JP3485763B2 - Optical connector - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector, and more particularly to a ferrule internally terminating the end of an optical fiber. The ferrules of these ferrules are abutted against each other to optically join the optical fibers. It relates to an optical connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an optical connector for connecting optical fibers to each other so as to be switchable, for example, a plastic multi-fiber optical connector (so-called MT type optical connector: Mechanically Transferable) as defined in JISC 5981 or the like is used.
Is provided. FIG. 9 shows an example of an MT type optical connector. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is an optical fiber (tape core wire), 2 is a ferrule (optical connector plug), 3 is a boot, 4 is a guide pin, 5 is a guide pin hole, and 6 is a clamp spring. This MT type optical connector has a structure in which a plurality of bare fibers 7 exposed at the tip of the optical fiber 1 are inserted and fixed in an optical fiber insertion hole 9 formed in a resin ferrule 2 molded using a precision mold. Has become. The optical fiber insertion hole 9 is opened in the joint end face 8 that is abutted with the other ferrule 2, and the bare fiber 7 is precisely positioned flush with the joint end face 8. The guide pin hole 5 has a very precise relative position and parallelism with respect to the optical fiber insertion hole 9, and the metal guide pin 4 having a precise cylindrical side surface is a guide pin hole on both joint end faces 8 of the pair of ferrules 2 facing each other. The bare fibers 7 exposed on the joint end faces 8 of both ferrules 2 are precisely positioned by inserting the fibers 5 and 5 so as to bridge them. Then, after the joining end surfaces 8 of both ferrules 2 are brought into contact with each other, the clamp spring 6 is fitted between the rear end flange portions 10 of both ferrules 2, and the contact force between the joining end surfaces 8 is caused by the spring force of the clamp springs 6. The state is maintained, and a desired connection loss is stably ensured between the bare fibers 7 abutted with each other.

By the way, the MT type optical connector requires a special jig for attachment and detachment of the clamp spring 6, so that it is unsatisfactory in workability and can be easily connected and switched. Development of the connector was required. Further, in order to prevent the ferrule 2 from being exposed, it is necessary to provide protective means such as a cap,
There was a complaint that it was troublesome to handle.

In view of the above problems, in recent years, so-called M
A PO connector (an optical connector having a structure in which an optical connector ferrule established in JIS C 5981 or the like is housed inside a housing) is provided. 10 and 11 show the MPO connector 11. 11, the MPO connector 11 includes a ferrule 2 of an MT type optical connector and a pin clamp 12 for clamping a guide pin 4 at a rear end portion (right side in FIG. 11) of a ferrule 2 which is internally supported in a cylindrical housing 13. The rear end of the housing 13 is internally supported by a cylindrical coupling 14, and a spring 15 for generating a butting force is accommodated in the coupling 14. The ferrule 2 is movable in the front-rear direction (left and right in FIG. 11) in the housing 13, and the housing 13 is biased forward by a separately installed spring 16 for the housing, so that the ferrule 2 is pushed inward of the MPO connector 11. If the housing 13 is not driven by the ferrule 2 and is at the tip position of the MPO connector 11 when it is broken, the entire ferrule 2 enters the inside of the housing 13 and is protected. The housing 13 has engagement projections 13a projecting from its side portions that engage with a receiving-side housing such as the optical connector adapter 17 in a disengageable manner so that the MPO connector 11 inserted into the receiving-side housing is inserted. maintain.

According to the MPO connector 11, it is possible to easily connect the optical fibers 1 with each other, switch the connection, and the like simply by inserting and removing the optical fiber into and from the housing on the receiving side. Further, since the ferrule 2 is structured to be housed and protected in the housing 13, it is not necessary to separately take a protection means for the ferrule 2.

