Optical connector

Abstract

This optical connector comprises: a ferrule having a connection end surface that has a plurality of fiber holes arranged in a prescribed direction, and a recessed part that is depressed in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the prescribed direction; a biasing member for biasing the ferrule; an intermediate member for transmitting the biasing force of the biasing member to the ferrule; and a housing for housing a part of the ferrule, the intermediate member, and the biasing member. The intermediate member has a body section that contacts the ferrule from the base end side of the ferrule, the body section has an outer part that is positioned further outwards than the ferrule in the prescribed direction, and the housing has a first projecting part that enters the recessed part and a second projecting part for abutting the outside part.

Description

Optical Connector

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-006140, filed on January 18, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] In recent years, optical connectors have become increasingly miniaturized. For example, in the optical connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, a recess is formed inside the ferrule. The positional relationship of the ferrule within the housing is determined by the protrusion of the housing and the recess of the ferrule. This structure allows the ferrule to be made smaller than conventional MPO connectors that have a flange formed on the ferrule.

[0003] US Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 161116

[0004] To reduce optical transmission loss in compact optical connectors, the orientation of the ferrule relative to the optical connector to be connected is important. However, as optical connectors become smaller, the clearance between components also becomes smaller. As a result, for example, when the housing and ferrule move relative to each other, the ferrule may become stuck in an unintended orientation and come into contact with the connector in an undesirable orientation.

[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 allows a ferrule to be brought into contact with a connection target in an appropriate posture.

[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 with a plurality of fiber holes arranged in a predetermined direction and a recess recessed in a direction perpendicular to both the predetermined direction and the longitudinal direction of the fiber holes, a biasing member that biases the ferrule, an intermediate member that transmits the biasing force of the biasing member to the ferrule, and a housing that accommodates a portion of the ferrule, the intermediate member, and the biasing member, wherein the intermediate member has a main body portion that contacts the ferrule from the base end side of the ferrule, the main body portion has an outer portion that is positioned outside the ferrule in the predetermined direction, and the housing has a first convex portion that enters the recess and a second convex portion that abuts the outer portion.

[0007] Aspect 2 of the present invention is an optical connector according to aspect 1, wherein the outer portion has an inclined surface extending toward the base end as it moves outward in the specified direction, and the second convex portion has a corner, and the corner abuts the inclined surface.

[0008] Aspect 3 of the present invention is an optical connector according to aspect 2, wherein the intermediate member has an abutment surface that abuts against the ferrule, a portion of the abutment surface has an opening, and the inclined surface extends along the outer periphery of the abutment surface excluding the opening.

[0009] A fourth aspect of the present invention is an optical connector according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the ferrule has two positioning holes, and the intermediate member has two positioning pins inserted into the two positioning holes.

[0010] Aspect 5 of the present invention is an optical connector according to aspect 1, wherein the second convex portion has an inclined surface extending toward the base end as it moves outward in a predetermined direction, and the outer portion has a corner portion, and the corner portion may abut the inclined surface.

[0011] According to the above aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical connector that allows the ferrule to abut against a connection target in an appropriate posture.

[0012] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an optical connector according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a view seen in the direction of the arrow II in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view seen in the direction of the arrow III-III in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion IV in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the intermediate member alone in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view according to a modified example of Fig. 4.

[0013] An optical connector according to this embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the optical connector 1 includes a ferrule 10, a housing 40, a boot 50, and a plurality of optical fibers F. The ferrule 10 has a plurality of fiber holes 11 arranged in a row. The plurality of fiber holes 11 may also be arranged in two or more rows. As shown in Figure 3, the optical connector 1 further includes an intermediate member 20 and a biasing member 30.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the ferrule 10 has a connection end face 10a. Fiber holes 11 and positioning holes 12 are opened in the connection end face 10a. An optical fiber F is inserted into each of the fiber holes 11. However, it is not necessary for an optical fiber F to be inserted into some of the fiber holes 11. In other words, the number of optical fibers F may be less than the number of fiber holes 11. The optical fibers F are exposed at the connection end face 10a. The connection end face of another connector to be connected can be abutted against the connection end face 10a, thereby optically connecting the optical connector 1 to the other connector.

