JP3427206B2 - Cleaning equipment for multi-core optical connector - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning tool for an end face of an optical connector used in the field of optical communication or optical information processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in optical information communication using an optical fiber, there is a tendency that the number of opportunities for connecting an optical fiber with an optical connector increases. Various types of optical connectors, such as single-core and multi-core, have been devised and used according to the usage and the number of optical fibers of the optical connector.
However, regardless of the type of the optical connector, the end face of the optical connector and the exposed portion of the optical fiber are very sensitive to dirt such as minute dust, dust, and grease. Therefore, when connecting the optical connector, it is necessary to clean the end face of the optical connector.

Generally, for cleaning an optical connector, a method of cleaning the end face of the optical connector by moistening a long-fiber (lint-free) clean non-woven fabric with an organic solvent such as alcohol or acetone has been used. This method is very effective for removing dirt on the end surface of the optical connector. However, the use of organic solvents requires ventilation during work. Moreover, since a liquid container for storing the organic solvent is used, a horizontal surface such as a fixed desk is required. Therefore, cleaning using an organic solvent is mainly suitable for indoor work.

However, the range of use of the optical connector is expanding, and the opportunities for connecting the optical connector not only indoors but outdoors or on telephone poles are increasing. For this reason, portable cleaning tools that do not use organic solvents and that can be handled with one hand have come to be used. A portable cleaning device uses a porous cloth tape to clean the end surface of the optical connector. Then, a soft rubber-like pad (silicone resin) that supports the cloth tape and has elasticity is arranged on the back surface side of the cloth tape in the portion where the end face is cleaned.

FIG. 6 shows a conventional optical connector cleaning device 51. In the optical connector cleaning device 51, an unused porous cleaning cloth tape 52 is wound around the feed reel 54, and the cleaned cleaning cloth tape 52 is wound around the receiving reel 55. The tape 52 appears in the cleaning section 51a. And, in the cleaning section 51a,
A template 56 for guiding the optical connector in the cleaning direction is provided on the upper surface side of the cleaning cloth tape 52, and a soft rubber pad 5 is provided on the lower surface side.
3 are provided. The optical connector cleaning device 51 sends out an unused cleaning cloth tape 52 from the feed reel 54. Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, the ferrule 57 of the single-fiber optical connector is moved along the cleaning hole 56 a of the template 56 while pressing the cleaning cloth tape 52. At that time, as shown in FIG. 7B, the soft rubber pad 53
Elastically deforms to form the recess 53a, so the cleaning cloth tape 52 also wraps the tip of the ferrule 57 in the recess 52a.
To form. As a result, when the ferrule 57 is moved in one direction, the cleaning cloth tape 52 sucks dirt such as dust, dust, oil and fat from the end surface 57a of the ferrule 57 into the porous structure between the fibers in the cloth. As a result, the end surface 5 of the ferrule 57
7a is efficiently cleaned at least as clean as a clean non-woven fabric moistened with an organic solvent.

[0006]

However, as shown in FIG. 8, when the multi-fiber optical connector 58 is cleaned by the optical connector cleaning device 51, the end face edge 58c becomes an obstacle when the multi-fiber optical connector 58 is moved. . This is because the end face 58a of the multi-fiber optical connector 58 has a wider flat surface than the size of the cleaning portion of the optical connector cleaning instrument 51. Therefore, the cap G1 is formed between the end surface 58a and the cleaning cloth tape 52. As a result, the cleaning cloth tape 52 does not contact the optical fiber end face group 58b located at the center of the end face 58a of the multi-fiber optical connector 58, and the end face 58a of the multi-fiber optical connector 58 cannot be sufficiently cleaned.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, when the multi-fiber optical connector 58 is vertically pressed against the cleaning cloth tape 52, the soft rubber pad 53 forms the concave portion 53b, and the cleaning cloth tape 52 is also formed. The recess 52c is formed. This is because the end surface 58a of the multi-fiber optical connector 58 has a large area. Therefore, the cap G2 is formed between the end surface 58a and the cleaning cloth tape 52. As a result, the cleaning cloth tape 52 does not come into contact with the optical fiber end face group 58b, and the end face 58a of the multi-fiber optical connector 58 cannot be sufficiently cleaned.

Further, the multi-fiber optical connector 58 is usually coated with a refractive index matching agent (hereinafter referred to as matching grease) on the end face 58a in order to reduce end face reflection of the optical fiber. Since dust or the like adheres to the matching grease, the optical connector cleaning instrument 51 must also wipe off the matching grease. However, as shown in FIG. 9, when the cleaning cloth tape 52 is pressed against the multi-fiber optical connector 58, a raised portion 52b is generated in the cleaning direction. Therefore, there is a possibility that the matching grease applied to the end surface 58a will collect on the raised portion 52b and the matching grease will be applied again to the optical fiber end surface group 58b during cleaning.

Therefore, the present invention provides an efficient cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector that can clean a wide end surface of the multi-fiber optical connector and can reliably remove matching grease applied to the end surface. is there.

[0010]

A cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector according to the present invention, which has solved the above-mentioned problems, exposes an unused portion by feeding a tape-shaped cleaning cloth wound around a reel and In a multi-fiber optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the end surface of the multi-fiber optical connector by pressing the end surface of the optical fiber connector to the clean part of the cleaning cloth, the back surface side of the clean part of the cleaning cloth that receives the pressing force. And a soft rubber pad having a concavo-convex surface having a cycle length shorter than the lateral width of the end surface of the multi-fiber optical connector.

Further, in the cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector, the uneven surface of the soft rubber pad has a wavy pattern having a convex portion in a direction opposite to the cleaning direction of the multi-fiber optical connector in plan view. It is characterized by

Moreover, in the multi-fiber optical connector cleaning device, the soft rubber pad has a concave-convex surface with an interval substantially equal to the depth of the end face of the multi-fiber optical connector on both sides of the convex-concave portion of the wavy pattern. And a groove portion parallel to the cleaning direction is provided across the uneven surface.

The cleaning device for a multi-fiber optical connector of the present invention has a periodic uneven shape such as a sine curve on the surface of the soft rubber pad on the cleaning cloth side. Then, in a cross-sectional view, the periodic length of the periodically repeated irregularities is set to be shorter than the width of the end face of the multi-fiber optical connector to be cleaned in the cleaning direction. At the time of cleaning the multi-fiber optical connector, the optical fiber end surface group located at the center of the end surface of the multi-fiber optical connector can be reliably cleaned with a cleaning cloth that covers the convex portions of the uneven surface. Furthermore, by forming a wavy pattern having a convex shape in a direction opposite to the cleaning direction on the uneven surface, the matching grease residue is flushed from the central portion to both sides of the multi-fiber optical connector. Moreover, matching
By providing the groove portions on both sides of the convex portion of the wavy pattern on the uneven surface on which the grease residue is washed away, the matching grease residue can be reliably removed.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A first embodiment of a cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning section of a cleaning tool 1 for a multi-fiber optical connector, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning tool 1 for a multi-fiber optical connector during cleaning. The cleaning instrument 1 shown in FIG. 1 is different from the optical connector cleaning instrument 51 shown in FIG.
It is characterized by Therefore, the cleaning section of the cleaning device 1 will be described in detail.

In the cleaning instrument 1, an unused portion of a tape-shaped cleaning cloth 2 wound around a feeding reel (not shown) is fed to the cleaning section. The multi-fiber optical connector 4 is cleaned on the upper surface 2a side of the cleaning cloth 2. Then, the used cleaning cloth 2 is wound around a receiving reel (not shown). At this time, the cleaning cloth 2 is pulled from both sides of the feed reel and the receiving reel,
It is in a tensioned state at the clean section. This is a structure in which tension is applied to the feed reel and the receiving reel by a spring to pull it. The drive source for rotating each reel is not particularly limited, and may be a manual drive or a configuration using a motor or the like.

As the cleaning cloth 2, a commercially available Miracleation (made by Toray Industries, Inc.) polyester cloth is used, but the material is not particularly limited as long as it is porous and woven with fine fibers. For example, it is a polyester type or a nylon type.

A support member (not shown) for supporting the pad 3 is arranged on the lower surface 2b side of the cleaning cloth 2. Pad 3 is
When cleaning the end face 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4 with the cleaning cloth 2,
The cleaning cloth 2 and the multi-fiber optical connector 4 are elastically supported from the lower surface 2b side.

