Optical connector

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical connector which makes it possible to make connection work and the like more efficient.　An optical connector according to the present invention comprises: a ferrule (11) in which an optical fiber (12) is inserted and which has a connection end surface from which the optical fiber (12) is exposed; and a waveguide member (20). The waveguide member (20) has an incidence surface, a waveguide part (21) which guides light incident from the incidence surface toward the side opposite to the connection end surface (11a), and a scattering part (23) which scatters the light guided by the waveguide part (21).

Description

Optical Connector

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-011163, filed on January 27, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Patch panels have been used to build optical networks in data centers and the like. Patch panels include a number of adapters to which optical connectors are connected. For example, the patch panel shown in Patent Document 1 includes an LED 131 and a photodiode 132 for detecting that an optical connector is connected to an adapter (port 116).

[0003] U.S. Patent No. 8,116,434

[0004] A large number of optical connectors are connected to a patch panel. Therefore, there is a need to improve the efficiency of the work of connecting and disconnecting optical connectors to the patch panel. It is thought that the efficiency of the above work can be improved by using light to inform the worker of the connection status of the optical connector to the adapter.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector that can make connection work and the like more efficient.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the optical connector of aspect 1 of the present invention comprises a ferrule having a connection end face through which an optical fiber is inserted and from which the optical fiber is exposed, and a waveguide member, wherein the waveguide member has an incident surface, a waveguide section that guides light incident from the incident surface toward the front side opposite the connection end face, and a scattering section that scatters the light guided by the waveguide section.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is the optical connector according to the first aspect, further comprising a housing that holds the ferrule therein, and the scattering portion is located on the near side of the housing.

[0008] A third aspect of the present invention is the optical connector according to the second aspect, further comprising a boot located on the front side of the housing, and the scattering portion faces the boot.

[0009] A fourth aspect of the present invention is the optical connector according to the second aspect, wherein the waveguide member is integral with a boot located on the front side of the housing.

[0010] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the optical connector according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein a reflecting portion is provided on a part of the incident surface.

[0011] According to the above aspects of the present invention, an optical connector can be provided that can make connection work and the like more efficient.

[0012] 1 is an overall view of an optical connection system according to the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is a view of the patch panel of FIG. 1 with the cover removed; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the patch panel according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a waveguide according to the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the VV arrows in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the adapter in FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an optical connector according to the present embodiment; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector according to the present embodiment; FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the adapter according to a modified example of the present embodiment.

[0013] An optical connector, patch panel, and optical connection system according to the present embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 , the optical connection system 100 includes a patch panel P and a plurality of optical connectors 10. The patch panel P includes a housing 1 and a plurality of adapters (first adapters) 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the housing 1 includes a pair of side walls 1a, a cover 1b, a bottom wall 1c, and a rear wall 1d. A control unit 3, a power supply circuit 6, a light source 7, a light receiving unit 8, a waveguide 30, and the like are arranged inside the housing 1. A plurality of second adapters 4 are provided on the rear wall 1d.

[0014] An optical connector 10 is connected to the adapter 2. Although not shown in Fig. 2, an optical circuit (e.g., a plurality of optical fibers) for optically connecting the adapter 2 and the second adapter 4 is provided inside the housing 1. The optical connection system 100 is configured to optically connect the optical connector 10 connected to the adapter 2 and the second adapter 4. Such an optical connection system 100 is installed in, for example, a data center.

[0015] (Directional Definition) The direction in which the optical connector 10 is moved when inserted into the adapter 2 is referred to as the front-rear direction Y. The adapter 2 has a socket 2a (see FIG. 6) into which the optical connector 10 is inserted. In the front-rear direction Y, the side toward which the socket 2a faces (-Y side) is referred to as the front side, and the opposite side (+Y side) is referred to as the rear side. A direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction Y is referred to as the left-right direction X. One side (+X side) in the left-right direction X is referred to as the left side, and the opposite side (-X side) is referred to as the right side. A direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction Y and the left-right direction X is referred to as the up-down direction Z. In the up-down direction Z, the side where the cover 1b is located (+Z side) is referred to as the upper side, and the side where the bottom wall 1c is located (-Z side) is referred to as the lower side. The up-down direction Z does not have to coincide with the vertical direction.

[0016] The plurality of adapters 2 are arranged at the front end of the patch panel P. These adapters 2 are arranged side by side in both the left-right direction X and the up-down direction Z. The patch panel P is provided with a plurality of waveguides 30 corresponding to the number of connectable optical connectors 10. Note that only one waveguide 30 is shown in FIG. 2 , and the remaining waveguides 30 are omitted.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2 , the waveguide 30 includes a first branch 31, a second branch 32, a main waveguide portion 33, and a branch 34. The first branch 31, the second branch 32, and the main waveguide portion 33 are, for example, plastic optical fibers. However, the first branch 31, the second branch 32, and the main waveguide portion 33 may also be glass optical fibers. Alternatively, a portion or all of the waveguide 30 may be a planar optical waveguide. Note that when the first branch 31, the second branch 32, and the main waveguide portion 33 are plastic optical fibers, the number of adapters 2 that can be accommodated in the patch panel P can be increased compared to when glass optical fibers are used. This increases the number of optical connectors 10 that can be connected to the patch panel P, thereby enabling higher density. Furthermore, the unit cost of the adapters 2 (ports) can be reduced.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the patch panel P. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 3 is electrically connected to the light receiving unit 8. The control unit 3 is also electrically connected to the light source 7 via the power supply circuit 6. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the patch panel P includes wiring for electrically connecting the control unit 3, the power supply circuit 6, the light source 7, the light receiving unit 8, etc. The control unit 3 includes hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The light source 7 includes a plurality of light emitting elements 7a. The light receiving unit 8 includes a plurality of light receiving elements 8a.

[0019] The control unit 3 controls the power supply circuit 6 to switch the state of the light-emitting element 7a of the light source 7. For example, the control unit 3 may switch the state of the light-emitting element 7a according to the results of light detection by the multiple light-receiving elements 8a. The "state of the light-emitting element 7a" refers to on, off, blinking, color, etc. The control unit 3 may also communicate with the outside. The control unit 3 may then switch the state of the light-emitting element 7a based on a command from the outside. The "outside" may be, for example, a system that oversees the operation of a data center.

[0020] In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 7a correspond one-to-one to the sockets 2a. Furthermore, bicolor LEDs are used as the light-emitting elements 7a. A bicolor LED is a type of LED (Light Emitting Diode) capable of emitting two different colors. Hereinafter, the two different colors are referred to as the "first display color" and the "second display color," respectively. The patch panel P is configured to display a first display color or a second display color on each light-emitting unit 33a (described later) depending on the connection status of the optical connector 10 to each socket 2a. For example, if an optical connector 10 is not connected to a certain socket 2a, the light-emitting unit 33a corresponding to that socket 2a displays the first display color. Alternatively, if an optical connector 10 is connected to the socket 2a, the light-emitting unit 33a corresponding to that socket 2a displays the second display color. For example, the first display color is red, and the second display color is green.

[0021] However, the combination of the first and second display colors can be changed. Yellow, blue, white, etc. may be used. Furthermore, the state of the corresponding socket 2a may be indicated by changing the lighting state of the light-emitting element 7a. Examples of lighting states include continuous lighting and flashing (repeated lighting and extinguishing). Furthermore, the light-emitting element 7a may be an LED other than a two-color LED, or may not be an LED. Alternatively, the light source 7 may have a plurality of light-emitting elements 7a of different types (colors). Furthermore, a plurality of light-emitting elements 7a of different types (colors) may emit light into one waveguide 30. In this case, the waveguide 30 may have a plurality of first branch paths 31, which will be described later.

