JP4091011B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector that is used for connecting optical fibers and that can be assembled to the tip of an optical fiber particularly at a connection site.

Conventionally, there has been proposed an on-site assembly optical connector that performs optical fiber connector termination at a connection site other than a factory (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and various types of on-site assembly optical connectors are considered according to this. It has been. The field assembly optical connector is an optical connector of a type in which a ferrule polishing operation after connection is omitted by inserting and fixing an optical fiber to a ferrule whose tip surface has been polished in advance. The task of assembling an optical connector other than for on-site assembly at the tip of the optical fiber is to place the optical fiber (such as an optical fiber cord) through all the connector housing parts such as rubber boots in advance. For example, a bare optical fiber exposed by removing the resin coating at the tip of the optical fiber cord) is inserted through the ferrule, and then the tip of the ferrule is polished to assemble the entire optical connector.
JP-A-10-206688

  In recent years, with the spread of optical fiber networks, there is a demand for assembling and attaching an optical connector to the tip of an optical drop cable or an optical indoor cable. However, when the conventional field assembly optical connector is applied to these optical cables, the optical fiber core wire is exposed by simply removing the outer sheath of the optical cable end portion, and the field assembly optical connector is assembled at the front end portion of the optical fiber core wire. Will be. It is difficult to put rubber boots on the outer sheath of the optical cable, and even if so, it is difficult to think that it will be easy to handle.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and makes it a subject to provide the optical connector which can be assembled to the front-end | tip part of optical fiber cables, such as an optical drop cable and an optical indoor cable.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a connector main body having a connection optical fiber that is built in the ferrule in advance so as to protrude from a rear end facing the joining end surface of the ferrule, and the ferrule of the connection optical fiber. A retaining member having a retaining groove for retaining another optical fiber optically connected to a portion protruding from the rear end and detachably connectable to the connector body; The other optical fiber is accommodated in the retaining groove by fitting a portion of the optical fiber covered with the outer sheath into the retaining groove , and the connector main body includes the other optical fiber. inserting the protruding amount from the rear end of the connector body along the direction is mounted with variable slide portion, the connector the sliding portion is brought into contact with the anchoring member to the slide part of the By pushing against the motor body, wherein the anchor member is moved along the insertion direction together with the slide portion, positioning said another optical fiber detained to the anchoring member with respect to the connection optical fiber The connector main body is rotatably supported by a connecting portion that covers the fastening tool from the side of the insertion port and connects to the fastening tool. In the connecting position, which is a position where the connecting portion is connected to the fastener, the connecting portion is optically connected to the other optical fiber attached to the fastener and the connecting optical fiber. It is possible to connect to the fastening tool, and the connecting part is separated from the insertion port side of the fastening tool at the connection position by the rotation with respect to the connector main body, To provide an optical connector, wherein the anchoring member is movable retreat to a position which does not interfere with the movement of the anchoring member when pushed toward the the connector body is brought into contact with the slide portion.
In this optical connector, the connector main body may have a configuration in which the abutment portion abuts against the insertion direction of the other optical fiber of the slide portion.

