Stand-alone connector having coupling ring

Abstract

A stand-alone connector, according to the present invention, may be easily coupled to an external device by means of the reducing of the spacing distance between a connector optical fiber ferrule and a coupling holder when a coupling ring is positioned at a second point among outer points of the coupling holder, compared to when the coupling ring is positioned at a first point among the outer points of the coupling holder. In addition, the stand-alone connector, according to the present invention, may be easily separated from the external device by means of the increasing of the spacing distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule and the coupling holder when the coupling ring is positioned at the first point, compared to when the coupling ring is positioned at the second point. According to such present invention, a component such as an upper protrusion provided on conventional stand-alone connectors is not required when being coupled to or separated from an external device, and thus a stand-alone connector having a smaller size than conventional stand-alone connectors may be provided.

Description

Standalone connector with mating ring

[0001] The present invention relates to a standalone connector used in optical communication, and more specifically, to a standalone connector configured to enable coupling and separation with an external element through a coupling ring.

[0002] Standalone connectors are widely used in fields such as optical communications, data transmission and reception, and cable TV. These standalone connectors can be coupled to external components, such as the receptacle of a communication optical transceiver. When coupled to the receptacle, the standalone connector functions to transmit an optical signal output from a first communication optical transceiver to a second communication optical transceiver, or to transmit an optical signal output from a second communication optical transceiver to the first communication optical transceiver.

[0003] Patent Document 1 below discloses a connector fixing pin that is formed as an extension on one outer periphery of a front plug. The shape of the connector fixing pin disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is commonly applied to a general LC connector (Lucent Connector), and has a shape similar to that of a connector of a telephone line or LAN cable (see reference numeral 543 in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1 below). Furthermore, Patent Document 1 below discloses a fixing pin pressing portion that is formed as an extension on one outer periphery of a rear plug. The fixing pin pressing portion serves to press the connector fixing pin downward so that the connector fixing pin can be easily removed from the device (see reference numeral 523 in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1 below).

[0004] In some cases, a single optical communication module includes multiple optical transceivers for communication, and in order for one optical communication module to perform optical communication with another optical communication module, an independent connector such as an LC connector must be coupled to a receptacle provided in each of the multiple optical transceivers for communication. Here, in order for the independent connector to be coupled to the receptacle provided in each of the multiple optical transceivers for communication, the size of the independent connector must be as small as possible. However, since the conventional independent connector has an upper protrusion such as the connector fixing pin and fixing pin presser of Patent Document 1 below, there is a limit to reducing the size of the independent connector.

[0005] [Prior Art Literature]

[0006] (Patent Document 1) Patent Registration No. 10-1535434 (July 3, 2015)

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a standalone connector having a smaller size than conventional connectors.

[0008] In addition, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an independent connector that can be easily connected and disconnected from an external element.

[0009] However, the technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems described above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, a standalone connector according to the present invention comprises: a housing; a connector optical fiber ferrule having a connector optical fiber built in therein and extending in an omnidirectional manner from the housing; a connector ferrule flange at least partially provided within the housing and fixing the connector optical fiber ferrule; a coupling holder extending in an omnidirectional manner from the housing and arranged to surround the connector optical fiber ferrule at a position spaced apart from the connector optical fiber ferrule; And it may include a coupling ring that comes into contact with the outside of the coupling holder, and when the coupling ring is located at a second point among the outer points of the coupling holder, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule and the coupling holder becomes closer than when the coupling ring is located at a first point among the outer points of the coupling holder, so that the standalone connector can be coupled to an external element, and when the coupling ring is located at the first point, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule and the coupling holder becomes longer than when the coupling ring is located at the second point, so that the standalone connector can be separated from the external element, and the second point may be a point located forward of the first point.

[0011] The above-mentioned joint holder may be formed of a plurality of joint holder pieces spaced apart from each other, and the plurality of joint holder pieces may have the same shape, and the spacing distance between adjacent joint holder pieces may be the same.

[0012] Each of the plurality of coupling holder pieces may include a coupling holder piece extension portion extending forward from the housing; and a hook portion protruding from the coupling holder piece extension portion in a direction toward the connector optical fiber ferrule, wherein the hook portion may include an inclined surface having a vertical width that gradually widens from the forward direction to the rearward direction; and an extension surface extending from the coupling holder piece extension portion in a direction toward the connector optical fiber ferrule.

