Optical adapter retention structure and optical connector insertion / removal method

Abstract

Hard magnetic bodies (43) are fixed on both sides of an optical adapter (10) in the width direction, which is the direction in which a plurality of the optical adapters (10) are installed in parallel. The part of a fixture (7) that faces the hard magnetic bodies (43) provided on the optical adapter (10) is formed from another hard magnetic body or soft magnetic body that can attract the hard magnetic bodies (43). The vertical position of the hard magnetic body (43) on one side of the optical adapter (10) in the width direction is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body (43) on the other side of the optical adapter (10) in the width direction. That is, the vertical position of the hard magnetic body (43) on one side of the optical adapter (10) in the width direction and the vertical position of the hard magnetic body (43) on the other side of the optical adapter (10) in the width direction are different so that the hard magnetic bodies (43) are disposed at non-overlapping positions in the height direction.

Description

Optical adapter holding structure and optical connector insertion / removal method

[0001] The present invention relates to a holding structure for an optical adapter used for connecting communication cables such as optical fiber cables and optical cords.

[0002] Due to the rapid increase in traffic in optical communications, the number of optical fiber cores being laid has continued to increase, creating a need for high-density packaging in optical adapters used at the connection points of optical fiber cables and optical cords. However, when optical adapters are packaged at high density, the spacing between adjacent optical adapters becomes narrower, which in turn narrows the spacing between the optical connectors to be connected. As a result, when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from an optical adapter, it becomes difficult to ensure sufficient space between adjacent optical connectors for fingers to fit in.

[0003] Therefore, in order to secure a working space for inserting and removing optical connectors while mounting optical adapters at a high density, a high-density adapter mounting method is known which has a mechanism for first rotating the adapter or adapter mounting fixture to which the optical connector to be inserted or removed is attached during the insertion or removal work, thereby creating a working space for insertion and removal (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0004] However, in the methods of Patent Documents 1 and 2, when inserting or removing an optical connector, it is necessary to rotate the optical adapter, hold it in that state with a finger, etc., and insert or remove the optical connector while maintaining the rotated state, which makes the work difficult.

[0005] In response to this, a holding structure for optical adapters has been proposed that can easily swing adjacent optical adapters when inserting or removing an optical adapter, and can maintain the optical adapters perpendicular to the mounting fixture after the insertion or removal operation (Patent Document 3).In Patent Document 3, the optical adapters can be swung and their posture maintained using the attractive force of a hard magnetic material.

[0006] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 2003-86967 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-97841

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

[0008] When the hard magnetic materials 103 of adjacent optical adapters 100 have opposite polarities in this way, they attract each other. That is, when the optical adapters 100 are attached to the mounting fixture 107, the hard magnetic materials 103 are also attracted to each other, resulting in a stable state.

[0009] For example, if the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides of an optical adapter 100 all have the same polarity, the hard magnetic bodies 103 of adjacent optical adapters 100 will also have the same polarity. FIG. 13A is a plan view of an optical adapter 100 with the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides arranged with the same polarity. In this case, adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103 repel each other. That is, if the hard magnetic bodies 103 repel each other when the optical adapter 100 is attached to the attachment fixture 107, a force is applied in a direction that moves the optical adapter 100 away from the attachment fixture 107, which may cause an unstable state. For example, as shown in FIG. 13B , when one optical adapter 100 swings, the distance between the N and S poles of the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103 becomes closer, causing them to attract each other and preventing them from returning to their original state. However, in order to reduce this effect, increasing the distance between the optical adapters 100 (adjacent hard magnetic bodies 103) may result in a decrease in packaging density.

[0010] In contrast, by making the hard magnetic materials 103 on both sides of the width of the optical adapter 100 opposite in polarity and arranging the polarities of the hard magnetic materials 103 of the optical adapters 100 arranged side by side alternately in the direction in which the optical adapters 100 are arranged side by side, adjacent optical adapters 100 can be brought closer to each other, thereby increasing the packaging density.

