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

Abstract

To provide an optical adapter holding structure which allows high density mounting and is capable of stable operation. SOLUTION: Hard magnetic bodies 43 are fixed to both sides of the width direction of the optical adapter 10 in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10. The portion of the mounting fixture 7 facing the hard magnetic body 43 provided on the optical adapter 10 is composed of another hard magnetic body or a soft magnetic body that can be attracted to the hard magnetic body 43. The vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10.

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] Conventionally, the number of optical fiber cores laid continues to increase due to the rapid increase in traffic in optical communications, and this has created 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 narrow, and the spacing between connected optical connectors also becomes narrow. As a result, when inserting and removing an optical connector into and from an optical adapter, it becomes impossible to secure a space between adjacent optical connectors for fingers to fit in.

[0003] Therefore, in order to ensure space for inserting and removing optical connectors while mounting optical adapters at a high density, a method for high-density adapter mounting is known that has a mechanism for creating space for insertion and removal operations by 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 (e.g., 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 and hold it in that state with a finger or the like to insert or remove the optical connector while maintaining the rotated state, which makes the work difficult.

[0005] In response to this, a structure for holding an optical adapter has been proposed that allows adjacent optical adapters to be easily swung when inserting or removing an optical adapter, and that allows those optical adapters to be maintained 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 sway 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] JP 2003-86967 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2022-97841 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] 12 is a front view showing a state in which conventional optical adapters 100 are arranged side by side in mounting hole 109 of mounting fixture 107. Note that N and S in the figure indicate the polarity of the hard magnetic material. On both sides in the width direction of optical adapter 100, hard magnetic materials 103 are arranged with polarities opposite to each other. Furthermore, the polarities of hard magnetic materials 103 of optical adapters 100 arranged side by side are arranged alternately with respect to the direction in which optical adapters 100 are arranged side by side. In other words, the polarities of adjacent hard magnetic materials 103 of adjacent optical adapters 100 are opposite to each other.

[0008] When the hard magnetic bodies 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 bodies 103 are also attracted to each other and are stable.

[0009] For example, if the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides of the optical adapter 100 are all the same polarity, the hard magnetic bodies 103 of adjacent optical adapters 100 will have the same polarity. FIG. 13(a) is a plan view of the case where the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides of the optical adapter 100 are arranged with the same polarity. In this case, the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103 repel each other. That is, when the optical adapter 100 is attached to the attachment fixture 107, if the hard magnetic bodies 103 repel each other, a force is applied in the direction in which the optical adapter 100 moves away from the attachment fixture 107, which may cause an unstable state. For example, as shown in FIG. 13(b), when one optical adapter 100 swings, the distance between the N pole and the S pole of the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103 becomes closer, so that they are attached to each other and do not return to their original state from this state. However, in order to reduce this effect, the mounting density may be reduced by increasing the distance between the optical adapters 100 (between the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103).

[0010] In response to this, by making the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides of the width of the optical adapter 100 of opposite polarity and arranging the polarities of the hard magnetic bodies 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] 14(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, since adjacent optical adapters 100 are normally attracted to each other, 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] 14(b), when the optical adapters 100 become closer to each other and the swing angle becomes larger than a certain degree, 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 cause the optical adapter 100 to not return to its original state.

[0013] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an 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; an optical adapter mounted in the mounting hole; 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 a width direction, which is the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged; a portion of the mounting fixture facing the hard magnetic body provided on the optical adapter is composed of a soft magnetic body that can be attracted to the hard magnetic body; the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on one side of the width direction of the optical adapter is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on the other side of the width direction of the optical adapter; and the swinging mechanism allows the optical adapter adjacent to any one of the optical adapters to swing in the direction in which the adjacent optical adapter is arranged when viewed from the optical adapter when a force greater than or equal to the adhesive force of the hard magnetic body is applied to the optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter, and when the force is removed, the optical adapter can be held in a direction approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture by the adhesive force of the hard magnetic body.

[0015] The hard magnetic body may be fixed to the body of the optical adaptor by a retaining means.

[0016] The retaining means may be formed integrally with the body of the optical adaptor.

[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 mounting fixture.

[0019] The hard magnetic body may be disposed near an end portion in a width direction of the optical adapter on each of upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged.

[0020] According to the first invention, when inserting or removing an arbitrary optical connector, if a finger is inserted into the gap between adjacent optical adapters, the finger also touches the adjacent optical adapters and optical connectors because the optical adapters are arranged at a high density, and the adjacent optical connectors are subjected to a force lateral to the insertion / removal direction of the connector. At this time, a hard magnetic body is fixed to the optical adapter, and the mounting fixture facing the hard magnetic body of the optical adapter is composed of a soft magnetic body that can be attracted to the hard magnetic body, so that a force greater than the attraction force of the hard magnetic body is applied to the adjacent optical connection members, causing the optical connection members to swing, creating an operating space for the fingers. In addition, when the force is removed, the optical adapter returns to its original position, and the optical adapter can be held by the attraction force of the hard magnetic body.

