Socket for connector

Details Socket for connector Socket for connector

2002-02-27

2004-09-21

Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)

Optical waveguides

With disengagable mechanical connector

Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure

C439S137000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06793402

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENITON
The invention relates to a socket for use as a connector (hereinafter referred to as socket for a connector), and in particular, to a socket suitable for an optical connector, installed in a tabletop digital signal input/output device for a DVD, TV, STB (set top box: an adapter unit for satellite broadcasting), CD, MD, an amplifier, and so forth.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With a conventional socket for a connector, for example, a socket for an optical connector, there is involved a risk that foreign matter such as dust, dirt, and so forth is allowed to make ingress in a plug hole when a plug of the optical connector has not been inserted in the plug hole, and a transmit/receive face of an optical device, disposed in the direction of the innermost part of the plug hole, is dirty, thereby deteriorating optical transfer efficiency, so that transfer of given optical signals can not be effected. Further, in the case of the optical device emitting light, there occurs leakage of the light to the outside, and consequently, a person has sometimes suffered an injury in the eyes upon looking into the plug hole.
For this reason, it has been a normal practice with the conventional socket for the optical connector to prepare in advance a cap formed in a shape substantially identical to a internal structure of the plug hole, and to fit the cap into the plug hole so as to block up the same when the plug is not inserted in the plug hole, thereby preventing injuries to the eyes as well as intrusion of foreign matter such as dust, dirt, and so forth into the plug hole.
Since the cap is a component separated from the socket, however, the cap is prone to be lost after removal from the socket when the plug is in use, and if the socket is left as it is with the plug missing, this will cause inconveniences as described above. In order to eliminate such inconveniences, there has been proposed a socket for an optical connector, provided with shutters disposed on the front of a plug hole. For example, a socket for an optical connector, provided with a shutter mechanism disposed on the front of a plug hole, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-131564. The socket proposed therein will be broadly described hereinafter so that the present invention can be easily understood.
FIG. 17
is a sectional view showing a plug and the socket, FIG.
17
(A) a fragmentary sectional view of the plug, and FIG.
17
(B) a sectional view of the socket, showing a state prior to the socket provided with a pair of shutters being coupled up with the plug.
With the socket
200
in a state where the plug
100
is yet to be inserted therein, a pair of shutters
210
a
,
210
b
are urged to an inlet side of a plug hole
202
by elastic members
240
a
,
240
b
, respectively, and consequently, the inlet side of the plug hole
202
is blocked up with the pair of the shutters
210
a
,
210
b.
When the plug
100
is inserted into the socket
200
in such a state as described, and such insertion is started with force greater than an urging force of the elastic members
240
a
,
240
b
, respectively, the front wall of the shutters
210
a
,
210
b
, respectively, is pushed by a plug extremity
106
, whereupon the respective shutters
210
a
,
210
b
are rotated, centering around axes
220
a
,
220
b
, respectively, and the extremity of the respective shutters
210
a
,
210
b
is pushed into the plug hole
202
, in the direction of the innermost part thereof. When the plug
100
is further pushed, the respective shutters
210
a
,
210
b
start being guided by long extended holes
230
a
,
230
b
, respectively, serving as a guiding mechanism, and are shifted into upper and lower rooms
250
a
,
250
b
, respectively. The path of such shift of the extremity of the respective shutters
210
a
,
210
b
is indicated by a dash and double-dotted line in the figure.
Upon further pushing the plug
100
forward, the plug extremity
106
is inserted into a hole
204
defined in a protruded part
205
provided in the innermost part of the plug hole
202
, and is held therein. Upon the insertion of the plug extremity
106
in the hole
204
, the tip of an optical fiber
107
is butted against, or brought close to an optical device
300
, whereupon transmit/receipt of optical signals is executed. In the figure, reference numeral
101
denotes a plug main body,
103
an engaging protuberance,
105
recesses, and
109
protrusions. When the plug is coupled up with the socket, the protrusions
109
are fitted into socket recesses
206
, respectively, and the plug extremity
106
is stably held.
Conversely, in the case of pulling the plug
100
out of the plug hole
202
, a procedure as described above is reversed. That is, the respective shutters
210
a
,
210
b
automatically return to the inlet side of the plug hole
202
by the urging force of the respective elastic members
240
a
,
240
b
while being guided by the long extended holes
230
a
,
230
b
, respectively.
With such a construction as described, however, the plug hole
202
needs to be provided with space for allowing the engaging protuberance
103
of the plug
100
to be inserted therein, the upper and lower rooms
250
a
,
250
b
, extended from the space described above, and disposed in the upper and lower edge parts thereof, respectively, on the inlet side thereof, for independently housing the shutters
210
a
,
210
b
, respectively, and the long extended holes
230
a
,
230
b
, serving as the guiding mechanism for guiding the shutters
210
a
,
210
b
between the inlet side and the upper and lower rooms
250
a
,
250
b
, respectively. Accordingly, the number of components increases, a socket housing is complex in structure, and the components are unable to be assembled with ease.
Further, another socket comprising a single shutter mechanism is disclosed in the abovementioned JP, 2000-131564, A.
FIG. 18
is a sectional view showing a plug and the socket, FIG.
18
(A) a fragmentary sectional view of the plug, and FIG.
18
(B) a sectional view of the socket, showing a state prior to the socket provided with the single shutter mechanism being coupled up with the plug.
With the socket
200
A in a state where the plug
100
A is yet to be inserted therein, a shutter
210
A is urged towards an inlet side of a plug hole
202
A by an elastic member
240
A, and consequently, the inlet side of the plug hole
202
A is blocked up with the shutter
210
A. When the plug
100
A is inserted into the socket
200
A in such a state as described, and such insertion is started with force greater than an urging force of the elastic member
240
A, the front wall of the shutter
210
A is butted against, and pushed by a plug extremity
106
A, whereupon the shutter
210
A is rotated, centering around an axis
220
A, causing the extremity of the shutter
210
A to make its way into the plug hole
202
, in the direction of the innermost part thereof. The path of such shift of the extremity of the shutter
210
A is indicated by a dash line in the figure.
When the plug
100
A is further pushed, an edge part of an engaging protuberance
103
A, on the lower side thereof, come into slidable contact with the bottom face of the plug hole
202
A, on the inlet side thereof, while an edge part
105
A of the engaging protuberance
103
A, on the upper side thereof, is butted against the front face of the shutter
210
A. Upon further pushing the plug
100
A forward, the shutter
210
A in a horizontal posture is housed in a room
260
A of the plug hole
202
A, and the plug extremity
106
A is inserted into a hole
204
A defined in a protruded part
205
A provided in the innermost part of the plug hole
202
A, and is held therein. As a result of the plug extremity
106
A being inserted in the hole
204
A and being held therein, the tip of an optical fiber
107
A is butted against, or brought close to an optical device
300
A, whereupon transmit/receipt of optical signals is executed. Conversely, in the case of pulling the plug
100
A out of the plug hole
202
A, a procedur

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