[0011] 14A is a plan view of the optical adapter 100 when the hard magnetic bodies 103 on both sides are arranged so that their polarities are different. As described above, adjacent optical adapters 100 normally attract each other, so even if one optical adapter 100 wobbles slightly, the attraction between the hard magnetic bodies 103 and the mounting fixture 107 acts to return it to its original state.

[0012] 14B , when the distance between the optical adapters 100 becomes short and the swing angle becomes large to a certain extent, the same poles of the adjacent hard magnetic materials 103 come close to each other, and a repulsive force is generated. In this state, the repulsive force may prevent the optical adapter 100 from returning to its original state.

[0013] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an optical adapter holding structure that allows high-density mounting and is capable of stable operation.

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first invention is an optical adapter holding structure comprising: a mounting fixture having a plurality of mounting holes arranged side by side; optical adapters to be mounted in the mounting holes; and a swinging mechanism capable of swinging the optical adapter relative to the mounting fixture, wherein a hard magnetic body is fixed near both ends of the optical adapter in a width direction, which is the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side; a portion of the mounting fixture facing the hard magnetic body provided on the optical adapter is made of a soft magnetic body that can be attracted to the hard magnetic body; the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on one side of the optical adapter in the width direction is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on the other side of the optical adapter in the width direction; and when a force greater than the attraction force of the hard magnetic body is applied to an optical adapter adjacent to any one of the optical adapters, the swinging mechanism allows the optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter to swing in the direction in which the adjacent optical adapter is arranged side by side, as viewed from the optical adapter, and when the force is released, the attraction force of the hard magnetic body can hold the optical adapter in a direction approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture.

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

[0016] The holding means may be formed integrally with the body of the optical adapter.

[0017] The holding means may have a recess, and the hard magnetic body may be fitted into the recess.

[0018] A gap may be formed between the hard magnetic material and the fixture.

[0019] The hard magnetic bodies may be arranged near the ends of the optical adapter in the width direction on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side.

[0020] According to the first invention, when inserting or removing an optical connector, if a finger is inserted into the gap between adjacent optical adapters, the optical adapters are arranged at a high density, so that the finger also comes into contact with adjacent optical adapters and optical connectors, and the adjacent optical connectors are subjected to a force lateral to the insertion / removal direction of the connector. In this case, a hard magnetic material is fixed to the optical adapter, and the mounting fixture facing the hard magnetic material of the optical adapter is made of a soft magnetic material that can be attracted to the hard magnetic material. When a force greater than the attractive force of the hard magnetic material is applied to adjacent optical connecting members, the optical connecting members swing, creating an operating space for the finger. Furthermore, when the force is released, the optical adapters return to their original position, and the optical adapters can be held in place by the attractive force of the hard magnetic material.

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

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

[0023] If such a holding means is formed integrally with the main body of the optical adapter, the number of parts required can be reduced.

[0024] Furthermore, the hard magnetic material can be securely held by fitting it into a recess provided in the holding means. Furthermore, by forming a gap between the fixture and the hard magnetic material, the adhesive force between the fixture and the hard magnetic material can be adjusted.

[0025] Furthermore, by arranging the hard magnetic material on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged, the intervals between the optical adapters can be narrowed, allowing the optical adapters to be arranged at high density.

[0026] The second invention is a method for inserting and removing an optical connector into and from the optical adapter holding structure of the first invention, characterized in that when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from any of the optical adapters, another optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter is swung in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter by the swinging mechanism, thereby forming space around the optical adapter, and after the insertion or removal operation is performed, the other optical adapter is returned to its original position by the swinging mechanism.

[0027] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the workability is good and the connector can be easily inserted and removed.

