WO2012147486A1

WO2012147486A1 - Optical connector

Info

Publication number: WO2012147486A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/059362
Authority: WO
Inventors: 鈴木　等; 小林　武
Original assignee: 三菱鉛筆株式会社
Priority date: 2011-04-25
Filing date: 2012-04-05
Publication date: 2012-11-01
Also published as: JP2012230159A; TW201250315A; JP5743676B2; TWI530721B

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to provide an optical connector with which it is possible to align a collimator lens and an optical fiber with high precision without requiring a complicated assembly process. An optical connector comprises: a metallic retaining member (11), whereon a housing part has been formed on one end which houses a collimator lens (12) and an insertion hole has been formed on the other end wherein an optical fiber (13) is inserted; and a resin joint (14), further comprising a through hole, in which a first insertion hole (14a) is formed on one end wherethrough the retaining member (11) is inserted and a second insertion hole is formed on the other end wherethrough the optical fiber (13) is inserted, and an optical fiber clasping region is formed in a portion of the through hole. At least one end face of the collimator lens (12) or the optical fiber (13) is brought into contact and aligned with a depression part which is formed near the housing part of the retaining member (11). An optical fiber anchoring part (14c) is formed upon the optical fiber clasping region in the resin joint (14) to house an optical fiber anchoring member (15).

Description

Optical connector

The present invention relates to an optical connector using an optical collimator.

In the case where optical fibers and various optical devices are coupled using an optical connector, a technique for improving coupling efficiency using a lens has been proposed, and an optical collimator that couples one or more optical fibers is applied.

In such an optical collimator, it is necessary to position the end face of the optical fiber and the collimator lens. Conventionally, as a method of positioning the end face of the optical fiber and the collimator lens, there is known a method of inserting a spacer of another part into the holding member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Further, as a method of assembling an optical connector, a method using a wedge member necessary for inserting an optical fiber into a ferrule is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2007-241094 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-133270

In an optical connector used for connecting an optical fiber and various optical devices, the size is small in terms of shape, and the positional relationship between the optical fiber and the collimator lens is maintained even if insertion and removal are repeated on the device surface Is required.

However, when separate components are used for positioning the end face of the optical fiber and the collimator lens as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the assembly process becomes complicated. Further, the work of inserting another part into the holding member becomes more difficult as the size of the optical connector becomes smaller, and the cost required for the work increases.

Further, as in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, if separate components such as wedge members are used when assembling the optical connector, there is a problem that the number of parts is further increased and the assembly process becomes more complicated. .

The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector capable of aligning a collimator lens and an optical fiber with high accuracy without requiring a complicated assembly process.

In the optical connector according to the present invention, a metal holding member having an accommodating portion for accommodating the collimator lens at one end and an insertion hole for inserting an optical fiber at the other end, and the holding member inserted at one end A first insertion hole is formed, and the other end has a through hole in which a second insertion hole in which the optical fiber is inserted is formed, and an optical fiber gripping area is formed in a part of the through hole An optical connector comprising: a resin joint, wherein at least one of the end face of the collimator lens and the optical fiber is brought into contact with a depressed portion formed in the vicinity of the housing portion of the holding member to perform positioning An optical fiber fixing portion for housing an optical fiber fixing member is formed on the optical fiber holding area in the resin joint.

According to the above optical connector, at least one of the collimator lens and the optical fiber is made to abut on the depressed portion provided in the holding member to position the collimator lens and / or the optical fiber with reference to the depressed portion. Since positioning can be performed, the working efficiency can be improved as compared with the case where a separate part is inserted into the holding member as in the conventional case, and the collimator lens and the optical fiber can be easily made while suppressing an increase in cost. It becomes possible to perform positioning. Further, since the optical fiber fixing portion for housing the optical fiber fixing member is formed on the optical fiber holding area in the resin joint, it is possible to firmly fix the positioned optical fiber with a small number of parts. As a result, the collimator lens and the optical fiber can be aligned with high accuracy without requiring a complicated assembly process.

