JP7650603B2 - Optical Connection Box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an optical connection box.

It is known to use optical connection boxes to utilize optical wiring such as optical fibers, optical cords, and optical cables. Since optical connection boxes require an insertion port, a sheet as described in Patent Document 1 or a knockout as described in Patent Document 2 is provided. In this way, an insertion port for the optical wiring can be created by making a cut in the sheet with scissors or by cutting out the knockout with a tool such as pliers.

JP 2010-266771 A JP 2007-114251 A

However, due to changes in circumstances, it may be necessary to change the layout of the building or the direction of the optical wiring leading into and out of the optical connection box. However, once the knockout or sheet is cut to open the insertion hole, it cannot be restored to its original state.

The inventor of this case has thoroughly investigated this issue and attempted to solve it. The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide an optical connection box equipped with an optical wiring insertion port that can be freely opened or closed.

To solve the above problem, an optical connection box is provided that includes a main body with an opening on the front and a cover capable of covering the opening on the front of the main body, and includes an insertion port on at least a portion of the surface of the main body that allows optical wiring to be introduced into the main body, and the cover includes an openable/closable cover-side covering portion capable of covering at least a portion of the insertion port, and the main body includes an openable/closable main body-side covering portion capable of covering at least a portion of the insertion port.

It is also preferable to provide insertion openings on multiple faces of the main body, provide multiple cover-side covering parts on the cover, and provide multiple main body-side covering parts on the main body.

It is also preferable that the cover be rotatable relative to the main body, and that the main body covering portion be provided closer to the center of rotation of the cover than a portion of the insertion opening that can be covered by the cover covering portion .

It is also preferable that the cover-side covering portion has a tapered shape toward the tip.

In addition, it is preferable that the insertion opening, which is partially covered by the cover-side covering portion, extends to a position behind the area that the cover-side covering portion can reach, so that the optical wiring can be inserted even when the insertion opening is partially covered by the cover-side covering portion.

It is also preferable that a part of the cover has an openable opening, and the rear surface of the main body has a rear opening at a position that faces the open portion when the optical connection boxes are stacked so that they overlap in the front-to-rear direction.

In addition, it is preferable that at least one of the cover side covering part or the main body side covering part is configured so as to be capable of separating the space near the insertion port of a part of the optical connection box located at the front from the space near the insertion port of a part of the optical connection box located at the rear when the optical connection boxes are stacked so as to overlap in the front-to-rear direction.

The present invention makes it possible to provide an optical connection box equipped with an optical wiring insertion port that can be freely opened or closed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an optical junction box according to the embodiment. 2 is a perspective view of the optical junction box according to the embodiment, seen from a different direction than that shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a perspective view showing the optical junction box shown in FIG. 1 with the cover open. However, both the upper and lower body side covering parts are open. Note that the adapter module inside the optical junction box is not shown. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which both of the lower cover-side covering parts of the optical junction box shown in FIG. 3 are open. Note that the illustration of the adapter module inside the optical junction box is omitted. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which an adapter module is attached to the optical connection box shown in FIG. 4 . 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which an optical cable is attached to the optical junction box shown in FIG 5. However, the main body side covering part provided on the upper side is closed. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which an optical cable and an external connector are attached to the optical junction box shown in FIG. 5 . 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover is closed from the state shown in FIG. 7 . 1 is a perspective view showing an example in which an optical cord is passed through a rear insertion portion of an optical junction box, and a plurality of straight lines shown on the rear side of the external connector represent the optical cord. 11 is a perspective view showing an example in which optical connection boxes are stacked in the front-rear direction. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example in which an optical cord is inserted into an opening of an optical junction box located at the rear side among optical junction boxes stacked in the front-rear direction, where the optical junction boxes are in a state before being stacked. 1 is a perspective view showing an example in which an optical cord is inserted into a rear opening of a front optical junction box among optical junction boxes stacked in the front-rear direction, the optical junction boxes being in a state before being stacked. 1 is a partially enlarged view of the periphery of the cover-side covering portion, with the cover-side covering portion in a closed state. 1 is a partially enlarged view of the periphery of the cover-side covering portion, with the cover-side covering portion being slightly open. 1 is a partially enlarged view of the periphery of the body-side covering part, with the body-side covering part in a closed state. 1 is a perspective view showing an example in which the adapter module is rotated to stand up, with the cover removed from the main body.

The following is an embodiment of the invention. As can be understood from FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the optical connection box 1 of this embodiment includes a main body 10 with an opening on the front and a cover 20 capable of covering the opening on the front of the main body 10. The optical connection box 1 includes an insertion port 11 that can introduce optical wiring into the inside of the main body 10 on at least a part of the surface of the main body 10, and the cover 20 includes a cover side covering part 21 that can cover at least a part of the insertion port 11 and can be opened and closed, and the main body 10 includes a main body side covering part 12 that can cover at least a part of the insertion port 11 and can be opened and closed. This makes it possible to provide an optical connection box 1 with an optical wiring insertion port 11 that can be freely changed in open and closed state. Note that the cover side covering part 21 and the main body side covering part 12 do not rotate to open and close the insertion port 11, but may be slid, attached, or detached to open and close the insertion port 11.

