Auxiliary tool

Abstract

Provided is an auxiliary tool comprising: a first housing; and a second housing capable of moving relative to the first housing. The first housing comprises: a first opening that opens toward an adapter, and that causes distal ends of a plurality of connectors to protrude toward the adapter; a second opening that opens toward the second housing; and an oscillating part that is capable of oscillating. The oscillating part has a plurality of release parts that respectively contact contact parts of the plurality of connectors when the first housing separates from the adapter. The plurality of release parts are arranged side-by-side in a parallel direction. An oscillation center of the oscillating part is positioned at an end of the oscillating part in the parallel direction, and when a distal end section of the oscillating part oscillates in a direction away from the contact parts of the connectors, a moment which causes the oscillating part to oscillate in a direction in which the connectors are removed from the adapter acts on the oscillating part.

Description

Auxiliary tools

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-213865, filed on December 19, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] In recent years, connectors in data centers have become smaller and denser. Accordingly, there is a demand for improving work efficiency when connecting or disconnecting multiple connectors by operating multiple connectors simultaneously. For example, Patent Literature 1 (JP-A-2005-102666) discloses a configuration that allows four connectors to be connected or disconnected simultaneously.

[0003] US Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 285806

[0004] The configuration of Patent Document 1 allows multiple connectors to be connected and disconnected at the same time, but not connected at the same time. Therefore, in order to connect multiple connectors at the same time, it is necessary to prepare, for example, separate tools. Having separate tools for the connection and disconnection operations leads to a decrease in work efficiency.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary tool that can connect and disconnect a plurality of connectors at once.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a first aspect of the present invention is an auxiliary tool used to connect multiple connectors to an adapter, comprising a first housing and a second housing movable relative to the first housing, wherein the first housing comprises a first opening that opens toward the adapter and allows the tips of the multiple connectors to protrude toward the adapter, a second opening that opens toward the second housing, and a swingable swinging part, wherein the swinging part has a plurality of release parts that abut against the abutment parts of the multiple connectors respectively when the first housing moves away from the adapter, wherein the multiple release parts are arranged side by side in a parallel direction, and the swing center of the swinging part is located at the end of the swinging part in the parallel direction, and when the tip of the swinging part swings in a direction away from the abutment part of the connector, a moment acts on the swinging part to swing the swinging part in a direction to remove the connector from the adapter.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is the auxiliary tool according to the first aspect, wherein the swinging portion is integrally molded with the first housing.

[0008] A third aspect of the present invention is the auxiliary tool according to the first or second aspect, wherein the plurality of release portions protrude from the swinging portion toward the second housing.

[0009] Aspect 4 of the present invention is an auxiliary tool according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the second housing has a plurality of pressing portions that press the plurality of connectors toward the adapter, and the positions of the plurality of pressing portions are different from each other in the direction in which the first housing and the second housing move relative to each other.

[0010] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the auxiliary tool according to the fourth aspect, wherein the first housing has a plurality of disengagement portions that release contact between the plurality of pressing portions and the plurality of connectors.

[0011] According to the above aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide an auxiliary tool that can connect and disconnect a plurality of connectors at once.

[0012] 1. A plan view of the connector with auxiliary tool of this embodiment. 2. A perspective view of the connector with auxiliary tool of FIG. 1. 3. A perspective view of the first housing of FIG. 1. 4. A perspective view of the second housing of FIG. 1. 5. A cross-sectional view taken along the arrows V-V of FIG. 4. 6. A perspective view showing a part of the optical connector of FIG. 1. 7. A cross-sectional view taken along the arrows VII-VII of FIG. 1. 8. A view showing how the connector with auxiliary tool of FIG. 1 is connected to an adapter. 9. A perspective view of the periphery of the pressing portion when the pressing portion of this embodiment presses the connector. 10. A view following FIG. 9. A view showing the time when the connector with auxiliary tool of this embodiment is removed from the adapter. 11. A view following FIG. 12.

[0013] The auxiliary tool and the connector with auxiliary tool of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector with auxiliary tool 2 includes an auxiliary tool 1 and multiple connectors 100A-100D. The auxiliary tool 1 includes a first housing 10 and a second housing 20. The auxiliary tool 1 is configured to be able to collectively connect and disconnect multiple connectors 100A-100D to an adapter 3 (see FIG. 8). Patch panels (not shown) installed in data centers and the like often include numerous adapters 3 densely arranged. Each of the connectors 100A-100D includes a ferrule 110. The ferrule 110 has a connecting end face 112 where an optical fiber is exposed.