For example, in the optical connector, a part of the optical fiber holding area is opened to the optical fiber fixing part side, and a part of the optical fiber inserted in the optical fiber holding area is at the bottom of the optical fiber fixing part It is possible to expose. In this case, since the optical fiber is pressed from above by the bottom surface of the optical fiber fixing member accommodated in the optical fiber fixing portion, the positioned optical fiber can be firmly fixed.

In the above optical connector, the optical fiber fixing member may have a convex portion accommodated in the optical fiber fixing portion, and a flat portion disposed on the upper surface of the resin joint. In this case, since the optical fiber fixing member has a simple structure, the cost required for the manufacture can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the above optical connector, the optical fiber fixing member is exposed from a fixing portion having a substantially U-shaped cross section housed in the optical fiber fixing portion, a part of the resin joint, and the second insertion hole. And a bundling unit for bundling a part of the optical fiber. In this case, since the binding portion in the optical fiber fixing member binds a part of the resin joint and a part of the optical fiber exposed from the second insertion hole, it is possible to further increase the connection strength. Moreover, since it is an optical fiber fixing member in which the fixing portion and the binding portion are integrated, the number of parts can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the above optical connector, a plurality of the first insertion holes may be provided in parallel. In this case, even an optical connector loaded with a plurality of optical fibers can be obtained by a simple assembly process.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned optical connector, a fitting portion may be provided on the outer periphery of the resin joint to be fitted to the fitting portion on the device side when connected to the device. In this case, since the positional deviation of the optical connector inserted in the device can be prevented by the fitted portion provided in a part of the resin joint, the connection between the optical connector and the device can be made favorable. Become.

Furthermore, in the optical connector, it is conceivable that the optical fiber is a plastic optical fiber. In this case, since the material is flexible, it can be suppressed from above by the optical fiber fixing member, and the number of parts can be reduced.

According to the present invention, it is possible to align the collimator lens and the optical fiber with high accuracy without requiring a complicated assembly process.

It is a side sectional view showing typically the state where the optical connector concerning the present invention was connected to the device. It is an external appearance perspective view of the optical connector concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a sectional side view of the optical connector concerning a 1st embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the resin joint in the first embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a side sectional view of the resin joint in the first embodiment. It is a side view of the optical collimator in a 1st embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view in the dashed-two dotted line B shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the assembly process of the optical connector which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the assembly process of the optical connector which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the assembly process of the optical connector which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is an external appearance perspective view of the optical connector concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a sectional side view of the optical connector concerning a 2nd embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
First, a state in which the optical connector according to the present invention is connected to a device will be described. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view schematically showing a state in which the optical connector according to the present invention is connected to a device. In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, a device provided with a light receiving / emitting element is described, but the configuration of the device is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the device 100 to which the optical connector 10 according to the present invention is connected, the light receiving / emitting element 101 is disposed inside the case 102 and not shown on the optical axis of the light receiving / emitting element 101. A condenser lens 103 and an oblique polishing surface 104 supported by a support means are arranged. In addition, an opening 105 for inserting the optical connector 10 is provided on the side surface of the case 102 in the device 100.

In the device 100, the laser light emitted from the light emitting element 101 is reflected by the oblique polishing surface 104 through the condensing lens 103 and is guided to the opening 105. Then, the light reflected by the oblique polishing surface 104 is condensed by the collimator lens 12 of the optical connector 10 and enters the optical fiber 13. The light thus incident propagates in the optical fiber 13. In FIG. 1, the optical path of the laser beam emitted from the light emitting element 101 is indicated by a dotted line.

Further, in the device 100, light propagating through the optical fiber 13 is collimated by passing through the collimator lens 12. Then, the laser beam emitted from the optical fiber 13 is reflected by the oblique polishing surface 104, and is guided to the light receiving element 101 through the condensing lens 103. In FIG. 1, the optical path of the laser light emitted from the optical fiber 13 is indicated by a dotted line.

In the device 100 according to the present embodiment, when the optical connector 10 is inserted to a predetermined position in the case 102, the laser light transmitted between the light receiving / emitting element 101 and the optical fiber 13 is focused on the condensing lens 103 and diagonally It is designed to be able to enter and exit properly through the polishing surface 104. Hereinafter, the configuration of the optical connector 10 according to the present invention connected to such a device 100 will be described.

