Optical adapter holding structure and method of inserting and removing optical connector

Abstract

To provide an optical adapter holding structure capable of high density mounting and capable of stable operation.SOLUTION: Hard magnetic bodies 43 are fixed to both sides in a width direction of an optical adapter 10, which is a side-by-side installation direction of the optical adapters 10. A portion of a fixture 7 facing the hard magnetic body 43 provided in the optical adapter 10 is made of another hard magnetic body or a soft magnetic body that can be attracted to the hard magnetic body 43. A partition plate 46 is disposed between the optical adapters 10. The partition plate 46 is made of a soft magnetic body and is fixed to the fixture 7. In this way, by disposing the partition plate 46, which is a soft magnetic body, in the vicinity of the hard magnetic body 43, the partition plate 46 functions as a shielding plate. That is, by the partition plate 46, magnetic flux from the hard magnetic body 43 of the optical adapter 10 does not leak to the outside, and each of the hard magnetic bodies 43 is magnetically closed with respect to the side-by-side installation direction of the optical adapters 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a holding structure for an optical adapter used for connecting communication cables such as optical fiber cables and optical cords. [Background technology]

[0002] Due to the rapid increase in traffic in optical communications, the number of optical fiber cores being laid continues to increase, creating a need for high-density packaging in optical adapters used at the connection points of optical fiber cables and optical cords. However, when optical adapters are packaged at high density, the spacing between adjacent optical adapters becomes narrower, which in turn narrows the spacing between the optical connectors to be connected. As a result, when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from an optical adapter, it becomes difficult to ensure sufficient space for fingers to fit between adjacent optical connectors.

[0003] Therefore, in order to secure space for inserting and removing optical connectors while mounting optical adapters at a high density, a high-density adapter mounting method is known which has a mechanism for first rotating the adapter or adapter mounting fixture to which the optical connector to be inserted or removed is attached during the insertion or removal operation, thereby creating space for insertion and removal (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0004] However, in the methods of Patent Documents 1 and 2, when inserting or removing an optical connector, it is necessary to rotate the optical adapter, hold it in that state with a finger, etc., and insert or remove the optical connector while maintaining the rotated state, which makes the work difficult.

[0005] In response to this, a holding structure for optical adapters has been proposed that can easily swing adjacent optical adapters when inserting or removing an optical adapter, and can maintain those optical adapters perpendicular to the fixture after the operation (Patent Document 3).In Patent Document 3, the adhesive force of a hard magnetic material is used to hold the optical adapter, making it possible to swing it and maintain its position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 02-098314 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-86967 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-97841 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which conventional optical adapters 100 are installed side by side in a mounting hole 109 of a mounting fixture 107. Note that N and S in the figure indicate the polarity of the hard magnetic material. On both sides of the width direction of the optical adapter 100, hard magnetic materials 103 are arranged with polarities facing in opposite directions. Furthermore, the polarities of the hard magnetic materials 103 of the optical adapters 100 installed side by side are arranged alternately in the direction in which the optical adapters 100 are installed side by side. In other words, the polarities of the hard magnetic materials 103 that are close to each other in adjacent optical adapters 100 are opposite to each other.

[0008] When the hard magnetic materials 103 of adjacent optical adapters 100 have opposite polarities in this way, they attract each other. That is, when the optical adapters 100 are attached to the mounting fixture 107, the hard magnetic materials 103 are also attracted to each other, resulting in a stable state.

[0009] For example, if the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides of an optical adapter 100 all have the same polarity, the hard magnetic bodies 103 of adjacent optical adapters 100 will also have the same polarity. FIG. 11(a) is a plan view of an optical adapter 100 in which the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides are arranged with the same polarity. In this case, adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103 repel each other. That is, if the hard magnetic bodies 103 repel each other when the optical adapter 100 is attached to the attachment fixture 107, a force is applied in a direction that moves the optical adapter 100 away from the attachment fixture 107, which may cause an unstable state. For example, as shown in FIG. 11(b), when one optical adapter 100 swings, the distance between the N and S poles of the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103 becomes closer, causing them to attract each other and preventing them from returning to their original state. However, in order to reduce this effect, increasing the distance between the optical adapters 100 (adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103) may result in a decrease in packaging density.

