JPH02267502A - optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To extremely facilitate the alignment and to simplify the assembly by forming integrally a containing part of an optical element and a containing part of an optical fiber terminal part in the same sleeve, and engaging it to a receptacle. CONSTITUTION:In a sleeve 20, a first containing part 21 for containing a terminal part of an optical fiber, and a second containing part 22 for containing an optical element 41 such as a light emitting element, etc., are formed integrally, and between both of them, a light passing hole 23 is formed. At the time of assembling an optical connector, a receptacle 10 is placed on a jig with its plug inserting hole down, and the lower end of the sleeve 20 is inserted into a sleeve through-hole 11 and positioned. Subsequently, the optical element 41 is inserted into this sleeve 20, and this operation is executed at every element. Next, when a holding plate 30 is placed on the receptacle 10, and pressing force is applied, the optical element 41 and the sleeve 20 are fixed firmly to the receptacle 10 through engaging recessed parts 14, 15 and 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an optical connector that connects an optical element such as a light emitting or light receiving element to an end portion of an optical fiber.

(Prior Art) As an example of a conventional ultra-optical connector, there is one constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the first and second
A receptacle body 1 having sleeve insertion holes 2 and 3 formed therein.
is inserted into the first sleeve holding hole 2 and fixed with adhesive 5.
2 Sleeves 4 and 1 into which the ferrule is inserted, ffi
A second sleeve is inserted into the eight-leave insertion hole 3 of No. 2 and fixed with an adhesive 8, and has a bottomed cylindrical shape for housing an optical element 7 such as a light emitting or light receiving element, and has a light passage hole 6a on the bottom surface. It consists of 6.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) To assemble an optical connector having such a configuration, first insert the first sleeve 4 into the sleeve insertion hole 2 of the receptacle body 1, and apply adhesive 5 to the gap between the first sleeve 4 and the hole 2. to bond the sleeve 4. Thereafter, the optical element 7 is inserted and fixed into the second sleeve 6 which has been manufactured in advance, and is inserted into the second sleeve insertion hole 3, and an adhesive 8 is applied between the hole 3 and the sleeve 6. Inject the light through hole (for example, 20 mm in diameter) in the sleeve 6 while the adhesive 8 is not hardening.
Align the center of the hole (0 micron hole) 6 m with the center of the hole of the ferrule to be joined to the end of the optical fiber using, for example, a manipulator, and wait for the adhesive 8 to harden while maintaining this aligned state. .

The reason for aligning the centers of the light passage hole 6a of the sleeve 6 and the ferrule in this way is to prevent the light transmission efficiency from decreasing. It goes without saying that a ferrule and an optical element 7 matching the inner diameter dimensions are inserted into the sleeves 4 and 6, respectively.

As mentioned above, to assemble a conventional tip connector,
It is necessary to align the centers of the light passage hole 6a of the sleeve 6 and the ferrule in advance, and for this purpose a positioning jig such as a manipulator must be used. Furthermore, the method involves gluing the sleeve 5 to the receptacle body 1 with adhesive 5, and then gluing the sleeve 6 to the receptacle body 1 with adhesive 8 while aligning the center, which makes assembly work cumbersome and requires automation. Have difficulty.

Therefore, the present invention makes it easy to align the center of the end portion of the optical fiber and the center of the light passage hole in the optical element housing.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector that is easy to assemble. (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is constructed as follows.

That is, the first invention includes a receptacle main body having a sleeve through hole, and a first storage part that is inserted and fixed into the sleeve through hole of the receptacle main body and can store an optical element and an end part of an optical fiber. A second storage section is formed integrally with the sleeve and has a light passage hole in a wall surface between the first and second storage sections.

The second invention also provides a receptacle body having at least two engaging concave portions or engaging convex portions at positions opposite to the sleeve through hole, and an optical element that can be inserted into the sleeve through hole of the receptacle body to accommodate the optical element. A sleeve in which a first storage part and a second storage part capable of accommodating an end portion of an optical fiber are integrally formed, and the sleeve has a light passage hole in a wall surface existing between the first and second storage parts. is provided on the side of the receptacle body where the first storage portion of the sleeve is present, for inserting and fixing the sleeve and the optical element into the receptacle body, and is provided in the engagement recess or a presser foot having an engaging portion that engages with the engaging convex portion, abutting the bottom surface of the optical element, and having a spacing adjusting convex portion for applying a pressing force to the optical element and the sleeve toward the receptacle body; It consists of a board.