In this invention, it is also possible to employ | adopt the structure which will be in the state which the said fastener has fitted to the said slide part when the contact part of the said fastener is made to contact | abut to the said slide part .
Further, the present invention employs a configuration in which the slide portion is in the form of a long plate, and the connector main body is provided with a groove-like rail that guides the slide portion so as to be slidable along its longitudinal direction. It is also possible.
Further, according to the present invention, the clasp has a groove-like shape that can be fitted to the end of the slide portion that protrudes from the connector body opposite to the end that is inserted into the rail of the connector body. It is also possible to employ a configuration having a fitting portion.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the portion of the optical fiber cable, such as the optical drop cable or the optical indoor cable, which is covered with the outer sheath, is accommodated in the retaining groove of the retaining device, so that the optical fiber cable is provided. The optical connection of the optical fiber to the connecting optical fiber built in the ferrule of the connector body becomes extremely easy. In addition, by causing the slide portion to protrude from the rear end portion of the connector main body, the slide portion can guide the pushing of the retainer against the connector main body. For this reason, the optical connector of the present invention can be assembled to the tip of the optical fiber cable at a connection site or the like.
According to the invention described in claim 2 of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the slide portion from further moving toward the front end side of the housing main body by the end of the slide portion coming into contact with the abutting portion.
According to the invention described in claim 4 of the present invention, the slide portion can be moved along the front-rear direction of the connector main body, and the slide portion can be compactly stored in the groove after the fastening device is connected.
According to the invention described in claim 3 and 5 of the present invention, by the anchor member is fitted to the slide portion, and with the anchoring device Gras, device anchoring when retracting the anchor tool slide portion Inconveniences such as coming off are suppressed.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 10 are drawings showing an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an optical connector in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the fastening tool is pushed toward the connector main body in the optical connector of FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the optical fiber of FIG. 1 is pressed against the connector body and the optical fibers are butted together. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the spring pushing. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the protection unit. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the protection part. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a clasp. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the clasp. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a slide portion. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the clasp is pushed toward the connector main body.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the optical connector A of the present embodiment is an optical fiber for connection that is built in the ferrule 3 in advance so as to protrude from the rear end facing the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule 3. A connector main body 1 having a pin 34 and a holding groove 53 for holding another optical fiber F optically connected to a portion 34 b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the connecting optical fiber 34. And a retainer 5 detachably connectable.
Here, the other optical fiber F is an optical fiber cable (indoor cable, drop cable, etc.) in which the outer periphery of the optical fiber core F2 in which the outer periphery of the bare optical fiber F1 is provided with a resin coating is covered with the outer sheath F3. Is used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connector main body 1 includes a ferrule 3 in which a connection optical fiber 34 is preliminarily installed, and a portion 34 b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the connection optical fiber 34 and an optical fiber cable F. A clamp 4 that holds the connection state by a clamp, a housing 2 that houses the ferrule 3 and the clamp 4, and a protection pivotally supported by a spring push 20 at the rear end of the housing 2 (right side in FIG. 1). Part 6. In the optical connector of this embodiment, the protection unit 6 also serves as a connection unit for connecting the fastener to the connector main body. Hereinafter, the protection unit 6 may be referred to as the connection unit 6.

The clamp portion 4 is connected to the ferrule 3 so as to extend from a flange 37 provided at the rear end facing the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule 3. That is, the ferrule 30 and the clamp part 4 are integrated via the flange 37, whereby the ferrule 30 with a clamp part is configured.
The ferrule 3 is exposed in the opening 11 opened at the front end of the housing 2 (left side in FIG. 1). This optical connector A functions as an optical connector plug.

The ferrule 3 includes a ferrule tip member 31 having a fine hole 33 therein, and a ferrule base portion 36 joined to an end portion 35 opposite to the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule tip member 31.
The ferrule tip member 31 is made of a hard material such as ceramics such as zirconia or glass, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. The outer peripheral surface 31a of the ferrule tip member 31 is a cylindrical surface. As the material of the ferrule tip member 31, a material harder than the material of the ferrule base 36 is used.
The central axis of the fine hole 33 is precisely positioned with respect to the outer peripheral surface 31 a of the ferrule tip member 31. Thus, as is well known, when the optical connector plug is inserted into the optical connector adapter or optical connector receptacle (not shown) and the end faces of the optical fibers are brought into contact with each other, the split sleeve of the optical connector adapter or the optical connector receptacle is moved to the ferrule. By mounting on the outer periphery of 3, the optical fibers housed in the ferrules can be precisely aligned and optically connected.
The joining end face 32 of the ferrule tip member 31 may be polished after the connection optical fiber 34 is inserted into the fine hole 33. The connection optical fiber 34 includes a portion 34 a that is built in the ferrule 3 and a portion 34 b that protrudes from the rear end of the ferrule 3.

