Optical fiber connector combination

Abstract

An optical fiber connector combination is used for being matched with an adapter and comprises a shell, a plurality of optical fiber connectors and an unlocking mechanism. Each optical fiber connector is provided with a locking arm. The unlocking mechanism comprises a pull handle, a pivoting pressing plate and at least one spring arranged between the shell and the pull handle, the pull handle is arranged on the shell and provided with a first actuating part, and the pivoting pressing plate is pivoted to the shell and provided with a front section used for pressing the lock catch arm and a rear section corresponding to the pull handle. The rear section is provided with a second actuating part used for being matched with the first actuating part, when the pull handle is operated to move backwards relative to the shell, the second actuating part is pushed upwards through the first actuating part, the pivoting pressing plate pivots to enable the front section to press the lock catch arm downwards, and when the force applied by the pull handle is removed, the pull handle, the pivoting pressing plate and the lock catch arm are reset through the restoring elastic force of the spring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fiber optic connector assembly, and more particularly to a fiber optic connector assembly having an unlocking mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In Chinese Patent Invention CN107132623B, a fiber optic connector is disclosed, which uses the cooperation of a motion conversion component and a pull handle to provide that by pulling the pull handle, the driving arm of the connector can be pressed, reducing the operating space required to press the driving arm.

[0003] In Chinese Patent Invention CN111239928B, it is disclosed to use a pin of a remote release mechanism to achieve the effect of pushing against the locking arm of the connector. This case also discloses the setting of a spring to enable the remote release mechanism to have a reset function. In addition, this case also discloses a pull tab having a ramp area, and by pulling the pull tab, the ramp area guides the latch to disengage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a fiber optic connector assembly with a different unlocking structure.

[0005] Thus, the fiber optic connector assembly of the present invention includes a housing, a plurality of fiber optic connectors, and an unlocking mechanism. Each fiber optic connector has a locking arm. The unlocking mechanism includes a pull handle, a pivotable pressure plate, and at least one spring disposed between the housing and the pull handle. The pull handle is disposed on the housing and has a first actuating portion. The pivotable pressure plate is pivotally connected to the housing and has a front section for pressing on the front sections of a plurality of locking arms and a rear section corresponding to the pull handle. The rear section has a second actuating portion for cooperating with the first actuating portion. When the pull handle is operated to move rearward relative to the housing, the second actuating portion is pushed upward by the first actuating portion, and the pivotable pressure plate pivots so that the front section presses downward on the plurality of locking arms. When the force applied to the pull handle is removed, the pull handle, the pivotable pressure plate, and the plurality of locking arms are reset by the restoring elastic force of the spring.

[0006] In some embodiments, at least one of the first actuating portion and the second actuating portion includes an actuating curved surface for actuating the pivotable pressure plate to pivot when the pull handle is operated to move rearward relative to the housing.

[0007] In some embodiments, the pull handle further has a front end portion, a plurality of notches formed in the front end portion, and an actuating block located below the plurality of notches. The pivotable pressure plate includes a plurality of extending arms extending rearward. The plurality of notches respectively receive the plurality of extending arms and enable the plurality of extending arms to be located above the plurality of actuating blocks. The plurality of actuating blocks define the first actuating portion.

[0008] In some embodiments, a first actuating surface for cooperating with the extension arm is formed on the top surface of each actuating block, and the first actuating surface gradually rises from back to front.

[0009] In some embodiments, the rear section of the pivotable pressure plate includes a plurality of extension arms extending rearward. Each extension arm has an end in a generally inclined downwardly extending hook shape, and a second actuating surface is formed on the bottom surface of the end. The ends of the plurality of extension arms define the second actuating portion.

[0010] In some embodiments, the front section of the pivotable pressure plate is plate-shaped and a plurality of notches are formed on the bottom surface. The plurality of notches respectively receive the locking arms of a plurality of optical fiber connectors, and the plurality of optical fiber connectors are LC type optical fiber connectors.

[0011] In some embodiments, the housing forms a pivot seat for pivotally connecting the pivotable pressure plate. The pivot seat includes a plurality of partition plates spaced apart in the left-right direction. Each partition plate forms a hook portion for passing through the pivotable pressure plate and enabling the pivotable pressure plate to rotate relative to the plurality of partition plates.

[0012] In some embodiments, the pivotable pressure plate further includes a pivot portion between the front section and the rear section, and the hook portions of the plurality of partition plates respectively abut against the pivot portion.

