JP2012053375A - Multilink optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multilink optical connector capable of forming a multicore connector plug by a simple configuration, allowing a high-density packaging of the plug with respect to an adapter and capable of quickly attaching/detaching to/from the adapter in a single operation.SOLUTION: The multilink optical connector includes: a front-side case 1a that has a plurality of insertion holes 3 for inserting respective tip end sides of a plurality of ferrules 2a to be connected to optical cables K; and a rear-side case 1b that has a plurality of insertion holes 3' for inserting the rear end sides of the respective ferrules 2a via respective springs 2d. Both the cases 1a and 1b are mutually assembled and fixed to form a single case 1 in which the plurality of ferrules 2a are stored in parallel.

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-connection type optical connector that can be used as a multi-fiber connector plug by connecting a plurality of optical connector plugs in parallel.

  Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is an optical connector connection structure in which a plurality of optical connector plugs are connected side by side so as to be used as a multi-fiber connector plug. This optical connector connection structure is configured so that optical connector plugs connected to each other via optical connector clips can be separated from the optical connector clip even if an excessive pulling force that pulls them apart from each other works. The plug is not detached and always maintains a stable holding state.

  That is, this optical connector connecting structure has a boot formed by forming an annular groove or a ring-shaped protrusion-like fitting portion on the outer periphery, and a ring-type inner periphery so as to be fitted to the fitting portion of the boot. A clip body in which a plurality of boot insertion portions each having a protrusion-like or annular groove fitting portion are arranged side by side, a protruding plate having elasticity protruding obliquely from an outer surface across the plurality of boot insertion portions, and an adapter And a latch piece provided obliquely from the front end of each plug body to the rear.

  In the clip body, the latch pieces are respectively engaged with the projecting plates, and each latch piece is displaced in a direction approaching the plug body by pressing the projecting plate toward the clip body side.

  In this way, the latch pieces of both plug bodies are engaged with the protruding plates of the clip body at their tips, and the pair of boots are held and fixed to the clip body in parallel with the plug body.

JP 2008-122506 A

  However, in the conventional connector connecting structure, the pair of boots are inserted into the plurality of boot insertion portions of the clip body together with the plug body, and are held and fixed in a double parallel state with the clip body. Since the latch plate provided obliquely from the front end of each plug body to the rear is engaged with the projecting plate that is obliquely projected from the outer surface across the plurality of boot insertion portions. , Formation of a pair of boot insertion parts corresponding to a pair of boots, formation of latch pieces of each plug body, formation of a protruding plate to be engaged with the latch pieces, etc. There is a problem that the operability in the area is not so good.

  Therefore, the present invention has been devised in view of the conventional circumstances as described above, and a multi-fiber connector plug can be formed with a simple configuration, enabling high-density mounting of the plug to the adapter. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-connection type optical connector that can be quickly attached to and detached from the adapter with one touch.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the present invention, a front case portion having a plurality of insertion holes into which front ends of a plurality of ferrules connected to an optical cable are inserted, and a rear end side of each ferrule is a spring. A rear case portion having a plurality of insertion holes inserted through the two case portions, and the two case portions are combined and fixed to each other to form a single case for accommodating a plurality of ferrules in parallel. Features.

  A pair of upper and lower holder parts are provided that are fixedly connected to each other from the outside across the case and the stop ring.

  A plug frame is formed by a combination of a case and a holder portion, and a plug body is formed by mounting a knob on the plug frame.

  The case is provided with an engaging portion that engages with an engaging elastic piece formed on the inner wall of the adapter, thereby forming a retaining mechanism for the adapter.

  According to the present invention, a multi-connector plug can be formed with a simple configuration, enables high-density mounting of the plug to the adapter, and can be quickly detached from the adapter with a single touch. A type optical connector can be provided.

  That is, according to the present invention, since a plurality of ferrules connected to an optical cable can be accommodated in parallel through each spring in a single case, a multi-fiber connector plug with a simple configuration can be easily manufactured. be able to.