[0010] In contrast, by making the hard magnetic materials 103 on both sides of the optical adapter 100 in the width direction opposite in polarity and arranging the polarities of the hard magnetic materials 103 of the optical adapters 100 arranged side by side alternately in the direction in which the optical adapters 100 are arranged side by side, the adjacent optical adapters 100 can be brought closer to each other, thereby increasing the packaging density.

[0011] 12(a) is a plan view of the optical adapter 100 when the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides are arranged so that their polarities are different. As described above, adjacent optical adapters 100 normally attract each other, so even if one optical adapter 100 wobbles slightly, the attraction between the hard magnetic bodies 103 and the mounting fixture 107 acts to return it to its original state.

[0012] 12(b), when the distance between the optical adapters 100 becomes short and the swing angle becomes large to a certain extent, the same poles of the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103 come close to each other, and a repulsive force is generated. In this state, the repulsive force may prevent the optical adapter 100 from returning to its original state.

[0013] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an optical adapter holding structure that allows high-density mounting and is capable of stable operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the first invention is an optical adapter holding structure comprising a mounting fixture having a plurality of mounting holes arranged side by side, optical adapters to be mounted in the mounting holes, and a swinging mechanism capable of swinging the optical adapter relative to the mounting fixture, wherein a hard magnetic body is fixed near both ends of the optical adapter in the width direction, which is the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side, and the portion of the mounting fixture facing the hard magnetic body provided on the optical adapter is made of a soft magnetic body that can be attracted to the hard magnetic body, and the hard magnetic bodies of each of the optical adapters are closed magnetized in the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side, and the swinging mechanism allows the optical adapter adjacent to any of the optical adapters to swing in the direction in which the adjacent optical adapter is arranged side by side, as seen from the optical adapter, when a force greater than the attractive force of the hard magnetic body is applied to the optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter, and when the force is released, the attractive force of the hard magnetic body can hold the optical adapter in a direction approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture.

[0015] The hard magnetic body may be fixed to the main body of the optical adapter by a holding means, and the holding means may be made of a soft magnetic body.

[0016] The holding means may be formed integrally with the body of the optical adapter.

[0017] The holding means may have a recess, and the hard magnetic body may be fitted into the recess.

[0018] A gap may be formed between the hard magnetic material and the fixture.

[0019] The hard magnetic bodies may be arranged near the ends of the optical adapter in the width direction on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side.

[0020] According to the first invention, when inserting or removing an optical connector, if a finger is inserted into the gap between adjacent optical adapters, the finger will come into contact with adjacent optical adapters and optical connectors because the optical adapters are arranged at a high density, and the adjacent optical connectors will be subjected to a force lateral to the insertion / removal direction of the connector. In this case, a hard magnetic material is fixed to the optical adapter, and the mounting fixture facing the hard magnetic material of the optical adapter is made of a soft magnetic material that can be attracted to the hard magnetic material. By applying a force greater than the attractive force of the hard magnetic material to the adjacent optical connecting members, the optical connecting members will swing, creating an operating space for the finger. Furthermore, when the force is released, the optical adapter returns to its original position, and the optical adapter can be held in place by the attractive force of the hard magnetic material.

[0021] Furthermore, since each hard magnetic body of the optical adapter is magnetized in the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side, interference between adjacent hard magnetic bodies is suppressed, and when the force on the optical adapter is released, the optical adapter can be reliably returned to its original position.

[0022] In particular, by fixing the hard magnetic body to the main body of the optical adapter by a holding means made of a soft magnetic body, the hard magnetic body can be held securely and interference between adjacent hard magnetic bodies can be suppressed.

[0023] If such a holding means is formed integrally with the main body of the optical adapter, the number of parts required can be reduced.

[0024] Furthermore, the hard magnetic material can be securely held by fitting it into a recess provided in the holding means. Furthermore, by forming a gap between the fixture and the hard magnetic material, the adhesive force between the fixture and the hard magnetic material can be adjusted.

[0025] Furthermore, by arranging the hard magnetic material on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged, the intervals between the optical adapters can be narrowed, allowing the optical adapters to be arranged at high density.

[0026] The second invention is a method for inserting and removing an optical connector into and from the optical adapter holding structure of the first invention, characterized in that when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from any of the optical adapters, another optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter is swung in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter by the swinging mechanism, thereby forming space around the optical adapter, and after the insertion or removal operation is performed, the other optical adapter is returned to its original position by the swinging mechanism.

