Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-17
2001-05-08
Ngo, Hung N. (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
C385S084000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227721
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector, in particular, to an optical connector as an optical connecting device to be connected to a small-sized optical component which is, like an optical semiconductor module used in an optical fiber communication system and others, fixed to a board.
2. Description of Prior Art
There have been developed and used various types of optical connectors and some of them are disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 211276 of 1997, No. 43453 of 1997, and No. 265026 of 1997. Among them, in an embodiment where an optical semiconductor module disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 211276 of 1997 and an optical connecting device using the optical semiconductor module are employed, the embodiment has an optical semiconductor module, which has a package body accommodating a semiconductor laser and an optical fiber optically coupled thereto and double side walls respectively provided with a recess and formed in the traveling way of the laser light radiated from the semiconductor laser, and a simplified connector to be coupled with said module, having a recess in the inner wall holding a ferrule to which one end of the optical fiber is fixed, and being provided at its front end with a protuberance, and optical fibers are optically coupled with each other through the coupling of the ferrules by coupling the simplified connector with the optical semiconductor module.
Though these conventional optical connectors are suitable, to some extent, for producing a large amount of low-cost and small-sized modules indispensable in optical fiber communication systems, they usually still have some following problems. That is to say, to install a ferrule assembly into a conventional optical connector, a ferrule assembly to be installed is usually inserted from rear end of the housing and moved to the front end of the housing. In this assembling method, a stopper must be placed at the rear end of the housing after the installation and this means the increase in the number of components and the complexity of the retaining structure. Further, the installation itself is not easy and the ferrule once installed is difficult to remove.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector allowing the conventional technological problems described above to be eliminated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector provided with a housing having a ferrule holding portion for holding a ferrule to be connected to an optical fiber, wherein said ferrule is equipped with a split sleeve for implementing an alignment with a ferrule of a mate connector, and said ferrule holding portion has a ferrule holding through passage which allows said ferrule to be received along the direction of ferrule diameter, allows said split sleeve to be inserted along the axial direction of said sleeve, and allows said ferrule to be installed into and held to said housing.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ferrule of the optical connector is provided with a flange portion, and said housing is provided with a retaining portion which engages with said flange portion in the vicinity of said ferrule holding through passage so that said ferrule is prevented from rotating or getting off.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, in the optical connector a protuberance or a recess for preventing a wrong coupling is provided to the vicinity of said ferrule holding portion of said housing.
Referring to the attached drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will hereafter be described in details.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4930193 (1990-06-01), Baker
patent: 5166995 (1992-11-01), Briggs et al.
patent: 5253315 (1993-10-01), Fentrss
patent: 5313540 (1994-05-01), Ueda et al.
patent: 5398295 (1995-03-01), Chang et al.
patent: 28 32 839 A1 (1980-02-01), None
patent: 0 225 687 A1 (1987-06-01), None
patent: 0 766 111 A1 (1997-04-01), None
patent: 9-43453 (1997-02-01), None
patent: 9-211276 (1997-08-01), None
patent: 9-265026 (1997-10-01), None
Hakogi Hironao
Matsumoto Tateomi
Naito Katsuyoshi
Nakamura Tsutomu
Tsuchida Masahiro
Evenson, McKeown, Edwards & Lenahan P.L.L.C.
Ngo Hung N.
OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
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