  For example, a four-core optical connector plug can be formed with a size slightly larger than the mounting hole of the LC two-core slim pack adapter. This doubles the number of core wires that can be attached to a communication device of the same area, and enables high-density mounting of plugs on the multiple optical adapter.

  The case includes a front case portion having a plurality of insertion holes into which the front end side of each ferrule is inserted, and a rear case portion having a plurality of insertion holes into which the rear end side of each ferrule is inserted through each spring. Thus, since both case portions are formed so as to be fixed in combination with each other, a plurality of ferrules can be easily housed in parallel with each spring via both insertion holes of each case portion.

  In addition, since it includes a pair of upper and lower holder parts that are fixedly connected to each other from the outside across the case and the stop ring, the two holder parts are exposed between the case and the stop ring. A plurality of optical cables corresponding to each ferrule can be covered and protected from the outside.

  A plug frame is formed by combining a case and a holder portion, and a plug body is formed by mounting a knob on the plug frame. Therefore, a plug body capable of high-density mounting on a multiple optical adapter is provided. It can be easily manufactured.

  Since the case is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the engaging elastic piece formed on the inner wall of the adapter to form a retaining mechanism for the adapter, the engaging elastic piece on the inner wall of the adapter and the case side A simple retaining mechanism can be formed with only the engaging part, and the lock body like the MU connector allows the plug body to be quickly and easily touched to the adapter only by pulling the case through the knob. It can be removed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an exploded perspective view of the state which shows an example of the assembly | attachment procedure of the multiple connection type optical connector plug in one form for implementing this invention, and assembles each ferrule and spring in a case. Similarly, it is a perspective view of the case in a state after assembling a plurality of ferrules and springs. It is a perspective view of the state which fits a pair of holder on the outside of a case and a stop ring. It is a perspective view of the state where a pair of holders were similarly fitted on the outside of the case and the stop ring. It is a perspective view in the state where boots were similarly fitted to the caulking ring. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plug frame formed by a case and a holder and having a knob mounted to complete the assembly of the plug. FIG. 2 also shows an example of a multi-connection type optical connector plug after completion, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a rear view, (c) is a plan view, and (d) is a side view. (A) is AA sectional drawing in FIG. 7, (b) is BB sectional drawing in FIG. (A) is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the state which connected the plug to the adapter, (b) is the cross-sectional view of the state which connected the plug to the adapter. Similarly, an example of a four-core adapter is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a sectional view taken along the line CC in (a), (c) is a sectional view taken along the line DD in (a), and (d) is a plan view. , (E) is a side view. It is a perspective view which similarly shows an example of use of the multi-connection type optical connector plug with respect to a 4-core adapter. (A) thru | or (c) are sectional drawing of the principal part explaining the mechanism for extracting a plug main body from an adapter.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a multi-connecting optical connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the plug body P of the multi-connection type optical connector according to the present invention has a substantially rectangular housing shape composed of a front case portion 1a and a rear case portion 1b that can be fitted and connected to each other. In the single case 1, for example, two ferrules 2a, a ferrule holder 2b, a tube 2c, and a spring 2d are built in, and a boot V is connected to the rear via a stop ring 2e and a caulking ring 2f. A pair of holder portions 11a and 11b are fixedly connected to each other from the outside across the case 1 and the stop ring 2e, and a knob 17 is attached to a plug frame formed by a combination of the case 1 and the holder portions 11a and 11b. It is formed by covering.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, two insertion holes 3 and 3 into which the front end side of each ferrule 2 a is inserted are formed in the front case portion 1 a of the case 1. Correspondingly, in the rear case portion 1b of the case 1, each of the tubes 2c on the rear end side of each ferrule 2a is inserted into two insertion holes 3 ′, 3 ′ through respective coiled springs 2d. Is formed.

