Multi-fiber connector

Abstract

The present invention provides a multi-fiber connector, comprising: a ferrule capable of accommodating an optical fiber; an inner housing sleeved on the ferrule and capable of limiting the ferrule; a spring, one end of the spring abutting against the ferrule; and a stopper, the stopper being slidably engaged with the inner housing, the other end of the spring abutting against the stopper, and the stopper being capable of repeatedly controlling the extension and contraction of the spring. The optical fiber connector of the present invention eliminates the need for components such as an outer housing and a sliding block, and the stopper is configured to be slidable relative to the inner housing. After such improvement, the optical fiber connector still has a pre-relaxation function in an automatic mating application, thereby reducing the number of parts and greatly reducing the complexity. In addition, both alignment and tightly pushing processes can be completed in one step under the pushing of a driving device, without the need for a two-step operation, simplifying the automatic mating process; the external dimension of the optical fiber connector is significantly reduced, and the optical fiber connector can be perfectly applied to the scenario of simultaneous automatic mating of densely arranged multiple communication interfaces.

Description

A multi-fiber connector TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of fiber optic connectors, in particular to a multi-fiber connector. BACKGROUND

[0002] When the multi-fiber connector is connected, the ferrule is pushed tightly by the spring at the back and is fixed relative to the opposite ferrule, so as to ensure the stability of the fiber butt joint. However, at the beginning of the butt joint of the multi-fiber connector, the ferrule is generally not in the accurate butt joint position, and the guide pin needs to guide the ferrule to the accurate position in the process of penetrating into the guide pin hole. However, since the ferrule is pushed tightly by the spring and is not in a free suspended state, this guiding process will cause the guide pin to exert a force on the guide pin hole, which is easy to damage the guide pin hole.

[0003] A pre-relaxation MPO fiber connector is disclosed in Chinese patent CN218824799U, as shown in FIG. 1, which includes an inner housing sleeved on the ferrule and capable of limiting the ferrule, a spring arranged at the rear end of the guide pin support, a rear housing (i.e. stopper) for fixed butt joint with the inner housing, and a slider for repeatedly controlling the expansion and contraction of the spring. The fiber connector controls the pushing force against the ferrule through the slider, and at the beginning of the ferrule butt joint process, the ferrule is in a free suspended state, which significantly reduces the wear of the guide pin on the guide pin hole, significantly improves the number of plug-in and pull-out of the fiber connector, and greatly improves the service life of the fiber connector.

[0004] In production and application, the demand for automatic butt joint of fiber connectors is increasing, such as in the manufacturing process of optical modules, which need to be butt jointed with fiber connectors to test various optical performances of the optical modules. Automatic butt joint is beneficial to improve the efficiency of this test. However, the direct application of the above-mentioned pre-relaxation MPO fiber connector in this automatic butt joint environment will have the following problems:

[0005] 1) Two-step operation is required for butt joint

[0006] The butt joint of the above-mentioned fiber connector requires two-step operation, the first step is to push the above-mentioned fiber connector into the optical module, and the second step is to push the slider to push the ferrule tightly and complete the butt joint. This two-step operation will complicate the automatic butt joint process, and if the operator forgets the second step, the fiber connector will be in a relative elastic force missing state with the optical module, which will seriously affect the butt joint performance of the fiber connector with the optical module.

[0007] 2) Too large size

[0008] The existing pre-relaxation MPO fiber connector is larger than the ordinary MPO fiber connector, and the 800G and above optical modules often have double MPO interfaces with small spacing between the interfaces, and two pre-relaxation MPO fiber connectors cannot be inserted into the double MPO interfaces of the optical module at the same time.

[0009] 3) Excess function structure

[0010] The pre-relaxation type MPO optical fiber connector is a general multi-fiber connector, which has an outer shell body, which functions to ensure that the connector cannot be accidentally pulled out after being connected with an adapter, and this function is not required in an automatic connection environment, and therefore the entire optical fiber connector structure can be significantly simplified.

[0011] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a multi-fiber connector that overcomes the above problems. SUMMARY

[0012] The present application provides a multi-fiber connector to solve the problems of the existing pre-relaxation type optical fiber connector, which requires two steps for connection, is too large in size, and has excess function structure, and facilitates automatic connection.

