Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2002-12-24
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
C439S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06497516
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an optical connector guide pin to be utilized for coupling optical connector plugs to each other upon optical interconnection, and an optical connector plug having such a guide pin.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, as a technique in such a field, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 6-34845 has been known. The optical connector plug disclosed in this publication has a ferrule of a rectangular parallelepiped form, and an optical fiber exposed from a tip of a ribbon fiber is fixed to this ferrule. Also, the ferrule has two guide pin insertion holes each extending in the optical fiber insertion direction and penetrating therethrough from the front face to the back face, while a guide pin is inserted in each guide pin insertion hole. Further, the optical connector plug has a damper disposed behind the ferrule, which prevents the guide pin from dropping out of the ferrule. Specifically, the rear end part of each guide pin is formed with a constricted portion, which is fitted into an insertion hole formed between engagement lugs of the clamper, thereby preventing the guide pin from dropping out. Also,when the optical connector plug is used in a place where the guide pin is strongly desired to be prevented from dropping out, the guide pin and the damper are secured with an adhesive.
However, since the conventional optical connector plugs are configured as mentioned above, there have been problems as follows. Namely, in order to prevent the guide pin from easily dropping out of the ferrule, the guide pins and the damper have been machined into complicated forms, and it has been necessary to strictly manage the dimensions of the constricted portion of the guide pin and the insertion hole in the damper in order to maintain the clamping force of the damper with respect to the guide pin. Also, when the guide pin is strongly desired to be prevented from dropping out, the guide pin has been secured with an adhesive, thus increasing the cost. Further, when inserting the guide pin into the guide pin insertion hole of the ferrule, if the guide pin is inserted from the front face side of the ferrule, there has been a possibility that the tip of the guide pin may damage the front face of the ferrule, thereby deteriorating the quality of the ferrule.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a guide pin and an optical connector plug which facilitate simplification of the structure, make it possible to cut down the cost, and contribute to maintaining the quality of the ferrule.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The optical connector guide pin in accordance with the present invention is an optical connector guide pin having a predetermined pin diameter to be inserted into a guide pin insertion hole of a ferrule; wherein the guide pin comprises an inserting portion penetrating through the ferrule, and an engagement portion, having a diameter greater than that of the guide pin insertion hole, adapted to abut against a back face of the ferrule.
Since the rear end part of the guide pin is provided with the engagement portion formed greater than the guide pin insertion hole; when the guide pin is attached to the ferrule, the engagement portion can prevent the guide pin from forwardly dropping out. Also, when such a guide pin is to be projected from the front face of the ferrule by a predetermined amount, the tip of the guide pin would be inserted into the guide pin insertion hole from the back face side of the ferrule. Namely, this guide pin is not expected to be inserted from the front face side of the ferrule, whereby the tip of the guide pin would not damage the front face of the ferrule nor chip off the guide pin hole during the operation of inserting the guide pin into the ferrule. Also, changing the position of the engagement portion can easily alter the amount of projection of the tip portion of the guide pin from the ferrule.
An optical connector plug in accordance with the present invention is an optical connector plug comprising a ferrule having there with in an optical fiber aligning portion for aligning a plurality of optical fibers and guide pin insertion holes penetrating therethrough from a front face to a back face on both sides of the optical fiber aligning portion, in which the optical fibers are secured to the optical fiber aligning portion, and a guide pin is inserted in each guide pin insertion hole; wherein the guide pin has an inserting portion penetrating through the ferrule, and an engagement portion, having a diameter greater than that of the guide pin insertion hole, adapted to abut against the back face of the ferrule.
In this optical connector plug, a simple operation of just inserting the guide pin into the guide pin insertion hole from the back face side of the ferrule can achieve positioning of the guide pin with respect to the ferrule, thus contributing to improvement in the workability of assembling.
An optical connector plug in accordance with the present invention is an optical connector plug having a ferrule pressed outward by a spring member in a ferrule accommodating space disposed at a front end portion of a ferrule housing, so as to peep from an outlet opening of the ferrule accommodating space, holding the ferrule in a floating state within the ferrule accommodating space, and projecting a tip portion of a guide pin from a guide pin insertion hole formed in the ferrule; wherein the guide pin comprises an inserting portion penetrating through the ferrule, and an engagement portion, having a diameter greater than that of the guide pin insertion hole, adapted to abut against a back face of the ferrule, and wherein a stopper is disposed between the engagement portion and the spring member, the stopper abutting against a rear end face of the guide pin while in a state separated from the ferrule.
This optical connector plug has a configuration in which the spring member is utilized for outwardly pressing the ferrule. This is a structure for improving the connectivity between the end faces of ferrules upon plugging by way of the guide pin. Also, as a stopper is disposed between the ferrule and the spring member, the ferrule is kept from being directly pushed by the spring member, whereby the ferrule can appropriately be prevented from being broken or chipped off by the spring member. Further, the stopper inhibits the guide pin from retracting. For example, when coupling ferrules to each other by way of the guide pin, the stopper inhibits the guide pin from retracting as its tip abuts against the front face of the opposed ferrule.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2935724 (1960-05-01), Siefried et al.
patent: 3545080 (1970-12-01), Evans
patent: 4964805 (1990-10-01), Gabany
patent: 4998892 (1991-03-01), Shiley
patent: 5263880 (1993-11-01), Schwarz et al.
patent: 5407371 (1995-04-01), Chen
patent: 2-297507 (1990-12-01), None
patent: 4-347806 (1992-12-01), None
patent: 4-356004 (1992-12-01), None
patent: 3-87048 (1993-04-01), None
patent: 6-34845 (1994-02-01), None
patent: 6-148464 (1994-05-01), None
patent: 7-46888 (1995-10-01), None
Kashihara Koji
Miura Atsushi
Takai Atsushi
Toyooka Hiroyasu
Abrams Neil
Dinh Phuong KT
McDermott & Will & Emery
Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.
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