1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a housing for accommodating a plug-in type connector for optical fibers, particularly to a protecting structure for preventing an accident caused by the erroneous operation of the connector by the operator during maintenance and inspection, as a result of which a light beam which is emitted from the connector may project into the eye of the operator.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 7, in the prior art optical transmission apparatus, an optical package 20 mounted on a shelf 21 includes an optical connector 22 for receiving and connecting thereto a connector housing 24 installed on a backboard 23; electric connectors 25, 26 are thereby also connected with each other, whereby a light beam is emitted from the optical connector 22 as an optical signal. This light beam will leak out (i.e., be emitted) through an optical aperture 28 in the housing 27 which is provided for receiving an external optical connector, if such an external optical connector is not inserted into the aperture 28. This is dangerous to the human eye.
In the prior art, since the optical transmission apparatus is primarily, normally installed in an exclusive (i.e., limited access) building and dealt with by an expert operator, countermeasures for preventing such danger to an operator consist mainly of safety education of the operators and caution labels on the apparatus.
Recently, as optical transmission apparatuses have become popularized, unskilled operators often participate in the maintenance of such apparatuses, which results in an increasing possibility of accidents caused by light beams from the optical connector being emitted and striking the operator's retina. Accordingly, new countermeasures for safety, based on structural design, are eagerly desired to replace conventional safety measures which rely on the caution of the operators themselves.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds