JP6273232B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector in which an FOT (Fiber Optic Transceiver) and a shield case are held by an aligning plate, for example, and these assemblies are attached to a housing containing a lens or the like.

  Conventionally, as this type of optical connector, for example, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-266130 (Patent Document 1). For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the optical connector includes an FOT 100 for transmitting and receiving optical signals. The FOT 100 protrudes from the FOT main body 101 as a “case body” and the FOT main body 101. And a plurality of lead frames 102. The FOT main body 101 incorporates a light emitting element or a light receiving element (not shown), and these elements are electrically connected to one end of the lead frame 102, respectively. The other end of the lead frame 102 is a portion to be inserted into a hole provided on a circuit of a substrate (not shown), and after being inserted into the hole, is fixed by soldering.

  The FOT 100 is inserted into a metal shield case 200 for electromagnetic shielding. An opening 201 is formed in the shield case 200 at a position corresponding to the window 103 on which the element of the FOT 100 faces. And FOT100 is attached to the aligning plate 300 which aligns this. These assemblies are fixed to a housing (not shown) that holds the optical fiber and the lens.

JP-A-2005-266130

  In the optical connector, as described above, the FOT and the shield case are assembled to the aligning plate, and the assembled assembly is assembled to a housing that holds an optical fiber, a lens, and the like. Thus, the optical connector in which the aligning plate assembly is assembled to the housing is required to be robust against external force.

  It is an object of the present invention to hold an assembled state robustly so that an external force may be applied in a lateral direction in an optical connector in which an assembly in which an FOT and a shield case are assembled to an aligning plate is assembled to a housing. And

The optical connector according to claim 1 is an optical connector in which an aligning plate for holding an FOT and a shield case is coupled to a housing, and the housing is a pair of locking members positioned on both sides of the aligning plate. has a arm and a cover plate located between the pair of locking arms, said the aligning plate, engageable engagement rib is formed in the cover plate, the engagement rib, the engagement While engaging between a stop arm and the said cover board, it can contact | abut to the side edge part of the said cover board .

An optical connector according to a second aspect is the optical connector according to the first aspect, wherein the engagement rib is a first engagement rib and is engaged between protrusions formed on the back surface of the cover plate. The second engaging rib is further provided.

An optical connector according to a third aspect is the optical connector according to the first or second aspect , wherein the aligning plate is formed with a guide protrusion that engages with a guide groove between the locking arm and the cover plate. It is characterized by being.

The optical connector according to claim 4 is the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the shield case covers a front plate that covers the window side of the FOT, and a side opposite to the window. The shield case is attached to the FOT so that the front plate and the back plate sandwich the FOT by the elastic force of the shield case itself, and the housing is disposed on the side of the aligning plate. It has a protrusion which protrudes and presses an end of the front plate of the shield case.

The optical connector according to claim 5 is the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the shield case covers a front plate that covers the window side of the FOT and an opposite side of the window. The shield case is attached to the FOT so that the front plate and the back plate sandwich the FOT by the elastic force of the shield case itself, and bent to the front plate of the shield case. A processed part is formed, and the surface of the housing on the side of the aligning plate is in contact with the bent part.

The optical connector according to claim 6 is the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the shield case covers a front plate covering the window side of the FOT and an opposite side of the window. The shield case is attached to the FOT so that the front plate and the back plate sandwich the FOT by the elastic force of the shield case itself, and the shield case is attached to the back plate. The aligning plate has a wall-shaped portion that presses the projecting portion between the FOT and the back plate.

According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, since the engaging rib is in contact with the end portion of the cover plate of the housing, the aligning plate and the housing can be applied even when an external force is applied in the lateral direction with respect to the optical connector. The assembly state with can be held firmly.

According to the invention of claim 3 , the assembly position and the assembly direction of the aligning plate with respect to the housing are automatically determined by the engagement between the guide groove and the guide projection, so that the assembly operation is facilitated.

