TWI746160B - Connector shroud - Google Patents

Abstract

The connector shroud of the present invention includes an inner housing, a coupling nut and a lock nut. The inner housing is hollow and a control guiding groove is formed on the outer surface of the inner housing. The control guiding groove extends in a longitudinal direction. The coupling nut is hollow and is sleeved onto the inner housing. An accommodating recess is formed on the inner surface of the front end of the coupling nut for accommodating a protrusion provided on a flange. A tab protrudes from the rear end of the coupling nut. A guiding slot is formed on the tab and includes a first guiding slot and a second guiding slot. The second guiding slot communicates with the first guiding slot and extends in a direction not parallel to the longitudinal direction. The lock nut is hollow and sleeved onto the inner housing. A first pin and a second pin are formed on the inner surface of the lock nut. The first pin is disposed in the control guiding groove. The second pin is located in the second guiding slot, wherein the movement of the lock nut causes the coupling nut to rotate.

Description

Connector protection cover

The invention relates to a protective cover, and more particularly to a protective cover for optical fiber connectors.

In recent years, the use of optical fibers for communication purposes has been very large, and data, voice and other communication networks have increasingly used optical fibers to transmit information. Optical fibers are usually configured as glass fibers used to carry light. Individual fibers can be grouped into groups that can carry large amounts of data at the same time.

When constructing a fiber optic network, each fiber is usually connected to a source device and a target device. In addition, along the fiber path between the source and destination, various connections or couplings can be formed on the fiber to adjust the fiber length. Each connection or coupling requires connectors and adapters to align the optical fibers so that light can be transmitted without interruption.

Please refer to Figure 1. US Patent No. 9,755,382 discloses a connector system that can be used for optical fiber and electrical conductor connector modules. The main feature is that after the coupling nut 18 is turned in the closed position, the lock ring 26 can be used as Insurance to prevent being unlocked. The above-mentioned locking method is to lock the coupling nut 18 clockwise first, and then push the lock ring 26 forward to press against the coupling nut 18 to prevent the coupling nut 18 from rotating. To unlock, first pull the lock ring 26 backwards, and then loosen the coupling nut 18 counterclockwise. It should be noted that if the user forgets to push up the lock ring 26 after locking the coupling nut 18, the coupling nut 18 cannot be ensured to remain in the closed position.

The disadvantage of the above-mentioned connector design is that it cannot be installed side by side. This is because the hand has to hold the coupling nut. Therefore, the space beside the coupling nut must be freed to allow the hand to rotate the coupling nut. This shortcoming results in that the density of the connector installation cannot be too high, and the distance must be widened.

In view of this, the present invention provides a connector protective cover, the user can complete the connection, locking and unlocking actions with only one hand.

In one embodiment, the connector protection cover of the present invention includes: an inner shell, the inner shell system is hollow and a control channel is formed on the outer surface, and the control channel includes a first channel that communicates with each other, A second guide groove and a third guide groove, wherein the second guide groove extends in a longitudinal direction; a coupling nut, the coupling nut is hollow and sleeved outside the inner housing, the coupling nut is used for Coupled with an object; and a locking ring, the locking ring is hollow and sleeved outside the inner shell, the inner surface of the locking ring is formed with a pin, the pin can move in the control guide groove, wherein when the When the pin is in the second guide groove, the locking ring can be pulled away from the coupling nut. When the pin is in the first guide groove or the third guide groove, rotating the locking ring can drive the coupling The nut turns.

In another embodiment, the connector protection cover of the present invention includes: an inner shell, the inner shell system is hollow and a control guide groove is formed on the outer surface, the control guide groove extends in a longitudinal direction; a coupling nut , The coupling nut is hollow and sleeved outside the inner shell, the front end of the coupling nut is used for coupling with an object, the rear end of the coupling nut protrudes with a protruding piece, and a guide is formed on the protruding piece A groove, the guide groove includes a first guide groove and a second guide groove, the second guide groove communicates with the first guide groove, and the extension direction of the second guide groove is not parallel to the longitudinal direction; and a locking ring , The locking ring is hollow and sleeved outside the inner casing, the inner surface of the locking ring is formed with a first pin and a second pin, the first pin can move in the control guide groove, the second pin It can move in the guide groove, wherein when the second pin is in the second guide groove, moving the locking ring can drive the coupling nut to rotate.

In order to make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious, the following describes embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptions as follows.

Please refer to FIG. 2, the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention includes a cable connector 100, an inner housing 200, a coupling nut 300 and a locking ring 400. The cable connector 100, the inner housing 200, the coupling nut 300 and the locking ring 400 can all be integrally formed by plastic molding.

