JP4033107B2 - Optical fiber end face processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber end face processing apparatus for cleaning an end face of an optical fiber and attaching matching oil to the end face of the optical fiber.

In optical fiber communication, it is necessary to minimize the reflection at the end face of the optical fiber and the loss at the fiber connection portion. For this purpose, an apparatus for cleaning an end face of an optical fiber as described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 corresponding thereto is used.
JP-A-2-264907 US Pat. No. 5,117,528

  The conventional optical fiber end face cleaner only has a function of rubbing the end face of the optical fiber with a dry cleaning cloth to clean dirt such as dust and oil. As a result, the conventional cleaner also has a function of polishing the fiber end face.

  Due to the widespread use of optical fiber communication, it is necessary to clean and polish the optical fiber end face at the site of a user's house or the like, and a jig that can easily clean the optical fiber end face is desired.

  When a fiber or a fiber and a non-fiber optical element are abutted with each other, a matching oil may be inserted between them. If the matching oil can be easily inserted, workability will be greatly improved.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber end face processing apparatus that not only can easily clean an end face of an optical fiber but also can uniformly apply matching oil to the end face of the fiber.

  Optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to the present invention Dry tape capable of cleaning fiber end face, dry tape supply reel for supplying the dry tape, and dry tape winding for winding the dry tape supplied from the dry tape supply reel Reel, wet tape for applying matching oil to the fiber end face, wet tape supply reel for supplying the wet tape, and matching oil container for holding matching oil to be attached to the wet tape drawn from the wet tape supply reel A wet tape take-up reel that winds up the wet tape supplied from the wet tape supply reel, the dry tape, the dry tape supply reel, the dry tape take-up reel, the wet tape, A casing that accommodates a dipping oil container, the wet tape supply reel, and the wet tape take-up reel, and exposes the dry tape between the dry tape supply reel and the dry tape take-up reel to the outside. An opening and a housing having a wet tape opening for exposing a wet tape between the matching oil container and the wet tape take-up reel to the outside are provided.

  Preferably, the apparatus according to the present invention further includes reverse running of the dry tape from the dry tape take-up reel to the dry tape supply reel, and wet tape from the wet tape take-up reel to the wet tape supply reel. A reverse running prevention mechanism is provided to prevent reverse running. Thereby, it can prevent that the used part of a tape is exposed to opening.

  Preferably, the apparatus according to the present invention further includes an operation member for rotating the dry tape take-up reel and the wet tape take-up reel in the take-up direction in fear of user operation. Thereby, a predetermined amount of tape can be easily fed.

  Preferably, matching oil is supplied from the matching oil container onto the wet tape in accordance with the operation of the operation member. Thereby, a fixed amount of match tool oil can always be applied to the fiber end face.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to apply matching oil to the fiber end surface with wet tape after dust and oil on the fiber end surface are removed with lie tape. Thereby, the end face processing of the optical fiber at the site such as the user's house becomes easy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention. In order to facilitate understanding of the internal structure, FIG. 1 illustrates the housing 10 with a one-dot chain line, and illustrates the main components of the internal mechanism housed in the housing 10.

  A housing 10 contains a dry tape 12D for cleaning the fiber end surface and a wet tape 12W for applying matching oil to the fiber end surface. The dry tape 12D is made of a cloth material suitable for cleaning dirt such as dust and oil on the fiber end face, and the wet tape 12W is made of a cloth material suitable for applying matching oil to the fiber end face. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a traveling system of the dry tape 12D, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a traveling system of the wet tape 12W.

  The dry tape 12D is pulled out from the supply reel 14D and taken up on the take-up reel 16D. The wet tape 12W is pulled out from the supply reel 14W and taken up on the take-up reel 16W. The supply reels 14D and 14W are fixed to a common shaft 18. The shaft 18 is rotatably attached to the housing 10 by a bearing (not shown). The take-up reels 16 </ b> D and 16 </ b> W are also fixed to the common shaft 20. The shaft 20 is rotatably attached to the housing 10 by a bearing (not shown). An operation lever 22 is fixed to the shaft 20. By rotating the operation lever 22 counterclockwise about the shaft 20, the dry tape 12D and the wet tape 12W are pulled out from the supply reels 14D and 14W, respectively, and taken up on the take-up reels 16D and 16W.

  The wet tape 12W drawn from the supply reel 14W is guided by the rollers 24, 26, 28, and 30 and is taken up by the take-up reel 16W. The dry tape 12D drawn out from the supply reel 14D is guided by the rollers 28 and 30 and taken up on the take-up reel 16D. As clearly shown in FIG. 3, a matching oil tank 32 is disposed between the roller 24 and the roller 26 adjacent to the wet tape 12W. Matching oil is dropped from the matching oil tank 32 onto the wet tape 12W according to the feeding of the tapes 14W and 14D or by manual operation.

  The rollers 24 and 26 are provided for guiding the wet tape 12W. However, it is obvious that the rollers 24 and 26 can be omitted depending on the direction in which the matching oil is dropped from the matching oil tank 32 onto the wet tape 12W.

  Between the roller 28 and the roller 30, the tapes 12 </ b> D and 12 </ b> W are guided along the upper surface wall 10 </ b> U of the housing 10, and a support base 34 is fixed below the tapes 12 </ b> D and 12 </ b> W. The support base 34 may also be spring-biased so as to press the tapes 12D and 12W against the upper surface wall 10U of the housing 10.

  An opening (dry tape opening) 36D for exposing the dry tape 12D to the outside and an opening (wet tape opening) 36W for exposing the wet tape 12W to the outside are formed in the upper surface wall 10U. The openings 36D and 36W are formed elongated in the longitudinal direction of the tapes 12D and 12W so that they can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the tapes 12D and 12W with the end face of the fiber not shown in contact with the tapes 12D and 12W. Has been. The lateral widths of the openings 36D and 36W are wide enough to accept the ferrule of the fiber end face to be processed. Even if the fiber end face is pressed against the tapes 12D and 12W, the support base 34 holds the tapes 12D and 12W in that position. Thereby, the fiber end face can be cleaned and the matching oil can be applied to the fiber end face.

  The shaft 18 incorporates a ratchet mechanism 38 that allows the supply reels 14D and 14W to rotate only in the supply direction. Specifically, a gear 38 a is fixed to the shaft 18, and a hook 38 b that engages with a peripheral edge of the gear 38 a is disposed in the housing 10 so as to be swingable. The hook 38b is urged toward the gear 38a by a spring (not shown). Such a reverse running prevention mechanism or the one-way rotation mechanism itself is well known. The supply reels 14D and 14W can be rotated only in the counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 2 and 3 by the ratchet mechanism 38 including the gear 38a and the hook 38b.

  A method of using this embodiment will be described. First, the take-up reels 16D and 16W are rotated by the operation lever 22, and the dry tape 12D and the wet tape 12W are pulled out from the supply reels 14D and 14W by a predetermined amount. Simultaneously with or before the operation of the operation lever 22, the matching oil tank 32 is pushed from the outside of the housing 10 with a finger or the like, and an appropriate amount of matching oil is dripped onto the wet tape 12W. By this operation, new or clean dry tape 12D and wet tape 12W on which clean matching oil is dropped are exposed at the openings 36D and 36W, respectively.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the end face of the fiber 40 is placed perpendicularly to the opening 36D, and moved in the longitudinal direction of the tape 12D while being in contact with the dry tape 12D. Thereby, dirt, oil, and the like on the end face of the fiber 40 are removed. At this time, the operation lever 22 is held at that position so that the take-up reel 16D does not reverse.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the end face of the fiber 40 is put perpendicularly to the opening 36W, and moved in the longitudinal direction of the tape 12W while being in contact with the wet tape 12W perpendicularly. Thereby, the matching oil is applied to the end face of the fiber 40. Also at this time, the operation lever 22 is held at that position so that the take-up reel 16W does not reverse.

