JP2002066890A - Optical fiber end face polishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve processing precision of polishing, to effect regulation of press force accurately in a short time, and to facilitate exchange of an optical fiber. SOLUTION: An air cylinder 36 to press a holding plate 55, holding a ferrule 60, against the polishing sheet side is capable of regulating an air pressure. A member 56 to be held of the holding plate 55 is removably grasped by a pair of grasping members 52 and 52 of a chuck apparatus 50 vertically moved by the air cylinder 36.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber end face polishing apparatus for polishing an end face of an optical fiber used in an optical communication cable, and more particularly to an optical fiber that does not move following the rotation of a polishing platen during polishing. And a pressing means for pressing the optical fiber against the polishing platen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an optical fiber end face polishing apparatus of this type, an end face of an optical fiber held by a holder is pressed against a polishing sheet fixed on the surface of a polishing table, and the polishing table rotates. Thus, the end face of the optical fiber is polished. Further, the holder is provided with a movement restricting means so as not to follow the rotation of the polishing platen. As this kind of movement restricting means, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-31
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 116. What is disclosed here is provided with a locking hole in a part of the peripheral surface of the fixing jig board to which the optical fiber is fixed, and supports a holding shaft for pressing this fixing jig board toward the polishing platen side. The supporting portion is provided with a rotation stop pin which is inserted in the locking hole in parallel with the holding shaft. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-249696 discloses a support arm which presses an optical fiber against a polishing platen, which is supported vertically movable in a horizontal state, and presses a fixing jig plate toward the polishing plate side. There is disclosed a structure in which the pressing force is adjusted by vertically moving the support arm with an operation screw.

[0003]

However, among the above-mentioned conventional optical fiber end face polishing apparatuses, the former has a structure in which a rotation stop pin is inserted into a locking hole, so that a clearance provided between the pin and the hole is provided. As a result, the fixing jig disk moves freely with respect to the polishing platen during polishing, so that there has been a problem in that the processing accuracy of polishing is reduced. Further, the latter has a problem that the adjustment has to be performed manually to adjust the pressing force, so that the adjustment is not only troublesome, but also requires skill, and is complicated and time-consuming. In addition, since the fixing jig board is simply pressed to the polishing platen side, when exchanging the fixing jig board, it is necessary to hold it by hand, and it takes time to exchange. Not only that, there was a problem that automatic replacement was not possible.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and a first object is to improve the processing accuracy of polishing. A second object is to accurately adjust the pressing force in a short time. A third object is to facilitate replacement of an optical fiber.

[0005]

To achieve this object, the present invention according to claim 1 comprises a rotating polishing table, a polishing sheet fixed to the surface of the polishing table, and a polishing sheet. An optical fiber whose end face is pressed, a holder for holding the optical fiber, pressing means for pressing the optical fiber against the polishing sheet via the holder, and the optical fiber follows the rotation of the polishing platen. An optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus comprising: a movement restricting means for restricting movement of the optical fiber, wherein the pressing means includes a gripping means for detachably gripping the holder and restricting the movement of the optical fiber. It is provided. Therefore, the holding tool is held by the holding means without play. In addition, the movement of the optical fiber following the rotation of the polishing sheet is regulated by the gripping means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotating polishing table, a polishing sheet fixed to a surface of the polishing table, an optical fiber having an end face pressed against the polishing sheet, and an optical fiber. A pressing means for pressing the polishing sheet against the polishing sheet, and an optical fiber end face polishing apparatus comprising a movement restricting means for restricting the optical fiber from moving following the rotation of the polishing platen, wherein the pressing means comprises: This is an air cylinder in which air pressure can be adjusted by a pressure adjusting valve. Therefore, by adjusting the pressure of the air with the pressure adjusting valve, the pressing force of the optical fiber against the polishing sheet is adjusted.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a base-side device in an optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the pressing-side device, and FIG. 4 is a front view of the same. FIG. 5 is a front view of a main part on the pressing side, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the holding member. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the polished state of the optical fiber. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the change in the rotation start timing and the rotation speed of the center axis and the revolution axis. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the timing of discharging the polishing liquid.

