WO2025134449A1 - Adaptor - Google Patents

Abstract

An adapter (2) comprises: an inner socket (30) that engages with a first optical connector (100); a housing (C) that houses the inner socket (30) and engages with a second optical connector (200); and a biasing part (40) that biases the inner socket (30) toward the second optical connector (200) by a third biasing force to the housing (C). The difference between a first biasing force of the first optical connector (100) and a second biasing force of the second optical connector (200) is larger than the difference between the third biasing force and the second biasing force.

Description

adapter

The present invention relates to an adapter.
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-214402, filed in Japan on December 20, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Patent Document 1 discloses an adapter for connecting two optical connectors. Such an adapter maintains a good connection state by pressing the connection end faces of the ferrules of each optical connector together with an appropriate biasing force. The biasing force is generated by a biasing member biasing the ferrules inside the housing of each optical connector.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 9-304655

The biasing force applied to the ferrules may differ depending on the type of optical connector. In other words, when connecting different types of optical connectors, the biasing force applied to each ferrule may differ. If the biasing force applied to each ferrule differs, the ferrules may be positioned in an inappropriate position (a position that is not the predetermined joint surface). Specifically, a ferrule with a larger biasing force applied is pushed into the ferrule with a smaller biasing force. As a result, a problem occurs in which a good connection state cannot be maintained.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide an adapter that can properly connect two types of optical connectors that have different biasing forces on the ferrules.

In order to solve the above problem, aspect 1 of the present invention is an adapter that connects a first optical connector that urges a first ferrule having a first connection end face toward the first connection end face with a first urging force, and a second optical connector that urges a second ferrule having a second connection end face toward the second connection end face with a second urging force smaller than the first urging force, and includes an inner socket that engages with the first optical connector, a housing that houses the inner socket and engages with the second optical connector, and a urging section that urges the inner socket toward the housing with a third urging force, and the difference between the third urging force and the second urging force is smaller than the difference between the first urging force and the second urging force.

Aspect 2 of the present invention is an adapter according to aspect 1, in which the biasing portion includes a plurality of elastic members, and the plurality of elastic members may be arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the inner socket.

Aspect 3 of the present invention is an adapter according to aspect 1 or 2, in which the housing has a first member that supports the biasing portion and a second member that engages with the second optical connector, and the inner socket may be movable relative to the first member and the second member.

Aspect 4 of the present invention is an adapter according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, in which the housing does not have to engage with the housing of the first optical connector.

The adapter according to the above aspect of the present invention allows two types of optical connectors with different biasing forces on the ferrules to be properly connected together.

1 is a perspective view of an optical connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first optical connector of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the second optical connector of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 1; 5 is a perspective view of the inner socket, partly shown in cross section along line VV in FIG. 4. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG.

Hereinafter, the adapter and the optical connection structure of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in Fig. 1, the optical connection structure 1 includes a first optical connector 100, a second optical connector 200, and an adapter 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the first optical connector 100 includes a first ferrule 110 having a first connection end face 111, and a first housing 120 that holds the first ferrule 110 therein. A plurality of optical fibers F1 (first optical fibers) are exposed at the first connection end face 111.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second optical connector 200 includes a second ferrule 210 having a second connection end face 211, and a second housing 220 that holds the second ferrule 210 inside. A plurality of optical fibers F2 (second optical fibers) are exposed at the second connection end face 211. The adapter 2 has a function of maintaining the first connection end face 111 and the second connection end face 211 in contact with each other at an appropriate position. This allows the optical connection structure 1 to optically connect a plurality of optical fibers F1 and a plurality of optical fibers F2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second optical connector 200 has two positioning pins 260. As shown in FIG. 2, the first optical connector 100 has two first positioning holes 113. The relative positions of the first optical connector 100 and the second optical connector 200 are determined by inserting the positioning pins 260 into the first positioning holes 113. In this embodiment, the first optical connector 100 is described as the female side and the second optical connector 200 is the male side. However, the first optical connector 100 may be the male side and the second optical connector 200 may be the female side. In other words, the first optical connector 100 may have positioning pins and the second optical connector 200 may not have positioning pins.

