JPH0225809A - Connection switching device for optical fiber connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To suppress a hunting phenomenon and to shorten a switching time by arranging an elastic brake piece projecting in a shaft direction and a hole to insert the elastic brake piece while suppressing it when a first ferrule and a third ferrule of respective supporting blocks are made to butt, to the faced parts of both supporting blocks. CONSTITUTION:By separating both supporting blocks 13 and 14 by means of a ferrule mounting and removing mechanism, a second ferrule 2B is pulled out from a connecting sleeve 5, next, both supporting blocks 13 and 14 are relatively moved by a right-and-left sliding mechanism, a first ferrule 2A and a third ferrule 2C are faced, thereafter, both supporting blocks 13 and 14 are made close by the ferrule mounting and removing mechanism, thereby, the ferrule 2C is inserted into the connecting sleeve 5, and it can be made to butt to the first ferrule 2A. At the time of the butting of both ferrules 2A and 2C, an elastic brake piece 91 is inserted into the hole in being suppressed. Thus, even a repulsive work is suppressed, the generation of the hunting phenomenon is suppressed, and a high-speed switching can be executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a connection switching device that switches the connection of an optical transmission line by changing the combination of butts of ferrules in an optical fiber connector.

``Prior Art'' A type of optical fiber connector is one in which the terminals of a pair of optical fibers are housed in cylindrical ferrules, and the connecting end surfaces of the optical fibers are exposed at the tip surfaces of the ferrules. Some devices have a structure in which the ferrules are inserted from both ends of a connection sleeve and their tip surfaces abut against each other, thereby centering the ferrules and optically connecting mutual optical fibers.

In such optical fiber connectors, when replacing one ferrule with another to switch the optical transmission path in the event of a cable problem or relocation, for example, the first and second ferrules that are in a connected state A third ferrule to be newly switched is placed in parallel to the side of the ferrule,
After pulling out the second ferrule of both ferrules in the connected state from the connection sleeve, the first ferrule is moved in parallel to face the third ferrule, and the second ferrule is pulled out from the connection sleeve that is fitted onto the first ferrule. It may be possible to insert a third ferrule and butt the two ferrules together.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Incidentally, such connection switching work needs to be performed quickly and reliably. In particular, when performing connection switching by live-line work, it is necessary to shorten the switching time as much as possible. However, when the two ferrules are brought together at high speed, a so-called hunting phenomenon occurs in which the transmission characteristics pulsate due to impact force and repulsion force, and it is difficult to achieve so-called instantaneous disconnection switching until it stabilizes. A problem arises in that it takes time.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connection switching device that enables high-speed switching, suppresses the hunting phenomenon, and shortens the switching time.

"Means for Solving the Problem" The connection switching device of the present invention includes a first ferrule on a pedestal; A support block that integrally holds the connection sleeve that is externally fitted onto the rule, and a support block that integrally holds the second ferrule and the third ferrule that is arranged in parallel to the side of the second ferrule. A ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism that moves the ferrules toward and away from each other along the axial direction of the ferrule, and a left/right slide mechanism that relatively moves the ferrules in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction are connected to both support blocks. The elastic brake piece is provided at the opposing portions of both support blocks, and compresses the elastic brake piece when the elastic brake piece protrudes in the axial direction and the first ferrule and the third ferrule of each support block are butted against each other. The device is characterized by having a hole through which the device can be inserted.

"Operation" The connection switching device of the present invention pulls out the second ferrule from the connection sleeve by separating both support blocks using the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism, and then relatively moves both support blocks using the left and right slide mechanism. , the first ferrule and the third ferrule are made to face each other, and then both support blocks are brought close to each other by the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism, and the third ferrule is inserted into the connection sleeve and butted against the first ferrule. can be done. Then, when the two ferrules are brought together, the elastic brake piece is inserted into the hole while being pressed.
At that time, the friction force and elastic deformation force can absorb the impact force and also suppress the repulsive force.

