Optical connector

Abstract

An optical connector (1) is provided with: a ferrule (10); a first biasing member (61); a second biasing member (62); a pin clamp (50); a housing (20); and a latch (40). The first biasing member (61) is disposed farther from the latch (40) than the second biasing member (62) in a first direction (Z-axis direction). A first inter-seating-surface distance (D1) between a first seating surface (60A) and a third seating surface (60C), which receive the first biasing member (61), is shorter than a second inter-seating-surface distance (D2) between a second seating surface (60B) and a fourth seating surface (60D), which receive the second biasing member (62).

Description

Optical Connector

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-098227, filed on June 18, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a multi-fiber optical connector for connecting multiple optical fibers. This multi-fiber optical connector includes a ferrule to which an end of an optical fiber is fixed, a front housing that accommodates the ferrule, a rear housing through which the optical fiber is inserted, and a tube housing attached to the rear housing on the opposite side from the ferrule. The rear housing is provided with a spring that biases the ferrule forward.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 7107083

[0004] One side of the front housing is provided with a latch that engages with the adapter when connecting optical fibers. In an optical connector with such an asymmetrical engagement shape, the pressing force between the ferrules when connecting the optical fibers is received by the latch located on one side. As a result, the optical connector rotates around the latch, and the pressing force between the ferrules on the side farther from the latch is weaker than on the side closer to the latch. This can make the optical fiber located farther from the latch more susceptible to mechanical connection failure.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to suppress mechanical connection failures of optical fibers arranged farther from the latch in a multi-fiber optical connector.

[0006] An optical connector according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a ferrule having a connection end face on which a plurality of fiber holes are formed aligned in a first direction; a first biasing member that biases the ferrule in a second direction in which the connection end face faces; a second biasing member that is disposed spaced apart from the first biasing member in the first direction and biases the ferrule in the second direction; an intermediate member that has a first seating surface that receives the first biasing member and a second seating surface that receives the second biasing member and that transmits the biasing forces of the first biasing member and the second biasing member to the ferrule; the housing has a third seating surface that receives the second biasing member and a fourth seating surface that receives the second biasing member, and the housing accommodates a part of the ferrule, the first biasing member, the second biasing member, and the intermediate member, and a latch provided on one side of the housing in the first direction, wherein the first biasing member is disposed farther from the latch than the second biasing member in the first direction, and a first seating distance between the first seating surface that receives the first biasing member and the third seating surface is shorter than a second seating distance between the second seating surface that receives the second biasing member and the fourth seating surface.

[0007] A second aspect of the present disclosure is the optical connector of the first aspect, wherein the first seating surface and the second seating surface are provided at different positions in the second direction.

[0008] A third aspect of the present disclosure is the optical connector of the first or second aspect, wherein the front third seating surface and the front fourth seating surface are provided at different positions in the second direction.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in a multi-fiber optical connector, it is possible to suppress mechanical connection failure of optical fibers arranged farther from the latch.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an optical connector according to an embodiment; Fig. 2 is a front view of an optical connector according to an embodiment; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an optical connector according to an embodiment; Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an optical connector according to an embodiment; Fig. 5 is a side view showing a connected state of an optical connector according to a comparative example.

[0011] The optical connector of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an optical connector 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view of the optical connector 1 according to one embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the optical connector 1 includes a ferrule 10, a housing 20, and a boot 30. The ferrule 10 has a plurality of fiber holes 11 formed therein, which are aligned in a row. The plurality of fiber holes 11 may be aligned in two or more rows.

[0013] The ferrule 10 has a connection end face 10a in which a plurality of fiber holes 11 are formed. The connection end face 10a has fiber holes 11 and positioning holes 12 open. An optical fiber F is arranged in each of the plurality of fiber holes 11. Note that some of the fiber holes 11 may not have an optical fiber F arranged in them. 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 optical connector 1 can be connected to another optical connector by abutting the connection end face of the other optical connector to be connected to the connection end face 10a.

[0014] In the following description, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of each component is sometimes described with reference to this XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. As shown in the figure, the X-axis direction is set to the connection direction of the optical connector 1 (the direction in which the connection end face 10a faces, the direction in which the fiber holes 11 extend, and the longitudinal direction of the optical connector 1). In the X-axis direction, the side of the connection end face 10a (+X side) may be referred to as the front side, and the opposite side (-X side) may be referred to as the rear side.