[0027] According to the second invention, the workability is good and the connector can be easily inserted and removed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical adapter holding structure that allows high density mounting and is capable of stable operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an optical patch panel 3. [Figure 2] A diagram showing rack 1. [Figure 3] 1A, 1B, and 1C are diagrams showing a state in which an optical adapter 10 and the like are attached to a fixture 7, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a plan view. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing the operation of the optical adapter 10. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an optical adapter 10. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which optical adapters 10 are arranged side by side using a partition plate 46. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a state in which optical adapters 10 are arranged side by side using a holder 47, where FIG. [Figure 8]10(a) is a plan view of the optical adapter 10 using another holder 47, and FIG. 10(b) is a plan view of the optical adapter 10 with the holder integrated therein. [Figure 9] 1A is a plan view showing the optical adapter 10a in a side-by-side arrangement using a holder 47, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the optical adapter 10a in a side-by-side arrangement using a holder 47. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the polarity of a hard magnetic material when the optical adapter 100 is also installed. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a plan view of optical adapters 100 arranged side by side with the same polarity. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a plan view of optical adapters 100 arranged side by side with different polarities. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an optical patch panel 3 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a rack 1. The rack 1 is, for example, a 19-inch rack, and the optical patch panel 3 is mounted on the rack 1, with a mount 4 of the optical patch panel 3 fixed to a frame 2 of the rack 1 with screws or the like.

[0031] An external cable 20 is introduced from the rear side of the optical patch panel 3, and is fixed to the optical patch panel 3 at an external cable fixing portion 5 provided behind the optical patch panel 3. The cable sheath 21 of the external cable 20 is removed inside the optical patch panel 3, and the optical fiber core 22 inside is routed to the optical fiber splicing tray 6. The optical fiber core 22 is connected to a conversion cord 24 with an optical connector such as SC, LC, or MPO (hereinafter simply referred to as "SC, etc.") by fusion splicing or the like. In the optical fiber splicing tray 6, these splices are stored together with the excess length of the optical fiber core 22 and the conversion cord 24 with an optical connector such as SC.

[0032] A plate-shaped fixture 7, to which an optical adapter 10 such as an LC can be attached, is provided in front of the optical patch panel 3. A cord receiving tray 8 is provided further in front of the fixture 7. The cord receiving tray 8 can receive an intra-office cord 25 with an optical connector from below.

[0033] A plurality of optical adapters 10 are attached to the fixture 7, and an outside line optical connector 27 is inserted into the optical adapter 10 from the rear, and an inside optical connector 28 of the intra-office cord 25 with optical connector is inserted into the optical adapter 10 from the front. By arbitrarily changing the optical adapter 10 into which the inside optical connector 28 is inserted, it is possible to switch the outside line cable 20 to be connected.

[0034] The structure of the optical patch panel 3 is not limited to the example shown in the figure. For example, an external cable 20 without an optical connector is shown as the cable introduced from the rear side of the optical patch panel 3, but this is just an example, and a cord with an optical connector or a cable with an optical connector may also be introduced. In that case, the optical patch panel structure will be one in which the optical fiber connection tray 6 is not required.

[0035] Next, we will explain the operation of the optical adapter, etc., which is common to optical adapters according to the present invention. Figure 3 shows the state in which the optical adapter 10, etc. is attached to the attachment fixture 7, with Figure 3(a) being a front view, Figure 3(b) being a side view (viewed in the direction of arrow A in Figure 3(a)), and Figure 3(c) being a plan view (viewed in the direction of arrow B in Figure 3(a)).

[0036] The fixture 7 has a plurality of substantially rectangular mounting holes 9 arranged side by side. An optical adapter 10 is mounted in each mounting hole 9. For simplicity, only three optical adapters 10 are shown mounted in the mounting holes 9. As mentioned above, adjacent optical adapters 10 are arranged very close to each other. In this embodiment, the fixture 7 has a swing mechanism that can swing the optical adapter 10 relative to the fixture 7; however, the swing mechanism will be described in detail later and is not shown in FIG. 3 .

