JP3944593B2 - Optical fiber end face processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical fiber end face processing apparatus that cuts an optical fiber end face into, for example, a flat surface and a hemispherical surface (convex surface or concave surface).
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the present applicant has proposed an optical fiber end face processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 18 (see Patent Document 1). The optical fiber end face processing apparatus 10 includes a motor 13 provided in a housing 11, a coupling 15 as a connected member connected to a drive shaft 14 of the motor 13, and a detachable attachment to the coupling 15. the cutting blade 1 to be mounted, has a introducing hole 5, into the introduction hole 5, the cutting blade 1 from one end side is inserted from the cutting edge 2 side, the guide member 4 to the optical fiber 21 is inserted from the other end It consists of and. The cutting blade 1 has a shaft portion 3 detachably attached to a coupling 15 and is rotated by a motor 13.
[0003]
Thus, the optical fiber 21 is inserted into the introduction hole 5 of the guide member 4 from the other end side, and the end face is brought into contact with the rotating cutting blade 1 with a little force in the introduction hole 5 of the guide member 4. Then, the end face of the optical fiber 21 is cut.
By cutting the end face of the optical fiber 21 in the introduction hole 5 of the guide member 4, there is no positional deviation of the optical fiber 21 and the axes of the optical fiber 21 and the cutting blade 1 coincide with each other. Can be processed.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-400957 (specifications, page 6, paragraph number 0018, page 7, paragraph number 0019).
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional optical fiber end face processing apparatus, the optical fiber end face is cut by aligning the axis of the optical fiber with the axis of the cutting blade. It is like that. Since the cutting blade is rotated to cut the end face of the optical fiber, when the axis of the optical fiber and the axis of the cutting blade (rotation center) coincide, the axis of the end of the optical fiber is aligned with the axis of the cutting edge of the optical fiber. The center of rotation remains as a cutting trace in a core shape (navel shape), which has a problem of adversely affecting light transmission characteristics.
In view of such problems, a first object of the present invention is to provide a processing device for an optical fiber end face that does not leave a cutting trace at the rotation center of the cutting blade in the form of a core (navel) on the end face of the optical fiber. .
[0006]
In addition, even a conventional cutting edge for processing an optical fiber end surface is not provided with an optical fiber end surface that is not rough and can be cut smoothly and accurately.
In view of the above problems, a second object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber end face processing apparatus including a cutting blade that can cut an end face of an optical fiber smoothly and accurately without being rough.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, in the processing apparatus for an optical fiber end surface according to the present invention, the cutting blade is present on the shaft end surface mainly on the radial side from the axis, and the center of the optical fiber end surface is the cutting blade. It is characterized in that it is abutted and cut from the center of the shaft in the radial direction.
As a result, the end face of the optical fiber is abutted and cut from the rotation center of the cutting blade in the radial direction, so that the core part (navel part) does not remain as a cutting trace at the center of the end face of the optical fiber, so End face processing with good transmission characteristics can be performed. In addition, according to the present invention, the end face of the optical fiber is displaced by contacting with the radial side with respect to the rotation center of the cutting blade, so that not only a single optical fiber but also a multi-core optical fiber is simultaneously processed. Can be cut.
In the present invention, the optical fiber includes a plastic optical fiber. Further, the processing of the end face of the optical fiber in the present invention includes a flat surface, a hemispherical surface (concave surface, convex surface) and an arbitrary shape.
[0008]
Further, the optical fiber end face processing apparatus of the present invention is a processing apparatus for cutting an optical fiber end face with a cutting blade, a cutting blade that can be rotated by a drive source, and a guide member provided with an introduction hole therethrough. The cutting blade is provided in the vicinity of the introduction hole opening on one end side of the guide member, and is directed toward the cutting blade by inserting an optical fiber into the introduction hole of the guide member from the other end side. In an optical fiber end face processing apparatus in which an optical fiber is guided and abutted and an optical fiber end face is cut by a rotating cutting blade,
The cutting blade and the introduction hole of the guide member are arranged so as to be shifted from a position on the same axis.