Here, the optical connection box 1 of the embodiment will be described. The optical connection box 1 of the embodiment has an outline of its outer shape formed by a bottomed cylindrical main body 10 with an open front side, and a cover 20 capable of covering an opening provided on the front side of the main body 10. The optical wiring is routed inside the main body 10, and an adapter module 50 equipped with an optical adapter 51 that connects to the optical wiring is attached inside the main body 10 (see FIG. 5). The cover 20 of the embodiment is detachable from the main body 10. The cover 20 also has a shaft stopper 22, and is attached to the main body 10 so as to be rotatable.

The optical connection box 1 of the embodiment is connected to an optical cable 95 extending from the utility pole side (see FIG. 6). The adapter module 50 of the embodiment is equipped with optical wiring that is connected to the optical fiber of the optical cable 95 introduced from the outside. The adapter module 50 is arranged with optical fibers, optical cords, etc. as optical wiring. The optical adapter 51 equipped in the adapter module 50 is capable of mounting multiple connectors. The optical adapter 51 can be connected so that the internal connector 81 equipped at the end of the optical wiring wound around the adapter module 50 and the external connector 91 extending from the communication device side such as a media converter in the house are continuous (see FIG. 7). Note that when the cover 20 is closed from the state shown in FIG. 7, the state shown in FIG. 8 is obtained.

In the optical connection box 1 of the embodiment, the axis about which the cover 20 rotates is configured to extend in the vertical direction. The insertion opening 11 is formed at a position above and below the rotation axis. The main body 10 is also provided with a main body side covering portion 12 that can cover at least a portion of the insertion opening 11, and in the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the main body side covering portion 12 is provided on both the upper end side and the lower end side of the main body 10.

The body-side covering portion 12 does not need to be provided on both the upper end side and the lower end side of the body portion 10. For example, the body-side covering portion 12 may be provided on only one of the upper end side and the lower end side of the body portion 10.

When there are multiple body-side covering parts 12, some of the body-side covering parts 12 cover at least a portion of the insertion hole 11, while others do not. For example, the body-side covering parts 12 located on the upper side of the body 10 may be used so as to cover at least a portion of the insertion hole 11, and the body-side covering parts 12 located on the lower side of the body 10 may be used so as not to cover the insertion hole 11, or vice versa.

The cover 20 also has a cover-side covering portion 21 that can cover at least a portion of the insertion opening 11. In the example shown in Figures 1 to 4, two cover-side covering portions 21 are provided on each of the upper and lower ends of the cover 20.

The cover-side covering portion 21 does not need to be provided on both the upper end side and the lower end side of the cover 20. For example, the cover-side covering portion 21 may be provided on only one of the upper end side and the lower end side of the cover 20.

The number of cover-side covering parts 21 is arbitrary. When there are multiple cover-side covering parts 21, some cover the insertion opening 11 in part and some do not. For example, when at least some of the cover-side covering parts 21 are arranged in the left-right direction, one of the cover-side covering parts 21 on the left or right side may be used to cover at least a portion of the insertion opening 11, and the other cover-side covering part 21 may be used to not cover the insertion opening 11.

To increase the range of options for the insertion opening 11, it is preferable to provide the insertion opening 11 on multiple surfaces of the main body 10, provide multiple cover-side covering parts 21 on the cover 20, and provide multiple main body-side covering parts 12 on the main body 10, but this is not a necessary example. Note that the main body 10 in the embodiment has a substantially rectangular cross section cut along a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, and has insertion openings 11 on the top and bottom surfaces, but it may also be configured to have insertion openings 11 on other surfaces, such as the right, left, or rear surface.

When the cover 20 is rotatable relative to the main body 10, it is preferable to provide the main body side covering part 12 closer to the rotation center of the cover 20 than the part of the insertion opening 11 that can be covered by the cover side covering part 21. The part of the cover 20 closer to the rotation center is likely to come into contact with the main body 10, which may hinder the closing operation. However, if the main body side covering part 12 is provided at a position closer to the rotation center and the cover 20 is closed relative to the main body 10 with the main body side covering part 12 open, the cover 20 can be closed smoothly. If there is a main body side covering part 12 that needs to be closed during use, the necessary parts of the main body side covering part 12 can be closed after the cover 20 is closed.

Incidentally, the cover side covering part 21 in the embodiment has a tapered shape at the tip side. In this way, even when the cover side covering part 21 is in a closed state, it is possible to prevent the cover side covering part 21 from interfering with the operation of closing the cover 20. In addition, when opening the cover side covering part 21, the cover side covering part 21 can be operated from various angles.

In addition, in the embodiment, the insertion opening 11, which is partially covered by the cover side covering part 21, extends to a position behind the area that the cover side covering part 21 can reach, so that the optical wiring can be inserted even when the insertion opening 11 is partially covered by the cover side covering part 21. Therefore, the optical wiring can be inserted into the insertion opening 11 even when the cover side covering part 21 is closed.

