US-12619032-B2 - Adapter and optical connection structure

US12619032B2US 12619032 B2US12619032 B2US 12619032B2US-12619032-B2

Abstract

An adapter includes a tubular body having a tubular shape and surrounding a pair of ferrules over half a circumference or more with a ling along a first direction as an axis. The tubular body includes a guide extending in the first direction and engaging with side surfaces of the ferrule, and a slit formed from one end to the other end in the first direction.

Inventors

Fumiya UEHARA
Sho YAKABE
Takako SASHIDA
Yuto FUJIHARA
Dai Sasaki
Motoyoshi Kimura
Manabu Izaki

Assignees

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
NIPPON TSUSHIN DENZAI CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210921
Priority Date: 20201021

Claims (11)

1 . An optical connection structure comprising: an adapter that holds a pair of ferrules facing each other, the adapter comprising: a tubular body having a substantially rectangular tubular shape and surrounding the pair of ferrules such that the tubular body surrounds half or more of an outer peripheral length of each of the ferrules having a longitudinal axis along a first direction, wherein the tubular body includes: a first inner peripheral surface, a second inner peripheral surface that is parallel to the first inner peripheral surface and faces the first inner peripheral surface along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, a third inner peripheral surface that is orthogonal to the first inner peripheral surface and to the second inner peripheral surface, a fourth inner peripheral surface that is parallel to the third inner peripheral surface that faces the third inner peripheral surface along a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, a first guide that protrudes from the first inner peripheral surface toward the second inner peripheral surface, and a second guide that protrudes from the second inner peripheral surface toward the first inner peripheral surface, wherein a top surface of the tubular body and the third inner peripheral surface define an upper wall of the tubular body, and wherein a slit is formed in the upper wall and extends in the first direction from a first end to a second end opposite the first end of the tubular body; and the pair of ferrules held in the tubular body of the adapter, wherein; each of the pair of ferrules has a first engaging portion on a first side surface and a second engaging portion on a second side surface opposing the first side surface, the first engaging portion of each of the pair of ferrules engages with the first guide, the second engaging portion of each of the pair of ferrules engages with the second guide, and the pair of ferrules are biased in a direction in which the ferrules face each other via a pair of springs respectively disposed on a rear end side of each of the ferrules.
2 . The optical connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein the tubular body of the adapter is made of resin.
3 . The optical connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first guide and the second guide each protrude inward from the respective first and second inner peripheral surfaces of the tubular body, such that the first guide and the second guide protrude directly toward each other along the second direction orthogonal to the first direction and to the third direction.
4 . The optical connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein when viewed in the first direction, each of the first guide and the second guide has an arc shape.
5 . The optical connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein when viewed in the first direction, the tubular body has a substantially rectangular frame shape, and the first and second inner peripheral surfaces are a pair of wall bodies forming short sides of the rectangular frame shape formed by the tubular body when viewed in the first direction.
6 . The optical connection structure according to claim 1 , the first and second engaging portions are grooves that are respectively formed in the first side surface and the second side surface of each of the pair of ferrules, and the first and second engaging portions extend in the first direction.
7 . The optical connection structure according to claim 6 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the grooves that intersects with the first direction is a V shape.
8 . The optical connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein a force with which the first guide and the second guide press the pair of ferrules is smaller than spring loads with which the pair of springs bias the pair of ferrules.
9 . The optical connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of ferrules has a rear end surface that is opposite a front end surface facing each other, the rear end surface of each of the pair of ferrules has a pair of projections that project in the first direction or a direction opposite the first direction, the pair of projections are provided on both ends of the rear end surface in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
10 . The optical connection structure according to claim 9 , wherein the pair of springs that bias the pair of ferrules in the direction in which the ferrules face each other, are disposed between the pair of projections.
11 . The optical connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein when viewed in the first direction, in a no-load state, a shortest distance from a tip of the first guide to a tip of the second guide along the second direction is smaller than a shortest distance between the first and second engaging portions on each of the pair of ferrules, and when viewed in the first direction, in a load state where the pair of ferrules are held inside the tubular body, the tubular body elastically deforms to be expanded in the third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction such that the slit in the upper wall is widened.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an adapter and an optical connection structure. BACKGROUND ART Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for aligning multi-core optical fibers using guide pins. In this technique, one ends of a pair of guide pins are each inserted into a pair of guide pin insertion holes provided in a ferrule, and the other ends of the pair of guide pins are each inserted into a pair of guide pin insertion holes provided in a mating connection ferrule. CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-90974 SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem However, in the above-described technique, the guide pin with high dimensional accuracy is used to reduce the clearance for the guide pin insertion hole as much as possible. For this reason, when the guide pin is inserted and removed a plurality of times, the guide pin insertion hole is damaged, and the accuracy of positioning decreases, which is a problem. An object of the present disclosure is to provide an adapter and an optical connection structure capable of positioning a plurality of optical fibers with a simple configuration. Solution to Problem An adapter according to one embodiment of the present disclosure holds a pair of ferrules facing each other. The adapter includes a tubular body having a tubular shape and surrounding the pair of ferrules over half a circumference or more with a line along a first direction as an axis. The tubular body includes a guide extending in the first direction and engaging with side surfaces of the ferrule, and a slit formed from one end to the other end in the first direction. Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the adapter and the optical connection structure of the present disclosure, it is possible to position a plurality of optical fibers with a simple configuration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an optical connection structure according to one example. FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a cross-sectional shape of a ferrule according to one example. FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a cross-sectional shape of an adapter according to one example. FIG. 4 is a view schematically illustrating the ferrule held in the adapter. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an optical connection structure according to another example. FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a cross-sectional shape of an adapter according to another example. FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a cross-sectional shape of a ferrule according to another example. FIG. 8 is a view schematically illustrating a state where the ferrule of FIG. 6-FIG. 7 is held in the adapter of FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a schematic view for describing further another optical connection structure. FIG. 10 is a schematic view for describing further another optical connection structure. FIG. 11 is a schematic view for describing further another optical connection structure. FIG. 12 is a schematic view for describing further another optical connection structure. FIG. 13 is a schematic view for describing further another optical connection structure. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Description of Embodiment of Present Disclosure Initially, the contents of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be listed and described. An adapter according to one embodiment of the present disclosure holds a pair of ferrules facing each other. The adapter includes a tubular body having a tubular shape and surrounding the pair of ferrules over half a circumference or more with a line along a first direction as an axis. The tubular body includes a guide extending in the first direction and engaging with side surfaces of the ferrule, and a slit formed from one end to the other end in the first direction. The optical connection structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the adapter and the pair of ferrules held in a tubular body of the adapter. The adapter includes the tubular body in which the slit is formed from the one end to the other end, and is elastically deformable. For this reason, for example, when the tubular body is elastically deformed so as to increase the width of the slit, a restoring force can be generated in the tubular body so as to reduce the width of the slit. In the adapter, since the guide engages with the side surfaces of the ferrule in a state where the pair of ferrules are held inside the tubular body, the pair of ferrules are positioned when viewed in the first direction. Therefore, according to the adapter of one embodiment, it is possible to position a plurality of optical fibers with a simple configuration without using guide pins. Incidentally, when the slit is formed in the tubular body, the tubular body does not actually have a tubular shape; however, in this specification, the shape that surrounds the ferrule over half a circumference or more is defined as a tubular shape. The tubular body may be made of resin. In this configu