JP4991781B2 - Optical connector plug - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector plug for connecting optical fiber cables.

  In a connection part of an optical fiber cable used for optical communication or the like, there is a problem that the optical transmission efficiency is extremely deteriorated when the end face of the optical fiber is damaged or dust or the like adheres. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanism in which a movable shielding piece is provided in front of the end face of the optical fiber and the shielding piece is moved during use.

  For this reason, it is necessary to provide a front-rear movement member for driving the shielding piece in the front part of the optical connector plug so as to be movable back and forth, and normally, the front-rear movement member is urged forward to shield the shielding piece. One end of the urging means for urging the forward / backward moving member forward needs to be attached to the fixing member.

JP 2006-276782 A

  In addition, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-288007 by the present applicant, one end of a compression coil spring that biases the outer case forward at the time of connecting an optical fiber is attached to the holding metal fitting, but a stopper is provided on the holding metal fitting. Therefore, there is a problem that the material of the holding metal becomes large.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector plug that can securely and easily fix an optical fiber cable by using a pipe fitting with a holding fitting .

To achieve the above object, an optical connector plug according to the present invention is an optical connector plug in which an optical fiber cable having a tensile fiber is fixed along a fiber core wire by a holding metal fitting and connected to a counterpart optical fiber cable. and a tip wherein the synthetic resin ferrule fiber core inserted through the holding of the optical fiber cable, and the holding metal fitting for holding the ferrule via a spring, a cylindrical tube through which the jacket part of the optical fiber cable and a bracket, wherein the holding fixture is formed by punching a single electrically conductive metal plate, a cylindrical portion surrounding the ferrule from the surroundings to the front is provided, the tube inserted through the optical fiber cable in the middle section with kicking set the pipe fitting crimping portion to stop crimping the outer bracket, provided with positioning projections for positioning the forward of the pipe fitting, said the rear The jacket caulked portion stop caulking jacket part of the fiber cable is provided, said tube fitting crimping the tensile strength fibers from the jacket section folded back extending out the tube fitting on the front of the optical fiber cable inserted into the pipe fitting It is characterized in that it is caulked on the pipe fitting by a portion .

According to the optical connector plug according to the present invention, the holding fixture that holds the optical fiber cable can be inexpensive and compact.

It is the perspective view which looked at the holding metal fitting and the pipe metal fitting from the upper part. It is the perspective view which looked at the holding metal fitting from the lower part. It is a perspective view of an optical fiber cable. It is a perspective view of the state which inserted the holding metal fitting etc. in the optical fiber cable. It is sectional drawing of boots. It is a perspective view of the state which attached the fiber core wire to the ferrule. It is sectional drawing of the state which attached the fiber core wire to the ferrule. It is an expansion perspective view of a plug frame. It is a perspective view of the state which attached the plug frame to the ferrule. It is sectional drawing of the state which attached the plug frame to the ferrule. It is the perspective view which has arrange | positioned the pipe fitting in the predetermined position. It is a perspective view in the state where a caulking part was caulked. It is a perspective view of the state which moved the boot to the predetermined position. It is a perspective view of the state where the holding member was attached. It is a disassembled perspective view of a shutter member. It is sectional drawing of a slide member. It is sectional drawing of an outer case. It is a perspective view of the state where the slider was attached to the outer case. It is a perspective view in the state where a leaf spring member was inserted in the outer case. It is a perspective view of the state where the shutter member was attached to the holding member. It is sectional drawing. It is sectional drawing of the state which operated the slider. It is sectional drawing of the state in which the outer case was pushed in. It is sectional drawing of the state in which the ferrule protruded.

The present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holding fitting 1 and a pipe fitting 2 for holding an optical fiber as viewed from above, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holding fitting 1 as viewed from below. The holding metal fitting 1 is formed by punching a conductive metal plate made of, for example, brass. A cylindrical portion 3 that surrounds a ferrule, which will be described later, is surrounded by a front portion of the holding metal fitting 1 and a tube at the bottom of the cylindrical portion 3 at the rear. A positioning projection 4 for positioning the metal fitting 2 forward, a tube fitting caulking portion 5 for caulking the end portion of the jacket portion of the optical fiber cable together with the tube fitting 2 at the middle portion, and an optical fiber cable outside at the rear portion An outer caulking portion 6 that caulks the covering portion is provided.