According to the fourth to sixth aspects of the present invention, the backlash of the shield case and the aligning plate can be prevented.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical connector of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the 1st assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the 3rd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 3rd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the intermediate state of the 2nd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 1st Embodiment. It is the top view and rear view of the assembly | attachment state of the optical connector of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 3rd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the intermediate state of the 2nd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the 1st assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the intermediate state of the 1st assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd assembly | attachment process of the optical connector of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows a part of conventional optical connector.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the optical connector of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first assembly process of the optical connector of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a second view of the optical connector of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a third assembly process of the optical connector of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a third assembly process of the optical connector of the first embodiment. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an intermediate state of the second assembly step of the optical connector of the first embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a plan view and a rear view of the assembly state of the optical connector of the first embodiment.

  The optical connector 10 of this embodiment includes a pair of FOTs (Fiber Optic Transceivers) 1, 1, a shield case 2, an aligning plate 3, a housing 4, and a lens unit 5.

  Each of the FOTs 1 is for transmission and the other is for reception. A light-emitting element and a light-receiving element (not shown) are incorporated in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped FOT main body 11. Each of these elements is electrically connected to one end of the lead frame 12, and the light emitting element, the light receiving element, and one end of the lead frame 12 are molded with a synthetic resin material having light transmittance. A circular window 13 is formed on the front surface of the FOT main body 11 so as to face the light emitting element and the light receiving element, and an annular rib slightly protruding from the FOT main body 11 toward the housing 4 is provided around the window 13. 14 is formed. The lead frame 12 is formed so as to extend straight from the middle to the other end. The other end of the lead frame 12 is a portion to be inserted into a hole provided on a circuit of a substrate (not shown), and after being inserted into the hole, the lead frame 12 is fixed by soldering.

  The shield case 2 is a member for performing electromagnetic shielding, and is formed by pressing a thin metal plate having conductivity. The shield case 2 has a pair of case units 2A and 2A corresponding to the pair of FOTs 1 and 1 respectively. Each case unit 2A and 2A is opposite to the front plate 21 and the window 13 that covers the window 13 side of the FOT 1. It has a back plate 22 that covers the side, a top plate 23 that covers the top surface of the FOT 1, and side plates 24 and 24 that cover the side surfaces of the FOT 1. Thereby, each case unit 2A, 2A is formed in the box shape which the bottom part opens. The opening at the bottom is formed in a size that allows insertion of the FOT main body 11 held by a vertical wall 32 as a “wall-shaped portion” described later. The shield case 2 is formed in a size that can accommodate the FOT main body 11 and a vertical wall 32 described later.

  The shield case 2 has an opening 21 a at a position corresponding to the window 13 of the FOT 1 of the front plate 21. Further, the back plate 22 of the shield case 2 is formed with a launch portion 22a (see FIGS. 5 and 6) having a spring property. The punching portion 22a is formed by punching a part of the back plate 22 inside the case unit 2A. In addition, a plurality of legs 2 a for grounding and fixing that extend straight are formed on the bottom side of the shield case 2. The leg 2a is inserted and fixed in a hole provided in the substrate (not shown).

  The aligning plate 3 is a resin molded product having an insulating property, and is attached to the FOT 1, 1 and the shield case 2, and a vertical wall 32 as a “wall-like part” standing from the attachment parts 31, 31. , 32, a wall-like holding wall 33 standing on the rear part of the vertical walls 32, 32, and side walls 34, 34 positioned on both sides of the holding wall 33. The attachment portion 31 is formed with a plurality of through holes and slits for inserting and aligning the lead frame 12 of the FOT 1 and the leg portion 2a of the shield case 2 and making them difficult to bend.