As a result, the optical fiber is brought into contact with the radial direction from the center of rotation of the cutting blade only by being inserted into the guide member introduction hole. The
[0009]
In the optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of the cutting blades are radially present mainly on the radial side from the axis of the end face of the shaft portion.
Thereby, in addition to the above effects, the cutting efficiency and the accuracy of the cut surface can be improved.
[0010]
In the optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention, the cutting blade is provided so as to be inclined in the rotational direction with respect to the axial direction of the shaft portion.
As a result, the end face of the optical fiber can be cut smoothly and accurately.
In the optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention, the cutting blade has a top surface that is inclined in a direction opposite to the rotation direction from the blade tip.
As a result, the end face of the optical fiber can be cut smoothly and accurately.
[0011]
In the optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention, at least the cutting edge portion of the cutting blade is made of diamond.
As a result, the sharpness is improved and the end face of the optical fiber can be cut smoothly and accurately, and a connector is attached to the end of the optical fiber, and the end face can be cut together with this connector.
[0012]
In the optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention, the guide member has a chucking function, and the guide member has a frustoconical shape with a main body having an introduction hole in the center. The chuck structure has a plurality of slits, an external thread is screwed on the outer peripheral surface, and the optical fiber inserted through the introduction hole is chucked by screwing into a frustoconical screw hole provided in the processing apparatus. It is characterized by
Further, the guide member is attached to a movement amount adjusting member capable of adjusting an axial movement amount with respect to a cutting blade of a processing apparatus.
As a result, the optical fiber can be cut by being chucked by the guide member, so that the cutting accuracy is improved. Moreover, the cutting amount (advance amount) of the optical fiber end face can be adjusted by adjusting the axial movement amount of the guide member.
[0013]
Furthermore, in the optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention, the introduction hole provided in the guide member is provided with one or a plurality of introduction holes at positions eccentric from the center of the guide member.
As a result, the optical fiber is inserted into the guide member introduction hole so that the optical fiber is displaced from the center of rotation of the cutting blade in the radial direction. The end face can be processed well just by inserting.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show a cutting blade used in the optical fiber end face processing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view thereof, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side view thereof, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view.
[0015]
In this figure, the cutting blade 1 is provided on the end surface 3 a of the shaft portion 3 mainly on the radial side from the shaft center. The term “radial side” mainly means that it may extend slightly beyond the axial center to the other radial side. FIG. 3 shows a case where h is extended to the other radius side. The cutting blade 1 is provided so as to be inclined in the rotational direction (arrow A direction) with respect to the axial direction of the shaft portion 3. In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is inclined by an angle of θ. Therefore, when the cutting blade 1 rotates in the direction of arrow A, the cutting edge 2 of the cutting blade 1 cuts toward the optical fiber, so that the end face can be cut well.
In the cutting blade 1, the top surface 2 a is an inclined surface opposite to the rotation direction (arrow A direction) from the blade edge 2 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4. As a result, even if the cutting blade 1 is rotated after the optical fiber is cut, the cutting edge 1 does not come into contact with the processed end face of the optical fiber and is not adversely affected, and the end face can be accurately cut.
[0016]
The cutting blade 1 preferably has at least the cutting edge 2 formed of diamond. This makes it possible to perform good cutting regardless of the material of the optical fiber. The optical fiber is composed of a core part, a clad part, a jacket, and the like, and the constituent materials thereof are different, and the core part is also made of glass or plastic. However, the cutting blade 1 is used regardless of the constituent material of the optical fiber. If at least the cutting edge 2 is made of diamond, good cutting can be performed, and a connector is attached to the end of the optical fiber, and end face processing can be easily performed together with this connector.
[0017]
Although this example is a case where the cutting blade 1 is one piece, this may be plural. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a case where there are two cutting blades, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a case where there are three cutting blades, and the same components as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and will be described in detail. Is omitted. As described above, when a plurality of cutting blades 1 are radially present mainly on the radial side from the axis of the end surface 3a of the shaft portion 3, the end face of the optical fiber is cut by a large number of cutting blades 1 and 1, so that the accuracy is high. Cutting can be performed efficiently.