The cable connector 100 may be made of a soft material and use materials and connection techniques known in the art to provide strain relief to the cable (not shown). The cable connector 100 is a hollow structure, and its length direction is parallel to the longitudinal direction 511. The front end of the cable connector 100 has a shape similar to a hexagonal nut for mating with the inner housing 200.

Referring to FIGS. 3a and 3b, the inner casing 200 is in the shape of a hollow cylinder, and its length direction is parallel to the longitudinal direction 511. A concave ring groove 210 is formed at the front end of the outer surface of the inner shell 200 for accommodating a sealing ring (not shown). An annular protrusion 220 is formed on the outer surface of the inner shell 200 and is located behind the annular groove 210. Two recesses 222 are formed on the convex portion 220, and the two recesses 222 are symmetrically arranged, and an opening is formed at the front end of the two recesses 222. Two symmetrically arranged control guide grooves 230 are also formed on the outer surface of the inner shell 200, and each of the control guide grooves 230 includes a first guide groove 231, a second guide groove 232, and a third guide groove 233. The guide grooves 231, 232, and 233 form a closed triangle. The second guide groove 232 extends in the longitudinal direction 511, and a protrusion 242 is formed on the bottom at the center thereof. A gap 241 is formed at the connection between the first guide groove 231 and the second guide groove 232, and the gap 241 is higher than the bottom surface of the second guide groove 231. A gap 243 is formed at the connection between the third guide groove 233 and the first guide groove 231, and the gap 243 is higher than the bottom surface of the first guide groove 231.

Referring to FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c, the coupling nut 300 has a hollow cylindrical shape and is used to sleeve the inner casing 200. A plurality of protrusions 310 with arcuate cross-sections protrude from the rear end of the coupling nut 300. Two symmetrically arranged receiving grooves 320 are formed on the inner surface of the front end of the coupling nut 300, and the front end of each of the receiving grooves 320 is formed with a laterally arranged retaining wall 322, and a gap 324 is left on the left side of the retaining wall 322 .

Referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the locking ring 400 is in the shape of a hollow cylinder, and is used to sleeve the inner housing 200 and cover the arcuate tab 310 at the rear end of the coupling nut 300. Two symmetrically arranged square protrusions 420 are formed on the inner surface of the locking ring 400 near the front end, and the length direction of the two protrusions 420 is parallel to the longitudinal direction 511. Two symmetrically arranged pins 410 are also formed on the inner surface of the locking ring 400. In another embodiment, the locking ring 400 is provided with two symmetrically arranged openings 430, each of the openings 430 is provided with a cantilever 440 extending in the longitudinal direction 511, and the root of each cantilever 440 is connected to the locking ring 400, and the two pins 410 are respectively fixed on the front section of the two cantilevers 440.

6a and 6b, according to the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention, the rear end of the inner housing 200 is inserted into the front end of the cable connector 100, and the coupling nut 300 is sleeved outside the front section of the inner housing 200. The locking ring 400 is sleeved outside the middle section of the inner housing 200 and covers the arcuate tab 310 at the rear end of the coupling nut 300. The two square projections 420 on the inner surface of the locking ring 400 are respectively arranged between two adjacent arcuate projections 310 of the coupling nut 300, and the two pins 410 on the inner surface of the locking ring 400 are respectively located in the inner housing 200 The two control guide slots 230. The connector to be protected is provided in the inner housing 200 (not shown).

Figure 7 shows a conventional flange 590, which is used to lock on the device so that the connector configured on the device can be connected to the external connector. The flange 590 has a square structure, and each of its four corners is provided with a bolt hole, so that the flange 590 can be locked on the equipment. A circular opening 592 is opened in the center of the flange 590, and the opening 592 is surrounded by a protruding ring 591. Two symmetrically arranged protrusions 593 extend from the ring 591, and a protrusion 594 is provided on the outer surface of each protrusion 593.

Please refer to FIG. 8, the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention can be coupled with an object, for example, the flange 590 shown in FIG. Connector docking (not shown). To couple, insert the inner housing 200 of the connector protection cover into the ring 591 of the flange 590 so that the protruding pieces 593 of the flange 590 are respectively inserted into the recesses 222 on the protrusion 220 of the inner housing 200. When the inner housing 200 is restricted and cannot rotate. Then, the coupling nut 300 is rotated to allow the protrusion 594 of the flange 590 to enter the accommodating groove 320 from the notch 324 on the left side of the retaining wall 322 of the coupling nut 300. At this time, the coupling nut 300 is already coupled to the flange 590. The connector protection cover is locked on the flange 590. If it is desired to unlock the connector protection cover and the flange 590, rotate the coupling nut 300 in the reverse direction to move the protrusions 594 of the flange 590 out of the accommodating groove 320 from the notch 324, respectively. In other embodiments, the coupling nut 300 is not limited to be coupled to the flange 590, and can also be designed to be coupled to other objects.