  The vertical wall 32 is formed in an L-shape in plan view that faces one side surface and the back surface of the FOT main body 11. Note that the L shape has an effect of stabilizing the position of the FOT main body 15 as compared with the case of only the wall on the back side of the FOT main body 11. Further, the vertical wall 32 is arranged and formed so that walls facing one side surface of the FOT main body 11 face each other with a predetermined interval. Further, the vertical wall 32 is arranged and formed so as to be accommodated in the shield case 2 together with the FOT main body 11 in a state of holding the FOT main body 11. That is, in the assembled state of the optical connector, the vertical wall 32 is sandwiched between the FOT main body 11 and the back plate 22 of the shield case 2.

  The holding wall 33 is formed in a shape that allows the back plate 22 of the shield case 2 to be held between the holding wall 33 and the vertical wall 32. A guide protrusion 34a that protrudes outward is formed at the front portion of the upper end of the side wall 34, and the guide protrusion 34a is aligned with the upper end, and is in contact with a side end face 43a of a cover plate 43 of the housing 4 described later. The engaging rib 34b is formed. In addition, a lock beak 34 c that is locked to a lock arm 42 described later is formed on the outer wall of the side wall 34. A second engagement rib 33 a that engages with the back side of a cover plate 43 of the housing 4 described later is formed on the upper end side of the holding wall 33.

  The housing 4 is a resin molded product having insulating properties, and includes a housing body 41 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped inner space 4A, a pair of locking arms 42 located on both sides of the aligning plate 3, and the pair of locking A flat cover plate 43 is provided between the arms 42 and projects from the upper surface of the housing body 41 so as to be flush with the upper surface. A guide groove 44 is formed by a gap between the locking arm 42 and the cover plate 43. A locking groove 42 a for locking the lock beak 34 c of the aligning plate 3 is formed in the locking arm 42. Further, in the inner space 4A of the housing main body 41, a pair of cylindrical sleeves 41a (see FIG. 5) for holding an optical fiber (not shown) and the lens unit 5 are provided. Further, a pin holding portion 41 d for setting the ground pin G is formed on the side portion of the housing main body 41. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, two ridges 43 b and 43 b are formed on the back side of the cover plate 43.

  The lens unit 5 is formed by integrally forming a pair of flat substrates 51 and 51 and a pair of lens portions 52 and 52 erected from the substrates 51 and 51 with a transparent resin having predetermined optical characteristics. It is. One of the pair of lens portions 52 and 52 condenses light from the light emitting element of the FOT 1 on the optical fiber side, and the other condenses light from the optical fiber on the light receiving element of the FOT 1.

  With the above configuration, the optical connector 10 of the embodiment is assembled as follows. As shown in FIG. 2, first, the FOT 1 is assembled to the aligning plate 3. As shown in FIG. 2A, the FOT 1 window 13 faces the outside of the aligning plate 3, and the lead frame 12 of the FOT 1 is inserted through a plurality of through holes and slits of the mounting portion 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the FOT main body 11 of the FOT 1 is assembled to the vertical wall 32.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the shield case 2 is assembled to the assembly assembly 20 of the FOT 1 and the aligning plate 3. As shown in FIG. 3A, the front plate 21 of the shield case 2 is set to the window 13 side of the FOT 1, and the leg portion 2a of the shield case 2 is inserted through a plurality of through holes and slits of the attachment portion 31. As shown in (B), the case units 2A and 2A of the shield case 2 are placed on the FOT main body 11 and 11 on the FOT 1. At this time, the annular rib 14 of the FOT 1 is fitted into the opening 21 a of the front plate 21 of the shield case 2. Thereby, the intermediate assembly 30 of the FOT 1, the aligning plate 3, and the shield case 2 is completed.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the intermediate assembly 30 is assembled to the housing 4 in which the ground pin G is set. As shown in FIG. 5, the lens portion 52 of the lens unit 5 is fitted into the sleeve 41 a in the housing body 41, and the lens unit 5 is assembled to the housing 4. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, the intermediate assembly 30 is fitted inside the locking arms 42 and 42 of the housing 4 and the cover plate 43 with the window 13 of the FOT 1 facing the housing 4 side. . Thereby, the optical connector 10 is assembled as shown in FIG. 4 (B) and FIG. 5 (B).

