JP2581126B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device used for optical communication, and more particularly to an optical connector for connecting optical fibers.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of optical connector has a structure as shown in FIG.
A ferrule 1 holding and fixing an optical fiber at a predetermined position with high precision, a spring 2 constantly pressing and biasing the ferrule 1 in a predetermined direction, a light having a complicated structure including a connection nut 3 and the like. Although not shown, with the connector plug 4,
The optical adapter has a relatively simple structure having a split sleeve or a precision hole.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, although the above-mentioned conventional optical connector is composed of the optical connector plug 4 having a relatively complicated structure and the optical adapter having a relatively simple structure, the part which is most likely to fail is the ferrule 1. Part. However, when the ferrule 1 that requires the most accuracy and is important fails, the failed optical connector plug 4 must be discarded and a new optical connector plug 4 must be remade, which is costly.

Also, since the optical connector plug 4 has a complicated structure,
The assembly work is not easy, and there is a drawback that repair in case of breakdown is troublesome.

The object of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned disadvantages,
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector in which the structure of the optical connector plug is simplified, and the failure of the optical connector plug can be easily and inexpensively repaired.

[Means for solving the problem]

An optical connector according to the present invention comprises: an optical connector plug including only a ferrule having a concave portion into which a snap ring can be fitted; and an optical adapter having a complicated structure including a snap ring, a spring, a housing, and a flange member. I have.

The tip surfaces of the ferrules have a structure in which they are always butted by the elastic force of the spring.

[Action]

As described above, since the optical connector according to the present invention has a configuration in which the optical connector plug is formed only of the ferrule, it is possible to completely separate the ferrule from which a failure easily occurs from other complicated parts. As a result, even if a failure occurs in the ferrule, the ferrule can be easily repaired, and since the parts to be repaired and replaced need only be the ferrule, the cost can be reduced.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention. The optical connector is a cylindrical ferrule 5,6
It is composed of two optical connector plugs 7 and 8 each having only one, and a left-right symmetric optical adapter 9 having a structure into which the optical connector plugs 7 and 8 are inserted.

Cylindrical ferrules constituting optical connector plugs 7 and 8
Reference numerals 5 and 6 each have a structure including optical fibers 10 and 11 in the central axis, and concave portions 5a and 6a are provided near the center in the axial direction. The outer diameters of the recesses 5a, 6a are formed smaller than the outer diameters of the tips 5b, 6b, and the tips 5c, 6c of the recesses 5a, 6a are formed at right angles to the rear end. Five
d and 6d are formed in a tapered shape.

On the other hand, the optical adapter 9 is formed of a snap ring 12, which is formed so as to fit into the recesses 5a, 6a of the ferrules 5, 6 and is made of an elastic material having one notch (not shown) over its entire length in the axial direction. 13 and holes 14b and 15b having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the snap rings 12 and 13 and larger than the outer diameter of the ferrules 5 and 6 at the bottoms 14a and 15a, and on the inner peripheral surface of the opening. Are the threaded parts 14c and 15c
Cylindrical housings 14 and 15 provided with
Coiled springs 16, 17 disposed around the rear ends of the snap rings 12, 13 and the bottoms 4a, 5a of the housings 14, 15; Screw part 14
A flange member 18 having a screw portion 18a to be screwed with c and 15c and having a precision hole 18b in the center portion into which the ferrules 5 and 6 are inserted is provided.

With the optical connector assembled, ferrule 5,
6, snap ring 12,13 and spring 16,17 are housing 1
It is a configuration included in 4,15. In this state, the ferrules 5 and 6 are butted at substantially the center of the flange member 18, and the springs 16 and 17 are biased in a direction in which the springs 16 and 17 abut each other via snap rings 12 and 13 to hold the butted. It has become. The ferrules 5 and 6 accurately abut each other in the precision hole 18b of the flange member 18, thereby connecting the optical fibers 10 and 11.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention. The difference of the present embodiment from the first embodiment described above is that the ferrule 5,
A split sleeve 19 having an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of 6 and having one notch (not shown) over its entire length.
Are arranged, and the ferrules 5 and 6 have a structure in which the ferrules 5 and 6 are accurately butted in the split sleeve 19.