[0006]

However, the MPO connector 11 as described above has a large number of parts and has a complicated structure, so that it is troublesome to assemble and the cost is high. Further, since it is considerably larger than the MT type optical connector shown in FIG. 9, it is not suitable for high-density mounting in the device, and there is a limit to improvement of the mounting density. It is also possible to consider the assemblability in consideration of the structure in which the MPO connector 11 is divided into the front and back sides. However, in this case, there is a problem that the holding strength of the ferrule 2 by the MPO connector 11 is reduced. It was Moreover, the abutting state of the ferrules 2 is unstable, and further stabilization of the abutting of the ferrules 2 is required. For this reason, the MPO connector 11 could not fundamentally solve the problems of the MT type optical connector.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. (A) The number of parts is small, the structure is simple, and the assembly is easy. (B) The operations such as connection between optical fibers and connection switching are performed. (C) It can be performed easily (c) Cost can be reduced (d) Connection work can be performed without assembling the housing on one of the pair of ferrules to be connected (e) The ferrule holding strength is surely secured (f) It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector that can achieve high-density mounting and the like by means of (g) connecting means for stably abutting ferrules.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an optical connector according to a first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the end faces of a pair of ferrules in which the ends of optical fibers are fixed and fixed to each other are brought into contact with each other, and the ferrules are abutted with each other. An optical connector for optically joining fibers to each other, one ferrule to be butt-connected and accommodated movably in the direction of the central axis, and by inserting the other ferrule into the insertion opening opened at the tip side, The holder comprises a holder for joining the joined end faces of the ferrules to each other in a state of being abutted with each other, and the holder has a cylindrical outer housing and an accommodation space for accommodating one ferrule therein. The outer housing includes an inner housing provided with a biasing means for biasing the ferrule in the butting direction with the other ferrule. The inner housing is integrated by fitting the inner housing to the plug, and when the inner housing is joined to the other ferrule, elastic claws that lock the ferrule and maintain the abutting state of the ferrules with each other. Each of the housing members is formed of a pair of half-divided housing members in which the housing space for housing the ferrule is formed by combining the housing members, and the elastic claws formed on the housing members extend from the housing member. A body portion and a claw portion formed at a tip portion of the body portion and locked to the other ferrule, the claw portion being bent with respect to the body portion in a locking direction to the ferrule. It is characterized by being.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector according to the first aspect, the outer housing is provided with a pressing portion that presses inwardly a body portion forming the elastic claw of the inner housing. It is characterized by being.

Since the optical connector according to the third aspect is provided with a connecting means for connecting a plurality of outer housings, it is possible to handle a plurality of connected integrally.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of an optical connector of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the figure,
The same components as those in FIGS. 9 to 11 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the figure, reference numeral 20 is the optical connector of the present embodiment. This optical connector 20
Is composed of a holder 21 for accommodating the ferrule 2 and a plug 22, respectively. The holder 21 includes a cylindrical outer housing 23 and the outer housing 2
3 and the inner housing 24 fitted and attached from one side.

The inner housing 24 is composed of a housing member 25 formed in half, and a biasing means 26 such as a coil spring is provided inside the housing member 25. The housing member 25 that constitutes the inner housing 24 is formed with elastic claws 27 that project and extend in the joining direction with the plug 22. The housing member 25 and the elastic claw 27 are integrally formed of a resin such as plastic which is easy to form.

The elastic claw 27 formed on the housing member 25 has a claw portion 27a at the tip of the body portion 27b. The claw portion 27a is attached to the ferrule 2 of the plug 22 with respect to the body portion 27b. It is slightly bent in the locking direction. Further, a body portion 27b that constitutes the elastic claw 27
The blade-like protrusions 27c are formed on the upper and lower sides of the.

Ferrule housing grooves 28 are formed on the surfaces of the housing members 25 which face each other, and when these housing members 25 are assembled by abutting each other, the ferrule housings of the respective housing members 25 are housed therein. An elongated rectangular storage space formed of the groove 28 is formed. The ferrule 2 is housed in the housing space, and the ferrule 2 housed in the housing space is biased forward by the biasing means 26. Also, the inner housing 24
The front and back sides of each of these are formed with locking claws 29, the front side of which is connected and the rear end side of which is projected outward.