3a, according to the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention, the two pins 410 on the inner surface of the locking ring 400 can respectively follow the directions indicated by the arrows in the two control guide grooves 230 of the inner housing 200 , That is, slide clockwise. In detail, the pin 410 can slide from the first guide groove 231 to the second guide groove 232 and the third guide groove 233 in sequence, and then return to the first guide groove 231. Due to the limitation of the gaps 241 and 243, the pin 410 cannot slide in the control guide groove 230 in a counterclockwise direction to return to the origin.

When the pin 410 is in the first guide groove 231, rotating the locking ring 400 clockwise allows the pin 410 to slide across the gap 241 to the second guide groove 232, and the locking ring 400 will approach the flange 590 at this time. When the pin 410 is in the second guide groove 232, because the second guide groove 232 extends in the longitudinal direction 511, pulling the locking ring 400 back will cause the pin 410 to cross the protrusion 242 and approach the third guide groove 233. At this time, the locking ring 400 The system gradually moves away from the flange 590. When the pin 410 passes over the bump 242, the user will obviously feel the resistance change, thus providing the user with tactile feedback. When the pin 410 is in the third guide groove 233, turning the locking ring 400 counterclockwise can make the pin 410 slide back to the first guide groove 231 over the gap 243. It should be noted that the locking ring 400 cannot drive the inner housing 200 to rotate during the rotation.

According to the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention, because the two square protrusions 420 on the inner surface of the locking ring 400 are each sandwiched by two adjacent arcuate protrusions 310 of the coupling nut 300, the locking ring 400 is rotated Therefore, the coupling nut 300 can be driven to rotate synchronously. In addition, pulling the locking ring 400 back does not pull the coupling nut 300. When the pin 410 slides from the first guide groove 231 to the second guide groove 232, the coupling nut 300 rotates clockwise to lock. To unlock the coupling nut 300, first pull the locking ring 400 backwards, and then rotate the locking ring 400 in the opposite direction to allow the pins 410 to slide from the second guide groove 232 to the third guide groove 233.

According to the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention, the user can turn the locking ring 400 to control the rotation of the coupling nut 300 without directly rotating the coupling nut 300. In this way, there is no need to vacate the space beside the coupling nut 300 for the user to hold, so the installation density of the connector can be improved.

Please refer to FIG. 9, the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention includes a cable connector 600, an inner housing 700, a coupling nut 800 and a locking ring 900. The cable connector 600, the inner housing 700, the coupling nut 800 and the locking ring 900 can all be integrally formed by plastic molding.

The cable connector 600 may be made of a soft material, and use materials and connection techniques known in the art to provide strain relief to the cable (not shown). The cable connector 600 is a hollow structure, and its length direction is parallel to the longitudinal direction 511. The front end of the cable connector 600 has a shape similar to a hexagonal nut for mating with the inner housing 700.

Referring to FIGS. 10a and 10b, the inner casing 700 is in the shape of a hollow cylinder, and its length direction is parallel to the longitudinal direction 511. A concave ring groove 710 is formed at the front end of the outer surface of the inner shell 700 for accommodating a sealing ring (not shown). An annular protrusion 720 is formed on the outer surface of the inner shell 700 and is located behind the annular groove 710. Two recesses 722 are formed on the convex portion 720, and the two recesses 722 are symmetrically arranged, and an opening is formed at the front end of the two recesses 722. The outer surface of the inner shell 700 is also formed with two symmetrically arranged control guide grooves 730, the control guide grooves 730 extend in the longitudinal direction 511, and a protrusion 732 is formed on the bottom at the center thereof.

Please refer to FIGS. 11 a, 11 b and 11 c, the coupling nut 800 has a hollow cylindrical shape and is used to be sleeved outside the inner casing 700. Two symmetrically arranged receiving grooves 820 are formed on the inner surface of the front end of the coupling nut 800. The front end of each of the receiving grooves 820 is formed with a horizontally arranged retaining wall 822, and a gap 824 is left on the left side of the retaining wall 822. . Two symmetrically arranged protrusions 810 extend from the rear end of the coupling nut 800, and a guiding groove 830 is formed on each of the protrusions 810. The two guide grooves 830 are symmetrically arranged, and each includes a first guide groove 831 and a second guide groove 832. The first guide groove 831 extends from the rear end of the tab 810 toward the longitudinal direction 511. The second guide groove 832 communicates with the first guide groove 831 and extends from the front end of the first guide groove 831 to the front end of the coupling nut 800, and the extending direction is not parallel to the longitudinal direction 511.