[0013] The vertical width of the first point may be narrower than the vertical width of the housing.

[0014] When the coupling ring is positioned at the first point, the vertical width of the second point may be wider than the vertical width of the first point, and when the coupling ring is positioned at the first point or the second point, a third point wider than the vertical width of the second point may exist at an outer point of the coupling holder between the first point and the second point.

[0015] When the above-mentioned coupling ring is positioned at the first point or the second point, a fourth point wider than the vertical width of the second point may exist at an outer point of the coupling holder in the forward direction of the second point.

[0016] A spring catch may be provided around the circumference of the connector ferrule flange, and a spring mounted around the circumference of the connector ferrule flange may be provided within the housing, and the spring may apply pressure in all directions to the spring catch when the independent connector is coupled to the external element.

[0017] Since the present invention is configured to enable coupling and separation with an external element by changing the position of the coupling ring, a component such as an upper protrusion provided in a conventional standalone connector is not required, and thus, an independent connector having a smaller size than a conventional one can be provided.

[0018] In addition, according to the present invention, when the coupling ring is positioned at a first point among the outer points of the coupling holder, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule and the coupling holder increases, allowing the standalone connector to be easily separated from the external element, and when the coupling ring is positioned at a second point among the outer points of the coupling holder, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule and the coupling holder decreases, allowing the standalone connector to be easily coupled to the external element.

[0019] Furthermore, according to the present invention, since coupling and disassembly with an external element are accomplished simply by changing the position of the coupling ring, a separate coupling / disassembly tool is not required when coupling or disassembling the standalone connector to or from an external element. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since a separate coupling / disassembly tool is not required when coupling or disassembling the standalone connector to or from an external element, there is very little concern that damage will be inflicted on the coupling holder or other components during the coupling and disassembly.

[0020] In addition, according to the present invention, since the hook portion of each of the plurality of coupling holder pieces has an inclined surface, when the standalone connector is coupled to an external element, the hook portion can be easily received in the hook portion receiving groove of the external element. In addition, since the hook portion of each of the plurality of coupling holder pieces has an extended surface, the phenomenon of the hook portion received in the hook portion receiving groove being detached from the hook portion receiving groove is suppressed, so that the standalone connector can be stably coupled to the external element.

[0021] However, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a standalone connector according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a drawing showing a state in which a coupling ring is located at a first point among the outer points of a coupling holder.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the independent connector of FIG. 1 and the external element to which the independent connector is coupled, cut in a two-dimensional plane including the front-back and up-down directions.

[0024] Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper and lower coupling holder pieces among the plurality of coupling holder pieces of Fig. 1.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the connector optical fiber ferrule of FIG. 2 being accommodated in the external element optical fiber ferrule accommodation groove of the external element, but before contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule.

[0026] Figure 5 is a drawing showing the coupling ring of Figure 1 located at the second point among the outer points of the coupling holder.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a state in which the coupling ring of FIG. 4 is located at the second point among the outer points of the coupling holder and the connector optical fiber ferrule is received in the external element optical fiber ferrule receiving groove and is in contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule.

[0028] Hereinafter, a standalone connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The attached drawings are provided solely as examples to ensure that the technical concepts of the present invention can be sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art. The present invention is not limited to the drawings presented below and may be embodied in various other forms.

[0029] When a part in this specification is said to "include" a component, unless otherwise specifically stated, this does not exclude other components but rather implies the inclusion of other components. Furthermore, terms such as "first" and "second" are used herein solely to distinguish one component from another. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, dashed lines are used to distinguish adjacent components.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a standalone connector (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a drawing showing a state in which a coupling ring (500) is positioned at a first point (P1) among the outer points of a coupling holder (400). FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a two-dimensional plane cut including the front-back direction and the up-down direction of the standalone connector (1000) of FIG. 1 and an external element (10) to which the standalone connector (1000) is coupled.