  The ferrule base portion 36 is a portion interposed between the ferrule tip member 31 and the flange 37, and the outer peripheral surface thereof is substantially cylindrical. The diameter (outer diameter) of the ferrule base 36 is slightly smaller than the diameter (outer diameter) of the ferrule tip member 31. That is, the outer peripheral shape of the ferrule base 36 is smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the ferrule tip member 31. For this reason, even if the dimensional accuracy of the ferrule base 36 is somewhat low, the outer peripheral surface of the ferrule base member 36 is prevented from projecting from the outer peripheral surface 31a of the ferrule tip member 31, and when the split sleeve is attached to the ferrule tip member 31, It is suppressed that the outer peripheral surface of the base 36 interferes with the split sleeve. Therefore, alignment of the optical fiber 34 can be performed with high accuracy.

The end portion 35 of the ferrule tip member 31 is an extending portion whose outer peripheral shape is smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the ferrule tip member 31 (hereinafter, the end portion 35 may be referred to as the extending portion 35). The ferrule tip member 31 and the ferrule base 36 are joined such that the outer peripheral surface of the extension 35 is covered with a part of the ferrule base 36 and the extension 35 is embedded in the ferrule base 36.
An annular groove (reference numeral omitted) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the extending portion 35 along the periphery of the extending portion 35. As described above, since the outer peripheral surface of the extending portion 35 has irregularities such as a groove portion, the resin forming the ferrule base portion 36 is solidified into an irregular shape, and the bonding strength is high.

As shown in FIG. 5, the clamp portion 4 includes elements 41, 42, and 43 having a split structure, and a U-shaped spring member that is attached to the outside of the elements 41, 42, and 43 and clamps them so as to sandwich them. 46. Here, the elements 41, 42, 43 are composed of a base body 41 and lid bodies 42, 43 that are arranged side by side facing the base body 41, and are integrated into a prismatic shape by the clamping force of the spring member 46. It has become.
The elements 41, 42, and 43 may be cylindrical (each element divided in half is semicircular in cross section). In this case, the spring member 46 may be C-shaped.

  The base body 41 and the ferrule base portion 36 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin, thereby forming an integral member. The ferrule 30 with a clamp portion is assembled by combining the base bodies 41 integrated with the ferrule 3 with the lid bodies 42 and 43 and clamping the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43 with the spring member 46. As described above, in the optical connector main body 1 according to the present embodiment, the base body 41 and the ferrule base 36 are integrally formed. Therefore, the base body 41 is always stably supported at a fixed position with respect to the ferrule 3. . Therefore, the stability of the optical connection between the optical fibers 34 and F in the clamp part 4 is enhanced.

  A positioning groove 44 that positions and aligns the optical fibers 34 and F is formed as an alignment mechanism on the mating surface where the base body 41 and the lid 42 on the distal end side are overlapped. The positioning groove 44 extends in the longitudinal direction of the base body 41. The location where the positioning groove 44 is formed includes a configuration formed on the mating surface of the base body 41, a configuration formed on the mating surface on the lid body 42 side, a configuration formed on both sides of the base body 41 and the lid body 42, etc. Various types can be adopted. The cross-sectional shape of the positioning groove 44 is, for example, a V groove, but may be a U groove, a round groove (a groove having a semicircular cross section), or the like. The positioning groove 44 is provided for each pair of optical fibers 34 and F to be connected (for the number of cores).

A tapered hole 45 b for inserting the optical fiber F into the clamp part 4 is opened at the rear end of the clamp part 4. The tapered hole 45b is formed in a funnel shape on the mating surface of the base body 41 and the lid 43 on the rear end side.
Between the positioning groove 44 and the tapered hole 45b, a covering housing groove 45a communicating with the positioning groove 44 and the tapered hole 45b is provided. The covering housing groove 45a is formed at a position where the mating surface where the base body 41 and the lid 43 on the rear end side are overlapped each other faces each other. The coating housing groove 45a houses the tip of the optical fiber core F2, and has a shape that allows the optical fiber core F2 to be securely clamped when the elements 41 and 43 are clamped by the spring member 46. Yes.

