Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Optical fiber to a nonfiber optical device connector
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-19
2003-03-04
Bovernick, Rodney (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Optical fiber to a nonfiber optical device connector
C385S088000, C385S089000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06527459
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an optical connector for use in optical communications. The optical connector of the invention is mounted in a vehicle for use in optical communications inside the vehicle, or is used in optical communications such as an FA (Factory Automation), a home LAN (Local Area Network), an audio and a PC (Personal Computer), for example.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recently, the computerization of vehicles has been developing dramatically. For example, displaying a vehicle location on a map using a car navigation system and management for solving traffic congestion or the like utilizing the ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) are conducted. With such computerization, communication information throughput such as data, image and voice in vehicles has been increasing. As high-capacity information transmitting media, optical fibers have been used.
When information is transmitted by using the optical fiber, at the present moment, a transmitted signal is converted from an electric signal to a light signal by an E/O (electric/optical) conversion device and the light signal is transmitted to the receiving side through the optical fiber. On the receiving side, the light signal transmitted through the optical fiber is converted to an electric signal by an O/E (light/electric) conversion device for extraction. By this electric signal, a desired signal processing such as control is applied.
Accordingly, when information transmission is conducted by using the optical fiber, it is needed that the E/O conversion device is connected to a transmitting optical fiber and an optical fiber where light signals are transmitted is connected to the O/E conversion device. As one example of a method for connecting an optical fiber to an optical device such as an E/O conversion device or O/E conversion device, a connecting method using an optical connector is proposed.
FIGS. 7A and 7B
schematically depict sections illustrating one example of the method for connecting an optical fiber to an optical device using the aforesaid optical connector. The connecting method shown in these drawings is a connecting method where a connector (plug connector)
2
is detachably connected to an adaptor (receptacle connector)
1
. To the adaptor
1
, an optical device such as an E/O conversion device or O/E conversion device (not shown) is connected. To the optical connector
2
, an optical fiber
18
is fixed.
As shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
, the adaptor
1
has a box-like receptacle housing
3
having a connector insertion part
10
. An end part opening of the connector insertion part
10
is formed to be an insertion opening
12
for the optical connector. The top of the connector insertion part
10
is formed with a pawl fitting hole
11
as a locking part for the optical connector. Additionally, to the opposite side of the insertion opening
12
for the optical connector, an optical device such as an E/O conversion device or O/E conversion device, not shown, is connected.
On one hand, the optical connector
2
has a box-like plug housing
6
. To an optical fiber fixing part (not shown) formed in the plug housing
6
, the connection end face side of the optical fiber
18
is inserted and fixed. The upper face
7
side of the plug housing
6
is formed with an arm supporting part
17
standing from the front end
20
side of the plug housing
6
upward. A lock arm
5
is formed to extend from the arm supporting part
17
to the back end
21
side of the plug housing
6
.
The lock arm
5
is spaced from an upper face
7
of the plug housing
6
. The lock arm
5
is formed with a locking pawl
4
for fitting in the pawl fitting hole
11
of the adapter
1
, the locking pawl
4
is formed to extend upward. The locking pawl
4
has a slope
14
that is formed to be higher as it goes to the back end side.
When the optical connector
2
is moved in the direction of an arrow A in FIG.
7
A and is inserted into the optical connector insertion part
10
of the adapter
1
, the locking pawl
4
of the optical connector
2
is fit in the pawl fitting hole
11
of the adapter
1
, as shown in FIG.
7
B. By this fitting, the optical connector
2
is in a state that it is prevented from falling off from the adapter
1
. Additionally, the back end
21
side of the plug housing
6
and the end side
15
of the lock arm
5
are in a state of extending from the connector insertion opening
12
of the adapter
1
.
Then, as shown in broken lines shown in
FIG. 7B
, when the end side
15
of the lock arm
5
is drawn to the upper face
7
side of the plug housing
6
, the lock arm
5
comes close to the upper face
7
of the plug housing
6
as the base end thereof is used as a supporting point. Then, the locking pawl
4
is moved to the plug housing
6
side through a track indicated by an arrow B. This movement unlocks the locking pawl
4
from the pawl fitting hole
11
of the adapter
1
. Then, when the optical connector
2
is pulled in the direction of an arrow C in this state, the optical connector
2
is removed from the adapter
1
.
Furthermore, in the configuration shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
, the track of the locking pawl
4
indicated by the arrow B needs to be ensured when the end side
15
of the lock arm
5
is drawn to the upper face
7
side of the plug housing
6
. That is, in the configuration described above, it is necessary to prevent the back end side of the locking pawl
4
from being caught by the wall surface of the pawl fitting hole
11
. To this end, a length L
2
of the pawl fitting hole
11
shown in
FIG. 7A
is formed longer than a length L
1
of the locking pawl
4
. By this length setting, when the optical connector
2
is fit to the adapter
1
, a space R about 0.3 mm, for example, is formed between the pawl fitting hole
11
and the back end part of the locking pawl
4
, as shown in FIG.
7
B.
Meanwhile, the connection accuracy of the optical fiber
18
to the optical device using the above-described optical connector
2
is determined by a relative position of the optical connector
2
and the adapter
2
in the state of the optical connector
2
being fit to the adapter
1
.
However, in the configuration shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
, when the optical connector
2
is fit to the adapter
1
, the space R is formed between the pawl fitting hole
11
and the back end part of the locking pawl
4
and a play by the amount of the space R is generated. On this account, the connection of the optical fiber
18
to the optical device using the aforementioned connecting method has had a problem that generates a connection loss of the optical fiber
18
to the optical device due to the play by the amount of the space R.
Then, in order to solve this problem, a method has been proposed that the optical fiber
18
is connected to the optical device by connecting an optical connector
2
having a configuration different from the aforesaid optical connector
2
to the adapter
1
. The optical connector
2
in the proposal has a configuration shown in
FIGS. 8A and 8B
. As shown in these drawings, the configuration of the adapter
1
connected to the optical connecter
2
is the same as
FIGS. 7A and 7B
and thus the description thereof is omitted.
The optical connecter
2
shown in
FIGS. 8A and 8B
has a plug housing
6
where an optical fiber
18
is inserted and fit as similar to the optical connector
2
shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
. However, an upper face
7
of the plug housing
6
is formed with an arm supporting part
17
standing from the back end
21
side thereof to the upper side. A lock arm
5
is formed to extend from the arm supporting part
17
toward the front end
20
side of the plug housing
6
. The lock arm
5
is spaced from the upper face
7
of the plug housing
6
. At the front end of the lock arm
5
, a locking pawl
4
is formed as similar to the optical connector
2
shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
.
Fitting the proposed optical connector
2
to an adapter
1
is conducted by the movement of the optical connector
2
in the direction of an arrow A, as shown in FIG.
Bovernick Rodney
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
Pak Sung
LandOfFree
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