[0021] In addition, since the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on one side of the width of the optical adapter is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on the other side of the width of the optical adapter, interference between adjacent hard magnetic bodies is suppressed, and the optical adapter can be reliably returned to its original position when the force on the optical adapter is released.

[0022] In particular, by fixing the hard magnetic body to the body of the optical adapter by the holding means, the hard magnetic body can be held reliably.

[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] In addition, the hard magnetic body can be securely held by fitting it into a recess provided in the holding means. Also, by forming a gap between the mounting fixture and the hard magnetic body, the adhesive force between the mounting fixture and the hard magnetic body can be adjusted.

[0025] Furthermore, by arranging the hard magnetic material on each of the upper and lower faces 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 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 to form a 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 aspect of the present invention, the workability is good, and the connector can be easily inserted and removed. Effect 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 description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 shows an optical patch panel 3. [Diagram 2] A diagram showing rack 1. [Diagram 3] 1A, 1B, and 1C are diagrams showing a state in which an optical adapter 10 and the like are attached to a mounting fixture 7, in which (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. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an optical adapter 10. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the optical adapters 10 installed side by side. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a state in which optical adapters 10 are arranged side by side using a holder 47, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view. [Figure 8]13A is a plan view of the optical adapter 10 using another holder 47, and FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a front view of the optical adapter 10 using still another holder 47. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical adapter 10 with an integrated holder. [Figure 11] 1A is a plan view showing an arrangement of optical adapters 10a using a holder 47, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the optical adapter 10a using the holder 47. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the polarity of a hard magnetic material when the optical adapter 100 is also installed. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a plan view of optical adapters 100 arranged side by side with the same polarity. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a plan view of optical adapters 100 arranged side by side with different polarities. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[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, and a mount portion 4 of the optical patch panel 3 is 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 at the rear of 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 connection 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 or the like") by fusion splicing or the like. In the optical fiber connection tray 6, these connection portions are stored together with the surplus 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 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 adapters 10 from the rear, and an inside optical connector 28 of an intra-office cord 25 with optical connectors is inserted into the optical adapters 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 illustrated example. For example, an external cable 20 without an optical connector is shown as a cable introduced from the rear side of the optical patch panel 3, but this is only an example, and a cord with an optical connector or a cable with an optical connector may be introduced. In that case, the optical patch panel structure does not require the optical fiber connection tray 6.

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

[0036] The fixture 7 is provided with a plurality of substantially rectangular mounting holes 9. 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 described above, adjacent optical adapters 10 are disposed very close to each other. In this embodiment, the fixture 7 has a rocking mechanism capable of rocking the optical adapter 10, but the rocking 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 total height of the optical adapter 10 including the protrusions 12 is higher than the height of the mounting hole 9, so that 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 of inserting and removing an optical connector into and from the optical adapter holding structure will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the optical adapter 10. First, as shown in Fig. 4(a), when connecting an inside-station optical connector 28 to the optical adapter 10 in the center of the figure, the inside-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, since the interval between adjacent inside-station optical connectors 28 and optical adapters 10 is narrow, fingers come into contact with the adjacent inside-station optical connectors 28 and optical adapters 10.

[0039] At this time, since a swing mechanism described later is provided at the attachment portion between the optical adapter 10 and the attachment fixture 7, the local-station side optical connector 28 or the optical adapter 10 touched by the finger swings in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 (the direction of the arrow D in the figure). That is, when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from an arbitrary optical adapter 10, the other optical adapter 10 adjacent to the optical adapter 10 is swung in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 by the swing mechanism described later, so that a space can be formed around the optical adapter 10. In this way, a working space is secured around the target optical adapter 10, and the local-station side 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, it returns to its original state (FIG. 3(c)). That is, after the insertion / removal operation is performed, the adjacent optical adapters 10 can be returned to their original positions by the swinging mechanism. In this way, when a force of a predetermined value or more is applied to an optical adapter 10 adjacent to any optical adapter 10, the swinging 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 swinging 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 interval between the outside-line optical connectors 27 widens and the interval 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 swinging state with your hand when inserting or removing the optical connector. That is, the optical adapter 10 swings the required amount by the fingers touching it during the operation, and when the operation is completed, the optical adapter 10 naturally returns to its original state.

