JPH1164682A - Optical connector clip - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector clip which does not require specific attaching and detaching tools, is small in the number of component parts and facilitates the fixing and releasing operation to and from the butt state of one set of the butt-connected optical connectors. SOLUTION: This connector clip 1 freely fixable and releasably holds one set of the optical connectors butt-connected by pin fitting to a butt state. The connector clip has a cover housing 1a which is mounted at an adapter housing 10 mounting one set of the optical connectors freely turnably around a pivot 1d, a pressing part 1b which is disposed at one end of this cover housing and presses the rear part of the one optical connector toward the direction where this optical connector is butted against the other optical connector and an operating piece 1c which is disposed adjacently to this pressing part and fixes and relieases the holding of one set of the optical connectors by turning operating the cover housing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector clip.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In optical communication, optical connectors are frequently used for connecting optical lines. For example, in a multi-core connector used for connecting a plurality of optical fibers at once, the multi-core connector is bridged between the multi-core connectors. The multi-core connectors are butt-connected to each other by the pins fitted together, thereby achieving the mechanical connection between the corresponding optical lines.

[0003] At this time, conventionally, a clip called a clamp sling is mounted so as to straddle between optical connectors connected in a butt connection, and the optical connector pair is held in a butt state so as to be fixed / released freely. On the other hand, the so-called MPO (Multi-pass
A push-on type connector called a "push on" connector has also been proposed.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned optical connector in which optical connectors are butt-connected with each other by pin fitting, the clip is as small as a few mm in length and is difficult to handle. For this reason, a special attachment / detachment tool is required when attaching / detaching the clip to / from the optical connector pair. On the other hand, the push-on type optical connector has the advantage of one-touch butt connection using an adapter as described above, but requires an adapter and increases the number of components compared to the case of pin fitting However, there is a problem that the structure is complicated and the size is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and does not require a special attaching / detaching tool, has a small number of components, and fixes and releases a set of butt-connected optical connectors to a butt state. To provide an optical connector clip that is easy to use.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a set of optical connectors butt-connected by pin fitting is fixedly and releasably held in a butt state. An optical connector clip, comprising: a cover housing rotatably attached to an adapter housing to which the pair of optical connectors is mounted, the pivot housing being rotatable about a pivot; and a cover housing provided at one end of the cover housing. A configuration including a pressing portion that presses in the direction of mating with the connector and an operation piece that is provided adjacent to the pressing portion and that rotates and operates the cover housing to fix and release the holding of the pair of optical connectors; It was done.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector clip for fixing and releasing a pair of optical connectors butt-connected by pin fitting in a butt state. A cover housing detachably attached to the adapter housing to which the set of optical connectors is mounted, provided at one end of the cover housing, and pressing a rear portion of one of the optical connectors in a direction of abutment with the other optical connector; That is, the configuration includes a pressing portion to be pressed and guide means for guiding attachment and detachment to and from the adapter housing.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. First, the optical connector clip of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “clip”)
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The clip 1 is used by being attached to an adapter housing 10 previously fixed to a panel (not shown) or the like, and as shown in FIG.
16 is fixedly and releasably held in a butted state.

Here, the adapter housing 10 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the panel is formed by projecting rectangular tubular adapter portions 10b and 10c for inserting optical connectors on both sides of the mounting plate 10a, and using the mounting holes 10d formed above and below the mounting plate 10a. Is fixed by screws or the like. The adapter portions 10b and 10c are provided on both sides with concave portions 10d and 10e, respectively.
(See FIG. 2).

The optical connectors 15 and 16 are provided with so-called tape fibers 15b and 16b composed of a plurality of optical fibers attached to ferrules 15a and 16a, and the end faces of the optical fibers are projected from the front surfaces of the ferrules 15a and 16a. It is exposed at the mating end surfaces 15c and 16c (see FIG. 4). The ferrules 15a and 16a are provided on both sides of the tape fibers 15b and 16b with pin holes 15d and 16d for fitting two guide pins 18 to be bridged between the optical connectors 15 and 16 at the time of butt connection. Are formed in the longitudinal direction which is the butting direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the clip 1 has a cover housing 1a, spring portions 1b and 1b, and an operation piece 1c, and has beryllium copper, phosphor bronze, nickel-titanium alloy having spring properties. Metal materials such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (P
P), and a synthetic resin such as polyamide. The cover housing 1a is attached to the adapter part 10b and the adapter part 10c so as to cover the upper part and the side part, and a pivot 1d is formed by projecting both sides of the front part inward. Further, the cover housing 1a is formed such that the rear sides thereof are protruded inward so that the recess 10 of the adapter housing 10 is formed.
An engaging portion 1e that engages with d and 10e is provided.