  The cylindrical portion 3 is provided with a spring locking portion 3a that is partially bent inward, and a side portion is provided with a frame locking portion 3b for a plug frame described later. The pipe fitting caulking portion 5 has caulking pieces 5a and 5b having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and, for example, two rectangular slit holes 5c are provided in the bottom of the pipe fitting caulking portion 5 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. It has been. Further, the outer cover caulking portion 6 is provided with caulking pieces 6a and 6b having a substantially U-shaped cross section, which are often smaller than the caulking pieces 5a and 5b. On the pipe fitting caulking portion 5 side of the caulking pieces 5a and 5b, a boot locking portion 7 for a boot described later is formed.

  On the other hand, the pipe fitting 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape made of SUS so as not to be deformed, for example, is inserted through the jacket portion of the optical fiber cable, and along the fiber core line of the optical fiber cable by the pipe fitting caulking portion 5 of the holding fitting 1. Cooperate the provided tensile strength fiber to stop it. In addition, the flange part 2a is formed in the rear half part of the pipe fitting 2 only in the upper half part.

  In order to fix the optical fiber cable to the holding metal fitting 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the jacket portion 10a at the tip of the optical fiber cable 10 is cut off, and the optical fiber 10b and the fiber core wire 10c made of, for example, silica glass fiber are cut from the tip. The reinforcing tensile fiber 10d arranged along the optical fiber 10b is pulled out from the cut surface of the jacket portion 10a while being exposed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the boot 11, the pipe fitting 2, the cylindrical portion 3 of the holding fitting 1, and the inner compression coil spring 12 are inserted in this order from the distal end side of the optical fiber cable 10.

  The boot 11 is made of a hard synthetic resin material that is provided around the caulking portions 5 and 6 of the holding metal fitting 1 and protects it. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. Is provided with a cable insertion hole 11a. Above the front end of the boot 11, a flange 11b projects forward, and on the inner side of the front end, a locking recess 11c that locks to the boot locking portion 7 provided on the holding metal fitting 1 is provided. A bar-shaped spring pressing portion 11d along the longitudinal direction for attaching a lower compression coil spring, which will be described later, protrudes forward. Further, the end portion 11e of the cable insertion hole 11a at the rear portion of the boot 11 is rounded and chamfered so that the optical fiber cable 10 can be pulled out in an arbitrary direction.

  The inner compression coil spring 12 is disposed in the gap between the cylindrical portion 3 of the holding metal fitting 1 and the optical fiber cable 10, and the rear end portion is locked to the spring locking portion 3 a of the cylindrical portion 3. Used to energize.

  The fiber core wire 10c is inserted into the insertion hole 13a of the ferrule 13 and fixed by bonding as shown in FIGS. The front end portion of the ferrule 13 is made of, for example, a ceramic material, the rear end portion is made of a metal member, the inner compression coil spring 12 is provided around a cylindrical portion 13b made of the metal member, and the front end of the inner compression coil spring 12 is provided at a step portion. The parts are in contact with each other. After inserting the fiber core wire 10 c into the insertion hole 13 a, the fiber core wire 10 c is cut with a cutter or the like so that the tip of the fiber core wire 10 c is flush with the tip of the ferrule 13.

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the plug frame 14, and a cylindrical portion that accommodates the ferrule 13 is provided inside the plug frame 14 made of synthetic resin, and the outer side has a substantially rectangular tube shape. The upper surface of the plug frame 14 is provided with a rectangular protrusion 14a formed in a rectangular cross section on the tip end side, and an opening 14b that opens rearward on the rear side, and a concave shape on both sides of the opening 14b. The spring stopper 14c is formed. In addition, a front projection 14d, a rear projection 14e, and a locking hole 14f are provided on the side portion of the plug frame 14.