"Example" Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

First, an optical fiber connector to which the present invention is applied will be explained with reference to FIG. 15.

In this Fig. 15, reference numeral 1 is an optical fiber, and reference numeral 2 is an optical fiber.
2B indicates a ferrule that accommodates the end of the optical fiber 1, and each ferrule 2B has a cylindrical tip 3 and a flange 4 shaped like the head of a hexagonal bolt connected together. The end of the optical fiber 1 is accommodated along the axial direction.

Further, reference numeral 5 designates a cylindrical connecting sleeve into which the distal ends 3 of both ferrules 2A and 2B are inserted from both ends and held in abutted state. Further, reference numeral 6 indicates the connection sleeve 5
A spring is attached to the sides of both ferrules 2Δ and 2B inserted in the ferrules 2A and 2B to press and bias the rear ends of these flanges 4, and the spring 6 is formed by pressing a plate spring or the like.
It is formed in a U-shape as a whole, and winding portions 6a that are open toward the outside are formed at both ends.

Next, the procedure for switching the connection of the optical fiber connector l having such a configuration is shown in FIGS. 16(a) to 16(d).
This is explained by: In this case, both the ferrules 2A and 2
In B, the ferrule 2A is the first ferrule, the ferrule 2B is the second ferrule 17, and the newly connected third ferrule is 2C.

As shown in FIG. 16(a), the spring 6 is removed from both the ferrules 2A and 2B in the connected state, and the third ferrule 2C to be newly connected is placed in parallel with the two ferrules 2A and 2B. do. In this case, the third ferrule 2C is arranged with its tip aligned with the side of the second ferrule 2B.

Therefore, of the ferrules 2A and 2B in the connected state, the first
Hold the two ferrules and the connecting sleeve 5 against the body, and pull them apart while moving them in the axial direction relative to the second ferrule 2B, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 16(a),
As shown in FIG. 16(b), the second ferrule 2B is pulled out from the connection sleeve 5.

Next, each of the ferrules 2A, 2B, and 2C is relatively moved in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, so that the two first ferrules and the third ferrule 2C face each other as shown in FIG. 16(C). .

From the facing state shown in FIG. 16(C), the first ferrule 2A and the connecting sleeve are brought closer to the third ferrule as shown by the arrows, and the inside of the connecting sleeve 5 is moved as shown in FIG. 16(d). A third ferrule 2C is inserted into the ferrule 2C, and both ferrules 2A and 2C are butted and connected.

Next, an embodiment of a connection switching device that switches connections using such a method will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. In the following description, the directions indicated by arrows (a), (b), (c), and (d) in FIGS. 1 and 9 are sequentially referred to as front, rear, left, and right.

This connection switching device has a pedestal 11 and a lid 12 that opens and closes a part of its upper surface. The support block 13 that holds the connection sleeve 5 integrally, and the support block 14 that holds the second ferrule 2B and the third ferrule 2C integrally are arranged in front and back, and the first ferrule 2A The front support block 13 that holds the second ferrule 2B, etc. is supported so as to be movable in the front-back direction, and the rear support block 14 that holds the second ferrule 2B etc. is supported so that it can be moved in the left-right direction. At this position, the rear end of the front support block 13 and the front end of the rear support block 14 are opposed to each other.

Further, the lid body 12 is provided with a spring attachment/detachment mechanism 15 that attaches and detaches the spring 6 to and from the ferrule in the connected state.

Then, the spring 6 is attached and detached to and from the ferrules held on each of the support blocks 13 and 14 by the spring attachment and detachment mechanism 15, and each of the support blocks 13 and 14 is moved by the ferrule attachment and detachment mechanism 16 and the left and right slide mechanism 17, which will be described later. The structure is such that the ferrules are switched, and a shock absorbing mechanism 18 is provided between the support blocks 13 and 14 to moderate the shock that acts on the ferrules when these blocks approach each other at high speed. .