(Function) According to the first invention, the sleeve has a first housing part that stores the terminal part of the optical fiber and a second housing part that stores the optical element, and the sleeve has a first housing part that stores the terminal part of the optical fiber and a second housing part that stores the optical element. Since the light passage hole is formed, center alignment between the end portion of the optical fiber and the optical element becomes extremely easy.

Further, according to the second invention, the sleeve is inserted and fixed into the receptacle body, and with the optical element inserted into the sleeve, the engagement portion of the presser plate is inserted into the engagement recess or the engagement protrusion of the receptacle body. Since it is only necessary to engage the parts, the assembly work is simplified.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but only the receptacle will be described here. 1st
The figure is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2(a), (b), (c), and (d) are top views, front views, and They are a bottom view and a side view. As shown in FIG. 1(a), this comprises a receptacle body 10 and a sleeve 20 made of an insulating material, the details of which will be described later, and a holding plate 30 shown in FIG. 1(b), which will be described below.

FIGS. 3(a), (b), (C), and (d) are a top view, a front sectional view, a bottom view, and a side view, respectively, of the receptacle body 10, which is generally rectangular parallelepiped made of an insulator as a whole. A rectangular parallelepiped plug insertion hole 17 is formed on the bottom side so that a plug (not shown) can be inserted therein, and three sleeves are formed on the top side so as to pass through the plug insertion hole 17 in the thickness direction. Through holes 11 are formed at regular intervals, and positioning grooves 13 for positioning the sleeve 2o, which will be described later, are formed in the wall of each sleeve through hole 11 along the insertion direction. In addition, the receptacle body 1
Engagement convex portions 12 each having an inclined surface at its upper corner are formed on the opposing side walls. Furthermore, the receptacle main body 10 is engaged so that engaging pieces 34, 35, and 36 of a presser plate 30, which will be described later, can be inserted adjacent to the sleeve through hole 11 located at the center of the sleeve through holes 11. Piece insertion holes 14, 15, 16 are formed respectively. Note that 18 and 19 are grooves for determining the insertion direction of a plug (not shown).

FIGS. 4(a), (b), (c), and (d) are a top view, a front view, a bottom view, and a side view of the presser plate 30, respectively,
This includes an engagement piece 31 that stands up vertically on the opposing left and right sides of a rectangular insulating plate, and has a rectangular hole 31a formed therein to be inserted into and engaged with the engagement convex portion 12 of the receptacle body 10J:', and the plate. Three circular holes 32 are formed on the surface at intervals so that the terminals of the optical elements 42 or 41 protrude to the outside, and are further arranged at equal intervals on the edge of each circular hole 32. 4 intervals, i! ! convex part 3
3, and claws 34a and 35 each having a trapezoidal cross section are formed on the upper and lower sides of the plate surface, and are vertically rising on the tip side.
a, 36a and engaging pieces 34, 35, and 36. The presser plate 30 having such a configuration has the above-mentioned interval: I!
J! i! Several types of protrusions 33 with different protrusion lengths of, for example, 0.1 sv are manufactured in advance.

FIGS. 5(a), (b), and (c) each show the sleeve 20.
These are a top view, a front view, and a bottom view, and these are two types of insulating cylinders with different diameters that are integrally molded, and the optical element 42 or 41 can be housed inside the cylinder with the larger diameter. a second housing part 22 into which a ferrule to be joined to the end of an optical fiber (not shown) can be inserted into a cylinder with a small diameter, and a wall formed between the two parts. A positioning protrusion 24 is formed in the light passage hole 23 and on the circumferential surface near the joint of both cylinders so as to fit into the positioning groove 13 of the receptacle body 20.
Furthermore, in order to position the optical element 41 or 42 at the edge of the first storage part 21 (the lower surface side of the cylinder with a large diameter), a positioning piece (not shown) provided in the brim of these parts is formed so as to fit therein. The positioning was completed at 25 hrs.

To assemble something configured in this way, you can do as follows. First, place the receptacle main body 10 on a jig with the plug insertion hole 17 facing downward, and insert the lower end of the sleeve 20 (the second housing part 2) into the sleeve through hole 11.
2), and after inserting the positioning protrusion 24 of the sleeve 2o into the positioning groove 13, the optical element 42 is inserted into the first storage part 21 of the sleeve 20, and the positioning piece of the optical element 42 is inserted into the first housing part 21 of the sleeve 20. Positioning groove 25
Put it on. This kind of thing is done for each optical element. In addition,
In FIG. tB2 (b), an optical element 41 is also inserted, but normally, 28 types of elements are not inserted at the same time, and only one type of optical element is inserted.

