a thin film 65 that allows passage of molten resin is arranged in an annular opening extending over the entire circumference of FIG.
3 is arranged so as to correspond to the projecting end surface of the lower tubular projecting portion 18 of 3, ie, the opening edge of the connecting hole 17 over the entire circumference.

The molten resin flown out from the film gate 64 is filled while passing through the cylindrical gap between the circular hole 63 and the columnar portion 56 and moving upward in FIG. 13 in parallel with the axial direction of the connection hole 17. Then, the cylindrical protruding portion 18 and the connection hole 17 are molded by the molten resin that advances in the axial direction.

As described above, in this embodiment, the flowing direction of the molten resin for molding the cylindrical protruding portion 18 and the connection hole 17 is parallel to the axis thereof. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where the molten resin flows in a turning path in which the molten resin hits the cylindrical portion 56 in the radial direction and then wraps around the outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction and advances in the axial direction, in the present embodiment. The uniformity of the contraction rate of the peripheral wall portion forming the connection hole 17 is high, and the accuracy of the roundness and the inner diameter of the connection hole 17 is high.

Moreover, as in the first embodiment, the lightening portion 19 is provided so that the area of the connector body 11 of the connection hole 17 and the area of the cylindrical protruding portion 18 have the same thickness. The contraction strain is constant over the entire length of the connection hole 17, and the accuracy is improved also in this respect.

Further, since it is not necessary to use a member separately molded from the connector main body to provide the connection hole, the number of parts and the number of processing steps can be reduced. Moreover, since a connection hole with high dimensional accuracy can be obtained without using an expensive resin material having high dimensional stability, the cost can be kept low.

<Fifth Embodiment> Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The relay connector 70 of the present embodiment has the configuration in which the seal portion 71 is provided on the outer periphery in the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the structures, operations, and effects will be omitted.

On the outer periphery of the relay connector 70 of the present embodiment, two sealing portions 71, 71 are provided over the entire circumference of the area between the mounting portion 15 and the lock holes 13, 13 in the fitting direction. Is provided. This seal member 71,
The connector body 11, the hood portion 12, the mounting portion 15, and the cylindrical protruding portion 18 are molded by a two-color molding method using different types of synthetic resin materials. Connector body 1
The first side has relatively high rigidity, and the seal portion 71 has elasticity. As a synthetic resin material used for molding the connector body 11 side, for example, glass-containing PBT resin (Toray PB
T 5101G15) and the like. On the other hand, the seal portion 71
As a synthetic resin material used for molding, there is, for example, a hydrogenated styrene thermoplastic elastomer (Aron Kasei Elastomer AR 750).

The relay connector 70 of this embodiment is
It is fitted into a mounting hole H opened in the wall surface W and mounted. The mounting hole H has the same rectangular shape as the hood portion 12, but its vertical and horizontal dimensions are set to be slightly larger than the vertical and horizontal external dimensions of the hood portion 12 in consideration of dimensional tolerances. There is. Further, bolt holes B are formed on both sides of the mounting hole H so as to be aligned with the cutout portions 16 of the mounting portion 15.

In the relay connector 70 of this embodiment, the one hood portion 12 is fitted in the mounting hole H and the cutout portion 1 is formed.
6 is attached to the wall surface W by aligning 6 with the bolt hole B and fixing with bolts and nuts (not shown).

In the mounted state, the seal portion 71 provided on the hood portion 12 on the side fitted into the mounting hole H is fitted into the mounting hole H while being elastically bent, and the seal portion 71 allows the hood portion 12 to be attached. The gap between the outer peripheral surface and the mounting hole H is closed. Since the seal portion 71 elastically contacts the mounting hole H, the gap between the mounting hole H and the hood portion 12 is waterproof and airtight.

On the other hand, the seal portion 71 on the side not fitted into the mounting hole H is located on the front side of the mounting hole H so as to hide the opening edge of the mounting hole H. As a result, the aesthetic appearance is improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the two seal portions 71 are provided symmetrically in the fitting direction, but this allows any of the hood portions 12 to be attached to the attachment hole H. As a modified example of the present embodiment, when only one of the hood portions 12 fitted in the mounting hole H is defined, only the hood portion 12 on the fitted side has the sealing portion 71. Can be provided. Even in this case, since the gap between the mounting hole H and the hood portion 12 is closed by the seal portion 71, there is no fear that the appearance will be deteriorated due to the gap being opened.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In each of the above embodiments, the case where two connection holes are provided has been described, but according to the present invention, the number of connection holes may be one or three or more.

(2) In the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the tubular projecting portion projecting from the connector body is provided, but in the present invention, the connecting hole is directly provided on the outer surface of the connector body without providing the tubular projecting portion. It can also be applied to a relay connector of the type to be opened.

(3) In the second embodiment, the case where the cylindrical connecting portion has a length protruding from the connector main body has been described. However, according to the present invention, the cylindrical connecting portion may not be projected from the connector main body. it can.

(4) In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the lightening portion is not provided. However, in the second embodiment, the lightening portion is provided to partially expose the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting portion. It may be configured to allow it.

(5) In the third embodiment, each cylindrical protrusion has four
Although two gates are provided, the number of gates may be two or five or more according to the present invention.

(6) In the third and fourth embodiments, the lightening portion is provided, but according to the present invention, the lightening portion may be omitted.

(7) In the fifth embodiment, the case where the seal portion is integrally molded with the relay connector has been described. However, according to the present invention, a seal member molded separately from the relay connector is attached to the relay connector. You can also

(8) In the fifth embodiment, the case where the relay connector of the first embodiment is provided with the seal portion has been described.
The configuration in which the seal portion is provided can be applied to the relay connectors of the second to fourth embodiments.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which the terminal connector is detached in the first embodiment.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which a terminal connector according to Embodiment 3 is detached.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing process in a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing process in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a relay connector and a wall surface to which the relay connector is attached according to a fifth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Relay connector 11 ... Connector main body 15 ... Mounting part 17 ... Connection hole 19 ... Lightening part 30 ... Terminal connector 31 ... Optical fiber 40, 50, 60, 70 ... Relay connector 41 ... Connector main body 42 ... Cylindrical connection part 52 ... Gate 64 ... Film gate 71 ... Seal part

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshihiko Sugita 1-14 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (72) Kenji Urajo 1-14 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Inside Denso Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tomoyuki Nakayama 1-14 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Denso Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A relay connector for an optical fiber for connecting terminal connectors holding optical fiber terminals by butting each other, wherein a connector body made of a synthetic resin material and the connector body into which the optical fiber can be fitted. A connecting hole having a circular cross section provided so as to penetrate, and a peripheral wall of the connecting hole is formed into a cylindrical shape having a uniform thickness by forming a thinned portion in the connector body, and An optical fiber relay connector, which is partially connected to and supported by a connector body. 2. An optical fiber relay connector for abutting and connecting terminal connectors holding optical fiber terminals, wherein a connector body made of a synthetic resin material and the optical fiber can be fitted into the connector body. A cylindrical connecting portion provided so as to penetrate therethrough, wherein the cylindrical connecting portion is integrally molded with the connector main body by a synthetic resin material having higher dimensional stability than the connector main body. Optical fiber relay connector. 3. An optical fiber relay connector for abutting and connecting terminal connectors holding optical fiber terminals, wherein a connector main body made of a synthetic resin material and the optical fiber can be fitted into the connector main body. And a peripheral wall portion constituting the connection hole, the molten resin from a plurality of gates arranged on the opening edge of the connection hole of the connection hole. A relay connector for an optical fiber, which is molded by inflowing in an axial direction. 4. An optical fiber relay connector for connecting terminal connectors holding optical fiber terminals by butting each other, wherein a connector body made of a synthetic resin material and the connector body into which the optical fiber can be fitted. A molten resin through a film gate, which is provided with a connecting hole having a circular cross-section provided so as to penetrate therethrough, and the peripheral wall portion forming the connecting hole corresponds to the opening edge of the connecting hole. The optical fiber relay connector is characterized in that it is molded by inflowing in the axial direction of the connection hole. 5. The mounting portion for enabling connection with another optical fiber relay connector is formed on the outer periphery of the connector body. Optical fiber relay connector. 6. A relay connector fitted into a mounting hole to be mounted, wherein a seal portion is provided on an outer periphery thereof, the seal portion being elastically fit into the mounting hole. The optical fiber relay connector according to claim 5.