At the rear end of the inner housing 24,
A retaining piece 30b is formed which is fitted into the cutout portion 30a of the outer housing 23 when the inner housing 24 is inserted into the outer housing 23.
0b to inner housing 2 to outer housing 23
It is designed to prevent the insertion of 4 too much. Further, the ferrule 2 housed in the inner housing 24 is provided with a pin clamp 31 formed in a half shape on the rear end side thereof. This pin clamp 31
Is provided with guide pins 4 which are inserted into guide pin holes 5 formed on both sides of the ferrule 2. That is, with the pin clamp 31 inserted into the guide pin hole 5 of the ferrule 2, the pin clamp 31 is attached to the rear end of the ferrule 2, and the tip of the guide pin 4 is attached to the ferrule 2. It is designed to be projected from the joint end surface 8 of the.

The outer housing 23 is formed in an elongated rectangular tube shape, and the inner housing 24 is inserted from one side of the outer housing 23 and the plug 22 is inserted from the other side. This outer housing 23
Has a locking window 32 formed in the front and back in the vicinity of one end where the inner housing 24 is inserted, into which the locking claw 29 of the inner housing 24 is fitted.
When the locking claw 29 is fitted to 2, the locking claw 29
The rear end portion of the inner window 24 is locked to the rear edge portion of the locking window 32 to prevent the inner housing 24 from coming out.
The outer housing 23 has windows 33 formed on both sides of the intermediate portion thereof, and inside the windows 33, walls 34 are formed along the longitudinal direction. Then, between the wall portions 34, part of the ferrules 2 to be joined to each other is inserted and abutted against each other.

Further, in the window portion 33, the pressing pieces (pressing portions) 33 are respectively formed on the upper and lower opening edges forming the window portion 33.
a is formed. The width dimension of each of the pressing pieces 33a is gradually widened toward the front end portion of the outer housing 23 (leftward in FIG. 3). That is, the inner surface of the pressing piece 33a is a tapered surface that is inclined inward toward the tip end.

Further, a fixing flange 35 for fixing the outer housing 23 to a supporting member (not shown) such as a terminal plate is provided so as to project from the outer surface of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the outer housing 23. .

The plug 22 is composed of a pair of plug members 41 formed in left and right halves, and the rear end of the ferrule 2 is placed in a holding recess 42 formed in the plug member 41 forming the plug 22. The side flange 10 is adapted to be fitted. That is, these plug members 41
While the flange 10 of the ferrule 2 is being fitted into the holding recess 42, the plug members 41 are butt-assembled with each other so that the plug 22 can be assembled in a state in which the tip of the ferrule 2 is projected from the tip. Has become. Further, the plug 22 has engagement hole portions 43 formed on both sides thereof, and the engagement window portions 4 are formed.
3 includes elastic claws 2 formed on the inner housing 24.
7 is coming in. And like this,
By inserting the elastic claw 27 of the inner housing 24 into the engagement window portion 43 of the plug 22, the joint end surfaces 8 of the ferrules 2 held by the plug 22 and the inner housing 24 are abutted to each other, and the joint end surface 8
The cores of the optical fiber 1 exposed to the above are optically joined to each other.

At this time, the guide pins 4 projecting from the joining end surface 8 of the ferrule 2 housed in the inner housing 24 are fitted into the guide pin holes 5 of the ferrule 2 held by the plug 22, so that these ferrules are The two are positioned with high precision with respect to each other.
The plug member 41 forming the plug 22 is formed with a cable groove portion 44 serving as an insertion hole into which the optical fiber 1 is inserted at the time of assembly.

When the optical fibers 1 are joined to each other by the optical connector 20 having the above structure, first, the ferrule 2 with the pin clamp 31 attached is inserted from one end side of the outer housing 23, and the tip portion of the ferrule 2 is It fits between the walls 34 of the outer housing 23 (FIG. 5).
reference). In this state, on the rear side of the ferrule 2, the inner housing 24 is assembled by combining the housing members 25 with each other, and the inner housing 24 is inserted into the outer housing 23 together with the biasing means 26 (see FIG. 6). .

