JP3365901B2 - Optical fiber stripping device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for removing a coating on an end portion of an optical fiber core when performing high-strength fusion splicing of the optical fiber core. The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing coating of an optical fiber core used in the present invention. 2. Description of the Related Art When connecting an optical fiber core, it is necessary to remove the coating on the end of the optical fiber core. Coating 1
Conventionally, to remove a, as shown in FIG.
A cut 1b is made in the coating 1a of the optical fiber core 1 by using, for example, a jacket stripper 2, and then, as shown in FIG. It was immersed in the swelling liquid 4 for an appropriate period of time to swell, and then the tip side portion was removed from the cut 1b of the coating 1a. [0003] However, in the above-mentioned conventional coating removing method, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), the coating is peeled off (the portion indicated by the arrow (a)) clearly at the cut 1b. It will be in a state of being irregularly deformed without breaking, and it will be difficult to peel off. As described above, various problems occur when the coating is peeled off in a random manner. First
In addition, during the recoating operation after the connection of the optical fiber core wires (the operation of recoating the exposed glass fiber portion with the resin), bubbles are contained when peeling off, and a high quality recoating layer cannot be obtained. Secondly, if the tweezers or the like is used to clean the irregular deformation during peeling, the tweezers may touch the glass fiber portion, causing damage to the glass fiber and making high-strength connection impossible. Third, the irregularly deformed portion when the coating is peeled off may hit and damage the surface of the glass fiber. Fourth, there is a problem that the workability of the above-described coating removing operation is poor, requires skill, and lacks the reliability of the operation. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coating removing apparatus for an optical fiber, which can remove a coating so as not to cause disordered deformation when stripping. . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an optical fiber core stripping device which can clamp an optical fiber core in a posture in which the distal end thereof hangs vertically, and vertically clamps the optical fiber core. Movable fiber clamp,
When butted, slightly larger than optical fiber core diameter
A semi-circular cutting edge having a round hole with a closed diameter and straight cutting edges on both sides thereof are provided, and the optical fiber core wire disposed below the fiber clamp is sandwiched from both sides.
A cutter comprising a pair of opposed blades for making cuts in the coating by abutting each other, a cutter holder for holding the cutter, and a cutter for containing a swelling liquid having an action of swelling the coating of the optical fiber cable; Swelling liquid tank arranged below the swelling liquid tank, an ultrasonic vibration generator provided in the swelling liquid tank, and immersing the optical fiber core wire in the swelling liquid.
Before cutting, the pair of blades are
After a cut is made in the sheath of the conductor,
Means for the cutter blade remains in the state to guide the vertical movement of the fiber clamp together with respect to the cutter holder fixedly holding the cutter holder so as to be positioned at the height of the grazing liquid level of the swelling liquid With
Either the fiber clamp or the cutter is rotatable relative to the other about the optical fiber core. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to an embodiment of FIG. In FIG.
Reference numeral 10 denotes an optical fiber stripping apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. This coating removing device 10 is a device for
Is provided with a fiber clamp 11 which clamps the vertical direction. The fiber clamp 11 is provided with a circular clamp base 12, a receiving portion 13 fixed on the upper surface of the base plate 12, and a rotatable centering on a pin 14, and is urged toward the receiving portion 13 by a spring 15. The receiving portion 13 and the movable portion 16 clamp the optical fiber core 1 in concave portions 13a and 16a provided on the respective opposing surfaces. The clamp base 12 has a through hole 12 through which the optical fiber 1 is inserted at the center thereof.
have a. A cylindrical portion 12b is formed on the lower surface side of the clamp base 12, and the cylindrical portion 12b is rotatably fitted to and held by a horizontal arm 17. On the other hand, a slide 19 is fitted in a groove 18a provided in the frame 18 of the coating removing device 10 so as to be able to move up and down, and a base 17a of the arm 17 is fitted in a groove 19a provided in the slide 19 so as to be able to move up and down. ing. Further, a cutter holder 21 is fixed to the lower end of the slide 19, and a pair of blades 22 for cutting the sheath 1a of the optical fiber core wire 1 from both sides with the cutter holder 21 interposed therebetween.
a, 22b is provided. One blade 22a is fixed to the cutter holder 21 and the other blade 2
1b is movable horizontally along the guide groove 21a provided in the cutter holder 21 toward the fixed blade 22a, and the spring 2
3 is urged in the same direction. The two blades 22a, 2
4b, each having a semicircular cutting edge 22c, as shown in FIG. 4 in an enlarged manner, and having a round hole when abutted as shown in FIG. It is slightly larger than the diameter. Therefore, a cut can be made in the coating 1a without damaging the glass fiber 1c. Reference numeral 25 denotes a swelling liquid tank, which is provided with an ultrasonic vibration generator 26 at the bottom and contains therein a swelling liquid 4 such as dichloromethane. The cutter 22 is set so as to be located very close to the level of the swelling liquid 4 when the slide 19 is lowered to the lower limit (the state of FIG. 1). Next, a procedure for removing the coating of the optical fiber 1 by the coating removing apparatus 10 will be described.