[0014] (Directional Definitions) In this embodiment, the direction in which the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are arranged is referred to as the longitudinal direction Z. The longitudinal direction Z coincides with the direction in which the multiple fiber holes 111, described below, extend. The direction in which the multiple connectors 100 (the multiple connectors 100A to 100D) are arranged is referred to as the parallel direction Y or left-right direction. The parallel direction Y is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Z. A direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction Z and the parallel direction Y is referred to as the vertical direction X or orthogonal direction. The connection end surface 112 side (+Z side) in the longitudinal direction Z is referred to as the front or tip side. The opposite side from the +Z side in the longitudinal direction Z (-Z side) is referred to as the rear or base side. One side (+X side) in the vertical direction X is referred to as the upper side. The opposite side from the +X side in the vertical direction X (-X side) is referred to as the lower side. One side (+Y side) in the parallel direction Y is referred to as the left side. The opposite side (-Y side) from the +Y side in the parallel direction Y is referred to as the right side. However, the up-down direction X does not have to coincide with the vertical direction. Viewing from the up-down direction X is referred to as a plan view, and viewing from the parallel direction Y is referred to as a side view.

[0015] The connector with auxiliary tool 2 of this embodiment has four connectors 100A to 100D. These connectors 100A to 100D may be referred to as first connector 100A, second connector 100B, third connector 100C, and fourth connector 100D in order from the -Y side to the +Y side. However, because the structures of the connectors 100A to 100D are the same, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will simply be referred to as connectors 100. The number of connectors 100 included in the connector with auxiliary tool 2 is not limited to four and may be changed from four.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the first housing 10 has a first opening 11, a second opening 12, a swinging portion 13, a support surface 15, and two locking portions 16. The first opening 11 faces the tip side. Multiple connectors 100 (tips of the multiple connectors 100) protrude from the first opening 11. The second opening 12 faces the second housing 20. The swinging portion 13 extends in the parallel direction Y. The swinging portion 13 may extend along the parallel direction Y (parallel to the parallel direction Y), or may not extend along the parallel direction Y (parallel to the parallel direction Y). The swinging portion 13 is swingable around a swing center 13a. The swinging portion 13 is elastically deformable in the longitudinal direction Z with the swing center 13a as a base point. In this embodiment, the swing center 13a is located at an end (the end on the −Y side) of the swinging portion 13 in the parallel direction Y. The end of the swinging part 13 opposite to the swinging center 13a in the parallel direction Y (the end on the +Y side) is referred to as the tip 13b. In this embodiment, the entire first housing 10 including the swinging part 13 is molded as a single unit. The swinging center 13a is connected to a portion of the first housing 10 other than the swinging part 13. When a force is applied to the swinging part 13 in the longitudinal direction Z, the swinging part 13 elastically deforms and swings around the swinging center 13a.

[0017] A plurality of release portions 14a to 14d are formed on the swinging portion 13. The number of release portions 14a to 14d is the same as the number of connectors 100 attached to the auxiliary tool 1 (four in this embodiment). The release portions 14a to 14d have the function of releasing the connection of the connectors 100 to the adapter 3. Each of the release portions 14a to 14d corresponds to one connector 100. Hereinafter, these release portions may be referred to as a first release portion 14a, a second release portion 14b, a third release portion 14c, and a fourth release portion 14d.

[0018] The release portions 14a to 14d are arranged at intervals in the parallel direction Y. The positions of the release portions 14a to 14d in the parallel direction Y correspond to the positions of the connectors 100A to 100D in the parallel direction Y, respectively. The release portions 14a to 14d protrude from the swing portion 13 toward the base end of the second housing 20. When viewed from the vertical direction X, the release portions 14a to 14d have an arc shape that convex toward the base end. However, the release portions 14a to 14d may also have a triangular shape.

[0019] The support surface 15 is disposed so as to face the swinging portion 13 in the longitudinal direction Z. The support surface 15 is inclined so as to move toward the tip side (+Z side) as it moves away from the swing center 13a in the parallel direction Y. The support surface 15 serves to support the swinging portion 13 when the swinging portion 13 swings toward the tip side so that the tip portion 13b moves away from the fourth connector 100D (a second abutment portion 142 of the fourth connector 100D, which will be described later). The presence of the support surface 15 can prevent the swinging portion 13 from swinging excessively.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3 , the two locking portions 16 are spaced apart in the parallel direction Y. The locking portions 16 extend from the second opening 12 toward the base end. A locking protrusion 16a is formed at the base end of each locking portion 16. The locking protrusions 16a protrude inward from the locking portion 16 in the parallel direction Y. A plurality of disengagement portions 17 are formed at the lower end of the first housing 10. The number of disengagement portions 17 is the same as the number of connectors 100 attached to the auxiliary tool 1 (four in this embodiment). The disengagement portions 17 extend from the second opening 12 toward the base end.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the second housing 20 includes a second main body 21 and multiple pressing portions 22-25. The second main body 21 is cylindrical and extends in the longitudinal direction Z with a rectangular cross section. Multiple connectors 100 are inserted into the second main body 21. Two guide grooves 21a are formed in the second main body 21. The guide grooves 21a are recessed inward in the parallel direction Y from both side surfaces (the surfaces facing the +Y and −Y sides) of the second main body 21. The guide grooves 21a extend linearly from the distal end of the second main body 21 toward the proximal end. A locking hole 21b is formed in the inner surface of each guide groove 21a. The locking hole 21b penetrates the second main body 21 in the parallel direction Y. The locking hole 21b extends in the longitudinal direction Z inside the guide grooves 21a.

[0022] When the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are combined, the locking portion 16 of the first housing 10 fits into the guide groove 21a of the second housing 20. Furthermore, the locking protrusion 16a fits into the inside of the locking hole 21b. When the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 move relative to each other in the longitudinal direction Z, the locking portion 16 slides on the guide groove 21a. With the locking protrusion 16a located inside the locking hole 21b, the first housing 10 is restricted from moving distally relative to the second housing 20 beyond a predetermined range.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 5 , the pressing portion 22 has two protrusions 22a. Similarly, the pressing portions 23 to 25 each have two protrusions 23a to 25a. That is, the pressing portion 23 has two protrusions 23a, the pressing portion 24 has two protrusions 24a, and the pressing portion 25 has two protrusions 25a. The pressing portions 22 to 25 protrude upward (toward the +X side) from the lower end (the end on the -X side) of the second main body portion 21. The number of pressing portions 22 to 25 is equal to the number of connectors 100 included in the connector with auxiliary tool 2. In this embodiment, the number of pressing portions 22 to 25 and the number of connectors 100 are four. Hereinafter, the four pressing portions may be referred to as the first pressing portion 22, the second pressing portion 23, the third pressing portion 24, and the fourth pressing portion 25, respectively. The positions of the pressing portions 22 to 25 in the longitudinal direction Z are different from one another. The third pressing portion 24 is located most distally. The second pressing portion 23 is located second most distally, and the third pressing portion 23 is located third most distally. The fourth pressing portion 25 is located most proximal.

[0024] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, each connector 100 has a ferrule 110, a housing 120, an engaging projection 131, and a boot 140. The connector 100 of this embodiment is a male connector and has two positioning pins 102. These positioning pins 102 are inserted into positioning holes in the ferrule of a female connector (not shown) inside the adapter 3. This aligns the positions of the two connectors. Note that the multiple connectors 100 included in the connector with auxiliary tool 2 may also be female connectors. In other words, the connector 100 does not have to have the positioning pins 102.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 7 , the ferrule 110 has a plurality of fiber holes 111. Optical fibers (not shown) are inserted through these fiber holes 111. The optical fiber has a glass portion and a coating layer that covers the glass portion. A biasing member 113 that biases the ferrule 110 is disposed inside the housing 120. The biasing member 113 is, for example, a coil spring. The ferrule 110 has a connection end surface 112 from which the optical fiber is exposed. The biasing force of the biasing member 113 causes the connection end surface 112 to abut against the connection end surface of another connector inside the adapter 3. This optically connects the two connectors.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 7 , the connector 100 includes an elastic piece 130. The elastic piece 130 has an engaging protrusion 131. However, the engaging protrusion 131 may be part of another component (such as the housing 120 or the boot 140) included in the connector 100. The elastic piece 130 is formed, for example, by a leaf spring and has elasticity. The engaging protrusion 131 functions to enter an engaging hole 3c (see FIG. 8 ) of the adapter 3 and engage the connector 100 with the adapter 3. The boot 140 includes two components (a boot body 140a and a movable member 140b). A holding space for holding the elastic piece 130 is formed inside the movable member 140b.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 6 , the boot 140 has a contact piece 141. The contact piece 141 is formed at the lower end of the boot body 140a. The contact piece 141 protrudes downward from the underside of the boot body 140a and extends toward the base end. The contact piece 141 is elastically deformable in the up-down direction X, with the connection portion with the boot body 140a (the tip end of the contact piece 141) as the base point. The contact piece 141 is formed with two first contact portions 141a and one contact release portion 141b. The first contact portions 141a protrude from the contact piece 141 toward both sides in the parallel direction Y. The contact release portion 141b protrudes downward from the contact piece 141.

[0028] The two first contact portions 141a face the pressing portions 22 to 25 (see FIG. 5) corresponding to the connectors 100A to 100D in the longitudinal direction Z. For example, the two first contact portions 141a of the first connector 100A face the two protrusions 22a of the first pressing portion 22. When performing a connection operation, the pressing portions 22 to 25 come into contact with the respective first contact portions 141a, thereby pushing the connectors 100A to 100D toward the adapter 3. The contact release portion 141b faces the disengagement portion 17 in the longitudinal direction Z. The surface of the contact release portion 141b facing the disengagement portion 17 is inclined upward and toward the tip. The function of the contact release portion 141b will be described later.

[0029] 7, the boot 140 of each connector 100 has a second abutment portion 142. The second abutment portion 142 is provided at the upper end of the boot 140. Each second abutment portion 142 faces the release portions 14a to 14d in the longitudinal direction Z.

[0030] Next, the operation of the auxiliary tool 1 and the connector 2 with auxiliary tool configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and other figures. Note that Fig. 8 shows only one adapter 3, but in an actual data center or the like, many adapters 3 are densely arranged on a patch panel. Also, although Fig. 8 does not show the mating connector, the mating connector may be connected to the adapter 3 through the second insertion port 3b.

[0031] <Connection Work> When performing the connection work, as shown in Fig. 8 , the connector 2 with auxiliary tool is brought closer toward the adapter 3. More specifically, the second housing 20 is grasped, and the multiple connectors 100 are inserted into the first insertion opening 3a of the adapter 3. When the connectors 100 have entered the first insertion opening 3a to a certain extent, the first housing 10 abuts against the adapter 3. When the second housing 20 is further pushed toward the adapter 3, the second housing 20 moves toward the tip side (+Z side) relative to the first housing 10. At this time, the locking portion 16 slides against the guide groove 21a, guiding the relative movement of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20.

[0032] As the second housing 20 and the first housing 10 move relative to each other, the protrusion 24a of the third pressing portion 24 (see FIG. 5), which is located furthest to the tip among the multiple pressing portions 22-25, first comes into contact with the first abutment portion 141a (see FIG. 6) of the third connector 100C. FIG. 9 shows the state in which the protrusion 24a and the first abutment portion 141a come into contact. When the second housing 20 is further pressed, a force toward the tip is transmitted to the connector 100 via the first abutment portion 141a. At this point, the first pressing portion 22, the second pressing portion 23, and the fourth pressing portion 25 are separated from the first abutment portions 141a of the connectors 100A, 100B, and 100D. In other words, only the third pressing portion 24 presses the third connector 100C toward the tip. Therefore, the operating force applied by the user to the second housing 20 is approximately the same as the force applied when pushing one connector 100 into the adapter 3 .

[0033] When the third pressing portion 24 presses the third connector 100C a predetermined amount, the engaging protrusion 131 of the third connector 100C engages with the engaging hole 3c of the adapter 3. This completes the connection between the third connector 100C and the adapter 3. When the user presses the second housing 20 further, the disengaging portion 17 abuts against the abutment release portion 141b, causing the abutment piece 141 to elastically deform toward the +X side (see FIG. 10 ). This releases contact between the third pressing portion 24 and the first abutment portion 141a.

