JPH10319272A - Optical connector cover - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the optical connector cover which can protect and store the circumference of a joined end surface atop of an optical connector ferrule efficiently in a housing by inserting the optical connector ferrule into the housing so that it can be connected to another optical connector ferrule. SOLUTION: This connector cover 18 is equipped with a cover main body 21 which stores the periphery of the joined end surface 1b atop of the optical connector ferrule 1 and an operation part 23 which projects from the housing 10 when the cover main body 21 is inserted into the housing 10 containing the optical connector ferrule 1. Then the cover main body 21 inserted into the housing 10 is held by a holding mechanism 14 arranged in the housing 10 so that it can be taken out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector cover, and more particularly to an optical connector cover for storing and protecting an optical connector ferrule housed and supported in a housing so as to be butt-connected to another optical connector ferrule. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an optical connector for switchably connecting optical fibers to each other, for example, a so-called MT type optical connector (Mechanical Optical Connector) defined in JISC5981.
yTransferable) is provided. However, the MT type optical connector requires (1) a dedicated jig for operations such as connection and connection switching, and is unsatisfactory in workability.
(2) In order to prevent the optical connector ferrule from being exposed, it is necessary to provide a protection means such as a cap, and there is a complaint that the handling is troublesome. Also,
In view of this problem, in recent years, a plastic optical connector (a so-called MPO connector) having a structure in which an optical connector ferrule defined in JIS C5981 or the like is housed inside a plastic housing has been provided. However, this plastic optical connector has the following additional problems: (3) the number of components is increased, the assembly is troublesome, the cost is increased, and (4) the size is increased, so that the mounting density cannot be improved. .

The present applicant has already filed an application for an optical connector such as Japanese Patent Application No. 8-325730 in order to solve the problems (1) to (4). FIG. 4 shows an example of this type of optical connector. This optical connector conforms to JIS C
A housing 2 for accommodating the optical connector ferrule 1 of the optical connector stipulated in 5981 in the split bodies 2a and 2b having a split shape, a coil spring 3 for urging the accommodated optical connector ferrule 1 toward the outside of the housing 2,
A pair of elastic claws 4, 4 projecting from the housing 2 along the biasing direction of the coil spring 3, and another optical connector ferrule 5, which is pushed from the outside and butt-connected to the optical connector ferrule 1, is connected to the coil spring 3.
The connection between the two optical connector ferrules 1 and 5 is maintained by being sandwiched between the optical connector ferrules 4 and 4. The two optical connector ferrules 1 and 5 are butt-connected to each other at the joint end surfaces 1b and 1b that are precisely positioned by fitting the guide pins 9 into the guide pin holes 9a. In the figure, reference numeral 8 denotes a pin clamp,
The guide pin 9 fitted to the optical connector ferrule 1 on the side is fixed.

[0004]

By the way, in the optical connector as described above, the joining end face 1b of the optical connector ferrule 1 on the optical connector side is exposed outside the housing 2 before the optical connector ferrules 1 and 5 are connected. However, inconveniences such as dust adhering to the joint end face 1b and damage to the optical connector ferrule 1 are likely to occur, and these inconveniences affect the optical characteristics of the optical connector ferrule 1. In particular, the cleanliness of the joint end face 1b of the optical connector ferrule 1 is determined by the optical fibers 1a connected by butt-connecting the optical connector ferrules 1 and 5 to each other.
Since the influence on the connection loss between the optical fibers 1a (core fiber of the optical connector tape) is large, it is necessary to reliably prevent dust from adhering.