[0022] The multiple light receiving elements 8a and the multiple sockets 2a are in one-to-one correspondence. The light receiving elements 8a can detect light. More specifically, the light receiving elements 8a generate an electrical signal when they receive light. The electrical signal generated by the light receiving elements 8a is input to the control unit 3. A photodiode can be used as the light receiving elements 8a. The function of the light receiving elements 8a in the patch panel P will be described later.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the waveguide 30, the light-emitting element 7a, the light-receiving element 8a, and the optical connector 10. In FIG. 4, the first branch path 31, the second branch path 32, and the main waveguide portion 33 are depicted in a simplified linear fashion. However, as shown in FIG. 2, in reality, each portion of the waveguide 30 is curved and arranged inside the housing 1. In particular, a large number of waveguides 30 are arranged inside the housing 1. Therefore, in order to effectively utilize space, each portion of the waveguide 30 (the first branch path 31, the second branch path 32, and the main waveguide portion 33) is curved and arranged. Furthermore, the length of each portion of the waveguide 30 can be changed as appropriate.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 4, the first branch path 31 optically connects the light-emitting element 7a of the light source 7 to the branch portion 34. The second branch path 32 optically connects the light-receiving element 8a of the light-receiving portion 8 to the branch portion 34. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, the branch portion 34 has a sheath 34a. The sheath 34a houses the respective ends of the first branch path 31, the second branch path 32, and the main wave portion 33. The sheath 34a maintains the first branch path 31 and the second branch path 32 optically connected to the main wave portion 33.

[0025] In the example of FIG. 5 , the sheath 34 a has a rectangular tubular shape. However, the shape of the sheath 34 a may be changed. For example, the sheath 34 a may be cylindrical. The outer diameter of the main wave section 33 is larger than the outer diameters of the first branch path 31 and the second branch path 32. As an example, the main wave section 33 is an optical fiber with an outer diameter of 0.75 mm, and the first branch path 31 and the second branch path 32 are optical fibers with an outer diameter of 0.5 mm. The main wave section 33, the first branch path 31, and the second branch path 32 are realized by, for example, plastic fiber. This allows for a more inexpensive configuration than when glass fiber is used.

[0026] In the branching portion 34, the end face of the first branching path 31 abuts against the end face of the main wave portion 33. Therefore, light emitted by the light-emitting element 7a propagates through the first branching path 31 toward the branching portion 34 and enters the main wave portion 33. Similarly, the end face of the second branching path 32 abuts against the end face of the main wave portion 33. Therefore, return light (described later) propagating through the main wave portion 33 toward the branching portion 34 enters the second branching path 32. However, the structure of the branching portion 34 can be changed as long as the first branching path 31, the second branching path 32, and the main wave portion 33 are optically connected. For example, the first branching path 31 and the second branching path 32 may be fusion-spliced ​​to the main wave portion 33.

[0027] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the adapter 2 as seen from the front side. As shown in FIG. 6, the adapter 2 has a receptacle 2a for inserting the optical connector 10. In this embodiment, as an example, one adapter 2 has two receptacles 2a for a duplex type connector. In other words, two optical connectors 10 can be connected to one adapter 2. A light-emitting portion 33a of the main waveguide portion 33 is disposed above each receptacle 2a of the adapter 2. That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the receptacle 2a and the light-emitting portion 33a. The light-emitting portion 33a is an end face of the main waveguide portion 33. Light emitted by the light-emitting element 7a propagates through the main waveguide portion 33 and is radiated from the light-emitting portion 33a. Note that the adapter 2 may have only one receptacle 2a. In this case, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the adapter 2 and the light-emitting portion 33a.

[0028] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the optical connector 10 includes two ferrules 11, two optical fibers 12, a housing 13, a locking projection 14, a boot 15, and a waveguide member 20. However, the optical connector 10 may include one ferrule 11 and three or more optical fibers 12. The ferrule 11 has a connecting end face 11a facing the rear (+Y side). The ferrule 11 has an insertion hole for inserting the optical fiber 12. The insertion hole opens to the connecting end face 11a of the ferrule 11. The optical fiber 12 is exposed at the connecting end face 11a. Although detailed description is omitted, the optical connector 10 includes a biasing member for biasing the ferrule 11 toward the connecting end face 11a. The housing 13 accommodates the biasing member, the ferrule 11, and the like.

[0029] The locking protrusion 14 protrudes upward from the housing 13. When the optical connector 10 is inserted into the socket 2a of the adapter 2, the locking protrusion 14 fits into a locking hole in the adapter 2. This determines the position of the optical connector 10 relative to the adapter 2. The boot 15 is located closer to the front (-Y side) than the housing 13. The boot 15 is made of an elastic material. A cable portion extends from the boot 15 toward the front. The cable portion has an outer sheath that houses the optical fiber 12.