[0034] Thereafter, the user continues to push the second housing 20 toward the adapter 3. As a result, the second pressing portion 23, which is located second to the tip of the multiple pressing portions 22 to 25, comes into contact with the first abutment portion 141a of the second connector 100B. Then, as the second pressing portion 23 pushes the second connector 100B, the engaging protrusion 131 engages with the engaging hole 3c. Furthermore, the action of the corresponding disengaging portion 17 releases the contact between the second pressing portion 23 and the first abutment portion 141a of the second connector 100B.

[0035] Thereafter, the fourth pressing portion 25 and the first pressing portion 22 sequentially push the corresponding fourth connector 100D and first connector 100A toward the tip end. In other words, by a single operation of pushing the second housing 20, it is possible to connect all four connectors 100 to the adapter 3 at once. Furthermore, if all four connectors 100 are to be connected to the adapter 3 simultaneously, the operating force required is more than four times that required for connecting only one connector 100 to the adapter 3. However, in this embodiment, the multiple pressing portions 22 to 25 connect each connector 100 to the adapter 3 at different times. Therefore, the operating force required for the simultaneous connection operation is reduced.

[0036] Next, the disconnection operation will be described. The auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment allows multiple connectors 100 to be disconnected from the adapter 3 all at once. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11 , with multiple connectors 100 connected to the adapter 3, the second housing 20 is pulled toward the base end (-Z side). When the second housing 20 moves toward the base end relative to the first housing 10, the locking protrusion 16a of the first housing 10 reaches the distal end of the locking hole 21b in the second housing 20, and a force toward the base end is also transmitted to the first housing 10. When the first housing 10 moves toward the base end, the release portions 14a to 14d come into contact with the second contact portions 142 of each connector 100.

[0037] 12, when the first housing 10 moves further toward the base end, the swinging portion 13 swings in a direction in which the tip portion 13b moves away from the fourth connector 100D (the second abutting portion 142 of the fourth connector 100D). As a result, the release portions 14b to 14d no longer abut against the connectors 100B to 100D, and only the first release portion 14a abuts against the second abutting portion 142 of the first connector 100A. Therefore, the operating force required when the user pulls the second housing 20 is approximately the same as the force required to remove only one first connector 100A from the adapter 3.

[0038] Here, the swinging portion 13 is elastically deformed when it swings around the swing center 13a. When the swinging portion 13 is elastically deformed in this manner, a moment is generated that swings the swinging portion 13 in a direction to remove the connectors 100A to 100D from the adapter 3.

[0039] When the user further pulls the second housing 20, the first connector 100A, whose second abutment portion 142 is pressed by the first release portion 14a, is removed from the adapter 3. At this time, the engaging protrusion 131 of the first connector 100A disengages from the engaging hole 3c of the adapter 3, thereby releasing the force applied to the first connector 100A from the first release portion 14a toward the base end. In other words, the reaction force that the first release portion 14a receives from the first connector 100A is also released. Because the moment continues to act on the swinging portion 13, the swinging portion 13 swings around the swing center 13a, and the second release portion 14b abuts against the second abutment portion 142 of the second connector 100B.

[0040] The second release portion 14b also acts in the same manner as the first release portion 14a, thereby removing the second connector 100B from the adapter 3. Then, the reaction force that the second release portion 14b received from the second connector 100B is also released, the swing portion 13 swings around the swing center 13a, and the third release portion 14c abuts against the second abutment portion 142 of the third connector 100C. Thereafter, the same action is repeated, and the third connector 100C and the fourth connector 100D are also removed from the adapter 3.

[0041] In other words, by a single operation of pulling the second housing 20, all four connectors 100 can be collectively disconnected from the adapter 3. Furthermore, if all four connectors 100 are to be simultaneously disconnected from the adapter 3, the operating force required is at least four times that required for disconnecting one connector 100 from the adapter 3. However, in this embodiment, the multiple disconnecting units 14a to 14d disconnect each connector 100 from the adapter 3 at different times. Therefore, the operating force required for the collective disconnection operation is reduced.