[0015] (Direction Definition) In this specification, the direction in which the multiple fiber holes 11 extend is referred to as the longitudinal direction Z. The side of the connection end face 10a in the longitudinal direction Z (+Z side) is referred to as the front or tip side. The opposite side (-Z side) is referred to as the rear or base side. The direction in which the fiber holes 11 are arranged in a row is referred to as the first direction X or a predetermined direction. The first direction X is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction Z. One side in the first direction X is referred to as the +X side, and the other side is referred to as the -X side. The direction orthogonal to both the first direction X and the longitudinal direction Z is referred to as the second direction Y or an orthogonal direction. One side in the second direction Y is referred to as the +Y side, and the other side is referred to as the -Y side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the tip of the optical connector 1 taken along a direction orthogonal to the first direction X, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tip of the optical connector 1 taken along a direction orthogonal to the second direction Y. In FIG. 3, the optical fiber F is omitted.

[0016] The ferrule 10 has two positioning holes 12. The positioning holes 12 open to the connection end face 10a and penetrate the ferrule 10 in the longitudinal direction Z. The two positioning holes 12 are arranged at an interval in the first direction X. The two positioning holes 12 are arranged so as to sandwich a plurality of fiber holes 11 between them in the first direction X. The optical connector 1 of this embodiment is a female connector, and the relative positions of the optical connector 1 and the other connector are determined by inserting a positioning pin of the other connector into the positioning hole 12.

[0017] The optical fiber F is inserted through the fiber hole 11 and extends from the ferrule 10 toward the base end. The optical fibers F are inserted inside the biasing member 30. The optical fibers F are also inserted inside the boot 50. As shown in FIG. 2 , the ferrule 10 has a first end face 14 and a second end face 15 facing the second direction Y. Recesses 14a and 15a are formed in the end faces 14 and 15, respectively. The recesses 14a and 15a are recessed inward in the second direction Y from the first end face 14 and the second end face 15, respectively.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3 , the housing 40 has a distal side member 41 and a proximal side member 42. These two members 41, 42 are combined to form the housing 40. However, the housing 40 may be a single member. A portion of the ferrule 10, the intermediate member 20, and the biasing member 30 are housed inside the housing 40. The distal end (the end on the +Z side) of the ferrule 10 protrudes from the housing 40. An accommodation hole 43 is formed inside the housing 40 to accommodate the biasing member 30. The accommodation hole 43 is provided across the distal side member 41 and the proximal side member 42.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2 , two first protrusions 44, 45 are formed at the tip of the tip side member 41. The first protrusions 44, 45 each protrude inward in the second direction Y from the inner surface of the tip side member 41. The first protrusions 44, 45 each extend into the recesses 14a, 15a of the ferrule, respectively. This determines the position of the ferrule 10 relative to the housing 40. The first protrusions 44, 45 function as so-called centering keys. As shown in FIG. 3 , the tip side member 41 has a second protrusion 41a that protrudes inward in the first direction X.

[0020] 3, the base-side member 42 has a support surface 42a facing the tip side. The base end of the urging member 30 is in contact with the support surface 42a. The tip end of the urging member 30 is in contact with the intermediate member 20. The urging member 30 is compressed between the intermediate member 20 and the support surface 42a of the base-side member 42. The urging member 30 has a function of urging the ferrule 10 toward the tip side. The urging member 30 is, for example, a coil spring.