However, in the optical connector as described above, it is difficult to take measures such as attaching a cap to the optical connector ferrule 1 to store and protect the joint end face 1b. That is, in the optical connector, since most of the optical connector ferrule 1 is housed in the housing 2, there is a problem that the mounting range of the cap is narrow and it is difficult to secure the fixing force of the cap. In addition, since the elastic claws 4 interfere with the cap mounting work, there is a problem that the mounting workability cannot be improved. In view of these problems, if it is attempted to store and protect the vicinity of the joint end surface 1b or the entire housing 2 from the outside by the protective housing, it is necessary to secure an installation space for the protective housing around the housing 2. There is a problem that the mounting density when a plurality of optical connectors are assembled and mounted cannot be improved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and (a) the optical connector ferrule can be stored and protected by the cover body inserted into the housing.
(B) The operation portion having a shape protruding to the outside of the housing when the cover body is inserted into the housing improves the workability of inserting and removing the cover body. (C) Holding the cover body by the holding mechanism allows the cover to be held. (D) Positioning the cover main body inserted in the housing by the guide portion makes it easier to store the optical connector ferrule in the cover main body. , (E)
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector cover that can reduce the size and cost of the housing because the guide also serves as a holding mechanism.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an optical connector ferrule for butt-connecting an optical fiber is inserted into a housing housed and supported so as to be connectable to another optical connector ferrule. A cover main body for housing the vicinity of the joint end face of the optical connector ferrule tip in the housing, and an operating portion protruding from the cover main body, wherein the operating portion is inserted when the cover main body is inserted into the housing. The optical connector cover has a shape protruding outside the housing, and the cover main body inserted into the housing is held so as to be able to be taken out by a holding mechanism arranged in the housing. Means. As an optical connector ferrule, for example, a so-called MT optical connector (Mechanically T
A ferrule such as ransferable) is adopted. in this case,
The cover body is formed in a shape that can accommodate the optical connector ferrule of the MT optical connector. This optical connector ferrule may be used for multiple cores or single core. In the housing, for example, it is possible to store various optical connector ferrules such as a ferrule of a so-called SC type optical connector established in JIS C 5973 and the like. To correspond to. Various configurations can be adopted for the operation unit.In addition to the shape protruding from the cover body in parallel with the direction of insertion of the cover body into the housing, depending on the housing shape, a shape protruding in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction can also be adopted. is there. Even when the cover main body is inserted into the housing, the operation portion having a shape protruding from the housing can improve the workability of storing the optical connector ferrule by the cover main body. In addition, in order to maintain the optical characteristics of the optical connector ferrule, protection near the joint end face is particularly important,
The cover body is configured to store and protect at least the vicinity of the joint end face of the optical connector ferrule. Depending on the shape of the housing, it is also possible to adopt a cover body configured to house the entire optical connector ferrule.

According to the present invention, the housing includes a guide portion for guiding the cover body inserted from the outside to the vicinity of the optical connector ferrule and positioning the cover body with respect to the optical connector ferrule. It is preferable that the cover main body has a configuration including an engagement portion that engages with the guide portion, and thereby, the workability of storing the vicinity of the joint end surface of the tip end of the optical connector ferrule by the cover main body inserted into the housing is improved. .

In the present invention, it is more preferable to adopt a guide portion for holding the cover main body from both sides as a holding mechanism as described in claim 3, whereby it is not necessary to separately install a holding mechanism. Downsizing and cost reduction are realized. In a miniaturized housing, the mounting density when a plurality of housings are assembled and mounted can be improved. Further, since the configuration of the housing can be simplified, the operability of storing and removing the cover main body is improved.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the drawing, the same components as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified.

First, the housing 10 according to the present invention will be described. In FIG. 1, a housing 10 includes a storage case 11 for storing the optical connector ferrule 1. An opening 12 is opened in the storage case portion 11, and the vicinity of the joint end face 1 b at the tip of the optical connector ferrule 1 is projected outward from the opening 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the optical connector ferrule 1 is
Is always urged outward from the opening 12 by the coil spring 13 provided inside the helical spring.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 11 has a pair of guide portions 14. These guide parts 1
Numerals 4 and 14 are formed in an elongated shape from a resin such as plastic, and are arranged on both sides of the opening 12 so as to be in parallel with each other. Insertion groove 1 between guide portions 14
5 communicates with the opening 12, so that the vicinity 1 b of the joining end face of the optical connector ferrule 1 projects from the opening 12 into the insertion groove 15. Guide section 1
4 and 14, key grooves 16 are provided on the inner side facing the insertion groove 15.
Is formed. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 17 denotes an elastic claw for holding another optical connector ferrule (not shown) inserted from the insertion groove 15 and butt-connected to the optical connector ferrule 1.