[0042] As described above, the auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment is used to connect multiple connectors 100 to the adapter 3. The auxiliary tool 1 includes a first housing 10 and a second housing 20 that is movable relative to the first housing 10. The first housing 10 includes a first opening 11 that opens toward the adapter 3 and allows the tips of the multiple connectors 100 to protrude toward the adapter 3, a second opening 12 that opens toward the second housing 20, and a swingable pivoting unit 13. The pivoting unit 13 has multiple release portions 14a to 14d that respectively come into contact with the abutment portions (second abutment portions) 142 of the multiple connectors 100A to 100D when the first housing 10 moves away from the adapter 3, and the multiple release portions 14a to 14d are arranged side by side in the parallel direction Y. The swing center 13a of the swing part 13 is located at the end of the swing part 13 in the parallel direction Y, and when the tip end 13b of the swing part 13 swings in a direction away from the abutment part (second abutment part) 142 of the connector 100, a moment acts on the swing part 13 to swing the swing part 13 in a direction to remove the connector 100 from the adapter 3.

[0043] This auxiliary tool 1 makes it possible to collectively connect and disconnect multiple connectors 100A-100D to and from the adapter 3. Furthermore, the multiple disconnecting portions 14a-14d formed on the swinging portion 13 can be used to sequentially disconnect the multiple connectors 100 one by one from the adapter 3. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the operating force required compared to when multiple connectors 100 are simultaneously disconnected from the adapter 3.

[0044] Furthermore, the swinging portion 13 is integrally molded with the first housing 10. Therefore, compared to a case where the swinging portion 13 is separate from the first housing 10, for example, the number of parts can be reduced.

[0045] Furthermore, the multiple release portions 14a to 14d protrude from the swinging portion 13 toward the second housing 20. This makes it easier for the force to be transmitted from the release portions 14a to 14d toward the base ends of the connectors 100A to 100D. This allows the connectors 100A to 100D to be removed more smoothly.

[0046] The second housing 20 also has a plurality of pressing portions 22-25 that press the plurality of connectors 100A-100D toward the adapter 3, and the positions of the pressing portions 22-25 are different from one another in the direction (longitudinal direction Z) in which the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 move relative to one another. This allows the connectors 100A-100D to be pressed against the adapter 3 at different times. Therefore, the maximum operating force can be reduced compared to when multiple connectors are pressed simultaneously.

[0047] In addition, the first housing 10 has a plurality of disengagement portions 17 that release the contact between the plurality of pressing portions 22-25 and the plurality of connectors 100A-100D, thereby preventing the pressing force from continuing to act on the connector 100 after the connection to the adapter 3 is complete.

[0048] 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.

[0049] For example, the swinging unit 13 may be formed as a separate body from the first housing 10. Furthermore, the moment acting on the swinging unit 13 may be generated by means other than elastic deformation of the swinging unit 13. For example, a torsion coil spring or the like may be attached to the swinging unit 13 that is separate from the first housing 10 to generate a moment.

[0050] 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.

[0051] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 auxiliary tool 2 connector 3 adapter 10 first housing 11 first opening 12 second opening 13 swinging portion 13a swing center 13b tip portion 14a to 14d release portion 17 disengagement portion 20 second housing 22 to 25 pressing portion 100, 100A to 100D connector Y parallel direction

Claims

1. An auxiliary tool used to connect multiple connectors to an adapter, comprising: a first housing; and a second housing movable relative to the first housing, wherein the first housing comprises: a first opening that opens toward the adapter and allows tips of the multiple connectors to protrude toward the adapter, a second opening that opens toward the second housing, and a swingable swinging part, wherein the swinging part has a plurality of release parts that abut against respective abutment parts of the multiple connectors when the first housing moves away from the adapter, the multiple release parts are arranged side by side in a parallel direction, a swing center of the swinging part is located at an end of the swinging part in the parallel direction, and when the tip of the swinging part swings in a direction away from the abutment part of the connector, a moment acts on the swinging part to swing the swinging part in a direction to remove the connector from the adapter.

2. The auxiliary tool according to claim 1, wherein the swinging portion is integrally molded with the first housing.

3. The auxiliary tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of release portions protrude from the pivot portion toward the second housing.

4. An auxiliary tool as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the second housing has a plurality of pressing portions that press the plurality of connectors toward the adapter, and the positions of the plurality of pressing portions are different from each other in the direction in which the first housing and the second housing move relative to each other.

5. The auxiliary tool according to claim 4, wherein the first housing has a plurality of disengagement portions that release contact between the plurality of pressing portions and the plurality of connectors.

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