  Furthermore, a wedge insertion groove for inserting a wedge of an opening member is formed in one side edge portion of the mating surface where the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43 are overlapped. The clamp part 4 can push open the base body 41 and the lids 42 and 43 against the clamping force of the spring member 46 by press-fitting the wedge into the wedge insertion groove. When the wedge is removed from the wedge insertion groove, the space between the base body 41 and the lids 42 and 43 can be closed, and the integrated state can be obtained by the clamping force of the spring member 46 again.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the like, the housing 2 is assembled to the housing main body 10 having the clamp portion storage portion 15 in which the clamp portion 4 is stored, and the rear end side of the clamp portion storage portion 15 of the housing main body 10. And a spring push 20 to be formed.
The housing body 10 is formed in a sleeve shape so as to penetrate the front and rear openings 11 and 15b. A reduced diameter portion 12 having a reduced inner cross section is provided inside the housing body 10. The reduced diameter portion 12 regulates the ferrule 30 with a clamp portion so that the ferrule 30 with a clamp portion does not come out from the opening portion 11 on the distal end side of the housing body 10 by the contact of the flange 37 of the ferrule 30 with the clamp portion.

  A groove-shaped rail (guide groove) 16 that slidably guides a slide portion 17 (described later) is formed on one side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the housing body 10. The rail 16 is provided between the rear end 13 of the housing body 10 and the abutting portion 16a. The abutting portion 16 a functions as a stopper so that the slide portion 17 does not move further to the distal end side of the housing body 10 when one end 17 a of the slide portion 17 abuts against the abutting portion 16 a.

  The slide part 17 is a long and narrow plate body and has a long hole 17c extending in the longitudinal direction. The elongated hole 17c has a narrowed portion 17d on the one end 17a side which is disposed on the front end side of the connector body 1 of the slide portion 17. The cross section of the slide portion 17 has a curved shape on the side (the upper surface in FIG. 9) facing the clamp portion storage portion 15 of the housing body 10.

  The clamp portion storage portion 15 is a portion of the housing body 10 between the reduced diameter portion 12 and the opening 15b, and has an internal space 15a in which the clamp portion 4 is stored. The housing main body 10 is configured such that the ferrule 3 protrudes from the reduced diameter portion 12 toward the opening portion 11 by inserting the ferrule 30 with a clamp portion from the opening 15b, and the clamp portion 4 can be stored in the clamp portion storage portion 15. It has become.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the spring push 20 includes a boss portion 21 attached to the opening 15 b on the rear end side (clamp portion storage portion 15 side) of the housing body 10 and a protection portion 6 (details will be described later). A pair of pivots 22 and 22 that pivotably support the slide, a slide groove 23 into which the slide portion 17 is slidably fitted, and an optical fiber insertion hole 24 through which the optical fiber at the tip of the optical fiber cable F is inserted. And a pressure receiving portion 25 that receives an elastic force from a spring 28 that biases the ferrule 30 with a clamp portion.

  The boss portion 21 has a cylindrical shape having a space (spring accommodating space) 26 in which the spring push 20 protrudes toward the front end side toward the housing body 10 and accommodates the spring 28 therein. On the outer periphery of the boss portion 21, a rib 21 a for fitting with the housing body 10 is provided. The spring push 20 is firmly fixed so as not to be pulled out from the housing body 10 by fitting the rib 21a into a circumferential groove (not shown) recessed in the rear end side inner surface of the clamp portion storage portion 15. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure receiving portion 25 is formed at the bottom of the spring accommodating space 26, and faces the rear end portion 47 of the clamp portion 4 when the spring push 20 is fitted to the housing body 10. The spring 28 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the pressure receiving portion 25 of the spring push 20 and the rear end portion 47 (pressure receiving portion) of the clamp portion 4. The spring 28 biases the ferrule 30 with a clamp portion toward the distal end of the connector body 1 (left side in FIG. 1) when a pressing force is applied to the joining end surface 32 of the ferrule 3 from another connector ferrule or the like. A pressing force is applied between them.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pivots 22, 22 are short columnar projections, and are provided on the side outer surfaces of the spring push 20 so as to face each other.
The slide groove 23 is arranged so as to communicate with the rail 16 of the housing body 10 in a state where the spring push 20 is fixed to the housing body 10. Both sides of the slide groove 23 are bent walls 23a and 23a whose ends are bent inwardly. The slide portion 17 is fitted between the bent walls 23a and 23a, and the slide direction of the slide portion 17 is determined. Does not fall off in a different direction (here, the lower side in FIG. 1). Further, the slide groove 23 has a convex portion 23 b that can be fitted into the narrowed portion 17 d of the elongated hole 17 c of the slide portion 17. The slide portion 17 is firmly fixed to the spring push 20 by fitting the constricted portion 17d to the convex portion 23b, and can be maintained in a posture protruding greatly toward the rear end side of the connector main body 1 as shown in FIG.

  The optical fiber insertion hole 24 passes through the pressure receiving portion 25 side and the rear end surface 27 side of the spring push 20 and communicates with the opening 15 b of the clamp portion storage portion 15 in a state where the spring push 20 is fitted to the housing body 10. It is supposed to be. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber insertion hole 24 is a tapered hole having a diameter reduced from the rear end surface 27 toward the tapered hole 45 b of the clamp portion 4. The optical fiber insertion hole 24 faces the rear end of the connector body 1, and the optical fiber insertion hole 24 is a tapered hole as described above, so that the optical fiber can be easily inserted into the clamp portion 4. Become.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the protection unit 6 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section by a pair of side walls 62 and 62 facing each other and a bridging wall 61 that bridges the side walls 62 and 62. Yes. A pivot hole 64 that can be fitted to the pivot 22 of the connector body 1 is provided on one end side of each side wall 62, and the other end side of each side wall 62 facing the one end is on both sides of the clasp 5. A fitting hole 65 that can be fitted to the fitting protrusion 56 projecting from the fitting hole 56 is formed. An end wall 63 having a notch 63a is provided at the end of the protection portion 6 opposite to the pivot hole 64.
As shown in FIG. 2, on the inner surface side of the bridging wall 61, when the protective part 6 is put on the retaining groove 53, the retaining protrusion 66 that enters the retaining groove 53 and presses the outer skin F <b> 3 from the protective part 6 side. Is protruding.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 7, and 8, the clasp 5 includes a bottom wall portion 51 and a pair of side wall portions 52, 52 provided so as to face each other from both side edges of the bottom wall portion 51. The bottom wall 51 has a pair of bent walls 59 and 59 provided on the side opposite to the side wall 52 (the lower side in FIG. 7).
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a pair of fitting projections 56, 56 that can be fitted into fitting holes 65 (described later) formed in the protection portion 6 are provided on both sides of the clasp 5. Has been.

A retaining groove 53 having a U-shaped cross section (opening upward in FIG. 7) is formed between the side wall portions 52, 52. The opening in which the U-shaped retaining groove 53 is opened serves as an insertion port 54 for inserting the optical fiber cable F into the retaining groove 53.
On both sides of the inner surface of the retaining groove 53, a plurality of pairs of demon-like protrusions 53a that bite into the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F and grip the optical fiber cable F are provided. For this reason, the optical fiber cable F can be accommodated in the retaining groove 53 and retained by fitting the portion of the optical fiber cable F covered with the outer sheath F3 into the retaining groove 53. The durability against drawing of the optical fiber F due to the protrusion 53a is preferably 5 kgf or more.

  The retaining groove 53 is formed on the front end side (left side in FIGS. 2 and 8) of the retaining member 5, which is the front end side facing the connector body 1 when pushed into the connector body 1. A front end wall 57 projecting from 52 is provided. The front end wall 57 has a notch-shaped gap 57a at the center in the width direction of the retaining groove 53 (the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the retaining groove 53; the vertical direction in FIG. 8). The opening amount of the gap 57a in the front end wall 57 cannot be inserted through the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F, but is large enough to insert the optical fiber core wire F2. The front end wall 57 prevents the end portion of the outer skin F3 from protruding toward the front end side of the retainer 5 when the optical fiber cable F is retained in the retaining groove 53.

  A groove-like fitting portion (fitting groove) 58 that is opened on the opposite side (downward in FIG. 7) to the retaining groove 53 is formed between the two bent walls 59. The slide portion 17 can be fitted into the bent walls 59 and 59 and the fitting groove 58. The fitting groove 58 is provided between the front end side of the clasp 5 and the contact portion 58a. The contact portion 58 a is a contact portion perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fitting groove 58. When the slide part 17 is fitted in the fitting groove 58 and the retainer 5 is pushed toward the connector body 1, the contact part 58 a comes into contact with the protruding end 17 b of the slide part 17 from the connector body 1. Thus, the slide portion 17 is pushed along the rail 16 of the connector body 1. When the retainer 5 is fitted to the slide portion 17 by the fitting portion 58, the retainer 5 is attached to the grab or when the retractor 5 is pulled back, the retainer 5 is detached from the slide portion 17. Inconvenience is suppressed.

Next, an example of a procedure for assembling the optical connector A of the present embodiment at the tip of the optical fiber cable F will be described.
First, the outer sheath F3 at the tip of the optical fiber cable F is removed to expose the optical fiber core F2, and the resin coating at the tip of the optical fiber core F2 is removed to expose the bare optical fiber F1. The lengths of the bare optical fiber F1 and the optical fiber core F2 are such that the bare optical fiber F1 is accommodated in the positioning groove 44 in the clamp portion 4 and the tip end portion of the optical fiber core wire F2 is accommodated in the covering housing groove 45a. Adjustment is made so that the end surface of the portion 34b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the optical fiber 34 and the bare optical fiber F1 is abutted with an appropriate pressing force. In particular, the length is adjusted such that the optical fiber core wire F2 bends (see FIG. 3) when one end 17a of the slide portion 17 abuts against the abutting portion 16a.
The outer fiber F3 of the optical fiber cable F is fitted into the retaining groove 53 of the retainer 5 to attach the optical fiber cable F to the retainer 5. At this time, the optical fiber core wire F2 is inserted through the notch 57a of the front end wall 57 of the retainer 5.

  In the optical connector of the present embodiment, since there are no protrusions in front of the front end wall 57 of the retainer 5, the outer sheath F3 at the tip end portion of the optical fiber cable F is removed and the optical fiber core wire is removed. The optical fiber cable F is attached to the fastener 5 with the F2 exposed, and then the bare optical fiber F1 is exposed (removal of the resin coating of the optical fiber core F2), the bare optical fiber F1, and the optical fiber core wire. A procedure for adjusting the length of F2 (cutting, etc.) is also possible. In this case, by using the front end wall 57 as a reference, it becomes easy to accurately adjust the protruding lengths of the optical fiber core wire F2 and the bare optical fiber F1 from the front end wall 57. Therefore, the lengths of the optical fiber core wire F2 and the bare optical fiber F1 can be easily and reliably adjusted without the end portion of the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F having a clean cut end.