The spring portions 1b, 1b are
The rear part of the optical connector 15 is formed in an S-shape integrally with the operation piece 1c, and the elastic force of this part presses the rear part of the optical connector 15 or the optical connector 16 in the direction of abutment with the other optical connector 16 or the optical connector 15. . The operation piece 1c is for rotating the cover housing 1a about the pivot 1d to fix and release the holding of the optical connectors 15 and 16, and the spring portion 1c.
b, 1b, and is provided so as to extend rearward adjacently.

As shown in FIG. 2, the clip 1 configured as described above is attached to the adapter portion 10b and the adapter portion 10c of the adapter housing 1 in advance, and is used as follows. First, the guide pin 18 is fitted into each of the two pin holes 15d of the ferrule 15a, and the ferrule 15a is inserted into the adapter portion 10b of the adapter housing 10 and the ferrule 16a is inserted into the adapter portion 10c. As a result, the optical connectors 15 and 16 are positioned by the two guide pins 18 and butt-connected in the adapter portions 10b and 10c of the adapter housing 10.

Next, the operation piece 1c is rotated downward about the pivot 1d from the state shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the clip 1 is put on the adapter part 10b or the adapter part 10c such that the cover housing 1a covers the upper part and the side part, and the adapter part 10e in which each engaging part 1e is at the corresponding position. The recess 10d of 10b and the adapter 10
c and engages with the concave portion 10e. This engagement prevents the clip 1 from being accidentally detached from the adapter part 10b or the adapter part 10c.

In parallel with this engagement, in the clip 1, the spring portions 1b, 1b elastically abut against the rear portions of the optical connector 15 and the optical connector 16, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the optical connector 15 is pressed in the direction of abutment with the optical connector 16, and the optical connector 16 is pressed in the direction of abutment with the optical connector 15 by the spring portions 1 b and 1 b of the clip 1. As a result, the optical connectors 15 and 16 are fixed in the butted state by the clip 1. Also, the spring portions 1b, 1b abut on the rear portions of the optical connectors 15, 16 to prevent the guide pins 18 from coming out of the pin holes 15d, 16d.

On the other hand, if the operation piece 1c of the clip 1 is rotated upward from the state shown in FIG. 3 around the pivot 1d by the reverse operation, the optical connectors 15 and 16 can easily change the butted state. Can be released. Here, in the clip 1 of the present embodiment, the cover housing 1
A pivot 1d was formed by projecting the front both sides of a inward. However, the pivot 1d is limited to the above-described embodiment as long as the cover housing 1a can be rotated with respect to the adapter section 10b or the adapter section 10c of the adapter housing 10 to fix / release the holding of the optical connector 15 or the optical connector 16. Needless to say, the protrusions and recesses may be, for example, unevenly engaged with the adapter portions 10b and 10c.

Next, a second embodiment of the clip of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, in the following description, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted. Clip 5
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, it has a cover housing 5 a, spring portions 5 b, 5 b, and a guide 5 c, and like the clip 1, beryllium copper, phosphor bronze,
It is formed of a metal material such as a nickel-titanium alloy or a synthetic resin such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (PP), or polyamide.

The cover housing 5a covers the upper part and the side part so as to cover the adapter part 10b and the adapter part 10c.
And a pivot 5d is formed by projecting both sides of the front part inward. The spring parts 5b, 5b are formed in an S-shape at positions corresponding to the spring parts 1b, 1b of the clip 1 at the rear part of the cover housing 5a, and the elastic force of this part makes the rear part of the optical connector 15 or the optical connector 16 the other. It is pressed in the direction of abutment with the optical connector 16 and the optical connector 15.

The guide portion 5c is a ridge formed on the side of the cover housing 5a and formed in the longitudinal direction with the wall surface slightly projecting inward. Therefore, when the clip 5 is used, the adapter housing 10 to which the clip 5 is attached is provided on the side surface of the adapter portion 10c with the concave groove 10 engaging with the guide portion 5c.
Form f. The clip 5 configured as described above,
For example, as shown in FIG.
The guide part 5c is attached to the adapter part 10c by engaging the guide part 5c with the concave groove 10f from the rear, and is used as follows.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the clip 1 is attached to the adapter portion 10b. However, since the fixing and release of the optical connector 15 by the clip 1 has already been described, it is omitted in the following description. I do. First, first
The optical connectors 15 and 16 are butt-connected in the adapter portions 10b and 10c of the adapter housing 10 in the same manner as in the embodiment.

Next, the cover housing 5a is
c, slide forward along the concave groove 10f, and bring the front end into contact with the side surface of the mounting plate 10a. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the clip 5 is attached to the adapter 10 so that the cover housing 5a covers the upper and side portions.
c, and the spring portions 5b, 5b elastically contact the rear portion of the optical connector 16.