  When the case portions 1a and 1b are combined with each other, the insertion holes 3 and 3 of the front case portion 1a and the insertion holes 3 ′ and 3 ′ of the rear case portion 1b communicate with each other, A ferrule 2a, a ferrule holder 2b integral with the ferrule 2a, a tube 2c, and a spring 2d are accommodated in each interior. A pair of left and right engaging holes 5b, 5b, which are provided with a pair of left and right cross-sections having a substantially right triangle projecting at a vertically symmetrical position of the rear case portion 1b, are formed at a vertically symmetrical position of the front case portion 1a. By being engaged with 6a and 6b and being held and fixed to each other, as shown in FIG. 2, a single case 1 in which two ferrules 2a are housed in parallel is formed.

  Further, at the left-right symmetrical position of the front case portion 1a, a protrusion-like engaging portion 8 for engaging with an inner wall of the adapter 20 to be described later, and a knob 17 for locking the knob 17 when the knob 17 is sheathed. The protrusion-shaped locking part 9 protrudes from the front and rear positions.

  The engaging portion 8 of the front case portion 1a is formed of a pair of left and right engaging elastic pieces 21 that are opposed to each other inwardly on the inner wall of the adapter 20 by the pressing operation of the plug body P via the knob 17. The engaging portion 8 and the engaging elastic piece 21 form a retaining mechanism for the adapter 20 (see FIG. 9A).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a square for locking the rear end edge of the front case portion 1 a combined with the rear case portion 1 b on the outer periphery of the substantially intermediate position of the rear case portion 1 b. An annular flange 7 is formed, and on the rear side, front end edges of a pair of upper and lower holder portions 11a and 11b fixed to each other from the outside across the case 1 and the stop ring 2e. A protrusion-like suspending portion 10 is provided for locking.
In FIG. 11, the plug body P and the adapter 20 are arranged vertically.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the case 1 includes a pair of upper and lower holder portions 11a and 11b each having a substantially rectangular housing shape that is fixedly coupled and fixed from the outside.

  That is, the upper holder portion 11a is provided with a locking piece 12 provided with an engagement hole 12a in the center at the front and rear positions on the left and right edge sides of the rectangular flat plate, and on the front side, the engagement of the outer periphery of the rear end of the case 1. A rectangular groove 13a and an arcuate groove 13b that are stretched and held across the upper half of the frame 10 and the upper half of the outer periphery of the stop ring 2e on the boot V side are respectively recessed. A cylindrical fitting protrusion 14 is formed at a substantially intermediate position inside the upper holder portion 11a (see FIGS. 8A and 9A).

  On the other hand, the lower holder portion 11b is formed with a depression at the front and rear portions on the left and right edge sides corresponding to the locking piece 12, and the locking projection 15 corresponding to the engagement hole 12a is formed at the center of the depression. Is protruding. And both the holder parts 11a and 11b are combined because the latching piece 12 provided with elasticity fits in the hollow, and the latching protrusion 15 fits into the engagement hole 12a. Further, on the front side of the lower holder portion 11b, a rectangular groove portion 13a that is suspended and straddled across the lower half of the suspension portion 10 on the outer periphery of the rear end of the case 1 and the lower half of the outer periphery of the stop ring 2e on the boot V side. And the circular arc groove part 13b is each recessedly provided like the upper holder part 11a. A fitting hole 16 into which the cylindrical fitting projection 14 is fitted is formed at a substantially intermediate position inside the lower holder portion 11b.

  The pair of holder portions 11a and 11b protects the plurality of optical cables K exposed between the case 1 and the stop ring 2e corresponding to each ferrule 2a from the outside (FIG. 3). FIG. 8 and FIG. 9).