To explain these details, the pedestal 11 includes:
A pair of side walls 22 and an end plate 23 are erected on the bottom plate 21 so as to surround both support blocks 13 and 14. A pair of left and right guide shafts 24 are disposed in the side portions in parallel with each other along the left and right direction, and a pair of left and right guide shafts 24 are disposed in parallel in the left and right direction between these protrusions 22a. A pair of front and rear guide shafts 25 are arranged in parallel between the protrusion 22a and the front end plate 23 along the front and rear direction.

The front support block 13 has a rectangular planar shape, is movably supported by the front and rear guide shaft 25, and has a recess formed in the upper surface so that the first ferrule 2A can be connected to the first ferrule 2A. A first ferrule holding portion 26 is formed to integrally hold the connecting sleeve 5 in an externally fitted state. Further, the rear support block 14 is movably supported by the left and right guide shafts 24, and the front support block 14 is movably supported by the left and right guide shafts 24.
3, the second ferrule holding part 27 that holds the flange part 4 of the second ferrule 2B is attached to the ferrule 2B with the tip aligned with the second ferrule 2B by the recess formed in the upper surface part. A third ferrule holding portion 28 is formed to hold the flange portion 4 of the third ferrule 2C, which is arranged in parallel to the left side (in the direction indicated by the arrow (C)). In this case, each ferrule holding portion 26
The ferrules 27 and 28 are formed so as to be fitted in such a manner that the longitudinal center portions of both ferrules in the connected state are slightly shifted toward the front side with respect to the opposing portions of the front and rear support blocks 13 and 14.

In the support blocks 13 and 14 having such a configuration, a positioning means for regulating the position of the rear support block 14 in the left-right direction is configured as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the front support block 13 has two protruding guide bars 31 and 32 that abut against the left and right sides of the rear support block 14.
When the rear support block 14 is interposed between both guide bars 31 and 32, its movement in the left and right direction is restricted, and the first ferrule holding portion 26 of the front support block 13 and the rear support block 14 are the second ferrule ('
4 It is set so that the axis line with the holding part 27 coincides.

In this case, the left guide bar 31 is connected to the front support block 1
3, but the right guide bar 32 is
It is provided so as to be movable back and forth and is biased in the projecting direction by a spring 33, and when the front support block 13 approaches the rear support block 14 which has moved to the right as described later, the rear support block 13 It is pushed by the block 14 and is moved back while compressing the spring 33.

Further, between the right side surface of the rear support block 14 and the right side wall 22 of the pedestal 11, a stopper 34 is provided by a convex portion 34A and a concave portion 34B to restrict the stop position of the support block 14 when it moves rightward. At the stop position regulated by the stopper 34, both support blocks 13 and
The axes of the 14 first ferrule holding parts 26 and the third ferrule holding parts 28 are aligned.

And...: These support blocks 13 and 14 are covered with a plate-shaped slide lid 36 that is opened and closed by a lid opening and closing mechanism 35, which will be described later, above the ferrule holding parts 26, 27, and 28. Ferrule holding part 26, 27, 2
Clamping means for pressing the rear ends of the ferrules/172A, 2B, and 2C fitted to the ferrules 8, a sleeve fixing mechanism 37 that is connected to the first ferrule holding part 26 and fixing the connecting sleeve 5, and the first ferrule holding part a discharge mechanism 38 that projects the connection sleeve 5 upward from the ferrule holding part 26;
- The 27 fist 28 is equipped with a ferrule detection means, etc. that detects that two ferrules, 2B, and 2C are placed.