[0031] In the attached drawings including FIG. 1, 'front' represents the front of the standalone connector (1000), 'rear' represents the rear of the standalone connector (1000), 'left' represents the left side of the standalone connector (1000), 'right' represents the right side of the standalone connector (1000), 'upper' represents the upper side of the standalone connector (1000), and 'lower' represents the lower side of the standalone connector (1000). In FIG. 2, the external element (10) represents a receptacle of a communication optical transceiver, but any other element that performs optical communication and to which the standalone connector (1000) can be coupled may correspond to the external element (10) mentioned in the present invention.

[0032] One end of the external element (10) (i.e., the forward-side end in FIG. 2) can be coupled to an optical transmitting element or an optical receiving element (not shown) constituting an optical transceiver for communication, and the other end of the external element (10) (i.e., the rear-side end in FIG. 2) can be coupled to an independent connector (1000).

[0033] The external element (10) may include an external element body (11) and an external element optical fiber ferrule (12).

[0034] An external element optical fiber ferrule receiving groove (11-1) may be provided within the external element body (11) that extends across the front and rear directions of the external element body (11). An external element optical fiber ferrule (12) may be received in some areas of the external element optical fiber ferrule receiving groove (11-1), and a connector optical fiber ferrule (200) may be received in the remaining areas.

[0035] A hook receiving groove (11-2) may be provided on the outer periphery of the external element body (11) centered on the external element optical fiber ferrule receiving groove (11-1). The hook receiving groove (11-2) serves to receive the hook (420) of the coupling holder (400), more specifically, the hook (420) of each of a plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4).

[0036] An external element optical fiber (12-1) is embedded in the center of the external element optical fiber ferrule (12) in the front-back direction. The external element optical fiber (12-1) serves to transmit, for example, an optical signal transmitted from an optical transmission element of a communication optical transceiver to a connector optical fiber (210). Alternatively, the external element optical fiber (12-1) serves to receive an optical signal from the connector optical fiber (210) and transmit it to an optical reception element of a communication optical transceiver.

[0037] Meanwhile, a standalone connector (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a housing (100), a connector optical fiber ferrule (200), a connector ferrule flange (300), a coupling holder (400), and a coupling ring (500).

[0038] The housing (100) may have a cylindrical shape with an empty interior. A portion of a connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and at least a portion of a connector ferrule flange (300) may be provided within the housing (100), and a spring (700) described below may also be provided.

[0039] A connector optical fiber (210) is embedded in the center of the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) in the front-back direction. Since the connector optical fiber (210) has a very small diameter, it is preferable that it be embedded in the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and fixed and supported by the connector optical fiber ferrule (200).

[0040] The connector optical fiber (210) serves to transmit, for example, an optical signal received from an external element optical fiber (12-1) of a first communication optical transceiver to an external element optical fiber of a second communication optical transceiver. Alternatively, the connector optical fiber (210) serves to transmit an optical signal transmitted from an external element optical fiber of a second communication optical transceiver to an external element optical fiber (12-1) of the first communication optical transceiver. In other words, the connector optical fiber (210) serves as a passage that enables optical communication between the first communication optical transceiver and the second communication optical transceiver.

[0041] The connector optical fiber ferrule (200) extends forwardly from the housing (100). More specifically, a portion of the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) is provided within the housing (100), and one end of the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) can be fixed by a connector ferrule flange (300) within the housing (100). The remaining portion of the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) extends forwardly, and the other end of the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) can be positioned at a point spaced apart from the housing (100) in the forward direction.

[0042] A connector optical fiber (210) is also embedded in the center of a connector ferrule flange (300) in the front-back direction. At least a portion of the connector ferrule flange (300) is provided within the housing (100) and serves to fix the connector optical fiber ferrule (200). As an example, a connector ferrule receiving groove (350) having a groove shape for accommodating the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) may be provided at one end of the connector ferrule flange (300). Accordingly, one end of the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) can be press-fitted into the connector ferrule receiving groove (350) and fixed and supported by the connector ferrule flange (300).

[0043] An optical cable (600) can be connected to the other end of the connector ferrule flange (300). Specifically, the optical cable (600) can be connected to the other end of the connector ferrule flange (300) through a through hole (150) provided at the center of the rear side of the housing (100).