[0037] The optical adapter 10 has a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the optical axis direction, and protrusions 12 protrude from the top and bottom surfaces of the optical adapter 10 (both outer surfaces perpendicular to the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10, in the up and down direction in FIG. 3( a)). The overall height of the optical adapter 10, including the protrusions 12, is greater than the height of the mounting hole 9, so when the optical adapter 10 is inserted into the mounting hole 9, the optical adapter 10 is inserted up to near the protrusions 12. On the other hand, the width of the mounting hole 9 is sufficiently larger than the width of the optical adapter 10 (the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 is taken as the width direction). Therefore, a predetermined clearance is formed between the optical adapter 10 and both edges of the mounting hole 9. The clearance is set according to the swingable range of the optical adapter 10, which will be described later.

[0038] Next, a method for inserting and removing an optical connector into and from the optical adapter holding structure will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the optical adapter 10. First, as shown in Figure 4(a), when connecting an intra-station optical connector 28 to the optical adapter 10 in the center of the figure, the intra-station optical connector 28 is moved straight toward the target optical adapter 10 (in the direction of arrow C in the figure). At this time, because the distance between adjacent intra-station optical connectors 28 and optical adapters 10 is narrow, your fingers will come into contact with the adjacent intra-station optical connectors 28 and optical adapters 10.

[0039] At this time, a swing mechanism, which will be described later, is provided at the attachment portion between the optical adapter 10 and the attachment fixture 7, so that the intra-station optical connector 28 or the optical adapter 10 that is touched by the finger swings in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 (in the direction of arrow D in the figure). That is, when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from any optical adapter 10, the other optical adapters 10 adjacent to that optical adapter 10 are swung in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 by the swing mechanism, which will be described later, so that space can be created around that optical adapter 10. In this way, a working space is secured around the target optical adapter 10, and the intra-station optical connector 28 can be inserted into the optical adapter 10, as shown in FIG. 4(b).

[0040] Thereafter, when the finger is removed from the gap between the intra-station optical connectors 28, the optical adapter 10 returns to its original state (FIG. 3(c)). In other words, after the insertion / removal operation, the adjacent optical adapter 10 can be returned to its original position by the swing mechanism. In this way, when a force of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied to an optical adapter 10 adjacent to any one optical adapter 10, the swing mechanism allows the optical adapter 10 adjacent to the optical adapter 10 to swing in the juxtaposition direction of the adjacent optical adapter 10 as seen from the optical adapter 10, and when the force is released, the balance of forces in the swing mechanism makes it possible to hold the optical adapter 10 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture 7.

[0041] The same applies when removing the inside-station optical connector 28 from the optical adapter 10. When inserting or removing the inside-station optical connector 28, the other outside-line optical connectors 27 swing in a direction to approach each other, but when inserting or removing the outside-line optical connector 27, the optical adapter 10 swings so that the spacing between the outside-line optical connectors 27 widens and the spacing between the inside-station optical connectors 28 narrows.

[0042] In this way, the swing mechanism of the present invention does not swing the optical adapter 10 to be inserted or removed, but swings the adjacent optical adapter 10, so there is no need to hold the swing state by hand when inserting or removing the optical connector. In other words, the optical adapter 10 swings by the required amount when touched by the fingers during the operation, and when the operation is completed, the optical adapter 10 naturally returns to its original state.

[0043] Here, it is desirable that the swing angle of the optical adapter 10 be approximately ±20 degrees or less. If the swing angle is greater than this, adjacent optical connector-equipped conversion cords 24 or optical connector-equipped intra-office cords 25 may interfere with each other when the optical adapter 10 is swung, which may cause optical effects. For this reason, the width of the mounting hole 9 is set so that the swing angle of the optical adapter 10 is within the above range. In other words, by making the width of the mounting hole 9 larger than the width of the optical adapter 10 by a predetermined amount or more, the optical adapter 10 can be allowed to swing, and by making the width of the mounting hole 9 smaller than a predetermined amount, the swing angle of the optical adapter 10 can be restricted to ±20 degrees or less.

[0044] Generally, optical adapters 10 such as LC have a rectangular cross section in the optical axis direction, with a short side and a long side. In this case, it is desirable to arrange optical adapter 10 in mounting fixture 7 so that the short side is parallel to the swing direction (i.e., so that it can swing toward the long side), since this reduces the amount of movement of optical adapter 10 when swinging. In this case, optical adapter 10 may be either a single-core type or a multi-core type.