The clamping means includes a pair of guide rods 42 arranged in the front-rear direction in a notch 41 formed by removing the central part of each support block 13 and 14, and a pair of ferrule holding parts attached to the guide rod 42. Clamp blocks 43 and 44 that press the rear ends of the ferrules 2A, 2B, and 2C fitted to the ferrules 26, 27, and 28 are movably supported, respectively, and both support blocks 13 and 14 are supported by springs 45 that are fitted onto each guide rod 42. The structure is such that it is biased in the direction of the opposing portion. In this case, in a state where the clamp blocks 43 and 44 press the rear ends of the ferrules 2, 2B, and 2C, there is a space between the front surface of each clamp block 43 and 44 in the suppression direction and the support blocks 13 and 14 as shown in FIG. It is set so that the gap g can be opened as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, in the sleeve fixing mechanism 37, a rod 46 is movably pushed through from the left side surface of the front support block 13 toward the first ferrule holding portion 26, and A pressing piece 47 facing the first ferrule holding portion 26 is provided at the tip of the rod 46 and is biased toward the tip by a spring 48 . for,
An operating piece 49 for towing is provided. In addition, the pressing piece 4
A curved concave surface 7 having the same curvature as the outer circumferential surface of the connecting sleeve 5 is formed so as to be in contact with half of the outer circumferential surface of the connecting sleeve 5 .

Further, in the ejection mechanism 38, a push-up bin 51 that vertically passes through the front support block 13 has its upper end connected to a first
provided facing the ferrule holding portion 26 of the
It is configured to be biased upward by a spring 52.

A connecting plate 53 provided at the lower end of the push-up bin 51
, the stopper pin 54 is pushed up parallel to the pin 51.
is provided, passes through the front support block 13 in the vertical direction, is urged upward by a spring 55, and is engaged with a notch 56 formed near the pressing piece 47 of the sleeve fixing mechanism 37. The stopper pin 54 restricts the movement of the pressing piece 47 of the sleeve fixing mechanism 37 and the push-up pin 51 of the ejection mechanism 38.

That is, the stopper bin 54 is connected to the sleeve fixing mechanism 37.
In the state in which the pressing piece 47 is engaged with the notch 56 of
When fitted, it is pushed down together with the push-up pin 51 to release the engagement with the notch 56,
By making the pressing piece 47 freely movable and bringing it into contact with the connecting sleeve 5, and furthermore, when the operating piece 49 of the sleeve fixing mechanism 37 is bowed, it is moved upward to engage with the notch 56. The push-up pin 51 is moved upward as a unit to eject the connection sleeve 5 within the first ferrule holding portion 26.

Further, the ferrule detection means includes a first detection section 61 that detects that both ferrules 2A and 2B are arranged in the first ferrule holding section 26 and the second ferrule holding section 27, and a third ferrule Ferrule 2C on the holding part 28
and a second detection section 62 that detects the placement of the second detection section 62.

The first detection unit 61 is located below the rear support block 14.
A limit switch 63 is provided to detect the connecting plate 53 of the ejection mechanism 38, and the connecting plate 53 is lowered when both the ferrules 2A and 2B are placed in the first and second ferrule holding parts 26 and 27. By utilizing this fact, the existence of the ferrules 2A and 2B can be confirmed.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the second detection section 62 includes a bin 64 inserted into the left side of the rear support block 14 and facing the third 7-work rule holding section 28. and is biased in the insertion direction by the spring 65,
Its base end is made to protrude from the rear support block 14,
In addition, a limit switch 66 for bringing the base end into contact with the left side wall 22 of the pedestal 11 is provided, and the rear support block 14 is placed between the guide bars 31 and 32 of the front support block 13. In the intervening state, the limit switch 66 is operated by the pin 64 when the ferrule 2C is fitted into the third ferrule support portion 28.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism 16 is connected to the front support block 13 and housed in a pedestal 11, and is connected to a pair of drive parts 71 and 72 to transmit the driving force, for example. By the lever mechanism 73 which amplifies the signal twice and transmits it to the front support block 13, both support blocks 13 and 1
4 in the direction of moving them closer to each other, and a spring of a coil spring or the like that presses the front support block 13 toward the rear support block 14 on the front and rear guide shaft 25 that supports the front support block 13. The member 74 is configured to be extrapolated, and the resilient member 74 assists the driving force generated by the drive portions 71 and 72.

In the illustrated example, the driving parts 71 and 72 use solenoids to generate driving force when the reciprocating rods 71a and 72a are attracted, and are arranged in two stages, upper and lower, with the upper stage separated. Drive unit 71. The lower stage is an approach drive section 72.

