JP2006234556A - Device and method for inspecting end face of optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inspect an end face of an optical fiber by using a simple structure and obtain a successful judgment result. <P>SOLUTION: An end of a plastic optical fiber 8 as an object to be inspected is held by a fiber holder 10. A light source 18 irradiates the end face 8a of the plastic optical fiber 8 with inspecting light at a prescribed angle. A light receiver 19 receives inspection light reflected along a specified reflecting direction as a portion of inspection light reflected by the end face 8a, and outputs a light reception signal corresponding to intensity of the received light. A judgment processor 22 compares a level of the light reception signal with a reference level which is previously stored in a memory 23, and judges as to whether or not a shape and a condition of the end face 8a are good. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber end face inspection apparatus and method for inspecting an end face of an optical fiber.

  When an optical fiber is connected to another optical fiber, a light receiver, or the like, in the case where a condensing function or the like is not provided directly on the end face, it is generally necessary to perform end face processing for processing the end face smoothly. As a method of this end surface treatment, for example, there is a method of polishing the end surface. For plastic optical fibers, a hot plate method that can be processed in a short time and can be easily performed at the site of installation is widely used. In the hot plate method, the end surface of the plastic optical fiber is pressed into a flat hot plate to deform the end portion of the plastic optical fiber into a dish shape, and the end surface is processed into a flat and mirror surface.

  After the end face processing, it is necessary to inspect whether or not the end face processing has been performed appropriately. For example, when the end surface is processed by the hot plate method, check that the end surface is not soiled or scratched, and that the end surface is not convex or concave. It is necessary to check whether the end face is a vertical surface.

From Patent Documents 1 and 2, an inspection apparatus for inspecting an end face of an optical fiber is known. The inspection apparatus described in Patent Document 1 irradiates light onto an end face of an optical fiber, and photographs the end face with a CCD camera. Then, the end face of the photographed optical fiber is enlarged and displayed on the CRT, and the operator determines the quality by observing this. Further, the inspection apparatus of Patent Document 2 is configured such that light from a light source is irradiated onto an end face of an optical fiber at a predetermined incident angle, and the reflected light is received by an optical microscope to observe the end face.
JP-A-8-170908 JP 2002-168729 A

  By the way, plastic optical fibers, for example, are often subjected to end face processing at the laying site or the like for reasons such as easy end face processing by the hot plate method, and are not affected by the experience or skill of operators, There is a demand for an inspection apparatus that can make an appropriate judgment. However, in the inspection apparatuses such as Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the operator determines the quality by observing the image or optical image of the end face of the optical fiber, the determination result depends on the operator's own experience and skill. As a result, there was a problem that the judgment results varied. In addition, the configuration in which the end face of the optical fiber is photographed using a CCD camera has a problem that the circuit configuration becomes complicated, resulting in an increase in the number of parts and an increase in manufacturing cost of the inspection apparatus.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber end surface inspection apparatus and method that can know the quality of an end surface with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the optical fiber end face inspection device according to claim 1, a fiber holding member for holding the end of the optical fiber and an axial direction of the end of the optical fiber held by the fiber holding member are provided. A light source unit that irradiates the end face of the optical fiber with an incident direction having a predetermined first angle with respect to the axial direction of the end part of the optical fiber out of the inspection light reflected by the end face of the optical fiber And a light receiving unit that receives the inspection light reflected in the light receiving direction having a predetermined second angle and outputs a light receiving signal corresponding to the light receiving intensity. In the optical fiber end surface inspection device according to claim 2, the first angle and the second angle are the same.

  In the optical fiber end face inspection device according to claim 3, a judging means for judging the quality of the end face of the optical fiber based on the level of the light receiving signal from the light receiving section and a predetermined reference level, and the judgment result of the judging means are outputted. Output unit.