First Embodiment
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the optical connector 10 is held by a plurality of (two in the present embodiment) holders 11 as holding members having a generally cylindrical shape and one end of each holder 11. The collimator lens 12, a plurality of (two in the present embodiment) optical fibers 13 inserted from the insertion holes 11a provided at the other end of the holders 11, the holders 11 and the optical fibers 13 are held. And a fixing binding member 15 for fixing and binding each optical fiber 13 and a jacket 16 for covering each optical fiber 13. In the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment, a plastic optical fiber is preferably inserted as the optical fiber 13.

The holder 11, the collimator lens 12, and the optical fiber 13 constitute an optical collimator 10a. Details of this optical collimator 10a will be described later.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the resin joint 14, and FIG. 4B is a side sectional view of the resin joint 14. As shown in FIG. 4A, the resin joint 14 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a through hole is provided along its longitudinal direction. One end of the through hole is provided with an insertion hole 14a into which the holder 11 is inserted, and the other end is provided with an opening 14b into which the optical fiber 13 is inserted. In the vicinity of the center of the resin joint 14, an optical fiber fixing portion 14 c having a shape in which a part of the outer periphery of the resin joint 14 is cut out in a substantially rectangular shape in cross section is formed. Hereinafter, the portion of the resin joint 14 on the front side of the front end portion of the optical fiber fixing portion 14c will be referred to as a front end portion 14d, and the portion of the resin joint 14 on the rear side of the rear end portion of the optical fiber fixing portion 14c will be referred to as a rear end portion 14e. . On the outer peripheral upper surface of the tip end portion 14d, a fitting portion 14f having a concave groove shape which is substantially triangular in cross section is formed.

In the through hole of the resin joint 14, the holder insertion area 14g at the tip end 14d, the jacket insertion area 14h at the rear end opening 14b side, and the optical fiber gripping area 14i between the holder insertion area 14g and the jacket insertion area 14h. It is provided. A plurality (two in the present embodiment) of holder insertion areas 14g and optical fiber gripping areas 14i are provided corresponding to the number of optical fibers 13 to be fixed to the optical connector 10. Further, a positioning portion 14j is provided at the boundary between the holder insertion area 14g and the optical fiber gripping area 14i. The inner diameter of the holder insertion area 14 g is configured to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the holder 11. The inner diameter of the jacket insertion area 14 h is configured to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the jacket 16. The inner diameter of the optical fiber gripping area 14i is configured to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the optical fiber 13. In addition, a part of the optical fiber gripping area 14i is opened toward the optical fiber fixing portion 14c.

The mating portion 14 f of the resin joint 14 is an optical connector inserted into the device 100 by fitting with the convex fitting portion 105 a provided on the inner periphery of the opening 105 in the device 100 (see FIG. 1). 10 is provided to prevent misalignment and to improve the connection between the optical connector 10 and the device 100. Also, by inserting the optical connector 10 into the device 100 until the fitted portion 14 f and the fitting portion 105 a are fitted, the optical connector 10 can be always positioned at a predetermined position in the case 102. .

The fixed binding member 15 has a substantially U-shaped cross section in the longitudinal direction, that is, a fixed portion 15a having a substantially U shape as viewed from the side of the fixed binding member 15, and a substantially U-shaped cross section in the short direction. That is, it is comprised from the

binding part

15b, 15c which is substantially U-shaped seeing from the front-back direction of the fixed binding member 15. That is, as shown in FIG. The fixing portion 15 a is disposed at the optical fiber fixing portion 14 c of the resin joint 14. The binding portion 15 b covers a part of the top surface, the side surface and the bottom surface of the rear end portion 14 e of the resin joint 14. The binding portion 15 c covers a part of the optical fiber 13 (jacket 16) exposed from the opening 14 b of the resin joint 14. The upper surface of the binding portion 15 b and the binding portion 15 c is connected.

The jacket 16 is formed of, for example, an elastic member or a tensile strength fiber, and covers all the optical fibers 13 along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 13 exposed in the jacket insertion area 14 h of the resin joint 14 or the opening 14 b. The jacket 16 and the optical fiber 13 are not in close contact with each other, and are mounted with a gap. Therefore, even if the jacket 16 is pulled, no force is applied to the optical fiber 13, and disconnection of the optical fiber 13 can be prevented.