  The plug frame 14 is attached around the ferrule 13 as shown in FIG. The locking hole 14f provided in the plug frame 14 is locked to the holding metal fitting 1 by being engaged with the frame engaging portion 3b of the holding metal 1, and the ferrule 13 that holds the fiber core wire 10c protrudes from the tip of the plug frame 14.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view thereof, in which the step portion in front of the ferrule 13 abuts on the inner protrusion 14 g of the plug frame 14, and the inner compression coil spring 12 is engaged with the step portion of the column portion 13 b of the ferrule 13 and the spring of the holding metal fitting 1. It is arrange | positioned between the stop parts 3a and urges | biases the ferrule 13 ahead. At this time, the tensile strength fiber 10 d of the optical fiber cable 10 is folded back onto the tube fitting caulking portion 5 of the holding fitting 1.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the pipe fitting 2 is moved onto the front fitting fitting portion 5 so that the front end thereof is locked to the positioning protrusion 4 of the holding fitting 1. At this time, the tensile strength fiber 10 d is positioned along the longitudinal direction on the lower side of the outer surface of the pipe fitting caulking portion 5 and the pipe fitting 2.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the caulking pieces 5 a and 5 b of the pipe fitting caulking portion 5 are folded, and the tensile strength fiber 10 d is sandwiched between the pipe fitting 2 and the pipe fitting 2 is firmly caulked with a jig. At that time, the flange portion 2a of the pipe fitting 2 is disposed at the rear end of the caulking pieces 5a and 5b, and the forward movement of the pipe fitting 2 is restricted in cooperation with the positioning projection 4. Further, the high-strength pipe fitting 2 is caulked without deformation, and the tensile strength fiber 10d bites into the two slit holes 5c of the pipe fitting caulking portion 5, and at the same time by the caulking pieces 6a and 6b of the outer caulking portion 6, The jacket portion 10a of the optical fiber cable 10 is caulked and fixed.

  In this way, the optical fiber cable 10 is fixed by the two caulking portions 5 and 6, and in particular, the tensile strength fiber 10 d is sandwiched between the pipe fitting 2 and the holding fitting 1 and caulked, so that the holding fitting 1 of the optical fiber cable 10. The movement in the front-rear direction with respect to is reliably prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the boot 11 is moved forward along the optical fiber cable 10, the flange portion 11 b is abutted against the rear portion of the plug frame 14, the caulking portions 5 and 6 are covered by the flange portion 11 b, and By locking the locking portion 7 in the locking recess 11 c of the boot 11, movement of the boot 11 in the front-rear direction is prevented.

  Here, a contact spring 15 made of a thin metal plate is attached to the spring stopper 14c on the plug frame 14 so as to cover the opening 14b. The contact spring 15 is substantially T-shaped, both ends of the T-shaped horizontal portion are fixed to the spring stopper 14c, the tip of the vertical portion is lifted upward, and the lower end of the tip is bent inward.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, a synthetic resin gripping member 16 is attached so as to cover the plug frame 14 and the front end of the boot 11. The gripping member 16 is a long, substantially rectangular frame, and an upper opening 16a is formed in the upper portion of the upper surface in the central length direction, and an upper protrusion 16b is provided on the rear end side of the upper surface. Further, a lower cylindrical portion 16c extending in the length direction is formed on the rear end side in order to insert a lower compression coil spring, which will be described later, at the center of the lower surface. Further, a locking hole 16d connecting two large and small rectangular holes is provided on both side surface portions of the front portion of the gripping member 16, a gripping portion 16e is further provided on both side surface portions of the rear portion, and the gripping portion 16e has a vertical direction. There are provided a plurality of anti-slip grooves for the fingers.

  Thus, by covering the plug frame 14 with the gripping member 16, the rectangular protrusion 14 a and the contact spring of the plug frame 14 are positioned in the upper opening 16 a provided in the gripping member 16. Further, the gripping member 16 can be moved slightly back and forth with respect to the plug frame 14. That is, the front protrusion 14d and the rear protrusion 14e provided on the side of the plug frame 14 engage with the locking holes 16d of the gripping member 16, and the gripping member 16 is limited to a predetermined range with respect to the plug frame 14. It is possible to move within.

  FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the shutter member 17, and a synthetic resin slider portion 18, an upper compression coil spring 19 housed in the slider portion 18, and a synthetic resin outer case 20 that combines the slider portion 18. It is comprised from the leaf | plate spring member 21 which consists of a metal plate accommodated in the case 20. FIG.

  The slider portion 18 is provided with a spring groove portion 18a for mounting the upper compression coil spring 19 in the central longitudinal direction of the member body formed in a flat plate shape, and an operation knob 18b is formed at the rear portion of the slider portion 18. Yes. Further, as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 16, a shutter plate 22 made of an elastic metal plate having flexibility is fixed to the lower surface of the slider portion 18. The shutter plate 22 has a length and a width that cover the inside of the front portion of the outer case 20. Further, the shutter plate 22 is formed in a U-shape, and the rear end is sandwiched by the folded portion 18 c via the hinge of the slider portion 18 and is fixed to the lower rear portion. The front end of the folded portion 18c is an inclined surface 18d.

  FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional view of the outer case 20, and the outer case 20 is provided with a horizontally long upper cylindrical portion 20b with the front end side closed and the rear end side opened on the upper side of the rectangular cylindrical central cylindrical portion 20a. Yes. Further, a lower groove shape is formed below the central cylindrical portion 20a so as to extend rearward, closes the front end, opens the rear end portion, and covers the lower cylindrical portion 16c of the gripping member 16 from the outside. A portion 20c is provided. Further, a shutter entrance / exit 20d is provided on the central tubular portion 20a side of the upper tubular portion 20b.

  A cover portion 20e is provided on the upper surface portion of the upper cylindrical portion 20b so as to extend to the rear end side at the center thereof, and covers the spring groove portion 18a of the slider portion 18. The lower compression coil spring 19 is provided at the rear end thereof. A locking portion 20f that hangs downward is formed to lock the rear end of the frame. Further, in the central cylindrical portion 20a, projections 20g projecting downward are provided on both sides of the base end of the cover portion 20e. Further, a projection 20h for fixing the front end of the lower compression coil spring is provided at the front portion in the lower groove portion 20c so as to protrude rearward.

  In order to assemble the shutter member 17, as shown in FIG. 18, the slider portion 18 is fitted to the rear portion of the outer case 20. The slider portion 18 having the upper compression coil spring 19 mounted in the spring groove portion 18 a enters the upper cylindrical portion 20 b of the outer case 20, and the shutter plate 22 passes through the shutter inlet / outlet 20 d of the outer case 20 and the central cylindrical portion 20 a. It is inserted in. The rear end of the upper compression coil spring 19 is pushed in by the locking portion 20 f of the outer case 20.

  Therefore, the slider portion 18 is movable back and forth with respect to the outer case 20, and is urged toward the front outer case 20 by the upper compression coil spring 19, so that the shutter plate 22 closes the inside of the central cylindrical portion 20a. Being pushed out. Further, the lower compression coil spring 23 is disposed in the lower groove portion 20c of the outer case 20, and the front end thereof is inserted into the protrusion 20h.

  Note that the contact between the slider 18 and the gripping member 16 requires a delicate feel due to precise dimensional accuracy, and wear is likely to occur due to repeated use. Therefore, the metal contact spring 15 and the metal plate are punched out. A leaf spring member 21 formed in this manner is interposed. As shown in FIG. 15, the leaf spring member 21 is bent into a U-shaped cross section, and cuts are provided at various points. A leaf spring portion 21a lifted rearward is formed on the upper surface, and an abutting portion 21b bent downward is provided at the tip thereof. Further, a locking portion 21c for the outer case 20, a locking portion 21d for the plug frame 14, and a pressing portion 21e for preventing rattling against the gripping member 16 are provided on both sides. The leaf spring member 21 is inserted into the outer case 20 from the rear portion of the outer case 20 as shown in FIG.

  20 (a) and 20 (b) are perspective views of the optical connector plug almost completed by attaching the shutter member 17 assembled as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 to the tip of the gripping member 16, and FIG. 21 is a sectional view. It is. By attaching the shutter member 17 to the tip of the gripping member 16, the abutting portion 21 b at the tip of the leaf spring portion 21 a of the leaf spring member 21 comes into contact with the front end of the contact spring 15. Further, the rear end portion of the lower compression coil spring 23 is locked to the spring pressing portion 11 d of the boot 11.

  As a result, the shutter member 17 is urged forward together with the outer case 20 by the lower compression coil spring 23, but the abutting portion 21 b of the leaf spring member 21 is engaged with the rectangular protrusion 14 a of the plug frame 14. Forward movement is restricted. Further, since the abutting portion 21b of the leaf spring member 21 contacts the contact spring, the outer case 20 is not moved rearward even if a force is applied to the outer case 20 from the front.