[0013] In some embodiments, the pivot portion defines a plurality of through holes penetrating the pivotable pressure plate for the hook portions of the plurality of partition plates to pass through, and the plurality of optical fiber connectors are respectively disposed between two partition plates.

[0014] In some embodiments, the pull handle further has at least one accommodation chamber for accommodating the at least one spring, and the housing forms a spring accommodation portion in a semi-circular groove shape. The front end of the spring abuts against the accommodation chamber, and the rear end abuts against the spring accommodation portion.

[0015] In some embodiments, the housing includes a lower case, an upper cover and a rear cover. A front opening and a rear opening are formed between the lower case and the upper cover. The plurality of optical fiber connectors are disposed at the front opening. There are two of the at least one spring in total. The rear cover is used to close the rear opening and includes a pipe portion for the optical fiber to pass outwards and two spring accommodation portions connected to both sides of the pipe portion.

[0016] The present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: Through the arrangement of the pull handle, the pivotable pressure plate and in cooperation with the spring, in addition to releasing the lock between the optical fiber connector and the adapter during operation, the pull handle can be reset by the restoring elastic force of the spring. For optical fiber connectors that can be set with a higher density, and it can effectively reduce the requirement for the operating space needed to press the locking arm, providing another different unlocking structure. Description of the Drawings

[0017] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the optical fiber connector assembly of the present invention, showing that the optical fiber connector assembly includes a housing, a plurality of optical fiber connectors, and an unlocking mechanism;

[0019] Figure 2 is a partial exploded view of this embodiment, showing that the housing includes a lower shell and an upper cover;

[0020] Figure 3 is an exploded view of this embodiment, showing the detailed components of the housing and the unlocking mechanism of the optical fiber connector assembly;

[0021] Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3 an exploded view from another angle;

[0022] Figure 5 is a top view of this embodiment, and a pull handle of the unlocking mechanism has not been pulled backward;

[0023] Figure 6 is along Figure 5 a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of

[0024] Figure 7 is along Figure 5 a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of

[0025] Figure 8 is a top view of this embodiment, and the pull handle of the unlocking mechanism has been pulled backward;

[0026] Figure 9 is along Figure 8 a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX of; and

[0027] Figure 10 is along Figure 8 a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X of

[0028] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0029] 100: Optical fiber connector assembly

[0030] 1: Housing

[0031] 11: Lower shell

[0032] 111: Bottom wall

[0033] 112: Side wall

[0034] 113: Front opening

[0035] 114: Rear opening

[0036] 12: Upper cover

[0037] 121: Hook

[0038] 13: Rear cover

[0039] 131: Pipe part

[0040] 132: Spring receiving part

[0041] 14: Pivoting seat

[0042] 141: Partition board

[0043] 142: Hook part

[0044] 2: Optical fiber connector

[0045] 20: Connector body

[0046] 21: Locking arm

[0047] 300: Unlocking mechanism

[0048] 3: Pivoting pressure plate

[0049] 31: Front section

[0050] 311: Notch

[0051] 32: Rear section

[0052] 320: Second actuating part

[0053] 321: Extension arm

[0054] 322: End

[0055] 323: Second actuating surface

[0056] 33: Pivoting part

[0057] 34: Perforation

[0058] 35: Plate part

[0059] 4: Pull handle

[0060] 40: First actuating part

[0061] 41: Front end part

[0062] 42: Rear end part

[0063] 43: Notch

[0064] 44: Actuating block

[0065] 441: First actuating surface

[0066] 45: Chamber

[0067] 320: First actuating part

[0068] 5: Spring Detailed implementation manner

[0069] Before the present invention is described in detail, it should be noted that in the following description, similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0070] Refer to Figures 1 to 3 , the optical fiber connector assembly 100 of the present invention is used to cooperate with an adapter (not shown in the figure). The optical fiber connector assembly 100 includes a housing 1, a plurality of optical fiber connectors 2, and an unlocking mechanism 300. In this embodiment, the plurality of optical fiber connectors are LC-type optical fiber connectors. Each optical fiber connector 2 has a connector body 20 and a locking arm 21 disposed on the top of the connector body 20 and extending obliquely backward and upward. The locking arm 21 is in the form of an elastic arm and can be elastically deformed under pressure. The unlocking mechanism 300 includes a pivotable pressing plate 3, a pull handle 4, and at least one spring 5 disposed between the housing 1 and the pull handle 4. The pull handle 4 is displaceable back and forth by applying a force and is disposed on the housing 1 and has a first actuating part 40 (see Figure 10 ). The pivotable pressing plate 3 is pivotally connected to the housing 1 and has a front section 31 for pressing on the locking arm 21 of the optical fiber connector 2, and a rear section 32 corresponding to the position of the pull handle 4. The rear section 32 has a second actuating part 320 for cooperating with the first actuating part 40 (see Figure 10 ). When the pull handle 4 is operated to displace backward relative to the housing 1, the second actuating part 320 is pushed upward by the first actuating part 40, and the pivotable pressing plate 3 pivots to press the front section 31 downward on the locking arm 21, releasing the lock of the locking arm 21 of the optical fiber connector 2 and the mating adapter (not shown in the figure). At this time, the operator can pull out the optical fiber connector assembly 100 from the adapter. When the force applied to the pull handle 4 is removed, by the restoring elastic force of the spring 5, the front section 31 of the pivotable pressing plate 3 releases the pressure on the locking arm 21, and the pull handle 4, the pivotable pressing plate 3, and the plurality of locking arms 21 are reset.