In FIG. 1, an optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus generally designated by reference numeral 1 is a base-side apparatus 2 for rotating a polishing sheet 26, which will be described later, and an end face of a ferrule 60 and an optical fiber 61 on the polishing sheet 26. And the pressing side device 3 that presses the end face of the main body. The base-side device 2 is provided with a base plate 10 in a horizontal state that supports the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus 1, and the base plate 10 is provided with a large-diameter hole 10a. This base plate 10
A guide groove and a hole (both not shown) for collecting and reusing the polishing liquid falling from the outer periphery of the polishing sheet 26 described later are provided on the upper side.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a rotating shaft support formed in a substantially cylindrical shape.
0a, and is fixed to the base plate 10. Reference numeral 12 denotes a revolving shaft formed in a substantially columnar shape.
The shaft bearing hole 1 rotatably supported on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating shaft support 11 through the shaft, and penetrating vertically at a position eccentric from the center.
2a is provided.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a rotating shaft formed in a slender, substantially columnar shape. A flange portion 15a is provided at an upper end, and a blind hole-shaped hollow portion 15b which is open at the upper end and extends vertically is provided at the center. Is provided. At the lower end of the hollow portion 15b, a plurality of communication holes 15c which are orthogonal to the hollow portion 15b and open on the sides of the rotation shaft 15 are provided in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft 15.

In order to correspond to the communication hole 15c, a through hole 17 communicating with the communication hole 15c is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the rotation shaft 15.
A fixed block 17 having a is fixed, and one end of a hose 18 communicating with the through hole 17a is fixed to the fixed block 17, and the other end of the hose 18 is connected to a suction pump (not shown). . Center of rotation 19 of rotation shaft 15
On the other hand, the rotation center 20 of the revolving shaft 12 has a displacement amount δ in the drawing.
Only eccentric. These revolution axis 12 and rotation axis 15
Each of them is rotationally driven by an individual motor (not shown) so that the rotation speed can be varied and the rotation start timing can be selected.

Numeral 22 denotes a housing member formed in a shallow bottomed cylindrical shape and provided with a recess 22a. A through hole 22b penetrating vertically is provided at the center of the bottom of the recess 22a. The housing member 22 is fixed to the flange portion 15a of the rotation shaft 15 so that the hollow portion 15b of the rotation shaft 15 communicates with the rotation shaft 15 described above. Reference numeral 24 denotes a polishing platen, which is formed in a disk shape so as to fit into the concave portion 22a of the housing member 22, and as shown in FIG.
Cross-shaped horizontal groove 24 communicating with the second through hole 22b
a is provided. The horizontal groove 24a is provided on the polishing platen 24.
The outer peripheral portion (four places) of the extended polishing platen 24 is provided with a vertical groove 24b extending upward.

The rubber sheet 2 is provided on the upper surface of the polishing platen 24.
5 is fixed, and the accommodation member 2 is placed on the rubber sheet 25.
A polishing sheet 26 having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of No. 2 is placed. Therefore, when the suction pump (not shown) is operated to suck the air in the hose 18, a negative pressure is generated in the horizontal groove 24a of the polishing platen 24 through the through hole 17a, the communication hole 15c, and the hollow portion 15b. Therefore, the polishing platen 24 is adsorbed and fixed to the bottom of the recess 22 a of the housing member 22.

As described above, the polishing platen 24 is attached to the accommodation member 22.
Is fixed by the own weight of the polishing platen 24 and the negative pressure in the horizontal groove 24a, so that screws and the like for fixing are not required, so that fixing can be performed easily and reliably. it can. Further, since a negative pressure is also generated in the vertical groove 24b, the polishing sheet 26 is fixed on the rubber sheet 25, so that the fixing of the polishing sheet 26 is not only easy and reliable, but also the replacement of the polishing sheet 26 is possible. It will be easier.

Next, the pressing device 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 31 denotes an arm whose base end is fixed to a rotating member (not shown) provided on the base plate 10 of the base-side device 2 described above, and which is rotated by the rotating member. The swing end portion is configured to move in an arc shape in a plan view, and as shown in FIG.
A pair of right and left columns 3 extending vertically in the direction of the swing end.
2, 32 are fixed. A support member 33 is fixed to the upper ends of the columns 32, 32, and a support plate 35 fixed to the support member 33 via a connecting member 34 has an air cylinder 36 having a piston rod 36 a vertically suspended. Is fixed, and the pressure of the air in the air cylinder 36 can be adjusted by a pressure adjusting valve (not shown).

Reference numeral 38 denotes a guide member fixed to the column 32. A thrust bearing (not shown) is provided between the guide member 38 and the moving body 39,
Are supported by the guide member 38 so as to be movable in the vertical direction in the figure. Fixed member 41 fixed to this moving body 39
And the piston rod 36a of the air cylinder 36 described above.
Are fixed to each other, and a fixing member 40 fixed to
When the piston rod 36a moves up and down, the moving body 39 also moves up and down integrally.

Reference numeral 43 denotes a moving plate fixed to the moving body 39, and an L-shaped pressing body 45 is attached to the moving plate 43 via a shock absorbing device 44. The lower end portion 45b of the pressing portion 45a projecting below the pressing body 45 has a substantially wedge-shaped cross section.
5 is formed in a hollow shape, and an opening 45 for introducing a polishing liquid is provided at a side end.
An L-shaped through hole 45c having a side view L is provided.

