JP2011227296A - Terminal processing optical cable, terminal processing method for optical cable and terminal for optical cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal processing optical cable, a terminal processing method for optical cable and a terminal for optical cable with which fixing members for fixing the optical cable on an optical connector can be easily attached.SOLUTION: By using a terminal 3 for optical cable having a fixing part 31 for fixing an optical cable 2 on other parts and a barrel part 32 that is pressed around a sheath material 23 of the optical cable 2, for attaching the terminal 3 for optical cable on the optical cable 2, a barrel part 31 is pressed onto the outer surface of the sheath material 23 on the terminal of the optical cable 2, thereby obtaining a terminal processing optical cable 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal processing optical cable in which an optical cable terminal is attached to a terminal, a method for processing an optical cable terminal by attaching the optical cable terminal to the optical cable terminal, and an optical cable terminal as a member for fixing the optical cable to a connector or the like It is related with the terminal for optical cables used in order to process.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, optical cables using optical fibers (sometimes referred to as optical fiber cables) are widely used for home and industrial information communications because they can perform high-speed communication of a large amount of information. For example, in an automobile, an optical cable is used for optical communication of electrical components such as car navigation. An optical cable connector (sometimes referred to as an optical connector or an optical fiber connector) connected to a terminal of an optical cable is used for connection between optical cables or between an optical cable and a device.

  The optical cable connector is formed to be detachable from the counterpart optical cable connector or the like. In the optical cable connector, the end of the optical cable is fixedly held at a predetermined position. Various methods have been proposed as a method of fixing an optical cable to an optical cable connector (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 describes a method of fixing an optical cable 100 in which a tension member 102 is provided between optical fibers 101 to a connector as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2B, the optical cable 100 is fixed by sandwiching the ends of the optical cable tension member 102 between the upper and lower fixing brackets 103 and 104, and fixing the upper and lower fixing brackets 103 and 104 to the fixing screws. Tighten with 105,105. The optical fiber 100 is fixed to the optical cable connector 106 by fixing the fixing brackets 103 and 104 inside the optical cable connector (optical fiber cable fixing adapter) 106.

  In Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 29 (a), an optical cable 100 in which two optical fibers 101 and 101 are provided at the center and two tension members 102 and 102 are provided outside thereof is fixed. A method is described. In this method, as shown in FIG. 2B, the cable holding member 107 having a holding portion having a V-shaped tip is used to hold the tension members 102 and 102 of the optical cable in the holding portion, The holding member 107 is held at a predetermined position of the optical cable connector 106, and the optical cable 100 is fixed at a predetermined position of the optical cable connector 106.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-54912 JP 2010-54681 A

  The conventional methods for attaching the optical cable described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 to the optical connector are such that the tension member of the optical cable is held by the attachment member and the attachment member is fixed to the optical connector. is there.

  In the above method, when the attachment member is attached to the tension member and the attachment member is attached to the optical cable connector, it is necessary to peel off the optical fiber to expose the tension member. Further, an operation of fixing the exposed tension member to the fixing member is performed. There is a problem that such a work is a very time-consuming work. Furthermore, since such a laborious work is necessary, the manufacturing cost also increases.

  In addition, when the optical cable is attached to the attachment member, if the optical fiber is physically deformed by the attachment work or the attachment member, there is a possibility that transmission loss occurs in the optical cable. In the optical cable connector, it is very important to suppress the transmission loss of the optical cable due to such mounting work and structure.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is easy to attach a fixing member for attaching an optical cable to an optical connector, and a terminal processing optical cable, an optical cable terminal processing method, and an optical cable. It is to provide a terminal for use.

In order to solve the above problems, the terminal processing optical cable of the present invention is:
A terminal-processed optical cable in which an optical cable terminal for fixing the optical cable to another member is attached to the end of the optical cable in which the optical fiber is covered with a sheath material,
The optical cable terminal has a fixing part for fixing the optical cable, and a barrel part for attaching the optical cable terminal to the optical cable,
The gist of the invention is that the barrel portion of the optical cable terminal is crimped to the outer periphery of the sheath material at the end of the optical cable, and the optical cable terminal is attached to the optical cable.

The optical cable terminal processing method of the present invention includes:
An optical cable terminal having a fixing portion for fixing the optical cable to another member and a barrel portion for attaching the optical cable terminal itself to the optical cable at an end of the optical cable in which an optical fiber is covered with a sheath material The gist is to attach the optical cable terminal to the optical cable by crimping the barrel portion to the outer periphery of the sheath material.

The optical cable terminal of the present invention is
An optical cable terminal used for fixing an optical cable attached to an end of an optical cable in which an optical fiber is covered with a sheath material,
A fixing portion for fixing the optical cable to another member, and a barrel portion that is crimped around a sheath material of the optical cable to attach the optical cable terminal to the optical cable;
A locking projection that protrudes toward the inner surface side of the barrel portion and can bite into the sheath material, a meat escape recess that allows the sheath material to bulge, or the locking projection and the meat escape recess are provided. This is the gist.

  Since the barrel portion of the optical cable terminal is attached to the optical cable by being crimped to the outer periphery of the sheath material of the optical cable terminal, the terminal processing optical cable of the present invention is compared with the conventional method of sandwiching and fixing the tension member, It is easy to attach an optical cable terminal (fixing member) for attaching the optical cable to the optical connector.

  The optical cable terminal processing method of the present invention uses an optical cable terminal, and can attach the optical cable terminal with a simple operation of simply crimping the barrel portion to the outer periphery of the sheath material of the optical cable. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The optical cable terminal of the present invention is a locking projection that protrudes toward the inner surface side of the barrel portion and can bite into the sheath material, or a meat escape recess that allows the sheath material to bulge, or the locking projection and By providing the meat relief recess, the optical cable can be securely held and fixed when the optical cable terminal is pressure-bonded to the optical cable.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a terminal processing optical cable according to the present invention. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the state before the pressure bonding in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a method for crimping an optical cable terminal. 4A and 4B are longitudinal sectional views of the barrel portion of the terminal-processed optical cable schematically showing the force applied when the optical cable terminal is crimped to the optical cable. 5A and 5B are partial cross-sectional views showing the vicinity of the barrel portion in the line direction of the terminal processing optical cable corresponding to FIGS. 4A and 4B, respectively. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the barrel portion showing another embodiment of the terminal processing optical cable. FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views in the width direction of the barrel portion showing another aspect of the terminal processing optical cable. FIG. 8 is a front view of an optical cable terminal used in the terminal processing optical cable of FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the optical cable terminal of FIG. FIG. 10 is a rear view of the optical cable terminal of FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the optical cable terminal of FIG. 12 is a side view of the optical cable terminal of FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. FIG. 15 is a development view showing a state of the optical cable terminal of FIG. 8 before bending. 16A is a plan view of the barrel portion before crimping of the optical cable terminal of FIG. 1, and FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view showing the barrel portion of the terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. It is. FIG. 17A is a plan view of a barrel portion before crimping of an optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 17B is a barrel portion of a terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. FIG. 18A is a plan view of a barrel portion before crimping of an optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 18B is a barrel portion of a terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. FIG. FIG. 19A is a plan view of a barrel portion before crimping of an optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 19B is a barrel portion of a terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. FIG. 22 is a plan view of a barrel portion before crimping of an optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention, and (b) shows a barrel portion of a terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. It is sectional drawing. FIGS. 23A and 23B are plan views of the barrel portion before crimping of the optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention. 24A to 24C are plan views of the barrel portion before crimping of the optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention. FIGS. 25A to 25C are plan views of the barrel portion before crimping of the optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention. FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view of an optical cable connector equipped with the terminal processing optical cable of the present invention. 27 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an assembled state of the optical cable connector of FIG. FIGS. 28A and 28B show the end processing of a conventional optical cable. FIG. 28A is a cross-sectional view of the optical cable, and FIG. 28B is a cross-sectional view in the width direction showing a state where the optical cable is fixed to the connector. FIGS. 29A and 29B show the conventional terminal processing of an optical cable. FIG. 29A is a cross-sectional view of the optical cable, and FIG. 29B is a cross-sectional view in the width direction showing a state where the optical cable is fixed to the connector.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a terminal processing optical cable according to the present invention. The terminal processing optical cable 1 in FIG. 1 is configured by attaching an optical cable terminal 3 to the end of an optical cable 2 in which optical fibers 21 and 22 are covered with a sheath material 23.

The optical cable terminal 3 includes a fixing portion 31 for fixing the optical cable 2 to another member such as an optical connector (described later), and a barrel portion 32 for attaching the optical cable terminal 3 itself to the optical cable 2. Yes. The fixing portion 31 of the optical cable terminal 3 has a substantially U-shaped cross section. The optical cable terminal 3 is fixed to the end of the optical cable 2 by crimping the barrel portion 32 by crimping the outer periphery of the sheath material 23 of the end of the optical cable 2.

1 is peeled off from the optical cable terminal 3 on the end side (right side in the figure), and only the two optical fibers 21 and 22 are exposed to the outside from the sheath material 23. Is formed.

  2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the optical cable terminal of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, the optical cable 2 used for the terminal processing optical cable 1 in FIG. 1 is covered with a sheath material 23 made of synthetic resin around the two optical fibers 21 and 22. The optical cable 2 is configured as a two-core optical cable having two optical fibers for transmission and reception for transmitting an optical signal. The optical fibers 21 and 22 are made of glass material or synthetic resin material. The optical fibers 21 and 22 are formed such that a coloring agent or the like is applied to the surface so that transmission and reception can be distinguished. The two optical fibers 21 and 22 are arranged inside the sheath material 23 at substantially the same distance from the center in the left and right lateral direction to the left and right outside in the cross section in the width direction of the optical cable 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the optical cable 2 is provided with two tension members 24 and 25 as tensile strength lines that increase the mechanical strength of the optical cable 2. The tension member 24 is disposed at a position outside the left direction of the optical fiber 21, and the tension member 25 is disposed at a position outside the right direction of the optical fiber 22, and is embedded in the sheath material 23. The tension members 24 and 25 are disposed at positions that are substantially the same distance in the horizontal direction from the center in the width direction of the sheath material. As described above, the optical fibers 21 and 22 are arranged on the center side inside the sheath 23 of the optical cable 2, and the tension members 24 and 25 are arranged outside the optical fibers 21 and 22. Further, the optical fibers 21 and 22 and the tension members 24 and 25 are arranged so as to be substantially aligned in the left and right width direction in the cross section of the sheath material in the width direction. The tension members 24 and 25 are embedded in the sheath material in the linear direction (longitudinal direction) in parallel with the optical fibers 21 and 22.

  In the present invention, the lateral direction of the optical cable 2 is the direction in which the tension members 24 and 25 are arranged with respect to the optical fibers 21 and 22 in the cross section in the width direction of the optical cable 2 shown in FIG. In a), it is the horizontal direction. On the other hand, the vertical direction in the cross section in the width direction of the optical cable is a direction in which no tension member that intersects the direction of the tension member with respect to the optical fiber is disposed, and is the vertical direction in FIG. For the sake of convenience, the upper side of the terminal-treated optical cable 1 is the upper side facing the crimping piece and the lower side is the base side. This vertical direction is sometimes referred to as the thickness direction of the optical cable. The width of the optical cable refers to the lateral width Wa on the left and right of the optical cable 2 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the optical cable terminal 3 before being crimped to the optical cable 2 is formed in a shape in which one direction (upward in the drawing) of the barrel portion is opened. Moreover, the cross section of the optical cable 2 before crimping is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape. The terminal processing optical cable 1 mounts the end of the optical cable 2 on the barrel portion 32 of the optical cable terminal 3 from above, crimps the barrel portion 32, and crimps the optical cable terminal 3 on the optical fiber sheath material 23. ing.

  The terminal processing optical cable of the present invention has a great feature in that the optical cable terminal 3 is caulked and crimped to the optical cable 2 from the outside of the sheath material 23 as described above. The work of crimping the optical cable terminal 3 to the sheath material 23 of the optical cable 2 is extremely easy compared to the work of attaching the fixing member to the tension member, such as the conventional terminal processing of the optical cable. Since the operation is easy, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the cost of the terminal processing optical cable can be reduced. Conventionally, in the field of the optical cable 2, the optical cable terminal 3 is not directly attached to the periphery of the sheath member 23 by pressure bonding. This is because, in an optical cable, the pressure during crimping may have an adverse effect such as transmission loss on the optical fiber inside the sheath material, and conventionally, the optical cable has not been required to reduce the cost so much. It is.

A specific structure for minimizing the transmission loss of the optical cable when crimping the optical cable terminal will be described. The terminal-processed optical cable 1 in FIG. 1 has a width Wa of the optical cable in a portion crimped by the optical cable terminal after crimping shown in FIG. 2A (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the width Wa after crimping) and FIG. The relationship with the width Wb of the optical cable before crimping shown in b) (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the width Wb before crimping) satisfies the following expression (1).
Wa ≧ Wb (1)

  The above expression (1) indicates that the width Wa after crimping of the optical cable 2 is the same as the width Wb before crimping or larger than the width Wb before crimping. Since the optical cable 2 has the same width in the linear direction, the width Wb before crimping is the same as the width of the non-crimped portion of the optical cable after crimping. The above expression (1) means that the width Wa after crimping of the optical cable 2 should be the same as or larger than the width of the non-crimped portion. With the above-described configuration, it is possible to obtain the terminal-processed optical cable 1 that suppresses the pressure from the direction of the tension member when the optical cable terminal 1 is crimped and does not adversely affect the optical fibers 21 and 22 such as transmission loss.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a method for crimping an optical cable terminal. Hereinafter, a method of crimping the optical cable terminal 3 to the end of the optical cable 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, in order to crimp the optical cable terminal 3 to the optical cable 2, it is first formed in a predetermined shape, and the upper mold 41 and the lower mold 42 are arranged so as to face each other in the vertical direction so that the mold can be clamped. Using the crimping device 4, the barrel portion 32 of the optical cable terminal 3 and the end portion of the optical cable 2 are placed between the upper die 41 and the lower die 42. Next, the crimping device 4 is clamped. When the tip of the barrel portion 32 comes into contact with the ceiling of the inner surface of the upper mold, the tips of the crimping pieces 32b and 32c (see FIG. 8) of the barrel portion 32 are bent inward. When the mold is further clamped, it bends inward along the inner surface shape of the upper mold 43 so that the tips of the crimping pieces 32b, 32c face each other. When the mold is further clamped, as shown in FIG. 2A, the barrel portion 32 abuts so as to cover the periphery of the surface of the sheath material 23 of the optical cable 2 and is crimped to the optical cable 2.

  4A and 4B are longitudinal sectional views of the barrel portion of the terminal-processed optical cable schematically showing the force applied when the optical cable terminal is crimped to the optical cable. 5A and 5B are partial cross-sectional views showing the vicinity of the barrel portion in the line direction of the terminal processing optical cable corresponding to FIGS. 4A and 4B, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the optical cable terminal 3 is crimped to the optical cable 2, stress is applied to the sheath material 23 from the outside. When this stress is applied from the vertical direction (thickness direction), the stress is directly applied to the optical fiber from the sheath material 23, but this does not cause transmission loss in the optical fiber.

  On the other hand, when the stress from the left and right directions of the optical cable 2 is crimped so that the width of the cable is narrowed, the stress is applied to the optical fibers 21 and 22 via the tension members 24 and 25, Thus, a transmission loss is caused at 22. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, when crimping is performed so that the width of the barrel portion 32 of the optical cable 2 is reduced, the outer side of the sheath member 23 on the tension members 24 and 25 side. Stress is applied in the inner direction from the direction (left-right width direction). The tension members 24 and 25 are bent inward. The optical fibers 21 and 22 positioned inside the tension members 24 and 25 are bent toward the center of the sheath material 23 under the stress from the tension members 24 and 25. If the optical fibers 21 and 22 are deformed in this way at the barrel portion 32, transmission loss occurs.

  4 (b) and FIG. 5 (b), when the optical cable 3 is crimped so that the width of the barrel portion 32 does not change or becomes wider than that before crimping, as shown in FIGS. No stress is applied to the optical fibers 21 and 22 via the tension members 24 and 25. Therefore, there is no possibility of transmission loss occurring in the optical fibers 21 and 22 at the barrel portion 32.

  In order to make the width of the barrel portion 32 of the optical cable 2 after crimping the same as or wider than that of the non-crimped portion, when the optical cable terminal 3 is crimped to the optical cable 2, stress from the width direction of the optical cable 2 is applied. The stress may be applied from the vertical direction of the optical cable 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the shape of the press-molding mold 4 may be selected as appropriate.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the barrel portion showing another embodiment of the terminal processing optical cable. As shown in FIG. 6, when the optical cable terminal is crimped to the optical cable 2, the terminal processing optical cable 1 is crimped so that the tip of the barrel portion 32 bites into the sheath material 23 of the optical cable, and the barrel portion 32 is crimped to the optical cable 2. You may use the method to do. In order to caulk in such a shape, the shape of the protrusion 43a on the inner surface ceiling portion of the upper mold 43 may be appropriately set as shown in FIG. When the barrel tip bites into the sheath material 23 of the optical cable 2, the fixing force of the optical cable terminal 3 is further increased. Further, the pressure applied to the optical fibers 21 and 22 via the tension members 24 and 25 can be further reduced.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views in the width direction of the barrel portion showing another aspect of the terminal processing optical cable. As shown in FIG. 7A, the terminal processing optical cable 1 has a radius of curvature R in the cross section in the width direction of the barrel portion 32 of the optical cable terminal 3 compared with the radius of curvature R of the embodiment shown in FIG. In such a case, it is preferable to perform pressure bonding so as to be small. When the radius of curvature R is reduced, lateral pressure on the tension members 24 and 25 can be further suppressed, and transmission loss on the optical fiber can be further reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the terminal processing optical cable 1 is formed with a small radius of curvature R in the cross section in the width direction of the barrel portion 32 of the optical cable terminal 3 as in FIG. 7 (a). It is preferable that the crimping pieces 32 b and 32 c of the portion 32 are crimped so that the distal ends of the crimping pieces 32 b and 32 c bite into the sheath portion 23. Since the barrel part 32 is crimped so as to hold the tension members 24 and 25, the pressure of the crimping is released in the direction of the tension members 24 and 25, the pressure from the direction of the optical fibers 21 and 22 is suppressed, and the transmission loss of the optical fiber Can be further reduced.

  8 to 14 show optical cable terminals used in the terminal processing optical cable of FIG. 1, FIG. 8 is a front view, FIG. 9 is a plan view, FIG. 10 is a rear view, FIG. 11 is a bottom view, and FIG. Is a side view, FIG. 13 is a BB sectional view of FIG. 9, and FIG. 14 is a CC sectional view of FIG. FIG. 16A is a plan view of the barrel portion before crimping of the optical cable terminal of FIG. 1, and FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view showing the barrel portion of the terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the fixing portion 31 of the optical cable terminal 1 is composed of a bottom surface portion 31a and press-fit portions 31b and 31c erected from the left and right sides thereof. The fixing part 31 has a U-shaped cross section in the width direction. Furthermore, the barrel part 32 before crimping is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, it has the base part 32a connected with the bottom face part 31a of a fixing | fixed part, and the crimping | compression-bonding pieces 32b and 32c erected upright on the right and left.

  Locking projections 33, 33 that protrude into the inner surface side (the sheath material 23 side) of the barrel portion 32 and can bite into the sheath material 23 are formed on the base portion 32 a of the barrel portion 32. As shown in FIG. 11, the locking projections 33 and 33 are formed as projections having a planar shape with an isosceles triangle whose bottom is the fixed portion 31 side. Further, through holes 34, 34 penetrating the front and back of the base portion 32 are formed in the base portion 32 on the bottom side of the triangle of the locking projections 33, 33.

  As shown in FIGS. 9, 13, and 14, meat escape recesses 35 through which the sheath material 23 can bulge are provided at the left and right positions to be the crimping pieces of the barrel portion 32. Each meat escape recess 35 is configured by providing three groove-like recesses that are long in the width direction of the optical cable. After the crimping, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the sheath material 23 bulges out as a convex strip in the meat escape portion 35.

  The locking projections 33, 33 and the meat relief recesses 35, 35 are positions where pressure when the optical cable terminal 3 is crimped to the optical cable 2 is not applied to the optical fibers 21, 22 via the tension members 24, 35. Is provided. That is, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the locking projections 33, 33 and the meat escape recesses 35, 35 are located on the tension members 24, 25, avoiding directly above or directly below the optical fibers 21, 22. It is provided so that it may be located below.

  After the barrel portion 32 is pressure-bonded to the optical cable, the locking projection 33 bites into the sheath material 23 as shown in FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. As shown in the figure, the locking projection 33 of the optical cable terminal is formed by the locking projection 33 of the barrel portion 32 when the optical cable 2 after crimping is pulled in the direction of the apex of the triangle (the direction of the right arrow in the figure). Since the bottom side 33a greatly bites into the sheath material, it is possible to prevent the sheath material 23 from being pulled out when the optical cable 2 is pulled.

  When the optical cable terminal 3 is pressure-bonded to the optical cable 2, the meat escape recess 35 allows the sheath material 23 to enter the meat escape recesses 35, 35 and release the pressure by the locking projections 33. Further, when the sheath material 23 is stuck in the meat escape recess 35, a step is formed in the thickness direction, so that a shearing force is generated and the pressure bonding strength is improved. As shown in FIG. 14, the meat escape recess 35 is formed as a recess that does not penetrate the barrel portion 32, but may be formed as a through hole that penetrates the front and back of the barrel portion 32.

  FIG. 15 is a development view showing a state of the optical cable terminal of FIG. 1 before bending. The optical cable terminal 3 is manufactured by punching a substrate such as a metal plate into a predetermined shape and forming the base 5 in a state in which a plurality of unfolded terminals 3A are connected to the base 5 as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the terminal 3A for optical cables is obtained by shape | molding the terminal 3A of the said expansion | deployment shape by a predetermined bending shape by bending processes, such as a press. Note that the locking projection 33, the through hole 34, the meat escape recess 35, and the like can be simultaneously formed during the above-described die cutting process or bending process such as pressing.

  The terminal for an optical cable of the present invention is not limited to the above-described aspects in terms of the number of locking protrusions, the number of recessed parts, the formation positions, etc., and can be formed in various forms. FIG. 17A is a plan view of a barrel portion before crimping of an optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 17B is a barrel portion of a terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. FIG. As shown in the figure, the barrel portion 32 of the optical cable terminal 3 may be configured by providing a meat escape recess 35 on the lower base portion side and providing a locking projection 33 on the upper crimping piece side. Also in this embodiment, the locking projection 33 and the meat escape recess 33 are provided so as to avoid the upper and lower positions of the optical fibers 21 and 22, and pressure for pressure bonding is applied to the optical fibers 21 and 22 via the tension members 24 and 25. There is no position.

  18A is a plan view of a barrel portion before crimping of an optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 18B is a barrel portion of a terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5A, the optical cable terminal 3 may be configured as a rectangular planar recess in which the meat escape recess 35 of the barrel portion 32 extends in both the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the optical cable. After the crimping, the sheath material 23 swells in a planar shape in the meat escape recess 35 as shown in FIG. 18 (a) and 18 (b), the locking projection 33 and the meat escape recess 33 are provided so as to avoid the upper and lower positions of the optical fibers 21 and 22, and the pressure of the crimping is applied via the tension members 24 and 25. The optical fibers 21 and 22 are provided at positions not added.

  FIG. 19A is a plan view of a barrel portion before crimping of an optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 19B is a barrel portion of a terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. FIG. The optical cable terminal shown in FIG. 18A is formed so that the vertical positions of the locking projection and the meat escape recess are opposite to those in the modes of FIGS. 18A and 18B. That is, the meat escape recess 35 of the barrel portion 32 of the optical cable terminal 3 is provided on the lower side, and the locking projections 33 and 34 are provided on the upper side. 19 (a) and 19 (b), the locking projection 33 and the meat escape recess 33 are provided avoiding the upper and lower positions of the optical fibers 21 and 22, and the pressure of the crimping is applied via the tension members 24 and 25. The optical fibers 21 and 22 are provided at positions not added.

  FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF in FIG. As shown in FIG. 21, when the meat escape recess 35 is configured as a rectangular planar recess extending in both the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the optical cable, as shown in FIG. 21 (b) and FIG. The sheath material 23 bulges into the escape recess 35 in a planar shape. When the meat escape recess 35 is formed as a planar recess in this manner, the bulge area is further increased as compared with the meat escape recess 35 including three groove-like recesses shown in FIG. Increases the effect of escaping.

  FIG. 22 is a plan view of a barrel portion before crimping of an optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention, and (b) shows a barrel portion of a terminal-processed optical cable using the optical cable terminal of FIG. It is sectional drawing. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the optical cable terminal 3 is provided with locking projections 33, 33, 33, 33 and through holes 34, 34, 34, 34 on the upper and lower sides of the tension members 24, 25. May be configured.

  23 (a), 23 (b), 24 (a) to 24 (c), and 25 (a) to 25 (c) are plan views of the barrel portion before crimping of the optical cable terminal according to another aspect of the present invention. It is. As shown in FIG. 23 (a), the optical cable terminal 3 is formed such that only the meat relief recesses 35, 35, 35, 35 formed of groove-like recesses are formed on the barrel portion 32, and are positioned above and below the tension members 24, 25 after crimping. It may be provided on the hand. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the optical cable terminal 3 is formed by attaching only the meat relief recesses 35, 35, 35, 35 formed as planar recesses in the barrel portion 32 to the tension members 24, 25 may be provided at the upper and lower positions.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 24A, the optical cable terminal 3 may be configured by providing locking projections 33, 33 on the barrel portion 32 only at positions below the tension members 24, 25 after crimping. . Further, as shown in FIG. 24B, the optical cable terminal 3 is formed on the barrel portion 32 only at a position below the tension members 24 and 25 after being crimped, with a meat relief recess 35 including three groove-like recesses, 35 may be provided. Also, as shown in FIG. 24C, the optical cable terminal 3 is provided with the meat relief recesses 35, 35 made of planar recesses only on the barrel portion 32 at positions below the tension members 24, 25 after crimping. It may be provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 25A, the optical cable terminal 3 may be configured by providing locking projections 33, 33 on the barrel portion 32 only at positions above the tension members 24, 25 after crimping. Good. Also, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the optical cable terminal 3 is provided with the meat relief recesses 35 and 35 in the barrel portion 32 only at positions above the tension members 24 and 25 after crimping. It may be configured.

  26 is an exploded perspective view of an optical cable connector to which the terminal processing optical cable of the present invention is attached, and FIG. 27 is a sectional view showing an assembled state of the optical cable connector of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the optical cable connector 10 includes a male connector 12 and a female connector 13, and a male connector 12 and a female connector 13, respectively, a ferrule 15, a coil spring 16, and a terminal processing optical cable 1. Is stored. By fitting the male connector 12 and the female connector 13, the optical fibers 21 and 22 of the optical cable 1 are in an optically connected state.

  Each of the male connector 12 and the female connector 13 (connector housing) includes housing bodies 122 and 132 and housing covers 124 and 134. The housing main bodies 122 and 132 have a structure that is notched from the position of the predetermined length (the portions that become the hood portions 228 and 328) from the distal end to the proximal end.

  In the housing main body 122 of the male connector 12, the ferrule housing part 222 for housing the ferrule 15, the coil spring housing part 224 for housing the coil spring 16, and the terminal processing optical cable 1 are fixed along the notched portion. The fixed member accommodating portion 226 to be formed is formed in a predetermined size. These housing portions are opened outward (in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction) by cutting out a part of the housing.

  The fixing member accommodating portions 226 and 326 are formed in a shape in which the fixing portion 31 of the terminal processing optical cable can be attached. Two press-fit holes 226a and 326a that are elongated in the axial direction are formed on the inner bottom surfaces of the fixing member accommodating portions 226 and 326. The distal end portion of the fixing portion 31 is a press-fit portion that is press-fit into the press-fit holes 226a and 326a. The terminal processing optical cable 1 is fixed to the housing main bodies 122 and 132 by press-fitting the distal end portion of the fixing portion 31 into the press-fitting holes 226a and 326a. The housing covers 124, 134 are attached by locking the locking holes 242, 342 provided in the housing covers 124, 134 to the locking projections 229, 329 provided in the housing main bodies 122, 132, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 27, the male connector 12 and the female connector 13 are fitted with a fitting protrusion 227 provided on the housing main body 122 of the male connector 12 formed on the housing main body 132 of the female connector 13. The engagement is achieved by engaging with the hole 327. By fitting the two, the tip surfaces of the ferrules 15 and 15 biased toward the tip by the coil springs 16 and 16 are abutted to each other, and the optical fibers 21 and 22 of the terminal processing optical cable 1 are optically connected.

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 above aspect, the optical cable is provided with two optical fibers, but an optical cable provided with one optical fiber in the center may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal processing optical cable 2 Optical cable 21, 22 Optical fiber 23 Sheath material 24, 25 Tension member 3 Optical cable terminal 31 Fixing part 32 Barrel part 32a Base part 32b, 32c Crimp piece 33 Locking protrusion 35 Meat escape recessed part

Claims (11)

A terminal-processed optical cable in which an optical cable terminal for fixing the optical cable to another member is attached to the end of the optical cable in which the optical fiber is covered with a sheath material,
The optical cable terminal has a fixing part for fixing the optical cable, and a barrel part for attaching the optical cable terminal to the optical cable,
The terminal-processed optical cable, wherein the barrel portion of the optical cable terminal is crimped to the outer periphery of the sheath material of the end of the optical cable, and the optical cable terminal is attached to the optical cable.   In the optical cable, a tension member is disposed on the outer side in the width direction than the optical fiber in the sheath material, and the width in the tension member direction of the crimped portion of the optical cable is equal to that of the non-crimped portion of the optical cable. The terminal-processed optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the terminal-processed optical cable is formed to be equal to or larger than a width in the tension member direction.   The optical cable has two optical fibers arranged at the center side in the cross section in the width direction of the optical cable, and two tension members are arranged outside the two optical fibers, respectively. The terminal processing optical cable according to claim 2, wherein the two tension members are arranged substantially in line.   An optical cable terminal having a fixing portion for fixing the optical cable to another member and a barrel portion for attaching the optical cable terminal itself to the optical cable at an end of the optical cable in which an optical fiber is covered with a sheath material A terminal processing method for an optical cable, wherein the optical cable terminal is attached to the optical cable by crimping the barrel portion to the outer periphery of the sheath material.   The optical cable has a tension member arranged in parallel to the optical fiber on the outer side in the width direction than the optical fiber inside the sheath material, and the width in the tension member direction of the crimped portion of the optical cable is: 5. The barrel portion is pressure-bonded while suppressing the pressure from the direction of the tension member to the optical fiber so as to be equal to or larger than the width of the non-crimped portion in the tension member direction. Terminal processing method of optical cable.   The optical cable terminal processing method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the barrel portion is crimped to the optical cable so that a tip of the barrel portion bites into the sheath material. An optical cable terminal used for fixing an optical cable attached to an end of an optical cable in which an optical fiber is covered with a sheath material,
A fixing portion for fixing the optical cable to another member, and a barrel portion that is crimped around a sheath material of the optical cable to attach the optical cable terminal to the optical cable;
A locking projection that protrudes toward the inner surface side of the barrel portion and can bite into the sheath material, a meat escape recess that allows the sheath material to bulge, or the locking projection and the meat escape recess are provided. An optical cable terminal characterized by that.   8. The locking projection and the meat escape recess are provided at positions where pressure when the optical cable terminal is crimped to the optical cable is not applied to the optical fiber via a tension member. The optical cable terminal described.   The planar shape of the locking projection of the barrel portion is a triangle with the end side of the optical cable as a base, and the bottom side of the locking projection protrudes greatly into the sheath material. The optical cable terminal according to 7 or 8.   The optical cable terminal according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the meat relief recess of the barrel portion is a groove-like recess that is long in the width direction of the optical cable.   The optical cable terminal according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the meat escape recess of the barrel portion is a planar recess that extends in a longitudinal direction and a width direction of the optical cable.

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