JPH0480363B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an optical fiber connecting connector, more specifically, an optical fiber connecting connector (hereinafter referred to as an optical connector) formed by mating a pair of opposing female and male connectors. The present invention relates to an optical connector devised to significantly reduce fiber axis misalignment loss, etc.

As for the alignment structure of a conventional optical connector, the one shown in vertical cross section in FIG. 2 has been proposed.

That is, in Fig. 2, M' is a male connector,
F' indicates a female connector, and a ferrule 1' is inserted into each connector. The ferrule 1' includes a thin centering part 1a' provided at the tip of the optical fiber P inserted therein, and a sheath part 1c' connected to the rear of the centering part 1a' via a tapered part 1b'. and a collar 1d' provided around the outer periphery of the front half of the sheath part 1c', which are inserted into the main body 2' of the female connector F' and the main body 3' of the male connector M', respectively. Therefore, inside the main bodies 2' and 3' of the female and male connectors, there are an alignment hole 4', a taper hole 5', and a collar 1d' corresponding to the alignment part 1a' and the tapered part 1b' of the ferrule 1', respectively. The stopper wall 6' is formed in a stepped manner.

In the illustrated example, the main body 2' of the female connector F' has a structure in which an alignment hole 4' and a tapered hole 5' for the left and right ferrules 1' are integrally formed.

Thus, each ferrule 1' inserted into the female and male connectors F' and M' pushes the collar 1d' by the elastic force of the spring 7' provided around the rear outer periphery of the collar 1d' of the sheath part 1c'. are pressed in the front direction of the main bodies 2' and 3', respectively, and even if one of the ferrules 1' is pulled by an external force in the L direction, the other ferrule always follows the one ferrule,
It is constructed to reduce as much as possible the gap loss between the end faces of the optical fibers connected at the ferrule centering portion 1a'.

However, in the alignment structure of such a conventional optical connector, the connector main body 2' or 3'(2' in the illustration)
If the alignment sleeve 8' that forms the alignment hole 4' and the tapered hole 5' at the tip of the connector is constructed integrally with the main body 2', the axial dimension of the connector will become longer. I couldn't make the length too long.
Therefore, when one side of the ferrule 1' is pulled in the L direction, the fitted alignment length l on the pulled side becomes extremely short, making it impossible to maintain a proper alignment length and causing the end of the optical fiber P to In addition, the clearance between the alignment hole 4' of the alignment sleeve 8' and the ferrule alignment part 1a' is normally formed to be extremely small in order to reduce the axial misalignment loss. Every time the ferrule 1' moves within the connector bodies 2', 3', frictional force due to sliding acts between the inner wall of the alignment hole 4' of the alignment sleeve 8' and the outer wall of the ferrule alignment part 1a', causing the ferrule to move. 1' and alignment sleeve 8', dust is generated due to wear, and this dust is generated from the optical fiber P.
In addition to causing optical transmission loss by penetrating and adhering to the polished surface of the ferrule 1' and the alignment sleeve 8', wear also causes misalignment of alignment dimensions within the ferrule 1' and alignment sleeve 8', increasing connection loss.

The present invention has been made for the purpose of providing an optical connector having a centering structure that eliminates the drawbacks of conventional optical connectors.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the optical connector of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the optical connector of the present invention shows an example of a two-core optical connector, and is composed of a pair of opposing male connectors M and female connectors F.

In the female and male connectors F and M, 1 is a ferrule, and this ferrule 1 has a centering part 1a of the optical fiber P and a waterproof ring insertion part 1c connected to the centering part 1a via a collar part 1b. , an optical fiber jacket holding part 1d connected to the waterproof ring insertion part 1c, and a flange part 1e for regulating the connection position of the optical fiber.
and an optical fiber caulking part 1f extending behind the collar part 1e.

Reference numerals 2 and 3 denote the bodies of female and male connectors F and M, respectively. In the illustrated example, a jacket body part 4 for receiving a male connector body 3 is formed on the outer periphery of the female connector body body 2, and a hole is formed in this jacket body part 4. A locking claw 5a of a locking arm 5 connected to the outer periphery of the male connector main body 3 is engaged with the locking hole 4a, thereby locking the female and male connectors F and M.

Reference numeral 6 denotes an alignment sleeve, which in the illustrated example is inserted into the male connector main body 3 as an independent member so as to be freely movable in the axial direction, and has the tip core wire (core portion covered with a cladding) of the optical fiber P in the center part. It has an alignment hole 6a into which the alignment part 1a of the ferrule ₁ is inserted, and a receiving hole 6c for the waterproof ring insertion part 1c of the ferrule 1 is provided on both sides of the alignment hole 6a via a stepped part 6b. be done. In this case, the length of the centering hole 6a is formed to approximately correspond to the joining length of the centering portion 1a of each ferrule.
Further, the alignment sleeve 6 moves following the pair of ferrules 1 when the step portion 6b engages with the flange portion 1b provided on the alignment portion 1a of the pair of ferrules 1.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a spring retaining cap, in which a stepped seat 7a is formed for a spring 8 that is wound around the rear caulking part 1f of the flange part 1e of the ferrule 1;
The female and male connector bodies 2 and 3 are connected to the rear ends of the female and male connector bodies 2 and 3, respectively, by outer tubes 9 having locking mechanisms (not shown). A flexible boot 10 is attached to the rear end of the spring holding cap 7 to prevent the optical fiber P from being bent. Note that 11 is a waterproof ring.