  Further, in the optical fiber end face inspection device according to claim 4, the optical fiber held by the fiber holding member between the first rotation position and the second rotation position rotated by 90 ° from the first rotation position, and the Rotating means for relatively rotating and moving the light source section and the light receiving section, and the determining means is an end face of the optical fiber based on the level of each received light signal and the reference level at the first rotating position and the second rotating position. It is a judgment of the quality of. Furthermore, in the optical fiber end face inspection apparatus according to claim 5, the optical unit having two sets of light source parts and light receiving parts is provided, and the optical units are shifted by 90 ° from each other around the optical fiber held by the fiber holding member. And determining means for determining the quality of the end face of the optical fiber based on the level of each received light signal obtained by each optical unit and the reference level.

  In the optical fiber end face inspection device according to claim 6, selection means for selecting one of an inspection mode for judging pass / fail of the end face of the fiber and a setting mode for setting a reference level; Storage means for determining a reference level based on the level of the received light signal and storing the determined reference level, and the determination means uses the reference level stored in the storage means under the inspection mode. The optical fiber end face inspection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the fiber holding section can hold the optical fiber to be inspected and the optical fiber for reference setting selected in advance. In addition, the position is shifted between the inspection position where the end face of the optical fiber to be inspected is irradiated with the inspection light and the reference setting position where the end face of the optical fiber for reference setting is irradiated. And freely, it is obtained so as to determine the acceptability of the end face of the optical fiber received light signal level of the standard as an external standard. The optical fiber end face inspection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the selecting means is a position sensor that detects a position of the fiber holding portion, and an inspection mode is selected when the fiber holding portion is at the inspection position, and when the fiber holding portion is at the reference setting position. The reference setting mode is selected.

  In the optical fiber end face inspection method according to claim 9, the end face of the optical fiber in which the end portion is held is irradiated with inspection light so as to form a predetermined angle with respect to the axial direction of the optical fiber. The reflected inspection light is received and the intensity of the received light is compared with a predetermined reference value to determine the quality of the end face of the optical fiber.

  According to the present invention, the end face of the optical fiber held by the fiber holder is angled and irradiated with the inspection light, and the inspection light reflected in the predetermined reflection direction among the inspection light reflected by the end face is received. As a result, the quality of the end face of the optical fiber can be easily determined. For the determination, it is preferable to judge the quality of the end face of the optical fiber based on the level of the received light signal according to the received light intensity and a predetermined reference level, and judge the quality of the end face of the optical fiber with a simple configuration. Can do. In addition, since the determination unit performs the determination of pass / fail, the pass / fail determination can be performed without variation.

  FIG. 1 shows the appearance of an optical fiber end surface inspection apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an inspection apparatus) embodying the present invention. The inspection device 2 has a built-in power supply device inside the device body 3 and can be made small and light by adopting a simple configuration. Can be used.

  An operation unit 4 and an LCD (liquid crystal display) 5 are provided on the front surface of the apparatus body 3. The operation unit 4 includes a power button 6 for turning on / off the inspection apparatus 2 and an inspection button 7. In response to the pressing of the inspection button 7, the inspection device 2 automatically performs an end surface inspection of the plastic optical fiber (hereinafter referred to as POF) 8 set therein, and determines the quality of the end surface. The LCD 5 outputs the judged quality. If the end face is in a good shape and state, for example, an “OK” character is displayed, and if not, an “NG” character is displayed.

  Note that the output means for outputting the quality of the end face of the POF 8 is not limited to the LCD 5 as described above, and any means may be used as long as it outputs a result so that the user can distinguish between good and bad. May be. For example, a green LED can be turned on when the end face of the POF 8 is in a good shape and state, and a red LED can be turned on when the end face is not in a good shape and state. You may comprise so that a different sound may be emitted.

