WO2022259345A1 - Connecteur optique - Google Patents

Connecteur optique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022259345A1
WO2022259345A1 PCT/JP2021/021654 JP2021021654W WO2022259345A1 WO 2022259345 A1 WO2022259345 A1 WO 2022259345A1 JP 2021021654 W JP2021021654 W JP 2021021654W WO 2022259345 A1 WO2022259345 A1 WO 2022259345A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
plug
ferrule
housing
male
female
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Application number
PCT/JP2021/021654
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English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
英敏 石田
Original Assignee
株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所
住友電装株式会社
住友電気工業株式会社
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
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Application filed by 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所, 住友電装株式会社, 住友電気工業株式会社 filed Critical 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所
Priority to PCT/JP2021/021654 priority Critical patent/WO2022259345A1/fr
Publication of WO2022259345A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022259345A1/fr

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
    • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to optical connectors.
  • Optical cables that use optical fibers are widely used for information communication for household and industrial purposes, as they are capable of high-speed communication of a large amount of information.
  • automobiles are equipped with various electronic devices such as a car navigation system, and optical communications using optical cables are beginning to be used for communications in these devices.
  • speed of communication by in-vehicle communication equipment is increasing.
  • problems in performing high-speed communications exceeding 1 Gbps using electric cables and along with the increase in communication speeds, the importance of optical cables that can handle high-speed communications in in-vehicle communication equipment is increasing.
  • optical cables with multimode glass optical fibers can be suitably used for high-speed communications.
  • an optical connector when connecting a pair of plugs to each other, a pair of ferrules coupled to the ends of an optical cable are arranged facing each other. In the facing portion of the ferrule, light may not pass through normally, which may affect the optical coupling between the ferrules.
  • the area of the tip surface of the ferrule is small, and the adhesion of dust tends to greatly affect optical communication. Therefore, if dust adheres to the tip surface of the ferrule, it is necessary to clean the tip surface by an operation such as wiping. Therefore, it is preferable that the optical connector has a structure that facilitates cleaning of the tip surface of the ferrule.
  • the tip of the ferrule may come into contact with an external object during the process of handling the optical cable in the factory. Damage to the tip of the ferrule can occur if it is subjected to an external force. Therefore, in the optical connector, it is preferable that the tip of the ferrule is protected by a housing or the like. For example, if the plug is configured so that the tip surface of the ferrule is located at a position retreated from the tip surface of the housing, the ferrule can be effectively protected from contact with an external object or application of external force. can be done.
  • the housing 921 has a cylindrical accommodation space S9, and the split sleeve 925 is arranged inside the accommodation space S9. be. Furthermore, a ferrule 924 is arranged inside the split sleeve 925 .
  • the ferrule 912 of the male plug 91 is inserted into the split sleeve 925 of the female plug 92, and the pair of ferrules 912 and 924 are connected to the ends. Positioning is performed with the surfaces 9121 and 9241 facing each other.
  • the distal end face 9241 of the ferrule 924 on the female plug 92 side is located at a position deep inside the distal end edge S9a of the accommodation space S9, and at a position in the middle of the thin cylindrical split sleeve 925. Therefore, it is difficult to clean the distal end surface 9241 by inserting an instrument through the opening S9a on the distal end side of the housing 921 .
  • the tip end surface of the ferrule (201) is arranged at a position considerably deep from the opening of the housing (22). As described above, in the conventional optical connector, it is difficult to achieve both protection of the ferrule tip from contact with an external object and application of external force and simplicity of cleaning the ferrule tip surface.
  • an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector that can both protect the tip of the ferrule against contact with an external object or the application of an external force, and facilitate the cleaning of the tip surface of the ferrule.
  • An optical connector of the present disclosure includes a first plug and a second plug that are mutually mateable along a mating axis, the first plug being coupled to an optical fiber.
  • the second ferrule is attached to the built-in plug part with a tip part protruding outside from the built-in plug part, and is attached to the built-in plug part in a state where the adapter part and the built-in plug part are coupled, and a tip part projects from the adapter part.
  • the first housing is the adapter portion of the second housing
  • they are locked together via an external locking structure, the internal locking structure being more difficult to release than the external locking structure.
  • the optical connector according to the present disclosure can both protect the tip of the ferrule against contact with an external object or the application of external force, and facilitate cleaning of the tip surface of the ferrule.
  • FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure with a male plug and a female plug separated.
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the optical connector with the male and female plugs fitted together.
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an adapter portion and a built-in plug portion of a female plug are separated.
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified female plug with a different form of internal locking structure between the adapter portion and the built-in plug portion.
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified optical connector having a plurality of pairs of ferrules.
  • 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views showing conventional optical connectors.
  • FIG. 6A shows the state in which the male plug and the female plug are separated
  • FIG. 6B shows the state in which the male plug and the female plug are fitted.