[0021] The intermediate member 20 is disposed between the biasing member 30 and the ferrule 10 in the longitudinal direction Z. The intermediate member 20 is disposed on the opposite side of the ferrule 10 from the connection end face 10a. The intermediate member 20 contacts the base end of the ferrule 10 and holds the ferrule 10. The intermediate member 20 has a role of transmitting the biasing force of the biasing member 30 to the ferrule 10.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3 , the intermediate member 20 has a main body 21 and two positioning pins 22. The main body 21 is located closer to the base end (−Z side) than the ferrule 10. The two positioning pins 22 protrude from the main body 21 toward the tip end (+Z side). The relative positions of the ferrule 10 and the intermediate member 20 are determined by inserting the two positioning pins 22 into the positioning holes 12 of the ferrule 10. Because the optical connector 1 of this embodiment is female, the positioning pins 22 do not protrude toward the tip end from the ferrule 10. If the optical connector 1 were male, the positioning pins 22 may protrude toward the tip end from the ferrule 10.

[0023] 4, the main body 21 has an outer portion 21a. The outer portion 21a is a portion of the main body 21 that is located outside the ferrule 10 in the first direction X. An inclined surface 21b is formed on the outer portion 21a. The inclined surface 21b extends toward the base end (-Z side) as it extends outward in the first direction X.

[0024] 5, the main body 21 of the intermediate part 20 is C-shaped when viewed from the longitudinal direction Z, and has an opening 23. The intermediate part 20 has a contact surface 21c that contacts the ferrule 10. When viewed from the longitudinal direction Z, the contact surface 21c is also C-shaped. The inclined surface 21b extends along the outer periphery of the contact surface 21c excluding the opening 23.

[0025] Next, the operation of the optical connector 1 configured as above will be described.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, the position of the ferrule 10 relative to the housing 40 is determined by the first convex portions 44, 45 entering the concave portions 14a, 15a. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4, the position of the intermediate member 20 relative to the housing 40 is determined by the corner portion 41b of the second convex portion 41a abutting against the inclined surface 21b. In addition, the relative positions of the intermediate member 20 and the ferrule 10 are determined by the positioning hole 12 and the positioning pin 22. Therefore, the corner portion 41b and the inclined surface 21b also have the function of indirectly determining the relative positions of the ferrule 10 and the housing 40.

[0027] For example, if the ferrule 10 is deviated from the target position toward the −X side, the corner 41b abuts against the middle portion of the inclined surface 21b in the first direction X. A biasing force toward the tip side is applied to the intermediate member 20 by the biasing member 30. At the point of contact between the inclined surface 21b and the corner 41b, a component of the biasing force is generated in a direction that moves the intermediate member 20 toward the +X side. This component of the force moves the intermediate member 20 and the ferrule 10 toward the +X side. As a result, the ferrule 10 is moved to the target position.

[0028] Here, positioning by the first convex portions 44, 45 and concave portions 14a, 15a is performed near the front end of the ferrule 10. In contrast, positioning by the second convex portion 41a and inclined surface 21b is performed near the rear end of the ferrule 10. In other words, the ferrule 10 is positioned relative to the housing 40 at both the front and rear ends of the ferrule 10. In this way, it is possible to control the inclination of the ferrule 10 with respect to the Z axis (the axis along the longitudinal direction Z). By appropriately controlling the inclination (posture) of the ferrule 10, it is possible to improve connection loss when the optical connector 1 is connected to another optical connector.

[0029] In this embodiment, the two first protrusions 44 and 45 extend into the two recesses 14a and 15a, but there may be only one first protrusion and one recess.

[0030] As described above, the optical connector 1 of this embodiment includes a ferrule 10 having a connection end face 10a with a plurality of fiber holes 11 aligned in a predetermined direction (first direction X), recesses 14a, 15a recessed in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to both the predetermined direction and the longitudinal direction Z of the fiber holes 11, a biasing member 30 that biases the ferrule 10, an intermediate member 20 that transmits the biasing force of the biasing member 30 to the ferrule 10, and a housing 40 that accommodates a portion of the ferrule 10, the intermediate member 20, and the biasing member 30. The intermediate member 20 has a main body 21 that contacts the ferrule 10 from the base end side (-Z side) of the ferrule 10, and the main body 21 has an outer portion 21a located outside the ferrule 10 in the predetermined direction, and the housing 40 has first protrusions 44, 45 that enter the recesses 14a, 15a and a second protrusion 41a that abuts the outer portion 21a. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an optical connector 1 that can be brought into contact with a connection target in an appropriate posture.

[0031] Furthermore, the outer portion 21a has an inclined surface 21b that extends toward the base end (-Z side) as it moves outward in the first direction X, and the second convex portion 41a has a corner 41b that abuts against the inclined surface 21b. With this configuration, the inclined surface 21b and the corner 41b can determine the positioning of the intermediate member 20 and the housing 40 in the first direction X.

[0032] The intermediate member 20 has a contact surface 21c that contacts the ferrule 10, a portion of the contact surface 21c having an opening 23, and an inclined surface 21b extending along the outer periphery of the contact surface 21c excluding the opening 23. With this configuration, the intermediate member 20 can be positioned toward a target position in both the first direction X and the second direction Y. Therefore, the posture of the ferrule 10 can be controlled with greater precision.

[0033] Furthermore, the ferrule 10 has two positioning holes 12, and the intermediate member 20 has two positioning pins 22 inserted into the two positioning holes 12. With this configuration, the ferrule 10 and the intermediate member 20 are integrated together. Therefore, by determining the position of the intermediate member 20, it is possible to control the posture of the ferrule 10. However, the ferrule 10 and the intermediate member 20 may be integrated together using other configurations. For example, the ferrule 10 and the intermediate member 20 may be fixed together by adhesive or screws.

[0034] 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.

[0035] For example, in the above embodiment, the intermediate member 20 has the inclined surface 21b, and the housing 40 has the corner 41b. However, as shown in Fig. 6, the second protrusion 41a of the housing 40 may have the inclined surface 41c, and the intermediate member 20 may have the corner 21d. In this case, too, the position of the intermediate member 20 relative to the housing 40 can be determined by the corner 21d abutting against the inclined surface 41c.

[0036] 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.

[0037] According to the above aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical connector that allows the ferrule to abut against a connection target in an appropriate posture.

[0038] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Optical connector 10...Ferrule 10a...Connection end face 11...Fiber hole 12...Positioning hole 14a...Recess 20...Intermediate member 21...Main body 21a...Outer portion 21b, 41c...Inclined surface 21c...Abutting surface 22...Positioning pin 23...Opening 30...Pressing member 40...Housing 41a...Second convex portion 21d, 41b...Corner portion 44...First convex portion X...First direction (predetermined direction) Y...Second direction (orthogonal direction) Z...Longitudinal direction

Claims

1. A ferrule having a connection end face with a plurality of fiber holes arranged in a predetermined direction, and a recess recessed in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to both the predetermined direction and the longitudinal direction of the fiber holes; a biasing member for biasing the ferrule; an intermediate member for transmitting the biasing force of the biasing member to the ferrule; and a housing for housing a part of the ferrule, the intermediate member, and the biasing member, wherein the intermediate member has a main body portion that contacts the ferrule from the proximal end side of the ferrule, the main body portion has an outer portion located outside the ferrule in the predetermined direction, and the housing has a first convex portion that enters the recess and a second convex portion that contacts the outer portion, an optical connector.

2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the outer portion has an inclined surface extending toward the proximal end side as it extends outward in the predetermined direction, the second convex portion has a corner portion, and the corner portion contacts the inclined surface.

3. The optical connector according to claim 2, wherein the intermediate member has a contact surface that contacts the ferrule, a part of the contact surface has an opening, and the inclined surface extends along the outer periphery of the portion of the contact surface excluding the opening.

4. The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ferrule has two positioning holes, and the intermediate member has two positioning pins inserted into the two positioning holes.

5. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the second convex portion has an inclined surface extending toward the proximal end side as it extends outward in the predetermined direction, the outer portion has a corner portion, and the corner portion contacts the inclined surface.

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