JP2003262754A - Optical fiber end face cleaning tool - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the cleaning efficiency of the end face of an optical fiber by preventing scale removed from the end face from being attached again to this end face. <P>SOLUTION: This cleaning tool is provided with an elastic base 110 which has a flat surface of a predetermined size and the thickness predetermined in the orthogonal direction of this surface, and is formed of an elastic member. An adhesive layer 120 is formed so as to be in close contact with the surface of this elastic base 110. The end face of the optical fiber 510 is pressed to this adhesive layer 120, and the scale is removed by adhering it to the adhesive layer 120. <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 fiber end face cleaning tool, and more particularly to an optical fiber end face cleaning tool for removing deposits adhering to the end face of an optical fiber to clean the end face.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method for connecting end faces of optical fibers to each other to connect these optical fibers, for example, FIG.
There is a structure as shown in (a) to (c). Figure 4
FIG. 4A is a simplest structure in which two optical fibers 510a and 510b are simply connected by using a ferrule 550, and FIG. 4B shows a connection in which a plurality of V grooves 561 are formed. Similarly, the substrate 560 and the connecting substrate 570 in which a plurality of V grooves 571 are formed are connected to the V grooves 561 and 57.
1 butt-contact with each other at the surface on the V-groove side so as to form a tube having an inner wall quadrilateral cross section, and each of the plurality of tubes is provided with a first optical fiber 51 from one end side.
0a is inserted, and the second optical fiber 510 is inserted from the other end side.
b is inserted to connect between the optical fibers 510a and 510b with their end faces abutting each other.

Further, FIG. 4C shows plug-and-receptacle type optical fiber connectors 500 and 600. A plurality of optical fibers 510 protruding from the connector housing 520 of the optical fiber connector 500 are shown.
Is introduced into an optical fiber holding / introducing path (not shown) formed in the connector housing 620 of the optical fiber connector 600, and the end faces of the optical fiber held in the optical fiber holding / introducing path (not shown) are abutted against each other. It has a structure that contacts and connects. The diameter of these optical fibers is generally about 0.125 mm.

In the connection structure between these optical fibers, the optical fibers (510a, 510b, etc.) are inserted into the tubular introduction passage whose inner wall is circular or quadrilateral from both ends thereof, and the end faces thereof are abutted against each other. The structure connects the fibers. Therefore, when inserting the optical fiber into the tubular introduction path, the inner wall of the tubular introduction path is scraped at the tip of the optical fiber and a part of it adheres to the end face of the optical fiber, and the suspended matter in the air does not light. It may adhere to the end faces of the fibers, and in such a case, there is a problem that the optical connection performance between the optical fibers deteriorates due to the adhered substances on these end faces.

Therefore, the deposits on the end face of the optical fiber are removed,
The simplest and most basic method that needs to be cleaned is, for example, as shown in FIG.
0 or the like is impregnated with ethyl alcohol to remove and clean the deposit 515 on the end face 511 of the optical fiber 510, or as shown in FIG. 5B, the end face of the optical fiber 510 is sprayed with an air spray 720. For example, a method of blowing air to 511 and blowing away the adhering matter 515 to clean it can be used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the core rod 74
An optical fiber end face cleaning tool 74 having a structure in which an elastic body 742 is attached to the tip of No. 1 and a cleaning cloth 743 is further wound on the elastic body 742.
0 has been proposed (for example, utility model registration number 25
According to this cleaning tool (740), it is convenient to clean the end face of the optical fiber in the recessed portion, and the elastic body 742 is deformed according to the peripheral shape and the end face, thereby cleaning the end face. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, a cushion sheet 765 is arranged on the bottom surface of the concave portion of the main case 761 and a cleaning sheet 764 is laminated thereon, and an opening window 763 is formed thereon. An optical fiber end face cleaning tool 760 having a structure in which the surface plate 762 has is proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-
According to this cleaning tool (760), the optical fiber end surface is pressed against the cleaning sheet 764 exposed in the opening window 763 to move, thereby removing and cleaning the end surface deposits. , The cushion sheet 765 is used to clean the end face of the optical fiber.
4 can be brought into close contact with and moved by an appropriate pressure, and the end face cleaning effect can be improved.