  An inspection lid 11 that can be opened and closed between a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position that exposes the fiber holder 10 (see FIG. 3) provided inside the apparatus main body 3 is provided at the side of the apparatus main body 3. It is provided. When performing end face inspection, the end of the POF 8 to be inspected is set in the fiber holder 10 with the inspection lid 11 in the open position, and then the inspection lid 11 is in the closed position. The apparatus body 3 and the inspection lid 11 are each provided with a notch. By passing the POF 8 through holes formed by these notches, the inspection lid 11 is closed when the POF 8 is set in the fiber holder 10. It can be.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the end face inspection target POF 8 has a ferrule 14 attached to the end thereof, and inspects the end face 8a processed into a dish shape by the end face processing by the hot plate method. The ferrule 14 holds the end of the POF 8 in a straight line. A dish-like depression 14 a is formed at the tip of the ferrule 14. The fiber holder 10 is not limited to the above, and any fiber holder 10 may be used as long as the POF 8 is directly or indirectly held. For example, the fiber holder 10 may hold the POF 8 directly, or may hold a connector to which the POF 8 is attached via the ferrule 14.

  In the hot plate method, the end of the POF 8 is inserted into the ferrule 14 and fixed, and the POF 8 is cut so as to protrude from the tip of the ferrule 14 (the recess 14a side) by a predetermined length. After this cutting, the cut surface of the POF 8 is pressed against a flat hot plate to be deformed into a dish shape and processed into a flat and mirror surface.

  The configuration of the inspection apparatus 2 is shown in FIG. The power supply device 16 includes a battery and a circuit that transforms and stabilizes the output of the battery, and supplies power for operating each part of the inspection device 3. The operation unit 4 inputs a signal corresponding to pressing of the power button 6 and the inspection button 7 constituting the operation unit 4 to the system controller 17. When the inspection button 7 is pressed, an inspection start signal is input from the operation unit 4 to the system controller 17. When the inspection start signal is input, the system controller 17 controls each part to execute the end surface inspection.

  In the fiber holder 10, the POF 8 assembled with the ferrule 14 as described above is set. The fiber holder 10 holds the ferrule 14 so as to always have the same position and posture. Thus, the end portion of the POF 8 is held so that the shape and state of the end face 8a including the assembled state to the ferrule 14 can be inspected. The fiber holder 10 exposes the end face 8a of the POF 8 in the inspection apparatus from the inspection opening provided in the upper part thereof.

  The light source unit 18 includes an LED (light emitting diode) 18 a that outputs inspection light, a condensing lens 18 b, and the like, and irradiates the end surface 8 a of the POF 8 held by the fiber holder 10 with the inspection light. The light source unit 18 is arranged to irradiate the end surface 8a with inspection light from an incident direction that forms an angle α with respect to the axial direction of the end portion of the POF 8. As the inspection light, light having various wavelengths can be used. For example, 650 nm red light for communication using POF 8 or infrared light can be used. Further, the shorter the wavelength of the inspection light, the more accurately the determination can be made by detecting a scratch or the like generated on the end face 8a.

The light receiving unit 19 includes a light receiving lens 19a, a photodiode 19b, and the like. The light receiving unit 19 is disposed on the opposite side of the light source unit 18 with the POF 8 interposed therebetween, and the inspection light reflected by the end surface 8a of the POF 8 has an angle β with respect to the axial direction of the end of the POF 8. The inspection light reflected in the light receiving direction is configured to be received. The light receiving lens 19a is for selectively receiving only the inspection light reflected in the light receiving direction as described above by the photodiode 19b among the reflected inspection light. The photodiode 19b outputs a photocurrent having a magnitude corresponding to the intensity of the received light as a light reception signal.
Apply photocurrent.

  In this example, the angle α and the angle β are the same. By doing in this way, when the inclination of the end surface 8a is appropriate so as to be a surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the end portion of the POF 8 held by the fiber holder 10, the end surface 8a Inspection light is incident at an incident angle α and reflected at a reflection angle β, and the inspection light is received by the light receiving unit 19.