(direction definition)
As shown in FIG. 1, the direction in which the first connection end surface 111 of the first optical connector 100 and the second connection end surface 211 of the second optical connector 200 face each other is called the axial direction Z. In the axial direction Z, the side (+Z side) from the second optical connector 200 toward the first optical connector 100 is called the "first optical connector side" or the "base end side of the first optical connector". The opposite side (-Z side) is called the "second optical connector side" or the "base end side of the second optical connector". A direction perpendicular to the axial direction Z is called the first orthogonal direction X. The first orthogonal direction X is also the direction in which the optical fibers F1 and F2 are arranged on the connection end surfaces 111 and 211 (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3). A direction perpendicular to both the axial direction Z and the first orthogonal direction X is called the second orthogonal direction Y. One side in the first orthogonal direction X is called the +X side, and the other side is called the -X side. One side in the second orthogonal direction Y is referred to as the +Y side, and the other side is referred to as the -Y side.

As shown in FIG. 4, the adapter 2 of this embodiment includes a housing C, an inner socket 30, and a biasing portion 40. Each component of the adapter 2 has a shape based on a common central axis O. The central axis O is parallel to the axial direction Z. The housing C includes a first member 10 and a second member 20. The first member 10 is located on the +Z side, and the second member 20 is located on the -Z side. The housing C is formed by combining these two members 10, 20. However, the housing C may also be a single member.

The biasing portion 40 biases the inner socket 30 to the -Z side inside the housing C. The biasing portion 40 has multiple elastic members 41. In this embodiment, the elastic members 41 are cylindrical compression springs. There are four elastic members 41. The four elastic members 41 are arranged point-symmetrically around the central axis O of the adapter 2 (i.e., the central axis O of the inner socket 30). However, the shape, number, and arrangement of the elastic members 41 may be changed as long as they are capable of biasing the inner socket 30 to the -Z side.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first member 10 has a first main body portion 11 and two first flange portions 12. The first main body portion 11 is cylindrical and extends about a central axis O. In this embodiment, the shape of the first housing 120 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, so the first main body portion 11 is also rectangular cylindrical to match this (see FIGS. 1 and 2). However, the shapes of the first main body portion 11 and the first housing 120 can be changed.

A first insertion port 14 is provided on the inside of the first main body portion 11. The first insertion port 14 opens toward the +Z side. When connecting the optical connectors 100 and 200 using the adapter 2, the first optical connector 100 is inserted into the adapter 2 through the first insertion port 14.

As shown in FIG. 4, the two first flange portions 12 protrude from the first main body portion 11 toward the +X side and the -X side. The first flange portions 12 are used to fasten the first member 10 and the second member 20 together. A first fastening hole 13 is formed in each of the two first flange portions 12.

The second member 20 has a second main body 21 and two second flanges 22. The second main body 21 is cylindrical and extends around the central axis O. In this embodiment, the shape of the second housing 220 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, so the second main body 21 is also rectangular cylindrical to match this. However, the shapes of the second main body 21 and the second housing 220 can be changed. A second insertion port 23 is provided at the -Z side end of the second main body 21 (see FIG. 6). The second insertion port 23 opens toward the -Z side. When connecting the optical connectors 100 and 200 using the adapter 2, the second optical connector 200 is inserted into the adapter 2 through the second insertion port 23.

As shown in FIG. 4, a second fixing hole 22a is formed in each of the two second flange portions 22. An annular positioning protrusion that protrudes toward the +Z side is formed along the opening edge of the second fixing hole 22a. This positioning protrusion fits into the inside of the first fixing hole 13 in the first member 10. This determines the relative positions of the first member 10 and the second member 20.

The first member 10 and the second member 20 are fixed to each other by a fixing member. In the example of FIG. 6, the fixing members are a screw B and a nut N. More specifically, two screws B are inserted into the first fixing hole 13 and the second fixing hole 22a, and a nut N is screwed onto the end of each screw B. However, the fixing members are not limited to screws and nuts, and may be, for example, an adhesive, etc.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the inner socket 30 has a socket body 31, two socket flanges 32, two engagement pieces 33, and a regulating portion 34. The socket body 31 is a rectangular cylinder extending about a central axis O. The socket body 31 has an opening 31a that opens to the +Z side. The first housing 120 of the first optical connector 100 enters the inside of the inner socket 30 through the opening 31a (see Figure 6).

