JP2003232962A - Optical connector cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaner for efficiently cleaning optical connectors situated even in a hard-to-reach place such as those stored in the back plane housing of a back plane connector or in the female housing of an optical connector adaptor or the like, and those arranged deep in a housing. <P>SOLUTION: On both upper and lower sides of the cleaning head section 5 with a cleaning body 6 that is supported on the tip end of an operating lever 4, there are projected the guide pieces 72, 73 which are inserted freely movably in a slidable manner in the guide grooves of the upper and lower walls 21a, 21b of a plug-in unit 21. In addition, each guide piece 72, 73 is variable in the projection from the cleaning head section 5 by means of an elastic member; therefore, general applicability relative to a distance between the upper and lower walls 21a, 21b can be secured in this optical connector cleaner 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector cleaning tool used for cleaning the tip of an optical connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A butt-jointing end face of an optical connector needs to be cleaned because dust or the like may cause damage during attachment / detachment and increase loss. Conventionally, as a method of cleaning the joint end surface (hereinafter, also referred to as "cleaning method of the optical connector end surface"), a cotton swab or tape type cleaner impregnated with alcohol is directly grasped by hand and wiped off. Is common.

[0003]

However, in the method of cleaning the end face of the optical connector as described above, a hard-to-reach place such as an optical connector arranged inside the housing of the plug-in unit of the backplane connector or the like. The optical connector in 1 has a problem that it is difficult to clean.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool capable of effectively and surely cleaning the tip of the optical connector.

[0005]

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the following constitution is adopted as the solving means. The invention according to claim 1 is an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning a tip of an optical connector, wherein a cleaning body is provided on a front surface side, and a cleaning body abutting the tip of the optical connector is provided, and the cleaning head portion. The guide pieces are provided on both opposite sides of each of the guide pieces, each of which has a protruding amount variable. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector cleaning tool according to the first aspect, the cleaning head portion is provided with an elastic member that is elastically deformed by pushing the guide piece toward the cleaning head portion side. Is characterized by. The invention according to claim 3 provides the optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1 or 2,
An operating rod extending rearward from the cleaning head portion is attached to the cleaning head portion. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector cleaning tool according to any of the first to third aspects, the optical connector is arranged at a back side of a region between the pair of guide members, and the cleaning head is provided. The portion is characterized in that the guide pieces on both sides are inserted into the area while being guided by the guide member so as to be slidably movable, and are moved back and forth with respect to the optical connector. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the guide piece is positioned on one side or both sides of the cleaning head portion in the front-back direction of the cleaning head portion. It is characterized in that a plurality of shifts are provided.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of an optical connector cleaning tool of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 (a),
FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the appearance of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B show the internal structure in the vicinity of the cleaning head portion 5 of the optical connector cleaning tool 1. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the cleaning head unit 5. FIG. 1 (a),
As shown in FIGS. 2B, 2 </ b> A, and 2 </ b> B, the optical connector cleaning tool 1 includes an operating portion 3 provided with an operating handle 2 and an operating rod extended from the operating portion 3. 4, a cleaning head portion 5 supported at the tip of the operating rod 4, and a vertical position maintaining mechanism 70 attached to the cleaning head portion 5. As shown in FIG. 9, in the optical connector cleaning tool 1, the cleaning head portion 5 is faced to the optical connector to be cleaned (optical connector 10 inserted and connected to the backplane housing 26), and the cleaning head portion 5 is The operating rod 4 and the operating portion 3 are operated from the side opposite to the optical connector via the optical connector 10 to clean the tip of the optical connector 10, and the cleaning head portion 5 faces the optical connector to be cleaned. The front side is the "front" side, the side facing the front side is the "rear" side, the side (upper side in FIG. 9) that is the upper side when used in FIG. This will be described as "lower".

As shown in FIGS. 2 (a), (b) and FIG.
The cleaning head unit 5 includes a drawer unit 7 and a take-up reel 8 inside a housing 50 supported by the tip of the operation rod 4.
One end of the flexible tape-shaped cleaning body 6 is wound around the reel 7a of the drawer portion 7, and the other end of the cleaning body 6 is wound around the take-up reel 8.
The portion of the cleaning body 6 located between the drawer portion 7 and the take-up reel 8 is an opening that is opened in the housing 50 on the front surface 51 side of the cleaning head portion 5 (the side facing the operating rod 4). A plurality of guide members 9 arranged in the portion 52 are wound so as to cover the guide members 9 from the outside. That is, the cleaning body 6
Is a rear portion of the housing 50 (front surface 51) that extends to both sides from the central portion in the longitudinal direction wrapped around the guide member 9.
The side opposite the side. It is wound around the reel 7a and the take-up reel 8 of the drawer 7 so as to be folded back to the operation rod 4 side). Each guide member 9 is a roller rotatably supported by the housing 50, and is arranged at a substantially constant interval.

The casing 50 has a flat shape extending on an extension of the operating rod 4, and has a reel 7a of the drawer portion 7, a take-up reel 8 and a roller as a guide member 9 (hereinafter, referred to as "roller 9"). In some cases, each of them is rotatably supported by an axis parallel to the thickness direction of the housing 50, in other words, an axis perpendicular to the face plates 53 and 54 on both sides of the housing 50 in the thickness direction. The cleaning body 6 is gently curved without being twisted around the entire length from the take-up reel 8 to the reel 7a of the drawer portion 7 via the plurality of guide members 9. A roller 55, which is appropriately provided inside the housing 50, is also rotatably supported by an axis parallel to the thickness direction of the housing 50 and supports the cleaning body 6 without twisting it. ing.