  There are various methods for the interlocking mechanism and the reverse rotation prevention mechanism of the supply reels 14D and 14W and the take-up reels 16D and 16W. The present embodiment shows only one example, and various methods can be used.

  4 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 shows a side view. For easy understanding of the internal structure, in FIG. 4, the housing 110 is illustrated by a one-dot chain line, and main components of the internal mechanism housed in the housing 110 are illustrated. In FIG. 4, the width direction of the tape is enlarged to facilitate understanding.

  Housed in housing 110 are dry tape 112D for cleaning the fiber end face and wet tape 112W for applying matching oil to the fiber end face. Similar to the dry tape 12D, the dry tape 112D is made of a cloth material suitable for cleaning dirt such as dust and oil on the fiber end face. The wet tape 112W is a matching oil on the fiber end face similarly to the wet tape 12W. It is made of a cloth material suitable for coating. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the dry tape 12D and the wet tape 12W are arranged side by side. However, in this embodiment, the dry tape 112D and the wet tape 112W are arranged vertically.

  The wet tape 112W is pulled out from the supply reel 114W and taken up on the take-up reel 116W. The supply reel 114W is fixed to the shaft 118W. The shaft 118W is rotatably attached to the housing 110 by a bearing (not shown). The take-up reel 116W is fixed to the shaft 120W. The shaft 120W is rotatably attached to the housing 110 by a bearing (not shown).

  The wet tape 112W pulled out from the supply reel 114W is guided by rollers 122W, 124W, and 126W, and taken up on the take-up reel 116W. As clearly shown in FIG. 5, a matching oil tank 128 is disposed adjacent to the wet tape 112W between the roller 122W and the roller 124W. As will be described later, a predetermined amount of matching oil is dropped from the tank 128 onto the wet tape 112W in response to a user's tape feeding operation.

  Between the roller 124W and the roller 126W, the tape 112W is guided along the upper surface wall 110U of the housing 110, and a support base 130W is fixed to the lower side of the tape 112W. The support base 130W may also be spring-biased so as to press the wet tape 112W against the top wall 110U of the housing 110.

  An opening (wet tape opening) 132W that exposes the wet tape 112W to the outside is formed in the upper surface wall 110U. The opening 132W is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the tape 112W so that it can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the tape 112W in a state where the end face of the fiber (not shown) is in contact with the wet tape 112W. The width of the opening 132W is wide enough to accept the ferrule of the fiber end face to be processed. Even if the fiber end face is pressed against the wet tape 112W, the support base 130W holds the wet tape 112W in that position. Thereby, a matching oil can be apply | coated to a fiber end surface.

  The shaft 118W incorporates a ratchet mechanism 134W that allows the supply reel 114W to rotate only in the supply direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 5). Specifically, a gear 136W is fixed to the shaft 118W, and a hook 138W that engages with the periphery of the gear 136W is disposed in the housing 110 so as to be swingable. The hook 138W is biased toward the gear 136W by a spring (not shown). Such a reverse rotation prevention mechanism or a one-way rotation mechanism itself is well known. The supply reel 114W can be rotated only in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5 by the ratchet mechanism 134W including the gear 136W and the hook 138W.

  The configuration related to the dry tape 112D is basically the same as the configuration related to the wet tape 112W except for the matching oil tank 128.

  That is, the dry tape 112D is pulled out from the supply reel 114D and taken up on the take-up reel 116D. The supply reel 114D is fixed to the shaft 118D. The shaft 118D is rotatably attached to the housing 110 by a bearing (not shown). The take-up reel 116D is fixed to the shaft 120D. The shaft 120D is rotatably attached to the housing 110 by a bearing (not shown).

  The dry tape 112D drawn out from the supply reel 114D is guided by the rollers 124D and 126D and taken up on the take-up reel 116D. Between the roller 124D and the roller 126D, the dry tape 112D is guided along the upper surface wall 110U of the housing 110, and a support base 130D is fixed below the dry tape 112D. The support base 130D may also be spring-biased so as to press the dry tape 112D against the upper surface wall 110U of the housing 110.

