KR20020046104A - Gas sealed multiple channel optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A gas shield type multi-channel optical connector is provided to prevent leakage of gas by improving a structure of an optical connector. CONSTITUTION: A female connector is formed with a multitude of optical fiber cables(9), a multitude of sleeves(7), a guide key(6), and a plug(5). The optical fiber cables(9) are used for transmitting optical measuring signals received from an LED(Light Emission Diode). The sleeves(7) are connected with the optical fiber cables(9). The sleeves(7) are used for arranging a ferrule in order to align an optical axis. The guide key(6) is used for preventing a side pressure of the ferrule. The plug(5) is installed between the optical fiber cables(9) and the guide key(6). A male connector is formed with a ferrule(2), a multitude of optical cables(4), an O ring, a groove(3), and a receptacle shell(1). The ferrule(2) is used for transmitting an optical signal from the plug(5) to a measuring sensor. The optical cables(4) have FC connectors. The O ring is used for preventing leakage of gas. The O ring is mounted in the groove(3). The receptacle shell(1) is connected with a gas shielding portion.

Description

GAS SEALED MULTIPLE CHANNEL OPTICAL CONNECTOR}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a gas tight multi-channel optical connector.

Recently, due to the development of optical communication technology, a large capacity and ultra-high speed of data transmission are required. Accordingly, a multi-core optical cable is used. This not only has the flexibility of field application to the connecting means, but also is very advantageous in terms of the connection time of the optical cable, so that various types of multi-channel optical connectors, for example, Japan's Miniature Unit (MU) type and MT (Mechanically) Transferable optical connectors, and multi-channel optical connectors such as the US MAC (Multifiber Array Connector) have been proposed.

In addition, US patent (US Pat. No. 4,140,367), obtained by Makush et al. On February 20, 1979, "MULTIPLE CHANNEL CONNECTOR FOR FIBER OPTIC CABLES," describes high reliability data in transmission paths where problems such as RF interference are expected. There is proposed an optical transmission system for performing transmission and a multi-channel optical connector for connection and disconnection of multi-core optical cables in an optical transmission system for military communication requiring high security. In the U.S. patent, plastic and synthetic rubber are employed to provide a sealing means to prevent defects and damage of the multi-channel optical connector due to contaminants and moisture in the environment.

However, since the above-described multi-channel optical connector is proposed for data communication, there are many problems to apply it as it is to connect and short-circuit the optical signal in the optical measurement field targeting the industrial and power equipment. That is, there is a problem in that the conventional multi-channel optical connector as described above is applied to the field of optical measurement for industrial and power devices as it is, where environmental constraints such as sealing of gas and insulating oil are followed.

Therefore, in the optical measurement method for measuring the physical quantity in the industrial equipment, or the electrical quantity in the power equipment, to prevent leakage of gas, insulating oil, etc. charged in the industrial and power equipment, and simultaneously transmits optical signals with low loss There is a need for a new, gas tight, multichannel optical connector that can be shorted.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, to provide a gas sealed multi-channel optical connector having a structure in which no gas leaks into the optical signal connection optical connector used for optical measurement. have.

1 is a perspective view for showing the overall structure of a gas sealed multi-channel optical connector according to the present invention;

2A and 2B are cross-sectional views illustrating a detailed structure of a receptacle shell provided in the gas tight multi-channel optical connector shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a side view for showing a detailed structure of the receptacle shell provided in the gas tight multi-channel optical connector shown in FIG. And

4A and 4B are cross-sectional views illustrating a detailed structure of a plug provided in the gas sealed multi-channel optical connector shown in FIG. 1.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

1: Receptacle Shell 2: Ferrule

4,9: fiber optic cable 6: guide key

8 coupling nut 10 gas sealing "O" ring

12 ferrule fixing nut 13 fixing clamp

14 epoxy resin 15 receptacle grommet

17 plug optical ferrule 20 ball

22: buffer spring 23: insulator

25 ferrule protection spring 26 plug grommet

29: sleeve 31: the front of the optical plug

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the object of the present invention as described above, the optical connector for a gas-filled power device, the female connector for transmitting the optical measurement signal transmitted from the light source, and the female connector And a male connector for transmitting the optical signal to a measurement sensor, and gas leakage preventing means for preventing leakage of charged gas to improve insulation sensitivity when the optical connector is installed in a target device. Contains a receptacle shell.

