Light-shielding adapter for an optical connector

Abstract

The present invention relates to a light-shielding adapter for an optical connector, which includes a body, a shielding member, and an elastic member. The body has a receiving space. The shielding member is movably assembled to the body to shield or expose the receiving space. The optical connector is adapted to push open the shielding member and enter the receiving space to be docked to the body. The shielding member has a step structure and maintains a gap with the optical connector. The elastic member is disposed within the body and on the moving path of the shielding member. When the optical connector pushes open the shielding member, the shielding member deforms the elastic member, and when the optical connector moves away from the receiving space, the elastic member drives the shielding member to reset.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an adapter for a connector, and particularly to a light-shielding adapter for an optical connector. Background Art

[0002] Due to the advantages of high bandwidth and low loss of optical fibers, they have been widely used as signal transmission media in recent years. Therefore, with the expansion of optical communication network technology, the popularity of wide area networks such as the Internet and internal networks has been achieved, and at the same time, communication traffic has been increased.

[0003] An optical adapter is used to provide a connection medium for optical connectors during coupling. Its purpose is to provide a closed environment when optical connectors are docked with each other to avoid external interference. At the same time, it can also prevent operators from directly visualizing the light emitted by optical connectors and causing damage to their eyes.

[0004] For example, the optical adapter with a shielding member shown in US Patent US9453963B2 assembles the shielding plate 11 to the housing 1 and then combines the bottom plate 1c to the housing 1 to form a closed structure. At the same time, the shielding plate 11 is provided with a recess (recess-shaped clearance 30) to allow the cylindrical coupling sleeve 21 to push open the shielding plate 11 so that the ferrule 24 does not contact the shielding plate 11.

[0005] However, although this can achieve the desired purpose, it increases the complexity of the manufacturing process due to ignoring the manufacturing conditions of the components. For example, for the shielding plate with a recess, due to its small size, precise control of its surface topography, that is, the corresponding relationship between the plate plane and the recess, is required, which undoubtedly causes difficulties in the design and manufacture of the molding die and also easily affects the molding process, and it is impossible to effectively control and maintain the yield of injection molding.

[0006] Furthermore, the shielding plate 11 of this case is assembled to the opening (opening portion 11d) of the bottom plate 1c with a leaf spring 18. However, as mentioned above, since the components are small in size, it also places a burden on the assembly process.

[0007] Based on the above, how to simplify the manufacturing and assembly processes of the related components of the optical adapter and still maintain the desired effects is indeed a problem that those skilled in the art need to consider and solve. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention provides a light-shielding adapter that achieves the required functions of the adapter with a simple structure and manufacturing process.

[0009] The light-shielding adapter of the optical connector of the present invention includes a body, a shutter, and an elastic member. The body has a receiving space. The shutter is movably assembled to the body to shield or expose the receiving space. The optical connector is adapted to push open the shutter and enter the receiving space to be docked to the body. The shutter has a step structure and maintains a gap with the optical connector. The elastic member is disposed within the body and is located on the moving path of the shutter. When the optical connector pushes open the shutter, the shutter deforms the elastic member, and when the optical connector moves away from the receiving space, the elastic member drives the shutter to reset.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, the bottom of the above-mentioned body has a hollowed-out portion, and a part of the shutter and the elastic member are exposed from the body via the hollowed-out portion.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned light-shielding adapter further includes a base, which is assembled to the body along the periphery of the hollowed-out portion, and the elastic member is connected to the base.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned elastic member is clamped to the base.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned elastic member is fitted to the base by insert molding.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the body and the base each have a receiving groove, and the shaft portion of the shutter is pivotally disposed in the receiving groove.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned shutter has a shaft portion, a first plate body, and a second plate body. The first plate body extends from the shaft portion and is located between the shaft portion and the second plate body. The first plate body and the second plate body are parallel to each other and have a step structure.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned shutter further has a turning portion, which is connected between the first plate body and the second plate body, and one end of the elastic member abuts against the turning portion.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned optical connector has a coupling sleeve and an optical ferrule extending from the coupling sleeve. During the process of the optical connector moving into the receiving space, when the coupling sleeve abuts against the first plate body to push open the shutter, there is a gap between the optical ferrule and the second plate body.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned body further has a stop portion. When the elastic member drives the shutter to reset, the second plate body abuts against the stop portion to shield the receiving space.