[0045] The fixture 7 can be, for example, a 19-inch rack conforming to EIA / ECA-310-E or a cabinet and rack conforming to JIS C 6010-2. In this case, up to 25 optical adapters can be installed in the fixture 7. Furthermore, the fixture 7 does not have to be an integrated unit, but can be made up of multiple small fixtures, each with a set of insertion holes, connected in the direction in which the optical adapters are installed.

[0046] Next, the swing mechanism will be described in detail. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the optical adapter 10. As described above, the optical adapter 10 is provided with a convex portion 12 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the swing direction. That is, the swing mechanism can swing the optical adapter 10 based on the vicinity of the convex portion 12 described above. Furthermore, hard magnetic bodies 43 are fixed to both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10, which is the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 (the juxtaposition direction of the mounting holes 9 of the mounting fixture 7). That is, the hard magnetic bodies 43 are arranged so as to protrude on both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10.

[0047] The hard magnetic body 43 is a plate-shaped member made of, for example, ferrite or neodymium, and is fixed to the main body of the optical adapter 10 with an adhesive or the like. That is, the hard magnetic body 43 is disposed so as to protrude in the width direction of the optical adapter 10. Note that the method for fixing the hard magnetic body 43 is not particularly limited.

[0048] Furthermore, locking pieces 42 are formed on the top and bottom surfaces of optical adapter 10 at positions spaced apart from protrusion 12 and facing the protrusion 12. Simply by inserting optical adapter 10 with locking pieces 42 attached into mounting hole 9, the edge of mounting hole 9 is positioned between protrusion 12 and locking pieces 42, thereby obtaining an optical adapter holding structure in which optical adapter 10 is attached to mounting fixture 7.

[0049] Furthermore, the fixture 7 to which the optical adapter is attached is generally made of a steel plate with a thickness of approximately 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. That is, the fixture 7 is made of a soft magnetic material to which the hard magnetic material 43 can be firmly attached. If the fixture 7 is made of resin or the like, a plate made of a soft magnetic material or another hard magnetic material may be attached to the surface of the fixture 7 facing the hard magnetic material 43 so that the hard magnetic material 43 can be attached to it. That is, the portion of the fixture 7 facing the hard magnetic material 43 provided on the optical adapter 10 is made of another hard magnetic material or soft magnetic material that can be attached to the hard magnetic material 43.

[0050] Here, the hard magnetic bodies 43 on both sides of the optical adapter 10 are arranged symmetrically in the width direction of the optical adapter 10. In other words, the sizes and positions of the hard magnetic bodies 43, etc. are set so that the adhesive force between the hard magnetic bodies 43 and the mounting fixture 7 is approximately uniform in the width direction of the optical adapter 10. When the optical adapter 10 is inserted into the mounting hole 9, each hard magnetic body 43 is attached to the surface of the mounting fixture 7 (the surface on both sides of the mounting hole 9). In other words, the width of the portion where the hard magnetic bodies 43 are arranged is wider than the width of the mounting hole 9. At this time, the hard magnetic bodies 43 are arranged symmetrically in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 (equally on the left and right in the width direction). Therefore, the flat surface of the hard magnetic body 43 and the flat surface of the mounting fixture 7 are attached to each other, and the optical adapter 10 is attached to the mounting fixture 7.

[0051] In this manner, with optical adapter 10 inserted into mounting hole 9, optical adapter 10 is attached to mounting fixture 7 by the attraction force of hard magnetic bodies 43 on both sides of optical adapter 10 in the width direction. Therefore, under normal circumstances, optical adapter 10 is attached approximately perpendicular to mounting fixture 7 by the attraction force of the magnets, and can maintain that position.

[0052] When any optical adapter 10 receives a force greater than the attractive force of the hard magnetic material 43 in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapters 10, one of the hard magnetic materials 43 in the width direction rises from the fixture 7, allowing the optical adapter 10 to swing. More specifically, when an external force is applied to the optical adapter 10 in the swinging direction, the optical adapter 10 tilts around the end of one of the hard magnetic materials 43, and the other hard magnetic material 43 moves away from the opposing surface of the fixture 7. When the external force is removed from this state, an attractive magnetic force is always acting between the hard magnetic material 43 and the fixture 7, which has soft magnetism, so the optical adapter 10 can be returned to its normal state (the vertical position of the optical adapter 10). In other words, when the force acting on the optical adapter 10 is released, the attractive force of the hard magnetic material 43 allows the optical adapter 10 to be swung and held in a direction approximately perpendicular to the fixture 7.