  • An optical connector according to the present disclosure includes a first plug and a second plug that are mutually mateable along a mating axis, wherein the first plug is coupled to an optical fiber.
  • the second ferrule is attached to the built-in plug part in a state in which a tip part protrudes outward from the built-in plug part, and in a state where the adapter part and the built-in plug part are coupled, a tip part protrudes from the adapter part.
  • the first housing accommodates the adapter of the second housing.
  • the parts are locked to each other via an external locking structure, the internal locking structure being more difficult to release than the external locking structure.
  • the second housing that constitutes the second plug has an adapter section and a built-in plug section that are detachably coupled to each other.
  • the tip of the second ferrule is accommodated inside the adapter section. Protected against contact with objects and the application of external forces.
  • the second ferrule is attached to the built-in plug part with the tip protruding outside the built-in plug part, so when the adapter part is removed from the built-in plug part, the tip of the second ferrule It will be exposed to the outside. In this state, the tip surface of the second ferrule can be easily cleaned.
  • the second housing is composed of the second ferrule and the detachable built-in plug portion and the adapter portion having a predetermined positional relationship, thereby protecting the ferrule tip portion. Simplicity of cleaning the tip surface can be compatible. Furthermore, since the internal locking structure between the adapter portion and the built-in plug portion is more difficult to release than the external locking structure between the adapter portion and the first housing, the external locking structure When the structure is unlocked and the mated first plug and second plug are separated, etc., the internal locking structure is accidentally unlocked and the internal locking structure is unintentionally inserted into the adapter part. It is easy to avoid the situation in which the plug part is separated.
  • the internal locking structure requires application of a larger force in the direction intersecting the fitting axis when releasing than the external locking structure.
  • the internal locking structure can be made more difficult to release than the external locking structure, effectively avoiding a situation in which the internal locking structure is erroneously released when the external locking structure is released. can do.
  • the first ferrule has a tip portion housed inside the first housing, and when the first plug and the second plug are fitted together, the first housing is It may be inserted inside the adapter portion of the second housing.
  • the tip of the first ferrule is accommodated in the housing, and the tip is easily protected from contact with an external object or application of external force.
  • the fitting structure of the first plug and the second plug adopts a male-female fitting structure in which the first housing is inserted into the adapter portion of the second housing, at the time of fitting,
  • the tip end face of the first ferrule In order to bring the tip end face of the first ferrule, which is the male side, sufficiently close to the tip end face of the second ferrule, which is the female side, the tip end face of the first ferrule must be aligned with the opening at the tip of the first housing. Therefore, it is arranged at a relatively shallow position. Then, the operation of inserting an instrument or the like from the opening at the tip of the first housing to clean the tip surface of the first ferrule does not become extremely difficult.
  • the first housing has a cylindrical accommodation space, accommodates the first ferrule inside the accommodation space, and extends from the leading end edge of the accommodation space to the first ferrule. It is preferable that the relationship ⁇ 2D/4 ⁇ D is satisfied, where ⁇ is the distance to the tip end face of the ferrule, and D is the diameter when the shape of the opening of the tip edge of the accommodation space is approximated to a circle. Then, when the optical cable to which the optical connector is attached is assembled or the optical connector is mated, the tip of the first housing interferes with the tip surface of the first ferrule and damages it. While being able to suppress it, it becomes easy to ensure the ease of cleaning of the front end surface of the first ferrule.
  • the optical connector is housed in the first housing and housed in a first biasing member that biases the first ferrule toward the distal end side, and the built-in plug portion of the second housing, and a second biasing member that biases the second ferrule toward the distal end side.
  • the first biasing member and the second biasing member each push the first ferrule and the second ferrule toward the mating ferrule when the first plug and the second plug are mated.
  • the pair of ferrules can be easily held in a state in which the tip surfaces are butted against each other. Therefore, it becomes easy to maintain the optical coupling via the ferrule under favorable conditions.
  • accurate abutment of the tip surfaces helps to suppress the reflection loss of the optical signal at the tip surface. becomes important.
  • the first plug includes a plurality of the first ferrules
  • the second plug includes a plurality of the second ferrules
  • the first plug and the second plug each include the first ferrule.
  • the ferrule and the second ferrule may be mated and unmated with each other while being collectively held by the first housing and the second housing.
  • the second plug preferably includes a plurality of the second ferrules, and the built-in plug section is detachable from the adapter section while holding all the second ferrules collectively. Then, even when the second plug includes a plurality of ferrules, such as when performing multi-channel communication, assembly of the second plug by coupling the built-in plug section to which the plurality of ferrules are attached and the adapter section, Also, the step of attaching and detaching the adapter can be easily performed for cleaning the tip surface of the ferrule. Also, the structures of the built-in plug portion and the adapter portion can be made simple and small.