[0015] The Y-axis direction is set to the width direction of the optical connector 1 (short direction of the optical connector 1). In the Y-axis direction, one side (+Y side) may be referred to as the right side, and the other side (-Y side) may be referred to as the left side. The Z-axis direction is set to the height direction of the optical connector 1 (the direction in which the fiber holes 11 are lined up). In the Z-axis direction, one side (+Z side) may be referred to as the upper side, and the other side (-Z side) may be referred to as the lower side.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, 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 X-axis direction. The two positioning holes 12 are spaced apart in the Z-axis direction. The two positioning holes 12 are arranged so as to sandwich a plurality of fiber holes 11 between them in the Z-axis direction. The optical connector 1 of this embodiment is a female connector, and the relative positions of the optical connector 1 and the other optical connector are determined by inserting a positioning pin of the other connector into the positioning hole 12.

[0017] The ferrule 10 has recesses 13 and 14 formed on its side surface facing the Y-axis direction. The recesses 13 and 14 are each recessed inward in the Y-axis direction from the side surface of the ferrule 10 facing the Y-axis direction. The housing 20 has protrusions 21 a and 21 b formed thereon to engage with the recesses 13 and 14. This determines the position of the ferrule 10 relative to the housing 20. The protrusions 21 a and 21 b function as so-called centering keys.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1 , the housing 20 includes a front housing 21, a rear housing 22, and a cover 23. The housing 20 is cylindrical, with the central axis of the cylinder extending in the X-axis direction. The front housing 21 is attached to the front side (+X side) of the rear housing 22. The cover 23 is attached to the upper side (+Z side) of the rear housing 22. The housing 20 may be a single member. A fitting hole 21c is formed in the side surface of the front housing 21 in the Y-axis direction (the surface facing outward in the Y-axis direction). A fitting protrusion 22b that fits into the fitting hole 21c is formed in the side surface of the rear housing 22 in the Y-axis direction (the surface facing outward in the Y-axis direction).

[0019] The cover 23 has an opening 23a in which the latch 40 is disposed. The latch 40 is provided on only one side (+Z side) of the housing 20. The latch 40 engages with an adapter (not shown) when connecting an optical fiber. In other words, the optical connector 1 has an asymmetrical engagement shape. The latch 40 is provided on only one side (+Z side) of the housing 20 in order to reduce the size of the optical connector 1, etc.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view in a direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the optical connector 1 according to one embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the latch 40 includes a fixed portion 41, a bent portion 42, and a curved portion 43. The latch 40 is disposed between the rear housing 22 and the cover 23.

[0021] The fixed portion 41 is fixed by being sandwiched between the rear housing 22 and the cover 23. The bent portion 42 is connected to the rear side of the fixed portion 41 and is bent in a mountain shape. The top of the bent portion 42 protrudes from the opening 23a of the cover 23 and is capable of engaging with an adapter (not shown). The curved portion 43 is connected to the rear side of the bent portion 42 and is curved in a hook shape from rear to front. The tip of the curved portion 43 contacts the inner wall of the cover 23. When the curved portion 43 is pressed so that the bent portion 42 is flattened, the curved portion 43 has a spring force that pushes back the bent portion 42 so that the bent portion 42 is bent to its original state.

[0022] The housing 20 accommodates a pin clamp 50 (intermediate member), a first biasing member 61, and a second biasing member 62. The tip end (the end on the +X side) of the ferrule 10 protrudes from the front end opening of the housing 20. An optical fiber F (not shown) is inserted into the fiber hole 11 of the ferrule 10, extends in the X-axis direction, passes through the insertion hole 51 a of the pin clamp 50 and the insertion hole 22 a of the rear housing 22, and is inserted into the inside of the boot 30.

[0023] The pin clamp 50 is disposed on the rear side (-X side) of the ferrule 10. In other words, the pin clamp 50 is disposed on the opposite side of the ferrule 10 from the connection end face 10a. The pin clamp 50 contacts the rear side of the ferrule 10 and holds the ferrule 10. The pin clamp 50 serves to transmit the biasing forces of the first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62 to the ferrule 10.