  Thus, the mutual position of FOT1 and the shield case 2 is prescribed | regulated by fitting the opening 21a of the shield case 2 to the annular rib 14 around the window 13 of FOT1. Therefore, the shield case 2 does not hide part of the window 13 and the assembly position of the shield case 2 and the FOT 1 is also defined. Furthermore, the light from the side to the window 13 of the FOT 1 can be blocked by the annular rib 14.

  Here, at the time of the second assembling step, the guide protrusion 34a and the first engagement rib 34b of the aligning plate 3 shown in FIG. 4 are connected to the guide groove 44 (the locking arm 42 and the cover plate 43) of the housing 4. The guide protrusion 34 a and the first engagement rib 34 b are fitted into the guide groove 44. Further, at the time of this assembly, the end portion of the locking arm 42 gets over the lock beak 34c of the aligning plate 3, and the lock beak 34c is fitted into the locking groove 42a of the locking arm 42. Locked in the locking groove 42a. As described above, the assembly position and the assembly direction of the intermediate assembly 30 with respect to the housing 4 are automatically determined by the guide groove 44 and the guide projection 34a, so that the assembly operation is facilitated.

Further, the first engagement rib 34 b of the aligning plate 3 is in the guide groove 44, and the inner surface of the first engagement rib 34 b forms the inner edge of the guide groove 44. It contacts the side end face 43a. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the second engagement rib 33 a of the aligning plate 3 is fitted between the two protrusions 43 b and 43 b on the back side of the cover plate 43. Therefore, even when an external force is applied to the optical connector 10 in the lateral direction, the assembled state of the aligning plate 3 (intermediate assembly 30) and the housing 4 can be firmly maintained. As a reference example, in the configuration of the aligning plate 3 and the cover plate 43, the configuration in which the first engagement rib 34a abuts on the side end surface 43a and the second engagement rib 33a is between the protrusions 43b and 43b. Even if only one of the configurations fitted to the above-mentioned configuration, the assembled state can be firmly maintained.

  Here, in the first embodiment, when the shield case 2 is fitted into the FOT main body 11 in the second assembling step of FIG. 3, the front plate 21 gets over the annular rib 14 of the FOT main body 11. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the shield case 2 acts so that the front plate 21 and the back plate 22 sandwich the FOT main body 11 by the elastic force of the thin metal plate. The front plate 21 is bent so as to open against the elastic force, and the end 211 of the front plate 21 gets over the annular rib 14 of the FOT main body 11. Further, the back plate 22 and the launching portion 22 a are inserted between the vertical wall 32 and the sandwiching wall 33 of the aligning plate 3 against the elastic force of the launching portion 22.

  As described above, when the shield case 2 is fitted into the FOT main body 11, the front plate 21 is bent so that the front plate 21 is opened. Therefore, even when the shield case 2 is completely assembled to the FOT main body 11, A gap is formed between the surface of the FOT main body 11.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the housing body 41 of the housing 4 is formed with a protrusion 41b that slightly protrudes toward the intermediate assembly 30 (aligning plate 3 side). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the state where the intermediate assembly 30 is assembled to the housing 4, the projection 41 b on the housing 4 side presses the end portion 211 of the front plate 21 of the shield case 2. Thereby, the front plate 21 can suppress a gap with the surface of the FOT main body 11 in a state where the annular rib 14 is fitted in the opening 21a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the noise prevention performance of the shield case 2 from being lowered.

  Further, the housing 4 and the aligning plate 3 are fixed to each other with the separation direction regulated by the locking arm 42 and the lock beak 34c. Further, the projection 41 b of the housing 4 presses the end portion 211 of the front plate 21 of the shield case 2. Therefore, tension is always applied to the aligning plate 3 to prevent the aligning plate 3 from rattling with respect to the housing 4 (and the lens unit 5), and the distance between the opposing surfaces of the lens unit 5 and the FOT 1 is kept constant. And stable communication can be ensured.

