Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-17
2003-11-25
Sanghavi, Hemang (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
C385S072000, C385S078000, C385S089000, C385S092000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06652154
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector to be used in an automobile or the like, and more particularly to the optical connector of a male type which includes a ferrule for an optical fiber cable mounted inside an annular wall of a housing, and aims to enhance rigidity of the housing while protecting the annular wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, for connection of auxiliary equipments in the automobile, there has been employed a wire harness which is an assembly of electric wires. However, it has been a problem that the wire harness has recently grown bulky and heavy with an increase in number of the auxiliary equipments and circuits therefor. In order to solve this problem, means for transmitting signals to the auxiliary equipments by means of optical fiber cables are employed in a part of the wire harness.
FIG. 9
shows one example of a conventional optical connector.
An optical connector
35
is composed of a male type optical connector (optical plug)
21
and a female type optical connector (receptacle)
36
. The male type optical connector
21
is inserted in an engaging chamber
37
of the female type optical connector
36
, and locked by a lock arm
27
. The female type optical connector
36
is fixed to a circuit board
39
by means of bolts
40
at fixation parts
38
on both sides.
As also shown in
FIG. 10
, the male type optical connector
21
has ferrules
41
connected to optical fiber cables
33
or having the optical fiber cables
33
passed therethrough, in a male type housing
26
made of synthetic resin. The ferrules
41
are supported by receiving parts
50
which are integral with the housing
26
, and biased forward (in an engaging direction of the connector) by means of a helical spring
42
to move back and forth to an extent where an intermediate flange
43
comes in contact with the receiving parts
50
and locking projections
51
. Distal ends of the ferrules
41
respectively project into engaging chambers
52
in the housing
26
.
As also shown in
FIG. 11
, the female type connector
36
has a female type housing
44
made of electrically conductive synthetic resin, and receiving trunks
45
in a cylindrical shape for the above mentioned ferrules
41
are integrally formed inside the housing
44
. The receiving trunks
45
integrally project from a vertical partition wall
13
which defines the engaging chamber
37
of the housing
44
. The housing
44
is fixed in contact with an earth circuit (not shown) of the circuit board
39
by means of the fixation parts
38
(See
FIG. 9
) on both sides in its backward half and by means of positioning pins
46
or so in its forward half.
A sleeve
14
is inserted into a large diametered portion
45
a
of each of the receiving trunks
45
in its backward part. The sleeve
14
is composed of a wave guide passage (not shown) in the center formed of glass or synthetic resin and a cylindrical holder formed of metal. Inside the housing
44
, light converting elements (photo electric elements)
12
are arranged behind and adjacent to the receiving trunks
45
. The sleeves
14
are in contact with the light converting elements
12
. The light converting elements
12
are connected to the circuit board
39
by means of lead terminals
19
and pressed from the back by a cover
47
toward the receiving trunks
45
.
The light converting elements
12
include a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode and a light receiving element (photo detector) such as a photodiode which are arranged in parallel to each other correspondingly to the two optical fiber cables
33
of the male type optical connector
35
.
In
FIG. 9
, when the male type optical connector
35
is inserted into the engaging chamber
37
of the female type optical connector
36
, small diametered portions
41
a
at forward ends of the ferrules
41
in
FIG. 10
are inserted into small diametered portions
45
b
at forward ends of the receiving trunks
45
in
FIG. 11
, and the large diametered portions
45
a
in the backward half of the receiving trunks
45
enter along inner wall faces of the engaging chambers
52
of the housing
26
. On this occasion, distal ends of the small diametered portions
41
a
of the ferrules
41
come in contact with distal ends of the sleeves
14
to connect respective wave guide passages (not shown) in the centers of the ferrules
41
and the sleeves
14
.
One of the light converting elements
12
, that is, the light emitting element
12
converts an electric signal from the circuit board
39
to an optical signal and transmits it to one of the optical fiber cables
33
(See FIG.
9
), while the other light converting element
12
, that is, the light receiving element
12
converts an optical signal from the other optical fiber cable
33
to an electric signal and transmits it to the circuit board
39
.
In an optical connector of a type in which the sleeves
14
are not provided (not shown), the ferrules
41
inserted into the receiving trunks
45
directly contact the light converting elements
12
. In some other cases, the distal ends
41
a
of the ferrules
41
are exposed to the exterior from the housing
26
.
However, in the conventional optical connector, it has been difficult to stably support the ferrules inside the housing of the male type optical connector
21
without a backlash. Moreover, there has been such an anxiety that because an outer shape of the housing
26
is rectangular as shown in
FIG. 9
, while an inner shape of the engaging chambers
52
is circular to conform to a shape of the receiving trunks
45
, and so, local difference in wall thickness of the housing is large, the inner shape of the engaging chambers
52
tends to be deformed into an oval shape out of a perfect circle, due to molding sink or distortion at high temperature when molding synthetic resin.
In such cases, when the male and female type optical connectors
21
and
36
are engaged with each other, respective centers of the receiving trunks
45
and the engaging chambers
52
may become offset, resulting in offsets between respective centers of the sleeves
14
in the receiving trunks
45
and the ferrules
41
in the engaging chambers
52
, or offsets between respective centers of the ferrules
41
and the light converting elements
12
(in case where the sleeves
14
are omitted). Thus, there occurs such an anxiety that reliable connections of the optical fiber cables
33
(optical connection) may not be conducted.
In view of the above described circumstances, an object of the invention is to provide an optical connector in which deformation of the engaging chambers in the male type optical connector is prevented, ensuring accurate centering of the ferrules in the engaging chambers, and at the same time, accuracy of the centering of the ferrules can be maintained favorably at any time, even though an outer force is exerted to the male type optical connector or a distorting force or so is applied during engagement of the male and female type optical connectors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to attain the above described object, there is provided, according to a first aspect of the present invention, an optical connector comprising a housing, at least one annular wall provided in the housing and exposed to the exterior, a ferrule for an optical fiber cable being adapted to be inserted into the annular wall, and a protective frame wall provided around the housing so as to project higher than the annular wall.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the frame wall is so arranged as to surround the annular wall.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the frame wall is projected upwardly and downwardly from both top and bottom sides of the housing.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a wall for mounting a ferrule locking member is formed integrally with the annular wall, the wall being positioned at the same height as the frame wall and continued from the frame wall.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention,
Shirakawa Tsuguhito
Yamaguchi Tohru
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Rojas Omar
Sanghavi Hemang
Yazaki -Corporation
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