Multi-core optical fiber connector shell, multi-core optical fiber connector and butt joint unit

Abstract

A front side wall of the multi-core optical fiber connector shell limits forward separation of an insertion core assembly from the multi-core optical fiber connector shell, and an insertion core installed in place is adjacent to the front side wall, the left side wall, the right side wall and the lower side wall; the upper side wall is provided with a first opening, the upper side wall is also provided with a fixing part, and the fixing part prevents the inserting core assembly which is installed in place from being separated from the multi-core optical fiber connector shell from the first opening. On one hand, the structure greatly improves the problem that an insertion core assembly of an existing optical fiber connector is inconvenient to fly in and replace; and on the other hand, no other parts are arranged between the insertion core and the side walls of the multi-core connector shell, so that the boundary dimension of the optical fiber connector in the width and thickness directions is compressed, the optical fiber connector can be made smaller, and the optical fiber connector can be more easily applied to a high-density and large-capacity use environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of optical communication, and particularly relates to a multi-core optical fiber connector housing, a multi-core optical fiber connector, and a docking unit. Background Art

[0002] Optical fiber communication is a cornerstone of modern information society. Optical fiber communication uses light as the information carrier and optical fiber as the data transmission medium, and has the advantages of large communication capacity, low loss, long transmission distance, strong anti-electromagnetic interference ability, etc. At present, it carries more than 99% of the global data transmission traffic.

[0003] Optical fiber connectors are the most commonly used passive components in optical fiber communication, used to realize the connection between two optical paths, and can be widely used in various optical fiber communication networks.

[0004] Chinese Patent CN118011567A discloses a multi-core optical fiber connector housing, an optical fiber connector, and an optical fiber docking device. Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing in this patent. As Figure 1 shown, the multi-core optical fiber connector housing includes a front side wall A11, a first elastic arm A12, a second elastic arm A13, a rear side wall A14, an upper side wall (the upper side wall is completely hollowed out), and a bottom wall A15. The upper side wall is provided with a first opening, and other components of the optical fiber connector can be directly installed into the interior of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing from the first opening. Due to the existence of the first opening, other accessories of the optical fiber connector (such as the main spring, etc.) can be installed into the connector housing to achieve pre-installation; when replacing or installing the ferrule on-site, the ferrule can fly into the connector housing from the first opening without disassembling and reassembling the optical fiber connector, avoiding the loss of small parts during the assembly process and being more convenient; in addition, the first opening makes the entire installation process completely visible, facilitating the accurate installation of the ferrule assembly and facilitating adjustment.

[0005] However, the connector in CN118011567A still faces the following several problems in actual use:

[0006] 1. The product has large dimensions in the thickness and width directions, making it difficult to be applied to high-density and large-capacity usage environments.

[0007] The rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has put forward higher requirements for high-speed communication transmission technology, demanding a larger transmission capacity. Now, the installation density of interfaces on data centers is getting higher and higher, which also puts more stringent requirements on the size of optical fiber connectors.

[0008] In the optical fiber connector in the above-mentioned patent, the ferrule bracket restricts the ferrule assembly from five directions, that is, the ferrule assembly has two layers of wall thickness at the bottom and in the left and right directions, and the two main springs are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the ferrule assembly. This makes the optical fiber connector in the above-mentioned patent still relatively large in size in the cross section perpendicular to the insertion direction, and there is a lot of room for improvement.

[0009] 2. The insertion and replacement of the ferrule assembly are rather troublesome, and the efficiency of replacing parts is low.

[0010] The optical fiber connector in the patent can be pre-assembled, which avoids the problem of small accessories being lost during the replacement of the ferrule assembly. However, when manually replacing the ferrule assembly of the optical fiber connector with pre-assembled accessories, there are problems such as Figure 2 The problem shown, Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the stress state of the ferrule assembly when the ferrule assembly is pushed to the removal position in a top view.

[0011] When manually replacing the ferrule assembly, since the connector ferrule bracket part does not have a good fulcrum, the method we often use is to push the ferrule assembly hard to make the ferrule bracket move backward, revealing a space that allows the ferrule assembly to be directly taken out, and then take out the ferrule assembly. However, paragraph 0016 of the specification states that "the ferrule base is a groove structure, and the ferrule body is arranged in the groove structure". In such a structure, during the process of pushing the ferrule assembly to move the ferrule bracket backward, the ferrule assembly is still restricted in the front, back, left, right, top and bottom directions in the ferrule bracket, so that it cannot be taken out. Another person is needed to help temporarily fix the ferrule bracket that has moved backward before the ferrule assembly can be inserted or replaced. This makes it more troublesome to insert or replace the ferrule assembly, and the efficiency of replacing the ferrule assembly is low.

[0012] 3. It is difficult to control the dimensional accuracy of the product, and the structural stability of the product is relatively poor.

[0013] The multi-core optical fiber connector housing in CN118011567A is directly made by sheet metal technology. After assembly, each structural feature is basically in a free state, and there is no structural feature to fix each other.

[0014] The springback after bending in sheet metal processing is more serious. The different hardness of different batches of materials will cause the product to rebound after bending, and even millimeter-level dimensional errors will occur. The multi-core fiber optic connector housing is a relatively precise structural part, and this millimeter-level dimensional error is not allowed. In addition, before installing accessories such as guide pillars, main springs, and ferrule brackets, the elastic handle and two elastic arms of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing are in an unconstrained state, which makes it easy to over-exert force during installation, resulting in plastic deformation of the structure.

[0015] 4. The existing pre-relaxed fiber optic connector has a complex structure and requires additional operating steps.

[0016] Chinese Patent CN115453693B discloses a pre-relaxed MPO fiber optic connector, which includes: a ferrule that can accommodate an optical fiber, and the end face of the optical fiber terminates at the front end of the ferrule; an inner housing that is sleeved on the ferrule and can limit the ferrule; a guide pin bracket that is arranged at the rear end of the ferrule; a spring that is arranged at the rear end of the guide pin bracket; a rear housing that is used to dock with the inner housing; and a component for repeatedly controlling the expansion and contraction of the spring.

[0017] And it is recorded in paragraph 0062 of the specification that, "Since the component of the present application can repeatedly control the expansion and contraction of the spring, when connecting an optical fiber harness, the spring is elongated to reduce the elastic force exerted by the spring on the ferrule, and the ferrule can move more easily inside the inner housing to find a suitable position for docking, reducing the resistance suffered by the ferrule when adjusting the position, reducing the wear of the guide pin holes caused by the resistance or friction, and increasing the service life of the fiber optic connector and the components of the fiber optic connector." That is to say, before docking, the spring is in a state of less than the standard docking force, which is convenient for the ferrule to align and reduces the wear of the guide pins on the guide pin holes. After docking, a component for repeatedly controlling the expansion and contraction of the spring is used to control the spring force to complete the loading of the standard docking force.

[0018] This makes the pre-relaxed MPO fiber optic connector in CN115453693B have at least one more component than an ordinary fiber optic connector, and additional operation steps are required during the docking process of the fiber optic connector.

[0019] Therefore, this patent proposes a fiber optic connector to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0020] The present invention provides a multi-core fiber optic connector housing, a multi-core fiber optic connector, and a docking unit, which solve the problems in the prior art that the multi-core fiber optic connector has a large size, difficult to control the dimensional accuracy, poor product structure stability, inconvenient flying-in and replacement of the ferrule assembly, and the existing pre-relaxed fiber optic connector has a complex structure and requires additional operation steps.

[0021] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a multi-core fiber optic connector housing, including a front side wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, a rear side wall, an upper side wall, and a lower side wall. The front side wall limits the forward detachment of the ferrule assembly from the multi-core fiber optic connector housing, and the installed ferrule assembly is adjacent to the front side wall, the left side wall, the right side wall, and the lower side wall;

[0022] The upper side wall is provided with a first opening, and the ferrule assembly of the fiber optic connector can be directly installed into the accommodation space C of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing from the first opening. There is also a fixing part on the upper side wall, and the fixing part prevents the installed ferrule assembly from detaching from the multi-core fiber optic connector housing through the first opening;

[0023] The front side wall is provided with a second opening, and the rear side wall is provided with a third opening.

[0024] Furthermore, the maximum distance L from the fixing part to the front side wall is 0.3 mm - 5.8 mm.

[0025] Furthermore, the multi-core optical fiber connector housing further includes a plurality of guide post holes, and notch openings are formed in the hole walls of the guide post holes, and the guide posts can be directly inserted into the guide post holes through the notch openings.

[0026] Furthermore, it further includes an elastic arm, the elastic arm is arranged on the left side wall or the right side wall or the lower side wall, one end of the elastic arm is fixedly connected to the housing, and the other end of the elastic arm is in a free state.

[0027] Furthermore, there are protrusions on both sides of the other end of the elastic arm, and sliding grooves are arranged in the wall thickness direction of the surface where the elastic arm is located, and the protrusions are snapped into the sliding grooves and can slide in the sliding grooves.

[0028] Furthermore, there is a first limiting groove on the left side wall and a second limiting groove on the right side wall.

[0029] Furthermore, there are a plurality of unlocking grooves on the lower side wall, and the unlocking grooves penetrate through the wall thickness of the lower side wall.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a multi-core optical fiber connector, including the multi-core optical fiber connector housing as described above, a plurality of main springs, a plurality of guide posts, a spring holder, and a ferrule assembly.

[0031] The ferrule assembly includes a ferrule and an optical fiber ribbon arranged in the ferrule. The ferrule includes a ferrule body and a flange portion. The optical fiber ribbon contains N optical fibers, N≥2. The ferrule assembly is installed inside the multi-core optical fiber connector housing, and the front end of the ferrule body exposes from the second opening out of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing, and the optical fiber ribbon passes through from the third opening.

[0032] The main springs are sleeved on the guide posts. One end of the guide post is clamped and fixed on the spring holder, and the other end is inserted into the guide post hole. One end of the main spring abuts against the spring holder, and the other end abuts against the end surface adjacent to the accommodation space C on the outer periphery of the guide post hole.

[0033] Furthermore, the number of the main springs is 2.

[0034] Furthermore, the main springs are completely located at the rear side of the ferrule flange portion.

[0035] Further, there are a first limiting wing and a second limiting wing on both sides of the spring frame respectively. The first limiting wing extends into the first limiting groove, and the second limiting wing extends into the second limiting groove.

[0036] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a multi-core optical fiber connector, including the multi-core optical fiber connector housing and the ferrule assembly as described above. The multi-core optical fiber connector housing is made by an integral molding process. The ferrule assembly includes a ferrule and an optical fiber ribbon disposed in the ferrule. The ferrule includes a ferrule body and a flange portion. The optical fiber ribbon contains N optical fibers, N≥2. In the direction parallel to the connection line of the centers of the N optical fiber end faces, the width d of the flange portion 1 and the dimension d of the multi-core optical fiber connector 2 satisfy: 0.6mm≤d 2 -d 1 ≤4mm.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a multi-core optical fiber connector, including a multi-core optical fiber connector housing, a plurality of main springs, and a ferrule assembly.

[0038] The ferrule assembly includes a ferrule and an optical fiber ribbon disposed in the ferrule. The ferrule includes a ferrule body and a flange portion. The optical fiber ribbon contains N optical fibers, N≥2. One end of the main spring abuts against the flange portion of the ferrule, and the other end of the main spring abuts against the housing.

[0039] Before the optical fiber connector is docked, the main spring is in a pre-relaxed state, and at this time the elastic force of the main spring is F 1 , when the optical fiber connector is completely docked, the main spring is in a tightened state, and at this time the elastic force of the main spring is F 2 , F 1 and F 2 satisfy: F 1 ≤1 / 2F 2 .

[0040] In the optical fiber connector of the present application, the main spring has two states, namely the pre-relaxed state and the tightened state. At the beginning of docking, the main spring is in the pre-relaxed state, and the elastic force of the main spring is small, so the static friction force received by the ferrule is very small, which is convenient for the ferrule to be aligned. After alignment, the main spring is adjusted to the tightened state, and the elastic force of the main spring reaches the standard docking force.

[0041] Further, N<16, and the elastic force of the main spring is F 1 satisfies: 0≤F 1 ≤5N.

[0042] Further, N≥16, and the elastic force of the main spring is F 1 satisfies: 0≤F 1 ≤10N.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a multi-core optical fiber connector, comprising a multi-core optical fiber connector housing, a plurality of main springs, and a ferrule assembly.

[0044] The ferrule assembly includes a ferrule and an optical fiber ribbon disposed within the ferrule. The ferrule includes a ferrule body and a flange portion. The optical fiber ribbon contains N optical fibers, where N ≥ 2. One end of the main spring abuts against the flange portion of the ferrule, and the other end of the main spring abuts against the multi-core optical fiber connector housing.

[0045] Before the optical fiber connector is mated, the docking end face of the ferrule body protrudes from the multi-core optical fiber connector housing by a height of h 1 ; after the optical fiber connector is mated, the ferrule body retracts relative to the multi-core optical fiber connector housing, and the docking end face of the ferrule body protrudes from the multi-core optical fiber connector housing by a height of h 2 where h 1 and h 2 satisfy: h 1 > h 2 .

[0046] Furthermore, 1.0 mm ≤ h 1 - h 2 ≤ 4.5 mm.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a docking unit, comprising a plurality of the multi-core optical fiber connectors as described above.

[0048] Advantageous effects:

[0049] Compared with the prior art, the multi-core optical fiber connector housing in this patent can position the installed ferrule assembly adjacent to the front side wall, left side wall, right side wall, and lower side wall, and there is also a fixing portion on the upper side wall. The fixing portion prevents the installed ferrule assembly from detaching from the multi-core optical fiber connector housing through the first opening. Such a structure has the following advantages:

[0050] 1. The restriction on the installed ferrule assembly by the multi-core connector housing and the spring in this patent is increased from the original three directions (front, rear, and bottom) to six directions (front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom). The ferrule assembly only abuts against the spring holder. Thus, when replacing the ferrule assembly, during the process of pushing the ferrule assembly backward, the ferrule assembly is only restricted in five directions: front, rear, left, right, and bottom, and can be easily removed from above. This greatly improves the problems of difficult insertion and replacement of the ferrule assembly in existing optical fiber connectors.

[0051] 2. After the multi-core connector housing in this patent restricts the ferrule assembly in five directions, the spring holder only needs to provide a forward thrust to the ferrule assembly, and there is no need for a ferrule base with a groove structure. This makes there no other components between the ferrule assembly and several side walls of the multi-core connector housing. The ferrule assembly in place is adjacent to the front side wall, left side wall, right side wall, and lower side wall. This compresses the external dimensions of the fiber optic connector in the width and thickness directions, which is conducive to making the external dimensions of the fiber optic connector smaller and can be better applied to high-density and large-capacity usage environments.