  Next, the second embodiment will be described. In each of the following embodiments, for the configuration common to the first embodiment, the drawing of the first embodiment and the description thereof are used, and redundant description is omitted. Moreover, in each embodiment, the same code | symbol as the element of 1st Embodiment is used for the element similar to 1st Embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a second assembly step of the optical connector of the second embodiment, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a third assembly step of the optical connector of the second embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a diagram of the second embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the intermediate state of the 2nd assembly | attachment process of an optical connector.

  The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is the shape of the front plate of the shield case 2 and the shape of the housing 1. The shield case 2 of the second embodiment has the same back plate 22, top plate 23, side plates 24, 24 as the first embodiment, and has a front plate 25 in which an opening 25a and a bent portion 25b are formed. doing. The bent portion 25b is formed by bending the lower half from the center of the front plate 25 outward.

  The optical connector 10 of the second embodiment is assembled as follows. In addition, the 1st assembly | attachment process of assembling FOT1 to the aligning plate 3 is the same as 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. In the first assembly process, the shield case 2 is assembled to the assembly assembly 20 assembled in the second assembly process shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8 (A), the front plate 25 of the shield case 2 is set to the window 13 side of the FOT 1, and the leg portion 2a of the shield case 2 is inserted into a plurality of through holes and slits of the attachment portion 31. As shown in (B), the case units 2A and 2A of the shield case 2 are placed on the FOT main body 11 and 11 on the FOT 1. At this time, the annular rib 14 of the FOT 1 is fitted into the opening 25 a of the front plate 25 of the shield case 2. Thereby, the intermediate assembly 30 of the FOT 1, the aligning plate 3, and the shield case 2 is completed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the intermediate assembly 30 is assembled to the housing 4 in which the ground pin G is set. As shown in FIG. 9A, the intermediate assembly 30 is fitted inside the locking arms 42 and 42 of the housing 4 and the cover plate 43 with the window 13 of the FOT 1 facing the housing 4 side. As a result, the optical connector 10 is assembled as shown in FIG.

  At this time, similarly to the first embodiment, the guide protrusion 34a and the first engagement rib 34b are inserted along the guide groove 44, and the guide protrusion 34a and the first engagement rib 34b are fitted into the guide groove 44. Match. Further, the lock beak 34c is fitted into the lock groove 42a of the lock arm 42, and the lock beak 34c is locked to the lock groove 42a. Therefore, assembling work becomes easy as in the first embodiment.

  The inner surface of the first engagement rib 34b of the aligning plate 3 abuts on the side end surface 43a of the cover plate 43 (FIGS. 1, 4A, and 7 of the first embodiment), and Since the second engagement rib 33a of the aligning plate 3 is fitted between the two protrusions 43b and 43b on the back side of the cover plate 43, an external force is applied to the optical connector 10 in the lateral direction. In addition, the assembled state of the aligning plate 3 and the housing 4 can be firmly maintained.

  Here, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, when the shield case 2 is fitted into the FOT main body 11, the bent portion 25 b of the front plate 25 relates to the annular rib 14 of the FOT main body 11. Since the bent portion 25b is bent outward, the front plate 25 and the back plate 22 are hardly bent, and the opening 25a (part thereof) is fitted into the annular rib 14. The back plate 22 and the launching portion 22 a are inserted between the vertical wall 32 and the sandwiching wall 33 of the aligning plate 3 against the elastic force of the launching portion 22.

  9, when the intermediate assembly 30 is fitted inside the locking arms 42, 42 of the housing 4 and the cover plate 43, the end face of the housing body 41 on the intermediate assembly 30 side (aligning plate 3 side). 41 c presses the bent portion 25 b of the front plate 25 of the shield case 2. Since the front plate 25 and the back plate 22 do not bend when the shield case 2 is fitted into the FOT main body 11, a gap between the vicinity of the top plate 23 of the front plate 25 and the surface of the FOT main body can be suppressed. And the fall of the noise prevention performance of the shield case 2 can be prevented.