[0007]

The above-mentioned conventional optical fiber end face cleaning tool is a cleaning tool in which gauze 700 is impregnated with ethyl alcohol, and the diameter of the optical fiber is 0.125 mm.
Since it is small and cleaning is performed while enlarging and observing with a microscope etc., it requires a lot of time for cleaning, and it is difficult to prepare and carry it because it is necessary to prepare a magnifying tool and ethyl alcohol. However, the method of blowing air with the air spray 720 has a problem that the effect of removing adhered substances is insufficient.
The optical fiber end face cleaning tool 740 in which the elastic body 742 and the cleaning cloth 743 are arranged at the tip of is suitable for cleaning the deep part due to the rod-like shape and the deformation of the elastic body 742. There is a risk that the deposits once removed from the optical fiber end face will fall off the cleaning cloth 743 and attach to the optical fiber end face again, and the cushion sheet 765 and the cleaning sheet 764 are laminated on the main case 761. In the optical fiber end face cleaning tool 760 described above, the cleaning effect can be enhanced by an appropriate pressure on the cleaning sheet 764 on the end face of the optical fiber, but like the rod-shaped member described above, once the adhered substances are removed again, There is a problem that there is a risk of sticking to the end face.

In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is that preparation and carrying are easy, and cleaning work is easy, and furthermore, the adhered matter is surely removed without being re-adhered to the end face. It is to provide an optical fiber end face cleaning tool that can be cleaned.

[0009]

The optical fiber end face cleaning tool of the first invention is an optical fiber end face cleaning device for removing adhered matter adhering to the end face of an optical fiber and cleaning the end face. It is characterized by having each structure of. (A) An elastic base formed of an elastic member having one flat surface having a predetermined size and a thickness having a predetermined dimension in a direction orthogonal to the surface (b) The elasticity A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer that is formed by closely adhering to a predetermined area on the surface of the base, and the end surface of the optical fiber is pressed against the surface.

In the laminated type optical fiber end face cleaning tool of the second invention, a plurality of the optical fiber end face cleaning tools are laminated in such a manner that one adhesive layer of the optical fiber end face cleaning tool is brought into close contact with the back side of the other elastic base. Each of these laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tools has a structure in which one by one can be sequentially peeled from the frontmost side.

The laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool has a structure in which the area of the adhesive layer of each of the laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tools becomes smaller toward the front side of the lamination. Have

The case accommodating / stacking type optical fiber end face cleaning tool of the third invention, in addition to the stacking type optical fiber end face cleaning tool, holds and accommodates these stacking type optical fiber end face cleaning tools, and The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the frontmost optical fiber end face cleaning tool has a housing case having a cleaning window formed by pressing and cleaning the end face of the optical fiber.

The housing case is provided with a spring for urging the rearmost optical fiber end surface cleaning tool of the laminated optical fiber end surface cleaning tool to be held and housed forward from the back side of the elastic base. It is equipped with.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The first embodiment of the present invention is an optical fiber end face cleaning tool which removes deposits adhering to the end face of an optical fiber and cleans this end face. An elastic base formed of an elastic member having one flat surface of a size and a thickness of a predetermined dimension perpendicular to the surface, and a predetermined surface of the elastic base. A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, which is formed in close contact with the above-mentioned range and on which the end face of the optical fiber is pressed.

With such a structure, the cleaning tool can be easily prepared and carried, and the cleaning operation by the cleaning tool is simple and easy in that the end face of the optical fiber is pressed against the surface of the adhesive layer. However, due to the elastic effect of the elastic base, the entire end surface of the optical fiber can be pressed against the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer with an appropriate pressure, and the adhered matter that has adhered to this end surface can be reliably transferred to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. It can be made to adhere, and since the adherent that has once adhered to this adhesive layer does not fall off from this adhesive layer, it will not re-adhere to the end face of the optical fiber, and from the end face of the optical fiber, The attached material can be reliably removed and the end face can be cleaned.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the above-mentioned optical fiber end face cleaning tools are laminated one after another with the back surface side of the other elastic base being closely adhered to one adhesive layer thereof, Each of the plurality of laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tools is a laminated type optical fiber end face cleaning tool that can be peeled off one by one from the frontmost side.

With such a structure, it becomes easy to carry and store a plurality of optical fiber end face cleaning tools, and furthermore, only one optical fiber end face cleaning tool having a reduced cleaning effect is peeled and discarded, The new optical fiber end face cleaning tool for the unused adhesive layer can clean the optical fiber end face, and the cleaning efficiency can be improved.

In this laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool, the area of the adhesive layer of each of the laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tools becomes smaller toward the front side of the lamination, whereby Since the adhesive force to the rear side of the optical fiber end face cleaning tool is minimized, it is possible to more easily peel the frontmost one sheet.

The third embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned laminated type optical fiber end face cleaning tool, holds and accommodates these laminated type optical fiber end face cleaning tools, and the frontmost optical fiber end face thereof. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the cleaning tool is configured to have a housing case in which a cleaning window for pressing and cleaning the end surface of the optical fiber is formed, and by using the case housing / stacking type optical fiber end surface cleaning tool, its carrying, It is possible to further facilitate the work of storing and cleaning the end face of the optical fiber.

The housing case urges the rearmost optical fiber end surface cleaning tool of the laminated optical fiber end surface cleaning tool to be held and housed forward from the back side of the elastic base.
By having a structure with a spring, the laminated optical fiber end surface cleaning tool can be stably held with the adhesive layer of the frontmost optical fiber end surface cleaning tool disposed in the cleaning window of the housing case. In addition, the end face can be easily pressed against the adhesive layer with an appropriate force, and the cleaning operation can be further facilitated.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a partial sectional side view for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention and a cleaning operation thereof. The optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100 of the first embodiment has an elastic member having one flat surface of a predetermined size and a thickness of a predetermined dimension in the direction orthogonal to the surface. An elastic base 110 formed by
And a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 120 formed so as to be in close contact with the entire surface of the elastic base 110,
The end face of the optical fiber 510 is pressed against the surface of the adhesive layer 120.

The optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100
Has a long side corresponding to the arrangement direction of the plurality of optical fibers 510 so that all the end faces of the plurality of optical fibers 510 arranged and held in the optical fiber connector 500 can be pressed simultaneously.

In the first embodiment, first, the optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100 is placed on a flat surface such as the table 900, and the end faces of the plurality of optical fibers 510 of the optical fiber connector 500 are cleaned. It is pressed against the surface of the adhesive layer 120 of 100. The pressing force at this time may be such that the surface of the adhesive layer 120 is slightly recessed at the tip of each optical fiber 510 (see FIG. 1B). If the pressing force is too strong, there is a risk that the optical fiber 510 may be deformed or the adhesive layer 120 may be damaged. Conversely, if the pressing force is too weak, the adhered matter on the end surface of the optical fiber 510 may adhere to the adhesive layer 120. Sometimes they don't stick. When it is slightly recessed, the elastic force of the elastic base 110 causes the entire end surface of the optical fiber 510 to adhere to the adhesive layer 120, and the adhered substance can adhere to the adhesive layer 120, thereby adhering the optical fiber 510. When the end face of the optical fiber 510 is separated from the agent layer 120, the adhered substances attached to the end face of the optical fiber 510 are removed and the end face is cleaned. In addition, since the adhered substances may overlap with each other, if the pressing and separating operations are repeated a plurality of times, even in such a case, the adhered substances can be reliably removed.

In this embodiment, the optical fiber end face cleaning tool 1
The case where 00 is placed on a flat surface and the end face of the optical fiber 510 is pressed against the adhesive layer 120 has been described, but the optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100 is held at the fingertip and the adhesive layer 120 is attached to the optical fiber 510. You may make it press on an end surface.

2 (a) and 2 (b) are an exploded perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention and a perspective view showing a laminated state thereof. In this second embodiment, the elastic base (11
The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (120) was adhered and formed on the surface of (0),
A plurality of single optical fiber end face cleaning tools (100) are laminated one after another by sequentially adhering the back surface side of the other elastic base (110) to the adhesive layer (120) of one of the plurality, in order. The cleaning tool 100A has a structure in which a plurality of stacked optical fiber end face cleaning tools 100-1 to 100-n can be sequentially peeled one by one from the frontmost one (100-1).

Therefore, when carrying or storing a plurality of optical fiber end face cleaning tools, if these are in separate states as a single unit, for example, protection for the adhesive layer (120) is provided for each. It is necessary to perform it, but in the case of the laminated type, it is easy to carry and store because only the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (120) of the frontmost one is required, and the laminated state can be held with a fingertip. This facilitates the operation of removing the deposit. Further, when the amount of the adhered substances on the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (120) of the frontmost one increases and the adhesive effect decreases, a new pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (120) appears by peeling only the frontmost one. Therefore, the updating operation is also easy.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 2A, a plurality of laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tools 100-1 to 100-1 are provided.
00-n, adhesive layer 120-1 to 120-n
Area of the stack becomes smaller toward the front of the stack (ie,
The first one (120-1) is the smallest and the last one (12-1)
0-n) is the maximum), so that the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 120-
Since the adhesive force by 1 to 120-n becomes smaller toward the front side, when peeling the front one, only the front one can be easily peeled without peeling the rear one.

3 (a) and 3 (b) are an external perspective view and a sectional side view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100A shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is replaced with the adhesive layer 120-1 of the frontmost optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100-1. In addition, the case-accommodating / stacking-type optical fiber end face cleaning tool has a structure in which the end face of the optical fiber 510 is held and accommodated in the accommodating case 200 in which a cleaning window 210 that can be cleaned is formed. Further, in the housing case 200, the rearmost optical fiber end surface cleaning tool 100-n of the laminated optical fiber end surface cleaning tool 100A is biased forward from the back surface side of the elastic base 110-n. The spring 250 is provided.