In the drawer portion 7, an outer ring 7f fixed to the reel 7a and rotating integrally with the reel 7a,
The inner ring 7e housed inside the outer ring 7f and rotatably supported in the housing 50 allows the reel 7a to rotate only in a certain direction with respect to the inner ring 7e, and does not rotate in the opposite direction. It constitutes a one-way clutch that regulates.
Although this one-way clutch can employ various configurations, a ratchet mechanism is employed here. That is, the claw 7g protruding from the inner peripheral portion of the outer ring 7f (see FIG. 2).
(B)), an engaging piece 7h (a leaf spring) protruding from the inner ring 7e is pressed with a biasing force, and the inner ring 7e is pressed against the outer ring 7f in FIG. When it is attempted to rotate (relatively rotate) in the circumferential direction, the outer ring 7f rotates integrally with the inner ring 7e due to the engagement between the claw 7g of the inner ring 7e and the engaging piece 7g of the outer ring 7f. The reel 7a integrated with the ring 7f also rotates. However, in the opposite direction, that is, the inner ring 7e
When it is attempted to rotate (relatively rotate) counterclockwise in FIG. 2B with respect to f, the claw 7g of the inner ring 7e is rotated.
On the other hand, the engaging piece 7g of the outer ring 7f slides without engaging, and the outer ring 7f does not follow the inner ring 7e. The outer ring 7f can be rotated only in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2B by a ratchet mechanism or the like (not shown) provided between the outer ring 7f and the housing 50, and is prevented from rotating in the opposite direction. .

An arm 7b extending in the radial direction from the inner ring 7e is fixed to the inner ring 7e. The arm 7b has an elongated connecting member 4a provided along the operating rod 4. It is connected to the operation handle 2 of the operation unit 3 via the. Between the arm 7b and the connecting member 4a, a pin 7c protruding from the arm 7b is provided at the end of the connecting member 4a on the side of the cleaning head 5 for connecting the connecting member 4a.
They are connected by a structure in which they are inserted into and engaged with a guide groove 4b formed to extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of a. The connecting member 4a is a bar member made of a rigid material such as metal here, and the guide groove 4 is provided at the tip of the connecting member body 4c on the cleaning head 5 side.
This is a configuration in which the connection attachment 4d in which b is formed is fixed, but the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration in which the connection member main body is a linear body such as a wire can also be adopted.

When the operation handle 2 (trigger) is pulled as described later, the spring built in the cleaning head portion 5 is elastically deformed as the inner ring 7e rotates, and the pulling force of the operation handle 2 is released. The inner ring 7e is returned to the state before the operation of the operation handle 2 by the urging force by which the spring elastically returns, and the connecting member 4a also automatically moves to the state shown in FIG.
Return to the positions of (a) and (b).

On the other hand, the take-up reel 8 is constantly subjected to a rotational torque in a direction in which the cleaning body 6 is taken up by an urging force of a spring (not shown). In the state in which the user has not operated the operation handle 2 (trigger) of the operation unit 3 with the fingers, a spring built in the cleaning head unit 5 gives the inner ring 7e to the inner ring 7e. Due to the rotational torque around, the arm 7b receives a rotational torque in a direction in which the arm 7b is rotated from the rear side of the cleaning head portion 5 toward the front surface 51 side, and the pin 7c of the arm 7b moves the connecting member 4a to the front surface 51 of the cleaning head portion 5. To the side (state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2B). At this time, the pin 7c of the arm 7b reaches the vicinity of the end of the guide groove 4b of the connecting member 4a, and the connecting member 4a sets the limit of movement of the connecting member 4a toward the tip of the cleaning head 5 (front surface 51 side). Stopper 7d (Fig. 2
(See (a)), or a position in the vicinity thereof is reached. The stopper 7d is formed by a projecting wall projecting from an inner ring 7e that rotates integrally with the reel 7a of the drawer 7. The cleaning body 6 is tensioned by the rotation torque of the take-up reel 8 and is maintained in a slack-free state.

When the user performs an operation of pulling the operation handle 2 (trigger) of the operation unit 3 from the state shown in FIG. 2B, the connecting member 4a connected to the operation handle 2 causes the operation unit 3 to operate. Side, and the connecting member 4a is moved by the pin 7c.
The arm 7b engaged with is pulled out from the position shown in FIG. 2B to the rear side of the cleaning head unit 5 (FIG. 2B).
(See the position of the arm 7b shown in phantom in the middle). At this time, while the pin 7c moves in the guide groove 4b, the arm 7b
While being rotated integrally with the reel 7a, the cleaning head portion 5 is smoothly drawn to the rear side.