[0071] Refer to Figures 2 to 4The housing 1 includes a lower housing 11 and an upper cover 12 that can be combined up and down, and a rear cover 13. A front opening 113 and a rear opening 114 are formed between the lower housing 11 and the upper cover 12, and the housing 1 forms a pivot seat 14 for pivoting the pivoting pressure plate 3. In this embodiment, the lower housing 11 has a bottom wall 111 and two left and right side walls 112 connected to the bottom wall 111. The front opening 113 is formed between the front ends of the two side walls 112, and the rear opening 114 is formed between the rear ends of the two side walls 112. The front opening 113 is used for arranging a plurality of optical fiber connectors 2. In the present embodiment, the pivot seat 14 is located at the lower shell 11 and includes a plurality of partition plates 141 extending vertically upward from the bottom wall 111 of the lower shell 11 between the two side walls 112 and spaced apart from each other along the left and right sides, and a hook portion 142 is formed on the top of each partition plate 141, the function of which will be described later, and the plurality of optical fiber connectors 2 are respectively arranged between the intervals of the plurality of partition plates 141, and, in the present embodiment, there are two optical fiber connectors 2 arranged between the two side walls 112 of the lower shell 11 and the adjacent partition plates 141.

[0072] The upper cover 12 is used to be combined with the lower shell 11. In this embodiment, the upper cover 12 is generally in the shape of a plate and has a plurality of hooks 121 extending downward, which are used to engage with the side wall 112 of the lower shell 11, so that the upper cover 12 is combined with the lower shell 11. The rear cover 13 is used to close the rear opening 114 of the lower shell 11 and includes a tube portion 131 and two spring receiving portions 132 in the shape of semicircular grooves connected to both sides of the tube portion 131. The rear cover 13 is disposed in the lower shell 11 near the rear opening 114, thereby closing the rear opening 114 and the tube portion 131 extends out of the rear opening 114. The tube portion 131 is used to allow optical fibers of a plurality of optical fiber connectors 2 to pass through, and the two spring receiving portions 132 are respectively located on both sides of the rear opening 114.

[0073] The handle 4 can be displaced forward and backward on the bottom surface of the upper cover 12 and is located between the upper cover 12 and the lower shell 11 and close to the upper cover 12. The handle 4 can be displaced forward and backward on the bottom surface of the upper cover 12, for example, by being supported by the top edge of the side wall 112 of the lower shell 11, or by adding other guide rails located on the upper cover 12 or the lower shell 11.

[0074] In this embodiment, the handle 4 also has a rear end portion 42 for force application operation, a plurality of notches 43 formed at the front end portion 41, and an actuating block 44 located below the plurality of notches 43. The front end portion 41 can be roughly a block-shaped structure extending laterally and having a thickness to form a plurality of notches 43 recessed backwards. The top surface of each actuating block 44 forms a first actuating curved surface 441, which can be an arc-convex curved surface. The plurality of actuating blocks 44 define the first actuating portion 40. The first actuating curved surface 441 of this embodiment gradually rises upward from the back to the front.

[0075] In addition, in this embodiment, the handle 4 further includes two chambers 45 formed in the front section 31. The number of chambers 45 is coordinated with the number of springs 5. In some embodiments not shown, the spring 5 can be one or three. The chambers 45 are formed by recessing downward from the top surface of the front section 31, and are disposed between a plurality of notches 43 with a left - right separation therebetween, being symmetrically arranged left - and - right. The front ends of the chambers 45 are closed, and the rear ends are open. When the handle 4 is disposed between the upper cover 12 and the lower shell 11, the two chambers 45 are respectively located in front of the two spring receiving portions 132 of the rear cover 13. In other ways, the housing 1 can also be formed with spring receiving portions 132 in the shape of semi - circular grooves. The front ends of the springs 5 abut against the chambers 45, and the rear ends abut against the spring receiving portions 132.