  Also in the second embodiment, since the end surface 41c of the housing 4 presses the bent portion 25b of the front plate 25 of the shield case 2, tension is always applied to the aligning plate 3, and the housing 4 (and the lens unit). On the other hand, the alignment plate 3 is prevented from being loosened, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the lens unit 5 and the FOT 1 can be kept constant, and stable communication can be ensured.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a first assembly step of the optical connector of the third embodiment, FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a second assembly step of the optical connector of the third embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a diagram of the third embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the intermediate state of the 1st assembly process of an optical connector, FIG. 14: is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd assembly process of the optical connector of 3rd Embodiment.

  The difference between the third embodiment and the first and second embodiments is the shapes of the shield case 2 and the aligning plate 3. The shape of the housing 1 is the same as that of the second embodiment. Case units 2A and 2A of the shield case 2 of the third embodiment have a front plate 21 similar to that of the first embodiment. The top plate 23 of the shield case 2 in the first embodiment has a width that covers the FOT main body 11 and the vertical wall 32 of the aligning plate 3, but as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the third embodiment. The shield case 2 includes a top plate 23 ′ having a width that covers only the FOT main body 11. Further, a back plate 26 having a level difference from the rear end of the top plate 23 'by the thickness of the vertical wall 32, and side plates 24' and 24 'covering the side surfaces of the FOT 1 are provided. Further, the back plate 26 has a punched portion 26a formed by being punched inside the shield case 2, and the end of the punched portion 26a on the top plate 23 'side is a free end during elastic deformation. . Further, the vertical wall 32 'of the aligning plate 3 of the third embodiment is lower than the vertical wall 32 of the first embodiment.

  The optical connector 10 of the third embodiment is assembled as follows. The shield case 2 is assembled to the FOT 1 in the first assembly process shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11 (A), the front plate 21 of the shield case 2 is on the window 13 side of the FOT 1, and as shown in FIG. 11 (B), the case units 2A and 2A of the shield case 2 are connected to the FOT main body. 11 and 11. Details of the first assembly step will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Next, the assembly assembly 40 in which the shield case 2 is assembled to the FOT 1 is assembled to the aligning plate 3 in the second assembly step shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12A, the back surface (back plate 26 side) of the shield case 2 is set to the clamping wall 33 side of the aligning plate 3, and the lead frame 12 and the shield case 2 of the FOT 1 shown in FIG. The leg portion 2a is inserted into the plurality of through holes and slits of the attachment portion 31, and assembled so that the vertical wall 32 'of the aligning plate 3 is inserted between the FOT main body 11 and the back plate 27. Thereby, the intermediate assembly 30 of the FOT 1, the shield case 2, and the aligning plate 3 is completed. The process of assembling the intermediate assembly 30 to the housing 1 is the same as in the second embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the guide protrusion 34a and the first engagement rib 34b are inserted along the guide groove 44 and assembled. As a result, the assembling work is facilitated as in the first embodiment. Further, the first engaging rib 34 b of the aligning plate 3 abuts on the side end face 43 a of the cover plate 43, and the second engaging rib 33 a of the aligning plate 3 has two strips on the back side of the cover plate 43. Since it fits between the protrusions 43b and 43b, even if an external force is applied to the optical connector 10 in the lateral direction, the assembled state of the aligning plate 3 and the housing 4 can be held firmly.

  In the first assembly step of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13A, first, the top of the FOT main body 11 is brought into contact with the launching portion 26a of the shield case 2. In this state, the front plate 21 is separated from the FOT main body 11 by the level difference of the back plate 26, and the end portion 211 of the front plate 21 does not contact the annular rib 14 without bending the front plate 21. Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, the FOT body 11 is pushed and bent against the elastic force of the FOT body 11, and the FOT body 11 is inserted into the shield case 2.