First, the optical fiber core 1 is clamped by the fiber clamp 11 at a position where the slide 19 is raised to the upper limit position of the groove 18a of the frame 18 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Two blades 22 to do
A cut is made in the coating 1a at a and 22b. in this case,
The optical fiber core wire 1 is passed through both the fiber clamp 11 and the cutter 22 with the arm 17 kept at the lower limit position of the groove 19a of the slide 19, clamped by the fiber clamp 11, and then cut into the coating 1a by the cutter 22. Alternatively, the arm 17 may be raised to the upper limit position of the groove 19a of the slide 19 and the optical fiber core wire 1 may be clamped while being separated from the cutter 22, and then the arm 17 may be lowered to the lower limit position in the groove 19a. Alternatively, the optical fiber core wire 1 may be passed through a cutter 22, and the cutter 22 may cut the coating 1a. Note that the optical fiber core 1 is clamped by the fiber clamp 11 by moving the movable part 16 in FIG.
In an open state as shown by a two-dot chain line, the optical fiber core wire 1 is passed between the receiving portion 13 and the movable portion 16 and
And the receiving portion 13 and the movable portion 16 are
And sandwich it. The cutting of the coating 1a by the cutter 22 is performed by fixing the optical fiber core 1 and the two movable blades 2 with the movable blade 22b opened as shown in FIG.
2a and 22b, and the movable blade 22b is fixed to the fixed blade 2
2a, and as shown in FIG.
Cut the coating 1a by abutting 22b. In the illustrated example, the force of the spring 23 applies a cutting force to the coating 1a of the optical fiber core 1, but the cutting force may be applied in any manner. If necessary, the blade 22a, which is fixed in the illustrated example, can be opened.
It is easy to pass through the optical fiber 1. Next, the slide 19 is lowered, and as shown in FIG.
Soak inside. At this time, the cutter 22 is at a position where the swelling liquid 4 is slightly above the liquid surface. Next, the ultrasonic vibration generator 26
Is operated to stir the swelling liquid 4 by ultrasonic vibration. After an appropriate time has elapsed, the clamp base 12 of the fiber clamp 11 is rotated, for example, about one turn, and then the arm 17 is raised as shown in FIG. Removed. Thereby, clean coating removal at the time of peeling (arrow (b)) is performed. [0011] The fact that the clean coating is removed when peeling as described above will be described briefly. If the cut 1b is simply cut into the coating 1a and immersed in the swelling liquid 4 as shown in FIG. , And easily swells to a portion above the cut 1b of the coating 1a (the swollen portion is indicated by mesh hatching).
For this reason, when the front end portion of the coating 1a is pulled and removed, as shown in FIG. However, in the coating removal by the coating removing device 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the optical fibers 1 are immersed in the swelling liquid 4 while the blades 22a and 22b are kept in the coating 1a, so that the blades 22a and 22b swell. It acts to block the penetration of the liquid 4, hardly penetrates above the cut 1b of the coating, and prevents the portion of the coating 1a above the cut 1b from swelling as much as possible (the swollen portion is also mesh-hatched). ). Moreover, since the optical fiber core 1 is rotated upward together with the fiber clamp 11 from this state, the coating 1a can be broken off from the blades 22a and 22b. Note that FIG.
As described above, if there is only the cut 1b, the gap between the cuts 1b is narrowed by the elasticity of the coating, so that the swelling liquid can easily penetrate upward. In general, after the coating is removed by immersion in a swelling solution, the exposed glass fiber 10c is washed with acetone for the purpose of cleaning a portion of the glass fiber 10c. It may be provided adjacent to the liquid tank 25. In this case, the acetone tank is a turntable on which the swelling liquid tank 25 in FIG.
The swelling liquid tank 25 and the acetone tank are placed adjacent to each other on the turntable in the circumferential direction, or the table 28 is a movable table that can linearly reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. The swelling liquid tank and the acetone tank are preferably arranged side by side in the reciprocating direction on the table. Alternatively, the swelling liquid tank 25 and the acetone tank may be fixed, and the arm 17 may be provided so as to be able to move up and down along a vertical axis and to be rotatable about this vertical axis. In these cases, when the optical fiber core 1 is transferred from the swelling liquid tank 25 to the acetone tank after the coating is removed, the slide 19 is raised, and the cutter 22 and the optical fiber core 1 are moved from the upper edge of the swelling liquid tank 25. I'll give it above. In the above embodiment, the fiber clamp 11
Although the rotation of the arm 17, the raising and lowering of the arm 17, the raising and lowering of the slide 19, and the like are manually performed, a motor drive system may be used. In the embodiment, the optical fiber core 1 is rotated (the fiber clamp 12 is rotated) with respect to the fixed cutter 22. On the contrary, the optical fiber core 1 is fixed (fiber clamp). 11 is fixed), and the cutter 22 may be configured to rotate around the optical fiber 1. The structure of the fiber clamp 11 and the structure for rotating the fiber clamp 11 are not limited to this embodiment. Further, the cutter is not limited to the configuration of the illustrated example. In short, what is necessary is just to have a pair of blades which have a semicircular blade edge which can make a cut only in the sheath 1a of the optical fiber core wire 1. Further, the configuration in which the arm 17 is provided so as to be able to move up and down is not limited to the embodiment. According to the present invention, since the optical fiber is immersed in the swelling liquid while the blade is kept in the coating of the optical fiber, the blade acts to block the penetration of the swelling liquid, and Swelling of the portion above the cut can be prevented. While the optical fiber is immersed in the swelling liquid, the swelling liquid is ultrasonically vibrated by the ultrasonic vibration generator and agitated, so that the time required for immersion in the swelling liquid can be shortened, and the swelling liquid in an excess part can be reduced accordingly. Less penetration. When the sheath is removed, the optical fiber core is pulled up after rotating the optical fiber core and the cutter relatively or while rotating the optical fiber core. A clean strip can be obtained without causing messy deformation. Also, since the optical fiber is immersed in the swelling liquid while the blade is still in the coating, the surface of the blade itself acts to prevent irregular deformation during peeling, and in this respect, the peeling is also broken. In addition, since the optical fiber core is held by a fiber clamp and the sheath is cut with a pair of blades facing the cutter, the jacket fiber is cut by hand using a jacket stripper. There is little risk of the surface being scratched, and the strength can be prevented from lowering. As a result, it is possible to remove the coating with a very high yield for high-strength connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front view of an optical fiber stripping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of a main part in FIG. FIG. 3 is a BB cross-sectional view of a main part in FIG. 1; FIG. 4A is a plan view showing a state in which the cutter is opened and the optical fiber is passed through the sheath removing device,
(B) is a plan view showing a state in which the cutter is closed and a cut is made in the coating of the optical fiber. FIG. 5 is a front view of the coating removing apparatus during a coating removing operation. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining how the coating swells with a swelling liquid when the coating of the optical fiber is removed by the coating removing apparatus. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining how the coating swells with a swelling liquid when the coating of the optical fiber is removed by a conventional method. FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a conventional method of removing the coating of the optical fiber core, wherein (a) shows a step of making a cut in the coating, and (b)
Shows the step of dipping the coating in the swelling liquid, and (c) shows the state after the coating is removed. [Description of Signs] 1 Optical fiber core wire 1a Coating 1b Cut 1c Glass fiber 4 Swelling liquid 10 Optical fiber coating removing device 11 Fiber clamp 12 Clamp base 12a Through hole 12b Cylindrical portion 13 Receiving portion 16 Movable portion 17 Arm 18 Frame 18a Groove 19 Slide 19a Groove 21 Cutter holder 22 Cutter 22a Fixed blade 22b Movable blade 25 Swelling liquid tank 26 Ultrasonic vibration generator

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G02B 6/00 H02G 1/12

Claims (1)

(57) and Patent Claims 1. A vertically movable fiber clamp remains the tip side optical fiber is clampable and clamped position hanging vertically, when butt, light off
It has a semicircular cutting edge that forms a closed round hole slightly larger in diameter than the fiber core wire and straight cutting edges on both sides thereof, and is disposed below the fiber clamp and sandwiches the optical fiber core wire from both sides. Butts against each other
A cutter comprising a pair of opposing blades for making cuts in the coating, a cutter holder for holding the cutter, and a swelling liquid having an action of swelling the coating of the optical fiber, and disposed below the cutter. Swelling liquid tank, an ultrasonic vibration generator provided in the swelling liquid tank, and the pair of blades before immersing the optical fiber in the swelling liquid.
Cut into the sheath of the optical fiber
After the cutter is inserted, the cutter holder is fixedly held so that the blades of the cutter, which remain in the butted state, are positioned at a height slightly above the liquid surface of the swelling liquid.
And characterized in that this comprises a means for guiding vertical movement of the fiber clamp for cutter holder, one of said fiber clamp or cutter is relatively rotatable around the optical fiber relative to the other Stripping device for optical fibers.