Next, the presser plate 30 may be engaged with the receptacle body 10. That is, first insert the terminal insert into the terminal of the optical element 42, and then insert the tips of the left and right engaging pieces 31 and the front and rear engaging pieces 34, 35, 36 into the receptacle body 1.
When pressing force is applied to the holding plate 30 in the direction of the jig while facing the left and right side walls of 0 and the engagement recesses 14, 15, and 16, the engagement protrusion 12 fits into the rectangular hole 31a of the engagement piece 31 and , the engagement piece 34.35.36 is in the engagement recess 14.15.
．． Fits in 16.

This state is shown in FIG. 2(b), and since the interval: tJ adjustment convex portion 33 is in contact with the bottom edge of the optical element 42,
Both optical element 42 and sleeve 20 are rigidly secured to receptacle body 10.

That is, the elastic force acting inwardly by the left and right engaging pieces 31 and the rectangular hole 31m of this engaging piece 31 engage with the n part of the engaging convex portion 12, and as a result, the end side and the whole The engaging pieces 34, 35, and 36 each have trapezoidal claws 34ax, 35a, and 36a formed at their tips.
When this is inserted into the engagement recess 14, 15, 16, it is squeezed inward, and the restoring force fixes the presser plate 30, particularly the central portion, to the receptacle body 10. and,
Since the spacing adjusting convex portion 33 of the presser plate 30 is in contact with the bottom surface of the optical element 42, the clearance in the axial direction of the optical element 42 is absorbed. Therefore, unlike conventional light cupboards, no adhesive is used, so assembly is easy and can be automated.

In addition, the sleeve 20 has a second storage section 22 that stores the end portion of the optical fiber and a first storage section 21 that stores the optical element 42, and a light passage hole 22 between the two.
3 is formed, there is no need to perform positioning using a positioning jig as in the conventional case, and simply insert the end portion of the optical fiber and the optical element 42 into the respective storage portions 21 and 22. This makes center positioning extremely easy.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be modified as follows, for example. In the embodiment, a combination of the receptacle body 10, the sleeve 20, and the presser plate 30 is shown, but this is also a combination of the receptacle body 10 and the sleeve 2.
0, and by simply fixing the sleeve 20 and the receptacle body 10 by some means, it is possible to obtain the effect of facilitating center positioning. Furthermore, presser plate 3
Engagement pieces 31 and 34, 35, 36 formed at 0
Either one of them may be used, or the number may be greater than the number in the embodiment. Furthermore, the engaging convex portion 12 formed on the receptacle body 10 is changed to an engaging concave portion,
Along with this, the rectangular hole 31 of the engagement piece 31 of the presser plate 30
A convex portion may be formed in the portion m. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the number of optical elements may be other than three. Furthermore, the relationship between the positioning protrusion 24 of the sleeve 20 and the positioning groove 13 of the receptacle body 10,
The relationship between the 0 positioning groove 25 and the positioning projections of the optical elements 41 and 42 can be modified in various ways.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention described above, it is possible to provide an optical connector in which the center of the end portion of the optical fiber and the center of the light passage hole in the optical element storage portion can be easily aligned, and the assembly work is simple. (can do.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the assembled state of the same embodiment, and FIG.
Figures 6 to 5 are diagrams showing the respective configurations of the same embodiment, respectively.
The figure is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional optical connector. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Receptacle main body, 11... Sleeve through hole, 12... Engagement convex part, 14-16... Engagement recessed part,
20...Sleeve, 21.22...'m1 and second storage part, 23...Light passage hole, bubble...Press plate, 3
1.34.35.36...Engagement piece, 41.42...
optical element. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue (b) (b) (b) (C) Figure 5

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A receptacle body having a sleeve through-hole; a first housing part that is inserted and fixed into the sleeve through-hole of the receptacle body and can house an optical element; and a second housing part that can house an optical fiber end. an optical connector comprising: a sleeve integrally formed with a sleeve having a light passage hole in a wall surface existing between the first and second housing parts; (2) A receptacle body having at least two engaging concave portions or engaging convex portions at positions facing the sleeve through hole, and a first storage portion that is inserted into the sleeve through hole of the receptacle body and is capable of housing an optical element. and a sleeve integrally formed with a second storage part capable of storing an end portion of an optical fiber and having a light passage hole in a wall surface existing between the first and second storage parts; The sleeve is provided on the side where the first storage section is present, and is for inserting and fixing the sleeve and the optical element into the receptacle body, and is configured to engage with an engaging recess or an engaging protrusion of the receptacle body. a presser plate having an engaging portion that fits together, a convex portion for adjusting the distance that contacts the bottom portion of the optical element, and applies a pressing force to the optical element and the sleeve toward the receptacle body;
An optical connector consisting of