  The configurations of the light source unit 18 and the light receiving unit 19 described above are examples, and are not limited to the configurations in carrying out the present invention. The light source unit 18 may have any configuration as long as it irradiates the end surface 8a of the POF 8 with the inspection light. For example, a laser diode, a light bulb, or a fluorescent lamp may be used as the light source instead of the LED. Of course, since the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 19 also varies due to the variation of the inspection light, a light source whose light intensity is stable for both the short term and the long term is preferable.

  The light receiving unit 19 may have another configuration as long as it can receive inspection light reflected at a predetermined reflection angle β and output a signal corresponding to the received light intensity. For example, instead of the light receiving lens 19a, an appropriately sized aperture, slit, optical fiber, or the like may be used.

  The received light signal is amplified by the amplifier 21, converted into an appropriate signal form, and sent to the determination processing unit 22. The determination processing unit 22 compares the level of the received light signal (hereinafter referred to as the received light signal level) according to the received light intensity of the light receiving unit 19 with the reference level. In this comparison, if the former is the same as or larger than the latter, it is judged that the end face is in a good shape and state, and the word “OK” is displayed on the LCD 5, otherwise it is judged as defective. Then, “NG” is displayed on the LCD 5. As the determination processing unit 22, an analog comparator using an OP amplifier or the like may be used in addition to a configuration in which the signal level is handled as digital data.

  The reference level is set in advance to a value corresponding to the light reception signal level when the end face 8a in the lowest state that is acceptable (good) is acceptable. This reference level is determined in advance by experiments or the like. As the reference level, for example, an average received light signal level within a range in which it can be determined to be good is set in the inspection apparatus 2, and an allowable lower limit from the level is calculated by the inspection apparatus 2 as a reference level. Also good. Further, an upper limit of the received light signal level that is determined to be good may be set. Further, different reference levels may be set in advance and selected according to the type of POF and used for determination, or the reference level may be manually increased or decreased.

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. The POF 8 to be inspected is subjected to end face processing by a hot plate method prior to inspection. When performing end face inspection, the power button 6 is pressed to turn on the inspection apparatus 2. Next, the inspection lid 11 is set to the open position, and the end of the POF 8 to be inspected is set to the fiber holder 10 together with the ferrule 14. Thereafter, the inspection lid 11 is closed and the inspection button 7 is pressed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the inspection button 7 is pressed, an inspection start signal is input to the system controller 17 and the end surface inspection is started. First, the LED 18a is turned on, the inspection light from the light source unit 18 is irradiated toward the end face 8a of the POF 8 set in the fiber holder 10, and the inspection light is reflected by the end face 8a. At this time, the reflection state of the inspection light at the end face 8a varies depending on the shape and state of the end face 8a.

  As described above, part or all of the inspection light reflected by the end face 8 a is received by the light receiving unit 19. Then, a light reception signal corresponding to the light intensity of the received inspection light is input from the AMP 21 to the determination processing unit 22, and the light reception signal level is acquired by the determination processing unit 22. When the received light signal level is acquired, the received light signal level is compared with the reference level stored in the memory 23 by the determination processing unit 22.

  If the output voltage of the power supply device 16 fluctuates or the output of the light source unit 18 decreases due to secular change, the received light signal level changes even if the end face of the POF 8 having the same shape and state is inspected. At the same time, the light intensity of the inspection light from the light source unit 18 may be directly received by a photodiode or the like and measured, and the light reception signal level or the reference level may be corrected based on the measurement result.