  • An optical connector 1 according to the present disclosure is configured as a set of a male plug 10 as a first plug and a female plug 20 as a second plug.
  • the male plug 10 and the female plug 20 can be fitted together.
  • 1 shows the male plug 10 and the female plug 20 separated from each other
  • FIG. 2 shows the male plug 10 and the female plug 20 fitted together.
  • the direction facing the mating plug of each of the male plug 10 and the female plug 20 is defined as the front side
  • the direction away from the mating plug is defined as the rear side.
  • the male plug 10 has a male side ferrule 12 as a first ferrule, a male housing 11 as a first housing, and a coil spring 13 as a biasing member.
  • the female plug 20 has a female side ferrule 24 as a second ferrule, a female housing 21 as a second housing, and a split sleeve 25 .
  • the female housing 21 includes an adapter portion 22 and a built-in plug portion 23 .
  • the male-side ferrule 12 and the female-side ferrule 24 are composed of known ferrules for optical cables, and optical cables C with exposed optical fibers C1 are fixed at their distal ends.
  • the types of the optical cable C and the ferrules 12 and 24 are not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of application to high-speed communication, the optical cable C is provided with a multimode glass optical fiber. It is preferable to use A multimode type glass optical fiber often has a small core diameter of 100 ⁇ m or less, and a suitable ferrule also has a small tip surface area.
  • each optical cable C is described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 by making the optical fiber C1 exposed at the tip portion flush with the tip surfaces 121 and 241 of the ferrules 12 and 24. They are secured to ferrules 12 and 24, respectively, by known cable securing members, such as those comprising crimp rings and stop rings.
  • male side ferrule 12 is housed in male housing 11 .
  • the male ferrule 12 is entirely housed in the male housing 11 , including the tip portion, so that it is not exposed to the outside of the male housing 11 .
  • the male housing 11 is a case-shaped member made of a resin material.
  • the male housing 11 has a cylindrical accommodation space S1 that is open at both ends.
  • a circular opening (fitting opening) S1a is formed at the leading edge of the housing space S1, and a sleeve housing portion 225 of the female plug 20, which will be described later, can enter through the opening S1a.
  • the male housing 11 has a lever portion 112 on the outside of one outer wall surface 111 .
  • the lever portion 112 is formed as a plate spring structure having a proximal end at the front of the male housing 11 , and is integrally connected to the outer wall surface 111 of the male housing 11 at the proximal end.
  • a male-side locking piece 113 is formed as a protrusion that protrudes outward with respect to the fitting shaft A at an intermediate portion of the lever portion 112 .
  • the open end side of the lever portion 112 is an operation portion 114 formed with a flat surface that can be pressed by the operator's fingers.
  • a housing recess 115 is provided as a recessed structure capable of housing a female side locking piece 223 of the female housing 21, which will be described later.
  • the coil spring 13 is coaxially arranged on the outer circumference of the optical cable C coupled to the male ferrule 12, and its tip portion is in contact with the rear end surface of the male ferrule 12. The coil spring 13 biases the male ferrule 12 toward the distal end side.
  • the male ferrule 12 is positioned by the forward biasing force of the coil spring 13 and the contact with the positioning projection 116 provided as a projection projecting inside the housing space S1. That is, when the male plug 10 is not mated with the female plug 20 , the male ferrule 12 is pressed against the positioning projection 116 by the coil spring 13 and centered. At this time, the tip surface 121 of the male ferrule 12 is arranged at a position that is deeper (rear) than the opening S1a of the tip edge of the male housing 11 .
  • the distance (pull-in amount) from the tip edge S1a of the male housing 11 to the tip surface 121 of the male ferrule 12 is ⁇ .
  • D is the diameter when the shape of the opening of the tip edge S1a of the male housing 11 is approximated to a circle
  • the relationship of the following formula (1) is preferably satisfied. ⁇ 2D/4 ⁇ D (1)
  • FIG. 1 Structure of female plug 1 1, 2 and 3 show the structure of the female plug 20.
  • FIG. 1 a female side ferrule 24 is housed in a female housing 21 .
  • the female side ferrule 24 is housed in the female housing 21 in its entirety, including the tip, so as not to be exposed to the outside of the female housing 21 .
  • the female housing 21 has two parts, an adapter part 22 and a built-in plug part 23 .
  • the adapter portion 22 and the built-in plug portion 23 are connected to each other as reversibly detachable parts. As shown in FIG. 3, the adapter portion 22 and the built-in plug portion 23 can be separated in the longitudinal direction along the fitting axis A. As shown in FIG.
  • the adapter part 22 is arranged at the front, and the built-in plug part 23 is arranged at the rear. Both the adapter portion 22 and the built-in plug portion 23 are made of a resin material.