As shown in FIG. 5, the two socket flanges 32 protrude from the -Z end of the socket body 31 toward both sides in the first orthogonal direction X. Two retaining protrusions 32a are formed on each socket flange 32. In other words, the inner socket 30 has a total of four retaining protrusions 32a. The retaining protrusions 32a protrude from the socket flange 32 toward the +Z side. The four retaining protrusions 32a hold the four elastic members 41 of the biasing portion 40 (see FIG. 4).

The two engaging pieces 33 extend along the axial direction Z. The two engaging pieces 33 are arranged at a distance from each other in the first orthogonal direction X, sandwiching the central axis O between them. Each engaging piece 33 has an engaging portion 33a that protrudes toward the internal space of the first main body portion 11. Each engaging piece 33 is elastically deformable in the first orthogonal direction X, starting from the base end (the end on the -Z side of the engaging piece 33). The engaging pieces 33 and the engaging portion 33a have the function of engaging the first optical connector 100 with the inner socket 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, the restricting portion 34 is located at the end on the -Z side of the socket main body 31. The restricting portion 34 is a rectangular frame. As shown in FIG. 6, the first ferrule 110 is inserted inside the restricting portion 34. The first housing 120 abuts against the restricting portion 34. This restricts the first optical connector 100 from moving excessively toward the -Z side relative to the inner socket 30.

6, the first optical connector 100 has a first intermediate member 130, a movable member 140, a first boot 150 (see FIG. 1), a support member 160, a first biasing member 170, and two auxiliary biasing members 180 in addition to the first ferrule 110 and the first housing 120. As shown in FIG. 2, the first ferrule 110 has a plurality of first fiber holes 112 and the two first positioning holes 113 described above. The plurality of first fiber holes 112 and the two first positioning holes 113 open to the first connection end face 111. The two first positioning holes 113 are arranged apart in the first orthogonal direction X, and are arranged so as to sandwich the plurality of first fiber holes 112 between them. A first optical fiber F1 is inserted into each of the first fiber holes 112.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first housing 120 has a storage section 121. The storage section 121 is a square cylinder extending in the axial direction Z. A part of the first ferrule 110, the first intermediate member 130, the first biasing member 170, and a part of the support member 160 are stored inside the storage section 121. The first housing 120 has two protrusions 123 that protrude from the storage section 121 toward the +X side and the -X side. The engaging portion 33a of the engaging piece 33 engages with these two protrusions 123. This restricts the first housing 120 from moving toward the +Z side relative to the adapter 2.

The first intermediate member 130 is in contact with the end of the first ferrule 110 on the +Z side. The first intermediate member 130 transmits the biasing force of the first biasing member 170 to the first ferrule 110. However, in this embodiment, the biasing force of the first biasing member 170 is not actually used. Details will be described later. The movable member 140 is a so-called push-pull member that is held by the user when attaching or detaching. The movable member 140 is a square cylindrical member extending in the axial direction Z, and surrounds the first housing 120 from the outside. The movable member 140 is formed with a spring seat 141 that protrudes inward. The movable member 140 is movable in the axial direction Z relative to the first housing 120. Two auxiliary biasing members 180 are arranged in the gap between the movable member 140 and the first housing 120.

The +Z side end of the auxiliary biasing member 180 contacts the wide portion 122 of the first housing 120, and the -Z side end of the auxiliary biasing member 180 contacts the spring seat 141 of the movable member 140. The auxiliary biasing member 180 is, for example, a coil spring, and is compressed in the axial direction Z. Therefore, the movable member 140 receives a biasing force toward the -Z side from the auxiliary biasing member 180. When no external force is acting on the movable member 140, the biasing force of the auxiliary biasing member 180 causes the -Z side end of the movable member 140 to enter between the first main body portion 11 and the engagement piece 33 in the adapter 2. Therefore, the elastic deformation of the engagement piece 33 toward the outside is restricted. When the user moves the movable member 140 toward the +Z side against the biasing force, the movable member 140 is released from the adapter 2, and the engagement piece 33 can be elastically deformed toward the outside in the first orthogonal direction X.