  In the above comparison, for example, when the received light signal level is equal to or higher than the reference level, it is determined that the shape and state of the end face 8a are good, and the characters “OK” are displayed on the LCD 5. However, if the received light signal level is lower than the reference level, it is determined as defective and the character “NG” is displayed on the LCD 5. The operator can know from the display on the LCD 5 whether or not the end processing of the set POF 8 is satisfactory. Thus, in this inspection apparatus 2, the quality of the end face processing is determined by a simple operation and without the operator's determination.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a good end face 8a. When the end surface 8a subjected to the end surface treatment is satisfactory, the end surface 8a is a surface substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the end portion of the POF 8, and the end surface 8a is not scratched or soiled. Therefore, the inspection light is incident on the end face 8a at the incident angle α, and almost all of the incident inspection light is reflected at the reflection angle β and received by the light receiving unit 19. As a result, the light reception signal level becomes equal to or higher than the reference level. Therefore, the characters “OK” are displayed on the LCD 5.

  FIG. 6 shows an example in which a failure is determined. In FIG. 6A, the end surface 8 a subjected to the end surface treatment is inclined and is not a surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the end portion of the POF 8. FIG. 6B shows the end face 8a bulging, and FIG. 6C shows the end face 8a having a scratch 28. In FIG. In such a case, the inspection light reflected toward the light receiving unit 19 is reduced depending on the shape and state of the end surfaces 8a, and the degree of bulging, inclination, and scratching of the end surface 8a that causes the failure is reduced. Exceeds the allowable range, the received light signal level becomes lower than the reference level, so that the character “NG” is displayed on the LCD 5. The same applies to the case where the end surface 8a is recessed in a dish shape or the end surface 8a is contaminated.

  7 to 9 show a second embodiment. In the second embodiment, a POF to be inspected and a reference POF (hereinafter referred to as a reference POF) can be simultaneously set in a fiber holder, and a reference level is set using the reference POF. is there. In addition, except being demonstrated below, it is the same as that of 1st embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the substantially same structural member, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The fiber holder 41 of the inspection apparatus 40 can set two POFs to which the ferrule 14 is attached. One of them is a POF 8 to be inspected, and the other is a reference for judging the quality of the end face. Set POF42.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the fiber holder 41 irradiates the inspection light from the light source unit 18 onto the end surface 8a of the POF 8 to be inspected, and the inspection light reflected by the end surface 8a is received by the light receiving unit 19. As shown in FIG. 8B, the inspection position for receiving light and the inspection light from the light source unit 18 are irradiated onto the end surface 42a of the reference POF 42, and the inspection light reflected by the end surface 42a is received by the light receiving unit 19. It is possible to move between the reference position and the reference position.

  The position sensor 43 detects the position of the fiber holder 41 and sends the position to the determination processing unit 22 as position information. As shown in FIG. 9, when the position of the fiber holder 41 indicated by the position information is the reference position, the determination processing unit 22 performs a predetermined calculation on the light reception signal level from the AMP 21 to calculate the reference level. Is operated in the reference setting mode for writing the data into the memory 23. This written reference level is held until the next reference level is written. On the other hand, when the position of the fiber holder 41 indicated by the position information is the inspection position, the determination processing unit 22 compares the reference level stored in the memory 23 with the light reception signal level from the AMP 21 and performs inspection. It operates in the inspection mode for judging the quality of the end face.

  When the end face inspection is performed by the inspection apparatus 40 configured as described above, the POF 8 to be inspected together with the reference POF 42 is set in the fiber holder 41. Then, after pressing the inspection button 7 with the fiber holder 41 as the reference position and setting the reference level, the inspection button 7 is pressed with the fiber holder 41 as the inspection position to perform end face inspection. Thus, the quality of the end face 8a of the POF 8 can be determined based on the reference level determined according to the intensity of the inspection light from the light source unit 18 immediately before the end face inspection. Even if the light intensity is low, the quality of the end face 8a can be determined appropriately. Note that the end face inspection may be performed on a plurality of POFs 8 after setting the reference level once by pressing the inspection button 7 after setting the reference position.

  In this example, as the fiber holder 41, one POF 8 to be inspected can be set, but a plurality of POFs 8 may be set. Moreover, the fiber holder 41 may be moved manually or by an actuator. Further, instead of moving the fiber holder 41, the light source unit 18 and the light receiving unit 19 may be moved. Further, when setting the reference level, it is not always necessary to use POF. For example, a reflection plate that reflects inspection light in the same manner as the end face of the reference POF 42 can be used.

  10 and 11 show a third embodiment. In addition, except being demonstrated below, it is the same as that of 1st embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the substantially same structural member, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the inspection device 44 is provided with a reference setting button 45 in addition to the power button 6 and the inspection button 7. As shown in FIG. 11, when the reference setting button 45 is pressed, the reference setting mode is set, and the inspection light from the light source unit 18 is set in the fiber holder 10 in the same manner as when the inspection button 7 is pressed. The inspection light irradiated to the end face and reflected by the end face of the POF is received by the light receiving unit 19. Then, the determination processing unit 22 performs a predetermined calculation on the light reception signal level from the AMP 21 at that time, calculates a reference level, and writes it in the memory 23.

  When the inspection button 7 is pressed, the inspection mode is set, and the end face of the POF set at that time is irradiated with inspection light, and the inspection light reflected by the end face of the POF is received by the light receiving unit 19. Then, the determination processing unit 22 determines the quality of the end face by comparing the light reception signal level from the AMP 21 at that time with the reference level set in response to pressing of the reference setting button 45.

  According to this, prior to the inspection, the operator sets the reference POF in the fiber holder 10, presses the reference setting button 45, sets the reference level, and then sets the POF 8 to be inspected. Then, the inspection button 7 is pressed to inspect the end face. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to 2nd Embodiment can be acquired.

  FIG. 12 shows a fourth embodiment in which inspection is performed from two directions. In this example, the fiber holder 10 can rotate around the POF 8 held by the fiber holder 10, and is indicated by a first rotation position indicated by a solid line in the drawing and a two-dot chain line rotated by 90 ° from the first rotation position. It can be freely rotated between the second rotational position. And the process which acquires a light reception signal level in each of a 1st rotation position and a 2nd rotation position is performed, and the quality of the end surface 8a is judged using each obtained light reception signal level and a reference level.

  According to this, since the quality of the end face 8a is determined using the respective received light signal levels acquired in two directions shifted by 90 ° from each other, the quality of the end face 8a can be determined with higher accuracy.

  Instead of rotating the fiber holder 10, the light source unit 18 and the light receiving unit 19 may be integrated and rotated around the POF 8. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the first inspection unit 51 composed of the light source 51a and the light receiver 51b and the second inspection unit 52 composed of the light source 52a and the light receiver 52b are shifted by 90 ° from each other. You may arrange | position and test | inspect from two directions.

    FIG. 14 shows a fifth embodiment using a polarizing plate. Since the light reflected by the end face 8a of the POF 8 is polarized, the light from other than the end face 8a can be cut by placing the polarizing plate 55 in front of the light receiver 19, so that the quality of the end face 8a can be determined accurately. Judgment can be made.

  FIG. 15 shows a sixth embodiment using two polarizing plates. In this example, as in the fifth embodiment, a polarizing plate 55 is disposed in front of the light receiver 19, and a polarizing plate 56 is disposed in front of the light source, and light from the light source 18 is transmitted by the polarizing plate 56. The light is polarized and enters the end face 8a of the POF 8. Since the light reflected by the end surface 8a maintains the polarization state by the polarizing plate 56, the polarizing plate 55 is placed in front of the light receiver 19 so as to be crossed Nicol as an analyzer, so that the normal state of the end surface 8a is obtained. The reflected light is cut, and scattered light due to abnormal reflection is received by the light receiver 19. As a result, it is possible to cope with fine irregularities and surface undulations that are difficult to detect because the change in the amount of reflected light is small, and the quality of the end face 8a can be determined with high accuracy.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case of inspecting the end face of the POF that has been end-face treated by the hot plate method has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the end face treatment is performed by optical fiber such as quartz or glass, or polishing. It can also be used for what has been done.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance of the optical fiber end surface inspection apparatus which implemented this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the edge part of the plastic optical fiber by which the end surface process was carried out. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an optical fiber end surface inspection apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of an end surface inspection. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of a favorable end surface. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of the end surface which is not favorable. It is a block diagram of the optical fiber end surface inspection apparatus which shows the example which slides a fiber holder. It is explanatory drawing explaining the slide movement of a fiber holder. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the end surface test | inspection in the example which slides a fiber holder. It is explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance of the optical fiber end surface inspection apparatus which sets a reference level with a reference | standard setting button. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the end surface inspection in the example shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example which rotates a fiber holder and test | inspects from two directions. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example which provides two sets of measurement units and test | inspects from a direction. The example which has arrange | positioned the polarizing plate on the optical path of inspection light is shown. An example in which polarizing plates are arranged on each of the light source side and the light receiver side is shown.