  • the adapter part 22 has a general cylindrical shape with both ends opened.
  • the adapter portion 22 is divided into two spaces in the front-rear direction by a partition wall 221 .
  • a space in front of the partition wall 221 serves as a fitting space S2 in which the male plug 10 can be accommodated together with the male housing 11 .
  • a female-side locking piece 223 is formed as a protrusion protruding from the outer wall surface 222 toward the inside of the fitting space S2 at the front edge of the fitting space S2.
  • the female side locking piece 223 is housed in the housing recess 115 of the male housing 11 housed in the fitting space S2, and can be mutually locked with the male side locking piece 113 .
  • the space behind the partition wall 221 serves as a plug section accommodation space S3 that can accommodate the built-in plug section 23 with the female ferrule 24 built therein.
  • the outer wall surface 222 is provided with an internal locking hole 224 as a through hole at a position surrounding the plug portion accommodation space S3.
  • An internal locking piece 233 of the built-in plug portion 23 to be described later can be fitted into the internal locking hole 224 .
  • the adapter portion 22 is integrally provided with a sleeve accommodation portion 225 as a cylindrical structure penetrating through the partition wall 221 .
  • a split sleeve 25 is arranged in the sleeve accommodating portion 225 .
  • the split sleeve 25 is a cylindrical member made of metal with a slit formed along the axial direction, and can hold a ferrule inserted therein by tightening it inward with an elastic force.
  • a known split sleeve such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2 can be applied.
  • the built-in plug part 23 is configured as a cylindrical case-shaped member with both ends opened, and holds a female side ferrule 24 to which the optical cable C is coupled.
  • the female side ferrule 24 is attached to the built-in plug part 23 in a state in which a part of the distal end side protrudes outside the built-in plug part 23, instead of being housed entirely inside the built-in plug part 23. .
  • the female side ferrule 24 is firmly fixed to the built-in plug portion 23 and cannot be separated by applying a force required to separate the mutually coupled built-in plug portion 23 and the adapter portion 22 .
  • An inner leaf spring portion 232 is provided on the outer side of one outer wall surface 231 of the built-in plug portion 23 .
  • the internal leaf spring portion 232 is formed as a leaf spring structure having a proximal end at the front of the built-in plug portion 23 , and is integrally coupled with the outer wall surface 231 of the built-in plug portion 23 at the base end.
  • the internal plug portion 23 including the internal leaf spring portion 232 has an external dimension (vertical dimension in the figure) larger than the internal dimension of the plug portion accommodation space S3 of the adapter portion 22.
  • the built-in plug portion 23 cannot be accommodated in the plug portion accommodating space S3 unless elastically deformed in the direction of compressing the .
  • An internal locking piece 233 is formed as a protrusion that protrudes outward with respect to the fitting axis A in the middle portion of the internal leaf spring portion 232 .
  • the internal locking piece 233 can be fitted into the internal locking hole 224 of the adapter portion 22 when the built-in plug portion 23 is inserted into the plug portion accommodating space S3 of the adapter portion 22 .
  • the internal leaf spring portion 232 is not provided with an operation portion that can be easily operated by the operator. Further, the plate thickness of the internal plate spring portion 232 (dimension in the vertical direction in the drawing) is larger than the plate thickness of the lever portion 112 , and the internal plate spring portion 232 is elastically deformed more than the lever portion 112 . requires great force. Furthermore, the distance from the proximal end of the internal leaf spring portion 232 to the position of the internal locking piece 233 is shorter than the distance from the proximal end of the lever portion 112 to the position of the male side locking piece 113 .
  • the built-in plug part 23 is inserted into the plug part accommodation space S3 of the adapter part 22 from the rear opening in a state in which the female side ferrule 24 to which the optical cable C is coupled is built.
  • the female side ferrule 24 projecting forward of the built-in plug portion 23 is inserted into the split sleeve 25 accommodated in the sleeve accommodating portion 225 and is elastically held by the split sleeve 25 .
  • the female ferrule 24 is positioned such that the tip end surface 241 is located in the middle of the split sleeve 25 in the axial direction.
  • the internal leaf spring portion 232 When the built-in plug portion 23 is accommodated in the plug portion accommodation space S3 of the adapter portion 22, the internal leaf spring portion 232 is elastically deformed toward the inside (lower side in the figure) with respect to the fitting axis A, and the built-in plug portion 23 is The plug portion 23 is accommodated. Then, when the internal locking piece 233 provided on the outside of the built-in plug portion 23 reaches the position of the internal locking hole 224 provided on the outer wall 222 of the adapter portion 22, the internal locking piece engages the internal locking hole 224. 233 fits and locks. At least a part of the elastic deformation of the internal leaf spring portion 232 is eliminated. In this state, the upper end portion of the internal locking piece 233 does not protrude outside the internal locking hole 224 and the entirety of the internal locking piece 233 remains inside the internal locking hole 224 .