Now, the disassembly operation of the optical connector will be described with reference to FIG. 3. First, when assembling the optical connector, the ferrules 5 and 6 constituting the optical connector plug are simply pushed into the optical adapter 9 and completed. On the other hand, when disassembling, a cylindrical jig 20 as shown in FIG. 3 is required. That is, by inserting a cylindrical jig 20 having one split sleeve 19 slightly larger than the diameter of the optical fiber 10 from the rear of the ferrule 5 into the housing 14, the split of the snap ring 12 can be expanded and the inner diameter of the snap ring 12 can be increased. The ferrule 5 is expanded, and the fitted state of the ferrule 5 with respect to the concave portion 5a is released. As a result, the ferrule 5 can be pulled out by being pulled backward without being restricted by the snap ring 12. At this time, the inner diameter of the jig 20 needs to be smaller than the outer diameter of the split sleeve 19 so that the split sleeve 19 does not fall off.

In each of the embodiments described above, the housings 14, 15
Is shown as a structure in which the housings 14 and 15 are press-fitted and fixed to the flange member 18 as shown in FIG. Of course, it is good.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the optical connector according to the present invention includes the structure provided in the conventional optical connector plug on the optical adapter side, so that the structure of the optical connector plug can be simplified. Along with this, it is possible to separate the ferrule part where the conventional failure easily occurs from other complicated parts, and even if a failure occurs in the ferrule, the ferrule can be easily repaired. Also, since the parts to be repaired and replaced are only ferrules, the cost can be reduced. In the future, with the use of subscriber devices, etc.
When optical connectors are widely used in homes, ordinary people can easily repair and replace the optical connectors without having to deal with them, in particular, those skilled in optical connector assembly.

On the other hand, since the optical connector plug has only the ferrule, it does not have to be fastened via a screw as in the related art when attaching and detaching the optical connector plug. Therefore, when the optical connector of the present invention is mounted in a device, a space is not required when a hand is turned by hand and the knob is turned on, thereby reducing the mounting space and enabling high-density mounting. Having.

Further, in the present invention, the pair of housings are fixed to both ends, respectively, and the flange member having the hole into which the tip of the ferrule can be fitted is used at the place where the tips of the ferrules abut each other. Is simplified, but the ends of the ferrules can be accurately butted. Also, the combination of the snap ring and the spring makes it possible to favorably hold the ends of the ferrules.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment of the optical connector, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the optical connector of FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing still another embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway front view showing an example of a conventional optical connector. 5,6 ... ferrule, 5a, 6a ... recess, 5b, 6b ... tip, 7,8 ... optical connector plug, 9 ... optical adapter, 10,
11 …… Optical fiber, 12,13 …… Snap ring, 14,15…
… Housing, 14b, 15b …… Hole, 16,17 …… Spring, 18 ……
Flange member, 18b ... Precision hole.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An optical connector plug comprising only a ferrule having a concave portion at an appropriate position in the axial direction, and these two optical connector plugs are inserted from opposite directions with their tips directed to the same central position. This optical adapter is made of an elastic material having a notch over the entire length in the axial direction, and is fitted into the recess of the ferrule.
A pair of detachable snap rings, a pair of springs for urging the ends of the ferrules via the respective snap rings in a direction in which the ends of the ferrules are held at the center position, and a ferrule including the snap ring and the spring, A pair of housings each having an insertable hole at one end in the axial direction thereof, and the pair of housings are fixed to both ends, respectively, and the holes into which the distal ends of the ferrules can be fitted are abutted between the distal ends of the ferrules. An optical connector comprising: a flange member provided at a location.