Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-19
2002-08-20
Palmer, Phan T. H. (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
C385S059000, C385S076000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06435728
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector housing used for detachably connecting an optical connector mainly employed in optical transmissions and an optical component, an optical connector using the same optical connector housing, and a structure for connecting between an optical connector using the optical connector housing and an optical component.
2 Discussion of the Background
Recently, optical transmissions using optical fibers have been frequently employed, wherein high bit rate mounting of optical fibers is demanded. To meet the requirements of high bit rate mounting of optical fibers, studies and research have been carried out with respect to downsizing of optical connectors used to connect optical fibers and high bit rate mounting of optical modules, etc.
An MU type connector is one-fourth the size in cross-sectional area in comparison to the conventional SC type connectors. Further, recently, an MT type optical connector has been widely utilized, in which multiple optical fibers are disposed and fixed.
As shown in
FIG. 15
, this type of MT optical connector is formed so that an optical fiber tape ribbon
12
in which a plurality of optical fibers are disposed in parallel are inserted in a ferrule
6
. In the drawing,
13
indicates a boot which protect the optical fiber tape ribbon
12
, and
19
indicates a flange portion of the ferrule
6
. A plurality of optical fiber insertion holes (not illustrated) are formed in the ferrule
6
. Respective optical fibers of the optical fiber tape ribbon
12
are inserted into these respective optical fiber insertion holes while the tip ends of these optical fibers are exposed to the connection end face
21
of the ferrule
6
.
As a means for connecting such optical fibers to each other, as shown in
FIG. 14
, a method has been proposed, in which, using an adapter
35
having a plurality of optical connector insertion holes
36
, optical connectors
10
are inserted from both directions of the optical connector insertion holes
36
and connected to each other. As the proposed method, there is one which is disclosed in an extract B-10-34 of the 1997 Transmission Society Meeting of the Electronic Information Transmission Society.
In the proposed method, an optical connector housing
3
is provided at the optical connector
10
at one side (the left side of the drawing) of the optical connectors to be connected, thereby constituting an optical connector
10
(
10
a
) having an optical connector housing
3
. The optical connector
10
a
and another optical connector
10
b
(the right side in the drawing) not provided with the optical connector housing
3
are connected to each other in an optical connector insertion hole
36
, utilizing the optical connector housing
3
. The optical connector housing
3
has arm portions
1
each extending from both side ends of the face (base end face)
2
at the base side, and the space put between the arm portions
1
is constituted as accommodation space of the ferrule
6
of the optical connector
10
. A claw portion
4
is formed at the tip end side of the respective arm portions
1
, and the respective tip ends of the arm portions
1
are constituted as a wedge-like latch structure.
In the optical connector
10
a
provided with the optical connector housing
3
, a spring
5
is provided so as to extend from the rear end face
18
of the ferrule
6
to the face at the base end side of the optical connector housing
3
. The spring
5
presses the ferrule
6
of the optical connector
10
a
against the optical connector
10
being an object to which the ferrule
6
is connected. The respective tip ends of the arm portions
1
of the optical connector housing
3
is provided so as to extend beyond the connection end face
21
of the ferrule
6
outwardly. The claw portions
4
at the tip ends of the arm portions
1
are caught by the flange portion
19
of the optical connector
10
b
illustrated at the right side in the drawing, whereby the optical connectors
10
are coupled to each other.
When attaching and detaching the optical connector
10
, that is, connecting and disconnecting the optical connectors
10
, a specified tool or fixture exclusively used for connection and disconnection is used. For example, when the optical connectors
10
are connected to each other, the right side optical connector
10
b
held by the fixture is pressed into the optical connector housing
3
and is connected to the left side optical connector
10
a
. Also, when disconnecting the optical connectors
10
from each other, the claw portions
4
of the left side optical connector
10
a
, which is caught by the flange portion
19
of the right side optical connector
10
b
, is removed by a wedge, and the optical connector
10
b
is pulled out, whereby the optical connectors
10
a
and
10
b
are disconnected from each other. In the case where the respective optical connectors
10
are inserted into the respective optical connector insertion holes
36
, and connection of the optical connectors
10
is completed, the optical connectors
10
connected to each other are caused to overlap each other in the vertical direction of the drawing and they are disposed and accommodated.
However, as described, an exclusive attaching and detaching tool is required to connect the optical connectors
10
to each other and to disconnect the same from each other. Such an attaching and detaching tool will be used less in line with advances in high integrated optical connectors. Also, in the case where the optical connectors are connected to and disconnected from each other by utilizing such an attaching and detaching tool, a problem arises, by which the attaching and detaching management of optical connectors becomes cumbersome. Therefore, in the case where the optical connectors disposed at a high integration density are detachably connected to each other, and optical connectors are detachably connected to an optical module mounted on a substrate at a high integration density, it was difficult to connect the optical connectors to each other and to disconnect the same from each other, using the proposed method for connecting optical connectors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was developed in view of the above problems, and it is therefore a first object of the invention to provide an optical connector housing which enables easy attachment and detachment of optical connectors without any need for any exclusive attachment and detachment tool, and an optical connector using the optical connector housing. In addition, it is a second object of the invention to provide an optical connector using an optical connector housing by which an optical connector can be detachably connected to an optical component such as an optical module at a high integration density, and a connection structure between the optical connector and an optical component.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the invention is constructed so as to have the following means in order to solve the problems. That is, an optical connector housing according to the invention, which is provided with arm portions extending from both end sides of the face at the base end side, space put between said arm portions is constituted as the accommodation space of a ferrule of said optical connector, comprises an engaging portion formed so as to be engaged with an object to be connected, at the tip end side of said respective arm portions, and an angle widening drive cam face, which can open the clearance between the arm portions when said ferrule is drawn near the face side of said base end side, protruding from and formed at the inner wall of said arm portions, extending from the position of the rear end face of said ferrule to be accommodated in said accommodation space to the base end side of an optical connector housing.
A first aspect of an optical connector according to the invention is featured in that it is provided with an optical connector housing thus constructed above, a ferrule is a
Iwase Masayuki
Shimoji Naoko
Yamakawa Jun
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
The Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd.
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