The arm 7b is pulled out by rotating integrally with the reel 7a against the rotational torque of the take-up reel 8, and the arm 7b is pulled out to the rear side of the cleaning head 5 and the reel 7a is rotated. Accordingly, the cleaning body 6 is wound around the reel 7a, so that the cleaning body 6 is unwound from the winding reel 8. Then, when the operation of the operation handle 2 is released from this state, that is, the force of pulling the operation handle 2 as the trigger is released, the inner ring 7e is released.
The inner ring 7e is rotated in the direction opposite to that when the operation handle 2 is operated by the urging force of the elastic return of the spring elastically deformed with the rotation of the inner ring 7e, the arm 7b, and the connecting member 4a shown in FIG. It returns to the state shown by the solid line. However, the outer ring 7f and the reel 7a are still in a stopped state, and the cleaning body 6 wound on the reel 7a is not unwound.

However, in the optical connector cleaning tool 1, the cleaning member 6 exposed in the opening 51 is attached to the joint end face 12 of the optical connector 10 (specifically, the joint end face 1 of the ferrule 11).
In the state of being brought into contact with 2), the pulling operation of the operating handle 2 and the release of the pulling operation (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “operation and operation release”) are repeated to sequentially pull out from the take-up reel 8. The cleaning body 6 is moved toward the reel 7a of the portion 7 to clean the joint end surface 12. At this time, the clean cleaning body 6 sent out from the take-up reel 8 comes into contact with the joint end face 12 in sequence, and the joint end face 12 can be effectively cleaned.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the cleaning member 6 includes a housing 5
No. 0 opening 51 is exposed, and the outer surface of the cleaning body 6 exposed at the opening 51 forms a cleaning surface 6 a that contacts the joint end surface 12 of the optical connector 10. The cleaning body 6 may have various structures such as a structure formed of a cleaning material such as cloth, which has excellent dust adsorption, and a structure in which the cleaning material is attached to the cleaning surface 6a. As the cleaning material, for example, a material suitable for impregnating alcohol such as cotton, or a material formed by mixing an adhesive material into a flexible resin base material to form a sheet having self-adhesiveness can be adopted. . Here, the self-adhesiveness of a cleaning material having self-adhesiveness (here, formed in a sheet shape) means that the adhesive strength of the cleaning material to other members is smaller than the cutting strength of the cleaning material. It means that even if the cleaning material adhered to the member is peeled off, the material forming the cleaning material does not transfer to the other member. Examples of the self-adhesive cleaning material include polyethylene,
Polyolefins such as polypropylene or copolymers containing monomers are particularly preferable. As the adhesive, for example, synthetic rubber such as natural rubber, butyl rubber or acrylic rubber, a mixture of polyvinyl chloride and a plasticizer, etc. are used. For example, a cleaning material or a cleaning body can be obtained by cutting a sheet material including such a base material and an adhesive into a desired shape, for example, a tape shape.

Next, the vertical position holding mechanism 70 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, etc., the vertical position holding mechanism 70 is provided at a plurality of positions having different positions in the front-rear direction with respect to the cleaning head unit 5. Specifically, in this embodiment, the vertical position holding mechanism 70 is provided at two positions different in the front-rear direction of the cleaning head unit 5, and hereinafter, for the sake of distinction, the front vertical position holding mechanism 70 is provided. Reference numeral 70A, and the rear side vertical position holding mechanism 70 is denoted by reference numeral 70B.
May be added to explain.

4 (a) and 4 (b) are views showing the vertical position holding mechanism 70. FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view (a plan view showing an upper pressing mechanism 77 described later), and FIG. It is a figure. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the vertical position holding mechanism 70
Is a cylindrical main body 71 attached to the side of the housing 50 of the cleaning head portion 5 in a vertically extending direction, and the cylindrical main body 7
1. A guide piece 72 vertically inserted into the upper end portion 71a of
(Hereinafter sometimes referred to as “upper guide piece”) and a guide piece 73 vertically inserted into the lower end portion 71b of the tubular body 71 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “lower guide piece”).
And a spring receiving portion 74 fixed in the tubular body 71.
And an elastic member 75 (here, a coil spring) interposed between the upper guide piece 72 and the spring receiving portion 74.
And an elastic member 76 (here, a coil spring) interposed between the lower guide piece 73 and the spring receiving portion 74.

The upper end 71a of the cylindrical body 71, the upper guide piece 72, the elastic member 75, and the spring receiving portion 74 constitute an upper pressing mechanism 77, and the lower guide piece 73 and the elastic member 76 are provided. The spring receiving portion 74 is the lower pressing mechanism 7
Make up eight. Upper pressing mechanism 77 and lower pressing mechanism 78
Have the same configuration. In the upper pressing mechanism 77, a part of the upper guide piece 72 is projected upward from the upper end portion 71a of the tubular body, and the upper body 72 is pushed downward while elastically deforming the elastic member 75. Upper end 71
It is possible to reduce the protruding size of the upper guide piece 72 from a toward the upper side. In the lower pressing mechanism 78, a part of the lower guide piece 73 is projected downward from the lower end portion 71b of the tubular main body, and the lower guide piece 73 is pushed upward while elastically deforming the elastic member 76, thereby forming a tubular shape. The projecting size of the lower guide piece 73 downward from the lower end portion 71b of the main body can be reduced. The elastic member 75 is connected to the upper guide piece 72 and the spring receiving portion 74, respectively, and is elastic member 76.
Are connected to the lower guide piece 73 and the spring receiving portion 74, respectively, and the upper guide piece 72 and the lower guide piece 73 are connected to the spring receiving portion 74 via elastic members 75 and 76, respectively. The main body 71 does not come out from the end (upper end 71a or lower end 71b).

The protruding tip of the upper guide piece 72 protruding from the upper end of the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70 (upper end portion 71a of the cylindrical body) is the lower surface of the upper wall portion 21a of the plug-in unit 21 (see FIG. 5) described later. The lower end of the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70 (the lower end portion 71b of the cylindrical body) is formed in such a shape that it can be inserted into the guide groove 28a formed in the guide groove 28a and slide freely along the extending direction of the guide groove 28a. The protruding tip of the lower guide piece 73 protruding from the lower wall portion 21b is inserted into a guide groove 28b formed on the upper surface side of the lower wall portion 21b so as to be freely slidable along the extending direction of the guide groove 28b. Has been formed. The cleaning head portion 5 has an upper wall portion 21.
With the upper guide piece 72 inserted in the guide groove 28a of a and the lower guide piece 73 inserted in the guide groove 28b of the lower wall portion 21b, the optical connector to be cleaned can be smoothly moved forward and backward.

5 and 6 are views showing an example of an optical connector to which the optical connector cleaning tool 1 is applied. FIG. 5 is a perspective view and FIG. 6 is a sectional view. The optical connector 20 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is a backplane connector, and the plug-in unit 2 is opened through the opening 22 of the plug-in unit 21.
By inserting the printed board 24 (printed circuit board) toward the back plane 23 located on the back side of the printed circuit board 1, the printed board housing 25 attached to the printed board 24 (hereinafter referred to as “PH housing”). Backplane 2
Backplane housing 26 attached to 3
The optical connector plug 27 (optical connector plug) fitted to the PH housing 25 and the optical connector 10 (optical connector) connected to the BH housing 26 are fitted to each other (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “BH housing”). Connector plug).

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 23a is a backplane 23.
A window 29 is a clip that attaches the BH housing 26 to the backplane 23. Although the window 23a and the clip 29 are shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 8, they are omitted in FIG. The BH housing 26 is attached by a clip 29 to the back plane 23 while allowing a slight floating. In addition, the BH housing 26 has the window 2 of the backplane 23.
It is attached to the inner surface side of the backplane 23 facing the internal space S of the plug-in unit 21 so as to correspond to 3a. The optical connector 10 can be attached to and detached from the BH housing 26 through the window 23a. In addition, FIG.
Although not shown in FIG. 6 and the like, a plurality of windows 23 a are opened side by side in the backplane 23, and a plurality of BH housings 26 are respectively formed in the backplane 23.
It can be attached corresponding to 3a.

The printed board 24 has guide grooves 28 formed on the inner surfaces of the upper wall portion 21a and the lower wall portion 21b of the plug-in unit 21 facing the inner space S side.
It is inserted into a and 28b and moved along the guide grooves 28a and 28b. The guide grooves 28a and 28b are shaped to extend straight between the vicinity of the backplane 23 and the opening 22 of the plug-in unit 21 and open to the opening 22. BH housing 26 installed by being attached
Corresponding to the (horizontal arrangement state is not shown), a plurality of plug-in units 21 are formed horizontally and in parallel on the upper wall portion 21a and the lower wall portion 21b. By inserting the printed board 24 into the pair of upper and lower guide grooves 28a and 28b corresponding to the BH housing 26 to be connected to the PH housing 25, the PH housing 25 is positioned in the BH housing 26 to be connected, and with respect to the BH housing 26. You can move forward and backward freely. Then, the printed board 24 inserted into the plug-in unit 21 through the opening 22 is inserted into the guide groove 2
Backplane 23 along 8a and 28b
The PH housing 25 can be fitted into the BH housing 26 by pushing in toward. Also,
By pulling out the printed board 24 toward the opening 22 side of the plug-in unit 21, the PH housing 25 is detached from the BH housing 26, and the optical connectors 10 and 27 are disconnected from each other. The upper wall portion 21a and the lower wall portion 21b function as guide members for guiding the cleaning head portion 5 of the printed board 24 and the optical connector cleaning tool 1. Guide grooves 28a, 28 of the plug-in unit 21
b is formed side by side in parallel with the window 23a of the backplane 23, and the PH housing 25 is inserted into the pair of guide grooves 28a, 28a corresponding to the window 23a by inserting the printed board 24 into the BH housing 26. Can be fitted to.

FIG. 7 shows an optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to the present invention.
Is a perspective view showing a state in which the plug is arranged near the opening 22 of the plug-in unit 21, and FIG. 8 is a view showing the vicinity of the cleaning head part 5 of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 inserted in the plug-in unit 21. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, if the optical connector cleaning tool 1 is used, the end face of the tip of the optical connector 10 exposed on the end face (tip) facing the inside of the plug-in unit 21 of the BH housing 26 (see FIG. 10, etc.). Specifically, the joining end surface 12) of the ferrule 11 can be efficiently cleaned. BH
In order to clean the end face of the tip of the optical connector 10 connected to the housing 26 by using the optical connector cleaning tool 1, the operating rod 4 or the operating portion 3 is operated to operate the internal space S (upper part of the plug-in unit 21). The cleaning head portion 5 is inserted into a region between the wall portion 21a and the lower wall portion 21b), the cleaning body 6 on the front surface 51 side of the cleaning head portion 5 is pressed against the BH housing 26 (FIG. 9, FIG. 9, FIG. 10), and the cleaning unit 6 may be driven by operating the operation unit 3.

Specifically, the upper guide piece 72 protruding from the upper ends of the vertical position maintaining mechanisms 70A and 70B attached to the side of the cleaning head 5 is provided with a guide groove on the upper wall 21a side of the plug-in unit 21. 28a, and the lower guide piece 73 protruding from the lower ends of the vertical position maintaining mechanisms 70A and 70B is inserted into the guide groove 28b on the lower wall portion 21b side of the plug-in unit 21. In FIG. 7, the distance between the upper end of the upper guide piece 72 and the lower end of the lower guide piece 73 of the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70 is equal to the upper wall portion 21 a of the plug-in unit 21.
Between the bottom surface (upper bottom surface) of the guide groove 28a and the bottom surface of the guide groove 28b formed on the lower wall portion 21b (hereinafter, this distance will be referred to as "the distance between the upper and lower guide grooves 28a and 28b"). There is) a little larger than.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the cleaning head portion 5 is inserted into the plug-in unit 21, the upper guide piece 7
2 and the lower guide piece 73, the upper guide piece 7 is pressed by the urging force of the elastic members 75 and 76 that are compressed by the contraction.
2 is pressed against the upper wall portion 21a, and the lower guide piece 73 is pressed against the lower wall portion 21b. As a result, the cleaning head portion 5 is positioned with respect to the BH housing 26 at a position (vertical position) where the cleaning body 6 on the front surface 51 side of the cleaning head portion 5 can be pressed against the BH housing 26. In addition, in this optical connector cleaning tool 1, the cleaning head portion 5 inserted into the plug-in unit 21 has the front surface 51 side with the vertical position maintaining mechanisms 70A and 70B provided at a plurality of positions in the front-back direction of the cleaning head portion 5. The posture facing the BH housing 26 is maintained. However, by pushing the cleaning head portion 5 toward the backplane 23 with the upper guide piece 72 and the lower guide piece 73 inserted in the guide grooves 28a and 28b, the cleaning body 6 on the front surface 51 side of the cleaning head portion 5 is pushed. Can be pressed against the tip of the optical connector 10 connected to the BH housing 26.

It is difficult to clean the BH housing 26 attached to the back plane 23 at the back of the plug-in unit 21 by directly putting hands, but according to the optical connector cleaning tool 1 of the present invention. , The upper guide piece 72 and the lower guide piece 73 are inserted into the guide grooves 28a and 28b, and the cleaning head portion 5 is pushed into the back side of the plug-in unit 21 (backplane 23 side). The cleaning body 6 can be pressed against the tip of the optical connector 10 connected to the BH housing 26,
The joint end surface 12 of the ferrule 11 of the optical connector 10 can be efficiently cleaned.

As is apparent from FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the thin plate-like cleaning head portion 5 is connected in a direction parallel to the operating rod 4 having a flat cross section. Therefore, since the optical connector cleaning tool 1 has a flat shape almost entirely, the optical connector cleaning tool 1 can be easily inserted even in a narrow working place, and the cleaning work can be efficiently performed. ing.

By the way, the guide pieces 72, 73 can be pushed into the cleaning head 5 side by the elastic deformation range of the elastic members 75, 76, whereby the vertical position maintaining mechanism 7
The distance between the upper end of the upper guide piece 72 and the lower end of the lower guide piece 73 of 0 can also be changed (that is, the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70 can be expanded and contracted). Therefore, for example, the plug-in unit 21
In addition, distortion (guide grooves 28a, 28b) such that the distance between the upper and lower guide grooves 28a, 28b fluctuates due to deterioration over time.
(Including both local variation in the extension direction and variation in the distance in the entire extension direction), this variation in the distance is expanded or contracted by the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70, that is, each guide piece 72, Since the amount of protrusion of 73 from the cleaning head portion 5 can be absorbed, it is possible to smoothly move the cleaning head portion 5 back and forth with respect to the BH housing 26. Even if the distance between the upper and lower guide grooves 28a and 28b is locally widened or narrowed, the biasing force of the elastic members 75 and 76 causes the guide pieces 72 and 73 to project from the cleaning head portion 5. By changing the amount, each guide piece 72, 73
Are guide grooves 28a, 28b (specifically, the guide groove 28a bottom surface (upper bottom surface) of the upper wall portion 21a of the plug-in unit 21 or the guide groove 28b formed on the lower wall portion 21b).
In order to follow the bottom surface well, the upper and lower guide pieces 7 are moved in the middle of the movement of the cleaning head portion 5 with respect to the BH housing 26.
It is possible to reliably prevent the inconvenience that the 2, 73 are separated from the guide groove 28a or the guide groove 28b.

Since the urging force of the elastic members 75 and 76 acts on the upper and lower guide pieces 72 and 73 substantially uniformly, even if the distance between the upper and lower guide grooves 28a and 28b changes. Replace the cleaning head unit 5 with the BH housing 26.
The cleaning body 6 can be stably held at a position where it can be pressed against. In addition, the upper and lower guide pieces 72 and 73 are
The elastic members 75 and 76 are always provided to the a and the lower wall portion 21b.
It is not necessary to be pressed by the urging force of the above, as long as it is not separated from the guide groove.