[0053] The distance between the protrusion 12 and the tip of the locking piece 42 is equal to or greater than the thickness of the mounting fixture 7. In other words, a clearance is ensured between the protrusion 12 or locking piece 42 and the mounting fixture 7. In this way, when the optical adapter 10 swings, the locking piece 42 does not interfere with the swinging. Note that if the optical adapter 10 can be attached to the mounting fixture 7 so that it can swing, the protrusion 12 and the like are not necessarily required. Furthermore, if the adhesive force of the hard magnetic material 43 is sufficient, the locking piece 42 is not necessarily required.

[0054] Next, the optical adapter holding structure in which the optical adapter 10 is attached to the fixture 7 will be described in more detail. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the state in which the optical adapter 10 is attached to the fixture 7. For simplicity, only two optical adapters 10 are shown. As described above, hard magnetic materials 43 are fixed to the front surfaces of both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 (the surfaces facing the fixture 7).

[0055] At this time, the optical adapter 10 is held by the attraction force of the hard magnetic material 43 evenly distributed in the width direction and the mounting fixture 7. In other words, the optical adapter 10 can maintain a posture that is approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture 7.

[0056] 6, a partition plate 46 is disposed between adjacent optical adapters 10. The partition plate 46 separates the hard magnetic bodies 43 of adjacent optical adapters 10 and is disposed in a position where they do not interfere with each other when the optical adapters 10 swing. The partition plate 46 is made of a soft magnetic material and is fixed to the fixture 7. By disposing the partition plate 46, which is a soft magnetic material, near the hard magnetic bodies 43, the partition plate 46 functions as a shielding plate. That is, by separating the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 43 with the partition plate 46, magnetic flux from the hard magnetic bodies 43 of the optical adapters 10 does not leak to the outside, and adjacent hard magnetic bodies 43 are closed off in the direction in which the optical adapters 10 are arranged side by side. This prevents magnetic flux interference between adjacent hard magnetic bodies 43.

[0057] In this way, the hard magnetic bodies 43 provided on adjacent optical adapters 10 are magnetized in a closed state, thereby suppressing mutual interference. For this reason, in the illustrated example, the magnetic polarities of the hard magnetic bodies 43 on both sides of the optical adapter 10 in the width direction are opposite, and the polarities of the hard magnetic bodies 43 of the optical adapters 10 arranged side by side are alternately arranged in the direction in which the optical adapters 10 are arranged side by side, but the hard magnetic bodies 43 may all be arranged facing the same direction. In this way, in the normal state, the optical adapters 10 can be stably arranged even when brought close to each other, thereby increasing the packaging density of the optical adapters 10. Furthermore, even if the optical adapter 10 is swung by an angle greater than a predetermined angle, it can be reliably returned to its original state.

[0058] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 7(a) is a plan view showing an arrangement of optical adapters 10 according to the second embodiment, and Fig. 7(b) is a front view of optical adapter 10. In the following embodiment, components that perform the same functions as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in Figs. 1 to 6, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0059] In this embodiment, the hard magnetic body 43 is fixed to the main body of the optical adapter 10 by a holder 47, which is a holding means. The holder 47 is made of a soft magnetic material, and therefore functions as a yoke for the hard magnetic body 43, as described above. In this way, by making the holder 47 for fixing the hard magnetic body 43 out of a soft magnetic material and covering both side surfaces of the hard magnetic body 43 (the surfaces facing adjacent hard magnetic bodies 43), the hard magnetic body 43 is magnetized in the direction in which the optical adapters 10 are arranged side by side, and interference between the hard magnetic bodies 43 of adjacent optical adapters 10 can be suppressed. In this case, a gap may be formed between the mounting fixture 7 and the hard magnetic body 43 to adjust the attraction force between the mounting fixture 7 and the hard magnetic body 43.

[0060] There is no particular limitation on the shape of the holder 47. For example, as shown in Fig. 8(a), a recess 48 may be provided in the holder 47, and the hard magnetic body 43 may be fitted into the recess 48 to be fixed.