[0030] The waveguide 20 is located above the housing 13 and the boot 15. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the waveguide 20 has a first waveguide 21 and a second waveguide 22. The first waveguide 21 extends linearly in the front-rear direction Y. The waveguide 21 has an incident surface 21a. The incident surface 21a is an end surface of the first waveguide 21 facing the rear side (+Y side). A reflector 24 is provided on a portion of the incident surface 21a. In this embodiment, a mirror is used as the reflector 24. The mirror serving as the reflector 24 is attached to the incident surface 21a. However, the reflector 24 may also be formed by, for example, plating a portion of the incident surface 21a.

[0031] The second waveguide 22 slopes downward as it approaches the front. The second waveguide 22 is connected to the front end of the first waveguide 21. The first waveguide 21 and the second waveguide 22 guide light therein. A transparent resin, for example, can be used as the material for the first waveguide 21 and the second waveguide 22. The lower surface of the second waveguide 22 is used as a scattering section 23 that scatters light. When the optical connector 10 is connected to the adapter 2, the incident surface 21a and the reflecting section 24 face the light-emitting section 33a of the main waveguide 33 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). The scattering section 23 faces the boot 15.

[0032] Next, the operation of the optical connection system 100 configured as described above will be described. The optical connection system 100 has a function of displaying the connection status of the optical connector 10 to the socket 2a using the light-emitting unit 33a. This function is referred to as a housing-side display function. The optical connection system 100 also has a function of displaying the connection status using the scattering unit 23. This function is referred to as a connector-side display function. The "connection status" can include, for example, a "disconnected state," a "connected state," an "alert state," and the like. The "disconnected state" is a state in which the optical connector 10 is not connected to any socket 2a. The "connected state" is a state in which the optical connector 10 is normally connected to any socket 2a. The "alert state" is a state in which the optical connector 10 is connected to any socket 2a, but a network malfunction has occurred, for example, and maintenance is recommended. This will be described in more detail below.

[0033] <Case-side display function> The control unit 3 causes the plurality of light-emitting elements 7a of the light source 7 to emit light in a first display color via the power supply circuit 6. At this time, all of the light-emitting elements 7a may be caused to emit light. Alternatively, only the light-emitting elements 7a corresponding to the sockets 2a that may be used may be caused to emit light. The light of the first display color emitted by the light-emitting elements 7a passes through the first branch path 31 of the corresponding waveguide 30 and enters the main waveguide portion 33. The light of the first display color also reaches the light-emitting element 33a (the end face of the main waveguide portion 33).

[0034] When an optical connector 10 is connected to a given receptacle 2a, the reflector 24 and the light emitter 33a of the optical connector 10 face each other. Therefore, a portion of the light emitted from the light emitter 33a is reflected by the reflector 24 and enters the main wave portion 33 again. The light reflected by the reflector 24 is called "return light." The return light travels through the main wave portion 33 toward the branch portion 34 and enters the second branch path 32 at the branch portion 34. The return light further travels through the second branch path 32 and enters the light receiving element 8a. The light receiving element 8a receives the return light and generates an electrical signal, which is input to the control unit 3. This allows the control unit 3 to determine that the optical connector 10 has been inserted into the receptacle 2a corresponding to the light receiving element 8a.

[0035] Based on the above determination, the control unit 3 causes the light-emitting element 7a corresponding to the socket 2a into which the optical connector 10 is inserted to emit light in the second display color. That is, the light of the target light-emitting element 7a is switched from the first display color to the second display color. As a result, the light-emitting unit 33a emits light of the second display color. Meanwhile, the light-emitting unit 33a corresponding to the socket 2a into which the optical connector 10 is not inserted continues to emit light of the first display color. In this way, the optical connection system 100 can cause the multiple light-emitting units 33a of the patch panel P to emit light in either the first display color or the second display color depending on the connected state or the disconnected state.