[0019] Based on the above, in addition to being movably disposed on the body, the shielding member of the light-shielding adapter has a stepped structure, and the elastic member is disposed inside the body and on the moving path of the shielding member. Accordingly, when the optical connector pushes open the shielding member and enters the accommodating space, a gap can be maintained between the optical connector and the shielding member due to the stepped structure. In other words, the shielding member of the light-shielding adapter can avoid the possibility of mutual contact (abutting) between the optical connector and the shielding member during the actuation process by virtue of its simplified stepped structure, and effectively simplifies and reduces the complexity during the manufacturing and assembly of the shielding member, which is beneficial to the manufacturing process of the light-shielding adapter.

[0020] To make the above features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, specific embodiments are hereinafter given and described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a light-shielding adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the light-shielding adapter from another perspective.

[0023] Figure 3 and Figure 4 respectively show the exploded views of the light-shielding adapter from different perspectives.

[0024] Figure 5 and Figure 6 respectively are cross-sectional views of the light-shielding adapter in different states.

[0025] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a light-shielding adapter according to another embodiment of the present invention from different perspectives.

[0026] Figure 8 is Figure 7 a schematic diagram of an exploded view of some components of the light-shielding adapter.

[0027] Symbol Description

[0028] 100: Light-shielding adapter

[0029] 110: Body

[0030] 111: Accommodating space

[0031] 112: Hollow portion

[0032] 113: Accommodating groove

[0033] 114: Stopping portion

[0034] 115: Fitting

[0035] 115a, 115b: Docking parts

[0036] 115c: Docking pipe

[0037] 120: Shielding part

[0038] 121: Shaft part

[0039] 122: First plate body

[0040] 123: Second plate body

[0041] 124: Turning part

[0042] 130: Elastic part

[0043] 140: Base part

[0044] 142: Accommodating groove

[0045] 200: Light-shielding adapter

[0046] 210: Body

[0047] 211: Accommodating space

[0048] 215A, 215B: Adapter parts

[0049] 220A~220D: Shielding parts

[0050] 230A, 230B: Elastic parts

[0051] 240A, 240B: Base parts

[0052] 300: Optical connector

[0053] 310: Coupling sleeve

[0054] 320: Optical pipe

[0055] E1, E2, E3, E4: Openings. Detailed implementation manner

[0056] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a light-shielding adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the light-shielding adapter from another perspective. Figure 3 And Figure 4 respectively show the exploded views of the light-shielding adapter from different perspectives. Please refer to Figures 1 to 4, in this embodiment, a light-shielding adapter 100 of an optical connector includes a body 110, a shielding member 120, and an elastic member 130. The body 110 has a receiving space 111. The shielding member 120 is movably assembled to the body 110 to shield or expose the receiving space 111. The elastic member 130 is disposed within the body 110 and is located on the moving path of the shielding member 120.

[0057] Figure 3 and Figure 4 respectively show the exploded views of the light-shielding adapter from different perspectives. Please also refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the optical connector 300 is adapted to push open the shielding member 120 and enter the receiving space 111 to dock with the body 110. The shielding member 120 has a step structure and maintains a gap with the optical connector 300. When the optical connector 300 pushes open the shielding member 120, the shielding member 120 deforms the elastic member 120, and when the optical connector 300 moves away from the receiving space 111, the elastic member 130 drives the shielding member 120 to reset.

[0058] Furthermore, the body 110 of the light-shielding adapter 100 serves as a medium for the mutual coupling of optical connectors. Therefore, an adapter 115 is also provided in the receiving space 111, which includes docking members 115a and 115b, and a docking tube 115c. The docking member 115a faces the opening E1 of the body 110, the docking member 115b faces the opening E2 of the body 110, and the docking tube 115c is included when the docking members 115a and 115b are combined within the receiving space 111. When two optical connectors are mutually coupled, one optical connector will move into the receiving space 111 through the opening E1 and be inserted into a part of the docking tube 115c in the docking member 115a, and the other optical connector will move into the receiving space 111 through the opening E2 and be inserted into another part of the docking tube 115c in the docking member 115b. Accordingly, the two optical connectors will be mutually coupled within the docking tube 115c.

[0059] In addition, as Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the bottom of the body 110 has a hollow portion 112, and a part of the shielding member 120 and the elastic member 130 are exposed from the body 110 via the hollow portion 112. Further, the light-shielding adapter 100 further includes a base portion 140, which is assembled to the body 110 along the periphery of the hollow portion 112. That is, the base portion 140 does not completely enclose the hollow portion 112, so that the shielding member 120 and the elastic member 130 can still be exposed via the hollow portion 112. Moreover, the body 110 has a receiving groove 113, and the base portion 140 also has a receiving groove 142, so that when the base portion 140 is assembled to the body 110, the shaft portion 121 of the shielding member 120 can be pivotally disposed in the receiving grooves 113 and 142. Accordingly, the shielding member 120 can pivot about its shaft portion 121, and as Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, when the optical connector 300 is moved into the receiving space 111, the optical connector 300 can push open the shielding member 120, that is, cause the shielding member 120 to pivot.

