Optical connector and method for connecting optical fiber cables

An optical connector comprising:

• a positioning member that is attached to a front end portion of a ferrule attached to an optical fiber cable, the positioning member positioning the front end portion of the ferrule so as to face a front end portion of a mating ferrule on the same axis;
• a connection retaining member that maintains, by being coupled to a mating ferrule holding member that holds the mating ferrule, a state in which the front end portion of the ferrule contacts the front end portion of the mating ferrule while applying a pressing force to the front end portion of the mating ferrule;
• and
• an elastic member that generates the pressing force that the front end portion of the ferrule applies to the front end portion of the mating ferrule,
• wherein the connection retaining member includes
• a housing,
• a containing portion that is a hole extending through a central portion of the housing in an axial direction and that contains therein the ferrule to which the positioning member is attached,
• a pressing portion that is disposed in the housing and that presses the ferrule contained in the containing portion toward the mating ferrule in the axial direction,
• a coupling portion that is disposed on the housing and that is separably coupled to the mating ferrule holding member, and
• a slit that extends through a peripheral portion of the housing in the axial direction, that connects an inside of the containing portion and an outside of the housing to each other, and that has a width greater than or equal to an outside diameter of the optical fiber cable, and
• wherein the elastic member is disposed at a position between the ferrule and the pressing portion.

A method for connecting a first optical fiber cable and a second optical fiber cable to each other by using an optical connector,

• the optical connector including
• a positioning member that positions a front end portion of a first ferrule and a front end portion of a second ferrule,
• a first connection retaining member including a first containing portion and a first slit that connects an inside of the first containing portion and an outside of the first containing portion to each other,
• a second connection retaining member including a second containing portion and a second slit that connects an inside of the second containing portion and an outside of the second containing portion to each other,
• an elastic member, and
• an engagement mechanism that engages the first connection retaining member and the second connection retaining member with each other,
• the method comprising:
• a positioning step of positioning the front end portion of the first ferrule and the front end portion of the second ferrule so as to face each other on the same axis by attaching the front end portion of the first ferrule, to a rear end portion of which the first optical fiber cable and the elastic member are attached, to one end portion of the positioning member and by attaching the front end portion of the second ferrule, to a rear end portion of which the second optical fiber cable is attached, to the other end portion of the positioning member;
• a containing step of passing the first optical fiber cable through the first slit and placing the first ferrule, which has been attached to the one end portion of the positioning member, and the elastic member into the first containing portion, and passing the second optical fiber cable through the second slit and placing the second ferrule, which has been attached to the other end portion of the positioning member, into the second containing portion;
• a pressing step of causing the front end portion of the first ferrule and the front end portion of the second ferrule to contact each other and press against each other by pressing the first connection retaining member and the second connection retaining member against each other and elastically deforming the elastic member while placing the positioning member into the first connection retaining member or into the second connection retaining member;
• and
• an engagement step of engaging the first connection retaining member and the second connection retaining member with each other by using the engagement mechanism while maintaining a state in which the front end portion of the first ferrule and front end portion of the second ferrule contact each other and press against each other.