[0028] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical adapter holding structure that allows high density mounting and is capable of stable operation.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an optical patch panel 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a rack 1. FIG. 3 is a front view showing an optical adapter 10 and the like attached to a fixture 7. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an optical adapter 10 and the like attached to a fixture 7. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an optical adapter 10 and the like attached to a fixture 7. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the optical adapter 10. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the operation of the optical adapter 10. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the optical adapter 10. FIG. 9 is a front view showing an adjacent arrangement of optical adapters 10. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an adjacent arrangement of optical adapters 10 using a holder 47. FIG. 11 is a front view showing an adjacent arrangement of optical adapters 10 using the holder 47. FIG. 12 is a plan view of an optical adapter 10 using another holder 47. FIG. 13 is a front view of an optical adapter 10 using another holder 47. FIG. 14 is a front view of an optical adapter 10 using yet another holder 47. FIG. 15 is a plan view of an optical adapter 10 with an integrated holder. FIG. 16 is a plan view showing an adjacent arrangement of optical adapters 10a using the holder 47. FIG. 17 is a front view of an optical adapter 10a using the holder 47. A diagram showing the polarity of hard magnetic materials when optical adapters 100 are installed side by side. A plan view of optical adapters 100 installed side by side with the same polarity. A plan view of optical adapters 100 installed side by side with the same polarity. A plan view of optical adapters 100 installed side by side with different polarities. A plan view of optical adapters 100 installed side by side with different polarities.

[0030] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an optical patch panel 3 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a rack 1. The rack 1 is, for example, a 19-inch rack, and the optical patch panel 3 is mounted on the rack 1, with a mount 4 of the optical patch panel 3 fixed to a frame 2 of the rack 1 with screws or the like.

[0031] An external cable 20 is introduced from the rear side of the optical patch panel 3 and fixed to the optical patch panel 3 at an external cable fixing portion 5 provided behind the optical patch panel 3. The cable sheath 21 of the external cable 20 is removed inside the optical patch panel 3, and the internal optical fiber 22 is routed to the optical fiber splicing tray 6. The optical fiber 22 is connected to a conversion cord 24 with an optical connector such as SC, LC, or MPO (hereinafter simply referred to as "SC, etc.") by fusion splicing or the like. In the optical fiber splicing tray 6, these splices are stored together with the excess length of the optical fiber 22 and the conversion cord 24 with an optical connector such as SC.

[0032] A plate-shaped fixture 7, to which an optical adapter 10 such as an LC can be attached, is provided in front of the optical patch panel 3. A cord receiving tray 8 is provided further in front of the fixture 7. The cord receiving tray 8 can receive an intra-office cord 25 with an optical connector from below.

[0033] A plurality of optical adapters 10 are attached to the fixture 7, and an outside line optical connector 27 is inserted into the optical adapter 10 from the rear, and an inside optical connector 28 of the inside office cord 25 with optical connector is inserted into the optical adapter 10 from the front. By arbitrarily changing the optical adapter 10 into which the inside office optical connector 28 is inserted, it is possible to switch the outside line cable 20 to be connected.

[0034] The structure of the optical patch panel 3 is not limited to the example shown in the figure. For example, an external cable 20 without an optical connector is shown as the cable introduced from the rear side of the optical patch panel 3, but this is just an example, and a cord with an optical connector or a cable with an optical connector may also be introduced. In that case, the optical patch panel structure will be one in which the optical fiber connection tray 6 is not required.

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

[0036] The fixture 7 is provided with a plurality of substantially rectangular mounting holes 9. An optical adapter 10 is mounted in each mounting hole 9. For simplicity, only three optical adapters 10 are shown mounted in the mounting holes 9. As described above, adjacent optical adapters 10 are arranged very close to each other. In this embodiment, the fixture 7 has a swing mechanism that can swing the optical adapter 10 relative to the fixture 7; however, the swing mechanism will be described in detail later and is not shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C.

[0037] The optical adapter 10 has a substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the optical axis direction, and protrusions 12 protrude from the top and bottom surfaces of the optical adapter 10 (both outer surfaces perpendicular to the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10, i.e., the up and down direction in FIG. 3A ). The overall height of the optical adapter 10, including the protrusions 12, is greater than the height of the mounting hole 9, so when the optical adapter 10 is inserted into the mounting hole 9, the optical adapter 10 is inserted up to near the protrusions 12. Meanwhile, the width of the mounting hole 9 is sufficiently greater than the width of the optical adapter 10 (the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 is taken as the width direction). Therefore, a predetermined clearance is formed between the optical adapter 10 and both edges of the mounting hole 9. The clearance is set according to the swingable range of the optical adapter 10, which will be described later.