[0043] Here, the swing angle of the optical adapter 10 is preferably about ±20 degrees or less. If the swing angle is larger than this, adjacent conversion cords 24 with optical connectors or intra-office cords 25 with optical connectors may interfere with each other when the optical adapter 10 swings, 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 falls within the above range. That is, 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 swing of the optical adapter 10 is permitted, and by making the width of the mounting hole 9 smaller than the predetermined amount, the swing angle of the optical adapter 10 can be restricted to ±20 degrees or less.

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

[0045] The mounting 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 mounting fixture 7. Also, the mounting fixture 7 does not have to be an integrated whole, and may be a combination of multiple small mounting fixtures, each with a set of multiple 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 convex portion 12 is provided to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the swing direction of the optical adapter 10. That is, the swing mechanism can swing the optical adapter 10 with the vicinity of the convex portion 12 described above as a reference. In addition, the hard magnetic body 43 is 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 hole 9 of the mounting fixture 7). That is, the hard magnetic body 43 is disposed so as to protrude on both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10. Note that, as will be described in detail later, the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on the other side 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 of 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 in the direction of protrusion 12 at positions spaced apart from protrusion 12. By simply inserting optical adapter 10 with locking pieces 42 attached thereto into mounting hole 9, the edge of mounting hole 9 is positioned between protrusion 12 and locking pieces 42, and an optical adapter holding structure in which optical adapter 10 is attached to mounting fixture 7 can be obtained.

[0049] Moreover, the mounting fixture 7 to which the optical adapter is attached is generally made of a steel plate with a thickness of about 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. That is, the mounting fixture 7 is made of a soft magnetic material to which the hard magnetic material 43 can be firmly attached. When the mounting fixture 7 is made of resin or the like, a plate material made of a soft magnetic material or another hard magnetic material may be attached to the surface of the mounting fixture 7 facing the hard magnetic material 43 so that the hard magnetic material 43 can be attached to the hard magnetic material 43. That is, the portion of the mounting 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 so as to be rotationally symmetrical about the center of the optical adapter 10 when viewed from the front. When the optical adapter 10 is inserted into the mounting hole 9, the hard magnetic bodies 43 are attracted to the surface of the attachment fixture 7 (the surfaces on both sides of the mounting hole 9). That is, 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 so that the attraction forces on the left and right sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 are equal. Therefore, the flat surface of the hard magnetic body 43 and the flat surface of the attachment fixture 7 are attracted to each other, and the optical adapter 10 is attached to the attachment 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 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 of magnetic force, and can maintain that position.

[0052] When any optical adapter 10 receives a force equal to or greater than the attraction force of the hard magnetic body 43 in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapters 10, one of the hard magnetic bodies 43 in the width direction is lifted from the mounting fixture 7, and the optical adapter 10 can swing. More specifically, when the optical adapter 10 receives an external force in the swinging direction, it tilts around the end of one of the hard magnetic bodies 43, and the other hard magnetic body 43 moves away from the opposing surface of the mounting fixture 7. When the external force is removed from this state, since an attractive magnetic force always acts between the hard magnetic body 43 and the mounting fixture 7 having soft magnetism, the optical adapter 10 can be returned to the normal state (the vertical position of the optical adapter 10). In other words, when the force applied to the optical adapter 10 is removed, the optical adapter 10 can be swung and held in a direction approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture 7 by the attraction force of the hard magnetic body 43.

[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. That is, a clearance is ensured between the protrusion 12 or locking piece 42 and the mounting fixture 7. In this manner, when the optical adapter 10 swings, the locking piece 42 does not hinder the swinging. Note that if the optical adapter 10 can be attached to the mounting fixture 7 so as to be swingable, the protrusion 12 and the like are not necessarily required. Also, if the adhesive force of the hard magnetic body 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 mounting fixture 7 will be described in more detail. Fig. 6 is a front view showing the state in which the optical adapter 10 is attached to the mounting fixture 7. For simplicity, only two optical adapters 10 are shown. As described above, hard magnetic bodies 43 are fixed to the front faces (the faces facing the mounting fixture 7) on both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10.

[0055] At this time, as described above, the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10. For example, on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 (for example, the left side in the figure), the hard magnetic body 43 is disposed in the lower half of the height direction of the optical adapter 10. On the other hand, on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 (for example, the right side in the figure), the hard magnetic body 43 is disposed in the upper half of the height direction of the optical adapter 10. That is, the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10, and they are disposed at positions where they do not overlap in the height direction.

[0056] At this time, the hard magnetic bodies 43 on both sides of the optical adapter 10 are the same size, and the attractive forces to the mounting fixture 7 are approximately equal. In this way, the optical adapter 10 is held by the attractive forces of the hard magnetic bodies 43, which exert an equal attractive force in the width direction, and the mounting fixture 7. In other words, the optical adapter 10 can maintain a posture approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture 7.