  In the clamp portion 4 of the connector body 1, a wedge (not shown) is inserted between the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43, and the gap between the base body 41 and the lid bodies 42 and 43 is pushed open. Further, the protection part (connection part) 6 stands vertically with respect to the connector main body 1 and is arranged at the retracted position 6B. When the protector 6 is in the retracted position 6B, the protector 6 does not hinder the movement of the retainer 5 when the retainer 5 is brought into contact with the slide portion 17 and pushed toward the connector body 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, the other end 17 b of the slide portion 17 that protrudes from the rear end of the connector body 1 with the abutting portion 58 a of the retainer 5 in a state where the optical fiber cable F is retained in the retaining groove 53. Push it in contact with. By the pushing of the retainer 5, the slide portion 17 slides along the rail 16, and the retainer 5 is guided by the slide of the slide portion 17 along the rail 16. As a result, the bare optical fiber F1 of the optical fiber cable F is positioned with respect to the connecting optical fiber 34 in the clamp part 4, and the bare optical fiber F1 is correctly inserted into the positioning groove 44 of the clamp part 4 from the optical fiber insertion hole 24. can do. Further, the bare optical fiber F <b> 1 is abutted with a portion 34 b protruding from the rear end of the ferrule 3 of the connection optical fiber 34 in the clamp portion 4, so that the connection optical fiber 34 and the optical fiber cable F are optically connected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the connection optical fiber 34 and the bare optical fiber F <b> 1 are connected to each other within the clamp portion 4 by pushing the retainer 5 until one end 17 a of the slide portion 17 abuts against the abutting portion 16 a at the end of the rail 16. And the optical fiber core wire F2 bends. As a result, the contact force between the end faces of the optical fibers 34 and F can be secured by the elasticity of the optical fiber core wire F2.
After confirming the optical connection between the optical fibers 34 and F, the wedge (not shown) is removed, and the base 41 and the lids 42 and 43 are closed. Then, the optical fibers 34b and F1 are clamped and held between the elements 41, 42 and 43 by the clamping force of the clamp portion 4 (specifically, the spring member 46), with the end faces butting the two optical fibers 34 and F. The optical connection is maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the retainer 5 is pulled back to loosen the optical fiber core wire F <b> 2, the protection unit 6 is moved from the retracted position 6 </ b> B to the connecting position 6 </ b> A, and the retaining groove 53 is pulled from the insertion port 54 side. Cover the fastener 5. The fitting 5 is connected to the connector main body 1 by fitting the fitting protrusion 56 of the holding device 5 and the fitting hole 65 of the protection portion 6. Further, the outer sheath F3 of the optical fiber cable F is sandwiched between the bottom wall portion 51 of the retainer 5 and the pressing protrusion 66 of the protection portion 6 and fixed.

In the optical connector A of the present embodiment, the slide part 17 can guide the pushing direction of the retainer 5 with respect to the connector body 1 by projecting the slide part 17 from the rear end part of the connector body 1. For this reason, it is avoided that the end face of the bare optical fiber F1 hits the rear end face 27 of the spring push 20 and the like when the retainer 5 is pushed into the connector main body 1.
By covering the protection portion 6 on the retaining groove 53, the optical fiber cable F can be prevented from falling off from the retaining groove 53. For this reason, the optical fiber cable F can be easily handled when the optical connector A is assembled, and the optical connection between the optical fiber cable F and the connection optical fiber 34 can be reliably performed by a simple operation.

The present invention is not limited to the best mode described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the case of an optical connector having a cylindrical ferrule has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to, for example, an optical connector having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped ferrule.
The structure of the clamp part is not particularly limited as long as it is a structure that aligns the optical fiber and clamps and holds the butt connection between the end faces. For example, the number of lids facing the substrate of the element may be one or more.

  The present invention can also be applied to an optical connector in which a plurality of optical fiber holes are formed in a ferrule and a connecting optical fiber is housed in each optical fiber hole. In this case, if the alignment mechanism such as the positioning groove provided in the clamp part is provided at least for the number of optical fibers for connection, each optical fiber terminated by the optical connector is connected by the alignment mechanism. The optical fiber can be optically connected. As such an optical connector, for example, an optical connector whose ferrule is an MT type optical connector ferrule (MT: Mechanically Transferable) defined in JIS C 5981 or the like is exemplified.