In a preferred embodiment, the female connector, a plurality of optical fiber cables for transmitting the optical measurement signal, and a ferrule connected to each of the optical fiber cables, and performing the accurate connection of the optical measurement signal and alignment of the optical axis And a plurality of sleeves for aligning, a guide key for preventing side pressure from being applied to the ferrule, and a plug connected between the optical fiber cables and the guide key.

In an exemplary embodiment, the male connector may include a ferrule for transmitting the optical signal transmitted from the plug to a measurement sensor, a plurality of optical cables connected to the ferrule, and an outer periphery of the ferrule. And a recess for accommodating the preventing means, wherein the receptacle shell is connected to the outer periphery of the groove and the gas leakage preventing means.

(Example)

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

The novel gas tight multi-channel optical connector of the present invention includes gas leakage preventing means for preventing leakage of the charged gas to improve the dielectric strength when the optical connector is installed in the target device.

1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a gas sealed multi-channel optical connector according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a gas-tight multi-channel optical connector according to the present invention includes a female connector for performing connection and transmission of an optical measurement signal transmitted from a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode (LED) (not shown). It is largely divided into male connectors.

First, a female connector of the gas hermetic multi-channel optical connector is connected to a plurality of optical fiber cables 9 and optical fiber cables 9 for transmitting optical measurement signals transmitted from LEDs. A plurality of sleeves 7 for aligning ferrules (not shown) for correct connection of the optical measurement signal and alignment of the optical axis when the connectors are coupled, for preventing side pressure from being applied to the ferrules 2. A guide key 6 and a plug 5 of a three-threaded screwing method 7 connected between the optical fiber cables 9 and the guide key 6 are included.

In addition, a plurality of optical cables (4) having ferrules (2) for connecting optical signals transmitted from the plugs (5) to the measurement sensors and male connectors of the gas-tight multichannel optical connectors are attached to the male connectors. When the optical connector is installed in a target device, an "O" ring for preventing leakage of charged gas to improve insulation sensitivity, and an "O" ring provided outside the ferrule 2 and the FC connector for connection. And a receptacle shell 1 for connecting the gas sealing means (see 10, 14 of FIGS. 2A and 2B) outside the groove 3 and the “O” ring.

The gas hermetic multi-channel optical connector is used as a means for efficiently transmitting a photometric signal in an optical measurement system for measuring voltage and current using an optical sensor in a gas-filled power device such as SF6. Specifically, the optical signal transmitted from the LED is transmitted to each other through the ferrule (not shown) of the plug and the ferrule 2 of the receptacle shell, which is an optical signal connection means through a plurality of optical cables (9), the optical cable (4) The optical signal transmitted to the optical signal is supplied to an optical sensor that is a measurement target for measuring physical quantities such as voltage and current. At this time, the optical signal passing through the optical sensor whose characteristics such as the refractive index is changed according to the change in the physical quantity applied to the outside causes variations in magnitude and phase. The modulated optical signal is transmitted through a process opposite to that described above. That is, the modulated optical signal is transmitted to the plug 5 through the optical cable 4 provided in the male connector and the ferrule 2 composed of a gas sealing structure, and the optical signal transmitted to the optical cable 9 is O / The E-converter (not shown) converts the signal into electrical signals and performs various signal processing to display various physical quantities.

2A and 2B are cross-sectional views illustrating a detailed structure of a receptacle shell provided in the gas tight multi-channel optical connector shown in FIG. 1. 2A and 2B, when the ferrule 2 and the stainless shell 1 for assembling a plurality of optical cables are assembled as shown by reference numeral 16, the gas seal "O" as a means for preventing gas leakage. The ring 10 is used, and the vacuum oil and the rubber insulator 11 are provided as secondary gas sealing means. The gas is prevented from coming into close contact with the insert ring 12 which is a means for applying an equal pressure to the ferrule 2. Then, the epoxy molding resin is cured in a vacuum state so as to prevent gas from leaking even when the opening property of the foreign metal is changed due to the temperature difference of the surrounding environment, thereby obtaining a third gas sealing means 14. In addition, the gas-tight type optical connector according to the present invention, the protective means employing a flexible grommet in order to prevent the plurality of optical cables (4) connected to the ferrule (2) from being damaged by tension and scratches during assembly installation (15), the receptacle shell is completed by using the fixing clamp (13) to assemble this whole thing.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a detailed structure of a receptacle shell provided in the gas sealed multi-channel optical connector shown in FIG. 1. Referring to Figure 3, the receptacle shell provided in the optical connector according to the present invention is a general method of curing the epoxy resin after the deposition of silver (Ag) in the vacuum state of the zirconium ferrule (2) and the receptacle shell (1), As in the present invention, a good elasticity “O” ring is inserted between the zirconium ferrule 2 and the receptacle shell 1 to prevent gas leakage so that the apparatus can be used without causing a long time characteristic change in an apparatus with an impact. .