[0044] The optical cable (600) also has a connector optical fiber (210) embedded in the center thereof in the forward and backward directions. The connector optical fiber ferrule (200), the connector ferrule flange (300), and the connector optical fiber (210) embedded in the optical cable (600) can be connected to each other. The optical cable (600) connects a first communication optical transceiver and a second communication optical transceiver, which are located far apart from each other, thereby enabling optical communication between them.

[0045] The coupling holder (400) extends forward from the housing (100). The vertical width of the other end of the coupling holder (400) extending forward may be wider than that of the end of the coupling holder (400) connected to the housing (100), and thus the coupling holder (400) may have a trumpet shape overall. The housing (100) and the coupling holder (400) may be formed integrally, or may be formed separately and then coupled.

[0046] The coupling holder (400) is arranged in a manner of surrounding the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) at a position spaced apart from the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) by a certain distance. That is, an empty space exists between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400), and as described below, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400) may become closer or farther apart depending on the position of the coupling ring (500).

[0047] The coupling holder (400) may have a continuous shape over the entire circumference. Here, a continuous shape over the entire circumference means a shape in which the entire circumference of the coupling holder (400) is connected without a break, rather than a shape in which a portion of the entire circumference of the coupling holder (400) is broken, as in FIG. 1.

[0048] In contrast, the coupling holder (400) may have a shape in which a portion of the entire circumference is broken, as in Fig. 1. That is, the coupling holder (400) may be formed of a plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction centered on the connector optical fiber ferrule (200).

[0049] Here, a plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) may have the same shape. In addition, the spacing between adjacent coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) may be the same. That is, the spacing between the coupling holder piece (400-1) and the coupling holder piece (400-2), the spacing between the coupling holder piece (400-2) and the coupling holder piece (400-3), the spacing between the coupling holder piece (400-3) and the coupling holder piece (400-4), and the spacing between the coupling holder piece (400-4) and the coupling holder piece (400-1) may be the same.

[0050] The distance between adjacent coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) may be closer or further apart depending on the position of the coupling ring (500). Specifically, when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the second point (P2) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400) than when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400), the distance between adjacent coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) becomes closer, thereby enabling the standalone connector (1000) to be stably and firmly coupled to the external element (10).

[0051] In contrast, when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1) rather than at the second point (P2) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400), the distance between adjacent coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) becomes greater, and accordingly, the independent connector (1000) can be easily separated from the external element (10).

[0052] In Fig. 1, an example is shown in which the combination holder (400) is composed of a total of four combination holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4), but the number of combination holder pieces can be changed as desired.

[0053] In the case where the coupling holder (400) is composed of a plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4), compared to the case where the coupling holder (400) has a continuous shape over the entire circumference, the coupling holder (400) can be more easily compressed and more easily spread depending on the position of the coupling ring (500), and as a result, coupling and separation between the independent connector (1000) and the external element (10) can be more easily performed.

[0054] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-3) located at the upper and lower ends among the plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) of FIG. 1.

[0055] A plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) are arranged in a manner of surrounding the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) at positions spaced apart from the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) at a certain distance from the center. Each of the plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) may include a coupling holder piece extension portion (410) and a hook portion (420), as shown in FIG. 3.

[0056] The coupling holder extension (410) extends in all directions from the housing (100) and is positioned at a distance from the connector optical fiber ferrule (200).

[0057] The hook portion (420) protrudes from the front end of the coupling holder extension portion (410) in a direction toward the connector optical fiber ferrule (200).

[0058] The hook portion (420) may include an inclined surface (421) having a vertical width that becomes increasingly wider from the forward direction to the rearward direction (see the size relationship of w1 < w2 < w3 in FIG. 3). In addition, the hook portion (420) may include an extension surface (422) that is connected to the inclined surface (421) and extends approximately vertically in a direction from the coupling holder extension portion (410) toward the connector optical fiber ferrule (200).

[0059] Since the hook portion (420) of each of the plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) includes an inclined surface (421), when the independent connector (1000) is coupled to an external element (10), the hook portion (420) can be easily accommodated in the hook portion receiving groove (11-2) (see the hook portion receiving groove (11-2) and the inclined surface (421) of FIG. 4).