[0052] On the other hand, in the fiber optic connector of the present invention, one end of the main spring abuts against the flange portion of the ferrule, and the other end of the main spring abuts against the housing. The elastic force of the main spring before the docking of the ferrule assembly is less than half of the elastic force after docking. Such a setting of the elastic force of the main spring can make the ferrule assembly in a pre-relaxed state before docking. When the ferrule assembly docks, the ferrule assembly can be easily adjusted to the aligned position; and compared with the pre-relaxed structure of the forward-pushing spring in the prior art, the present invention realizes the compression of the spring by the retraction of the ferrule. In this way, the moving structure for controlling the expansion and contraction of the spring in the prior art solution is omitted, and the pre-relaxed function can still be maintained. Moreover, during the docking process of the fiber optic connector of the present invention, no additional operations other than the docking operation are required.

[0053] In addition, moving the main springs originally located on both sides of the ferrule assembly to the rear side of the flange portion of the ferrule assembly can significantly compress the dimensions of the fiber optic connector in the width direction. In cooperation with the multi-core connector housing in this patent, the dimensions of the fiber optic connector in the width direction can be extremely compressed.

[0054] Finally, the multi-core fiber optic connector housing can further be manufactured by an integral molding process. Not only is the structural strength high between various features, which is conducive to making the wall thickness dimension of the connector the thinnest, but also it is conducive to controlling the dimensional stability of each feature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0056] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-core fiber optic connector housing in the prior art;

[0057] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the force state of the ferrule assembly when the ferrule assembly is pushed to the extraction position in a top view state in the prior art;

[0058] Figure 3 Schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 4 Schematic structural diagram of the installation of a specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention and the ferrule assembly

[0060] Figure 5 Schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 6 Schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention;

[0062] Figure 7 Schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention;

[0063] Figure 8 Schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 9 Schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention;

[0065] Figure 10 Schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention;

[0066] Figure 11 Schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector of the present invention;

[0067] Figure 12 Exploded schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 13 Schematic structural diagram of the ferrule assembly of the present invention;

[0069] Figure 14 Schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of the spring holder of the present invention;

[0070] Figure 15 Schematic structural diagrams of the states before and after docking of the multi-core optical fiber connector of the present invention;

[0071] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of the docking of the multi-core optical fiber connector of the present invention with an existing MT ferrule connector;

[0072] Figure 17 Schematic diagram of the state before docking of the multi-core optical fiber connector of the present invention and the MT ferrule connector in the adapter;

[0073] Figure 18 Schematic diagram of the state after the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention is docked with an MT ferrule connector in an adapter

[0074] Figure 19 It is a schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of the docking device of the present invention.

[0075] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0076] 100. Multi-core fiber optic connector; 1. Multi-core fiber optic connector housing; 11. Front side wall; 111. Second opening; 12. Left side wall; 13. Right side wall; 14. Rear side wall; 141. Third opening; 15. Lower side wall; 161. First opening; 162. Fixed part; 17. Guide post hole; 171. Notch; 18. Elastic arm; 181. Protrusion; 19. Sliding groove; 1101. First limiting groove; 1102. Second limiting groove; 1111. Unlocking groove; 2. Ferrule assembly; 21. Ferrule; 211. Ferrule body; 212. Flange part; 22. Fiber ribbon; 3. Guide post; 4. Spring holder; 41. First limiting wing; 42. Second limiting wing; 5. Main spring; 200. Docking unit. Detailed description of the specific embodiment

[0077] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects solved by the present invention more clear, the following further details the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0078] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more.

[0079] The following separately introduces in detail the multi-core fiber optic connector housing, the multi-core fiber optic connector and the docking unit in the present invention.

[0080] Embodiment

[0081] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing of the present invention, as Figure 3As shown in the figure, the multi-core fiber optic connector housing 1 includes a front side wall 11, a left side wall 12, a right side wall 13, a rear side wall 14, an upper side wall, and a lower side wall 15. The front side wall 11 limits the forward detachment of the ferrule assembly 2 from the multi-core fiber optic connector housing 1. The ferrule assembly in place is adjacent to the front side wall 11, the left side wall 12, the right side wall 13, and the lower side wall 15. The upper side wall is provided with a first opening 161, and components of the fiber optic connector can be directly installed into the accommodation space C of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing 1 from the first opening 161.

[0082] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the installation of a specific embodiment of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing of the present invention and the ferrule assembly. There is also a fixing portion 162 on the upper side wall. The fixing portion 162 prevents the ferrule assembly 2 in place from detaching from the multi-core fiber optic connector housing 1 through the first opening 161.

[0083] The front side wall 11 is provided with a second opening 111, and the rear side wall 14 is provided with a third opening 141.