[0018]
Moreover, although the cutting blade 1 of the said embodiment is comprised separately from the axial part 3, and it is a case where it adheres to the end surface of the axial part 3, this may be comprised integrally with the axial part 3. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the cutting blade 1 when configured integrally with the shaft portion 3. This cutting blade 1 is also inclined toward the rotational direction (arrow A direction). Also in this example, in order to make the cutting blade 1 exist mainly on the radial side of the end surface 3a of the shaft portion 3, the other radial side is formed as a cut inclined surface 3b.
[0019]
Next, an embodiment of an optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. 8 is a partially exploded perspective view showing an optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 9 is a further exploded perspective view, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view as a finished product. This processing apparatus processes an end face of an optical fiber with a cutting blade 1 driven by a motor. This cutting blade 1 is illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, and in the following, the axial centers of the cutting blade 1 and the introduction hole 5 of the guide member 4 are shifted from each other.
[0020]
The said processing apparatus has accommodated the main part in the two housings 11A and 11B as a whole. The casings 11A and 11B are detachably attached to the inverted T-shaped base material 42 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 accommodated therein by set screws 43 and 44, respectively. A screw hole 45 into which a set screw 43, 44 is screwed is provided in each part of the end face of the substrate 42. A large-diameter through hole 46 is formed in the standing piece 42 a of the base material 42. Further, a through hole 47 having substantially the same diameter as the through hole 46 is formed in the side plate 11a of the housing 11A. The housing 11B is formed with a plurality of ventilation holes 48 for ventilating the housing 11B.
[0021]
A substantially cylindrical motor mounting member 49 is inserted through the through hole 46 of the upright piece 42a. The motor 13 is fixed to the standing piece 42a of the base member 42 by four screws 50 (see FIG. 9) through the flange portion 49a at the end of the motor mounting member 49. Therefore, screw insertion holes 42 b and 49 b are provided in the standing piece 42 a and the flange portion 49 a, and a screw hole 13 b is provided in the bracket 13 a of the motor 13. In this fixed state, the tip of the motor mounting member 49 faces the through hole 46 of the housing 11A. The motor mounting member 49 is provided with a pair of cutting waste discharge holes 51 penetrating in the radial direction. A screw hole 52 for attaching a guide member adjusting screw, which will be described later, is formed at the center of the tip of the motor attachment member 49.
[0022]
Further, one end of a pipe-shaped coupling 61 is fixed to the drive shaft 60 of the motor 13 by a screw 62 as shown in FIG. The body of the cutting blade 1 is inserted into the other end of the coupling 61 and is fixed by a screw 63 so as to be replaceable. As the cutting blade 1 used here, not only for the flat surface processing illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 but also for the required end face shape of the optical fiber, a convex shape, a concave shape, a triangular shape, a mountain shape, and an arc shape. The blade edge is arbitrarily selected.
[0023]
In such an optical fiber end face processing apparatus, the cutting blade 1 is rotated by fixing the cutting blade 1 to the coupling 61 using a screw 62 and driving the motor 13. On the other hand, when the end face of the optical fiber 21 to be cut is processed, the end of the optical fiber 21 is moved into the introduction hole 5 of the guide member 4 screwed shallowly with respect to the guide member adjusting screw 53 as shown by the arrow in FIG. Insert in direction A.
[0024]
When the insertion amount of the optical fiber 21 reaches a predetermined amount as measured, a jig (not shown) is engaged with the notch 59, and the guide member 4 is inserted into the screw hole 56 of the guide member adjusting screw 53 as shown in FIG. Screw in deeply as shown in. Since the guide member 4 has a chuck structure having three slits 58, the tapered outer peripheral surface is suppressed in the inner diameter direction. For this reason, the optical fiber 21 is held in the introduction hole 5 under an appropriate clamping pressure. That is, the optical fiber 21 is stably held by the guide member 4. Accordingly, any optical fiber 21 having any diameter can be handled.
[0025]
In this case, if the optical fiber 21 excessively protrudes from the tip of the protruding portion 4a in correspondence with the cutting blade 1 or does not protrude from the tip, the chucking is loosened and the optical fiber 21 protrudes. Adjust the amount. After adjusting, chuck again. And after this adjustment (fine adjustment), in order to determine the cutting position and cutting amount by the cutting blade 1 with high accuracy, the protruding amount of the optical fiber 21 is reset. This setting operation can be performed by adjusting the screwing amount of the guide member adjusting screw 53 with respect to the screw hole 52 of the motor mounting member 49.
[0026]
14 and 15 show another guide member 4A and its usage. In this embodiment and usage, there is no guide member adjusting screw, the guide member 4A is screwed directly into the motor mounting member 49, and four slits 58A are inserted in a part of the guide member 4A. . Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIGS. According to this example, the guide member adjusting screw is not necessary. Since the guide member 4A has four slits 58A, the portion divided by the slits 58A can be easily deformed. Therefore, the automatic operation of the guide member 4A when chucking the optical fiber 21 becomes light.
[0027]
Further, the guide member 4 can be removed by screwing the guide member adjusting screw 53 or the guide member adjusting screw 53 with respect to the motor mounting member 49, respectively. For this reason, a blade replacement jig (not shown) for a cutting blade is inserted from the screw hole 56 that is the mounting hole of the guide member 4 or the screw hole 52 that is the mounting hole of the guide member adjusting screw 53 to couple the coupling. The cutting blade 1 supported by 61 can be exchanged. At this time, the tip of the tool 65 is inserted into the through hole 46 provided in the housing 11A (see FIG. 10), and the screw 63 screwed into the coupling 61 is loosened, so that the cutting blade 1 is free in the coupling 61. To do.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 11, the guide member adjusting screw 53 is a ring-shaped moving amount adjusting member, and a screw 54 is provided on the outer periphery. The axial movement amount of the guide member adjusting screw 53 can be adjusted by changing the screwing amount of the screw 54 into the screw hole 52. Note that the screwing operation of the guide member adjusting screw 53 is performed by locking a jig with a pair of notches 55 provided in the guide member adjusting screw 53 and rotating the jig.
[0029]
Further, the guide member adjusting screw 53 is provided with a tapered screw hole 56 on the inner periphery, and the guide member 4 having a screw 57 on the outer periphery is screwed into the screw hole 56 so as to be detachable. The outer periphery (screw) surface of the guide member 4 is tapered, and a protruding portion 4a is continuously provided at one end. And three slits 58 are put into a part including the protrusion part 4a of this guide member 4 as shown in FIG.
[0030]
A pair of notches 59 are provided on the side surface of the guide member 4 so as to lock and rotate a jig for screwing operation. These notches 59 are shown in FIG. An introduction hole 5 is provided on the center line of the guide member 4 for introducing and chucking the optical fiber 21.
[0031]
In short, the guide member 4 has a frusto-conical shape with the main body having the introduction hole 5 in the center, and has a chuck structure having a plurality of slits 58 and 58A. The optical fiber 21 inserted into the introduction hole 5 can be chucked (held) by being screwed into the truncated conical screw hole 56 provided in the member 49.
Thereby, it is possible to deal with everything from the thick fiber diameter of the optical fiber 21 to the thin one. In particular, in the past, a thin warp diameter could not be accurately processed because the processed part was thin and flexible. However, according to this guide member 4, since it can be held firmly and processed, accurate end surface processing is possible. It becomes. Moreover, since the processing length can be adjusted while holding the optical fiber, more accurate end surface processing is possible.
[0032]
Thus, according to this optical fiber end face processing apparatus, the cutting blade 1 and the introduction hole 5 of the guide member 4 are arranged so as to be shifted from the same axial position, and the cutting blade 1 is the axis of the end face 3 a of the shaft portion 3. Since it exists mainly on the radial side from the center, when the optical fiber 21 is inserted into the introduction hole 5 of the guide member 4, the end face of the optical fiber 21 comes into contact with the cutting blade 1 with a deviation from the rotation center and is cut. Therefore, the core part (navel part) does not remain as a cutting trace at the center of the end face of the optical fiber, and good end face processing can be performed.
[0033]
16 and 17 are a perspective view and a partially cutaway front view showing a modification of the guide member. The guide member 4 of this example is a case where the introduction hole 5 is provided eccentrically from the axis. According to this guide member 4, even in a processing apparatus in which the axes of the cutting blade 1 and the introduction hole 5 of the guide member 4 coincide with each other, this guide member 5 can be replaced.