Further, in the lever mechanism 73, a link 77 is attached to a bracket 75 on the bottom plate 21'' of the pedestal 11 so as to be vertically rotatable by means of a support pin 76, and the upper end of the link 77 is connected to the front support block 13. connected to the bottom part, and
The reciprocating rods 71a and 72 of each drive unit '71 and 72 are placed at intermediate positions of the link 77 equidistantly apart from each other through the support bin 76.
In the case of the illustrated example in which the driving force is amplified twice by connecting the two a to each other, the length Q from the support bin 76 to the connection part with the front support block 13 is This is set to twice the length σ up to each drive unit 71 and 72. In addition, the connection part between the link 77 and each of the driving parts 71 and 72 and the front support block 13 is formed by engaging a pin 79 with a notch 78 that opens in the downward direction. The link 77 can be smoothly rotated relative to the horizontal linear movement of the reciprocating rods 71a and 72a and the front support block 13.

The left and right slide mechanism 17, as shown in FIG.
It is connected to the rear support block 14 and moves it in the left-right direction, and similarly to the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism 16, it includes a left movement drive section 81 and a right movement drive section 82 arranged in upper and lower stages, and a lever. A mechanism 83 is provided to support the rear support block 14. on the left and right guide shafts 24,
A resilient member 84 such as a coil spring that presses and urges the rear support block 14 to the right is inserted externally.

In this case, in the lever mechanism 83, the length e3 from the support bin 76 to the connection part with the rear support block I4 is different from the support bin 76 to each driving part 81, as in the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism 16.
- The length up to 82 is set to twice the length Q4, and the connection part between the link 85 and the reciprocating rod 82a in the rear support block 14 and the lower right movement drive part 82 connects the notch 78 and the bin 79. Although it is said to have an engaged configuration,
The connection portion with the upper left movement drive portion 81 is configured such that a pressing member 86 provided at the tip of the reciprocating rod 81a is brought into contact with a link 85.

In addition to the shock absorption mechanism 18 having an absorbing action by the spring 45 that presses and biases the clamp blocks 43 and 44, as shown in FIGS. 44 is integrally provided with a bar-shaped elastic brake piece 91 that protrudes beyond the surface facing the front support block 13, and the front support block 1
3 is provided with a hole 92 into which the elastic brake piece 19 is inserted while being compressed. That is, the hole 92 is arranged so that the elastic brake piece 91 is inserted when the axes of the first ferrule holding part 26 and the third ferrule holding part 28 are aligned, and the elastic brake piece 91 is inserted into the hole 92 . The inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter. In this case, the elastic brake piece 91 has a taper formed at its tip so that an absorbing action occurs slightly before the ferrules 2A and 2C collide. Note that both support blocks 1 are located to the left of the hole 92.
A recess 93 is formed into which the elastic brake piece 91 is inserted when the axes of the first ferrule holding part 26 and the second ferrule holding part 27 of No. 3 and 14 are aligned. , larger than the outer diameter of the elastic brake piece 91.

1 is a stopper that supports the rear end of the clamp block 44 in the rear support block 14, and the stopper 94 is movably penetrated through the right side of the rear support block 14. The clamp block 4 is pulled together when the slide M36 is opened.
It is designed so that it can be evacuated from the rear end of the 4.

On the other hand, the spring attachment/detachment mechanism 15 includes both support blocks 13 and
A clamp release mechanism lot that separates the 14 clamp blocks 43 and 44 from the rear end of the ferrule and a lid opening/closing mechanism 35 that moves the slide lid 36 move the spring 6 around the winding portion 6a and the ferrule holding portions 26 and 27.
・It can be activated after the upper part of 28 is opened.