[0084] In this embodiment, except for the fixing portion, the other parts of the upper side wall do not exist at all, forming the first opening. In this way, the first opening is large enough to facilitate the installation of part of the fiber optic connector into the multi-core fiber optic connector housing from the first opening.

[0085] It should be noted that in other embodiments, in addition to the fixing portion, there are other features on the upper side wall, that is, the first opening partially covers the upper side wall. At this time, the size of the first opening can be adjusted according to the needs of the designer, as long as the components of the fiber optic connector can be directly installed into the accommodation space of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing from the first opening.

[0086] It should be noted that the statement "the ferrule in place is adjacent to the front side wall, the left side wall, the right side wall, and the lower side wall" means that there are no other components intervening between the ferrule and the front side wall, the left side wall, the right side wall, and the lower side wall of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing.

[0087] There is a fixing portion on the upper side wall. The fixing portion prevents the ferrule assembly in place from detaching from the multi-core fiber optic connector housing through the first opening. And the ferrule assembly in place is adjacent to the front side wall, the left side wall, the right side wall, and the lower side wall. In this way, the restriction of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing and the spring on the ferrule assembly in place is increased from the original three directions (front, rear, and lower) to six directions (front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower). The ferrule assembly is attached to the spring holder. In this way, when replacing the ferrule assembly, during the process of pushing the ferrule assembly backward, the ferrule assembly is only restricted in five directions (front, rear, left, right, and lower), and can be easily taken out from above. This greatly improves the problems of the ferrule assembly flying in and inconvenient replacement of the existing multi-core fiber optic connector.

[0088] In addition, after the multi-core connector housing restricts the ferrule assembly in five directions, the spring frame only needs to provide a forward thrust to the ferrule assembly, and there is no need to form a ferrule base with a groove structure. This means that there are no other components between the ferrule and the side walls of the multi-core connector housing, and the installed ferrule assembly is adjacent to the front side wall, the left side wall, the right side wall and the lower side wall, which compresses the outer dimensions of the optical fiber connector in the width and thickness directions, which is conducive to making the outer dimensions of the optical fiber connector smaller and can be better applied to high-density and high-capacity usage environments.

[0089] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention. Figure 5 As shown, the farthest distance L of the fixing part from the front side wall is 0.3mm-5.8mm. In the width direction of the connector, the fixing part generally only clamps the flange part of the main ferrule assembly. When the ferrule assembly is taken out, it is only necessary to move the ferrule assembly backwards. When the flange part of the ferrule assembly exits the range of the fixing part, the ferrule assembly can be taken out from the first opening on the upper side of the shell. The existence of the fixing part can prevent the ferrule assembly from detaching from the shell from the upper side wall when in use, but the length of the fixing part also affects the distance that needs to be moved backward during the removal of the ferrule assembly. The farthest distance L of the fixing part from the front side wall is 0.3mm-5.8mm, which is the optimal range determined by technicians after a large number of experiments. It will not make it difficult to replace the ferrule assembly, and it can also make the fixing part well restrict the ferrule assembly when in use. In a specific embodiment, the farthest distance L of the fixing part from the front side wall is 1.7mm, and L can also be 2.0mm, 2.5mm, and 3.0mm.

[0090] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention. Figure 6 As shown, the multi-core optical fiber connector housing 1 further includes a plurality of guide post holes 17 , the hole walls of the guide post holes 17 are provided with slots 171 , and the guide posts can be directly installed into the guide post holes 17 through the slots 171 .

[0091] In a specific embodiment, the number of the guide post holes is 2.

[0092] A notch is provided on the guide post hole to facilitate the guide post to be directly installed into the guide post hole from the first opening, and then the guide post is clamped in the guide post hole. Such an assembly operation is simple and convenient, and the efficiency of guide post installation is greatly improved.

[0093] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention. Figure 7As shown, the multi-core optical fiber connector housing 1 further includes an elastic arm 18, which is disposed on the left side wall, the right side wall or the lower side wall, one end of the elastic arm 18 is fixedly connected to the housing, and the other end of the elastic arm is in a free state.

[0094] In a specific embodiment, the elastic arm 18 is disposed on the right side wall.

[0095] The function of the elastic arm is to cooperate and lock with the corresponding structure on the adapter, and the elastic arm can be unlocked from the adapter by pressing or lifting it. The elastic arm can be set on the adapter, which helps to reduce the volume of the connector; the elastic arm can also be set on the connector. Since other components of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing in the present invention need to be directly installed from the first opening on the upper side, the elastic arm is installed on the left side wall, right side wall or lower side wall of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing to avoid affecting the installation of other components into the multi-core optical fiber connector housing.

[0096] In the prior art, there is a situation where the elastic arm is lifted up and suspended in the air. When researchers apply this design of connector in a high-density usage environment, the lifted elastic arm will hook the optical fiber ribbon. If the dragging force is too large, the optical fiber ribbon will be torn off, causing unnecessary communication failures or unexpected losses.