In the third embodiment, the laminated type optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100A is held and accommodated in the accommodating case 200. In this state, the adhesive layer of the frontmost optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100-1 is used. 120-1 to the optical fiber 5
Since the end face of 10 can be cleaned by pressing it, it becomes easier to carry and store the end face, and since the laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100A is held in the stable housing case, the end face cleaning work is further performed. It will be easy. Also, the spring 250
With this, the force when the end face is pressed is controlled, an appropriate pressing force can be easily obtained, and cleaning efficiency can be improved.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, an elastic base having a surface of a predetermined size and a thickness, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer adhered and formed on the surface of the elastic base, By including the adhesive layer, the end face of the optical fiber is pressed against the adhesive layer to adhere the adhered substance to the adhesive layer, which facilitates preparation and carrying, and facilitates cleaning work. Since the adhered substance sticking to the surface does not fall off from this adhesive layer, it does not re-adhere to the end face of the optical fiber, and the adhered substance is surely removed from the end face of the optical fiber to clean this end face. There is an effect that it is possible to stack a plurality of such optical fiber end face cleaning tools, one adhesive layer on one side and the back side of the other elastic base closely adhered to each other, one by one from the front side. , Can be peeled off sequentially,
By using the laminated type, it becomes easier to carry and store it, and moreover, the last one sheet having a lowered cleaning effect can be peeled off and cleaned by a new optical fiber end face cleaning tool, so that the cleaning efficiency can be improved. The effect of being able to do so is that with a housing case for holding and housing the laminated type optical fiber end face cleaning tool, there is an effect that the carrying, storage and cleaning work can be further facilitated. By constructing a spring that urges the laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool in the case forward, it is possible to easily obtain an appropriate end face pressing force against the adhesive layer and improve the cleaning work efficiency. The effect is that it can be raised.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view and a partial cross-sectional view for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention and a cleaning operation thereof.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention and a perspective view of a laminated state thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view and a sectional side view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an end surface cleaning target of an optical fiber end surface cleaning tool;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view and a partial cross-sectional perspective view for explaining various optical fiber end face connection structures.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing two simplest and basic examples of a conventional optical fiber end face cleaning tool.

FIG. 6 is a sectional side view showing another two examples of the conventional optical fiber end face cleaning tool.

[Explanation of symbols]

100, 100-1 to 100-n Optical fiber end face cleaning tool 100A Laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool 110, 110-1 to 110-n Elastic base 120, 120-1 to 120-n Adhesive layer 200 Storage case 210 Cleaning Window 250 Spring 500 Optical Fiber Connector 510, 510a, 510b Optical Fiber 511 End Face 515 Adhesion 520 Connector Housing 530 Optical Cable 550 Ferrule 560 Connection Board 561 V Groove 570 Connection Board 571 V Groove 600 Optical Fiber Connector 620 Connector Housing 700 Gauze 720 Air spray 740 Optical fiber end surface cleaning tool 741 Core rod 742 Elastic body 743 Cleaning cloth 760 Optical fiber end surface cleaning tool 761 Main case 762 Surface plate 763 Opening window 764 Cleaning sheet 765 Cushion sheet

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Jun Takeda             1-221 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan             Aviation Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H036 KA04

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber end face cleaning tool for removing deposits adhering to the end face of an optical fiber and cleaning the end face, which has the following respective configurations. (A) An elastic base formed of an elastic member having one flat surface having a predetermined size and a thickness having a predetermined dimension in a direction orthogonal to the surface (b) The elasticity A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer that is formed by closely adhering to a predetermined area on the surface of the base, and the end surface of the optical fiber is pressed against the surface. 2. A plurality of optical fiber end face cleaning tools according to claim 1, which are laminated by sequentially adhering the back surface side of the other elastic base to one of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layers, and the plurality of the laminated optical fibers. Each optical fiber end face cleaning tool, 1 from the front side
A laminated type optical fiber end face cleaning tool having a structure that can be peeled off one by one. 3. The laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool,
The laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool according to claim 2, wherein the area of the adhesive layer of each of the laminated plurality of optical fiber end face cleaning tools becomes smaller toward the front side of the lamination. 4. In addition to the laminated optical fiber end face cleaning tool according to claim 2 or claim 3, these laminated type optical fiber end face cleaning tools are held and accommodated, and the frontmost optical fiber end face cleaning device is held. A case-accommodating / stacking type optical fiber end face cleaning tool, comprising an accommodating case in which a cleaning window for pressing and cleaning the end surface of the optical fiber is formed on the adhesive layer of the tool. 5. The accommodating case urges the rearmost optical fiber end surface cleaning tool of the laminated optical fiber end surface cleaning tool for holding and accommodating, from the back surface side of the elastic base to the front side.
The case-accommodating / stacking-type optical fiber end face cleaning tool according to claim 4, comprising a spring.