[0061] 8(b), the holding means for the hard magnetic material 43 may be formed integrally with the main body of the optical adapter 10. That is, the optical adapter 10 may have a holding portion 47a that holds the hard magnetic material 43. In this case, the optical adapter 10 itself is formed of a soft magnetic material.

[0062] Furthermore, the hard magnetic material 43 does not have to be arranged on both sides of the optical adapter in the width direction. Fig. 9(a) is a plan view showing the optical adapter 10a in a juxtaposed state, and Fig. 9(b) is a front view of the optical adapter 10a. The optical adapter 10a is substantially the same as the optical adapter 10, but the hard magnetic material 43 is arranged near the ends of the optical adapter 10a in the width direction on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the juxtaposed direction of the optical adapter 10a. In other words, the hard magnetic material 43 is arranged near both sides of the optical adapter 10a in the width direction on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the optical adapter 10a.

[0063] Even in this case, each hard magnetic body 43 is covered and fixed by the holder 47, thereby suppressing interference between adjacent hard magnetic bodies 43. Furthermore, by arranging the hard magnetic bodies 43 above and below the optical adapter 10a, the optical adapters 10a can be arranged closer to each other. In this way, the hard magnetic bodies 43 may be arranged near both ends in the width direction of the optical adapter on the side or top and bottom surfaces of the optical adapter.

[0064] According to the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment. In this way, by configuring the holding means for holding the hard magnetic body 43 with a soft magnetic body and covering the sides of the hard magnetic body 43 with a soft magnetic body, when the optical adapters are brought close to each other, even if the optical adapters are swung at an angle equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, they can be reliably returned to their original state.

[0065] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1: Rack 2: Frame 3: Optical patch panel 4: Mounting section 5: External cable fixing part 6: Fiber optic splice tray 7: Mounting fixture 8: Cord tray 9: Mounting hole 10, 10a: Optical adapter 12: Convex part 20: External cable 21: Cable sheath 22: Optical fiber core 24: Conversion cord with optical connector 25: Intra-office cord with optical connector 27: External line optical connector 28: Optical connector inside the station 42: Locking piece 43:Hard magnetic material 46: Partition board 47: Holder 47a: Holding part 48: Recess 100: Optical adapter 103:Hard magnetic material 107: Mounting fixture 109: Mounting hole

Claims

1. a mounting fixture having a plurality of mounting holes; an optical adapter to be attached to the attachment hole; a swing mechanism capable of swinging the optical adapter relative to the attachment fixture; Equipped with a hard magnetic material is fixed near both ends of the optical adapter in a width direction, which is a direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side; a portion of the attachment fixture facing the hard magnetic body provided on the optical adapter is made of a soft magnetic body that can be attracted to the hard magnetic body, the hard magnetic bodies of the optical adapters are closed in the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side, The optical adapter holding structure is characterized in that, when a force greater than the adhesive force of the hard magnetic material is applied to an optical adapter adjacent to any one of the optical adapters, the swing mechanism allows the optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter to swing in the direction in which the adjacent optical adapter is located, as seen from the optical adapter, and when the force is released, the adhesive force of the hard magnetic material can hold the optical adapter in a direction approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture.

2. the hard magnetic body is fixed to the body of the optical adapter by a holding means; 2. The optical adapter holding structure according to claim 1, wherein said holding means is made of a soft magnetic material.

3. 3. The optical adapter holding structure according to claim 2, wherein said holding means is formed integrally with a main body of said optical adapter.

4. 3. The optical adapter holding structure according to claim 2, wherein the holding means has a recess, and the hard magnetic body is fitted into the recess.

5. 3. The optical adapter holding structure according to claim 2, wherein a gap is formed between the hard magnetic material and the mounting fixture.

6. 2. The optical adapter holding structure according to claim 1, wherein the hard magnetic material is arranged near the widthwise end of the optical adapter on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged.

7. A method for inserting and removing an optical connector into and from the optical adapter holding structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising the steps of: A method for inserting and removing an optical connector, characterized in that when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from any of the optical adapters, another optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter is swung in the direction of the optical adapter by the swinging mechanism, thereby creating space around the optical adapter, and after the insertion or removal operation is completed, the other optical adapter is returned to its original position by the swinging mechanism.

Images