Next, an embodiment of the optical connector cover of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Optical connector cover 18
Is an integrally formed product entirely made of a resin such as plastic, and has an elongated cover body 21 having a ferrule housing groove 20 at a front end portion 19, and a rear end portion 22 of the cover main body 21.
And an operation unit 23 (handle) protruding from the front.

The cover body 21 has a wedge shape in which the width dimension (dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) decreases from the rear end portion 22 to the front end portion 19. For example, rear end 2
The width b of the tip 19 is 0.3 m with respect to the width a of 2
It is formed about m smaller. As shown in FIG. 1, when the cover main body 21 is inserted into the insertion groove 15 of the housing 10 with the distal end portion 19 facing forward in the insertion direction, the two guide portions 14, 1
4 is slightly pushed outward, and the elasticity of the guide portions 14 and 14 and the elasticity of the cover main body 21 cause the guide portions 14 and 1 to move.
4 between. Therefore, it is preferable that the cover main body 21 is formed from a material having appropriate elasticity. Also, since the through hole 24 is formed in the center of the cover body 21, the cover body 21 and the guide parts 14, 14 are located near the rear end 22 where the clamping force from the guide parts 14, 14 acts strongly. Adhesion between the
The cover body 21 is securely held between the guide portions 14. When a sufficient clamping force is ensured by selecting a material for forming the optical connector cover 18 or the like, the through hole 24 can be omitted. Further, the pull-out resistance of the cover body 21 caused by the nipping of the guide portions 14 is such that the cover body 21 can be manually pulled out.
5 can be easily taken out.

Further, as shown in FIG.
An engaging portion 26 (key) that engages with the key groove 16 of the guide portion 14 is provided on both side surfaces 25 where the guide portions 14 abut. When the cover main body 21 is inserted into the insertion groove 15, the engaging portion 26 is slidably engaged with the key groove 16, and the cover main body 21 is precisely positioned in the insertion groove 15, so that an arrow in FIG. The optical connector cover 18 is moved in the direction of FIG.
When the optical connector ferrule 1 is inserted into the vicinity of the storage case portion 11, the optical connector ferrule 1 can be stored in the ferrule storage groove 20. Therefore, the housing 1 of the guide portions 14,
Even if the protrusion size from 0 is large, the ferrule storage groove 20
The optical connector ferrule 1 can be securely and easily stored in the inside. As shown in FIG. 2, the ferrule housing groove 20 has a shape compatible with the optical connector ferrule 1. Therefore, the vicinity of the connection end face 1 of the optical connector ferrule 1 can be smoothly accommodated.

The cover body 2 inserted into the insertion groove 15
1 is that only the engaging portion 26 is in contact with the guide portions 14, and the portions of the side surfaces 25, other than the engaging portion 26, are the guide portions 1.
Since they do not come into contact with the guides 4, 14, the clamping force of the guides 14, 14 acts on the engaging portions 26. Further, at this time, as shown in FIG.
Since they do not come into contact with 7 and 17, insertion and removal of the cover body 21 can be performed efficiently without interference with the elastic claws 17 and 17.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical connector cover 18 can be inserted up to a position where the front end portion 19 of the cover body comes into contact with the storage case portion 11. Further, when the cover body tip portion 19 comes into contact with the storage case 11, it cannot be inserted further into the back side, so that there is no risk of damaging the optical connector ferrule 1 or the coil spring 13. Moreover, since the optical connector ferrule 1 does not come into contact with the inner surface of the ferrule housing groove 20 by the guide pins 9 protruding from the joint end surface 1b of the optical connector ferrule 1, the joint end surface 1b can be reliably protected. Since the cover body 21 is sandwiched between the guide portions 14 and does not separate from the housing 10 unless the operation portion 23 is pulled out and pulled out of the insertion groove 15, the protective storage state near the joining end face 1b is reliably maintained.