A chuck opening / closing device 50 is fixed to the lower end of the moving plate 43 via an intermediate member 49. The chuck opening / closing device 50 is provided with a pair of left and right moving members 51, 51 which approach and separate from each other in FIG. Have been. These movers 5
A pair of left and right gripping members 52, 52 formed in a crank shape are fixed to the first and the first 51. At the lower ends of the gripping members 52, 52, gripping portions 52a, 52a facing each other are provided. The width of each of 52a and 52a is formed to be a length L as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 55 denotes a holding plate formed in a disc shape by a thin plate. As shown in FIG. 5, a through-hole 55a is provided at the center, and this holding plate corresponds to the through-hole 55a. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped gripped member 56 is provided on the holding plate 55.
Is erected. The length of the gripped member 56 in the longitudinal direction is formed to be a length L, and the gripping grooves 56a, 5 having a U-shaped cross section are formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction over the entire longitudinal direction.
6a is provided.

At the center of the upper end surface of the gripped member 56, a pressed portion 56b formed in a mortar shape is provided, and at the center of the pressed portion 56b, the holding plate 5 described above is provided.
5 is provided with a through hole 56c communicating with the through hole 55a. At the outer peripheral portion of the holding plate 55, twelve pores (not shown) are provided at equal angles in the circumferential direction, and an optical fiber 61 is press-fitted into these pores at the center shown in FIG. The ferrule 60 is press-fitted so that the lower end protrudes from the holding plate 55.

As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of left and right grip members 5
When the grip grooves 52a, 56a of the member to be gripped 56 are gripped by the grip portions 52a, 52a, the lower end portion 45b of the pressing portion 45a of the pressing body 45 is moved to the pressed portion of the member 56 to be gripped. It is configured to be in contact with 56b.

Next, a description will be given of a polishing operation in the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus having such a configuration. As shown in FIG. 5, a ferrule 60 whose end face is not polished is
Are held upright, and the chuck opening / closing device 50 is operated, so that a pair of left and right gripping members 52, 52 are provided.
Are brought close to each other, and the holding portions 52a, 52a hold the holding grooves 56a, 56a of the member 56 to be held. By rotating a rotating member (not shown) provided on the base plate 10 of the base-side device 2 and moving the swing end side of the arm 31 in FIG. 3, polishing is performed as shown in FIG. The ferrule 60 is positioned on the sheet 26.

In FIG. 4, by operating the air cylinder 36 and lowering the piston rod 36a,
The pressing body 45 also descends via the moving body 39, the moving plate 43, and the shock absorbing device 44. Accordingly, the lower end 45b of the pressing body 45 presses the pressed portion 56b of the gripped member 56, so that the end surface of the ferrule 60 is pressed against the polishing sheet 26 via the gripped member 56 and the holding plate 55. At this time, the pressure of the air in the air cylinder 36 is adjusted by the pressure adjusting valve, so that the pressing force of the end face of the ferrule 60 against the polishing sheet 26 can be adjusted. Can be.

In the state adjusted as described above, first, as shown in FIG. 8, the rotation speed of only the rotation shaft 15 is gradually increased.
After the time T has elapsed, the rotation of the revolving shaft 12 is started,
The rotation speed of the revolution shaft 12 is gradually increased. As described above, without rotating the rotation shaft 15 and the revolution shaft 12 simultaneously, first, only the rotation shaft 15 is rotated, and the rotation speed of the rotation shaft 15 is not set to a constant rotation speed immediately after the rotation is started. I try to increase the rotation. Therefore, polishing can be performed without breaking or damaging the end face of the ferrule 60 or the end face of the optical fiber 61.

During the polishing operation, the holding plates 55 holding the ferrule 60 are held by the holding portions 52a of the holding members 52, 52 holding the holding grooves 56a, 56a of the member 56 to be held. The rotation following the rotation of the polishing sheet 26 is restricted. In addition, the restriction is made during the polishing by the gripping of the gripping members 52, 52 in such a manner that no play is provided between the gripping portions 52a, 52a of the gripping members 56 and the gripping grooves 56a, 56a of the gripped member 56. Since the holding plate 55 does not move, the holding plate 5
5 and the end face of the ferrule 60 and the optical fiber 61
Is precisely polished.

At the same time as the rotation of the rotation shaft 15 is started, as shown in FIG.
The polishing liquid is supplied from. The supplied polishing liquid is supplied to the through hole 56c of the member to be gripped 56 and the through hole 55a of the holding plate 55.
, And is dropped almost at the center of the polishing sheet 26. The dropped polishing liquid is guided by the centrifugal force from the center of the polishing sheet 26 to the outer peripheral direction due to the rotation of the polishing sheet 26, so that the plurality of ferrules 60 held by the holding member 55 and the polishing sheet 26 and is supplied uniformly. The polishing liquid supplied to the ferrule 60 and removing the polishing debris drops from the outer periphery of the polishing sheet 26 onto the base plate 10 and is collected and re-used by guide grooves and holes (both not shown) provided on the base plate 10. Used.