[0097] Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention. Figure 8 As shown, the other end of the elastic arm 18 has a protrusion 181, and a sliding groove 19 is provided in the wall thickness direction of the surface where the elastic arm is located. The protrusion 181 is inserted into the sliding groove 19 and can slide in the sliding groove 19.

[0098] In this way, one end of the elastic arm is fixedly connected to the multi-core connector housing, and the other end is inserted into the sliding groove, so that the elastic arm becomes an arch structure, forming a relatively closed structure with the housing, so that during the removal process, the free end of the elastic arm will not hook the optical fiber ribbon.

[0099] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention, wherein a first limiting groove 1101 is provided on the left side wall, and a second limiting groove 1102 is provided on the right side wall.

[0100] Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of another specific embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing of the present invention, wherein a plurality of unlocking grooves 1111 are provided on the lower side wall 15 , and the unlocking grooves 1111 penetrate the wall thickness of the lower side wall 15 .

[0101] The setting of the unlocking slot allows the installation and disassembly tool to pass through the unlocking slot and drive the spring holder to tighten and retract the main spring, creating space for the installation of the ferrule assembly, which facilitates the assembly of the ferrule assembly and can effectively improve the production and assembly efficiency of the multi-core fiber optic connector.

[0102] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention. Figure 12 is an exploded schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention, where the multi-core fiber optic connector 100 includes the multi-core fiber optic connector housing 1, ferrule assembly 2, several guide posts 3, spring holder 4, and several main springs 5 as described above.

[0103] Figure 13 is a schematic structural diagram of the ferrule assembly of the present invention, where the ferrule assembly 2 includes a ferrule 21 and an optical fiber ribbon 22 disposed within the ferrule. The ferrule 21 includes a ferrule body 211 and a flange portion 212. The optical fiber ribbon contains N optical fibers, N≥2. The ferrule assembly 2 is installed inside the multi-core fiber optic connector housing 1, and the front end of the ferrule body 211 protrudes from the second opening 111 of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing, and the optical fiber ribbon 22 passes through the third opening 141.

[0104] The main spring 5 is sleeved on the guide post 3. One end of the guide post 3 is clamped and fixed on the spring holder 4, and the other end of the guide post 3 is inserted into the guide post hole. One end of the main spring 5 abuts against the spring holder 4, and the other end of the main spring 5 abuts against the end face adjacent to the accommodation space C on the outer periphery of the guide post hole.

[0105] Compared with the prior art, the ferrule assembly of the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention can be conveniently installed and removed, which greatly improves the problem that the ferrule assembly of the existing fiber optic connector is inconvenient to insert and replace.

[0106] In addition, the installed ferrule assembly is adjacent to the front side wall, left side wall, right side wall, and lower side wall. There are no other components between the ferrule assembly and several side walls of the multi-core connector housing. This compresses the external dimensions of the fiber optic connector in the width and thickness directions, which is beneficial to making the fiber optic connector smaller and can be better applied to high-density and large-capacity usage environments.

[0107] In another embodiment of the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention, the multi-core fiber optic connector housing is made by an integral molding process. In the width and thickness directions, the ferrule assembly is adjacent to the front side wall, left side wall, right side wall, and lower side wall of the multi-core fiber optic connector housing. The width d of the flange portion of the ferrule assembly 1 plus twice the thickness t of the side wall of the connector housing is the minimum total width of the connector. The thickness t of the side wall of the connector housing is determined by the manufacturing process of the connector housing.

[0108] In the direction parallel to the connection line of the centers of the N optical fiber end faces, the width d of the flange portion 1 and the size d of the multi-core optical fiber connector 2 Satisfy: 0.6mm ≤ d 2 -d 1 ≤ 4mm.

[0109] The multi-core optical fiber connector housing can further be manufactured by an integral molding process. Not only is the structural strength high between various features, which is beneficial for making the wall thickness dimension of the connector the thinnest, but also it is beneficial for controlling the dimensional stability of each feature

[0110] In some embodiments, the number of the main springs is 2. The specific number of main springs used can be set according to the design requirements of technicians.

[0111] In some embodiments, the main springs are completely located at the rear side of the ferrule flange portion. Compared with the prior art technical solution where the main springs are located on the left and right sides of the ferrule, the technical solution in this embodiment can significantly compress the size of the multi-core optical fiber connector in the width direction. Combined with the multi-core optical fiber connector housing in this patent, the size of the multi-core optical fiber connector in the width direction can be extremely compressed.

[0112] When the main springs are completely located directly at the rear of the ferrule flange portion, at this time, the projection of the main springs in the width direction is completely within the projection of the ferrule flange portion in the width direction, and the size of the multi-core optical fiber connector in the width direction is the smallest.

[0113] Figure 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of the spring holder of the present invention. As Figure 14 shown, there are a first limiting wing 41 and a second limiting wing 42 on both sides of the spring holder respectively. The first limiting wing 41 extends into the first limiting groove 1101, and the second limiting wing 42 extends into the second limiting groove 1102.