If a plurality of introduction holes 5 are provided in the guide member 5 of this example, multi-end optical fiber end faces can be processed simultaneously.
[0034]
The above embodiment does not limit the present invention. Various modifications of the present invention are allowed without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the guide member may be provided not on the motor mounting member but on the housing of the processing apparatus.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, the optical fiber end face processing apparatus of the present invention has the following effects.
(1) A cutting trace at the rotation center of the cutting blade does not remain in a core shape (navel shape) on the end face of the optical fiber, and end face processing with good optical transmission characteristics can be performed.
(2) The end face of the optical fiber is not rough and can be cut smoothly and accurately.
(3) Good cutting can be performed regardless of the material of the optical fiber, and cutting can be performed even with the connector attached.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cutting blade used in a processing apparatus for an optical fiber end face according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a cutting blade used in the optical fiber end face processing apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a cutting blade used in the optical fiber end face processing apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing a cutting blade used in an optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view when two cutting blades are used in the optical fiber end face processing apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the case where there are three cutting blades used in the optical fiber end face processing apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an integrated cutting blade used in the optical fiber end face machining apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a partially exploded perspective view of the optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the entire optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a completed product of the optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;
11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the relationship between the guide member and the guide member adjusting screw in FIG. 8. FIG.
12 is a side view of the guide member shown in FIG. 11. FIG.
13 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber chucking structure by the guide member in FIG. 11. FIG.
14 is a side view showing another embodiment of the guide member in FIG. 8. FIG.
15 is a cross-sectional view showing a chucking structure of an optical fiber by the guide member in FIG.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the guide member.
FIG. 17 is a partially cutaway front view showing a modification of the guide member.
FIG. 18 is a front view showing a conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cutting blade 2 Cutting edge 3 Shaft part 4, 4a Guide member 5 Introduction hole 13 Motor (drive source)
21 Optical fiber 49 Motor mounting member 52 Screw hole (mounting hole)
53 Guide member adjustment screw (movement amount adjustment member)
56 Screw holes (mounting holes)
60 Drive shaft 61 Coupling

Claims (10)

The cutting blade is present on the end surface of the shaft mainly on the radial side from the axis, and the end surface of the optical fiber is abutted with a deviation from the center of the shaft portion of the cutting blade on the radius side and is cut. An optical fiber end face processing apparatus. A processing device for cutting an end face of an optical fiber with a cutting blade, comprising: a cutting blade that can be rotated by a drive source; and a guide member provided with an introduction hole therethrough, the cutting blade being one end of the guide member Cutting that is provided in the vicinity of the opening of the introduction hole on the side, and is guided by and abutted toward the cutting blade by inserting the optical fiber into the introduction hole of the guide member from the other end side. In an optical fiber end face processing apparatus in which an optical fiber end face is cut by a blade,
2. The optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting blade and the introduction hole of the guide member are arranged so as to be shifted from a position on the same axis.   3. The optical fiber end face machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the cutting blades are radially present mainly on a radial side with respect to an axis of the end face of the shaft portion. 4.   The optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cutting blade is provided so as to be inclined in a rotation direction with respect to an axial direction of a shaft portion.   The optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a top surface of the cutting blade is an inclined surface in a direction opposite to a rotation direction from a blade edge.   6. The optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a cutting edge portion of the cutting blade is made of diamond.   The optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide member has a chucking function.   The guide member has a frustoconical shape in which the main body has an introduction hole in the center, and has a chuck structure having a plurality of slits. 8. The optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the optical fiber inserted into the introduction hole is chucked by being screwed into the screw hole.   9. The optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to claim 2, 7 or 8, wherein the guide member is attached to a movement amount adjusting member capable of adjusting an axial movement amount relative to a cutting blade of the processing apparatus. . The apparatus for processing an optical fiber end face according to claim 2, wherein one or a plurality of the introduction holes provided in the guide member are provided at a position eccentric from the center of the guide member.

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