The pad 3 is made of soft rubber and has a large elasticity. Further, the pad 3 is not particularly limited as long as it is made of a material excellent in weather resistance and an organic solvent resistant to acetone, alcohol and the like. For example, synthetic rubber or the like may be used, but silicone rubber has particularly excellent weather resistance and organic solvent resistance.

The pad 3 has an uneven surface 3a on the surface on the cleaning cloth 2 side. The uneven surface 3a has a shape in which unevenness such as a sinusoidal curve is repeated at a constant cycle in parallel with the cleaning direction in a cross-sectional view (see FIG. 2). The period length L1 of the uneven surface 3a is shorter than the lateral width W1 of the end surface 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4. The cycle length L1 is the length of one cycle of unevenness when the uneven surface 3a is viewed in cross section. On the other hand, the lateral width W1 is the length of the side parallel to the cleaning direction when cleaning the multi-fiber optical connector 4 on the end face 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, when cleaning the multi-fiber optical connector 4 with the cleaning tool 1, the end face 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4 is pressed against the cleaning cloth 2. Then, the multi-fiber optical connector 4 is moved in the cleaning direction. In addition, the end face 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4 is a template (not shown) having a rectangular hole.
You may move along with. During cleaning, the cleaning cloth 2 is supported by the pad 3 from the lower surface 2b side. At that time, clean cloth 2
Deforms along the uneven surface 3a of the pad 3. Then, the cleaning cloth 2 covering the convex portion 3b of the pad 3 surely contacts the end surface 4a. Therefore, the optical fiber end face group 4b at the center of the end face 4a is surely cleaned. At this time, dirt such as dust, dust, oil and fat on the end surface 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4 is absorbed by the porous material between the fibers of the cleaning cloth 2.

In the above-mentioned cleaning instrument 1, the pad 3 has the uneven surface 3
By forming a, the end surface 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4 can be reliably cleaned. Further, the cleaning work is simple and can be efficiently cleaned in a short time.

A second embodiment of a cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 3 shows the pad 1 of the cleaning device 11 of the multi-fiber optical connector.
3 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4, and FIG.
It is a B line sectional view. The cleaning implement 11 is different from the cleaning implement 1 of the first embodiment in that the shape of the uneven surface 3a of the pad 3 is further characterized. Therefore, cleaning equipment 1
The shape of the pad 13 of No. 1 will be described in detail.

In the multi-fiber optical connector 4, a matching grease is usually applied to the end face 4a in order to reduce the end face reflection of the optical fiber. However, if the coating amount is large, all the matching grease cannot be absorbed between the fibers of the cleaning cloth 2. Therefore, the matching grease residue 5 that cannot be absorbed remains between the cleaning cloth 2 and the multi-fiber optical connector 4 (see FIG. 2). In this case, even if the pad 3 has the uneven surface 3a, the matching grease cannot be completely removed. On the contrary, the matching grease residue 5 may be stretched along the cleaning direction and recoated on the end face 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4. Therefore, in the cleaning device 11, the pad 13
The concavo-convex surface 13a is further characterized so that the matching grease can be removed.

The pad 13 is made of the same material as the pad 3 of the first embodiment. Like the pad 3, the pad 13 has an uneven surface 13a in which unevenness having a constant cycle is repeated. Further, the uneven surface 13a has a curved curve 13d having a curved curved convex portion 13e in a direction opposite to the cleaning direction in plan view (see FIG. 4). The curved curves 13d are each formed in one cycle of protrusions and recesses having a convex portion 13b and a concave portion 13c, and a corrugated pattern composed of a large number of curved curves 13d is formed on the irregular surface 13a.

When the multi-fiber optical connector 4 is cleaned by the cleaning device 11, the multi-fiber optical connector 4 has a curved curve convex portion 13
Scan from the e side. At this time, the matching grease residue that has not been sucked up by the cleaning cloth (not shown) is swept from the center of the uneven surface 13a to both sides along the curved curve 13d (see FIG. 4). As a result, the multi-fiber optical connector 4
As the end surface 4a of 4 passes through several convex portions 13b and concave portions 13c, the amount of matching grease residue is gradually reduced, and is almost completely removed at the end of the irregular surface 13a.