[0114] The limiting wings of the spring holder extend into the limiting grooves. During the compression process of the main springs, the limiting wings of the spring holder slide along the limiting grooves, and the spring holder can be kept stable during the retraction process.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first limiting groove and the second limiting groove penetrate through the wall thickness of the wall surface where they are located.

[0116] Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of the state before and after the docking of the multi-core optical fiber connector of the present invention. As Figure 15 shown, one end of the main spring of the multi-core optical fiber connector abuts against the flange portion of the ferrule, and the other end of the main spring abuts against the housing. When the optical fiber connector is before docking (left figure), the main spring is in a pre-relaxed state.

[0117] At this time, the elastic force of the main spring is F 1, when the fiber optic connector is completed (right figure), the main spring is in a taut state, and the elastic force of the main spring (i.e., the docking pressure) is F 2 , F 1 and F 2 satisfy: F 1 ≤1 / 2F 2 .

[0118] In some specific embodiments, F 1 =1 / 2F 2 , in other embodiments, F 1 can also be equal to 1 / 3F 2 , 1 / 4F 2 , 1 / 5F 2 .

[0119] Such a setting of the elastic force of the main spring can make the ferrule assembly in a pre-relaxed state before docking. When the ferrule assembly is docked, the ferrule assembly can be easily adjusted to the aligned position.

[0120] Compared with the pre-relaxed structure of the forward-pushing spring in the prior art, the present invention realizes the compression of the spring by the retraction of the ferrule, thus omitting the moving structure for controlling the expansion and contraction of the spring in the prior art solution, and still maintaining the pre-relaxed function; moreover, during the docking process of the fiber optic connector in this embodiment, no additional operation other than the docking operation is required.

[0121] It should be noted that what component the other end of the main spring abuts against depends on the design of the technician, and only needs to satisfy that the main spring provides a thrust for the ferrule.

[0122] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the docking of the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention with the existing MT ferrule connector, Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the state before the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention and the MT ferrule connector are docked in the adapter; Figure 18 Schematic diagram of the state after the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention and the MT ferrule connector are docked in the adapter.

[0123] As Figures 16 - 18 shown, the multi-core fiber optic connector 100 of the present invention is docked with the MT ferrule connector 102 through an adapter 101.

[0124] It should be noted that, Figures 17 - 19 the adaptation and docking of the multi-core fiber optic connector and the MT ferrule connector shown only demonstrate the usage state of the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention and do not limit the multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention. The multi-core fiber optic connector of the present invention can be adapted and docked with any fiber optic connector according to the needs of the user.

[0125] According to the international standard IEC 61754-7, after the ferrule assemblies with different numbers of cores are docked, the required docking pressure is different. R & D personnel can follow the above rules and select different docking pressures according to actual needs.

[0126] In some embodiments, N < 16, and the elastic force of the main spring is F 1 Satisfying: 0 ≤ F 1 ≤ 5N.

[0127] In some embodiments, N ≥ 16, and the elastic force of the main spring is F 1 Satisfying: 0 ≤ F 1 ≤ 10N.

[0128] It should be noted that those skilled in the art, according to the inventive concept of the present invention, setting F 1 to a value slightly exceeding the edge of the range should also be regarded as implementing the present invention.

[0129] Such as Figures 16 - 18 shown, during the docking process, before the fiber optic connector is docked, the height of the docking end face of the ferrule body protruding from the multi-core fiber optic connector housing is h 1 ; after the fiber optic connector is completely docked, the ferrule body retreats relative to the multi-core fiber optic connector housing, and the height of the docking end face of the ferrule body protruding from the multi-core fiber optic connector housing is h 2 , h 1 and h 2 Satisfying: h 1 > h 2 .

[0130] In some embodiments, 1.0 mm ≤ h 1 - h 2 ≤ 4.5 mm, h 1 - h 2 That is, the retreat distance of the ferrule, and the retreat distance can also be 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm.

[0131] Compared with the pre-relaxation structure of the forward-pushing spring in the prior art, the present invention realizes the compression of the spring through the retreat of the ferrule assembly, thus omitting the pushing structure and fixing structure of the forward-pushing spring in the prior art and still being able to maintain the pre-relaxation function; moreover, during the docking process of the fiber optic connector in this embodiment, no additional operations other than the docking action are required

[0132] Figure 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of the docking device of the present invention. As Figure 19 shown, the present invention provides a docking unit 200, including a plurality of multi-core fiber optic connectors 100 as described above.

[0133] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-core optical fiber connector housing, characterized in that: It includes a front side wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, a rear side wall, an upper side wall and a lower side wall, the front side wall limits the ferrule assembly to be separated forward from the multi-core optical fiber connector housing, and the installed ferrule is adjacent to the front side wall, the left side wall, the right side wall and the lower side wall; The upper side wall is provided with a first opening, and the components of the optical fiber connector can be directly installed from the first opening into the accommodating space C of the multi-core optical fiber connector housing. The upper side wall is also provided with a fixing portion, which prevents the installed core assembly from detaching from the multi-core optical fiber connector housing from the first opening.