[0057] In this way, by changing the height of the hard magnetic body 43 on both sides of the optical adapter 10, it is possible to suppress interference between the hard magnetic bodies 43 of adjacent optical adapters 10. That is, with respect to the adjacent optical adapters 10, the hard magnetic body 43 of one optical adapter 10 (for example, the left side in the figure) is located above, and the hard magnetic body 43 of the other adjacent optical adapter 10 (for example, the right side in the figure) is located below, so that the attraction and repulsion forces between the two hard magnetic bodies 43 are suppressed. Therefore, the optical adapter 10 does not get in the way of swinging, and when unloaded, the optical adapter 10 does not get in the way of returning. Therefore, it is possible to prevent magnetic flux interference between adjacent hard magnetic bodies 43.

[0058] In this way, by changing the positions at which the hard magnetic bodies 43 provided on adjacent optical adapters 10 are arranged, it is possible to suppress mutual interference. For this reason, the magnetic poles of the hard magnetic bodies 43 on both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 may be reversed, and all the hard magnetic bodies 43 may be arranged facing the same direction. In this way, even if the optical adapters 10 are brought close to each other in the normal state, the optical adapters 10 can be stably arranged, so that the mounting density of the optical adapters 10 can be increased. In addition, even if the optical adapter 10 is swung at an angle greater than a predetermined angle, it can be reliably returned to the original state.

[0059] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 7(a) is a plan view showing an optical adapter 10 according to the second embodiment in a side-by-side arrangement, and Fig. 7(b) is a front view of the 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 duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0060] 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 material of the holder 47 is not particularly limited, but it is, for example, a non-magnetic material such as resin. At this time, a gap may be formed between the mounting fixture 7 and the hard magnetic body 43 to adjust the adhesive force between the mounting fixture 7 and the hard magnetic body 43.

[0061] The shape of the holder 47 is not particularly limited. Fig. 8(a) is a plan view of the optical adapter 10 using another holder 47, and Fig. 8(b) is a front view. In the example shown in Fig. 8, a recess 48 is provided in the holder 47, and the hard magnetic body 43 is fitted and fixed in the recess 48. As shown in Fig. 8(b), the recess 48 may be formed so that the holder 47 opens only forward in front view (i.e., so that the hard magnetic body 43 is covered from the entire circumference in front view), but the recess 48 may be provided so that it opens not only forward but also toward the optical adapter main body as in the holder 47 shown in Fig. 9.

[0062] 10, the holding means for the hard magnetic body 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 body 43. In this case, the optical adapter 10 itself is formed of a non-magnetic material.

[0063] Also, the hard magnetic body 43 does not have to be arranged on both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter. Fig. 11(a) is a plan view showing the state in which the optical adapter 10a is arranged side by side, and Fig. 11(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 body 43 is arranged near the end of the optical adapter 10a in the width direction on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the optical adapter 10a. That is, the hard magnetic body 43 is arranged near both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10a on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the optical adapter 10a.

[0064] For example, on one side in the width direction a of the optical adapter 10 (e.g., the left side in FIG. 11(b)), the hard magnetic body 43 is disposed on the bottom surface of the optical adapter 10. On the other hand, on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10a (e.g., the right side in FIG. 11(b)), the hard magnetic body 43 is disposed on the top surface of the optical adapter 10. That is, the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10a is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10a, and they are disposed at positions that do not overlap in the height direction.

[0065] Even in this case, it is possible to suppress interference between adjacent hard magnetic bodies 43. In addition, 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 surface or the top and bottom surfaces of the optical adapter.

[0066] According to the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment. In this manner, by holding the hard magnetic body 43 by the holding means, it is possible to reliably hold the hard magnetic body 43 at any position.

[0067] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 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 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: Intra-station optical connector 42: Locking piece 43:Hard magnetic material 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 adapter is arranged side by side; a portion of the attachment tool facing the hard magnetic body provided on the optical adapter is made of a soft magnetic body capable of being attracted to the hard magnetic body, The vertical position of the hard magnetic body on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter, 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 the optical adapter adjacent to any one of the optical adapters, the swinging mechanism allows the optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter to swing in the direction in which the adjacent optical adapter is located when viewed 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:

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

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

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

6. 2. The optical adapter holding structure according to claim 1, wherein the hard magnetic body is disposed near an end portion in a width direction of the optical adapter on each of upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to a direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side.

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 side-by-side direction of the optical adapter by the swinging mechanism to form a 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.

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