Subsequently, the optical collimator 10a including the holder 11, the collimator lens 12, and the optical fiber 13 used for the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a side view of the optical collimator 10a according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

The holder 11 is formed of, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel. In particular, in terms of workability, the holder 11 is preferably formed of austenitic stainless steel. As shown in FIG. 6, an opening 11 b is provided at an end of the holder 11 on the side of the collimator lens 12. Inside the opening 11b, a housing 11c for housing the collimator lens 12 is provided. In order to prevent the surface of the collimator lens 12 from being damaged, the housing portion 11 c is provided in a size that can receive the entire collimator lens 12 inside, and the collimator lens 12 is configured to be press-fit. Further, a through hole 11 d having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the optical fiber 13 is provided inside the holder 11. The through hole 11d is in communication with the insertion hole 11a and in communication with the housing portion 11c. Furthermore, the holder 11 is provided with a plurality of depressions 11 e formed by pressing from the outer peripheral portion thereof with a tool or the like. These depressions 11e are provided between the accommodation portion 11c and the through hole 11d, and are used for positioning of the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 as described later in detail.

The collimator lens 12 is formed of, for example, a glass material, and is configured of a ball lens having a spherical shape. As shown in FIG. 6, the collimator lens 12 is disposed to face the tip of the optical fiber 13 inserted into the through hole 11 d in a state of being accommodated in the accommodation portion 11 c of the holder 11.

The optical fiber 13 is composed of a core 13a provided through the center thereof, a clad 13b covering the core 13a, and a reinforcing layer 13c covering and reinforcing the clad 13b. At the end face of the optical fiber 13 facing the collimator lens 12, the core 13a, the clad 13b and the reinforcing layer 13c are disposed on the same plane. That is, at the end face facing the collimator lens 12, the core 13a, the clad 13b and the reinforcing layer 13c are arranged in line.

Further, the optical fiber 13 is inserted into the through hole 11 d through the insertion hole 11 a, and is fixed in a state in which the tip end portion is disposed in the vicinity of the collimator lens 12 so as to face the spherical surface.

In the optical collimator 10a according to the first embodiment, the optical fiber 13 is made of, for example, a graded index (GI) type optical fiber, and the refractive index changes continuously in a cross section perpendicular to the fiber axis. It is configured. The core 13a and the cladding 13b are made of, for example, a perfluorinated optical resin in which H of CH bond is substituted by F. As described above, high-speed and large-capacity communication can be realized by configuring the optical fiber 13 with the all-fluorine-substituted optical resin and configuring with the GI-type optical fiber.

In the optical collimator 10a according to the first embodiment, which has such a configuration, the optical collimator 10a according to the first embodiment is provided in the holder 11 for simply positioning the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 while suppressing an increase in cost. The depression 11e is used. Specifically, positioning is performed by bringing the collimator lens 12 and a part of the optical fiber 13 into contact with the depressed portion 11 e provided in the holder 11, thereby eliminating the need for a configuration such as a spacer for these positioning, and cost The positioning of the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 can be easily performed while suppressing the rise of the lens.

Here, a method of positioning the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 in the holder 11 of the optical collimator 10a according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is within the two-dot chain line B shown in FIG. FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, a part of the collimator lens 12 abuts on the part facing the collimator lens 12 in the recess 11 e, while the optical fiber 13 is formed on the part facing the optical fiber 13. The cladding 13 b or the reinforcing layer 13 c other than the core 13 a or a part of the cladding 13 b and the reinforcing layer 13 c abuts. The collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 are respectively positioned at predetermined positions of the holder 11 in such a state of contact.

As shown in FIG. 7, the depressed portion 11 e is a plane orthogonal to the insertion direction of the optical fiber 13 (for example, a plane C disposed parallel to the end face of the optical fiber 13 shown in FIG. 7 and passing the center of the depressed portion 11 e ), The angle of the part facing the collimator lens 12 and the angle of the part facing the optical fiber 13 are provided at different angles. Such a recess 11 e is provided, for example, by pressing using a tapered tool having a different shape of the tip. By performing press processing with such a tool, the depression 11e differs in angle between the part facing the collimator lens 12 and the part facing the optical fiber 13 with respect to the central axis at the time of the press processing. By setting the angle, it is possible to effectively position the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 having different shapes.