As a result, the optical connector 16 is pressed in the direction of abutment with the optical connector 15 by the spring portions 5b, 5b of the clip 5, and is fixed in the abutted state by the clip 5. Also, the spring portions 5b, 5b abut on the rear portion of the optical connector 16, and the guide pins 18 are inserted through the pin holes 16d.
Is prevented from coming off. On the other hand, when releasing the abutting state of the optical connector 16 with the optical connector 15, by sliding the clip 5 backward along the concave groove 10 f while guiding the clip 5 to the guide portion 5 c by the reverse operation, Butting can be easily released.

Here, the clip 5 is used in combination with the clip 1 in the second embodiment. However, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, it goes without saying that the clip 5 may be used in combination with the clip 5 alone. That is, the clip 5 is connected to the adapter housing 1.
Alternatively, the optical connectors 15 and 16 butt-connected in the adapter portions 10b and 10c by the clips 5 may be fixedly and releasably held in the butt state.

In the clip 5 of this embodiment,
The guide part 5c was formed in the longitudinal direction by slightly projecting the side part of the cover housing 5a inward. However, the guide portion 5c connects the cover housing 5a to the adapter housing 1.
The optical connector 15 is slid along a concave groove 10f formed in the adapter portion 10b or the adapter portion 10c, and the rear portion of the optical connector 15 or the optical connector 16 is elastically pressed or released by the spring portion 5b. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as long as it can fix and release the optical connector 15 and the optical connector 16 in the butted state. For example, the clip 5 is formed by forming the guide portion 5a with a concave groove and forming a ridge engaging with the concave groove on the adapter portion 10b or the adapter portion 10c.
You may slide with respect to b and the adapter part 10c.
Further, the cover housing 5a and the adapter housing 10
The adapter portions 10b and 10c may be provided with a plurality of concave grooves and a plurality of protrusions that engage with the concave grooves and guide the slide.

The adapter housing 10 is provided with an adapter portion 10b for attaching the clip 1 on one side and an adapter portion (not shown) for detachably attaching an MPO connector instead of the adapter portion 10c on the other side.
The optical connector 15 and the MPO connector may be connected.

[0026]

According to the optical connector clips of the first and second aspects, no special attachment / detachment tool is required, the number of components is small, and a set of optical connectors which are butt-connected is fixed / released in a butt state. Operation is easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an optical connector clip according to the present invention, showing a state in which a pair of optical connectors butt-connected are held by an adapter housing and an optical connector clip.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 in a state in which butting by an optical connector clip is released.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which butting by an optical connector clip is fixed in FIG. 1;

4 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter housing and the optical connector clip of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the optical connector clip of the present invention, and showing a state in which a pair of butt-connected optical connectors are held by an adapter housing and an optical connector clip.

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5 in a state where the butting by the optical connector clip is released.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state where the butting by the optical connector clip is fixed in FIG. 5;

8 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter housing and the optical connector clip of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a modified use example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the adapter housing and the optical connector clip of FIG. 9 cut away;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Clip 1a Cover housing 1b Spring part (pressing part) 1c Operation piece 5 Clip 5a Cover housing 5b Spring part (pressing part) 5c Guide part (guide means) 10 Adapter housing 10b, 10c Adapter part 15, 16 Optical connector 18 Guide pin 15a, 16a ferrule

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Takashi Shigematsu 2-6-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Toshihiko Ota 2-6-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Kenji Yoshioka, Inventor 3-2-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Inside Japan Telegraph and Telephone Co., Ltd. No. Within Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Naoki Nakao, Inventor 3-19-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan Within Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Kazuo Iwadate 5-23-8, Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. In Seiwa Giken Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An optical connector clip for holding a pair of optical connectors butt-connected by pin fitting so as to be fixedly and releasably in a butt state, wherein the adapter housing mounts the pair of optical connectors. A cover housing rotatably mounted around a pivot, provided at one end of the cover housing, adjacent to the pressing portion and the pressing portion for pressing a rear portion of one optical connector in a direction of abutment with the other optical connector. Provided,
An optical connector clip having an operation piece for fixing and releasing the holding of the set of optical connectors by rotating the cover housing. 2. An optical connector clip for holding a pair of optical connectors butt-connected by pin-fitting in a butt state so as to be fixed and releasable, said adapter connector being adapted to mount said pair of optical connectors. A cover housing detachably mounted, a pressing portion provided at one end of the cover housing for pressing a rear portion of one optical connector in a direction of abutment with the other optical connector, and a guide means for guiding attachment / detachment to / from the adapter housing; An optical connector clip comprising: