Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-17
2004-06-29
Healy, Brian (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
C385S053000, C385S055000, C385S076000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06755574
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector, and in particular to an optical connector that connects together optical connector plugs inserted from the front and back of a backplane in a housing body installed by using an installation hole in the backplane of a plug-in unit, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
What is termed a backplane connector (referred to hereinbelow as a “BP connector”) is a plug-in type optical connector that connects optical connector plugs inserted into both the front and back of a backplane using a backplane housing (hereinbelow, a “BH housing”) assembled using an installation hole in the backplane of a plug-in unit, for example.
FIG. 46
is an example of this BP connector.
In
FIG. 46
, reference numeral
1
is a plug-in unit, reference numeral
2
is a printed board, reference numeral
3
is a backplane, reference numerals
4
a
and
4
b
are connector plugs (hereinbelow, “MPO plugs”), reference numeral
5
is a printed board housing (hereinbelow, “PH housing”), and reference numeral
6
is a BH housing.
The MPO connectors
4
a
and
4
b
are optical connectors specified in JIS C 5982 and IEC 1754-7, and having a structure that supports an optical connector ferrule
4
c
, whose end has been PC (Physical Contact) polished, in a plastic housing.
This BP connector is assembled by engaging a PH housing
5
in a BH housing
6
installed in a backplane on the side of a plug-in unit
1
by inserting a printed board
2
that anchors the PH housing
5
to the plug-in unit
1
. The engaged PH housing
5
and the BH housing
6
form the optical connector adapter
7
, and connect the MPO plugs
4
a
and
4
b
inserted from both sides. The MPO plug
4
a
, inserted into the optical adapter
7
from the PH housing
5
, is inserted in advance into the PH housing
5
, and at the same time that the printed board
2
is inserted into the plug-in unit
1
, the optical connector adapter
7
is inserted. On the plug-in unit
1
, a plurality of printed boards
2
can be accommodated in parallel at a high packing density, and thus high-density packing of optical connector adapters
7
is possible with this BP connector
FIG. 47
is an exploded perspective drawing showing the BH housing
6
.
As shown in
FIG. 47
, the BH housing
6
provides a housing body
8
and a backside housing
9
that are disposed opposite each other via the backplane
3
. The housing
8
is disposed on the printed board
2
side (the left side in FIG.
7
), and the backside housing
9
is disposed at a position facing the housing body
8
via the backplane
3
. Pins
10
project from the housing body
8
, pass through to the opposite side of the backplane
3
by being inserted through the installation hole
11
in the backplane
3
, and anchor the backside housing
9
to the protruding ends of the pins
10
by screws
12
.
FIG. 48
shows the installation hole
11
.
As shown in
FIG. 8
, the installation hole
11
is rectangular, and has an extended part
13
in the four corners. The pins
10
are accommodated in the opposing pairs of extended parts
13
and
13
along the diagonal (omitted from figure) of the installation holes
11
, and furthermore, in the vertical direction (top to bottom in FIG.
48
), a gap
14
of approximately a=1.60 mm is maintained, and in the horizontal direction (left to right in FIG.
48
), a gap
15
of approximately b=0.34 mm is maintained. The housing body
8
and the backside housing
9
slidably hold the backplane
3
, and thus the BH housing
6
can float within the range of movement of the pins
10
and
10
in the gaps
14
,
15
. Thereby, as shown in
FIG. 46
, when the PH housing
5
is engaged in the BH housing
6
the size discrepancy is offset by the floating of the BH housing
6
, and thus the engagement operability is improved.
Specifically, in the abutment connection between the optical connector ferrules
4
c
,
4
d
defined in JIS C 5981, one optical connector ferrule
4
c
is engaged in advance, the guide pins
4
p
projecting from the junction end are inserted and engaged in the guide pin holes
4
q
bored into the other optical connector ferrule
4
c
, and thereby precisely positioned. When the PH housing
5
has been properly engaged, the guide pins
4
p
can be smoothly engaged in the guide pin holes
4
q
due to the floating of the BH housing
6
.
However, in the case of this BP connector, the dimension of the screw
12
diameter is about 1.2 mm, labor is involved in anchoring the backside housing
9
with a hand tool, and thus its operability is not satisfactory. In particular, when applying this BP connector to the wall of a building, etc., there are many cases in which an adequate work space cannot be secured, and this problem of operability becomes even more serious. In addition, because the screw
12
itself is a special order item, cost reductions are difficult, and at the same time, because the pin
10
and screw hole
16
(refer to
FIG. 47
) are formed conforming to the screw
12
, there is the problem that labor is involved in their manufacture. Furthermore, because the installation hole
11
formed in the backplane
3
acquires a complicated shape corresponding to the screws
12
, there is the problem that labor is involved in the formation of this installation hole
11
. If the floating range of the BH housing
6
is too big or too small, ensuring the engagement of the PH housing
5
is difficult, and thus even more care is required in the formation of the screw
12
, the pin
10
, and the installation hole
11
, which involves labor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector that can be assembled simply, and furthermore does not require screws for anchoring, and makes possible the reduction of cost by reducing the number of parts by engaging flexible claws projecting from an anchoring part disposed opposite a housing body via the backplane in this housing body via an installation hole in this backplane, or engaging flexible claws projecting from an installation part attached to the outside of the housing body on this backplane via the installation hole.
The present invention is an optical connector providing a housing body and a fixed part that are disposed on opposite sides of the backplane, and installed so as to hold this backplane, and via an installation hole in the backplane, connect an optical connector plug inserted in the housing body and a separate optical connector plug inserted into the housing body from the direction opposite to this optical connector plug, and wherein this fixed part provides a plug insertion hole in which this optical connector plug is inserted, and flexible claws that engage by being disposed on opposite sides of the plug insertion hole and then inserted into the housing body. These flexible claws are installed so that the housing body and the fixed part hold the backplane by being engaged in the housing body via the installation hole in the backplane. In addition, the plug insertion hole communicates with the installation hole and the housing body to form a means to solve the above-described problems.
This optical connector is installed by holding the backplane between the housing body and the fixed part by engaging the flexible claws of the fixed part in the housing body via an installation hole in the backplane. In addition, the flexible claws can be structured so as to be detachable from the housing body, and thereby the removal operability is improved.
For example, as disclosed in the description of related art, in consideration of the structure in which a printed board housing attached to a printed board inserted in a plug-in unit is engaged in a housing body, the housing body is allowed to float. When the desired floating range is reliably attained for the housing body, the misalignment can be offset by the floating range of the housing body when the print port housing is engaged in the housing body, and thus the engagement
Fujiwara Kunihiko
Hayashi Yukio
Nagasawa Shinji
Nomura Yoshikazu
Takaya Masaaki
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Fujikura Ltd. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Healy Brian
Wood Kevin S
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