4A and 4B are cross-sectional views illustrating a detailed structure of a plug provided in the gas sealed multi-channel optical connector shown in FIG. 1. 4A and 4B, the zirconia ferrule 17 on the plug side and the alignment means of the optical axis are provided with a sleeve 29, so that the 12 ferrules 2 configured as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B can be flexibly flexed. In order to protect the ferrule 17 and to accurately align the optical axis, the spring 22 is provided to minimize the transmission loss of the optical signal. The optical connector plug 5 is provided with a spring 25 and a ball 20 to prevent the gas-tight multi-channel optical connector from uncoupling and loosening against vibration in the opposite direction of the coupling nut. Perform reverse rotation prevention function. The plug is provided with a means 18 for preventing the ingress of moisture and dust when using the optical connector in a poor ambient environment, and insulators 19, 23, 26, 28 for performing alignment of a plurality of optical cables. ), It is possible to reduce the deterioration of the transmission characteristics when using the connector for a long time.

The optical connector according to the present invention configured and acting as described above can be utilized as an optical connector for optical signal transmission of an optical measurement system for measuring physical quantity in various industrial facilities, and in particular, an electric device filled with an insulating gas such as SF6 This can be very useful.

In addition, the gas-tight multi-channel optical connector according to the present invention is effectively applied to the connection and disconnection of a multi-core optical cable for measuring physical quantity by optical measurement in industrial and power equipment accompanied by the impact of the operation of the device to be installed. can do. Furthermore, since the particles have a perfect structure to seal the leakage of fine gas, and the adoption of a solid and easy detachable method, the stability of the operation is excellent, so that the light transmission characteristics can be safely maintained. In addition, since the gas-tight multi-channel optical connector according to the present invention has an advantageous structure in terms of external load and stability to the environment, it can be widely applied to various fields such as submarine optical communication connectors with heavy water pressure.

In the above, the configuration and operation of the circuit according to the present invention are shown in accordance with the above description and drawings, but this is merely described, for example, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. .

According to the present invention as described above, no gas leaks into the optical connector for optical signal connection used for optical measurement.

Claims (7)

In optical connectors for gas-charged power equipment: A female connector for transmitting the light measurement signal transmitted from the light source; A male connector connected to the female connector for transferring the optical signal to a measurement sensor; And And a receptacle shell having gas leakage preventing means for preventing leakage of charged gas in order to improve insulation sensitivity when the optical connector is installed in a target device. The method of claim 1, The female connector, A plurality of optical fiber cables for transmitting the optical measurement signal; A plurality of sleeves connected to each of the optical fiber cables, for aligning ferrules for correct connection of the optical measurement signal and alignment of the optical axis; A guide key for preventing side pressure from being applied to the ferrule; And And a plug coupled between the fiber optic cables and the guide key. The method of claim 1, The male connector, A ferrule for transferring the optical signal transmitted from the plug to a measurement sensor; A plurality of optical cables connected to the ferrule; And And a groove provided at the periphery of the ferrule to accommodate the gas leakage preventing means. The receptacle shell is connected to the outside of the groove and the gas leakage preventing means characterized in that the gas-tight multi-channel optical connector. The method of claim 1, The gas leakage preventing means is formed by depositing silver in a vacuum in the ferrule and the receptacle shell, and curing the epoxy resin. The method of claim 1, The gas leakage preventing means is formed by inserting a good elasticity "O" ring between the ferrule and the receptacle shell. The method of claim 2, And when the receptacle shell and the plug are engaged, a guide key for maintaining a fully engaged state without mechanical force being applied to the ferrule. The method of claim 1, The plug is a gas tight multi-channel optical connector, characterized in that for adopting a three-line screw fastening method.