Next, the connection of the female and male connectors F and M of the present invention will be explained.

First, start the core wire from the rear end caulking part 1f of the ferrule 1.
Insert the optical fiber P obtained by stripping P ₁ to a specified length,
Either insert the core wire P ₁ into the alignment part 1a of the ferrule 1 and align the end face of the core wire P ₁ with the end face of the alignment part 1a, or prepare a pair of core wires P ₁ with the end faces slightly protruding. , their end faces are polished using a jig (not shown). And one ferrule 1
Wrap a spring 8 around the caulking part 1f and insert it into the female connector main body 2, and attach the waterproof ring 11 to the waterproof ring insertion part 1c of the ferrule 1 which is biased by the spring 8 and protrudes from the main body 2. do.

In the same manner, the other ferrule 1 is inserted into the male connector M, and one end of the alignment sleeve 6 is inserted into the tip of the ferrule 1, that is, the alignment part 1a, the collar part 1b, and the waterproof ring insertion part 1c. do. Then, the other end of the alignment sleeve 6 is urged by the spring 8 and abuts against the front wall 3a of the male connector main body 3, and the ferrule 1 inserted into the male connector M
The alignment portion 1a enters and is held at an intermediate position of the alignment hole 6a of the alignment sleeve 6 (not shown).

In this state, when the male connector M is fitted to the sleeve part 4 of the female connector F, the protruding centering part 1a of the ferrule 1 on the female connector F side and the waterproof ring insertion part 1c to which the waterproof ring 11 is attached enters the open alignment hole 6a and the waterproof ring insertion part receiving hole 6c at the other end of the alignment sleeve 6, while the left and right ferrules 1, 1 resist the elastic force of the springs 8, 8, respectively. fall back.

Therefore, when the female and male connectors F and M are in the fitted state, the core wire P ₁ of the optical fiber P is pressed against the ferrules 1 and 1 by the balanced pressing force of the springs 8 and 8.
The distal end surfaces of the alignment sleeve 6 abut each other at the center of the alignment hole 6a of the alignment sleeve 6 through the alignment sleeve 6, and the connection is established while maintaining an appropriate pressure contact force.

In this case, a pair of left and right ferrules 1,
1 is biased by springs 8, 8 while being movable in opposite directions through the movement permissible space S of the flange 1e, so that the alignment sleeve 6 is integrated with the pair of ferrules 1, 1. Moving.

As described in detail above, according to the alignment mechanism of the optical connector of the present invention, the alignment sleeve 6 is inserted into the main body 2 or 3 of the female and male connectors F, M as an independent body so as to be freely movable left and right in the axial direction. Therefore, when the alignment sleeve 6 is used to perform alignment using the alignment section 1a of the ferrule 1, the connecting portion of the optical fiber core P1 at the alignment section _1a is connected to the flanges of the left and right ferrules 1. The alignment hole 6 of the alignment sleeve 6 is always connected via 1b.
Since it is fixed together with the waterproof ring insertion part 1c inside the ferrule a, even if one ferrule 1 is pulled outward by an external force, the other ferrule will follow the one ferrule together with the alignment sleeve 6. The connection relationship of the core wires _P1 in the centering portion 1a is always unchanged, so that stable optical fiber connections are always achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, since the alignment sleeve 6 moves following the ferrules 1, 1, the alignment sleeve 6, the ferrule alignment part 1a, and the waterproof ring 11
There is no friction between these contact surfaces, and therefore, wear on these contact surfaces is prevented, resulting in optical transmission loss due to dust adhesion to the polished surface of the optical fiber or frictional contamination, as well as shaft damage due to changes in alignment dimensions. Increase in misalignment loss is avoided. Furthermore, since the alignment sleeve 6 can be molded as an independent body separately from the connector, the alignment sleeve alone can be made of a different material such as metal or ceramic, which has the advantage of enabling high-precision processing. is obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of the optical connector of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional optical connector. F...Female connector, M...Male connector, 1...
Ferrule, 1a... Aligning part, 2, 3... Connector body, 4... Mantle part, 5... Locking arm, 6... Aligning sleeve, 6a... Aligning hole, 7...
...Spring retaining cap, 8...Spring,
9...outer cylinder, 10...boots, 11...waterproof ring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Fit a pair of opposing female and male connectors,
A connector configured such that a pair of left and right ferrules inserted therein are biased in opposite directions by a spring so that the tip surfaces of optical fibers accommodated in the ferrules can come into close contact with each other, wherein the female or An alignment sleeve into which the alignment parts of the pair of ferrules are inserted is provided on one side of the main body of the male connector so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the pair of left and right ferrules are attached by the spring in a movable state in opposing directions. 1. A connector for connecting optical fibers, wherein the alignment sleeve moves together with the pair of ferrules when the ferrules are pressed.