  • the female side ferrule 24 maintains a state in which the distal end protrudes outward with respect to the built-in plug portion 23, as shown in FIG.
  • the female ferrule 24 is entirely housed inside the adapter section 22, including the tip. Therefore, the distal end surface 241 of the female ferrule 24 is arranged at a position that is deeper (rearward) than the opening (fitting opening) S2a of the distal end edge of the adapter portion 22 .
  • the specific position of the distal end surface 241 of the female ferrule 24 is not particularly limited, it is related to the male-female fitting structure in which the male housing 11 is inserted inside the female housing 21. Then, the distance from the tip edge S2a of the adapter portion 22 to the tip surface 241 of the female ferrule 24 (the amount of retraction ⁇ ′) is normally larger than the amount of retraction ⁇ of the male ferrule 12 .
  • the internal locking piece 233 of the built-in plug portion 23 is pulled out from the internal locking hole 224 of the adapter portion 22 to lock the two. is released, and then the built-in plug portion 23 and the adapter portion 22 are pulled apart in the front-rear direction.
  • a fine rod-shaped instrument such as a precision screwdriver may be inserted from the outside of the internal locking hole 224 to push down the internal locking piece 233 .
  • the end portion of the internal leaf spring portion 232 protruding short from the rear end of the adapter portion 22 may be pushed down.
  • the end surfaces 121 and 241 of the ferrules 12 and 24 are butted against each other without any gap from the viewpoint of avoiding Fresnel loss between the ferrules 12 and 24. becomes more important.
  • the leaf spring-like lever portion 112 provided on the outside of the male housing 11 is pushed inward (lower side in the drawing) with respect to the fitting axis A. ) is elastically deformed.
  • the accommodation recess 115 provided in the lever portion 112 reaches the position of the female side locking piece 223 provided at the tip of the adapter portion 22 of the female plug 20 , the female side locking piece 223 is engaged with the accommodation recess 115 . At least a part of the elastic deformation of the lever portion 112 is eliminated as it is fitted.
  • the female side locking piece 223 and the male side locking piece 113 are locked, and the male plug 10 cannot easily escape from the female plug 20 .
  • the lever portion 112 of the male plug 10 is pushed down by the operation portion 114 with a finger or the like, and the engagement between the female side locking piece 223 and the male side locking piece 113 is released. With the engagement released, the male plug 10 may be retracted to escape from the fitting space S2 of the female plug 20.
  • the coil spring 13 provided on the male plug 10 plays a role of improving the stability of the connection state between the male plug 10 and the female plug 20.
  • the opposing ferrules 12 and 24 are butted inside the split sleeve 25 with micron-level coaxiality. Therefore, in the connected state, both ferrules 12 and 24 are held by the holding force of split sleeve 25 and are required to be in a floating state from housings 11 and 21 .
  • the male ferrule 12 when the male plug 10 is not mated with the female plug 20, the male ferrule 12 is pressed against the positioning protrusion 116 provided on the male housing 11 by the coil spring 13 and is centered ( 1), when the male plug 10 is mated with the female plug 20, the coil spring 13 is compressed between the male ferrule 12 and a support portion (not shown) provided behind the coil spring 13. 2, the male ferrule 12 retracts (springback) away from the positioning projection 116 . Due to this springback, the male side ferrule 12 is separated from the male housing 11 and is in a floating state. In the female plug 20 , the built-in split sleeve 25 and the female side ferrule 24 are integrated and are in a slightly floating state within the clearance with the sleeve accommodating portion 225 .
  • connection failure In the state where the male plug 10 and the female plug 20 are coupled, if the male housing 11 and the male side ferrule 12 interfere with each other and an external force is applied, an axial misalignment of a micron level occurs between both ferrules 12 and 24, resulting in connection failure. It may lead to increased losses. For example, in a widely used multimode optical fiber with a core diameter of 50 ⁇ m, a connection loss of about 0.5 dB can occur with an axial deviation of 5 ⁇ m. By maintaining both ferrules 12 and 24 in a floating state, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of axial misalignment and the associated connection loss.
  • the entirety including the distal end portions of the male ferrule 12 and the female ferrule 24 are formed by the adapter portions 22 of the male housing 11 and the female housing 21, respectively. housed inside. Therefore, the ferrules 12 and 24 are protected by the respective housings 11 and 21 and are less likely to come into contact with external objects or to be subjected to external force. As a result, when the optical connector 1 connected to the optical cable C is assembled into a device, the ferrules 12 and 24 are less likely to be damaged due to contact with an external object or application of an external force, even if the ferrules 12 and 24 are not handled very carefully.
  • the handleability of the optical connector 1 is improved.
  • work efficiency is important, and in the process of working with cables, it is conceivable that the plugs 10 and 20 may be impacted.