The cleaning tool 11 described above can efficiently remove the matching grease residue by forming the wavy pattern on the uneven surface 13a of the pad 13 by adding the uneven shape. Therefore, the matching grease residue is not reapplied to the end surface 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4.

A third embodiment of a cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 5 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of the multi-fiber optical connector when it is cleaned by the cleaning tool 21. The cleaning device 21
The pad 13 is different from the cleaning device 11 of the second embodiment.
Provide a groove for surely removing the matching grease residue. Therefore, the configuration of the pad 23 of the cleaning device 21 will be described in detail.

Like the pad 13 of the second embodiment, the pad 23 of the cleaning device 21 has an uneven surface 23a having a wavy pattern composed of an uneven shape which repeats at a constant cycle and a curved curve 23d having a curved curve convex portion 23e. To form.
In order to effectively use the width of a cleaning cloth (not shown) on the uneven surface 23a, a wavy pattern that can be cleaned twice is formed on the same surface. Therefore, a wavy pattern having two curved curve convex portions 23e and 23e is formed in one cycle of the concave-convex shape. As a result, the first cleaning unit 2 is formed on the uneven surface 23a.
It has 3f and the 2nd cleaning part 23g.

On the uneven surface 23a of the pad 23, a separation groove 26 is formed in parallel with the cleaning direction. The separation groove 26 is formed on both sides of the curved curve 23d with the curved curved convex portion 23e interposed therebetween. Since the concave-convex surface 23a has two curved curve convex portions 23e, 23e in a concave-convex shape of one cycle, the separation groove 26 is composed of three grooves 26a, 26b, 26c.
The separation groove 26 is formed at a constant depth across the uneven surface 23a in a plan view. The separation groove interval S1, which is the interval between the groove 26a and the groove 26b and between the groove 26b and the groove 26c, is set to be substantially equal to the depth width W2 of the end face 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4.
The width that is substantially equal to the depth width W2 is a width that can secure the maximum cleaning area of the end surface 4a and can surely drop the matching grease residue into the separation groove 26. In the present embodiment, the separation groove spacing S1 is set to be slightly shorter than the depth width W2. The depth width W2 is a length of a side of the end face 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4 which is perpendicular to the cleaning direction when the multi-fiber optical connector 4 is cleaned.

When the multi-fiber optical connector 4 is cleaned with the cleaning device 21, the first cleaning section 23f performs the first cleaning and the second cleaning.
A second cleaning is performed by the cleaning unit 23g. In the first clean,
The matching grease residue is washed away on both sides of the curved curve 23d and reliably caught in the separation groove 26. Therefore, the matching grease residue can be almost completely removed by the first cleaning, and the second cleaning section 23g can be completely cleaned by the second cleaning. And
In the second cleaning, the end surface 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4 is completely cleaned.

The above cleaning device 21 surely flushes the matching grease residue and further surely removes it from the portion of the uneven surface 23a to be cleaned by the separation groove 26. Also, 1
Since it is configured to be cleaned twice on one side, matching
It is possible to surely remove the grease residue and clean the end surface 4a of the multi-fiber optical connector 4.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be implemented in various forms. For example, in the third embodiment, the cleaning device forms a wavy pattern that can be cleaned twice on the same surface, but depending on the width of the cleaning cloth, a wavy pattern that can be cleaned once on the same surface and can be cleaned three times is formed on the same surface. You may.

[0033]

[Embodiment] Embodiment 1 will be described below. The cleaning instrument A is manufactured with the configuration of the cleaning instrument 1 of the first embodiment. The cleaning cloth has a width of 17 mm and uses a porous fine fiber cloth (Miracle (manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.)).
The pad has a width of 25 mm, a total length of 50 mm, and a thickness of 3 m.
m and is made of soft silicone rubber. Furthermore, sinusoidal irregularities having a depth of 1 mm and a cycle length of 0.8 mm are periodically formed on the pad on the contact surface with the cleaning cloth.

In order to verify the cleaning effect of the multi-fiber optical connector by the cleaning device A, a comparative evaluation was performed with other cleaning methods. The cleaning methods to be compared are non-cleaning, cleaning with a cleaning nonwoven cloth moistened with an organic solvent, and cleaning with a cleaning tool composed of a flat pad as shown in FIG.

<Evaluation Method> 8-core single mode fiber (hereinafter referred to as SMF: outer diameter 125 μm, core diameter 9.
8-core MT connector plug (hereinafter referred to as S
Described as MF8MT: made of molded resin, connecting surface 6.5 mm width,
2.5 mm height; connector total length 12 mm) and 8-core multimode fiber (hereinafter referred to as MMF: outer diameter 125)
μm, core diameter 50 μm) fixed 8-core MT connector plug (hereinafter referred to as MMF8MT: molded resin, connecting surface 6.5 mm width, 2.5 mm height; total connector length 12 m
m) is used. The connection loss evaluation procedure is described in (1) below.
~ (4). (1) Standard value measurement SMF8MT vs. MMF8MT Guide pin insertion, matching grease application (2) SMF8MT and MMF8MT separation (3) Cleaning of each contact surface of SMF8MT and MMF8MT by each cleaning method, and guide pin insertion, matching
Grease application (4) SMF8MT and MMF8MT are connected, and connection loss measurement and above (1) to (4) are repeated 20 times.

<Connection loss measuring method> The connection loss is 1.3.
LED light of μm and 1.5 μm was introduced from SMF and passed through the connection between SMF8MT and MMF8MT.
The light emitted from F is measured with an optical power meter. In addition,
The cleaning effect is evaluated by the variation in the connection loss value for each time.

Table 1 shows the comparative evaluation by each cleaning method.
In addition, the connection loss error is
It is the maximum value of the variation in the connection loss value at each port. The required time is the time required for cleaning.

[Table 1]

From Table 1, the cleaning with the cleaning device A does not provide the connection reproducibility as good as the cleaning with the cleaning nonwoven fabric moistened with the organic solvent. However, the connection reproducibility is improved as compared with the conventional cleaning using a cleaning tool composed of a flat pad. Therefore, it can be seen that the cleaning effect is improved by forming the uneven shape. Also, in terms of cleaning time,
It can be cleaned in a shorter time compared to cleaning with a cleaning nonwoven fabric moistened with an organic solvent.

The second embodiment will be described below. Second
The cleaning tool B is manufactured with the configuration of the cleaning tool 11 according to the embodiment. The cleaning cloth is the same as the cleaning cloth of the cleaning implement A of the first embodiment. The pad forms a wavy pattern on the uneven surface of the pad of the cleaning instrument A with a curved curve having a radius of 3 mm. In addition,
During cleaning, the scanning of the multi-fiber optical connector is performed from the curved curve convex portion side.

In order to verify the cleaning effect of the multi-fiber optical connector by the cleaning tool B, a comparative evaluation was performed with other cleaning methods.
The cleaning methods to be compared are cleaning with a cleaning nonwoven cloth moistened with an organic solvent, cleaning with a cleaning tool composed of a flat pad as shown in FIG. 6, and cleaning with the cleaning tool A of Example 1. The <evaluation method> and the <connection loss measuring method> are the same as in Example 1.

Table 2 shows the comparative evaluation by each cleaning method.
In addition, the connection loss error is
It is the maximum value of the variation in the connection loss value at each port. The required time is the time required for cleaning.

[Table 2]

From Table 2, the cleaning with the cleaning device B improves the connection reproducibility as compared with the cleaning with the cleaning device A. Here, it can be seen that the matching grease residue can be removed by forming a wavy pattern having a curved curve. Moreover, in terms of cleaning time, cleaning can be performed in a shorter time than cleaning using a cleaning nonwoven fabric moistened with an organic solvent.

The third embodiment will be described below. Third
The cleaning instrument C is manufactured with the configuration of the cleaning instrument 21 of the embodiment. The cleaning cloth is the same as the cleaning cloth of the cleaning implement A of the first embodiment. For the pad, a separation groove is formed on the uneven surface of the pad of the cleaning instrument B of Example 2 in parallel with the cleaning direction. In addition,
The scanning of the multi-fiber optical connector during cleaning is performed from the convex side of the curved curve.