In this way, the claw portion 27a which constitutes the elastic claw 27 of the inner housing 24 becomes the outer housing 2
When it enters the outside of the wall portion 34 of No. 3 and is further inserted, the claw portion 27a of the elastic claw 27 is disposed on the other end side of the outer housing 23 beyond the wall portion 34 (see FIG. 7). At this time, the blade-like protrusions 27c formed on the body portion 27b of the elastic claw 27 enter the inside of the pressing piece 33a formed at the upper and lower opening edge portions of the window portion 33 to form a pressing surface having a tapered surface. It is guided inward along the inner surface of the piece 33a. That is, the elastic claw 27 is pressed by the pressing piece 33a and slightly elastically deformed inward.

Next, the plug 22 holding the ferrule 2 is inserted from the insertion port 23a formed on the other end side of the outer housing 23. This way, this plug 2
2 is inserted between the wall portions 34 of the outer housing 23, and the guide pin 4 protruding from the joint end surface 8 of the ferrule 2 housed in the inner housing 24 is housed in the plug 22. The ferrule 2 is inserted into the guide pin hole 5, and the joining end faces 8 of these ferrules 2 are positioned and abutted. Further, the claw portions 27a of the elastic claws 27 of the inner housing 24 are inserted into the engagement window portions 43 formed on both sides of the plug 22, and the rear end sides of the flange 10 of the ferrule 2 are locked by the claw portions 27a. (See FIG. 2).

As a result, the ferrule 2 housed in the inner housing 24 and the ferrule 2 housed in the plug 22 are joined by the urging force of the urging means 26 so that their respective joint end faces 8 are butted against each other. , The optical fibers 1 are optically joined to each other.

At this time, the elastic claw 27 which holds the rear end side of the flange 10 of the ferrule 2 held by the plug 22 has the claw portion 27a at the tip thereof inward, that is, to the ferrule 2 of the plug 22. Since the ferrule 2 is slightly bent in the locking direction, it is securely locked to the flange 10 of the ferrule 2, and further, the blade-shaped projections 27c formed on the upper and lower sides of the body portion 27b of the elastic claw 27. Are pressing pieces 33 formed on the windows 33 of the outer housing 23, respectively.
Since the inner surface of a is pressed inward, the claw portion 27
The good locking state of the ferrule 2 with the flange 10 due to a can be reliably maintained. That is, the pressing piece 3
The elastic claw 27 is supported by using the portion of the body 3a pressed against the body portion 27b as a fulcrum, whereby the locking strength of the elastic claw 27 to the ferrule 2 is significantly improved.

As described above, according to the optical connector 20 having the above structure, the holder 21 in which the inner housing 24 is fitted and integrated with the outer housing 23 and the outer housing 23 constituting the holder 21 are integrated. Insertion port 23a
The plug 22 which is locked by the elastic claw 27 so that the joining end surfaces 8 of the ferrules 2 are joined to each other by the urging force of the urging means 26 in the inner housing 24. Since it is configured, it is possible to simplify the structure of the entire connector, which can reduce the number of parts, facilitate manufacturing, and reduce cost. Therefore, the optical connector 20 can be easily downsized, and the mounting density in optical devices can be improved. Further, the ferrules 2 can be connected and disconnected easily and simply by inserting and removing the plug 22 into and from the holder 21, and thus workability such as connection switching can be improved.

Moreover, since the inner housing 24, which is formed in a half shape in consideration of the assemblability, is fitted and integrated in the outer housing 23, the strength of the inner housing 24 can be increased. That is, it is possible to secure sufficient strength even if the ferrule 2 is halved, and the ferrule 2 is reliably stored and biased in the internal storage space.
The supply of the biasing force to the ferrule 2 by 6 can be reliably ensured. As a result, the joined state of the abutted ferrules 2 can be reliably and accurately maintained.