Further, in the optical collimator 10 a according to the first embodiment, a plurality (three in the present embodiment) of such depressions 11 e are provided on the same circumference of the holder 11. The formation of the depressions 11e on the same circumference can be considered, for example, by simultaneously pressing from the outer periphery of the holder 11 with tools having different tip shapes as described above. Since the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 can be brought into contact with each other at a plurality of positions by providing a plurality of depressions 11 e on the same circumference in this manner, the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 can be more accurately. It becomes possible to perform positioning.

The portion of the recess 11 e facing the collimator lens 12 constitutes an inclined surface 11 e ₁ . The inclined surface 11e ₁ is a plan (e.g., orthogonal to the insertion direction of the optical fiber 13 shown by the arrows in FIG. 7, arranged parallel to the end face of the optical fiber 13 shown in FIG. 7, passes through the base end portion of the recess 11e It is provided so that angle (theta) ₁ with respect to the plane D) to become may become 0 degree or more and 45 degrees or less. By thus setting the angle theta ₁ of the inclined surface 11e ₁ of the collimator lens 12 side than 45 ° 0 ° or more with respect to the plane D perpendicular to the insertion direction of the optical fiber 13, the optical fiber 13 in the collimator lens 12 Since positioning can be performed while supporting part of the side, the positional accuracy of the collimator lens 12 can be enhanced.

On the other hand, the portion of the recess 11 e facing the optical fiber 13 constitutes an inclined surface 11 e ₂ . The inclined surface 11e ₂ is a plane perpendicular to the insertion direction of the optical fiber 13 (e.g., a plane E which is parallel to the end face of the optical fiber 13 shown in FIG. 7) the angle theta ₂ is 20 ° or less 0 ° or more with respect to It is provided as. Thus, by providing the angle of the inclined surface 11e ₂ at 0 ° or more and 20 ° or less with respect to the plane E, as described above, the core 13a, the cladding 13b, and the reinforcing layer 13c are on the same plane as described above. When the optical fiber is arranged, by bringing the end face of the optical fiber 13 into contact with the depression 11e, it is possible to easily secure the positional accuracy of these.

As described above, in the optical collimator 10a according to the first embodiment, positioning is performed such that a part of the collimator lens 12 and a part of the optical fiber 13 are brought into contact with the recess 11e provided in the holder 11. Since the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 can be positioned with reference to the depression 11e, the working efficiency can be improved as compared with the case where another component is inserted into the holder 11 as in the prior art. It is possible to easily position the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 while suppressing an increase in cost.

Subsequently, an assembly process of the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 8 to 10 are explanatory views sequentially showing an assembling process of the optical connector 10. As shown in FIG. The assembling step of the optical connector 10 includes a step (a) of pressing the holder 11 into the resin joint 14, a step (b) of inserting the optical fiber 13, a step (c) of mounting the jacket 16, and a fixed binding member 15. Mounting step (d). Each step will be described in detail below.

[Step (a)]
First, as shown in FIG. 8, the holder 11 is press-fit through the insertion hole 14 a of the resin joint 14. The collimator lens 12 is positioned and housed in the housing portion 11c of the holder 11 in a state of being in contact with the depressed portion 11e. The holder 11 press-fitted from the insertion hole 14a comes to rest when the insertion hole 11a of the holder 11 abuts on the positioning portion 14j. At this time, the holder 11 is positioned at a predetermined position.

[Step (b)]
Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the optical fiber 13 is inserted from the opening 14 b of the resin joint 14. The optical fiber 13 is guided by the inner diameter of the resin joint 14 to reach the insertion hole 11a of the holder 11, and is guided by the inner diameter of the holder 11 to reach the recess 11e. When the optical fiber 13 abuts on the depression 11e, the insertion operation is completed. At this time, the optical fiber 13 is positioned at a predetermined position. When the optical fiber 13 is loaded in the optical fiber holding area 14i, the optical fiber 13 is disposed so that a part thereof is exposed at the bottom of the optical fiber fixing portion 14c.