[0038] Next, a method for inserting and removing an optical connector into and from the optical adapter holding structure will be described. Figures 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the operation of the optical adapter 10. First, as shown in Figure 4A, when connecting an intra-station optical connector 28 to the optical adapter 10 in the center of the figure, the intra-station optical connector 28 is moved straight toward the optical adapter 10 to be connected (in the direction of arrow C in the figure). At this time, because the spacing between adjacent intra-station optical connectors 28 and optical adapters 10 is narrow, fingers come into contact with the adjacent intra-station optical connectors 28 and optical adapters 10.

[0039] At this time, a swing mechanism, which will be described later, is provided at the attachment portion between the optical adapter 10 and the attachment fixture 7, so that the local-station optical connector 28 or the optical adapter 10 that is touched by the finger swings in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 (direction of arrow D in the figure). That is, when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from any optical adapter 10, the other optical adapters 10 adjacent to that optical adapter 10 can be swung in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 by the swing mechanism, which will be described later, to form space around that optical adapter 10. In this way, a working space is secured around the optical adapter 10 to be worked on, and the local-station optical connector 28 can be inserted into the optical adapter 10, as shown in FIG. 4B .

[0040] After this, when the finger is removed from the gap between the intra-station optical connectors 28, the optical adapter 10 returns to its original state ( FIG. 3C ). In other words, after the insertion / removal operation, the adjacent optical adapter 10 can be returned to its original position by the swing mechanism. In this way, when a force of a predetermined value or more is applied to another optical adapter 10 adjacent to the optical adapter 10, the swing mechanism allows the other optical adapter 10 adjacent to the optical adapter 10 to swing in the juxtaposition direction of the other adjacent optical adapter 10 as seen from the optical adapter 10, and when the force is released, the balance of forces in the swing mechanism makes it possible to hold the optical adapter 10 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture 7.

[0041] The same applies when removing the inside-station optical connector 28 from the optical adapter 10. When inserting or removing the inside-station optical connector 28, the other outside-line optical connectors 27 swing in a direction to approach each other, but when inserting or removing the outside-line optical connector 27, the optical adapter 10 swings so that the spacing between the outside-line optical connectors 27 widens and the spacing between the inside-station optical connectors 28 narrows.

[0042] In this way, the swing mechanism of the present invention does not swing the optical adapter 10 to be inserted or removed, but swings the adjacent optical adapter 10, so there is no need to hold the swing state by hand when inserting or removing the optical connector. In other words, the optical adapter 10 swings by the required amount depending on the finger touching it during the operation, and when the operation is completed, the optical adapter 10 naturally returns to its original state.

[0043] Here, the swing angle of the optical adapter 10 is preferably about ±20 degrees or less. If the swing angle is greater than this, adjacent optical connector-equipped conversion cords 24 or optical connector-equipped intra-station cords 25 may interfere with each other when the optical adapter 10 is swung, which may cause optical effects. For this reason, the width of the mounting hole 9 is set so that the swing angle of the optical adapter 10 falls within the above range. In other words, by making the width of the mounting hole 9 larger than the width of the optical adapter 10 by a predetermined amount or more, the optical adapter 10 can be allowed to swing, and by making the width of the mounting hole 9 smaller than the predetermined amount, the swing angle of the optical adapter 10 can be restricted to ±20 degrees or less.

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

[0045] The mounting fixture 7 can be, for example, a 19-inch rack conforming to EIA / ECA-310-E or a cabinet and rack conforming to JIS C 6010-2. In this case, a maximum of 25 optical adapters can be installed in the mounting fixture 7. Furthermore, the mounting fixture 7 does not have to be an integrated unit, but may be made up of multiple small mounting fixtures, each with a set of insertion holes, that are connected in the direction in which the optical adapters are installed.