[0036] The control unit 3 may also cause the light emitting unit 33a of the socket 2a that is the target of maintenance to flash in the first display color or the second display color. This allows the user to understand the connection status of multiple sockets 2a as follows: First display color (continuously lit): connected state Second display color (continuously lit): non-connected state First display color or second display color (flashing): alert state

[0037] In data centers and the like, the user can easily grasp the connection status of multiple outlets 2a, thereby improving work efficiency. Note that the above-described method of displaying the connection status is one example and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, for example, a method of alternately lighting the first display color and the second display color may be added to display four or more types of status. The flashing pattern (time interval, etc.) of the first display color or the second display color may also be changed.

[0038] <Connector-Side Display Function> When the optical connector 10 is connected to the receptacle 2a, part of the light emitted from the light-emitting portion 33a enters the waveguide member 20 from the incident surface 21a. This light travels through the first waveguide portion 21 and the second waveguide portion 22 and reaches the scattering portion 23. The light is scattered in the scattering portion 23. In this embodiment, the scattering portion 23 faces the boot 15. Therefore, when viewed from the user, the boot 15 appears to be emitting light.

[0039] As described in the case-side display function, the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 33a corresponds to the connection status. Therefore, the user can understand the connection status by visually checking the light scattered by the scattering unit 23. When a large number of optical connectors 10 are densely connected to the patch panel P, it may be difficult to directly check the light-emitting unit 33a. Even in such a case, the visibility of the light can be improved by scattering the light with the scattering unit 23 provided in the optical connector 10. In particular, in this embodiment, the boot 15 located at the front end of the optical connector 10 appears to be emitting light, thereby further improving visibility.

[0040] As described above, the optical connector 10 of this embodiment includes a ferrule 11 having a connection end face 11a through which an optical fiber 12 is inserted and from which the optical fiber 12 is exposed, and a waveguide member 20. The waveguide member 20 has an incident surface 21a, waveguide sections (first waveguide section 21 and second waveguide section 22) that guide light incident from the incident surface 21a toward the front side (-Y side) opposite the connection end face 11a, and a scattering section 23 that scatters the light guided by the waveguide sections. With this configuration, the light scattered by the scattering section 23 can be used to notify the user of the connection status of the optical connector 10. This can make connection work, etc., more efficient.

[0041] Furthermore, the optical connector 10 includes a housing 13 that holds the ferrule 11 therein, and the scattering portion 23 is located closer to the user (toward the -Y side) than the housing 13. This configuration allows the user to see the scattering portion 23 from a closer position. Therefore, even when optical connectors 10 are densely connected to the patch panel P, the scattering portion 23 is more likely to be visible.

[0042] The optical connector 10 also includes a boot 15 located closer to the user than the housing 13, and the scattering section 23 faces the boot 15. With this configuration, the light scattered by the scattering section 23 is reflected by the boot 15, making the boot 15 itself appear to emit light. This further increases the visibility of the light to the user.

[0043] In addition, a reflecting portion 24 is provided on a part of the incident surface 21a. With this configuration, the light emitted by the light-emitting element 7a of the patch panel P can be reflected by the reflecting portion 24. Then, by detecting the returned light with the light-receiving element 8a of the patch panel P, the control unit 3 can determine whether or not the optical connector 10 is inserted into the adapter 2.

[0044] The patch panel P according to the present embodiment includes an adapter 2 having a receptacle 2a into which an optical connector 10 is inserted, a light-emitting unit 33a arranged adjacent to the receptacle 2a, a light source 7 that emits light, a light-receiving element 8a that detects the light, and a waveguide 30. The waveguide 30 has a branching unit 34, a first branching path 31 that guides the light emitted by the light source 7 to the branching unit 34, a main waveguide 33 that guides the light guided by the first branching path 31 to the light-emitting unit 33a, and a second branching path 32 that guides the light guided by the main waveguide 33 toward the branching path 34 to the light-receiving element 8a. With this configuration, the light-emitting unit 33a arranged adjacent to the receptacle 2a can be illuminated to allow the user to recognize the connection status of the receptacle 2a. Furthermore, when the optical connector 10 is connected to the receptacle 2a, the return light reflected by the optical connector 10 can be guided to the light-receiving element 8a using the waveguide 30. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether or not the optical connector 10 is connected using the light-receiving element 8a. These actions make it possible to make connection work more efficient.