[0024] The pin clamp 50 has a main body 51, two positioning pins 52, and two spring bearing pins 53. The main body 51 has an insertion hole 51a through which an optical fiber F (not shown) passes in the X-axis direction. The two positioning pins 52 protrude forward (toward the +X direction) from the main body 51. The relative positions of the ferrule 10 and the pin clamp 50 are determined by inserting the two positioning pins 52 into the positioning holes 12 of the ferrule 10.

[0025] Because the optical connector 1 of this embodiment is female, the positioning pin 52 does not protrude from the ferrule 10 toward the tip. If the optical connector 1 is male, the positioning pin 52 may protrude from the ferrule 10 toward the tip. The two spring bearing pins 53 protrude toward the rear (-X side) from the main body 51. A first bearing surface 60A that receives the front end of the first biasing member 61 and a second bearing surface 60B that receives the front end of the second biasing member 62 are formed around the two spring bearing pins 53.

[0026] Two spring bearing pins 24 are also formed at the front end of the rear housing 22. A third bearing surface 60C that receives the rear end of the first biasing member 61 and a fourth bearing surface 60D that receives the rear end of the second biasing member 62 are formed around the two spring bearing pins 24. The first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62 bias the ferrule 10 in the X-axis direction. The first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62 are held by the two spring bearing pins 24 and the two spring bearing pins 53.

[0027] 4, the first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62 are the same coil spring. In other words, the first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62 have the same spring constant and natural length. The first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62 are arranged to be spaced apart in the Z-axis direction. The first biasing member 61 is arranged on the farther side (-Z side) from the latch 40 in the Z-axis direction than the second biasing member 62.

[0028] 3, a distance D1 between the first seating surface 60A and the third seating surface 60C that receive the first biasing member 61 is shorter than a distance D2 between the second seating surface 60B and the fourth seating surface 60D that receive the second biasing member 62. In other words, when the housing 20 is disposed at a predetermined position, the biasing force of the first biasing member 61 is stronger than the biasing force of the second biasing member 62.

[0029] The third seating surface 60C and the fourth seating surface 60D formed on the rear housing 22 are provided at different positions in the X-axis direction. Specifically, the third seating surface 60C is located forward (toward the +X side) of the fourth seating surface 60D in the X-axis direction. The distance D3 in the X-axis direction between the third seating surface 60C and the fourth seating surface 60D represents the difference in the biasing force between the first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62. Note that the first seating surface 60A and the second seating surface 60B may be provided at different positions in the X-axis direction to create a difference in the biasing force between the first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62.

[0030] Fig. 5 is a side view showing the connection state of an optical connector 100 according to a comparative example. Note that the inclination of the optical connector 100 is exaggerated in Fig. 5. The optical connector 100 shown in Fig. 5 includes a ferrule 110 having a connection end face 110a and a housing 120 that accommodates a portion of the ferrule 110. The housing 120 accommodates a spring (not shown) that biases the ferrule 110 in the X-axis direction and a pin clamp (not shown) that transmits the biasing force of the spring to the ferrule 110.

[0031] One side (+Z side) of the housing 120 is provided with a latch 140 that engages with the adapter 200 when connecting optical fibers. In the optical connector 100 with such an asymmetric engagement shape, the pressing force between the ferrules 110 when connecting optical fibers is received by the latch 140 located on one side. In this case, the optical connector 100 rotates around the latch 140 as a fulcrum, and the pressing force F1 on the side farther from the latch 140 may become weaker than the pressing force F2 on the side closer to the latch 140. As a result, mechanical connection failure may be more likely to occur in the optical fiber located farther from the latch 140.

[0032] 3, the distance D1 between the first seating surfaces 60A and 60C that receive the first biasing member 61 is shorter than the distance D2 between the second seating surfaces 60B and 60D that receive the second biasing member 62, so that the biasing force of the first biasing member 61 disposed on the side farther from the latch 40 can be strengthened. This balances the biasing force of the first biasing member 61 and the biasing force of the second biasing member 62, eliminating mechanical connection problems with the optical fiber F disposed on the side farther from the latch 40. Furthermore, the same coil spring can be used for the first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62, preventing incorrect assembly of parts when assembling the optical connector 1.