Further, the claw portion 27a at the tip of the elastic claw 27 for locking the rear end side of the flange 10 of the ferrule 2 held by the plug 22 is slightly bent in the locking direction of the plug 22 to the ferrule 2. Therefore, the flange 10 of the ferrule 2 can be securely locked by the claw portion 27a of the elastic claw 27, and the joining end surfaces 8 of the ferrule 2 can be reliably butted. Further, the body portion 27b of the elastic claw 27
Since the blade-shaped protrusions 27c are formed on the upper and lower sides of each of the blades, and these blade-shaped protrusions 27c are pressed inward by the inner surfaces of the pressing pieces 33a formed on the window 33 of the outer housing 23, respectively, the claws 27a of the ferrule 2 prevent It is possible to reliably maintain a good locked state on the flange 10. In other words, the elastic claw 27 is supported by the point where the pressing piece 33a is pressed against the body portion 27b as a fulcrum, whereby the locking strength of the elastic claw 27 to the ferrule 2 is significantly improved. Therefore, the joining state between the ferrules 2 can be stably maintained.

In the above example, the other ferrule 2 to be joined to the one ferrule 2 housed in the holder 21 was held by the plug 22.
The other ferrule 2 may be directly inserted between the wall portions 34 of the outer housing 23 forming the first housing 1, and the flange 10 of the ferrule 2 may be locked by the elastic claw 27 to be joined to the one ferrule 2 on the holder 21 side. . That is, according to the optical connector 20 having the above-described structure, the plug 22 can be omitted and the ferrules 2 can be joined to each other only by the holder 21, so that the components can be simplified.

When a plurality of optical connectors 20 are used, the connecting means 36 and 37 (the fitting protrusion 36 and the fitting hole 37) may be fitted and connected as shown in FIG. It is possible. As a result, it is possible to increase the mounting density when a plurality of optical connectors 20 are mounted in a predetermined position such as a rack or a module, and moreover, the connected state is maintained by connecting a desired number of optical connectors 20 in advance. Since it can be mounted at a predetermined position as it is, mounting workability can be improved. As the connecting means, other than the fitting protrusion 36 and the fitting hole 37 shown in FIG. 8, an elastic claw protruding from the external housing 23, a leaf spring for clamping and holding a plurality of optical connectors 20 from the outside, and the like are held. Various configurations such as members can be adopted.
Further, in FIG. 8, the side portion of the outer housing 23 in which the locking window 32 is formed and the side portion opposite to the side portion are brought into contact with each other between the optical connectors 20 so that a plurality of optical connectors 2 are provided.
Although 0 is connected, it is also possible to connect a plurality of optical connectors 20 by abutting the side portions on which the windows 33 are formed.

[0031]

As described above, according to the optical connector of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. According to the optical connector of claim 1, there is a holder in which the inner housing is fitted and integrated with the outer housing, and the other ferrule is inserted by inserting the other ferrule into the insertion opening of the holder. Since the ferrules are locked by the elastic claws and the joining end faces of the ferrules are joined to each other by the urging force of the urging means in the inner housing, the overall structure of the connector can be simplified. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, manufacturing can be facilitated, and cost can be reduced. Therefore, this optical connector can be easily miniaturized, and the mounting density in the optical device can be improved. Also, just insert and remove the other ferrule to be joined to the holder,
It is possible to connect and disconnect the ferrules from each other easily and in a short time, thereby improving workability such as connection switching. Moreover, since the inner housing formed in a half-divided shape in consideration of assemblability is fitted and integrated in the outer housing, the strength of the inner housing can be increased. That is, it is possible to secure sufficient strength even in the case of being halved, and it is possible to securely secure the ferrule in the internal storage space and reliably supply the biasing force to the ferrule by the biasing means. As a result, it is possible to reliably and accurately maintain the joined state between the abutted ferrules.
Furthermore, since the claw part of the elastic claw that locks the other ferrule is bent in the locking direction to the ferrule, the ferrule is surely locked by the claw part of the elastic claw so that the joining end surfaces of the ferrule are joined to each other. You can definitely match.

