JP2010054680A - Optical cable connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an excellent connection condition of optical fibers by enhancing connection strength between an optical cable and an optical cable connector, and thereby preventing displacement to the core direction of the optical cable inside a connector housing and preventing the optical cable from falling off from the optical cable connector. <P>SOLUTION: In the optical cable connector 1, there are mounted in the connector housing 12 the terminal portions of the optical cables 901, 902 in which the optical fibers 911, 921 and their reinforcing tension members 912, 922 are covered with sheath materials 913, 923. To the connector housings 12, 22, a cable holding member 301 is attached and positions and holds the optical cables 901, 902 in the core direction. As a result, the cable holding member 301 is fixedly stuck to the sheath materials 913, 923 of the optical cables 901, 902, with the tension members 912, 922 held with pressure by a clamping part 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical cable connector, and more particularly to an optical cable holding structure that is mounted in a connector housing in an optical cable connector that optically connects optical fibers that transmit optical signals of the optical cable.

  In general, an optical cable using an optical fiber (also referred to as an optical fiber cable) is widely used for home and industrial information communication because it enables high-speed communication of a large amount of information. In addition, for example, automobiles are equipped with various electrical components (for example, a car navigation system), and are often used for optical communication of these electrical components. Various optical cable connectors (also referred to as optical connectors or optical fiber connectors) have been proposed for optically connecting optical fiber terminals (connecting so that optical signals can be transmitted).

  In such an optical cable connector, several structures for holding the optical cable in the connector have already been proposed. For example, when the optical cable connector described in Patent Document 1 is shown in FIG. The cable holding member 74 is attached to the optical cable 90 inserted into the connector housing 72 from the slit portion 722 communicating with the cable housing hole 721 formed in the connector housing 72, and the optical cable 90 is attached to the optical cable 90 by the cable holding member 74. While being positioned in the core line direction, the sheath material 901 of the optical cable 90 is configured to be held under pressure.

  As another example, a substantially U-shaped cable holding member 84 is mounted from a slit portion 822 communicating with a cable housing hole 821 formed in the connector housing 82, as in the optical cable connector 80 shown in FIG. A configuration in which the connection strength between the optical cable 90 and the connector housing 82 is increased by pressing the sheath material 901 of the optical cable 90 with the distal end portion of the cable holding member 84 has also been proposed.

JP 2002-333548 A

  However, the optical cable connector shown in the first conventional example is configured such that the sheath material of the optical cable is clamped from the outside by the cable holding member, and the opposing force when the optical cable is pulled is between the cable holding member and the optical cable. Since only the frictional force generated on the contact surface with the sheath material is used, the connection strength may be insufficient. Therefore, when assembling various devices on which the optical cable is mounted, when the optical cable is routed in a limited space, the optical cable is disconnected from the optical cable connector, or the optical cable (optical fiber) is displaced in the core direction. There is a problem that connection failure occurs.

  Similarly, in the optical cable connector according to the second conventional example, only the outer peripheral surface of the optical cable is pressed by the cable holding member, and the connection strength of the optical cable to the optical cable connector is insufficient. Problems such as disconnection and poor connection due to misalignment of the optical cable arise.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to increase the connection strength between the optical cable and the optical cable connector when mounting the optical cable in which the optical fiber and the reinforcing tension member are covered with the sheath material in the connector housing. The present invention provides an optical cable connector that prevents the optical cable from being displaced in the direction of the core wire in the housing and from being removed from the optical cable connector. As a result, high reliability is ensured for transmission / reception of optical signals by optical cables.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an optical cable connector in which a terminal portion of an optical cable in which an optical fiber and a tension member for reinforcement thereof are covered with a sheath material is mounted in the connector housing. By attaching a cable holding member that positions and holds the cable in the direction of its core, the tip of the cable holding member is pierced into the sheath material of the optical cable, and the tension member is clamped and held by the tip of the cable holding member. The gist of this is.

  In this case, the optical cable is provided with a single-core or multi-core optical fiber in the center of the sheath material, and the tension members that are paired on both sides of the optical fiber in the core line direction. Preferably, the cable holding member is formed in a substantially U shape, and a configuration in which a clamping portion for clamping and holding the tension member is formed at both ends of the cable holding member is preferable. It is done.