As can be seen from Figs. 3 to 5, in the embodiment, the insertion opening 11 is widened so that multiple groove-shaped rear insertion portions 11a are formed at a position rearward of the area that the cover-side covering portion 21 can reach, and it can be used to distinguish between the optical wiring that passes through this portion and the optical wiring that passes through the forward portion. The rear insertion portions 11a may be provided separately from the insertion opening 11, and for example, a separate through hole may be provided rearward of the insertion opening 11. If such a rear insertion portion 11a is provided, it can be used in such a way that the external connector 91 passes through the insertion opening 11, and an optical cord or the like passes through the rear insertion portion 11a located further rearward (see Fig. 9).

As can be seen from FIG. 10, the optical connection boxes 1 of the embodiment can also be stacked so that they overlap in the front-to-rear direction. Considering such a method of use, it is preferable to provide an openable opening 23 in a part of the cover 20, and to provide a rear opening 13 on the rear surface of the main body 10 at a position facing the open portion 23 when the optical connection boxes 1 are stacked so that they overlap in the front-to-rear direction (see FIG. 11 and FIG. 12). This makes it easier to route optical wiring between the optical connection boxes 1 located at the front and the optical connection boxes 1 located at the rear.

As can be seen from FIG. 10, it is preferable that at least one of the cover-side covering part 21 or the body-side covering part 12 is configured to be capable of separating the space near the insertion opening 11 of the optical connection box 1 located at the front side from the space near the insertion opening 11 of the optical connection box 1 located at the rear side when the optical connection boxes 1 are stacked so as to overlap in the front-to-rear direction. This is because it makes it easier to organize the optical wiring.

It is preferable that the box body of the optical connection box 1 is configured to be symmetrical from top to bottom. In this way, it can be turned upside down when attaching the adapter module 50. Therefore, for example, by turning the adapter module 50 upside down while leaving the main body 10 fixed in the installation location, the direction in which the optical wiring comes out can be reversed.

In the embodiment, the protrusion 41 and the engagement hole 42 are designed to be engaged so that the cover side covering part 21 can be easily maintained in a closed state when the cover side covering part 21 is closed. In the example shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the cover side covering part 21 is provided with a protrusion 41, and the side wall of the main body part 10 is provided with an engagement hole 42.

In addition, in the embodiment, the groove 45 and the engagement piece 46 are designed to be able to engage with each other so that the body-side covering part 12 can easily be maintained in a closed state when it is closed. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the body-side covering part 12 is provided with an engagement piece 46, and the side wall of the body part 10 is provided with a groove 45. In addition, in the embodiment, taking into consideration that the optical cable 95 can be introduced from near the body-side covering part 12, a protrusion 48 that can be used to secure the optical cable 95 with a cable tie is provided near the body-side covering part 12 (see FIG. 5).

In the optical connection box 1 of the embodiment, the adapter module 50 is rotatably attached to the main body 10, and as can be seen from FIG. 16, the optical wiring can be wound around the main body 10, but this is not necessarily the case.

The present invention has been described above using examples of embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented in various forms.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Optical connection box 10 Main body 11 Insertion opening 12 Main body side covering portion 13 Rear opening 20 Cover 21 Cover side covering portion 23 Opening portion

Claims (6)

An optical connection box including a main body having an opening on a front surface thereof and a cover capable of covering the opening on the front surface of the main body,
an insertion opening for introducing an optical wiring into the main body, at least on a part of the surface of the main body;
The cover is provided with a cover side covering part capable of covering at least a part of the insertion hole and being openable and closable;
the main body includes a body-side covering part capable of covering at least a part of the insertion opening and capable of being opened and closed ;
The insertion opening, a part of which is covered by the cover-side covering part, extends to a position rearward of a portion that can be reached by the cover-side covering part,
a rear insertion portion through which the optical wiring can be inserted even when a part of the insertion opening is covered with the cover-side covering portion,
When the cover on the main body side is open, the optical cable can be inserted,
When the cover-side covering portion is open, an external connector connected to an optical adapter can be inserted into the optical connection box. The main body has insertion openings on multiple surfaces,
The cover is provided with a plurality of cover-side covering portions,
2. The optical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a plurality of main body side covering portions. The cover is rotatable relative to the main body,
3. The optical connection box according to claim 1, further comprising a body- side covering portion disposed closer to the center of rotation of the cover than a portion of the insertion opening that can be covered by the cover-side covering portion. An optical connection box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the cover-side covering portion has a tapered tip. A part of the cover has an opening that can be opened,
2. The optical junction box according to claim 1, wherein a rear surface of the main body has a rear opening at a position facing the open portion when the optical junction boxes are stacked in a front-rear direction. An optical connection box as described in claim 5, wherein at least one of the cover side covering portion or the main body side covering portion is capable of separating the space near a portion of an insertion port of the optical connection box located at the front side from the space near a portion of an insertion port of the optical connection box located at the rear side when the optical connection boxes are stacked so as to overlap in the front -to-rear direction.