  The present invention can be used to assemble and use an optical connector at the tip of an optical drop cable or an optical indoor cable at a work site or the like, for example, in connection work for constructing an optical fiber network.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the optical connector in one example of this invention. In the optical connector of FIG. 1, it is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a mode that a fastener is pushed toward a connector main body. In the optical connector of FIG. 1, it is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which pushed the holding tool toward the connector main body and faced optical fibers. It is a perspective view which shows the spring push in the optical connector of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the protection part in the optical connector of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the protection part in the optical connector of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the securing tool in the optical connector of FIG. It is a top view which shows the securing tool in the optical connector of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the slide part in the optical connector of FIG. In the optical connector of FIG. 1, it is a perspective view which shows a mode that a fastener is pushed toward a connector main body.

Explanation of symbols

A ... Optical connector, F ... Other optical fiber (optical fiber cable), F3 ... Other optical fiber sheath, 1 ... Connector main body, 3 ... Ferrule, 5 ... Fastener, 6 ... Connection part, 6A ... Connection position , 6B: Retraction position, 16: Rail (guide groove), 16a: Abutting portion, 17 ... Slide portion, 17a ... One end of the slide portion, 17b ... The other end of the slide portion, 32 ... Joining end surface, 34 ... Connection light Fiber 34b: Portion of connecting optical fiber protruding from rear end of ferrule 53: Retaining groove 54: Retaining groove insertion port 58: Fitting portion (fitting groove) 58a: Retention of retaining tool Tangent.

Claims (5)

A connector main body (1) having a connection optical fiber (34) pre-installed in the ferrule so as to protrude from a rear end facing the joining end face (32) of the ferrule (3); A retaining tool (50) having a retaining groove (53) for retaining the other optical fiber (F) optically connected to the portion (34b) protruding from the rear end of the ferrule and detachably connectable to the connector main body ( 5)
The retaining device is configured to receive the other optical fiber in the retaining groove by fitting a portion of the other optical fiber covered with the outer skin (F3) from the insertion opening (54) of the retaining groove. Yes,
The connector main body is provided with a slide portion (17) having a variable protrusion amount from the rear end portion of the connector main body along the insertion direction of the other optical fiber, and the retaining member is attached to the slide portion. By abutting and pushing the slide portion into the connector main body , the retainer moves along the insertion direction together with the slide portion, and the other optical fiber retained by the retainer is It can be positioned and connected to the connecting optical fiber ,
The connector main body is pivotally supported by a connecting portion (6) that covers the fastening tool from the side of the insertion port and connects to the fastening tool.
In the connection position (6A), which is a position where the connection portion is connected to the fastening tool, the other optical fiber fastened to the fastening tool and the connecting optical fiber are optically connected. It is possible to connect a connecting portion to the fastener, and the connecting portion is separated from the insertion port side of the fastener in the connecting position by the rotation with respect to the connector body, and An optical connector (A) characterized in that when the fastener is brought into contact with the slide portion and pushed toward the connector body, it can be moved to a retracted position (6B) that does not hinder the movement of the fastener .   2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector main body has an abutting portion (16 a) that abuts against the insertion direction of the other optical fiber of the slide portion. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein when the abutting portion of the clasp is brought into abutment with the slide portion, the clasp is in a state of being fitted to the slide portion.   The said slide part is an elongate plate shape, The groove-like rail (16) which guides the said slide part along the longitudinal direction so that the said slide part is slidable is provided in the said connector main body. The optical connector according to any one of 1 to 3.   The fastening tool has a groove-like shape that can be fitted to an end (17b) that protrudes from the connector body that is opposite to the end (17a) that is inserted into the rail of the connector body of the slide portion. The optical connector according to claim 4, further comprising a fitting portion.

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