  At this time, the tip of the annular rib 14 slides along the inner surface of the front plate 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 13C, when the FOT main body 11 is inserted to the back of the shield case 2, the annular rib 14 is fitted into the opening 21 a of the front plate 21. At this time, the launching portion 26 a is disengaged from the back surface of the FOT main body 11, and the end of the launching portion 26 a is engaged with the bottom portion of the FOT main body 11. As a result, the FOT 1 and the shield case 2 are assembled together to form an assembly assembly 40. Thus, since it is not necessary to forcefully spread the front plate 21 and the back plate 26, the assembling work is facilitated. Further, since the FOT 1 and the shield case 2 are integrally assembled, the assembling work for assembling the assembling assembly 40 to the aligning plate 3 is facilitated.

  In the second assembling step of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14A, the end of the back plate 26 of the assembling assembly 40 is placed between the vertical wall 32 ′ and the sandwiching wall 33 of the aligning plate 3. The vertical wall 32 'is brought into contact with the launching portion 26a. In this state, when the assembly assembly 40 is pushed into the aligning plate 3 side, the launching portion 26a is curved and the end of the launching portion 26a is disengaged from the bottom of the FOT main body 11, as shown in FIG. 14 (B). The launching portion 26 a is inserted between the vertical wall 32 ′ and the sandwiching wall 33 together with the back plate 26. As a result, the assembly assembly 50 is obtained.

  This assembly assembly 50 is assembled to the housing 4 in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments. Then, due to the elastic force of the projecting portion 26a, the tension is always applied to the shield case 2 and the FOT1, and the backlash of the FOT1 is prevented from being applied to the housing 4 (and the lens unit 5). It is possible to keep the distance between the opposing surfaces constant, and secure stable communication.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above only showed the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. That is, those skilled in the art can implement various modifications in accordance with conventionally known knowledge without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course, such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention as long as the configuration of the power feeding mechanism of the present invention is provided.

1 FOT
11 FOT body 12 Lead frame 13 Window 2 Shield case 21 Front plate 22 Back plate 3 Aligning plate 32 Vertical wall 32
33 Clamping wall 33
33a engaging rib 34 side wall 34a guide protrusion 34b engaging rib 34c lock beak 4 housing 41 housing main body 42 locking arm 42a locking groove 43 cover plate 44 guide groove 5 lens unit

Claims (6)

An optical connector in which an aligning plate for holding a FOT and a shield case is coupled to a housing,
The housing has a pair of locking arms positioned on both sides of the aligning plate, and a cover plate positioned between the pair of locking arms,
An engaging rib that can engage with the cover plate is formed on the aligning plate, and the engaging rib engages between the locking arm and the cover plate, and at the side end of the cover plate. An optical connector characterized in that it can be brought into contact with a portion . The engagement rib is a first engagement rib , and further includes a second engagement rib that engages between protrusions formed on the back surface of the cover plate. The optical connector described. Wherein the aligning plate, the optical connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the guide projection to be engaged with the guide groove between the cover plate and the locking arm is formed. The shield case has a front plate covering the window side of the FOT and a back plate covering the opposite side of the window, and the front plate and the back plate sandwich the FOT by the elastic force of the shield case itself. The shield case is attached to the FOT so as to be attached, and the housing has a protrusion that protrudes toward the aligning plate and presses an end of the front plate of the shield case. the optical connector according to any one of 3. The shield case has a front plate covering the window side of the FOT and a back plate covering the opposite side of the window, and the front plate and the back plate sandwich the FOT by the elastic force of the shield case itself. The shield case is attached to the FOT so that a bent portion is formed on the front plate of the shield case, and the surface of the housing on the side of the aligning plate is brought into contact with the bent portion. the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that. The shield case has a front plate covering the window side of the FOT and a back plate covering the opposite side of the window, and the front plate and the back plate sandwich the FOT by the elastic force of the shield case itself. The shield case is attached to the FOT in such a manner that the shield case has a punched portion formed by punching the shield plate inside the shield case, and the aligning plate includes the FOT and the the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it has a wall-like portion for pressing the stamped part with the back plate.

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