  The shutter plate 22 attached to the slider portion 18 is pushed into the central cylindrical portion 20a from the upper cylindrical portion 20b of the outer case 20 through the shutter inlet / outlet 20d, and the central cylindrical shape of the outer case 20 in front of the ferrule 13 is reached. Almost the entire opening of the portion 20a is shielded. As a result, in a state where the counterpart plug is not connected to the optical fiber connector, the fiber core wire 10c of the optical fiber cable 10 is mechanically protected, and it is a measure against dust inside the optical fiber connector.

  In order to connect this optical fiber connector to the mating plug, first, the gripping portion 16e of the gripping member 16 is gripped to hold the optical connector plug, and the operation knob 18b of the slider portion 18 is pushed backward with a finger, as shown in FIG. Then, the slider portion 18 is moved to the rear end side with respect to the outer case 20 against the upper compression coil spring 19. Until then, since the tip of the leaf spring member 21 is in contact with the tip of the contact spring 15, the rearward movement of the outer case 20 is restricted.

  The shutter plate 22 moves to the rear end side together with the slider part 18 and is drawn into the upper cylindrical part 20b from the central cylindrical part 20a of the outer case 20, and the front shield of the ferrule 13 is opened. Further, the leaf spring portion 21a of the leaf spring member 21 is lifted upward by releasing the pressure from above by the folded portion 18c of the slider portion 18.

  In this state, the outer case 20 is relatively pressed by bringing the tip of the outer case 20 into contact with the outer edge of the mating plug and pushing it in as shown in FIG. By this pressing, the outer case 20 starts to move backward against the urging force of the lower compression coil spring 23, and the leaf spring portion 21a of the leaf spring member 21 passes over the contact spring 15, and the leaf spring portion 21a. Is guided by the inclined surface 18d of the folded portion 18c of the slider portion 18 and is inserted below the folded portion 18c.

  Here, even if the finger is released from the operation knob 18 b of the slider portion 18, the slider portion 18 is restored to the front position by the urging force of the upper compression coil spring 19, but the shutter plate 22 extends along the upper portion of the plug frame 14. It remains lifted.

  As shown in FIG. 24, the shutter member 17 including the slider portion 18 and the outer case 20 moves to the rear end side against the urging force of the lower compression coil spring 23, and the ferrule 13 is relatively moved. Projects forward and connects to the mating plug.

  In this state, the ferrule 13 is inserted into the mating plug, and the fiber core wire 10c is optically connected to the mating fiber core wire.

  On the other hand, when the connection of the optical connector plug to the mating plug is released, the holding member 16 is held and pulled out from the mating plug. At this time, since the shutter member 17 has no pressing force from the front, the shutter member 17 moves forward by the urging force of the lower compression coil spring 23. As the shutter member 17 moves forward, the shutter plate 22 is fed into the central cylindrical portion 20a from the upper cylindrical portion 20b through the shutter inlet / outlet 20d, and returns to the disconnected state as shown in FIG. The front of the ferrule 13 is shielded.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Holding metal fitting 2 Pipe fitting 3 Cylindrical part 4 Positioning protrusion 10 Optical fiber cable 10b Optical fiber 10c Fiber core wire 11 Boot 13 Ferrule 14 Plug frame 15 Contact spring 16 Holding member 17 Shutter member 18 Slider part 19 Upper compression coil spring 20 Outer case 21 Leaf spring member 22 Shutter plate 23 Lower compression coil spring

Claims (1)

The optical fiber cable with tensile strength fibers is fixed by a holding metal fitting along the fiber core, the optical connector plug to be connected to a mating optical fiber cable, and inserting the fiber core of the tip of the optical fiber cable held synthetic resin A ferrule made of metal, the holding fitting for holding the ferrule via a spring, and a cylindrical pipe fitting for inserting the jacket portion of the optical fiber cable, wherein the holding fitting is a single conductive metal formed by punching a plate, a cylindrical portion surrounding the ferrule from the surroundings to the front is provided, the pipe fitting crimping portion to stop crimping the outside of the optical fiber said pipe fitting cable inserted through a set kick with the an intermediate portion, said the positioning projection is provided for positioning the forward tube fitting, set the envelope caulked portion stop caulking jacket section of the optical fiber cable to the rear , Light, characterized in that the stop caulking on the pipe fitting the tensile strength fibers folded in extending out the tube fitting on the jacket parts in front of the optical fiber cable inserted into the pipe fitting by the pipe fitting crimping portion Connector plug.

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