When removing the first optical connector 100 from the adapter 2, the first optical connector 100 can be pulled toward the +Z side while the movable member 140 is moved toward the +Z side. When the engaging portion 33a comes into contact with the inclined surface of the protrusion 123, the engaging piece 33 elastically deforms outward in the first orthogonal direction X. As a result, the engaging portion 33a disengages from the protrusion 123, and the first optical connector 100 is removed from the adapter 2.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second optical connector 200 has a second intermediate member 230, an elastic engagement piece 240, and a second boot 250 in addition to the second ferrule 210 and the second housing 220. As shown in FIG. 3, the second ferrule 210 has a plurality of second fiber holes 212 and two second positioning holes 213. The plurality of second fiber holes 212 and the two second positioning holes 213 open to the second connection end face 211. The two second positioning holes 213 are spaced apart in the first orthogonal direction X, and are arranged to sandwich the plurality of second fiber holes 212 between them. Positioning pins 260 are inserted into these second positioning holes 213. A second optical fiber F2 is inserted into each of the second fiber holes 212.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second housing 220 has a tip side member 220a and a base side member 220b. The second housing 220 is formed by combining these two members 220a, 220b. However, the second housing 220 may be a single member. A part of the second ferrule 210, the second intermediate member 230, and the second biasing member 270 are housed inside the second housing 220.

The second intermediate member 230 contacts the -Z side end of the second ferrule 210. The second intermediate member 230 has the role of transmitting the biasing force of the second biasing member 270 to the second ferrule 210. The second intermediate member 230 also holds two positioning pins 260. For this reason, the second intermediate member 230 is also referred to as a pin clamp. The elastic engagement piece 240 is disposed on the -X side of the second housing 220. The elastic engagement piece 240 has an engagement protrusion 241 that protrudes towards the -X side. The second main body portion 21 also has an engagement hole 21a. The engagement protrusion 241 engages with this engagement hole 21a, thereby restricting the second optical connector 200 from moving towards the -Z side relative to the adapter 2. Details are omitted, but when the second optical connector 200 is removed from the adapter 2, the elastic engagement piece 240 elastically deforms, causing the engagement protrusion 241 to move to the +X side and disengage from the engagement hole 21a.

The base end member 220b of the second housing 220 has a second support surface 221 facing the +Z side. The -Z side end of the second biasing member 270 contacts the second support surface 221. The +Z side end of the second biasing member 270 contacts the second intermediate member 230. The second biasing member 270 is, for example, a coil spring, and is compressed between the second support surface 221 and the second intermediate member 230.

With the above configuration, a biasing force toward the -Z side generated by the first biasing member 170 acts on the first ferrule 110. Also, a biasing force toward the +Z side generated by the second biasing member 270 acts on the second ferrule 210. Here, in this embodiment, the first optical connector 100 and the second optical connector 200 are different types. The area of the first connection end face 111 is larger than the area of the second connection end face 211. Also, the biasing force acting on the first ferrule 110 is larger than the biasing force acting on the second ferrule 210. As a specific example, the biasing force acting on the first ferrule 110 (first biasing force) is in the range of 18 to 22 N, and the biasing force acting on the second ferrule 210 (second biasing force) is in the range of 7 to 13 N.

Next, the function of the optical connection structure 1 of this embodiment will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 6, the inner socket 30 and the first housing 120 are engaged by the engagement portion 33a and the protrusion 123. The inner socket 30 is also biased toward the -Z side with respect to the first member 10 by the action of the biasing portion 40. Therefore, the first housing 120 is also biased toward the -Z side by the biasing portion 40. When the first ferrule 110 and the second ferrule 210 come into contact, the biasing force of the second biasing member 270 causes the second ferrule 210 to press against the first ferrule 110.

Here, the first ferrule 110 is biased by the first biasing member 170. However, the reaction force of the first biasing member 170 is supported by the first housing 120 via the support member 160. The first housing 120 is biased against the first member 10 by the biasing portion 40. As a result, the first biasing member 170 and the biasing portion 40 are mechanically structured as springs connected in series. Because the biasing force of the biasing portion 40 is smaller than the biasing force of the first biasing member 170, when the first ferrule 110 is pressed by the second ferrule 210, the biasing portion 40 is compressed and deformed preferentially over the first biasing member 170.