The clamp release mechanism lO1 is provided in the pedestal 11, and as shown in FIGS. A feed screw 104 is provided along the line, and these are connected via a tooth width row 105. A cam portion 107 that protrudes upward is formed on a slide block 106 that is screwed to the feed screw 104, and A lifting platform 109 is horizontally supported on the bracket 102 so as to be movable up and down by a slide rod 108, and is inserted into the gap g between each of the support blocks 13 and 14 and the clamp blocks 43 and 44 on the upper surface of the lifting platform 109. A pair of wedge members 110 that are inserted into the guide hole mechanism of the front support block 13 and an idle rod 112 that are inserted into the guide hole mechanism of the front support block 13 are protrudingly provided, and a cam follower 11.3 that is in contact with the cam portion 107 is provided at the lower ai of the lifting platform 109. It has a configuration and is nestled.

The lid opening/closing mechanism 35 also includes an arm portion 121 that extends to the first side of the pedestal 11 via the right side of the support blocks 13 and 14 on the slide block 106 of the clamp release mechanism 101.
are arranged in series, and the slide M36 is fixed to the arm portion 121 so that it can be slid in the left-right direction along the upper surfaces of the support blocks 13 and 14.

The spring awning machine groove 15 is connected to the mount 11 as described above.
A pair of engagement claws 12 inserted into the winding portion 6a of the spring 6 are attached to a pair of front and rear slide blocks 122 that are provided on the lid body 12 that opens and closes upwardly and are moved in the front and back direction.
3 are integrally formed, and the spring 6 is attached and detached by moving the engaging +h pawl 123 by a back and forth slide mechanism 124 and an up and down movement mechanism 125.

The lid 12 is rotatably coupled to the upper surface of the pedestal 11 via a hinge portion 126, and is formed in a box shape with the portion facing the pedestal 11 in an open state L7.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the longitudinal slide mechanism 124 includes a vertical slide block 132 that is movable (J In addition to being supported, a pair of front and rear guide rods 133 and a feed screw 134 are provided in the vertical slide block j32 in parallel in the front and rear direction, and the front and rear slide block 122 inserted through the guide rod 133 is inserted into the feed screw 134. They are screwed together, and by rotating the feed screw 134 by the front-back drive unit 136, the f-direction locking pawl 123 integrated with both front-back slide blocks 122 is moved.In this case, the feed screw L : Screw grooves 134 are formed at intervals in opposite directions, and each of the front and rear slide blocks 122 is screwed into each of the grooves so as to move the locking pawls 123 in the direction of moving them toward each other. It has become.

In the vertical movement mechanism 125, a vertical drive unit 137 such as a motor is fixed to the inner wall of the lid body 12, and the rotation axis 1
37a, and a rack 139 formed on the second lower slide block 132 along the vertical direction.
and are engaged with each other.

In addition, in FIGS. 10 and 11, the reference numeral 140 indicates a mint switch 3 that regulates the position of each slide block, and as shown in FIGS. A cover 14L that covers the entire upper surface of the pedestal 11 is coupled to the pedestal 11 via a hinge part I42, and a handle 143 for carrying is provided. A door 144 that opens and closes is provided so that power can be supplied from the outside to a connector section 145 inside.

Next, a method of using the connection switching device configured as described above will be explained.

First, open the cover 141 and lid body 12, and
Place both support blocks 13 and 14 in the initial position shown in FIG. 1 etc. 1. In this state, the lid opening/closing mechanism 35 slides the slide i36 from above the ferrule holding parts 26, 27, and 28, and at the same time pulls the operating piece 49 of the sleeve fixing mechanism 37 to close the notch 56 and the stock pin 5.
4 and engage each ferrule holding part 26 and 27.
・Fit two ferrules ・2B and 2C to 28. By this fitting operation, the push-up bin 51 and the stopper bin 54
is pushed down, the engagement state of the stopper pin 54 is released, and the sleeve fixing mechanism 37 fixes the sleeve 5 in the suppressed state by the pressing piece 47, and the rain detection parts 61 and 62 of the ferrule detection means It can be confirmed that the two ferrules 2B and 2C are placed in the ferrule holding parts 26, 27, and 28.