Referring to FIGS. 12a and 12b, the locking ring 900 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and is used to sleeve the inner housing 700 and cover the protruding piece 810 at the rear end of the coupling nut 800. Two symmetrically arranged second pins 920 are formed on the inner surface of the locking ring 900 near the front end. Two symmetrically arranged first pins 910 are also formed on the inner surface of the locking ring 900. In another embodiment, the locking ring 900 is provided with two symmetrically arranged openings 930, each of the openings 930 is provided with a cantilever 940 extending in the longitudinal direction 511, and the root of each cantilever 940 is connected to the locking ring 900, and the two first pins 910 are respectively arranged in the front section of the two cantilevers 940.

13a and 13b, according to the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention, the rear end of the inner housing 700 is inserted into the front end of the cable connector 600, and the coupling nut 800 is sleeved outside the front section of the inner housing 700. The locking ring 900 is sleeved outside the middle section of the inner housing 700 and covers the protruding piece 810 at the rear end of the coupling nut 800. The two first pins 910 on the inner surface of the locking ring 900 are respectively located in the two control guide grooves 730 of the inner housing 700, and the two second pins 920 on the inner surface of the locking ring 900 are respectively located on the two coupling nuts 800. In the guide slot 830. The connector to be protected is provided in the inner housing 700 (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 14, the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention can be coupled to an object, such as the flange 590 shown in FIG. 7, so that the connector in the connector protection cover can be connected to the rear of the flange 590 Connector docking (not shown). To couple, insert the inner housing 700 of the connector protection cover into the ring 591 of the flange 590, so that the protruding pieces 593 of the flange 590 are respectively inserted into the recesses 722 on the convex portion 720 of the inner housing 700. When the inner housing 700 is restricted and cannot rotate. Afterwards, the coupling nut 800 is rotated to allow the protrusion 594 of the flange 590 to enter the accommodating groove 820 from the notch 824 on the left side of the retaining wall 822 of the coupling nut 800. At this time, the coupling nut 800 has been coupled to the flange 590. The connector protection cover is locked on the flange 590. If it is desired to unlock the connector protection cover and the flange 590, rotate the coupling nut 800 in the opposite direction to move the protrusions 594 of the flange 590 out of the accommodating groove 820 from the notch 824, respectively. In other embodiments, the coupling nut 800 is not limited to be coupled to the flange 590, and can also be designed to be coupled to other objects.

10a, according to the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention, the two first pins 910 on the inner surface of the locking ring 900 can slide back and forth in the two control guide grooves 730 of the inner housing 700, respectively. When the first pin 910 passes over the bump 732, the user will obviously feel the resistance change, thus providing the user with tactile feedback.

According to the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention, the two second pins 920 on the inner surface of the locking ring 900 are respectively located in the two guiding grooves 830 of the coupling nut 800. When the second pin 920 is in the first guide groove 831, because the first guide groove 831 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction 511, pushing the locking ring 900 forward will not cause the coupling nut 800 to move; and when the second pin 920 is in the second guide When in the groove 832, pushing the locking ring 900 forward will cause the coupling nut 800 to rotate clockwise to lock. Similarly, when the second pin 920 is in the second guide groove 832, pulling the locking ring 900 back will cause the coupling nut 800 to rotate counterclockwise to unlock.

According to the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention, the user can move the locking ring 900 back and forth to control the rotation of the coupling nut 800 without directly rotating the coupling nut 800. In this way, there is no need to vacate the space beside the coupling nut 800 for the user to hold, so the installation density of the connector can be improved.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the foregoing embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present invention can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. . Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to those defined by the attached patent application scope.