[0060] Please refer to Figures 3 to 6 again. In this embodiment, the shielding member 120 has a first plate body 122, a turning portion 124, a second plate body 123, and the aforementioned shaft portion 121, wherein the first plate body 122 extends from the shaft portion 121 and is located between the shaft portion 121 and the second plate body 123. The turning portion 124 is connected between the first plate body 122 and the second plate body 123, and since the first plate body 122 is substantially parallel to the second plate body 123, the turning portion 124 causes the first plate body 122 and the second plate body 123 to form a step structure, that is, the first plate body 122 and the second plate body 123 that are parallel to each other, when one of them is used as a reference, the other can be regarded as having a height difference from the reference. In addition, the elastic member 130 is, for example, a spring piece that is integrally molded (insert molding) and fitted into the base portion 140, and one end of the elastic member 130 away from the insertion portion substantially abuts against the turning portion 124 of the shielding member 120. Accordingly, when the optical connector 300 has not been moved into the receiving space 111, the shielding member 120 is affected by the elastic member 130 and abuts against the stopper portion 114 of the body 110, and thus closes the receiving space 111, as Figure 5 shown. When the optical connector 300 is moved into the receiving space 11, the shielding member 120 will be pushed open by the optical connector 300 to expose the receiving space 111, and the shielding member 120 pivots to deform the elastic member 130 accordingly, that is, as Figure 6 shown.

[0061] Furthermore, the optical connector 300 has a coupling sleeve 310 and an optical ferrule 320 extending from the coupling sleeve. In the insertion direction of the optical connector 300 relative to the body 110, the coupling sleeve 310 corresponds to the first plate body 122, and the optical ferrule 320 corresponds to the second plate body 123. In addition, since the first plate body 122, the turning portion 124, and the second plate body 123 of the shielding member 120 form a stepped structure, during the process of the optical connector 300 being moved into the accommodating space 111, when the coupling sleeve 310 abuts against the first plate body 122 to push open the shielding member 120, there is a gap between the optical ferrule 320 and the second plate body 123 until the optical ferrule 320 is inserted into the docking tube 115c, and there is still no possibility of contact between the optical ferrule 320 and the second plate body 123. Therefore, this measure can avoid the optical ferrule 320 from coming into contact with the shielding member 120 and causing contamination to the optical ferrule 320.

[0062] Conversely, when the optical connector 300 is moved away from the accommodating space 111, the elastic member 130 driven by the shielding member 120 to deform can drive the shielding member 120 to reset by its elastic force, that is, to make the shielding member 120 return to its position where it abuts against the stop portion 114.

[0063] It should be noted here that since the shielding member 120 is formed by the first plate body 122 and the second plate body 123 with a stepped structure, compared with the grooves formed on the shielding member in the prior art, the shielding member 120 shown in the present invention has a simple structural profile. Therefore, for its manufacturing process, that is, the mold and injection molding process used to form the shielding member 120, the complexity of the prior art can be improved and the convenience can be increased, and at the same time, the manufacturing yield of the shielding member 120 can be effectively improved. Furthermore, since the body 110 of the present invention has a hollow portion 112, and the elastic member 130 is first assembled (or insert molded) to the base portion 140, and then the base portion 140 is assembled to the periphery of the hollow portion 112 of the body. From this, it can also be known that compared with the assembly process in the prior art that requires a spring piece to be assembled between the shielding member and the bottom plate, it is easily limited by the too small size of the components and the assembly difficulty is increased. On the contrary, in the present invention, due to the above structural features, the assembly process of the light shielding adapter 100 can be effectively simplified, so the assembly complexity and difficulty can be reduced, and the manufacturing efficiency and yield of the light shielding adapter 100 can be further improved.