[0013] The present application provides a multi-fiber connector, which comprises:

[0014] a ferrule capable of accommodating an optical fiber;

[0015] an inner shell body sleeved on the ferrule and capable of limiting the ferrule;

[0016] a spring, one end of which abuts against the ferrule;

[0017] a stopper, which is in sliding connection with the inner shell body, and the other end of the spring abuts against the stopper, and the stopper can repeatedly control the expansion and contraction of the spring.

[0018] Further, the inner shell body further comprises a sliding window, and the stopper comprises two elastic arms, each of which has a reverse buckle on the outer side, and the reverse buckle can slide in the sliding window.

[0019] Further, the two outer sides of the inner shell body have sliding grooves, and a convex portion is arranged on the upper surface of the inner shell body.

[0020] Further, the multi-fiber connector further comprises a guide pin support fixedly arranged at the rear end of the ferrule, and the spring abuts against the guide pin support.

[0021] Further, the guide pin support has a first spring groove, the spring is arranged in the first spring groove, the first spring groove has a first abutting plane, and the spring abuts against the first abutting plane.

[0022] Further, the first spring groove is adapted to the shape of the spring.

[0023] Further, a second spring groove is further formed on the elastic arm, the second spring groove is adapted to the shape of the spring, the second spring groove has a second abutting plane, and the spring abuts against the second abutting plane. Beneficial effects

[0024] Compared with the pre-relaxation multi-fiber connector in the prior art, the multi-fiber connector of the application cancels the outer shell, the slider and other components, and sets the stopper originally fixedly connected with the inner shell to be slidable relative to the inner shell. After the improvement, when the fiber connector is connected with the optical module, the spring is not compressed or slightly compressed, and the ferrule is in a free floating state, facilitating the guide pin to pass through the guide pin hole of the interface and guide the ferrule to the accurate connection position. Then, under the pushing of the driving device, the stopper slides relative to the inner shell, thereby controlling the compression degree of the spring, and the spring pushes the ferrule tightly to complete the connection of the ferrule. That is, after the outer shell, the slider and other components are canceled, the multi-fiber connector still has the pre-relaxation function in the connector automatic connection device, which not only reduces the number of parts, but also greatly reduces the complexity of the multi-fiber connector.

[0025] In addition, the fiber connector of the application can complete the alignment and tightening processes in one step under the pushing of the driving device when automatically connecting, without the need for two-step operation, which simplifies the connection process and also avoids the situation that the operator forgets the second step operation, thereby improving the reliability of automatic connection.

[0026] Furthermore, the outer shell and the slider are originally arranged outside the inner shell, so that the external size of the fiber connector is large. After the outer shell, the slider and other components are canceled, the external size of the fiber connector is significantly reduced, and the fiber connector can be perfectly applied to the scene of densely arranged multi-communication interfaces and automatic connection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments of the application. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0028] Fig. 1 is a structural schematic view of a pre-relaxation fiber connector in the prior art;

[0029] Fig. 2 is a structural schematic view of a multi-fiber connector in the application;

[0030] Fig. 3 is a structural schematic view of an inner shell in the application;

[0031] Fig. 4 is a structural schematic view of a stopper in the application;

[0032] Fig. 5 is a structural schematic view of a connector coupling device with the multi-fiber connector in the application.

[0033] Explanation of reference signs:

[0034] 1, multi-fiber connector; 11, ferrule; 12, inner housing; 121, sliding window; 122, sliding slot; 123, convex part; 13, spring; 14, stop; 141a / 141b, elastic arm; 142, reverse buckle; 143, second spring slot; 144, second abutting plane; 15, guide needle support; 151, first spring slot; 152, first abutting plane; 2, base; 21, sliding rail; 3, sliding platform; 4, driving device; 5, to-be-coupled object fixing device; 6, to-be-coupled object; 7, blocking mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the technical problems solved by the present application, technical solutions and beneficial effects clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and not used to limit the present application.

[0036] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "longitudinal", "radial", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified and limited, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more.

[0037] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0038] The multi-fiber connector and the connector coupling device in the present application will be described below respectively. Embodiment 1

[0039] In a first aspect, the embodiment provides a multi-fiber connector 1, as shown in FIG. 2, which includes a ferrule 11 capable of accommodating an optical fiber, an inner housing 12 sleeved on the ferrule 11 and capable of limiting the ferrule 11, a spring 13 abutting one end of the ferrule 11, a stopper 14 slidingly connected with the inner housing 12, and the other end of the spring 13 abutting the stopper 14. The stopper can repeatedly control the expansion and contraction of the spring.