In addition, during this ferrule fitting operation, the clamp release mechanism 101, which is driven integrally with the lid opening/closing mechanism 35, moves the support blocks 13 and 14 and the clamp block 43.
・The wedge member 110 is inserted into the gap g with the 44 (-), and after closing the lid 12 in this state, the spring attachment/detachment mechanism 15 is driven, and the locking claw is moved by the vertical movement mechanism 125. 123 and both ferrules 2A in the connected state.
2B is engaged with the winding portion 6a of the spring 6 which is open upward at both ends. Next, the front and back slide mechanism 1
24, each of the front and rear slide blocks 122 is moved in the direction of separating them to spread the winding part 6a of the spring 6, and in this state, it is pulled up by the vertical movement mechanism 125 to remove the spring 6 from both ferrules 2B.

Then, by driving the front support block 13 forward by the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism 16 and separating it from the rear support block 14, both ferrules 2A and 2 in the connected state are
After pulling out the second ferrule 2B from the connection sleeve 5 at point B, the left and right slide mechanism 17 moves the rear support block 14 to the right to a stop position regulated by the stopper 34. In this state, both support blocks 1
The axes of the first ferrule holding part 26 and the third ferrule holding part 28 in 3 and 14 are aligned, and then the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism 16 is driven in the opposite direction to move the front support block 13 to the rear support block. 14, the third ferrule 2C held by the third ferrule holding part 28 is inserted into the connecting sleeve 5 held by the first ferrule holding part 26, and the third ferrule 2C held by the third ferrule holding part 28 is inserted. It can be matched with the first ferrule 2A inside.

At this time, both the ferrules 2A and 2C are butted against each other at high speed by the action of the resilient member 74 that presses the front support block 13 and the lever mechanism 73, but the clamp professional presses the lever 43. Spring 4
5 is compressed, and the elastic brake piece 91 is inserted into the hole 92.
By inserting the ferrules while being pressed, the impact energy is absorbed by the frictional force and elastic deformation force at that time, and the impact force at the tips of both ferrules 2 and 2C is alleviated. In particular, by inserting the elastic brake piece 91 into the hole 92, it is possible to suppress the repulsion of both ferrules 2A and 2C at the time of collision, suppress the occurrence of the hunting phenomenon, and instantly obtain a stable connection state. It is something that can be done.

After switching the connection in this way, the spring attachment/detachment mechanism 15 can be driven again to attach the spring 6 locked to the locking pawl 123 to the newly connected ferrules 2A and 2C. It will be done.

In addition, in the connection switching device of the present invention, when the support block is moved by the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism and the left/right slide mechanism, by simultaneously moving both support blocks in opposite directions, these movement distances are halved, and even faster switching is possible. can be achieved.