In order to verify the cleaning effect of the multi-fiber optical connector by the cleaning device C, a comparative evaluation was performed with other cleaning methods.
The cleaning methods to be compared are cleaning with a cleaning nonwoven fabric moistened with an organic solvent, cleaning with the cleaning tool A of Example 1, and cleaning with the cleaning tool B of Example 2. The <evaluation method> and the <connection loss measuring method> are the same as in Example 1.

Table 3 shows the comparative evaluation by each cleaning method.
In addition, the connection loss error is
It is the maximum value of the variation in the connection loss value at each port. The required time is the time required for cleaning.

[Table 3]

From Table 3, in the cleaning by the cleaning device C, the connection reproducibility is further improved from the cleaning by the cleaning device B, and the connection reproducibility is the same as the cleaning by the cleaning nonwoven fabric moistened with the organic solvent. Moreover, in terms of cleaning time, cleaning can be performed in a shorter time than cleaning using a cleaning nonwoven fabric moistened with an organic solvent. Therefore, it can be seen that the end face of the multi-fiber optical connector can be cleaned very efficiently by forming the corrugated pattern including the uneven shape, the curved curve, and the separation groove on the pad.

[0047]

As described above, the cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector according to the present invention can surely clean the end face of the multi-fiber optical connector by forming the concave and convex shape on the pad which repeats at a constant cycle. it can. Further, the matching grease can be completely removed by forming the wavy pattern and the separating groove on the pad. Therefore, the cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector of the present invention is a highly efficient cleaning tool that can achieve high connection reproducibility comparable to a cleaning nonwoven fabric moistened with an organic solvent and can be cleaned in a short working time. . Further, the multi-fiber optical connector cleaning device of the present invention,
Since no organic solvent is used, the working place is not limited.
Moreover, the multi-fiber optical connector can be cleaned with a simple operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning section of a cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the multicore optical connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention when it is cleaned by a cleaning tool.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a pad of a cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. (A) It is a perspective view of a pad. (B) It is the sectional view on the AA line of a figure.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the multi-fiber optical connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention when it is cleaned by a cleaning tool. (A) It is a top view at the time of cleaning. (B) It is a BB line sectional view of the pad of a figure.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a multi-fiber optical connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention when it is cleaned by a cleaning tool. (A) It is a top view at the time of cleaning. (B) It is the CC sectional view taken on the line of (a) figure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional optical connector cleaning instrument.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram at the time of cleaning by the optical connector cleaning instrument of FIG. (A) It is a perspective view at the time of cleaning with an optical connector cleaning instrument. (B) It is an expanded sectional view at the time of cleaning with an optical connector cleaning instrument.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the multi-fiber optical connector when the optical connector cleaning device of FIG. 6 is used for cleaning.

9 is a cross-sectional view of the multi-fiber optical connector when the optical connector cleaning tool of FIG. 6 is being cleaned.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,11,21 ・ ・ ・ Cleaning equipment 2 ... cleaning cloth 3, 13, 23 ... Pad 4 ... Multi-fiber optical connector 5: Matching grease residue 26 ... Separation groove W1 ・ ・ ・ Width of end face of multi-fiber optical connector W2 ... Depth width of end face of multi-fiber optical connector L1 ... Period length of uneven surface of pad S1 ... Separation groove spacing

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shinichi Iwano 3-19-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Nihon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47L 25/00 G02B 6/36

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tape-shaped cleaning cloth wound around a reel is unwound to expose an unused portion, and the end face of the multi-fiber optical connector is pressed against the cleaning portion of the cleaning cloth.
In a multi-fiber optical connector cleaning device for cleaning the end face of the multi-fiber optical connector, the cleaning device is arranged on the back surface side of the cleaning portion of the cleaning cloth that receives the pressing force, and has a cycle shorter than the width of the end face of the multi-fiber optical connector. A cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector, comprising a soft rubber pad having a long uneven surface. 2. The uneven surface of the soft rubber pad has a wavy pattern having a convex portion in a direction opposite to the cleaning direction of the multi-fiber optical connector in plan view.
The multi-fiber optical connector cleaning device described in. 3. Grooves parallel to the cleaning direction are formed on both sides of the convex-concave portion of the concave-convex surface of the soft rubber pad, at intervals substantially equal to the depth width of the end face of the multi-fiber optical connector. The cleaning tool for a multi-fiber optical connector according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning tool is provided across the uneven surface.