According to the optical connector of the second aspect, when the inner housing is attached to the outer housing, the body portion of the elastic claw is pressed inward by the pressing portion formed in the outer housing. It is possible to reliably maintain a good locked state of the ferrule by the. That is, the elastic claw is supported by using the pressing part of the pressing part to the body part as a fulcrum, and thereby, the locking strength of the elastic claw to the ferrule is significantly improved, and the ferrules are not separated from each other. The bonded state can be maintained stably.

According to the optical connector of the third aspect, since it is provided with the connecting means for connecting a plurality of external housings to each other, it is possible to handle a plurality of external housings and to integrally handle them. In addition to high-density mounting, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the workability of mounting the optical connector at a predetermined position is improved by connecting a plurality of optical connectors in advance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an optical connector for explaining a configuration and a structure of an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector for explaining the configuration and structure of the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of a part of the optical connector for explaining the configuration and structure of the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a part of the optical connector for explaining the configuration and structure of the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a holder for explaining how to assemble the holder used in the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a holder for explaining how to assemble the holder used in the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a holder for explaining how to assemble the holder used in the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a connecting means for connecting the optical connectors according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an optical connector of a conventional example,
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the optical connector.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an optical connector of a conventional example, in which M
It is a perspective view which shows a PO connector.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an optical connector of a conventional example, in which M
It is sectional drawing of a PO connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Optical fiber, 2 ... Ferrule, 8 ... Junction end face, 20
… Optical connector, 21… Holder, 23… External housing,
23a ... Insertion port, 24 ... Internal housing, 25 ... Housing member, 26 ... Energizing means, 27 ... Elastic claw, 27a ... Claw part, 27b ... Body part, 33a ... Pressing piece (pressing part), 36
... connecting means (fitting protrusion), 37 ... connecting means (fitting hole).

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kunihiko Fujiwara, 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Co., Ltd.Sakura Plant (72) Inhiro Inahiro 1440, 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Sakura Plant Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yukio Hayashi 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura-shi, Chiba Fujikura Co., Ltd.Sakura factory (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Nomura 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura-shi, Chiba Fujikura Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Yokosuka 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Co., Ltd. Sakura Factory (56) Reference JP-A-9-329724 (JP, A) JP-A-10-186177 (JP, A) JP-A-11-2744 (JP, A) JP-A-10-160966 (JP, A) JP-A-10-1606969 (JP, A) Actual development Sho-60-163408 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) ) G02B 6/24 G02B 6/36-6/40

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An optical connector (20) for optically joining the optical fibers by abutting the joined end faces (8) of a pair of ferrules (2) in which the tips of the optical fibers (1) are fixed internally. ), One ferrule to be butt-connected is accommodated movably in the direction of the central axis, and the insertion port (23
In (a), the other ferrule is inserted to include a holder (21) for joining the joined end surfaces of the ferrules to each other in a state of being abutted with each other, and the holder has a cylindrical outer housing ( Two
3) and an inner housing (24) having a storage space capable of storing one ferrule therein and provided with a biasing means (26) for biasing the ferrule in the butting direction with the other ferrule. The inner housing is integrated by fitting the inner housing to the outer housing, and the inner housing locks the ferrules at the time of joining to the other ferrule so that the ferrules are brought into contact with each other. The elastic claws (27) for maintaining are formed respectively, and are composed of a pair of half-divided housing members (25) in which the accommodation space for accommodating the ferrule is formed by combining them with each other. The elastic claw is provided on the body portion (27b) extending from the housing member and the tip of the body portion. And a claw portion (27a) which is formed and is locked to the other ferrule, the claw portion being bent in a locking direction to the ferrule with respect to the body portion. connector. 2. The outer housing is formed with a pressing portion (33a) for pressing inwardly a body portion constituting the elastic claw of the mounted inner housing. Optical connector. 3. A connecting means (36, 37) for connecting a plurality of outer housings to each other is provided.
Or the optical connector described in 2.