[0076] The front section 31 of the pivotable pressure plate 3 is generally plate - shaped and has a plurality of notches 311 formed at the bottom surface near the leading edge (for reference in coordination with Figure 4 , Figure 6 ), respectively for the ends of the locking arms 21 of a plurality of optical fiber connectors 2 to extend into. The rear section 32 of the pivotable pressure plate 3 includes a plate portion 35 and a plurality of extension arms 321 extending rearward from the plate portion 35. Each extension arm 321 has a hook - shaped end 322 that extends obliquely downward, and a recessed second actuating surface 323 is formed on the bottom surface of the end 322 (see Figure 10 ). The ends 322 of the plurality of extension arms 321 define the aforementioned second actuating portion 320. In addition, in this embodiment, the pivotable pressure plate 3 further includes a pivot joint portion 33 between the front section 31 and the rear section 32. The pivot joint portion 33 defines a plurality of through - holes 34 penetrating the plate portion 35. The pivotable pressure plate 3 is pivotally connected to the housing 1 in such a way that its front section 31 is located above the locking arms 21 of a plurality of optical fiber connectors 2, and the hooks 142 of a plurality of partition plates 141 respectively extend into the through - holes 34 and hook and abut against the pivot joint portion 33 (for reference in coordination with Figure 7 ), thereby achieving the pivot joint effect that enables the pivotable pressure plate 3 to rotate relative to the partition plates 141. The plurality of extension arms 321 of the rear section 32 then extend rearward into the plurality of notches 43 of the handle 4, and the second actuating surfaces 323 of the ends 322 of the plurality of extension arms 321 are located above the plurality of actuating blocks 44.

[0077] In this embodiment, two springs 5 are provided. The two springs 5 are respectively received in the two chambers 45 of the handle 4, with their front ends respectively abutting against the chambers 45 and their rear ends abutting against the two spring receiving portions 132 of the rear cover 13, thereby preventing the springs from coming out. By providing the springs 5, a biasing force for the forward displacement of the handle 4 is provided. In other ways, the spring 5 and the chamber 45 cooperating with it can also be provided with one or three.

[0078] Therefore, refer to Figures 5 to 7As shown, when the pull handle 4 has not been pulled backward, the end of the locking arm 21 of the fiber optic connector 2 is received upward in the notch 311 of the front section 31 of the pivot pressing plate 3. At this time, the actuating blocks 44 at the front end 41 of the pull handle 4 are respectively located below the second actuating surface 323 recessed in the extension arm 321 of the pivot pressing plate 3. Refer to Figures 8 to 10 , when it is necessary to release the lock between the locking arm 21 of the fiber optic connector 2 and the docked adapter, pull the pull handle 4 backward. At this time, through the displacement of the first actuating surface 441 of the first actuating portion 40 along the second actuating surface 323 of the second actuating portion 320, the first actuating portion 40 pushes the second actuating portion 320 upward, so that the pivot pressing plate 3 can pivot with the rear section 32 rising upward and the front section 31 moving downward. By pressing the locking arm 21 of the fiber optic connector 2 downward with the front section 31 to make its end move downward, the lock of all the locking arms 21 of the fiber optic connector 2 and the adapter (not shown in the figure) can be released, so that the fiber optic connector assembly 100 can be removed from the adapter. And, when the pull handle 4 is pulled backward, the spring 5 is compressed at the same time. In this way, when the force applied to the pull handle 4 is released, through the restoring elastic force of the spring 5, the pull handle 4 can be driven to move forward and reset, and then drive the pivot pressing plate 3 to pivot with the rear section 32 rising downward and the front section 31 moving upward. At this time, the restoring elastic force accumulated when the locking arm 21 is pressed downward when the pull handle 4 is pulled backward will also make the locking arm 21 bounce upward and return to the initial state where the end is received in the notch 311 of the front section 31 of the pivot pressing plate 3. It can be seen that the setting of the spring 6 can also prevent the locking arm 21 of the fiber optic connector 2 from being elastically deformed due to long-term compression.

[0079] In another embodiment, the first actuating surface 441 of the first actuating portion 40 and the second actuating surface 323 of the second actuating portion 320 can also be selectively provided. In other words, through the actuating surface of one of them, when the first actuating portion 404 and the second actuating portion 320 generate relative displacement, the pivot pressing plate 3 can be actuated to pivot.