[0045] The patch panel P also includes a control unit 3 that controls the light source 7 based on the light detection result of the light receiving element 8a. With this configuration, the lighting state of the light source 7 can be switched depending on whether or not an optical connector 10 is inserted into the socket 2a. In other words, the light display of the light emitting unit 33a can be switched. Therefore, various information can be presented to the user using the light emitting unit 33a.

[0046] Furthermore, the light source 7 can emit two different colors. Specifically, the light source 7 may have a light-emitting element 7a that is a two-color LED. Alternatively, the light source 7 may have a plurality of types of light-emitting elements 7a that emit different colors. In these cases, the color of the light emitted by the light-emitting unit 33a can be switched depending on the connection status of the optical connector 10 to the socket 2a. In other words, the connection status can be indicated to the user using different colors.

[0047] Furthermore, based on the light detection result by the light receiving element 8a, the control unit 3 switches the color of the light emitted by the light source 7. With this configuration, the color of the light emitted by the light emitting unit 33a can be automatically switched.

[0048] Furthermore, the main waveguide portion 33 is an optical fiber, and the light emitting portion 33a is an end face of the optical fiber (main waveguide portion 33). With this configuration, the light emitting portion 33a can be arranged in a small space around the adapter 2. This allows the size of the patch panel P to be reduced. In particular, the light emitting portion 33a can be provided without arranging a circuit board or the like around the adapter 2. This makes it possible to increase the density of the adapters 2 in the patch panel P, and to connect the optical connectors 10 at a high density.

[0049] <Modifications> Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . As shown in FIG. 9 , the light-emitting portion 33a may have a flat shape when viewed from the front-rear direction Y. More specifically, the light-emitting portion 33a of this modification has a smaller dimension in the up-down direction Z than in the left-right direction X. Such a light-emitting portion 33a can be formed by, for example, the following methods. As a first method, the end portion on the front side (−Y side) of the member (e.g., a plastic optical fiber) that will become the main wave portion 33 may be deformed. When deforming, the member that will become the main wave portion 33 may be heated to soften it, and pressure may be applied in the up-down direction Z.

[0050] As a second method, the front end of the member that will become the main waveguide portion 33 may be machined. As a third method, a flat member may be used as the main waveguide portion 33. According to the first and second methods, the main waveguide portion 33 has a flat shape in the vicinity of the light-emitting portion 33a, and the other portion has a cylindrical shape. According to the third method, the entire main waveguide portion 33 has a flat shape.

[0051] In this way, by making the light-emitting portion 33a flat, it is possible to arrange multiple adapters 2 at small intervals in the vertical direction Z. In other words, it is possible to arrange more adapters 2 densely in the vertical direction Z. This makes it possible to increase the number of optical connectors 10 that can be connected to the patch panel P.

[0052] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0053] For example, the waveguide member 20 may be integrated with the boot 15 located closer to the front than the housing 13. That is, the boot 15 itself may be formed of a material capable of guiding light (for example, a transparent resin). The boot 15 may have an incident surface, a waveguide section that guides light incident from the incident surface toward the side opposite the connection end face, and a scattering section that scatters the light guided by the waveguide section. In this case, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0054] The control unit 3 includes a computer system therein. A program for realizing the functions of the control unit 3 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be read into the computer system and executed to perform the processing in the control unit 3.

[0055] In addition, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0056] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 optical connector 11 ferrule 11a connection end face 12 optical fiber 13 housing 15 boot 20 waveguide member 21 waveguide section 21a incident surface 23 scattering section 24 reflecting section

Claims

1. a ferrule into which an optical fiber is inserted and which has a connection end surface from which the optical fiber is exposed; a waveguide member, The waveguide member is an entrance surface; a waveguide section that guides the light incident from the incident surface toward a front side opposite to the connection end surface; an optical connector having a scattering section that scatters the light guided by the waveguide section.

2. a housing that holds the ferrule therein; The optical connector according to claim 1 , wherein the scattering portion is located on the front side of the housing.

3. a boot located on the front side of the housing, The optical connector according to claim 2 , wherein the scattering portion faces the boot.

4. 4. The optical connector according to claim 2, wherein the waveguide member is integral with a boot located on the front side of the housing.

5. The optical connector according to claim 1 , wherein a reflecting portion is provided on a part of the incident surface.