18: coupling nut 26: lock ring 100: cable connector 200: inner shell 210: ring groove 220: convex 222: Depression 230: Control guide groove 231: first guide groove 232: second guide groove 233: third guide groove 241: Conflict 242: bump 243: Conflict 300: coupling nut 310: Tab 320: accommodating groove 322: Retaining Wall 324: Gap 400: Locking ring 410: pin 420: bump 430: hole 440: Cantilever 511: longitudinal direction 590: Flange 591: ring 592: hole 593: Tab 594: bump 600: cable connector 700: inner shell 710: ring groove 720: Convex 722: Depression 730: Control guide groove 732: Bump 800: coupling nut 810: Tab 820: accommodating groove 822: Retaining Wall 824: gap 830: guide slot 831: first guide groove 832: second guide groove 900: Locking ring 910: first pin 920: second pin 930: hole 940: Cantilever

Figure 1 shows a conventional connector system. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the connector protective cover of the present invention. 3a and 3b are perspective views of the inner shell of the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention from different viewing angles. 4a to 4c are perspective views of the coupling nut of the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention from different viewing angles. 5a and 5b are perspective views of the locking ring of the first embodiment of the connector protective cover of the present invention from different viewing angles. Fig. 6a is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the connector protective cover of the present invention. Fig. 6b is another perspective view of the first embodiment of the connector protective cover of the present invention. Figure 7 is a perspective view of a conventional flange. Fig. 8 shows the connection of the first embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention with the conventional flange. Fig. 9 is an exploded view of the second embodiment of the connector protective cover of the present invention. 10a and 10b are perspective views of the inner shell of the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention from different viewing angles. 11a to 11c are perspective views of the coupling nut of the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention from different viewing angles. 12a and 12b are perspective views of the locking ring of the second embodiment of the connector protection cover of the present invention from different viewing angles. Figure 13a is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the connector protective cover of the present invention. Figure 13b is another perspective view of the second embodiment of the connector protective cover of the present invention. Figure 14 shows the second embodiment of the connector protective cover of the present invention connected with a conventional flange.

100: cable connector

200: inner shell

300: coupling nut

400: Locking ring

511: longitudinal direction

Claims (10)

A connector protection cover includes: an inner shell, the inner shell system is hollow and a control guide groove is formed on the outer surface, and the control guide groove includes a first guide groove, a second guide groove, and a first guide groove communicating with each other. A third guide groove, wherein the second guide groove extends in a longitudinal direction; a coupling nut, the coupling nut is hollow and sleeved outside the inner housing, the coupling nut is used for coupling with an object; and A locking ring, the locking ring is hollow and sleeved outside the inner housing, the inner surface of the locking ring is formed with a pin, the pin can move in the control guide groove, wherein when the pin is in the second guide When the locking ring is in the groove, the locking ring can be pulled away from the coupling nut. When the pin is in the first guide groove or the third guide groove, rotating the locking ring can drive the coupling nut to rotate. For example, the connector protection cover of claim 1, wherein the locking ring is provided with an opening, a cantilever is arranged in the opening, the cantilever extends in the longitudinal direction, and the pin is arranged on the cantilever. For example, the connector protection cover of claim 1, wherein the rear end of the coupling nut protrudes with two protrusions, and a protrusion is formed on the inner surface of the locking ring, and the protrusion is located between the two protrusions. For example, the connector protection cover of claim 1, wherein a protrusion is formed in the second guide groove, and when the locking ring is moved so that the pin passes over the protrusion in the second guide groove, the locking ring is caused to move The resistance changes. Such as the connector protection cover of claim 1, wherein a gap is formed at the connection between the first guide groove and the second guide groove to prevent the pin from moving from the second guide groove to the first guide groove. A connector protection cover includes: an inner shell, the inner shell system is hollow and a control guide groove is formed on the outer surface, the control guide groove extends in a longitudinal direction; a coupling nut, the coupling nut is hollow and The front end of the coupling nut is sleeved outside the inner casing for coupling with an object. The rear end of the coupling nut protrudes with a protruding piece, and a guide groove is formed on the protruding piece, and the guide groove includes a A first guide groove and a second guide groove, the second guide groove communicates with the first guide groove, and the extension direction of the second guide groove is not parallel to the longitudinal direction; and a locking ring, the locking ring is hollow and sleeved Located outside the inner casing, a first pin and a second pin are formed on the inner surface of the locking ring, the first pin can move in the control guide groove, and the second pin can move in the guide groove , Wherein when the second pin is in the second guide groove, moving the locking ring can drive the coupling nut to rotate. Such as the connector protection cover of claim 6, wherein the extending direction of the first guide groove is parallel to the longitudinal direction. For example, the connector protection cover of claim 6, wherein the locking ring is provided with an opening, a cantilever is arranged in the opening, the cantilever extends in the longitudinal direction, and the first pin is arranged on the cantilever. For example, the connector protection cover of claim 6, wherein a convex portion is formed on the outer surface of the inner housing, and a recess is formed on the convex portion of the inner housing. For example, the connector protection cover of claim 6, wherein a protrusion is formed in the control guide groove, and when the locking ring is moved so that the first pin passes over the protrusion in the control guide groove, the locking ring is caused to move The resistance changes.

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