The front end portion 19 of the cover body is
When the optical connector ferrule 1 is inserted into the vicinity of the ferrule housing groove 20 and the vicinity of the joint end surface 1b of the optical connector ferrule 1 is housed, the upper and lower ends of the optical connector ferrule 1 (in the depth direction of the paper surface in FIG. Part 19
Further, since the left and right sides (up and down in FIG. 3) of the optical connector ferrule 1 are protected by the guide walls 27 and 27 and the elastic claws 17 and 17 protruding into the housing 10, the joining end face 1b adheres to the dust. And damage can be reliably protected. Therefore, the optical connector ferrule 1
Can be reliably maintained.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical connector cover 18 does not have any portions projecting up, down, left, and right (up, down, left, and right in FIG. 1) of the housing 10 when the cover body 21 is inserted into the insertion groove 15. Since the portion 23 projects above the extension of the insertion groove 15, there is no need to secure spaces for inserting the optical connector cover 18 on the upper, lower, left and right sides of the housing 10. For this reason, even if a plurality of housings 10 are assembled and mounted at a high density, there is no problem in the operation of inserting and removing the optical connector cover 18, and the mounting density of the housings 10 can be increased.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes such as changing the configuration of the engaging portion and the housing are possible. It is also possible to adopt a housing provided with a holding mechanism separately from the guide portion.

[0021]

As described above, according to the optical connector cover of the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained. (A) By storing the optical connector ferrule by the cover body inserted into the housing, the optical connector ferrule can be protected from dust adhesion and damage, and its optical characteristics can be maintained. (B) The operation portion having a shape protruding outside the housing when the cover main body is inserted into the housing improves the workability of inserting and removing the cover main body. (C) By holding the cover main body by the holding mechanism, it is possible to reliably maintain the housing protection state of the optical connector ferrule by the cover main body.

The housing according to claim 2, further comprising a guide portion for guiding the cover body inserted from outside to the vicinity of the optical connector ferrule and positioning the cover body relative to the optical connector ferrule, wherein the cover body includes the guide. (D) The cover body can be positioned with respect to the optical connector ferrule simply by inserting the cover body between the guide portions, and the optical connector ferrule can be positioned by the cover body inserted into the housing. An excellent effect is obtained such that workability for storing the vicinity of the joint end surface at the tip is improved.

[0023] By adopting the structure in which the guide portion for holding the cover body from both sides as the holding mechanism is adopted, (e) there is no need to separately install a holding mechanism, and the size and cost of the housing can be reduced. (F) In a miniaturized housing, the mounting density can be improved when multiple units are assembled and mounted. (G) The housing configuration can be simplified, and the workability of storing and removing the cover body is improved. An excellent effect is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a housing to which an optical connector cover according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the optical connector cover of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially broken plan view showing the operation of the optical connector cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the optical connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical connector ferrule, 1a ... Optical fiber (optical fiber ribbon), 1b ... Connection end face, 5 ... Optical connector ferrule, 10 ... Housing, 14 ... Holding mechanism, guide part, 18 ... Optical connector cover, 21 ... Cover Body, 23
... operating part (handle), 26 ... engaging part (key).

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Nomura 1440 Mutsuzaki, Sakura-shi, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Sakura Plant

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An optical connector ferrule (1), which terminates an optical fiber (1a) in a butt-connectable manner, is inserted into a housing (10) housed and supported so as to be connectable to another optical connector ferrule (5). A cover main body (21) for housing the vicinity of the joint end face (1b) of the tip of the optical connector ferrule in a housing, and an operation section (23) protruding from the cover main body, the operation section including the cover main body The cover has a shape protruding outside of the housing when inserted into the housing, and the cover body inserted into the housing is held removably by a holding mechanism (14) arranged in the housing. Optical connector cover (18). 2. The housing has a guide portion (14) for guiding the cover body inserted from the outside to the vicinity of the optical connector ferrule and positioning the cover body with respect to the optical connector ferrule. The optical connector cover according to claim 1, further comprising an engaging portion (26) that engages with the optical connector cover. 3. The optical connector cover according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion holds the cover body from both sides, and constitutes the holding mechanism according to claim 1.