  As described above, the combination of the case 1 and the holder portions 11a and 11b constitutes a plug frame having a substantially rectangular housing shape as a whole (see FIGS. 4 and 5). As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the knob 17 is formed in a rectangular tube shape that can cover substantially the entire plug frame. A rectangular opening 17a is formed so that the engaging portion 8 of the front case portion 1a can be exposed. Further, when the knob 17 is inserted from the front side of the plug frame, the locking part 9 of the front case 1a is locked to the rear inner edge side of the opening 17a of the knob 17 so that the plug frame is locked. It is designed not to come out of 17.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, the adapter 20 is a pair of left and right joint ends arranged so as to partition the central portion of the upper and lower two-stage housing 22 in a rectangular housing shape. One of the walls is provided with one cylinder 23a projecting toward the connection opening end in the same direction of the adapter 20, and the other cylinder 23b is connected to the connection opening end in the same direction of the adapter 20 on the other joining end wall. It is formed toward. Then, the two cylinders engage with the two engaging claws 25 formed opposite to each other in the opposite directions as shown in FIG. By fixing through the engagement with the joint hole 26, a total of four cores of the sleeve holder 23 are formed in two pairs at the top and bottom. At this time, a cylindrical split sleeve 24 is mounted and held inside each sleeve holder 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 9B, 10E, and 11, the adapter 20 is inserted into the adapter mounting hole of the panel on the left and right side surfaces of the housing 22 of the adapter 20, and the opening edge of the adapter mounting hole is formed. A ratchet locking piece 27 is provided as a pair of left and right for fixing with the part interposed therebetween.

  A pair of left and right engaging elastic pieces 21 are provided on the inner wall of the adapter 20 via the central sleeve holder 23 so as to face each other inwardly, and the plug body P is inserted into the connection opening end. In this case, the engaging elastic piece 21 is pushed away by the engaging portion 8 of the front case portion 1 a and slightly bent outward, and then the engaging protrusion 21 a at the tip of the engaging elastic piece 21 is engaged with the engaging portion 8. It is constructed (see FIG. 9A). At this time, as shown in FIGS. 12 (a), 12 (b), and 12 (c), ears 21b are formed on both sides of the locking projection 21a at the tip of the engaging elastic piece 21, A cam portion 17a having a trapezoidal cross section is formed at the tip of the knob 17 so as to be opposed to the ear portion 21b. As will be described later, the ear portion 21b and the cam portion 17a smoothly pull out the plug body P from the adapter 20 without resistance. To play the role of a guide.

  Thus, a two-core plug body P is formed as a set, and two of these plug bodies P can be simultaneously connected to the four-core adapter 20 as shown in FIG.

  In addition, although description by illustration is abbreviate | omitted, you may connect four of the 2-core plug main bodies P to the 8-core adapter 20 by the housing 22 of the upper and lower four steps. Alternatively, in addition to the plug body P itself having a two-core structure as described above, the adapter body 20 has a structure of three cores or four cores or more to cope with three or four or more ferrules, and the adapter 20 corresponds to this. It is good also as a structure of a core or 8 cores or more. The number of cores of these adapters, the number of plug main bodies P of the two cores, the number of cores of the plug main body P, and the horizontal and vertical orientations (shown in FIG. 11) of the plug main body P and the adapter 20 do not constrain the present invention. Of course.

  Next, an example of use and assembly (two-line type) of the multi-connection type optical connector according to the present invention configured as described above will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the rear end side of the tube 2c is inserted through the springs 2d into the two insertion holes 3 'and 3' of the rear case portion 1b. Then, the front case portion 1a is placed on the rear case portion 1b, and the case portions 1a and 1b are fixed to each other by fitting the locking projections 5a and 5b into the locking hole portions 6a and 6b.

  In this way, as shown in FIG. 2, a ferrule 2a and a ferrule holder 2b are placed inside each of the insertion holes 3 and 3 of the front case portion 1a and the insertion holes 3 'and 3' of the rear case portion 1b. The single case 1 in which the tube 2c and the spring 2d are housed is assembled.

  At this time, the optical cable K is inserted into each of the boot 6, the stop ring 2e, and the caulking ring 2f, and the core wire peeled off at the tip of the optical cable K is placed at the center of the ferrule 2a via each tube 2c assembled to the case 1. It is inserted into the provided fiber hole.