[0040] It should be noted that the sliding connection of the stopper with the inner housing means that the stopper and the inner housing are in a connected state and cannot be separated, and the stopper and the inner housing can slide relative to each other.

[0041] It should be noted that the abutment of one end of the spring with the ferrule can be direct abutment or indirect abutment.

[0042] Compared with the pre-relaxed multi-fiber connector in the prior art, the multi-fiber connector in the embodiment cancels the outer housing, the sliding block and other components, and sets the stopper originally fixedly connected with the inner housing to be capable of sliding relative to the inner housing. After such improvement, when the optical fiber connector is connected with an optical module, the spring is not compressed or slightly compressed, and the ferrule is in a free floating state at this time, which facilitates the guide pin to pass through the guide pin hole of the interface and guide the ferrule to an accurate connection position. Then, under the pushing of the driving device, the stopper slides relative to the inner housing, thereby controlling the compression degree of the spring, the spring pushes the ferrule tightly, and the connection of the ferrule is completed. That is, after the cancellation of the outer housing, the sliding block and other components, the multi-fiber connector still has the pre-relaxed function in the connector automatic connection device, which reduces the number of parts and greatly reduces the complexity.

[0043] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3-4, the inner housing 12 further includes a sliding window 121, and the stopper 14 includes two elastic arms 141a, 141b, and each of the elastic arms 141a, 141b has a reverse buckle 142 on the outer side thereof, which can slide in the sliding window 121.

[0044] The sliding window penetrates the thickness direction of the inner housing, which facilitates the pressing of the elastic arm by a tool and the connection of the inner housing with the stopper.

[0045] In another embodiment, the inner housing 12 has sliding grooves 122 on the two outer sides thereof, and a convex part 123 is arranged on the upper surface of the inner housing.

[0046] The sliding grooves are used to cooperate with the clamping parts of the optical module or the adapter, play a guiding role, make the multi-fiber connector enter the optical module or the adapter and be in a substantially accurate connection position, and facilitate the subsequent guide pin to guide the alignment; and the convex part can play a foolproof role to prevent the disorder of optical connection and cause the connection error of the signal transmission path.

[0047] In another embodiment, the multi-fiber connector 1 further comprises a guide pin holder 15, which is fixedly arranged at the rear end of the ferrule 11, and the spring 13 abuts against the guide pin holder 15.

[0048] In another embodiment, the projection of the spring on a plane perpendicular to the central axis thereof is non-circular, and in this embodiment, the projection of the spring on a plane perpendicular to the central axis thereof is a waist-shaped. In other embodiments, the projection of the spring on a plane perpendicular to the central axis thereof can also be an elliptical shape, a C shape, or other non-circular shapes.

[0049] In another specific embodiment, the guide pin holder 15 has a first spring slot 151 which is adapted to the shape of the spring 13, and the first spring slot 151 has a first abutting plane 152, and the spring 13 abuts against the first abutting plane 152.

[0050] In another specific embodiment, the guide pin holder 15 has a first spring slot 151 which is adapted to the shape of the spring 13, and the first spring slot 151 has a first abutting plane 152, and the spring 13 abuts against the first abutting plane 152.

[0051] In another specific embodiment, the guide pin holder 15 has a first spring slot 151 which is adapted to the shape of the spring 13, and the first spring slot 151 has a first abutting plane 152, and the spring 13 abuts against the first abutting plane 152.

[0052] This embodiment also provides a connector coupling device using the above multi-fiber connector 1, as shown in FIG. 5, which is a structural schematic diagram of the connector coupling device in this embodiment. The connector coupling device comprises a base 2, a sliding platform 3, a multi-fiber connector 1, a driving device 4, and a to-be-coupled object fixing device 5.

[0053] The connector coupling device is a mechanical and automated connector coupling device. Compared with the manual docking method, the automated docking has the advantages of good docking consistency and high precision.

[0054] The number of multi-fiber connectors in this embodiment is one, and the number of multi-fiber connectors is determined according to actual needs. If there is a need to dock multiple multi-fiber connectors at the same time, multiple multi-fiber connectors can also be fixed on the sliding platform at the same time. Docking multiple multi-fiber connectors with the to-be-coupled object at the same time is conducive to improving the docking efficiency and further improving the production efficiency.