Explanation of symbols

2 Optical fiber end face inspection device 5 LCD
8 Optical fiber 8a End face 10, 41 Fiber holder 18 Light source unit 19 Light receiving unit 22 Judgment processing unit

Claims (9)

  A fiber holding member that holds the end of the optical fiber, and an inspection light beam from the incident direction that forms a predetermined first angle with respect to the axial direction of the end of the optical fiber held by the fiber holding member. Of the inspection light reflected by the end face of the optical fiber and the inspection light reflected in the light receiving direction that forms a predetermined second angle with respect to the axial direction of the end of the optical fiber. And an optical fiber end face inspection device comprising: a light receiving unit that outputs a light reception signal corresponding to the light reception intensity.   The optical fiber end face inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the first angle and the second angle are the same.   A judging means for judging the quality of the end face of the optical fiber based on the level of the light receiving signal from the light receiving section and a predetermined reference level, and an output section for outputting a judgment result of the judging means, The optical fiber end surface inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.   Rotation that relatively rotates and moves the optical fiber held by the fiber holding member and the light source unit and the light receiving unit between the first rotation position and the second rotation position rotated by 90 ° from the first rotation position. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: means for determining whether or not the end face of the optical fiber is good based on a level of each received light signal and a reference level at the first rotation position and the second rotation position. Optical fiber end face inspection device.   The optical unit is composed of two sets of optical units each including the light source unit and the light receiving unit, and the optical units are arranged with a 90 ° offset from each other around the optical fiber held by the fiber holding member. 5. The optical fiber end face inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the quality of the end face of the optical fiber is judged based on the level of each received light signal and the reference level.   A selection means for selecting one of an inspection mode for determining the quality of the end face of the fiber and a setting mode for setting a reference level, and a reference level is determined based on the level of a received light signal from the light receiving unit under the setting mode. Storage means for storing the determined reference level, wherein the determination means determines the quality of the end face of the fiber using the reference level stored in the storage means under the inspection mode. The optical fiber end surface inspection device according to claim 3.   The fiber holding unit is capable of holding an optical fiber to be inspected and a preselected optical fiber for reference setting, an inspection position for irradiating inspection light to the end face of the optical fiber to be inspected, and a reference setting 7. The optical fiber end face inspection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the end face of the optical fiber is movable between a reference setting position for irradiating the end face with inspection light.   The selection unit is a position sensor that detects the position of the fiber holding unit, and selects an inspection mode when the fiber holding unit is at an inspection position, and selects a reference setting mode when the fiber holding unit is at a reference setting position. The optical fiber end face inspection device according to claim 7. The end face of the optical fiber holding the end is irradiated with inspection light so as to form a predetermined angle with respect to the axial direction of the optical fiber, and the inspection light reflected by the end face of the optical fiber is received and the received light intensity is measured. A method for inspecting an end face of an optical fiber, wherein the quality of the end face of the optical fiber is judged by comparing with a predetermined reference value.

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