Optical fiber terminal fixing member, optical connector, and optical fiber cable with connector

• US 8,905,649 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Automotive Systems Incorporated (Furukawa Electric Company Limited), Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Automotive Systems Incorporated (Furukawa Electric Company Limited), Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Enomoto, Noritsugu, Kondou, Toshikuni
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ERIC K
• Application Number:
  US13/819,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20130163931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 385 59- 60, 385/65
• US Class Current: 385/65
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3858 Clamping, i.e. with only elastic deformation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3869 Mounting ferrules to connector body, i.e. plugs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3879 Linking of individual connector plugs to an overconnector, e.g. using clamps, clips, common housings comprising several individual connector plugs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/38875 Protection from bending or twisting

Abstract

An optical fiber terminal fixing member is configured to be inserted into an optical connector to fix an optical fiber terminal to a housing. The optical connector includes the optical fiber terminal attached to an end of an optical fiber cable, and the housing that holds the optical fiber terminal. The optical fiber cable includes an optical fiber, a tensile member disposed along a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and a coating portion that covers the optical fiber and the tensile member. The optical fiber terminal fixing member includes a main body, a fitting portion formed so as to project from the main body and configured to fit into a groove provided on an outer circumference of the optical fiber terminal, and a fixing structure for fixing the optical fiber terminal fixing member to the housing.

Claims

1. An optical fiber terminal fixing member configured to be inserted into an optical connector to fix two optical fiber terminals to a housing,

the optical connector comprising:

the two optical fiber terminals attached to each end of two optical fiber cables; and

the housing that holds the two optical fiber terminals, each of the two optical fiber cables comprising;

an optical fiber;

a tensile member disposed along a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber; and

a coating portion that covers the optical fiber and the tensile member, the optical fiber terminal fixing member comprising;

a main body;

two fitting portions formed so as to project from both ends in a width direction of the main body and configured to fit respectively into two grooves provided on two outer circumferences of the two optical fiber terminals; and

a fixing structure formed so as to project from a substantially middle in the width direction of the main body and configured to pass between the two optical fiber terminals to fix the optical fiber terminal fixing member to the housing, the fixing structure including a latching pawl provided at a front end of the fixing structure and being configured to engage the optical fiber terminal fixing member with the housing.

2. The optical fiber terminal fixing member according to claim 1, wherein a backlash of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm is provided in the longitudinal direction when the fitting portions are fitted into the grooves.

3. The optical fiber terminal fixing member according to claim 2, further comprising a spring structure formed so as to project from the main body and configured to be inserted into the grooves of the optical fiber terminals to press the optical fiber terminals toward a front end of the optical fiber terminals so as to be stopped against a restricting surface of the housing.

4. The optical fiber terminal fixing member according to claim 3, wherein the optical connector comprises a plurality of optical fiber terminals arranged in parallel with each other, and

the fitting portions and the spring structure of the optical fiber terminal fixing member are configured to be formed corresponding to each of the plurality of optical fiber terminals.

5. The optical fiber terminal fixing member according to claim 3, wherein the optical connector comprises the two optical fiber terminals arranged in parallel with each other, and

the spring structure of the optical fiber terminal fixing member is configured to be formed between the two optical fiber terminals to press to stop the two optical fiber terminals.

6. An optical connector comprising:

two optical fiber terminals configured to be attached to each end of two optical fiber cables each including an optical fiber, a tensile member disposed along a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and a coating portion that covers the optical fiber and the tensile member;

a housing that holds the two optical fiber terminals; and

the optical fiber terminal fixing member according to claim 1 that is inserted into the housing to fix the two optical fiber terminals to the housing, wherein

the housing comprises a fixing structure to fix the optical connector to another optical connector in a removable manner.

7. The optical connector according to claim 6, wherein the fixing structure is a latch structure to engage the optical connector with another optical connector.

8. Optical fiber cables with a connector, comprising:

two optical fiber cables each including an optical fiber, a tensile member disposed along a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and a coating portion that covers the optical fiber and the tensile member; and

the optical connector according to claim 7 that is attached to each end of the two optical fiber cables.