  In addition, the connector housing is formed with a slit portion to which the cable holding member is mounted, and a drop-off preventing portion for preventing the cable holding member from dropping off is integrally formed on the insertion side portion of the slit portion of the connector housing. It is preferable that the cable holding member is engaged and held by the slit portion by the drop-off preventing portion.

  On the other hand, the optical cable connector includes a first connector to which one optical fiber is attached and a second connector to which the other optical fiber is attached, and the cable holding member includes the first connector. It is attached to one or both of the second connectors, and holds and holds the optical cable attached to the first connector and / or the tension member provided on the optical cable attached to the second connector. There is a configuration.

  According to the optical cable connector of the present invention, the cable holding member to be attached to the connector housing is inserted into the sheath material of the optical cable, and the tension member for reinforcing the fiber in the optical cable is directly pinched by the tip portion of the cable holding member. Since it is the structure hold | maintained, the position shift and removal in the core line direction of an optical cable are prevented effectively. That is, as in the conventional optical cable connector described above, the optical cable sheath member is not simply sandwiched or pressed from one direction by the cable holding member, but the tension member that is a reinforcing member of the optical cable is directly held. Since it is a structure, it has the outstanding position shift and removal prevention performance which are not in the prior art, and high reliability can be ensured for transmission / reception of optical signals by optical cables.

  Further, when the optical cable has an optical fiber at the center and a pair of tension members on both sides thereof, a pair of optical cables are formed by sandwiching portions formed at both ends of a cable holding member formed in a substantially U shape. By holding the tension member under pressure, a more stable connection state of the optical cable can be obtained. Further, by attaching the cable holding member to the sheath material, both the tension members in the optical cable are naturally held and held in the holding portion of the cable holding member, so that the assembling property is excellent.

  Further, the cable holding member is inadvertently removed from the connector housing by providing a drop prevention portion for preventing the cable holding member from dropping off at the insertion side portion of the slit portion which is the insertion port of the cable holding member formed in the connector housing. Since it can be prevented from falling off, it is possible to reliably maintain a good connection state of the optical cable even when it is used in an environment where vibration occurs, such as an automobile.

  On the other hand, the optical cable connector is composed of a first connector to which one optical fiber is attached and a second connector to which the other optical fiber is attached, and the present invention is applied to one or both of the connectors. Of course, by applying to both the first connector and the second connector, it is possible to prevent displacement and disconnection of each optical cable in the core line direction in both connectors. High reliability can be ensured for signal transmission and reception.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a configuration of an optical cable connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, Fig.1 (a) shows the fitting state of the 1st connector (this embodiment male connector 10) and the 2nd connector (this embodiment female connector 20) in this invention, FIG. (B) is sectional drawing which showed the state by which the fitting state of the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 was cancelled | released. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the optical cable connector 1 in an exploded manner.

  As shown in these drawings, the optical cable connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes a male connector 10 and a female connector 20, and the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 have optical cables 901 and 902, respectively. It is installed.

  FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing the optical cables 901 and 902 in an enlarged manner. In this embodiment, the optical cables 901 and 902 are of a two-core type having two optical fibers 911 and 921 for transmitting and receiving an optical signal, and are made of a glass-based material or a synthetic resin-based material. It has been known. The optical fibers 911 and 921 can be distinguished for transmission and reception by a colorant applied to the surface. The optical fiber 911 and the optical fiber 921 are optically connected by fitting the male connector 10 and the female connector 20. In these optical fiber cables 901 and 902, the two optical fibers 911 and 921 are arranged at the center of the cross section, and the periphery thereof is covered with a sheath material 913 and 923 made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional shapes of the optical cables 901 and 902 are formed, for example, in a substantially rectangular cross section, and the optical cables 901 and 902 are disposed on the left and right sides of the optical fibers 911 and 921 in the optical cables 901 and 902. Two tension members (strength wires) 912 and 922 that increase the mechanical strength of the optical fibers 911 and 921 are disposed in the core wire direction. Examples of the members constituting the tension members 912 and 922 include a bundle of high-strength fibers such as Kevlar (registered trademark).

  The male connector 10 includes a connector housing 12, a ferrule 14 attached to the connector housing 12, and a coil spring 16 as a biasing member that biases the ferrule 14 toward the distal end side.

  The connector housing 12 is integrally molded in a substantially cylindrical shape with a synthetic resin material such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), for example, and the first optical cable housing having a rectangular cross section in which the optical cable 901 is housed is contained therein. A hole 121 is formed. In addition, a coil spring housing hole 121a having a circular cross section is formed in communication with the tip end side of the first optical cable housing hole 121, and the coil spring 16 is disposed in the coil spring housing hole 121a. Further, a ferrule accommodation hole 122 for accommodating the ferrule 14 is formed in communication with the tip end side of the coil spring accommodation hole 121a. The ferrule housing hole 122 includes a ferrule housing portion 122a having a circular cross section in which the ferrule 14 is housed, and a stopper housing portion 122b having a rectangular cross section. As shown in FIG. 1, a stopper 125 that prevents the ferrule 14 biased toward the distal end side by the coil spring 16 is formed in the stopper accommodating portion 122 b.

  On the other hand, the ferrule 14 is also integrally formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a synthetic resin material. However, since the one end surface of the ferrule 14 is a butting surface X1 with the female connector 20, the ferrule 14 In order to prevent an increase in the connection loss of the optical fiber due to the deformation of the optical fiber, it is made of a relatively hard material. As this material, PBT, PPT (polypropylene terephthalate) containing glass and having increased hardness are preferably used.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 (a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1A), each of the receiving and transmitting optical fibers 911 is provided in the ferrule 14 along the axial direction thereof. Two first fiber insertion holes 141 are formed. The first fiber insertion hole 141 is formed in a shape considering workability when the optical fiber 911 is inserted. Specifically, the first fiber insertion hole 141 is formed such that the entrance side (right side in FIG. 1) when inserting the optical fiber 911 is larger than the diameter of the optical fiber 911. Thereby, the optical fiber 911 having a small diameter can be inserted into the first fiber insertion hole 141 without difficulty. The first fiber insertion hole 141 is provided with a guide portion 141a formed in a tapered shape with a gradually decreasing diameter from the middle position to the distal end side. The distal end of the guide portion 141a is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the optical fiber 911, and the optical fiber 911 inserted from the entrance is guided to a predetermined position on the abutting surface X1 by the guide portion 141a.

  An adhesive injection port 142 communicating with the first fiber insertion hole 141 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the ferrule 14. After the optical fiber 911 is inserted into the first fiber insertion hole 141, an adhesive is poured from the adhesive inlet 142, and the optical fiber 911 is fixed to the ferrule 14. After the optical fiber 911 is fixed in this manner, the abutment surface X1 of the ferrule 14 is more closely attached to the abutment surface X2 of the female connector 20 described later, and the connection loss between the optical fiber 911 and the optical fiber 921 is increased. In order to suppress it, a mirror finish is applied.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a key 143 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the ferrule 14 in the axial direction thereof. On the other hand, a key groove 122 c is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ferrule housing hole 122 of the connector housing 12. The ferrule 14 is attached to the connector housing 12 with the key 143 engaged with the key groove 122c. Thereby, the rotation of the ferrule 14 in the circumferential direction of the connector housing 12 is restricted. The external shape of the ferrule 14 is not necessarily a cylindrical shape. For example, if the fiber insertion hole 141 having a predetermined shape through which the optical fibers 911 and 921 can be inserted can be formed, for example, a rectangular column shape or an elliptical column shape. It may be like a shape. In this case, a configuration corresponding to the key 143 or the key groove 122c formed for the rotation prevention is not necessary.

  In addition, the first positioning pin 144a and the second positioning hole 144b are provided on the front end side end surface (butting surface X1) of the ferrule 14 one by one. When the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are fitted, the first positioning pin 144a is engaged with the positioning hole 244b provided in the butting surface X2 of the female connector 20, and the positioning hole 144b is a female type. The positioning pin 244a provided on the butting surface X2 of the connector 20 is engaged. As a result, misalignment between the optical fiber 911 fixed to the male connector 10 and the optical fiber 921 fixed to the female connector 20 is prevented, and an increase in connection loss between the optical fiber 911 and the optical fiber 921 is suppressed. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially rectangular engaging recess 145 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the ferrule 14. As shown in FIG. 1, when the ferrule 14 is mounted in the ferrule housing hole 122, the engaging portion 125 a of the stopper 125 provided in the ferrule housing hole 122 is engaged with the engaging recess 145, The ferrule 14 biased toward the tip side is prevented from falling off. Here, since the engaging recess 145 has a predetermined length in the axial direction of the ferrule 14, the ferrule 14 slides in the axial direction (the core direction of the optical cables 901 and 902) by this length. Is possible. That is, as shown in FIG. 1B, in a state where the female connector 20 is removed from the male connector 10, the ferrule 14 biased by the coil spring 16 is engaged with the engaging portion 125 a of the stopper 125. It advances to a position where it is caught by the side wall on the rear end side of the recess 145. Then, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the female connector 20 is fitted to the male connector 10, the ferrule 14 is moved to a position where the connector housing 12 and the front end side end surface are aligned by the female connector 10. It will be pushed and positioned.

  The coil spring 16 is disposed in the above-described coil spring accommodation hole 121a formed in the connector housing 12, and biases the ferrule 14 toward the distal end side (female connector 20 side). The first optical cable housing hole 121 and the step formed at the boundary between the coil spring housing hole 121a which is a hole having a circular cross section and the rear end surface of the ferrule 14 are disposed in a compressed state. .

  The female connector 20 to be fitted to the male connector 10 configured in this manner is integrally formed with, for example, a synthetic resin material such as PBT that has increased hardness by containing glass. The female connector 20 has a second optical cable housing hole 221 in which the optical cable 902 is housed. The second optical cable 921 is inserted into the second optical cable 921 in communication with the distal end side thereof. Two fiber insertion holes 241 are formed directly in the connector housing 22. Similar to the first fiber insertion hole 141 formed in the ferrule 14 of the male connector 10, the fiber insertion hole 241 is inserted with the optical fiber 921 in order to improve the workability of the optical fiber 911 insertion work. The entrance side (left side in FIG. 1) is formed larger than the diameter of the optical fiber 921. Thereby, the very small diameter optical fiber 921 can be inserted into the second fiber insertion hole 241 without difficulty. The second fiber insertion hole 241 is also provided with a guide portion 241a formed in a tapered shape with a gradually decreasing diameter from the middle position to the distal end side. The distal end of the guide portion 241a is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the optical fiber 921, and the optical fiber 921 inserted from the entrance is guided to a predetermined position on the abutting surface X2 by the guide portion 241a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 (sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1A), the outer peripheral surface of the connector housing 22 has a second fiber insertion hole 241 and the same as the ferrule 14. A communicating adhesive inlet 242 is formed. After the optical fiber 921 is inserted into the second fiber insertion hole 241, an adhesive is poured from the adhesive injection port 142, and the optical fiber 921 is fixed to the connector housing 22. After the optical fiber 921 is fixed in this manner, the abutting surface X2 of the ferrule 14 is more closely attached to the abutting surface X1 of the ferrule 14 attached to the male connector 10 described above, and the light affixed to the ferrule 14 In order to suppress an increase in connection loss between the fiber 911 and the optical fiber 921, a mirror finish is applied.

  And the optical cable connector 1 which concerns on this embodiment is the slit part 123 formed in the connector housing 12 of the male connector 10, in order to prevent the position shift and removal in the core line direction of the connected optical cables 901 and 902, The cable holding member 301 is attached to each of the slit portions 223 formed in the connector housing 22 of the female connector 20. The holding structure of the optical cables 901 and 902 by the cable holding member 301 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 (a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1A). Since the holding structure of the optical cable 901 and the holding structure of the optical cable 902 by the cable holding member 301 are the same, the holding structure of the optical cable 901 attached to the male connector 10 will be described below and attached to the female connector 20. Description of the optical cable 902 holding structure will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cable holding member 301 is a metal member having a substantially U-shaped side surface. In addition, as a metal which comprises the cable holding member 301, although copper, stainless steel, etc. are mentioned, for example, it is not specifically limited. The cable holding member 301 has a bifurcated sandwiching portion 32 at both ends. The sandwiching portion 32 is formed so that the side surface shape is substantially V-shaped, and the interval gradually increases from the proximal end side toward the distal end side. Further, the interval between the sandwiching portions 32 is substantially the same as the interval between the tension members 912 included in the optical cable 901.

  The cable holding member 301 having such a shape is attached from the slit portion 123 formed in the connector housing 12 of the male connector 10 as described above. Specifically, by pushing the cable holding member 301 from the slit portion 123, the cable holding member 301 enters while breaking through the sheath material of the optical cable 901 by the tip portion formed in a sharp shape. Then, the tension members 912 are inserted between the respective sandwiched portions 32 having a substantially V-shaped side surface by being pushed to a position where the tension member 912 and the sandwiched portion 32 come into contact with each other. In this way, the tension member 912 is directly clamped and held by the cable holding member 301.

  Further, near the entrance of the slit portion 123 to which the cable holding member 301 of the connector housing 12 is attached, a drop-off preventing portion 123a for preventing the once-attached cable holding member 301 from being dropped is integrally provided. The configuration of the dropout prevention portion 123a is not particularly limited. As a suitable example, as shown in FIG. 8, a configuration in which a protrusion is provided in the vicinity of the entrance of the slit portion 123 can be cited. In this case, the cable holding member 301 is mounted while the slit portion 123 is expanded, and after the mounting is completed, the slit portion 123 that has been expanded returns to its original state, thereby preventing the cable holding member 301 from falling off by the protrusion. .

  As described above, in the optical cable connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the tension members 912 and 922 included in the optical cables 901 and 902 are configured to be directly clamped and held by the cable holding member 301. Therefore, the sheath of the optical cables 901 and 902 is simply used. Compared with a conventional cable holding member that holds the materials 913 and 923 under pressure or presses them from one direction, the optical cables 901 and 902 are superior in positional deviation in the core line direction and prevention of removal, so that the optical fiber 911 , 921 can be reliably prevented from being poorly connected to the butted surfaces.

  Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the cable holding member 301 is attached to each of the male connector 10 and the female connector 20. With this configuration, the optical cables 901 and 902 connected to the respective connectors are prevented from being displaced and removed in the direction of the core wire, so that the optical fiber in the fitted state of the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 can be prevented. High reliability can be ensured for transmission and reception of optical signals.

  In addition, the structure of the drop-off prevention part 123a provided in the slit part 123 mentioned above is an example as mentioned above, and can be changed suitably. Preferably, the detachment preventing portion 123a may be configured to apply an urging force in a direction orthogonal to the core line direction of the optical cables 901 and 902 to the cable holding member 301. By doing so, the tension members 912 and 922 are more firmly held and held by the cable holding member 301, so that the optical cables 901 and 902 can be more effectively prevented from being displaced or removed in the core line direction. Is done.

  The fitting between the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 configured as described above will be briefly described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an elastically deformable locking piece 124 is cantilevered from the front end side to the rear end side at the upper part of the connector housing 12 of the male connector 10. It is formed in a shape. The locking piece 124 has a locking recess 124a formed at the approximate center thereof, and a locking release portion 124b formed at the tip.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the female connector 20 has a locking projection 201a (corresponding to a locking portion in the present invention) protruding from the inside of the fitting portion 201 into which the male connector 10 enters. Is formed.

  When the male connector 10 is inserted into the fitting portion 201 of the female connector 20 having such a shape, the locking piece 124 of the male connector 10 is deformed so as to sink into the inside of the fitting portion 201. The elastic deformation of the locking piece 124 of the male connector 10 is released at the position where the butting surface X1 of the male connector 10 and the butting surface X2 of the female connector 20 abut, and the locking recess of the locking piece 124 is released. The locking projection 201a of the female connector 20 is locked to 124a. Thereby, the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are fitted, and the optical fiber 911 and the optical fiber 921 are optically connected. The fitting between the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 is performed in a state in which the locking recess 124a and the locking projection 201a are unlocked by pushing down the locking release portion 124b of the locking piece 124. It can release | release by pulling apart the male connector 10 and the female connector 20. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the engagement protrusion 17 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the male connector 10, and the engagement surface 201 of the female connector 20 is engaged on the inner peripheral surface. A joint groove 27 is formed. By engaging the male connector 10 and the female connector 20, the engagement protrusion 17 engages with the engagement groove 27, so that rattling between the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 is prevented.

  Next, a procedure for assembling the optical cables 901 and 902 with respect to the optical cable connector 1 according to such a configuration will be briefly described although partially overlapping with the above description.

  First, the optical cable 901 peels off the sheath material 913 having a predetermined length from one end and cuts the tension member 912 to expose the optical fiber 911 having a predetermined length. In this state, the optical cable 901 is inserted through the connector housing 12 and the coil spring 16. Next, the exposed optical fiber 911 is inserted into the first fiber insertion hole 141 of the ferrule 14. At this time, as described above, since the first fiber insertion hole 141 has a large inlet portion and the guide portion 141a is formed, it is possible to easily insert the optical fiber 911 having a small diameter. After insertion of the optical fiber 911, an adhesive is poured from the adhesive inlet 142 to fix the optical fiber 911 to the ferrule 14. Next, the excess optical fiber 911 is cut, and the butt surface X1 of the ferrule 14 is mirror-finished. After the mirror finish, the first positioning pin 144a is erected on the ferrule 14 by press fitting or the like. Thereafter, the coil spring 16 is accommodated in the coil spring accommodation hole 121a, and the engagement portion 125a of the stopper 125 is engaged with the engagement recess 145 of the ferrule 14, so that the ferrule 14 is accommodated in the ferrule accommodation hole 122 of the connector housing 12. Installing. Finally, the cable holding member 301 for preventing the optical cable 901 from being detached is attached from the slit portion 123, and the assembly of the optical cable 901 to the male connector 10 is completed.