[0060] In addition, since the hook portion (420) of each of the plurality of coupling holder pieces (400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4) includes an extension surface (422), the phenomenon of the hook portion (420) accommodated in the hook portion receiving groove (11-2) being detached from the hook portion receiving groove (11-2) is suppressed, so that the independent connector (1000) can be stably coupled to the external element (10) (see the hook portion receiving groove (11-2) and the extension surface (422) of FIG. 6).

[0061] Meanwhile, the coupling ring (500) is a ring shape with an empty center, and may be a continuous shape over the entire circumference, or may be a shape in which a portion of the entire circumference is broken, as in Fig. 1.

[0062] The coupling ring (500) is arranged to surround the coupling holder (400), but is in direct contact with the outer side of the coupling holder (400). Here, the coupling ring (500) being in direct contact with the outer side of the coupling holder (400) means that the outer sides of the coupling ring (500) and the coupling holder (400) are in contact with each other without any other components being positioned between the coupling ring (500) and the outer side of the coupling holder (400). As described above, since the coupling holder (400) is spaced apart from the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) by a certain distance, there is an empty space between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400). In contrast, since the coupling ring (500) is in direct contact with the outer side of the coupling holder (400), there is no empty space between the coupling ring (500) and the outer side of the coupling holder (400).

[0063] In order to couple the independent connector (1000) to the external element (10) in FIG. 2, the independent connector (1000) must be moved forward or the external element (10) must be moved backward, and FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an intermediate process of coupling between the independent connector (1000) and the external element (10).

[0064] Specifically, FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) of FIG. 2 being accommodated in the external element optical fiber ferrule accommodation groove (11-1) but before contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule (12).

[0065] When coupling the standalone connector (1000) to the external element (10), first, as shown in FIG. 4, the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) must be accommodated in the external element optical fiber ferrule accommodation groove (11-1) of the external element body (11). At this time, the coupling ring (500) may be located at the first point (P1) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400) as shown in FIG. 4. Here, the first point (P1) is a point located in the forward direction relative to the housing (400), and the vertical width of the first point (P1) may be narrower than the vertical width of the housing (100). In this case, when the vertical width of the first point (P1) is narrower than the vertical width of the housing (100), the coupling ring (500) located at the first point (P1) may not move in the rearward direction (i.e., the direction in which the housing (100) is located) and may be stably located at the first point (P1).

[0066] As a next step for coupling the standalone connector (1000) to the external element (10), the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) should be brought into contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule (12) by further moving the standalone connector (1000) shown in FIG. 4 in the forward direction or further moving the external element (10) in the backward direction, and at this time, the hook portion (420) should be positioned above the hook portion receiving groove (11-2) of the external element body (11). Since the coupling holder (400) has a trumpet shape as a whole, when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1) as shown in FIG. 4, the coupling holder (400) is in an open state. Accordingly, even if the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) is brought into contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule (12), the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the external element optical fiber ferrule (12) do not come into close contact with each other, and the hook portion (420) is only present on the hook portion receiving groove (11-2) and is not properly received within the hook portion receiving groove (11-2).

[0067] As the final step for coupling the standalone connector (1000) to the external element (10), the coupling ring (500) located at the first point (P1) must be moved to the second point (P2) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400). Here, the second point (P2) means a point located further forward than the first point (P1).

[0068] FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a state in which the coupling ring (500) of FIG. 1 is positioned at the second point (P2) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400). FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a state in which the coupling ring (500) of FIG. 4 is positioned at the second point (P2) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400), and the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) is received in the external element optical fiber ferrule receiving groove (11-1) and is in contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule (12).

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the second point (P2) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400) compared to when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1) among the outer points of the coupling holder (400), the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400) becomes closer, making it possible to couple the standalone connector (1000) to the external element (10).

[0070] More specifically, when the coupling ring (500) located at the first point (P1) is positioned at the second point (P2), the pressure that the coupling ring (500) applies vertically to the coupling holder (400) increases, and accordingly, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400) becomes closer. And when the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400) becomes closer in this way, the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) comes into close contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule (12), and the hook portion (420) moves in the direction toward the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and is stably received within the hook portion receiving groove (11-2), and thus, it becomes possible to firmly couple the standalone connector (1000) to the external element (10).