"Effects of the Invention" As is clear from the above description, the connection switching device of the present invention automatically switches the connection while moving the support block holding the ferrule using the ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism and the left/right slide mechanism. can be done, and
When the two ferrules are butted together, the elastic brake piece is inserted into the hole while being pressed, so the frictional force and elastic deformation force reduce the impact force at the time of butting, and also suppress the repulsion effect. The hunting phenomenon can be suppressed, and a stable connection state can be obtained instantaneously. Therefore, high-speed switching is possible, and the effect is that switching can be performed in a short time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 14 show an embodiment of the connection switching device of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a plan view of the vicinity of the support block;
Figures 2 to 5 are the ■-■ lines and ■- lines in Figure 1, respectively.
■ Line, IIV-1%' line, arrow sectional view along V-V line,
Fig. 6 is an overall vertical cross-sectional view, Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 6, Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 6, and Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 6. is an overall plan view of the frame, Figure 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the spring attachment/detachment mechanism, and Figure 11 is a diagram taken from XI-XI in Figure 10.
12 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 10, FIG. 13 is an overall front view with a part cut away, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a front view showing an example of an optical fiber connector to which the connection switching device of the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 16(a) to 16(d) are process charts showing the connection switching procedure. l...Fiber end 2A, 2B, 2c...
・Ferrule, 3...Tip, 4...
Flange part, 5... Connection sleeve, 6...
...Spring, 6a... Winding part, 11...
Frame, 12...Lid, 13...Front support block, 14...Rear support block, 1
5... Spring attachment and detachment mechanism, 16... Ferrule attachment and detachment mechanism, 17... Left and right slide mechanism, 1
8... Shock absorption mechanism, 21... Bottom plate,
22... Side wall, 23... End plate, 24...
... Left and right guide shaft, 25 ... Front and rear guide shaft, 26 ... First ferrule holding part, 27.
...Second ferrule holding part, 28...
Third ferrule holding portion, 31, 32... Guide bar 33... Spring, 34A... Convex portion, 34B... Concave portion, 34... ...Stopper 35...Lid opening/closing all, 36...
Slide lid, 37... Sleeve fixing mechanism, 38
...Discharge mechanism, 41...Notch, 42
...Gaitro Nodo, 43/44...
Clamp block, 45... Spring, 46...
...mouth/throat, 47...pressing piece, 48...
... Spring, 49 ... Operation piece, 51 ...
・Push-up bottle, 52... Spring, 53...
... Connecting plate, 54 ... Stopper bin, 55 ...
... Spring, 56 ... Notch, 61 ...
・First detection unit, 62...Second detection unit, 63
... Limit switch, 64 ... Bin, 65 ... Spring, 6G ... Limit switch, 71 ... Separation drive section, 72・・・・・・
... Approach drive unit, 73... Lever mechanism, 74.
...Bullet member, 75...Bracket, 7
6...Support bin, 77...Link, 7
8...Notch, 79...Bin, 81...
... Drive section for left movement, 82 ... Drive section for right movement, 83 ... Lever mechanism, 84 ... Spring member, 85 ...・Link, 86...Press member, 91...Elastic brake piece, 92...
... Hole, 93 ... Recess, 94 ... Stopper 101 ... Clamp release a mechanism, i02
...Bracket, 103...Drive part,
104...Feed screw, 105...Gear train, 106...Slide block, 107...
...Cam section, 108--Slide rod, 1
09... Lifting platform, l 10--(rust member, mechanism... guide hole, 112... guide rod, 113... cam follower, 121...・
... Arm part, 122 ... Front and rear slide block, 123 ... Locking claw, 124 ...
Front and rear slide mechanism, 125... Vertical movement mechanism,
126...Hinge part, 131...Upper and lower guide rod, 132...Upper and lower slide block, 133...Guide rod, 134...
...Feed screw, 136... Front and rear drive section, 137
... Vertical drive unit, 138 ... Binion, 139 ... Rack, 140 ... Limit switch, 141 ... Cover 142 ...
...Hinge part, 143...Handle, 144
...Door, 145...Connector section, g.
·····gap.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The tips (3) of the first ferrule (2A) and the second ferrule (2B) each housing the terminal end of a pair of optical fibers (1) extend from both ends of the connection sleeve (5). inserted,
By abutting the tip surfaces of both ferrules within the connection sleeve, the state in which the exposed optical fibers are connected to the tip surfaces is released, and the first ferrule is removed. This is a connection switching device for an optical fiber connector that connects mutual optical fibers by matching the ferrule with a third ferrule (2C) prepared separately, the device comprising: A support block (13) that integrally holds the externally fitted connection sleeve, and a support block (13) that integrally holds the second ferrule and the third ferrule arranged in parallel to the side of the second ferrule. 14) are disposed facing each other, and a ferrule attachment/detachment mechanism (16) for moving these blocks toward and away from both support blocks along the axial direction of the ferrule.
and a left/right slide mechanism (17) that relatively moves along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and an elastic brake piece (17) protruding in the axial direction is provided at the opposing portion of both support blocks. 91) and a hole (92) into which the elastic brake piece is inserted while being compressed when the first ferrule and third ferrule of each support block are butted together. Fiber connector connection switching device.