  And as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of holder part 11a, 11b is mutually matched over case 1 and the stop ring 2e, and both holders are fitted by the latching protrusion 15 to the engagement hole 12a. The parts 11a and 11b are fixed to each other.

  Thus, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 7, and 8, the plurality of optical cables K exposed between the case 1 and the stop ring 2 e corresponding to each ferrule 2 a are paired with the holder portions 11 a, It is protected by being covered with 11b.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, two of the plug bodies P are connected to a four-core adapter 20. At this time, the both ends of the knob 17 are held by the thumb and forefinger and inserted into the connection opening end of the adapter 20.

  When the plug main body P is inserted into the connection opening end, the engagement elastic piece 21 is pushed away by the engagement portion 8 of the front case portion 1a, and is slightly bent outward and expanded. Then, the engagement elastic piece 21 is elastically returned to the original position by the further pushing of the plug body P, and the engagement protrusion 21a at the tip is engaged with the engagement portion 8 and fixed.

  Further, when the plug body P is pulled out from the connection opening end of the adapter 20, the engaging elastic piece 21 is held by the cam portion 17 a by forcibly pulling the plug body P by holding both ends of the knob 17 with the thumb and index finger. Is slightly bent outward and expanded.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the ear portions 21b formed on both sides of the locking projection 21a at the tip of the engaging elastic piece 21 are bent outwardly while the engaging elastic piece 21 itself is bent outward. Riding on the rear inclined surface of the trapezoidal cam portion 17a formed at the tip of the knob 17, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the ear portion 21b once slides on the trapezoidal upper bottom surface of the cam portion 17a. 12 (c), when the ear portion 21b moves to the front side of the front inclined surface of the cam portion 17a, the engaging portion 8 is disengaged from the locking protrusion 21a of the engaging elastic piece 21. . In this way, the plug body P is easily removed from the adapter 20. Thus, the ears 21b on both sides of the locking projection 21a and the cam 17a at the tip of the knob 17 serve as a guide for smoothly removing the plug body P from the adapter 20 without resistance.

  The plug body P can be quickly attached to and detached from the adapter 20 only by pressing or pulling the knob 17 having such a simple structure.

P Plug body K Optical cable V Boot 1 Case 1a Front case portion 1b Rear case portion 2a Ferrule 2b Ferrule holder 2c Tube 2d Spring 2e Stop ring 2f Caulking ring 3, 3 'Insertion holes 5a, 5b Locking projections 6a, 6b Locking Hole 7 Flange 8 Engagement (Retaining mechanism)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Locking part 10 Hanging part 11a, 11b Holder part 12 Locking piece 12a Engagement hole 13a Rectangular groove part 13b Circular groove part 14 Fitting protrusion 15 Locking protrusion part 16 Fitting hole part 17 Knob 17a Cam part 20 Adapter 21 Engagement Joint elastic piece (retaining mechanism)
21a Locking projection 21b Ear portion 22 Housing 23 Sleeve holder 24 Cylindrical split sleeve 25 Engagement claw 26 Engagement hole 27 Backlash locking piece

Claims (4)

  A front case portion having a plurality of insertion holes into which the front ends of a plurality of ferrules connected to the optical cable are inserted, and a rear case portion having a plurality of insertion holes into which the rear end side of each ferrule is inserted through each spring The multi-connecting optical connector is formed by forming a single case in which a plurality of ferrules are housed in parallel by both case portions being fixedly combined with each other.   The multi-connection type optical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of upper and lower holder parts that are fixedly connected to each other from the outside across the case and the stop ring.   3. The multi-connection optical connector according to claim 1, wherein a plug frame is formed by a combination of a case and a holder portion, and a plug body is formed by mounting a knob on the plug frame.   The multi-connection type according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the case is provided with an engaging portion that engages with an engaging elastic piece formed on an inner wall of the adapter, thereby forming a retaining mechanism for the adapter. Optical connector.

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