[0071] When the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) is in close contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule (12), the connector optical fiber (210) and the external element optical fiber (12-1) are also in close contact, so that the optical communication efficiency between the connector optical fiber (210) and the external element optical fiber (12-1) is improved. In addition, when the hook part (420) is stably received in the hook part receiving groove (11-2), it contributes to improving the contact force between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the external element optical fiber ferrule (12).

[0072] Meanwhile, when separating the independent connector (1000) from the external element (10), the coupling ring (500) located at the second point (P2) is positioned at the first point (P1), and then the independent connector (1000) is moved backward, or the external element (10) is moved forward.

[0073] When the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1) rather than at the second point (P2), the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400) becomes greater, making it possible to separate the standalone connector (1000) from the external element (10).

[0074] More specifically, when the coupling ring (500) located at the second point (P2) is positioned at the first point (P1), the pressure that the coupling ring (500) applies vertically to the coupling holder (400) decreases, and accordingly, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400) increases. And, when the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) and the coupling holder (400) increases in this way, the hook portion (420) moves in the direction from the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) toward the coupling holder extension portion (410) and is present on the hook portion receiving groove (11-2), so that the standalone connector (1000) can be easily separated from the external element (10).

[0075] Meanwhile, when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1), the vertical width of the second point (P2) may be wider than the vertical width of the first point (P1). This is because, when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1), the coupling holder (400) must be in an open state so that the standalone connector (1000) can be easily coupled to the external element (10).

[0076] Furthermore, when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1) or the second point (P2), it is preferable that a third point (P3) wider than the vertical width of the first point (P1) and the vertical width of the second point (P2) exists at an outer point of the coupling holder (400) between the first point (P1) and the second point (P2) (see FIGS. 4 and 6). Here, the third point (P3) means any one of the outer points of the coupling holder (400), similar to the first point (P1) and the second point (P2). When the coupling ring (500) is located at the first point (P1) or the second point (P2), the vertical width relationship may be such that the vertical width of the third point (P3) is wider than the vertical width of the second point (P2), and the vertical width of the second point (P2) is wider than the vertical width of the first point (P1).

[0077] As shown in FIG. 4, when a third point (P3) exists between a first point (P1) and a second point (P2), the coupling ring (500) located at the first point (P1) can be stably positioned at the first point (P1) without moving forward. And as shown in FIG. 6, when a third point (P3) exists between a first point (P1) and a second point (P2), the coupling ring (500) located at the second point (P2) can be stably positioned at the second point (P2) without moving backward.

[0078] Furthermore, when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1) or the second point (P2), it is preferable that a fourth point (P4) wider than the vertical width of the second point (P2) is present at an outer point of the coupling holder (400) in the forward direction of the second point (P2). Here, the fourth point (P4) means any one of the outer points of the coupling holder (400), similar to the first point (P1), the second point (P2), and the third point (P3).

[0079] The vertical width of the fourth point (P4) may be wider than the vertical width of the second point (P2), as well as wider than the vertical width of the third point (P3). This is because the vertical width of the fourth point (P4) must be wider than the vertical width of the second point (P2) and the vertical width of the third point (P3), so that when the coupling ring (500) is positioned at the first point (P1), the degree to which the coupling holder (400) is spread apart increases, thereby making it easier to couple the standalone connector (1000) to the external element (10) (see FIG. 4).

[0080] In addition, when a fourth point (P4) exists in the forward direction of the second point (P2), the coupling ring (500) located at the second point (P2) can be stably located at the second point (P2) without moving in the forward direction (see FIG. 6).

[0081] Meanwhile, a spring catch (360) may be provided around the periphery of the connector ferrule flange (300). Here, the spring catch (360) refers to a stepped portion provided in the shape of steps that rise from the rearward direction to the forward direction. A spring (700) mounted around the periphery of the connector ferrule flange (300) may be provided inside the housing (100), and the spring (700) is mounted in a form that surrounds the periphery of the connector ferrule flange (300) and the spring catch (360).

