Optical connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11294125-B2
Application number	US-201816956275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2018
Priority date	Dec 25, 2017
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

An optical connector includes: a housing that retractably accommodates a ferrule; a spring that is accommodated in the housing to press the ferrule to a front side; and an engaging member connected to one end of the spring, fixed to the housing by engaging with the housing, and including a pair of arm parts arranged to sandwich the spring. When a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the spring presses the ferrule and to a direction in which the pair of arm parts is lined up is an up-down direction, window parts are arranged on both sides in the up-down direction of the housing. The engaging member includes: claw parts that are provided on an upper and a lower side of the pair of arm parts to engage with the window parts; and deformation parts that allow the claw parts to be displaced in the up-down direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical connector comprising:
a housing that retractably accommodates a ferrule;
a spring that is accommodated in the housing and that presses the ferrule to a front side of a front-rear direction in which the spring presses the ferrule; and
an engaging member that is connected to one end of the spring and that engages with the housing, wherein the engaging member comprises a pair of arms that sandwich the spring, wherein
the pair of arms are lined up in a left-right direction that is perpendicular to the front-rear direction,
an up-down direction of the optical connector is perpendicular to the front-rear direction and to the left-right direction,
the housing has windows on both sides in the up-down direction, and
each arm of the pair of arms further comprises deformation parts and a pair of claws, wherein the deformation parts are disposed on a front side of the arms in the front-rear direction,
the pair of claws are disposed on an upper side and a lower side of the deformation parts, wherein each of the claws extends from the deformation parts to the rear side in the front-rear direction to engage with each of the windows, and
the deformation parts displace the claws in the up-down direction.

2. The optical connector according to claim 1 , wherein
a length of the spring in the left-right direction is larger than a length of the spring in the up-down direction.

3. The optical connector according to claim 1 , wherein
the deformation parts displace the claws outward with respect to the arms.

4. The optical connector according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing comprises an anchor that catches claws of an adapter when the optical connector is fitted to the adapter; and
a front end of the engaging member is located in front of the anchor.

5. The optical connector according to claim 2 , wherein
the deformation parts displace the claws outward with respect to the arms.

Assignees

• Fujikura Ltd

Inventors

• Fujita Shunsuke
• Otomitsu Takahito
• Kanno Shuhei
• Fujiwara Kunihiko

Classifications

• G02B6/3885

  Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type (optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448) · CPC title

• G02B6/3879

  Linking of individual connector plugs to an overconnector, e.g. using clamps, clips, common housings comprising several individual connector plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/3882

  using rods, pins or balls to align a pair of ferrule ends · CPC title

• G02B6/3869

  Mounting ferrules to connector body, i.e. plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/387

  Connector plugs comprising two complementary members, e.g. shells, caps, covers, locked together · CPC title