  On the other hand, as with the optical cable 901, the optical cable 902 first exposes the optical fiber 921 having a predetermined length. Then, the exposed optical fiber 911 is inserted into the second fiber insertion hole 241 of the female connector 20 using the guide portion 241a. After the optical fiber 911 is inserted, an adhesive is poured from the adhesive inlet 242 to fix the optical fiber 921 to the female connector 20. Next, the excess optical fiber 921 is cut, and the butt surface X2 of the female connector 20 is subjected to mirror surface treatment. After the mirror finish, the second positioning pins 244a are erected on the connector housing 22 of the female connector 20 by press fitting or the like. Finally, the cable holding member 301 for preventing the optical cable 901 from being detached is attached from the slit portion 223, and the assembly of the optical cable 902 to the female connector 20 is completed.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, it has been described that the optical cables 901 and 902 connected to the optical cable connector 1 are two-core optical cables having two optical fibers 911 and 921 for transmission and reception, respectively. The technical idea of the present invention can be applied to a single-core optical cable having only one optical fiber and a multi-core optical cable having three or more optical fibers.

  In the present embodiment, it has been described that the optical cables 901 and 902 connected to the optical cable connector 1 have two tension members 912 and 922. However, an optical cable having only one tension member, The technical idea of the present invention can be applied to an optical cable having three or more tension members.

It is sectional drawing of the optical cable connector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (a) shows the fitting state of a male connector (1st connector) and a female connector (2nd connector), (b) FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the fitting state between the male connector and the female connector is released. It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical cable connector shown in FIG. It is the figure which expanded and showed the terminal part of the optical cable used for this optical cable connector. It is the sectional view on the AA line of the optical cable connector shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the optical cable connector shown in FIG. 1 taken along line BB. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1, showing a tension member holding structure of the optical cable shown in FIG. 3. It is sectional drawing of the optical cable connector generally known conventionally (1st prior art example). It is sectional drawing of the optical cable connector generally known conventionally (2nd prior art example).

Explanation of symbols

1 Optical cable connector 10 Male connector (first connector)
12 Connector housing 123, 223 Slit part 123a Fall-off prevention part 20 Female connector (second connector)
22 connector housing 301 first cable holding member 302 second cable holding member 901, 902 optical cable 911, 921 optical fiber 912, 922 tension member 913, 923 sheath material

Claims (4)

  An optical cable connector in which a terminal portion of an optical cable in which an optical fiber and a tension member for reinforcement thereof are covered with a sheath material is mounted in the connector housing, and a cable holding member that positions and holds the optical cable in the core line direction in the connector housing The optical cable connector is characterized in that the tip of the cable holding member is pierced into the sheath material of the optical cable by attaching the tension member, and the tension member is clamped and held by the tip of the cable holding member.   The optical cable includes a single-core or multi-core optical fiber disposed in the center of a sheath material, and the tension members that are paired on both sides of the optical fiber in the core line direction. 2. The cable holding member according to claim 1, wherein the cable holding member is formed in a substantially U-shape, and sandwiching portions are formed at both ends of the cable holding member to hold the tension member. The optical cable connector described.   The connector housing is formed with a slit portion to which the cable holding member is mounted, and a drop-off preventing portion for preventing the cable holding member from dropping off is integrally provided at an insertion side portion of the slit portion of the connector housing. The optical cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the cable holding member is engaged and held by the slit portion by the drop-off preventing portion.   The optical cable connector includes a first connector to which one optical fiber is attached and a second connector to which the other optical fiber is attached, and the cable holding member includes the first connector and the second connector. A tension member that is attached to one or both of the connectors and that is disposed on the optical cable attached to the first connector and / or the optical cable attached to the second connector is clamped and held. The optical cable connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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