  • Ferrules 12 and 24 are less likely to be damaged when impact is applied to plugs 10 and 20. ⁇
  • the ferrules 12 and 24 are entirely housed in the housings 11 and 21 in this manner, the ferrules 12 and 24 can be protected well, but the tip surfaces 121 and 241 of the ferrules 12 and 24 are , the housings 11 and 21 are arranged at positions deep inside from the openings S1a and S2a at the tips of the housings 11 and 21, so there is a possibility that cleaning of the tip surfaces 121 and 241 becomes difficult. If dust adheres to the tip surfaces 121 and 241 of the ferrules 12 and 24, it may interfere with optical coupling via the ferrules 12 and 24, so it is important to remove the dust by cleaning.
  • the tip surface of the female ferrule is often positioned deep inside the tip edge of the housing, making it difficult to clean the tip surface.
  • the adapter portion 22 surrounding the distal end portion of the female ferrule 24 can be reversibly separated from the built-in plug portion 23. is removed, the tip of the female ferrule 24 is exposed to the outside from the tip of the built-in plug portion 23 . Therefore, when the adapter portion 22 is removed, the tip surface 241 of the female ferrule 24 can be easily cleaned by a wiping operation or the like. After cleaning is completed, the adapter portion 22 may be attached again.
  • the female plug 20 of the optical connector 1 according to this embodiment is excellent in both protection and easy cleaning.
  • the tip surface 121 of the male ferrule 12 is located inside the tip edge S1a of the male housing 11. Because of the need to make the tip end face of the male ferrule sufficiently close to the tip end face of the female ferrule, the tip end face of the ferrule in the male plug is not arranged as deep inside the housing as in the case of the female plug. Also, unlike the female ferrule, the male ferrule is not arranged inside the elongated split sleeve. Therefore, even in the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment, it is very difficult to clean the tip surface 121 of the male ferrule 12 by inserting an instrument or the like from the opening S1a at the tip of the male housing 11 with respect to the male plug 10.
  • the male housing 11 may be configured to be reversibly separable into an adapter portion and a built-in plug portion, similar to the female housing 21 described above. good.
  • the tip of the male plug 10 is projected forward from the tip edge S1a of the male housing 11. You can leave it as a structure.
  • ⁇ 2D/4 ⁇ in equation (1) is that when the male plug 10 and the female plug 20 are fitted together, the corner of the female plug 20 is forced into the opening of the leading edge S1a of the male housing 11. This is to prevent the corners of the female plug 20 from interfering with the tip end face 121 of the ferrule 12 even if the female plug 20 is pressed to insert it.
  • the above relationship is defined as a condition that the corners of the rectangular parallelepiped do not contact the tip surface 121 of the male ferrule 12 .
  • the adapter portion 22 and the built-in plug portion 23 constituting the female housing 21 are detachably attached by an internal locking structure composed of an internal locking hole 224 and an internal locking piece 233.
  • the male housing 11 and the adapter portion 22 of the female housing 21 have an external locking structure composed of the male side locking piece 113 and the female side locking piece 223. are interlocked with each other.
  • the internal plate spring portion 232 formed with the internal locking piece 233 has a plate thickness greater than that of the lever portion 112 formed with the male side locking piece 113, and requires a large force for elastic deformation.
  • the distance from the base end of the internal leaf spring portion 232 to the position of the internal locking piece 233 is shorter than the distance from the base end of the lever portion 112 to the position of the male side locking piece 113 . Therefore, in order to unlock the internal locking structure, the force required to be applied to the internal leaf spring portion 232 in the direction crossing the fitting axis A (the direction toward the bottom of the drawing) is In order to unlock the external locking structure, the force required to be applied to the lever portion 112 in the direction crossing the mating axis A (the direction toward the bottom of the figure) is greater than the force. there is In other words, the internal locking structure cannot be released without applying a larger force than the external locking structure, making it more difficult to release. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
  • the structure makes it difficult to apply a force to the internal plate spring portion 232 to release the internal locking structure of the female plug 20 .
  • the force required to release the external locking structure can be easily applied by pushing down the operating portion 114 provided on the open end of the lever portion 112 as a flat surface with a finger or the like.
  • the required force can be obtained by inserting a thin rod-shaped instrument into the internal locking hole 224 to push down the internal locking piece 233, or by pushing down the end of the internal leaf spring portion 232 projecting short rearward of the adapter portion 22. Otherwise, it cannot be applied.
  • the internal locking structure requires the use of a special tool for application of a force for unlocking, or an operation at a difficult-to-operate location, as compared to the external locking structure.
  • the difficulty of releasing the structure is increased, and erroneous release of the internal locking structure can be effectively suppressed.