Here, the discharge amount of the polishing liquid onto the polishing sheet 26 can be selected from three types as shown in FIG. 9 according to the state of polishing. That is, FIG.
When rough cutting is performed to change the state in which the end face 61a of the optical fiber 61 projects from the end face of the ferrule 60 and the adhesive 62 adheres to the state shown in FIG. Type that keeps discharging (I)
Select

Further, when performing intermediate cutting for forming the end face 60a of the ferrule 60 and the end face 61a of the optical fiber 61 on a spherical surface as shown in FIG. 7C from the state shown in FIG. In step 9, the type (II) of intermittently discharging the polishing liquid is selected. Further, FIG.
When the finishing process is performed as shown in FIG. 9D from the state shown in FIG. 9, the type (III) in which the polishing liquid is discharged only at the initial stage and the final stage can be selected in FIG.

As described above, the timing of discharging the polishing liquid can be selected according to the polishing state, so that the polishing can be performed in an optimum state and the polishing liquid can be saved. Also, the opening end 45 of the through hole 45c of the pressing body 45
The polishing liquid supplied from the through-hole 5 of the member to be gripped 56
6c and the through-hole 55a of the holding plate 55 by its own weight, and is dropped at the approximate center of the polishing sheet 26.

Therefore, since it is not necessary to forcibly guide the polishing liquid onto the polishing sheet 26, there is no need for a component for forcibly guiding the polishing liquid, so that the number of components can be reduced and the structure can be reduced. Simplified. Further, since the through holes for guiding the polishing liquid are formed in the pressing body 45, the member to be gripped 56, and the holding plate 55, a special member for forming the through holes is not required, so that the apparatus is increased in size. Not only does this not happen, but also the number of parts can be reduced.

When the polishing is completed, the air cylinder 36 is operated to retract the piston rod 36a in FIG.
The moving plate 43 is moved up via. Therefore, since the chuck opening / closing device 50 also moves up via the intermediate member 49, the gripped member 5 gripped by the pair of left and right gripping members 52, 52.
6, the holding plate 55 is raised, and the ferrule 60 is separated from the polishing sheet 26.

By rotating a rotating member (not shown) provided on the base plate 10 of the base-side device 2, the swing end side of the arm 31 is moved, and the holding plate 55 is replaced with a replacement stage. (Not shown). By operating the chuck opening / closing device 50 and separating the pair of left and right gripping members 52, 52, the gripping by the gripping portions 52a, 52a is released, and the holding plate 55 is placed on the replacement stage. In this way, by holding and releasing the holding members 52, 52, the holding plate 55 can be easily replaced, so that the replacement can be automated and the time required for replacement can be reduced.

[0033]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, not only the processing accuracy of polishing is improved, but also the replacement of the optical fiber and the automation are facilitated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pressing force can be set accurately and in a short time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a base-side device in an optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a pressing side device in the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a main part on the pressing side in the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a holding member in the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of polishing an optical fiber in the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a change in a rotation start timing and a rotation speed of a center axis and a revolution axis in the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a timing of discharging a polishing liquid in the optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical fiber end surface polishing device, 2 ... Base side device, 3 ...
Pressing side device, 12: revolving shaft, 15: central shaft, 22: housing member, 24: polishing platen, 26: polishing sheet, 36: air cylinder, 45: pressing body, 50: chuck opening / closing device,
52: gripping member, 52a: gripping portion, 55: holding member, 5
6: gripped member, 56a: gripping groove, 60: ferrule,
61 Optical fiber.

Claims (2)

[Claims] A rotating polishing table, a polishing sheet fixed to the surface of the polishing table, an optical fiber having an end face pressed against the polishing sheet, a holder for holding the optical fiber, A pressing means for pressing the optical fiber against the polishing sheet via a holder, and an optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus comprising a movement restricting means for restricting the optical fiber from moving following the rotation of the polishing platen. An optical fiber end face polishing apparatus, wherein the pressing means is provided with a gripping means for detachably gripping the holder and restricting movement of the optical fiber. 2. A rotating polishing table, a polishing sheet fixed to the surface of the polishing table, an optical fiber having an end face pressed against the polishing sheet, and pressing means for pressing the optical fiber against the polishing sheet. An optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus, comprising: a movement restricting means for restricting movement of the optical fiber following rotation of the polishing platen. An optical fiber end surface polishing apparatus, characterized in that the apparatus is an air cylinder capable of performing the following.