Optical Connector Plug Shutter Design for Safety and Simplicity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing SC optical connector plugs with metal shutters protrude, posing injury risks and interfering with adapter shapes, and require multiple elastic members, increasing parts and complexity.
Innovation Solution
An optical connector plug design featuring a synthetic resin boot, a cylindrical stop ring, a ferrule, and a shutter integrated within a slidable front cover, where the shutter is curved and retained inside, eliminating external protrusion and the need for additional springs, with an elastic member providing the necessary force for light shielding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a metal shutter protrudes from the plug body to provide light shielding, then light shielding function is improved, but worker safety deteriorates due to injury risk and adapter compatibility deteriorates due to shape interference
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter is nested within the front cover structure, with the shutter housed inside the front cover cavity. The shutter only protrudes slightly to perform light shielding while remaining contained within the overall plug envelope, eliminating the hazard of external protrusions while maintaining the light shielding function.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter is made from a flexible metal plate that can be elastically deformed. When the front cover is pushed, the shutter flexes to allow light transmission; when released, it returns to its original position to block light, providing automatic light shielding without requiring external actuation mechanisms.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a metal shutter protrudes from the plug body, then light shielding function is improved, but device complexity deteriorates due to increased number of elastic members
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter mechanism is merged with the front cover assembly. The front cover itself serves as both the protective cover and the actuation mechanism for the shutter. A single elastic member provides both the force to return the front cover to its original position and the force to reset the shutter, eliminating the need for separate elastic members for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The front cover serves multiple functions: it protects the internal components, acts as the actuation mechanism for opening/closing the shutter, and works with the elastic member to provide automatic resetting. The elastic member also serves dual purposes of returning the front cover and resetting the shutter, reducing the total number of components.
3Ease of operation
If the shutter is made flexible and curved, then automatic light shielding is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to curvature requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter is designed with a curved portion having a specific radius of curvature that allows it to flex elastically when the front cover is pushed. The curvature parameter is optimized to provide sufficient flexibility for automatic opening/closing while maintaining structural integrity and consistent optical blocking performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design prevents worker injury, reduces component count, and ensures reliable light shielding without external shutter protrusion, enabling high-density implementation and simplified assembly.
Implementation Method 1
the elastic member which urges the front cover frontward
Implementation Method 2
the curved portion of the shutter is pressed against a tip of the plug frame to become flat
Data Source
AI summary
An optical connector plug includes an approximately square cylindrical rear cover of an insulating member fitted over an outer surface of a stop ring, and a cylindrical front cover which is urged frontward by an elastic member and is slidable back and forth at an outer surface of a plug frame. The front cover has a flexible plate-like shutter on an inner wall, which blocks the tip of a ferrule. The shutter has an upright curved portion formed by curving a tip side in an arc shape. When the front cover moves backward, the curved portion of the shutter is pressed against a tip of the plug frame to become flat and is pressed against the inner wall of the front cover to be retained in a plate form, thereby releasing a light-shielding state of the optical fiber.