  • FIG. 4 as a female plug 20A in a modified form, if the internal leaf spring portion 232A is formed short and has a shape that does not extend rearward beyond the internal locking piece 233, it is difficult to release the internal locking structure. You can further increase your sexuality. This is because the internal leaf spring portion 232A does not protrude rearward of the adapter portion 22, and the internal locking structure cannot be released by operating the protruding portion.
  • Methods for increasing the difficulty of unlocking the internal locking structure compared to the external locking structure include the above-described method of requiring the application of a large force to unlock the internal locking structure;
  • a method of making the internal locking structure involve deeper locking than the external locking structure. That is, in the internal locking structure, the area of the region where the internal locking piece 233 and the inner wall surface of the internal locking hole 224 contact is equal to that of the male side locking piece 113 and the female side locking piece 223 in the external locking structure. It may be made larger than the area of the contacting region.
  • Each of the above techniques may be employed alone, or a plurality thereof may be employed in combination to efficiently increase the difficulty of releasing the internal locking structure.
  • An optical connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first plug and a second plug that are matable with each other along a mating axis, the first plug including at least one second plug.
  • a second plug has at least one second ferrule and a second housing containing the second ferrule.
  • the optical connector 1 is not particularly limited to the male-female mating type optical connector 1 having one male ferrule 12 and one female ferrule 24 as described above.
  • FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the structure of an optical connector 2 including a plurality of pairs of male ferrules 12 and female ferrules 24 as an example.
  • the optical connector 2 according to this modified form will be briefly described below. Configurations common to the optical connector 1 according to the embodiment described above are denoted by corresponding reference numerals in the drawings, and descriptions thereof are omitted.
  • each male side ferrule 12 is attached in parallel to a common male housing 11' in the male plug 10'.
  • the space inside the male housing 11' is partitioned into two accommodation spaces S1', S1' by a partition wall 117, and one male side ferrule 12 is provided in each accommodation space S1'.
  • the retraction amount ⁇ of each male ferrule 12 satisfies the formula (1) with respect to the diameter D of the opening of each housing space S1'.
  • the male housing 11' has the same configuration as the male housing 11 described above, and the lever portion 112 provided with the male side locking piece 113 is also the same as the above configuration. Similarly, only one is provided.
  • the female housing 21' has an adapter portion 22' and a built-in plug portion 23' which are detachably connected. A space inside the built-in plug portion 23' is divided into two by a partition wall 234, and one female side ferrule 24 is built in each of the divided spaces.
  • the partition wall 221 is provided with two sleeve accommodating portions 225 , 225 in parallel, and each sleeve accommodating portion 225 is provided with one split sleeve 25 .
  • One female ferrule 24 is inserted into each split sleeve 25 .
  • the female housing 21' has the same configuration as the female housing 21 having the form described above, and the female side locking piece 223 and the internal locking hole 224 also have the same form as the above. Similarly, only one is provided in each of the adapter portions 22'. Also, only one internal leaf spring portion 232 having an inner locking piece 233 is provided in the built-in plug portion 23'.
  • a common built-in plug portion 23' is detachable from the adapter portion 22' while collectively holding the plurality of female side ferrules 24.
  • the connection and disconnection between the built-in plug portion 23' and the adapter portion 22' is achieved by locking and locking against an internal locking structure consisting of a set of internal locking holes 224 and internal locking pieces 233. All you have to do is perform the unlocking operation. Therefore, in comparison with the female plug 20 including only one female side ferrule 24, the complication and increase in size of the structure of the female plug 20' can be suppressed, and attachment and detachment of the adapter section 22' and the built-in plug section 23', etc. The ease of handling of the female plug 20' can also be maintained at a high level.
  • both the male plug 10' and the female plug 20' can be fitted and separated while holding the plurality of ferrules 12 and 24 collectively.
  • locking and unlocking of the external locking structure composed of a pair of male side locking piece 113 and female side locking piece 223 is performed. You just have to do it. Therefore, in comparison with the optical connector 1 in which the male plug 10 and the female plug 20 each include only one ferrule 12, 24, the structural complication and size increase of the optical connector 2 can be suppressed, and the male plug 10' and the female plug
  • the ease of handling of the optical connector 2, such as fitting and separation between 20' can also be maintained at a high level. In the form shown in FIG.
  • the lever portion 112 having the male side locking piece 113 and the plurality of pairs of ferrules 12 and 24 are arranged within the same cross section. may be arranged in a direction orthogonal to this cross section including the lever portion 113 portion. Moreover, when a large number of pairs of ferrules 12 and 24 are provided, those pairs may be arranged two-dimensionally. For example, when six pairs of ferrules 12 and 24 are provided, the pairs may be arranged in a 3 ⁇ 2 two-dimensional matrix.