In other words, the positions of the first ferrule 110 and the second ferrule 210 in the axial direction Z when they come into contact with each other are determined primarily by the balance of the biasing forces of the biasing portion 40 and the second biasing member 270. Here, in this embodiment, the third biasing force by the biasing portion 40 and the second biasing force by the second biasing member 270 are approximately equal. As a specific example, the second biasing force by the second biasing member 270 is 10 N. The biasing portion 40 has four elastic members 41, and the biasing force of each elastic member 41 is 2.5 N. In other words, the third biasing force by the biasing portion 40 is 4 x 2.5 = 10 N, which is equal to the second biasing force of the second biasing member 270.

As a result, even if the biasing force of the first biasing member 170 is greater than the biasing force of the second biasing member 270, the first ferrule 110 is prevented from excessively penetrating into the second ferrule 210. Therefore, it is possible to position the first connection end face 111 and the second connection end face 211 at predetermined positions in the axial direction Z.

The above describes a case where the second biasing force by the second biasing member 270 and the third biasing force by the biasing section 40 are approximately equal. However, if the difference between the third biasing force and the second biasing force is smaller than the difference between the first biasing force and the second biasing force, the effect can be obtained.

As described above, the adapter 2 of this embodiment connects a first optical connector 100 that urges a first ferrule 110 having a first connection end face 111 toward the first connection end face 111 with a first urging force, and a second optical connector 200 that urges a second ferrule 210 having a second connection end face 211 toward the second connection end face 211 with a second urging force smaller than the first urging force. The adapter 2 includes an inner socket 30 that engages with the first optical connector 100, a housing C that houses the inner socket 30 and engages with the second optical connector 200, and a urging section 40 that urges the inner socket 30 toward the housing C with a third urging force toward the second optical connector 200, and the difference between the third urging force and the second urging force is smaller than the difference between the first urging force and the second urging force. This adapter 2 allows two types of optical connectors 100, 200 that have different biasing forces on the ferrules 110, 210 to be properly connected to each other.

The biasing portion 40 includes a plurality of elastic members 41, which are arranged point-symmetrically about the central axis O of the inner socket 30. With this configuration, the inner socket 30 can be biased in a well-balanced manner by the plurality of elastic members 41. Therefore, tilting of the first optical connector 100 engaged with the inner socket 30 can be suppressed.

The housing C also has a first member 10 that supports the biasing portion 40, and a second member 20 that engages with the second optical connector 200. The inner socket 30 is movable in the axial direction Z relative to the first member 10 and the second member 20. This configuration allows the inner socket 30 to be floating inside the housing C.

Furthermore, the housing C of this embodiment does not engage with the first housing 120 of the first optical connector 100. With this configuration, the biasing force of the biasing portion 40 can be substantially applied to the first ferrule 110 instead of the first biasing member 170.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the structures of the optical connectors 100 and 200 described above are just examples, and the disclosure of the above embodiment can be suitably used for two types of optical connectors with different ferrule biasing forces.

In addition, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate.

The adapter according to the above aspect of the present invention allows two types of optical connectors with different biasing forces on the ferrules to be properly connected together.

2...Adapter 10...First member 20...Second member 30...Inner socket 40...Pressing portion 41...Elastic member 100...First optical connector 110...First ferrule 111...First connection end surface 200...Second optical connector 210...Second ferrule 211...Second connection end surface C...Housing O...Central axis

Claims (4)

An adapter for connecting a first optical connector that urges a first ferrule having a first connection end face toward the first connection end face with a first urging force, and a second optical connector that urges a second ferrule having a second connection end face toward the second connection end face with a second urging force smaller than the first urging force,
an inner socket that engages with the first optical connector;
a housing that houses the inner socket and engages with the second optical connector;
a biasing portion that biases the inner socket toward the second optical connector against the housing with a third biasing force,
The adapter, wherein a difference between the third biasing force and the second biasing force is less than a difference between the first biasing force and the second biasing force. The biasing portion includes a plurality of elastic members,
The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elastic members are arranged point-symmetrically about a central axis of the inner socket. the housing has a first member that supports the biasing portion and a second member that engages with the second optical connector,
The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the inner socket is movable relative to the first member and the second member. The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing does not engage with the housing of the first optical connector.

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