[0033] As described above, the optical connector 1 according to this embodiment includes the ferrule 10 having the connection end face 10a on which the plurality of fiber holes 11 are formed aligned in the Z-axis direction (first direction), the first biasing member 61 that biases the ferrule 10 in the X-axis direction (second direction) to which the connection end face 10a faces, the second biasing member 62 that is arranged spaced apart from the first biasing member 61 in the Z-axis direction and biases the ferrule 10 in the X-axis direction, the pin clamp 50 that has a first seating surface 60A that receives the first biasing member 61 and a second seating surface 60B that receives the second biasing member 62 and that transmits the biasing forces of the first biasing member 61 and the second biasing member 62 to the ferrule 10, and the first biasing member 61. The connector includes a housing 20 having a third seating surface 60C that receives the biasing member 61 and a fourth seating surface 60D that receives the second biasing member 62, and accommodating a portion of the ferrule 10, the first biasing member 61, the second biasing member 62, and the pin clamp 50, and a latch 40 provided on one side of the housing 20 in the Z-axis direction, wherein the first biasing member 61 is disposed farther from the latch 40 in the Z-axis direction than the second biasing member 62, and a distance D1 between the first seating surface 60A that receives the first biasing member 61 and the third seating surface 60C is shorter than a distance D2 between the second seating surface 60B that receives the second biasing member 62 and the fourth seating surface 60D. With this configuration, in the multi-core optical connector 1, mechanical connection failure of the optical fiber F disposed farther from the latch 40 can be suppressed.

[0034] In this embodiment, the third seating surface 60C and the fourth seating surface 60D are provided at different positions in the X-axis direction. With this configuration, by differentiating the positions of the third seating surface 60C and the fourth seating surface 60D on the housing 20 side, the biasing force of the first biasing member 61 and the biasing force of the second biasing member 62 can be adjusted.

[0035] While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described and illustrated above, it should be understood that these are illustrative of the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure should not be deemed limited by the foregoing description, but rather by the scope of the claims.

[0036] For example, in the above embodiment, the third seating surface 60C and the fourth seating surface 60D are provided at different positions in the X-axis direction, but instead of or in addition to this configuration, the first seating surface 60A and the second seating surface 60B may be provided at different positions in the X-axis direction. In this case, it is necessary to assemble the optical connector 1 while paying attention to the up-down direction of the pin clamp 50, but the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be achieved.

[0037] In addition, within the scope of the present disclosure, 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.

[0038] 1...optical connector, 10...ferrule, 10a...connection end face, 11...fiber hole, 12...hole, 13...recess, 14...recess, 20...housing, 21...front housing, 21a...protrusion, 21b...protrusion, 21c...fitting hole, 22...rear housing, 22a...insertion hole, 22b...fitting protrusion, 23...cover, 23a...opening, 24...spring receiving pin, 30...boot, 40...latch, 41...fixing portion, 42...bending portion, 43...curved portion, 50...pink lath

[0033] Pin (intermediate member), 51...main body, 51a...insertion hole, 52...positioning pin, 53...spring receiving pin, 60A...first seating surface, 60B...second seating surface, 60C...third seating surface, 60D...fourth seating surface, 61...first biasing member, 62...second biasing member, 100...optical connector, 110...ferrule, 110a...connection end surface, 120...housing, 140...latch, 200...adapter, D1...first seating surface distance, D2...second seating surface distance, D3...distance, F...optical fiber

Claims

1. A ferrule having a connecting end face on which a plurality of fiber holes are formed aligned in a first direction; a first biasing member that biases the ferrule in a second direction in which the connecting end face faces; a second biasing member that is spaced apart from the first biasing member in the first direction and biases the ferrule in the second direction; an intermediate member that has a first seating surface that receives the first biasing member and a second seating surface that receives the second biasing member and transmits the biasing forces of the first biasing member and the second biasing member to the ferrule; a housing that has a third seating surface that receives the first biasing member and a fourth seating surface that receives the second biasing member and that contains a part of the ferrule, the first biasing member, the second biasing member, and the intermediate member; and a latch provided on one side of the housing in the first direction, wherein the first biasing member is disposed farther from the latch than the second biasing member in the first direction, an inter-seat distance between the first seating surface and the third seating surface that receive the first biasing member is shorter than an inter-seat distance between the second seating surface and the fourth seating surface that receive the second biasing member.

2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first seating surface and the second seating surface are provided at different positions in the second direction.

3. An optical connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the third seating surface and the fourth seating surface are provided at different positions in the second direction.

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