Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-28
2002-09-10
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
C439S352000, C439S357000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06447170
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a locking and unlocking mechanism of a cable connector and a method for locking and unlocking the same.
2. Background Art
A mechanism, which has a structure, for example, of inserting a plug
1
A into an adapter
1
B, is known as shown in FIG.
14
. In
FIG. 14
, the plug
1
A comprises, for example, a cable holding member
3
for holding an end of a cable
2
, such as an optical fiber cable and a lock release member
4
, slidably installed at the outside of the cable holding member
3
in the direction for installing the cable holding member
3
. The adapter
1
B receives the cable holding member
3
for inserting the cable
2
through the cable holding member
3
.
The cable holding member
3
comprises an engaging pawl
5
and an engaging hole
7
is formed in an elastic beam portion
6
of the adopter
1
B. Two protrusions
8
are formed on both sides of the engaging pawl
5
on the lock release member
4
. Here, the numeral
9
denotes a notched portion for receiving the protrusions
8
of the lock release member
4
.
Accordingly, when the plug
1
A is connected to the adapter
1
B, since the protrusions
8
of the lock release member
4
pushes up the elastic beam portion
6
by inserting the cable holding portion
3
into the adapter
1
B, while gripping the lock release member
4
, the engaging pawl of the cable holding member
3
is further inserted for being engaged in the engaging hole
7
in the elastic beam portion
6
. At the same time, the protrusions
8
of the above-described lock release member
4
are received in the notched portion
9
.
In contrast, when the plug
1
A is extracted from the adapter
1
B, since the protrusions
8
of the lock release member
4
pushes up the elastic beam portion
6
of the adapter
1
B, while the engaging pawl
5
of the cable holding member
3
is engaged in the engaging hole
7
in the elastic beam portion
6
, the engaging pawl
5
of the cable holding member
3
is extracted from the engaging hole
7
in the elastic beam portion
6
. When the plug
1
A is further drawn through the lock release member
4
, the plug
1
A is released from the adapter
1
B. The above-described connecting structure is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 4-25807.
In the above-described conventional technique, since it is necessary to release the engagement of the engaging pawl
5
of the cable holding member
3
with the engaging hole
7
in the elastic beam portion
6
by pushing up the elastic beam portion potion
6
by the use of protrusions
8
of the lock release member, irrespective of whether the plug
1
A is inserted into the adapter
1
B or the plug
1
A is extracted from the plug, the lock release member
4
is slidably attached to the cable holding member
3
, such that the protruded portion
8
of the lock release member
8
can be transferred along the attached direction within a range wherein the protruded portions
8
are located across the engaging pawl
5
of the cable holding member
3
.
Thus, there is no problem in the case of installing a plug
1
A into an independent adapter
1
B while gripping the lock release member
4
, but a problem is encountered in inserting the plug
1
A into an adapter
1
B by gripping the lock release member
4
when a plurality of adapters are in a densely mounted array, because adjacent lock release members disturb the accurate positioning of the lock release member
4
.
Under these circumstances, it is assumed that the plug
1
A is inserted into the adapter
1
B by gripping the cable
2
. However, since the lock relese member
4
is slidable for the cable holding member
3
, when the cable is pushed into the adapter
1
B, the cable holding member
3
is inserted into the adapter
1
B towards the lock release member
4
. Thus, the protrusions
8
of the lock releasee member
4
, which comes later than the cable holding member
3
, cannot move forward while the protrusions
8
of the lock release member
4
push the elastic beam portion
6
upward, and as a result, a problem arises that the engaging pawl
5
cannot become engaged in the engaging hole
7
, and this state is called half engaged state.
If the plug
1
A in the half engaged state is located at the outside of the densely mounted array of adapters
1
B, it is possible to insert or draw the plug
1
A easily. However, if the plug
1
A in the half engaged state is located in the middle of the matrix of the adapters
1
B, the already inserted plugs
1
A surrounding the half engaged plug must be extracted in order to extract the half engaged plug, which results in causing a problem that the number of operations increases. In addition, if the half engaged plug is left as it is, and if the cable connected by the half engaged plug is drawn during operation of the system, a problem arises that malfunction may be encountered in a system, which may be, for example, an electronic exchange system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a locking and unlocking mechanism, capable of providing reliable connection even during operation while gripping the cable and also provide a locking and unlocking method.
The first aspect of the present invention provides a locking and unlocking mechanism for locking and unlocking the connector comprising a cable holding member for holding an end of a cable and a lock release member slidably attached to the outside of the cable holding member, to the housing for receiving said connector and for conducting the cable; wherein, at the time of inserting the connector, a pushing operation of the lock release member allows connection of a lock release member to a housing by setting the lock release member at a set position by engaging of the engaging pawl provided with one of the cable holding member or the lock release member with an engaging portion provided with the other one of the cable holding member and the lock release member by pushing up the elastic beam portion provided in one of the cable holding member and the lock release member by means of a protrusion provided with the other one of the cable holding member and the lock release member; at the time of extracting the connector, the connector is released from the housing by sliding the lock release member in the releasing direction for pushing up the elastic beam member by the protrusion; and the lock and unlock mechanism further comprises an automatic retracting device for moving the lock release mechanism to the set position and to the reset position at the time of inserting and extracting the connector.
The second aspect of the present invention provides a locking and unlocking mechanism for locking and unlocking the connector comprising a cable holding member for holding an end of a cable and a lock release member slidably attached to the outside of the cable holding member, to the housing for receiving said connector and for conducting the cable; wherein the lock and unlock mechanism comprises: in the connector, an engaging pawl provided in the cable holding member; in the connector, a protrusion on the beam portion extended from the lock-release member extending towards the housing; and in the housing, an engaging portion provided in an elastic beam portion, in which one side is opened for receiving said beam portion, provided with an engaging portion for engaging with said engaging pawl and a notch for receiving said protrusion; an automatic retracting device, in which, when the connector is inserted, the lock release member is moved to a set position where the protrusion of the lock release mechanism is received by the notch portion in the elastic, and when the connector is extracted, the lock release mechanism is moved to the reset position with respect to the cable holding member; wherein, the connector is connected to the housing by adjusting the engaging pawl of the lock release mechanism of the connector to the engaging portion of the housing by pushing up the elastic bea
Kikuchi Kazuya
Kuroi Yoshihiro
Takahashi Wataru
Hayes & Soloway PC
NEC TOKIN Corporation
Nguyen Khiem
LandOfFree
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