[0080] To sum up, through the setting of the pull handle 4, the pivot pressing plate 3 and the cooperation of the spring 5, the present invention can, in addition to achieving the reset of the pull handle 4 through the restoring elastic force of the spring 5 after the lock between the adapter and the fiber optic connector 2 is released by operation, meet the requirements for a fiber optic connector 2 with a higher density that can be set, and can effectively reduce the operation space required for pressing the locking arm 21, providing another different unlocking structure, so it can indeed achieve the purpose of the present invention.

[0081] In addition, since the pivot pressing plate 3 presses the locking arm 21 of the fiber optic connector 2 in a pivoting manner, it is less likely to have the situation of elastic deformation due to long-term pressure. And the setting of the spring 5 can also prevent the locking arm 21 of the fiber optic connector 2 from being inelastically deformed due to long-term pressure from the pivot pressing plate 3.

[0082] However, as described above, these are only embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of implementation of the present invention cannot be limited thereby. All simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims of the present invention and the content of the specification still fall within the scope covered by the patent of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical fiber connector assembly, the optical fiber connector assembly comprising: A housing; A plurality of optical fiber connectors, each optical fiber connector having a locking arm; and An unlocking mechanism, including a pull handle, a pivot pressing plate, and at least one spring disposed between the housing and the pull handle. The pull handle is disposed on the housing and has a first actuating portion. The pivot pressing plate is pivotally connected to the housing and has a front section for pressing on the front sections of the plurality of locking arms and a rear section corresponding to the pull handle. The rear section has a second actuating portion for cooperating with the first actuating portion. When the pull handle is operated to move backward relative to the housing, the second actuating portion is pushed upward by the first actuating portion, and the pivot pressing plate pivots to press the front section downward on the plurality of locking arms. When the force applied to the pull handle is removed, the pull handle, the pivot pressing plate, and the plurality of locking arms are reset by the restoring elastic force of at least one of the springs.

2. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, At least one of the first actuating portion and the second actuating portion includes an actuating curved surface for actuating the pivot pressing plate to pivot when the pull handle is operated to move backward relative to the housing.

3. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The pull handle further has a front end portion, a plurality of notches formed in the front end portion, and an actuating block located below the plurality of notches. The pivot pressing plate includes a plurality of extending arms extending backward. The plurality of notches respectively receive the plurality of extending arms and make the plurality of extending arms located above the plurality of actuating blocks. The plurality of actuating blocks define the first actuating portion.

4. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein, A first actuating curved surface for cooperating with the extending arm is formed on the top surface of each actuating block, and the first actuating curved surface gradually rises from back to front.

5. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The rear section of the pivot pressing plate includes a plurality of extending arms extending backward. Each extending arm has a hook-shaped end that extends obliquely downward, and a second actuating curved surface is formed on the bottom surface of the end. The ends of the plurality of extending arms define the second actuating portion.

6. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The front section of the pivot pressing plate is plate-shaped and has a plurality of notches formed on the bottom surface. The plurality of notches respectively receive the locking arms of the plurality of optical fiber connectors, and the plurality of optical fiber connectors are LC type optical fiber connectors.

7. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The housing forms a pivot seat for pivotally connecting the pivot pressing plate. The pivot seat includes a plurality of partition plates spaced apart in the left-right direction. Each partition plate forms a hook portion for passing through the pivot pressing plate and enabling the pivot pressing plate to rotate relative to the plurality of partition plates.

8. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 7, wherein, The pivot pressing plate further includes a pivot portion between the front section and the rear section. The hook portions of the plurality of partition plates respectively abut against the pivot portion.

9. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The pivot portion defines a plurality of through holes penetrating the pivot pressing plate for the hook portions of the plurality of partition plates to pass through, and the plurality of optical fiber connectors are respectively disposed between two partition plates.

10. The optical fiber connector assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The pull handle further has at least one receiving chamber for receiving the at least one spring, and the housing forms a spring receiving portion in the shape of a semi-circular groove. The front end of the spring abuts against the receiving chamber, and the rear end abuts against the spring receiving portion.

11. The optical fiber connector assembly according to claim 10, wherein, The housing includes a lower shell, an upper cover and a rear cover. A front opening and a rear opening are formed between the lower shell and the upper cover. A plurality of the optical fiber connectors are disposed at the front opening. There are two of the at least one spring in total. The rear cover is used to close the rear opening and includes a pipe portion for the optical fiber to pass outwards and two spring receiving portions connected to both sides of the pipe portion.

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