Further, the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70 as described above.
The optical connector cleaning tool 1 having the cleaning head portion 5 has an advantage that excellent versatility can be secured in accordance with the size of the plug-in unit 21 and the like. That is, in this optical connector cleaning tool 1, the difference in the distance between the upper and lower guide grooves of the plug-in unit is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic members 75 and 76 (here, the expansion and contraction of the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70). It is possible to insert the cleaning head portion 5 into the plug-in unit by slidably inserting the guide pieces 72 and 73 on the opposite sides of the cleaning head portion 5 into the upper and lower guide grooves. By sliding the guide pieces 72 and 73 along the upper and lower guide grooves, B
It is possible to move the cleaning head portion 5 back and forth with respect to the H housing 26 and clean the tip of the optical connector 10 by the cleaning body 6 of the cleaning head portion 5.

The optical connector 10 is a JIS in this case.
MPO type optical connector (MP
O: Multifiber Push On). This optical connector 10
Is an optical connector plug formed by incorporating an MT type optical connector (optical connector defined in JIS C 5981. MT: Mechanically Transferable) into a plastic housing 13 as a ferrule 11 (optical connector ferrule). In this optical connector 10, the tip of the ferrule 11 is projected from the tip of the housing 13. Therefore, the cleaning body 6 can be brought into contact with the joining end surface 12 of the tip of the ferrule 11 only by pressing the cleaning head portion 5 against the BH housing 26. .

By the way, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of rollers 9 on the front surface 51 side of the cleaning head portion 5 are provided with a space between adjacent rollers 9 in which the tip of the ferrule 11 can be accommodated. 9 is arranged at a position where it does not interfere with the ferrule 11 or the tip of the optical connector 10 when the cleaning head portion 5 is fixed to the printed board 24 and pressed against the BH housing 26.
It is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the roller 9 comes into contact with the ferrule 11 when it is pressed against the housing 26 and the tip of the ferrule 11, particularly, the joining end face 12 is damaged. Cleaning head unit 5 fixed to the print board 24
Is pressed against the BH housing 26, the portion of the cleaning body 6 arranged so as to pass between the pair of adjacent rollers 9 is pressed against the tip of the optical connector 10, that is, the tip of the ferrule 11. Then, in this state, the operation of the operation handle 2 and the operation release are repeatedly switched, and the cleaning body 6 is moved on the front surface 51 of the cleaning head portion 5, whereby the joint end surface 12 of the ferrule 11 can be efficiently cleaned.

Here, the movement amount (feed length) of the cleaning body 6 moved from the take-up reel 8 toward the reel 7a of the drawer portion 7 by one operation of the operation handle 2 is a plurality of arranged rollers. It is almost equal to the arrangement pitch of 9. Therefore, as a more preferable cleaning method, when the operation handle 2 is operated once, the cleaning tool 1 is retracted with respect to the BH housing 26 so that the cleaning body 6 does not come into contact with the joint end surface 12 of the optical connector 10. The cleaning handle 6 is fed by operating the operation handle 2 so that the portion used even once for cleaning the cleaning handle 6 does not exist on the front surface 51 side of the cleaning head portion 5, and the front surface 51 of the cleaning head portion 5 is removed. The entire cleaning body 6 located on the side is replaced with an unused portion, and then the cleaning head portion 5 is pressed against the BH housing 26 again to bring the cleaning body 6 into contact with the joint end surface 12 of the optical connector 10. Thereby, when cleaning the plurality of optical connectors 10, the optical connectors 10 on the downstream side in the moving direction of the cleaning body 6 are cleaned.
It is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the cleaning efficiency lowers.

Further, between the adjacent rollers 9 on the front surface 51 side of the cleaning head portion 5, an elastic material 60 such as sponge made of rubber or resin foam is filled.
0 is disposed in contact with the back surface side of the cleaning body 6 provided so as to pass between the adjacent rollers 9 and facing the cleaning surface 6a. The cleaning body 6 is bent by the pressing force of the cleaning head portion 5 against the optical connector 10,
It is preferable to press the tip of 0, that is, the vicinity of the joining end face 12 so as to be slightly buried in the elastic material 60, so that the cleaning body 6 comes into contact with the ferrule 11 so as to fit the tip shape well. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the cleaning body 6 can be brought into contact with the joint end surface 12 that is obliquely polished in a substantially intimate contact state. Therefore, while the contact state is maintained, the operation of the operation handle 2 and the operation release are repeatedly switched, and the cleaning body 6 is moved on the front surface 51 of the cleaning head portion 5, so that the joining end surface 12 of the ferrule 11 can be efficiently moved. Can be cleaned well. With this configuration, it is possible to surely secure the contact state of the cleaning body with respect to the joint end surface by widely corresponding to the joint end surfaces of various shapes other than the obliquely polished joint end surface.

By the way, in the structure in which the cleaning head portion 5 is supported at a desired vertical position in the plug-in unit 21 by the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70, the elastic members 75 and 76 are provided.
Since the cleaning head portion 5 is allowed to move up and down slightly due to the elastic deformation of the roller 9, the roller 9 can be smoothly inserted between the adjacent ferrules 11, and the cleaning body 6 can be surely brought into contact with the ferrule 11. . Further, as the cleaning head unit 5 moves up and down, the cleaning body 6 moves to the ferrule 11
Since the position of the cleaning head portion 5 is adjusted to the optimum position that is well adapted to the tip shape, there is an advantage that the joint end surface 12 of the ferrule 11 can be efficiently cleaned.