[0046] Next, the swing mechanism will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the optical adapter 10. As described above, the optical adapter 10 is provided with a convex portion 12 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the swing direction. That is, the swing mechanism can swing the optical adapter 10 based on the vicinity of the convex portion 12. Furthermore, hard magnetic bodies 43 are fixed to both sides of the width direction of the optical adapter 10, which is the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapter 10 (the juxtaposition direction of the mounting holes 9 of the mounting fixture 7). That is, the hard magnetic bodies 43 are arranged so as to protrude on both sides of the width direction of the optical adapter 10. Note that, as will be described in detail later, the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on one side of the width direction of the optical adapter 10 is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body 43 on the other side of the width direction of the optical adapter 10.

[0047] The hard magnetic material 43 is a plate-shaped member made of, for example, ferrite or neodymium, and is fixed to the main body of the optical adapter 10 with adhesive or the like. Note that the method for fixing the hard magnetic material 43 is not particularly limited.

[0048] Furthermore, locking pieces 42 are formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the optical adapter 10 in positions facing the protrusion 12 and spaced apart from the protrusion 12. Simply by inserting the optical adapter 10 with the locking pieces 42 attached into the mounting hole 9, the edge of the mounting hole 9 is positioned between the protrusion 12 and the locking pieces 42, and an optical adapter holding structure in which the optical adapter 10 is attached to the mounting fixture 7 can be obtained.

[0049] Furthermore, the fixture 7 to which the optical adapter is attached is generally made of a steel plate with a thickness of approximately 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. That is, the fixture 7 is made of a soft magnetic material to which the hard magnetic material 43 can be firmly attached. If the fixture 7 is made of resin or the like, a plate made of a soft magnetic material or another hard magnetic material may be attached to the surface of the fixture 7 facing the hard magnetic material 43 so that the hard magnetic material 43 can be attached to it. That is, the portion of the fixture 7 facing the hard magnetic material 43 provided on the optical adapter 10 is made of another hard or soft magnetic material that can be attached to the hard magnetic material 43.

[0050] Here, the hard magnetic materials 43 on both sides of the optical adapter 10 are arranged so as to be rotationally symmetrical about the center of the optical adapter 10 when viewed from the front. When the optical adapter 10 is inserted into the mounting hole 9, the hard magnetic materials 43 are attracted to the surfaces of the attachment fixture 7 (the surfaces on both sides of the mounting hole 9). In other words, the width of the portion where the hard magnetic materials 43 are arranged is wider than the width of the mounting hole 9. At this time, the hard magnetic materials 43 are arranged so that the attraction force is equal on the left and right sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10. Therefore, the flat surfaces of the hard magnetic materials 43 and the flat surfaces of the attachment fixture 7 are attracted to each other, and the optical adapter 10 is attached to the attachment fixture 7.

[0051] In this manner, with the optical adapter 10 inserted into the mounting hole 9, the optical adapter 10 is attached to the mounting fixture 7 by the attraction of the hard magnetic materials 43 on both sides of the width of the optical adapter 10. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the optical adapter 10 is attached approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture 7 by the attraction of the magnetic force, and can maintain that position.

[0052] When any optical adapter 10 receives a force greater than the attractive force of the hard magnetic material 43 in the juxtaposition direction of the optical adapters 10, one of the hard magnetic materials 43 in the width direction rises from the fixture 7, allowing the optical adapter 10 to swing. More specifically, when an external force is applied to the optical adapter 10 in the swinging direction, the optical adapter 10 tilts around the end of one of the hard magnetic materials 43, and the other hard magnetic material 43 moves away from the opposing surface of the fixture 7. When the external force is removed from this state, an attractive magnetic force is always acting between the hard magnetic material 43 and the fixture 7, which has soft magnetism, so the optical adapter 10 can be returned to its normal state (the vertical position of the optical adapter 10 relative to the fixture 7). In other words, when the force acting on the optical adapter 10 is released, the attractive force of the hard magnetic material 43 allows the optical adapter 10 to be swung and held in a direction approximately perpendicular to the fixture 7.