[Step (c)]
Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the jacket 16 is mounted so as to cover the entire optical fiber 13 along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 13 exposed from the inside of the jacket insertion area 14h of the resin joint 14 or the opening 14b. However, in FIG. 10, a part of the jacket 16 is omitted.

In addition, when using the optical fiber 13 covered by the jacket 16 in advance, the jacket 16 of the part loaded in the holder 11 and the optical fiber holding area 14i is peeled off before the step (b) of inserting the optical fiber 13 The optical fiber 13 is exposed. By inserting the optical fiber 13 with the jacket 16 whose end is exposed in this way from the opening 14b of the resin joint 14, as shown in FIG. 10, as in the case of going through the above steps (b) and (c). You can get the status.

[Step (d)]
Finally, the fixing portion 15a of the fixing binding member 15 is disposed in the optical fiber fixing portion 14c of the resin joint 14, and the binding portion 15b and the binding portion 15c are exposed from the rear end 14e and the opening 14b of the resin joint 14 By covering a part of the optical fiber 13 (jacket 16), the optical connector 10 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained. The fixing portion 15a fixes the optical fiber 13 by being pressed from above the optical fiber fixing portion 14c. That is, the plurality of optical fibers 13 loaded in the optical fiber gripping area 14i and disposed so that their heads come out at the bottom of the optical fiber fixing portion 14c are held down from above by the fixing portion 15a and fixed at one time . Further, the binding portion 15 b and the binding portion 15 c are crimped to fix the resin joint 14 and the jacket 16 by pressing the both side surfaces thereof. This configuration makes it possible to further increase the connection strength between the resin joint 14 and the optical fiber 13.

As described above, in the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment, at least one of the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 is brought into contact with the depressed portion 11e provided in the holder 11 for positioning. Therefore, since the collimator lens 12 and / or the optical fiber 13 can be positioned with reference to the recess 11e, the working efficiency can be improved as compared to the case where another component is inserted into the holding member as in the related art. It is possible to easily position the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 while suppressing an increase in cost. Further, the optical fiber fixing portion 14 c for housing the fixing portion 15 a of the fixing binding member 15 is formed on the optical fiber holding area 14 i of the resin joint 14 to firmly fix the positioned optical fiber 13. As a result, assembly work can be performed easily with a small number of parts.

For example, in an optical connector used to perform large-capacity communication between devices or in devices using an optical fiber, a partition (spacer portion) is formed for positioning the optical fiber and the collimator lens as in the prior art In such a case, it is necessary to perform processing such as cutting on a holding member (holder) made of a metal material or the like. However, in the holding member of the optical connector used in the above-mentioned application, since the size is reduced, the processing accuracy of cutting is lowered, and the cost associated with the processing (for example, the cost due to the generation of defective products). The increase is noticeable. On the other hand, in the holder 11 of the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment, plastic working is performed instead of forming the partition (spacer portion) by performing cutting on the holder 11 as a holding member. Thus, since the depression 11e is formed, the cost involved in the processing can be significantly reduced.

Further, in the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment, while the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 are positioned by the depressed portion 11 e formed in the holder 11, the optical fiber grip formed in the resin joint 14 is The optical fiber 13 is fixed by the fixing portion 15 a of the fixing binding member 15 accommodated in the region 14 i and the optical fiber fixing portion 14 c. In this case, the optical fiber 13 is firmly fixed in the positioned state. Therefore, in an application for performing large-capacity communication between devices or within devices using optical fiber 13, the positional relationship between optical fiber 13 and collimator lens 12 is maintained even when insertion and removal are repeated. be able to.

In the above description, the case where the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 are positioned by bringing a part of the collimator lens 12 and a part of the optical fiber 13 into contact with the recess 11 e provided in the holder 11 doing. However, the method of positioning the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 is not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed. For example, instead of bringing both the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 into contact with the depression 11 e, one of the collimator lens 12 or the optical fiber 13 is brought into contact, and the other is the holder 11 other than the depression 11 e. You may make it position by a part. However, in this case, it is premised that the portion for positioning the other is designed in a fixed positional relationship with the recess 11e. That is, in the optical connector 10 according to the present invention, the idea of bringing one of the collimator lens 12 or the optical fiber 13 into contact with the depressed portion 11 e is also included.