In the optical connector 14 (optical connector plug) shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the tip of the ferrule 11 does not protrude from the tip of the housing 13 of the optical connector 14, and the rear side of the housing 13 (the left side of FIGS. 11 and 12). It is a little intruded into. The cleaning head portion 5A shown in FIG. 11 has a spacer protrusion 6 made of rubber or sponge-like elastic material on the outer surface side of the elastic material 60, that is, on the side facing the cleaning body 6.
1 is fixed. The cleaning head portion 5B shown in FIG.
A spacer protrusion 62 made of a rubber or sponge-like elastic material is fixed to the back surface of the cleaning body 6.

In the optical connector cleaning tool having the cleaning heads 5A and 5B, the cleaning member 6 is the spacer protrusion at the portion where the spacer protrusion 61 is present or at the position where the spacer protrusion 62 is in contact with the elastic member 60. Compared to the case without 61 and 62, the cleaning head portion 5 is projected toward the optical connector side to be pressed, and this portion slightly enters from the tip of the housing 13 of the optical connector 14 to the joining end surface of the ferrule 11. Ferrule 1 because it abuts 12
It is possible to efficiently clean the joint end face 12 even with respect to the optical connector 14 in which one tip is inserted into the rear side of the housing 13. Even in the optical connector cleaning tool including the cleaning head portions 5A and 5B, the cleaning head portion 5 is allowed to move slightly up and down due to the elastic deformation of the elastic members 75 and 76 of the vertical position maintaining mechanism 70. It becomes easy to insert the portion overhanging to the front side by the spacer protrusions 61, 62 into the housing 13 of the optical connector 14, and the joint end face 12 of the ferrule 11 can be efficiently cleaned.

Parts other than the cleaning head parts 5A and 5B of the optical connector cleaning tool having the cleaning head parts 5A and 5B shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 according to the present embodiment (the cleaning head parts 5A and 5B shown in FIGS. (Including the configuration of the part not shown in 12)
Has the same configuration as the optical connector cleaning tool 1 shown in FIGS. The cleaning head portion 5B of FIG.
Then, the elastic material 60 functions as a backup material that presses the spacer protrusions 62 from behind. However, in the configuration in which the spacer protrusion 62 made of an elastic material such as rubber or sponge is applied, the elastic material 6 is not always used as the backup material.
It does not need to be 0, and may be a hard material such as metal. It goes without saying that the cleaning heads 5A and 5B to which the spacer protrusions made of an elastic material such as rubber or sponge are applied do not easily damage the ferrule due to the cushioning performance of the elastic material.

In the cleaning head portion 5 shown in FIG. 10, the elastic member 60 does not necessarily have to be arranged in contact with the cleaning body 6, but is arranged close to the cleaning body 6 with a slight clearance. Can also be adopted. Further, the elastic material in the cleaning head portion 5 is not limited to the elastic material such as rubber or sponge, and springs such as a coil spring can be applied, for example. As the drawer part, pull out the cleaning element from the take-up reel by operating the operation handle,
Any configuration can be adopted as long as it can be wound on the reel without causing the cleaning body to be pulled back to the take-up reel, and various configurations can be adopted without being limited to the configuration exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment.

The optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention is
The configurations are not limited to the configurations illustrated in the above-described embodiments, and for example, specific structures such as the cleaning head unit can be appropriately changed. The cleaning head unit is not limited to the structure in which the tape-shaped cleaning body is driven by the operation of the operation unit, and various structures such as a structure having a fixed cleaning body on the front side can be adopted. Further, the cleaning head portion of the optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention may be any structure as long as it can clean at least the joining end surface of the ferrule, and in addition to the joining end surface of the ferrule, a region including the surrounding housing and the like (optical Various configurations such as a configuration for cleaning the connector tip) can be adopted.
In the above embodiment, the upper wall portion 21a as the guide member
The cleaning head portion 5 is inserted between the lower wall portion 21b and the lower wall portion 21b in such a manner that the guide pieces 72, 73 on both sides are vertically opposed to each other. It can be changed as appropriate. The cleaning head portion may be inserted between the guide members so that the guide pieces on both sides facing each other are brought into contact with the guide members. The cleaning head
The structure for holding between the pair of guide members by the guide pieces protruding from both sides facing each other is not limited to the one bar-shaped vertical position maintaining mechanism 70 as described above, and is not limited to the guide piece and the elastic member. Various configurations can be adopted, such as a configuration in which a pressing mechanism configured by including a member is separately disposed on both sides of the cleaning head unit. Further, the number of guide pieces protruding from the cleaning head portion does not have to be the same on both sides of the cleaning head portion, which may be different. As the guide member, the upper wall portion 21a of the plug-in unit 21 is used.
It is not limited to the lower wall portion 21b and may be a plate-shaped member or a rail-shaped member which are separate bodies.

[0041]

As described above, according to the optical connector cleaning tool of the present invention, the cleaning head portion provided with the cleaning body has the guide pieces projecting on the opposite sides so that the projecting amount is variable. Because of the configuration, by using this guide piece, the cleaning head portion can be easily positioned with respect to the optical connector for cleaning, and can be moved back and forth. For example, insert the cleaning head portion in the area between the pair of guide members,
When cleaning the tip of the optical connector arranged on the back side of the area (claim 4), the guide member is guided to guide the guide pieces protruding on both sides of the cleaning head portion to guide the workability. The cleaning head portion can be smoothly moved (moved back and forth with respect to the optical connector) within the region between the members, and the cleaning head portion can be easily positioned with respect to the optical connector. The guide pieces on both sides of the cleaning head are
Since the protrusion amount from the cleaning head portion is variable within the elastic deformation range of the elastic member provided in the cleaning head portion, when inserting the cleaning head portion into the region between the pair of guide members, By varying the amount of protrusion of each guide piece from the cleaning head portion according to the difference in the distance between the guide members, it is possible to guide the guide pieces on both sides to the guide member, and to the distance between the guide members. Versatility can be secured. Further, since the change in the distance between the pair of guide members due to the distortion of the guide member due to aging and the like can be absorbed by the change in the protrusion amount of each guide piece from the cleaning head portion, the cleaning head between the pair of guide members can be absorbed. It is possible to maintain a stable state in which the parts can move smoothly for a long period of time. The supporting state of the cleaning head portion at a position where the cleaning body can be pressed against the optical connector can be stably maintained. The above-mentioned versatility of the optical connector cleaning tool and the effects such as smooth movement of the cleaning head portion (smooth forward / backward movement with respect to the optical connector) are achieved when the optical connector is inserted into the area between the pair of guide members to clean the optical connector. Not limited to this, it is commonly obtained when the optical connector needs to be inserted into a narrow area for cleaning.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a configuration in which a plurality of the guide pieces are provided on one side or both sides of the cleaning head portion by shifting the position in the front-rear direction of the cleaning head portion, for example, the above-mentioned configuration is possible. When the cleaning head part is inserted between the pair of guide members as described above, the guide pieces on both sides of the cleaning head part are guided by the guide member, so that the cleaning body can be pressed against the optical connector. It has an excellent effect of maintaining stable (posture).

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an optical connector cleaning tool of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view.

2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of a cleaning head portion of the optical connector cleaning tool of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a plan view and FIG. 2B is a front view.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cleaning head portion of the optical connector cleaning tool of FIG. 1 viewed from the front side.

4A and 4B are views showing a vertical position holding mechanism provided in a cleaning head portion of the optical connector cleaning tool of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 4A is a plan view (plan view showing an upper pressing mechanism), and FIG. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an optical connector (backplane connector) to which the optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 The connector of FIG. 5 (backplane connector)
FIG. 3 is a front view showing the plug-in unit in a sectional view.

7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cleaning head portion of the optical connector cleaning tool of FIG. 1 is arranged near the opening of the plug-in unit.

8 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the cleaning head portion of the optical connector cleaning tool of FIG. 1 is inserted into a plug-in unit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the cleaning body of the optical connector cleaning tool of FIG. 1 is pressed against the joint end surface of the optical connector,
(A) is a plane sectional view and (b) is a front sectional view.

10 is a front sectional view showing a state in which the cleaning body of the optical connector cleaning tool of FIG. 1 is pressed against the joint end surface of the optical connector.

FIG. 11 is a view showing another aspect of the cleaning head of the optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention, and is a front sectional view showing a state where the cleaning body is pressed against the joint end surface of the optical connector.

FIG. 12 is a view showing another mode of the cleaning head of the optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention, and is a front sectional view showing a state where the cleaning body is pressed against the joint end surface of the optical connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Optical connector cleaning tool, 4 ... Operating rod, 5, 5A, 5B ...
Cleaning head portion, 6 ... Cleaning body, 10 ... Optical connector (optical connector plug), 14 ... Optical connector (optical connector plug), 21a ... Guide member (upper wall portion), 21b ... Guide member (lower wall portion), 72 … Guide piece (upper guide piece), 73
... guide piece (lower guide piece), 75, 76 ... elastic member (coil spring), 77 ... upper pressing mechanism, 78 ... lower pressing mechanism, S ... area between guide members (internal space).

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Takizawa             Fuji Co., Ltd. 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture             Kura Sakura Office F-term (reference) 2H036 QA31                 3B116 AA47 AB52 BA08 BA23 BC07

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the tip of an optical connector (10, 14), wherein a cleaning head portion (6) abutting the tip of the optical connector is provided on the front side. 5, 5A, 5B),
An optical connector cleaning tool (1), characterized in that it has guide pieces (72, 73) projecting on the opposite sides of the cleaning head part in a variable amount. 2. The cleaning head portion is provided with an elastic member (75, 76) which is elastically deformed by pushing the guide piece toward the cleaning head portion side. Optical connector cleaning tool (1). 3. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein an operation rod (4) extending rearward from the cleaning head portion is attached to the cleaning head portion. 4. The optical connector is arranged on the back side of a region (S) between a pair of guide members (21a, 21b), and the cleaning head portion has guide pieces on both sides thereof, respectively. 5. The optical connector is inserted into the area while being slidably guided to the optical connector and is moved back and forth with respect to the optical connector.
The optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of 1 to 3. 5. A plurality of the guide pieces are provided on one side or both sides of the cleaning head portion with their positions displaced in the front-back direction of the cleaning head portion. The optical connector cleaning tool described in.