[0053] The distance between the protrusion 12 and the tip of the locking piece 42 is equal to or greater than the thickness of the mounting fixture 7. In other words, a clearance is ensured between the protrusion 12 or locking piece 42 and the mounting fixture 7. In this way, the locking piece 42 does not interfere with the swinging of the optical adapter 10 when it swings. Note that if the optical adapter 10 can be attached to the mounting fixture 7 so that it can swing, the protrusion 12 and the like are not necessarily required. Furthermore, if the adhesive force of the hard magnetic material 43 is sufficient, the locking piece 42 is not necessarily required.

[0054] Next, the optical adapter holding structure in which the optical adapter 10 is attached to the fixture 7 will be described in more detail. Fig. 6 is a front view showing the state in which the optical adapter 10 is attached to the fixture 7. For simplicity, only two optical adapters 10 are shown. As described above, hard magnetic materials 43 are fixed to the front surfaces on both sides in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 (the surfaces facing the fixture 7).

[0055] In this case, as described above, the vertical position of the hard magnetic material 43 on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic material 43 on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10. For example, on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 (e.g., the left side in the figure), the hard magnetic material 43 is arranged in a position in the lower half in the height direction of the optical adapter 10. On the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 (e.g., the right side in the figure), the hard magnetic material 43 is arranged in a position in the upper half in the height direction of the optical adapter 10. In other words, the vertical position of the hard magnetic material 43 on one side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10 is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic material 43 on the other side in the width direction of the optical adapter 10, and they are arranged in positions where they do not overlap in the height direction.

[0056] In this case, the hard magnetic materials 43 on both sides of the optical adapter 10 are the same size and have approximately equal adhesive force to the mounting fixture 7. In this way, the optical adapter 10 is held in place by the adhesive force of the hard magnetic materials 43, which exert an equal adhesive force in the width direction, and the mounting fixture 7. In other words, the optical adapter 10 can maintain an approximately perpendicular position relative to the mounting fixture 7.

[0057] In this way, by varying the height of the hard magnetic material 43 on both sides of the optical adapter 10, interference between the hard magnetic materials 43 of adjacent optical adapters 10 can be suppressed. That is, in the opposing portion between adjacent optical adapters 10, the hard magnetic material 43 of one optical adapter 10 (e.g., the left side in the figure) is located at the top, and the hard magnetic material 43 of the other adjacent optical adapter 10 (e.g., the right side in the figure) is located at the bottom, thereby suppressing the attraction and repulsion forces between the two hard magnetic materials 43. This does not interfere with the swinging of the optical adapter 10, and does not interfere with the return of the optical adapter 10 when unloaded. This prevents magnetic flux interference between adjacent hard magnetic materials 43.

[0058] In this way, by changing the positions of the hard magnetic bodies 43 provided on adjacent optical adapters 10, mutual interference can be suppressed. Therefore, the magnetic poles of the hard magnetic bodies 43 on both sides of the optical adapter 10 in the width direction may be opposite, or all of the hard magnetic bodies 43 may be arranged facing the same direction. In this way, in the normal state, the optical adapters 10 can be stably arranged even when brought close to each other, thereby increasing the packaging density of the optical adapters 10. Furthermore, even if the optical adapter 10 is swung by an angle greater than a predetermined angle, it can be reliably returned to its original state.

[0059] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 7A is a plan view showing an arrangement of optical adapters 10 according to the second embodiment, and Fig. 7B is a front view of optical adapter 10. In the following embodiments, components that perform the same functions as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals as those in Figs. 1 to 6, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0060] In this embodiment, the hard magnetic body 43 is fixed to the main body of the optical adapter 10 by a holder 47, which is a holding means. The material of the holder 47 is not particularly limited, but it is, for example, a non-magnetic material such as resin. In this case, a gap may be formed between the mounting fixture 7 and the hard magnetic body 43 to adjust the attraction force between the mounting fixture 7 and the hard magnetic body 43.

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

[0062] 10, the holding means for the hard magnetic material 43 may be formed integrally with the main body of the optical adapter 10. That is, the optical adapter 10 may have a holding portion 47a that holds the hard magnetic material 43. In this case, the optical adapter 10 itself is formed of a non-magnetic material.

[0063] Furthermore, the hard magnetic material 43 does not have to be arranged on both side surfaces in the width direction of the optical adapter. Fig. 11A is a plan view showing the optical adapter 10a in a juxtaposed state, and Fig. 11B is a front view of the optical adapter 10a. The optical adapter 10a is substantially the same as the optical adapter 10, but the hard magnetic material 43 is arranged near the ends in the width direction of the optical adapter 10a on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the juxtaposed direction of the optical adapter 10a. In other words, the hard magnetic material 43 is arranged near both side edges in the width direction of the optical adapter 10a on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the optical adapter 10a.

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

[0065] Even in this case, interference between adjacent hard magnetic bodies 43 can be suppressed. Furthermore, by arranging the hard magnetic bodies 43 above and below the optical adapter 10a, the optical adapters 10a can be arranged closer to each other. In this way, the hard magnetic bodies 43 may be arranged near both ends in the width direction of the optical adapter on the side or top and bottom surfaces of the optical adapter.

[0066] According to the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment. In this way, by holding the hard magnetic body 43 with the holding means, it is possible to reliably hold the hard magnetic body 43 at any position.

[0067] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0068] 1: Rack 2: Frame 3: Optical patch panel 4: Mounting section 5: External line cable fixing section 6: Optical fiber connection tray 7: Fixture 8: Cord receiving tray 9: Mounting hole 10, 10a: Optical adapter 12: Convex section 20: External line cable 21: Cable sheath 22: Optical fiber core 24: Conversion cord with optical connector 25: In-office cord with optical connector 27: External line side optical connector 28: In-office side optical connector 42: Locking piece 43: Hard magnetic material 47: Holder 47a: Holding section 48: Concave section 100: Optical adapter 103: Hard magnetic material 107: Fixture 109: Mounting hole

Claims

1. An optical adapter holding structure comprising: a mounting fixture with a plurality of mounting holes arranged side by side; optical adapters attached to the mounting holes; and a swinging mechanism capable of swinging the optical adapter relative to the mounting fixture, wherein hard magnetic bodies are fixed near both ends of the optical adapter in a width direction that is the direction in which the optical adapters are arranged side by side; a portion of the mounting fixture facing the hard magnetic body provided on the optical adapter is made of a soft magnetic body that can be attracted to the hard magnetic body; the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on one side of the optical adapter in the width direction is different from the vertical position of the hard magnetic body on the other side of the optical adapter in the width direction; and the swinging mechanism, when a force greater than the attraction force of the hard magnetic body is applied to an optical adapter adjacent to any one of the optical adapters, allows the optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter to swing in the direction in which the adjacent optical adapter is arranged side by side as seen from the optical adapter, and when the force is released, the attraction force of the hard magnetic body can hold the optical adapter in a direction approximately perpendicular to the mounting fixture.

2. The optical adapter holding structure according to claim 1, wherein said hard magnetic material is fixed to the body of said optical adapter by a holding means.

3. An optical adapter holding structure according to claim 2, wherein said holding means is formed integrally with the main body of said optical adapter.

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

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

6. An optical adapter holding structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the hard magnetic material is arranged near the widthwise ends of the optical adapter on each of the upper and lower surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the optical adapter is arranged.

7. A method for inserting and removing an optical connector into and from an optical adapter holding structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that when inserting or removing an optical connector into or from any of the optical adapters, another optical adapter adjacent to the optical adapter is swung in the direction of the optical adapter by the swinging mechanism, thereby forming space around the optical adapter, and after the insertion or removal work has been completed, the other optical adapter is returned to its original position by the swinging mechanism.

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