[0055] In another specific embodiment, the driving device is a pneumatic cylinder. Of course, the driving device can provide power to drive the stopper to move, and it can also be an electric motor or a hydraulic push rod.

[0056] In another specific embodiment, the connector coupling device further comprises a number of blocking mechanisms 7 which prevent the sliding platform 3 from continuing to slide in a certain sliding direction along the sliding track 21.

[0057] In this embodiment, after the sliding platform 3 slides to the limit position of the sliding track 21, i.e. the working position, the blocking mechanism 7 is arranged at the rear end of the sliding platform 3, and the spring latch of the blocking mechanism 7 blocks the rearward sliding of the sliding platform 3, thereby fixing the sliding platform.

[0058] The object to be coupled in this embodiment is an 800G optical module with double MPO interfaces, and the connector coupling device couples the multi-fiber connector 1 with the optical module. The air cylinder pushes the stopper 14 of the multi-fiber connector 1, the stopper 14 slightly compresses the spring 13, and the ferrule enters the mating position and is coupled with the ferrule assembly in the optical module under the action of the thrust force.

[0059] The guide pin of the ferrule assembly in the optical module interface is approximately against the vicinity of the guide pin hole on the ferrule 11 of the multi-fiber connector 1, and when the air cylinder continues to advance, the guide pin in the optical module interface continues to extend into the guide pin hole of the ferrule, adjusting the ferrule 11 to the accurate mating position. Subsequently, the air cylinder continues to act, pushing the stopper 14 to continue to compress the spring, until the spring 13 reaches the predetermined thrust force, at which time the ferrule 11 is pushed tight, and the multi-fiber connector 1 is firmly mated with the interface of the optical module.

[0060] When the multi-fiber connector of the present application is used for automatic mating, the alignment and tightening processes can be completed in one step under the pushing of the driving device, without the need for two-step operation, which simplifies the automatic mating process and also avoids the situation that the operator forgets the second step operation, thereby improving the reliability of automatic mating.

[0061] Furthermore, taking a 12-channel optical module as an example, the center distance of the double interfaces is 10.0 mm, and the thickness of the 12-channel pre-relaxed multi-fiber connector in the prior art is 10.2 mm. When the 12-channel pre-relaxed multi-fiber connector in the prior art is used to detect the optical module, after the first fiber connector is inserted, the second fiber connector cannot be inserted. The maximum thickness of the multi-fiber connector of the present application is 6.1 mm, which can ensure that two multi-fiber connectors are easily inserted into the double interfaces of the optical module in parallel, and there is still a large gap between the two multi-fiber connectors, facilitating the insertion and extraction operation between the fiber connector and the optical module.

[0062] The fiber connector of the present application cancels the outer shell, sliding block and other components, and the external size of the fiber connector is significantly reduced, which can be perfectly applied to the scene of densely arranged multiple communication interfaces and automatic mating.

[0063] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-fiber connector comprising: It includes: A ferrule capable of accommodating an optical fiber; An inner housing sleeved on the ferrule and capable of limiting the ferrule; A spring, one end of which abuts against the ferrule; A stopper, the other end of the spring abutting against the stopper, the stopper being capable of repeatedly controlling the spring to stretch and retract.

2. The multi-fiber connector of claim 1, wherein, The inner housing further includes a sliding window, and the stopper includes two elastic arms, each of which has a reverse buckle on the outer side, the reverse buckle being capable of sliding in the sliding window.

3. The multi-fiber connector of claim 2, wherein, The inner housing has sliding grooves on the two outer sides, and a convex part is arranged on the upper surface of the inner housing.

4. The multi-fiber connector of claims 2 or 3, wherein, The multi-fiber connector further includes a guide pin support fixedly arranged at the rear end of the ferrule, and the spring abuts against the guide pin support.

5. The multi-fiber connector of claim 4, wherein, The guide pin support has a first spring groove, the spring is arranged in the first spring groove, the first spring groove has a first abutting plane, and the spring abuts against the first abutting plane.

6. The multi-fiber connector of claim 5, wherein, The first spring groove is adapted to the shape of the spring.

7. The multi-fiber connector of claim 6, wherein, The elastic arm further has a second spring groove, the second spring groove is adapted to the shape of the spring, the second spring groove has a second abutting plane, and the spring abuts against the second abutting plane.

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