2. The housing according to claim 1, characterized in that The farthest distance L between the fixing portion and the front side wall is 0.3 mm-5.8 mm.

3. The housing according to claim 1, characterized in that The invention also comprises a plurality of guide post holes, wherein the hole walls of the guide post holes are provided with slots, and the guide posts can be directly installed into the guide post holes through the slots.

4. The housing according to claim 1, characterized in that It also includes an elastic arm, which is arranged on the left side wall, the right side wall or the lower side wall, one end of the elastic arm is fixedly connected to the shell, and the other end of the elastic arm is in a free state.

5. The housing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The other end of the elastic arm is provided with a protrusion, and a sliding groove is arranged in the wall thickness direction of the surface where the elastic arm is located. The protrusion is inserted into the sliding groove and can slide in the sliding groove.

6. The housing according to claim 1, characterized in that The left side wall is provided with a first limiting groove, and the right side wall is provided with a second limiting groove.

7. The housing according to claim 1, characterized in that The lower side wall is provided with a plurality of unlocking grooves, and the unlocking grooves are arranged through the wall thickness of the lower side wall.

8. A multi-core optical fiber connector, characterized in that: The multi-core optical fiber connector comprises a housing as claimed in claims 1 to 7, a plurality of main springs, a plurality of guide pillars, a spring frame and a core assembly, The ferrule assembly includes a ferrule and an optical fiber ribbon arranged in the ferrule, the ferrule includes a ferrule body and a flange portion, the optical fiber ribbon includes N optical fibers, N ≥ 2, the ferrule assembly is installed inside the multi-core optical fiber connector housing, the front end of the ferrule body is exposed from the multi-core optical fiber connector housing through the second opening, and the optical fiber ribbon passes through the third opening; The main spring is inserted into the guide column, one end of the guide column is fixed on the spring frame, one end of the main spring supports the spring frame, the other end of the guide column is inserted into the guide column hole, and the other end of the main spring abuts against the end surface of the outer periphery of the guide column hole adjacent to the accommodating space C.

9. The multi-core optical fiber connector according to claim 8, characterized in that: The number of main springs is 2.

10. The multi-core optical fiber connector according to claim 8, characterized in that: The main spring is completely located at the rear side of the insert flange.

11. The multi-core optical fiber connector according to claim 8, characterized in that: The spring frame is provided with a first limiting wing and a second limiting wing on both sides, the first limiting wing extends into the first limiting groove, and the second limiting wing extends into the second limiting groove.

12. A multi-core optical fiber connector, characterized in that: It includes a multi-core fiber optic connector shell and a core assembly as described in claims 1-7, wherein the multi-core fiber optic connector shell is manufactured by an integrated molding process, the core assembly includes a core and an optical fiber ribbon arranged in the core, the core includes a core body and a flange portion, the optical fiber ribbon contains N optical fibers, N ≥ 2, and in the direction of a line parallel to the center of the N optical fiber end faces, the width d1 of the flange portion and the size d2 of the multi-core fiber optic connector satisfy: 0.6mm≤d2-d1≤4mm.

13. A multi-core optical fiber connector, characterized in that: It includes a multi-core optical fiber connector housing, several main springs and a core assembly. The ferrule assembly includes a ferrule and an optical fiber ribbon arranged in the ferrule, the ferrule includes a ferrule body and a flange portion, the optical fiber ribbon includes N optical fibers, N≥2, one end of the main spring abuts against the flange portion of the ferrule, Before the optical fiber connector is docked, the main spring is in a pre-relaxed state, at which time the main spring force is F1. After the optical fiber connector is docked, the main spring is in a tensioned state, at which time the main spring force is F2. F1 and F2 satisfy: F1≤1 / 2F2.

14. The multi-core optical fiber connector according to claim 13, characterized in that: N<16, the main spring force is F1 and satisfies: 0≤F1≤5N.

15. The multi-core optical fiber connector according to claim 13, characterized in that: N≥16, the main spring force is F1 and satisfies: 0≤F1≤10N.

16. A multi-core optical fiber connector, characterized in that: It includes a multi-core optical fiber connector housing, several main springs and a core assembly. The ferrule assembly includes a ferrule and an optical fiber ribbon arranged in the ferrule, the ferrule includes a ferrule body and a flange portion, the optical fiber ribbon includes N optical fibers, N≥2, one end of the main spring abuts against the flange portion of the ferrule, Before the optical fiber connector is docked, the docking end face of the ferrule body protrudes from the multi-core optical fiber connector housing by a height of h1; after the optical fiber connector is docked, the ferrule body retreats relative to the multi-core optical fiber connector housing, and the docking end face of the ferrule body protrudes from the multi-core optical fiber connector housing by a height of h2, and h1 and h2 satisfy: h1>h2.

17. The multi-core optical fiber connector according to claim 16, characterized in that: 1.0mm≤h1-h2≤4.5mm.

18. A docking unit, characterized in that: It comprises several multi-core optical fiber connectors as described in claims 9-18.

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