[0064] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of a light shielding adapter according to another embodiment of the present invention from different perspectives. Figure 8 is Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an exploded view of some components of the light shielding adapter. Please refer to Figures 7 to 8, in this embodiment, the light-shielding adapter 200 includes a body 210 and a plurality of shielding members 220A to 220D. The body 210 has a receiving space 211 and a plurality of openings E3, E4. Therefore, the light-shielding adapter 200 of this embodiment is suitable for docking 4 pairs of optical connectors simultaneously. Its docking structure is the same as that of the previous embodiment, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 8 , it should be further mentioned that the light-shielding adapter 200 of this embodiment includes different types of bases 240A, 240B and different types of elastic members 230A, 230B. The bases 240A, 240B are respectively assembled to the fittings 215A, 215B of the body 210. The elastic member 230A is, for example, embedded in the base 240A by means of insert molding, and the elastic member 230B is, for example, clamped in the rib structure of the base 240B. Although the combination methods of the elastic members 230A, 230B and the bases 240A, 240B are different, the mutual relationship of the elastic members 230A, 230B with respect to the shielding members 220A to 220D remains the same as that of the previous embodiment without change. Thus, the combination means between the elastic member and the base is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0066] In summary, in the above embodiments of the present invention, in addition to being movably disposed on the body, the shielding member of the light-shielding adapter further has a step structure, and the elastic member is disposed inside the body and on the moving path of the shielding member. Accordingly, when the optical connector pushes open the shielding member and enters the receiving space, a gap can be maintained between the optical connector and the shielding member due to the step structure. In other words, the shielding member of the light-shielding adapter can avoid the possibility of mutual contact (abutting) between the optical connector and the shielding member during the actuation process by virtue of its simplified step structure, and also effectively simplifies and reduces the complexity during the manufacturing and assembly of the shielding member due to the step structure, which is beneficial to the manufacturing process of the light-shielding adapter.

[0067] Furthermore, since the shielding member is formed by a first plate body and a second plate body having a step structure, compared with the grooves formed on the shielding member in the prior art, the shielding member shown in the present invention has a simple structural profile. Therefore, for its manufacturing process, that is, the mold and injection molding process used to form the shielding member, the complexity of the prior art can be improved and the convenience can be increased, and at the same time, the manufacturing yield of the shielding member can be effectively improved due to this.

[0068] In addition, since the main body of the present invention has a hollow portion, and the elastic member is first assembled (or insert-molded) to the base, and then the base is assembled to the periphery of the hollow portion of the main body. It can also be known therefrom that compared with the conventional technology that requires a process of assembling a shrapnel between a shielding member and a bottom plate, it is easily limited by the too small size of the components and increases the assembly difficulty. On the contrary, in the present invention, due to the above-mentioned structural features, the assembly process of the light-shielding adapter can be effectively simplified, so the assembly complexity and difficulty can be reduced, and further the production efficiency and yield of the light-shielding adapter can be improved.

Claims

1. A light-shielding adapter for an optical connector, characterized in that: a body having an accommodating space; a base; a shielding member movably assembled to the body to shield or expose the accommodating space, an optical connector being adapted to push open the shielding member and enter the accommodating space to be docked with the body, wherein the shielding member has a step structure and maintains a gap with the optical connector; and an elastic member disposed within the body and on the moving path of the shielding member, when the optical connector pushes open the shielding member, the shielding member deforms the elastic member, and when the optical connector moves away from the accommodating space, the elastic member drives the shielding member to reset, wherein a bottom of the body has a hollowed-out portion, a part of the shielding member and the elastic member are exposed from the body via the hollowed-out portion, the base is assembled to the body along a periphery of the hollowed-out portion, and the elastic member is connected to the base.

2. The light-shielding adapter of the optical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The elastic member is clamped by the base.

3. The light-shielding adapter of the optical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic member is integrally molded and fitted into the base.

4. The light-shielding adapter of the optical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The body and the base each have an accommodating groove, and a shaft portion of the shielding member is pivotally disposed in the accommodating groove.

5. The light-shielding adapter of the optical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The shielding member has a shaft portion, a first plate body and a second plate body, the first plate body extends from the shaft portion and is located between the shaft portion and the second plate body, the first plate body and the second plate body are parallel to each other and have the step structure.

6. The light-shielding adapter of the optical connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The shielding member further has a turning portion connected between the first plate body and the second plate body, and one end of the elastic member abuts against the turning portion.

7. The light-shielding adapter of the optical connector according to claim 5, wherein: The optical connector has a coupling sleeve and an optical tube extending from the coupling sleeve, during the process of the optical connector moving into the accommodating space, when the coupling sleeve abuts against the first plate body to push open the shielding member, there is a gap between the optical tube and the second plate body.

8. The light-shielding adapter of the optical connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The body further has a stop portion, when the elastic member drives the shielding member to reset, the second plate body abuts against the stop portion to shield the accommodating space.

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