[0082] As shown in Fig. 6, when the standalone connector (1000) is coupled to the external element (10), that is, when the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) is received in the external element optical fiber ferrule receiving groove (11-1) and comes into contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule (12), the spring (700) can be compressed, and at this time, the spring (700) applies pressure in all directions to the spring catch (360). In this way, when the spring (700) applies pressure in all directions to the spring catch (360), the connector optical fiber ferrule (200) comes into closer contact with the external element optical fiber ferrule (12), and as a result, the optical communication efficiency between the connector optical fiber (210) and the external element optical fiber (12-1) can be further improved.

[0083] Although the present invention has been described with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, it is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible based on this description by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the technical spirit of the present invention should be understood solely by the scope of the claims, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof are deemed to fall within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0084] [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 10: External element 11: External element body

[0086] 11-1: External element optical fiber ferrule receiving groove 11-2: Hook receiving groove

[0087] 12: External element optical fiber ferrule 12-1: External element optical fiber

[0088] 100: Housing 150: Through hole

[0089] 200: Connector Fiber Optic Ferrule 210: Connector Fiber Optic

[0090] 300: Connector ferrule flange 350: Connector ferrule receiving groove

[0091] 360: Spring catch 400: Combination holder

[0092] 400-1, 400-2, 400-3, 400-4: Combination holder

[0093] 410: Joint holder extension 420: Hook section

[0094] 421: Slope 422: Extension

[0095] 500: Coupling ring 600: Optical cable

[0096] 700: Spring 1000: Standalone Connector

[0097] P1: First point (outer point of the joint holder)

[0098] P2: (outer point of the joint holder) second point

[0099] P3: (Outer point of the joint holder) Third point

[0100] P4: (Outer point of the joint holder) Fourth point

Claims

1. As a standalone connector, housing; A connector optical fiber ferrule having a connector optical fiber built into it and extending omnidirectionally from the housing; A connector ferrule flange, at least a portion of which is provided within the housing, for securing the connector optical fiber ferrule; A coupling holder extending in the forward direction from the housing and arranged in a manner that surrounds the connector optical fiber ferrule at a position spaced apart from the connector optical fiber ferrule; and Includes a coupling ring that contacts the outer side of the above coupling holder, When the coupling ring is positioned at a second point among the outer points of the coupling holder, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule and the coupling holder becomes closer than when the coupling ring is positioned at a first point among the outer points of the coupling holder, so that it becomes possible to couple the standalone connector to an external element. When the coupling ring is positioned at the first point rather than at the second point, the distance between the connector optical fiber ferrule and the coupling holder becomes greater, making it possible to separate the standalone connector from the external element. An independent connector, characterized in that the second point is located further forward than the first point.

2. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned combination holder is composed of a plurality of combination holder pieces spaced apart from each other, An independent connector, characterized in that the above plurality of coupling holder pieces have the same shape and the spacing between adjacent coupling holder pieces is the same.

3. In paragraph 2, Each of the above multiple combined holder pieces, A coupling holder extension extending in an all-directional direction from the housing; and Including a hook portion protruding in the direction toward the connector optical fiber ferrule from the above-mentioned coupling holder extension portion, The above hook part, A slope having an increasingly wider vertical width from the forward to the rearward direction; and A standalone connector comprising an extension surface extending from the above-described coupling holder extension portion in a direction toward the connector optical fiber ferrule.

4. In paragraph 1, An independent connector, characterized in that the vertical width of the first point is narrower than the vertical width of the housing.

5. In paragraph 4, When the above coupling ring is located at the first point, The vertical width of the second point is wider than the vertical width of the first point, When the above coupling ring is located at the first point or the second point, An independent connector characterized in that a third point wider than the vertical width of the second point exists at an outer point of the coupling holder between the first point and the second point.

6. In paragraph 5, When the above coupling ring is located at the first point or the second point, An independent connector characterized in that, in the forward direction of the second point, a fourth point wider than the vertical width of the second point exists at an outer point of the coupling holder.

7. In paragraph 1, A spring catch is provided around the circumference of the above connector ferrule flange, A spring is provided within the housing to be mounted around the circumference of the connector ferrule flange. An independent connector, characterized in that the spring applies pressure in all directions against the spring catch when the independent connector is coupled to the external element.

Images