Second Embodiment
An optical connector 20 having a structure different from that of the optical connector 10 shown in the first embodiment will be described. The optical connector 20 is different from the optical connector 10 in the structure of a member for fixing the optical fiber 13 in the optical fiber fixing portion 14 c of the resin joint 14. Hereinafter, the optical connector 20 according to the second embodiment will be described based on FIG. 11 and FIG. FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of the optical connector 20 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the optical connector 20 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the fixing member 25 is a flat portion 25a having a rectangular shape in a top view and disposed on the upper surface of the resin joint 14, and a substantially rectangular convex portion disposed in the optical fiber fixing portion 14c. And 25b. As described above, since the fixing member 25 has a simple structure, it can be manufactured at low cost.

Subsequently, an assembly process of the optical connector 20 according to the second embodiment will be described. In the assembly process of the optical connector 20, the assembly process of the optical connector 10 according to the first embodiment and the processes (a) to (c) are common, and the process (d) is different.

[Step (d)]
Finally, the convex portion 25 b of the fixing member 25 is disposed in the optical fiber fixing portion 14 c of the resin joint 14. The fixing member 25 fixes the optical fiber 13 by pressing the flat portion 25 a from above. That is, the plurality of optical fibers 13 loaded in the optical fiber gripping area 14i and arranged so that a part thereof is exposed at the bottom of the optical fiber fixing portion 14c are pressed from above by the convex portion 25b of the fixing member 25. It is fixed at once.

Further, in the optical connector 20 according to the second embodiment, while the collimator lens 12 and the optical fiber 13 are positioned by the recess 11e formed in the holder 11, the optical fiber grip formed in the resin joint 14 is The optical fiber 13 is fixed by the region 14i and the convex portion 25b of the fixing member 25 accommodated in the optical fiber fixing portion 14c. In this case, the optical fiber 13 is firmly fixed in the positioned state. Therefore, in an application for performing large-capacity communication between devices or within devices using optical fiber 13, the positional relationship between optical fiber 13 and collimator lens 12 is maintained even when insertion and removal are repeated. be able to.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications. In the above embodiment, the size, shape, and the like illustrated in the attached drawings are not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the effects of the present invention. In addition, the present invention can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the plastic optical fiber is described as an example of the optical fiber 13. However, the optical fiber 13 applied to the optical connector 10 (20) according to the above embodiment is limited to the plastic optical fiber It is not something to be done. For example, it is also possible to apply glass fiber.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-096917 filed on April 25, 2011. All this content is included here.

Claims

A metal holding member having an accommodating portion for accommodating the collimator lens at one end, and an insertion hole for inserting an optical fiber at the other end;
A first insertion hole in which the holding member is inserted is formed at one end, and a through hole in which a second insertion hole in which the optical fiber is inserted is formed at the other end, and a part of the through hole is formed A resin joint in which an optical fiber gripping area is formed;
An optical connector provided with
Positioning is performed by bringing at least one of the end face of the collimator lens and the optical fiber into contact with a depressed portion formed in the vicinity of the housing portion of the holding member;
An optical connector characterized in that an optical fiber fixing portion for housing an optical fiber fixing member is formed on the optical fiber holding area in the resin joint.
A part of the optical fiber holding area is opened to the optical fiber fixing part side, and a part of the optical fiber inserted in the optical fiber holding area is exposed at the bottom of the optical fiber fixing part. The optical connector according to claim 1.
The light according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical fiber fixing member has a convex portion accommodated in the optical fiber fixing portion and a flat portion disposed on the upper surface of the resin joint. connector.
The optical fiber fixing member bonds a fixing portion having a substantially U-shaped cross section housed in the optical fiber fixing portion, a part of the resin joint, and a part of the optical fiber exposed from the second insertion hole. The optical connector according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a binding part.
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first insertion holes are provided in parallel.
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein a fitting portion that fits with a fitting portion on the device side when connecting to a device is provided on an outer periphery of the resin joint.
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is a plastic optical fiber.