  • both the male plug 10' and the female plug 20' are provided with coil springs 13, 26 for urging the ferrules 12, 24 forward for each ferrule. Due to the provision of the coil springs 13 and 26, when the male plug 10' and the female plug 20' are fitted together, the male side ferrule 12 and the female side ferrule 24 are pressed in directions facing each other. , 24 are stably maintained in a state in which the tip surfaces 121 and 241 of the sprockets 121 and 241 are abutted against each other.
  • the coil spring is formed as shown in FIG. , it may be provided on both the male plug 10 and the female plug 20, or may be provided on only one as shown in FIGS.
  • the first plug (male plug) 10 is accommodated in the first housing 11, and the first ferrule
  • a first biasing member 13 such as a coil spring that biases the ferrule 12 toward the tip side, and a built-in plug portion 23 of a second plug (female plug) 20 accommodated in the second ferrule 24 toward the tip side.
  • At least one of the second biasing member 26 such as a coil spring for biasing may be provided. From the viewpoint of enhancing the holding stability of the structure in which the tip surfaces 121 and 241 of the pair of ferrules 12 and 24 are butted against each other, both biasing members 13 and 26 should be provided.
  • the configuration may be such that the urging member such as a coil spring is not provided on either side of the plug.
  • lever portion 112 having the male side locking piece 113 is provided on the male housing 11 (11'), but a plurality of lever portions 112 may be provided. good too.
  • a bending moment is generated between the male and female plugs 10 and 20 with the lever portion 112 as a fulcrum due to the pressing reaction force generated between the ferrule pair 12 and 24 by the coil spring 13 or the like. becomes more likely to occur. If the number of ferrule pairs is large and the pressing reaction force is large, or if there is concern about creep in a high-temperature environment, the effect of the bending moment may be a problem. It is useful to provide a portion 112 to cancel the bending moment.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Coupling Of Light Guides (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un connecteur optique (1) dans lequel des premier et second bouchons (10, 20) ayant chacun au moins une ferrule (12, 24), et des premier et second boîtiers (11, 21) destinés à recevoir la ferrule (12, 24), le second boîtier (21) présente une partie adaptateur (22) reliée de manière amovible par une structure de verrouillage interne (233, 224), et une partie de bouchon intégrée (23), la ferrule (24) est fixée à la partie de bouchon intégrée (23) dans un état dans lequel la partie d'extrémité distale de la ferrule (24) faisant saillie vers l'extérieur à partir de la partie de bouchon intégrée (23), et la partie d'extrémité distale est logée à l'intérieur de la partie d'adaptateur (22) dans un état dans lequel la partie adaptateur (22) et la partie de bouchon intégrée (23) sont reliées, et, dans un état dans lequel les deux bouchons (10, 20) sont ajustés l'un à l'autre, le premier boîtier (11) est verrouillé mutuellement à la partie adaptateur (22) du second boîtier (21) par l'intermédiaire d'un mécanisme de verrouillage externe (113, 223), et la structure de verrouillage interne est plus difficile à déverrouiller que le mécanisme de verrouillage externe.
PCT/JP2021/021654 2021-06-08 2021-06-08 Connecteur optique WO2022259345A1 (fr)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/JP2021/021654 WO2022259345A1 (fr) 2021-06-08 2021-06-08 Connecteur optique

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/JP2021/021654 WO2022259345A1 (fr) 2021-06-08 2021-06-08 Connecteur optique

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2002333546A (ja) * 2001-04-13 2002-11-22 Itt Mfg Enterp Inc 目視しないで適合する高密度光ファイバコネクタ
JP2003121700A (ja) * 2001-10-18 2003-04-23 Hirose Electric Co Ltd 多芯光コネクタ
JP2004053829A (ja) * 2002-07-18 2004-02-19 Daiden Co Ltd 光コネクタアダプタ
JP2014126741A (ja) * 2012-12-27 2014-07-07 Auto Network Gijutsu Kenkyusho:Kk レンズ付きフェルールの製造方法および該製造方法に用いる金型
US20140308008A1 (en) * 2013-04-15 2014-10-16 Radiall Adapter for a multicontact connector with housing and associated multicontact connector

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2002333546A (ja) * 2001-04-13 2002-11-22 Itt Mfg Enterp Inc 目視しないで適合する高密度光ファイバコネクタ
JP2003121700A (ja) * 2001-10-18 2003-04-23 Hirose Electric Co Ltd 多芯光コネクタ
JP2004053829A (ja) * 2002-07-18 2004-02-19 Daiden Co Ltd 光コネクタアダプタ
JP2014126741A (ja) * 2012-12-27 2014-07-07 Auto Network Gijutsu Kenkyusho:Kk レンズ付きフェルールの製造方法および該製造方法に用いる金型
US20140308008A1 (en) * 2013-04-15 2014-10-16 Radiall Adapter for a multicontact connector with housing and associated multicontact connector

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