  An opening (dry tape opening) 132D for exposing the dry tape 112D to the outside is formed in the upper surface wall 110U. The opening 132D is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the dry tape 112D so that the fiber end face (not shown) can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the dry tape 112D while being in contact with the dry tape 112D. The width of the opening 132D is wide enough to accept the ferrule of the fiber end face to be processed. Even if the fiber end face is pressed against the dry tape 112D, the support base 130D holds the dry tape 112D in that position. Thereby, dust, oil, etc. adhering to the fiber end face can be removed.

  The shaft 118D incorporates a ratchet mechanism 134D that allows the supply reel 114D to rotate only in the supply direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 5). Specifically, a gear 136D is fixed to the shaft 118D, and a hook 138D that engages with a peripheral edge of the gear 136D is disposed in the housing 110 so as to be swingable. The hook 138D is urged toward the gear 136D by a spring (not shown). By the ratchet mechanism 134D, the supply reel 114D can rotate only in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.

  An operation lever 140 is fixed to the shaft 120D. A belt 142 is passed between the shafts 120D and 120W. Further, the belt 144 transmits the rotation of the shaft 120D to the shaft 146 exposed to the outside of the matching oil tank 128. The belt 142 rotates the shaft 120W in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft 120D. As a result, the dry tape 112D and the wet tape 112W are interlocked and pulled out from the supply reels 114D and 114W, respectively. Further, the shaft 144 is rotated by the belt 144 in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft 120D. Although details are omitted, according to the rotation of the shaft 146, a predetermined amount of matching oil is dropped from the matching oil tank 128 onto the wet tape 112W.

  By such a mechanism, the operation lever 122 is rotated counterclockwise about the shaft 120D, whereby the dry tape 112D and the wet tape 112W are pulled out from the supply reels 114D and 114W, respectively, to the take-up reels 116D and 116W. In the meantime, the matching oil is dripped from the tank 128 onto the wet tape 112W. As a result, the wet tape 112W wet with the matching oil is exposed to the opening 132W.

  A method of using this embodiment will be described. First, the operation lever 134 is rotated counterclockwise by a predetermined amount. As a result, the take-up reels 116D and 116W rotate in conjunction with each other, and the dry tape 112D and the wet tape 112W are pulled out from the supply reels 114D and 114W by a predetermined amount, respectively. At that time, a predetermined amount of matching oil is dropped from the matching oil tank 128 onto the wet tape 112W. By this operation of the user, a new or clean dry tape 112D is exposed in the opening 132D, and the wet tape 112W wet with the matching oil is exposed in the opening 132W, and a new in the opening 132D. That is, a beautiful dry tape 112D is exposed.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the end face of the fiber 150 is vertically inserted into the opening 32D, and is moved in the longitudinal direction of the tape 112D while being in contact with the dry tape 112D. Thereby, dirt, oil, and the like on the end face of the fiber 150 are removed. At this time, the operation lever 140 is held at that position so that the take-up reel 116D does not reverse.

  Next, the end face of the fiber 150 is vertically inserted into the opening 132W, and moved in the longitudinal direction of the tape 112W while being in contact with the wet tape 112W vertically. Thereby, the matching oil is applied to the end face of the fiber 150. Also at this time, the operation lever 140 is held at that position so that the take-up reel 116W does not reverse.

  Although the invention has been described with reference to specific illustrative embodiments, various modifications and alterations may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. This is obvious to an engineer in the field to which the present invention belongs, and such changes and modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view of the main elements of 1st Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the traveling system of dry tape 12D. It is sectional drawing which shows the traveling system of the wet tape 12W. It is a perspective view of the main elements of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows the tape running system of the Example shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10: Housing 10U: Top wall 12D: Dry tape 12W: Wet tape 14D, 14W: Supply reel 16D, 16W: Take-up reel 18: Shaft 20: Shaft 22: Shafts 24, 26, 28, 30: Roller 32: Matching Oil tank 34: support base 36D, 36W: opening 38: ratchet mechanism 38a: gear 38b: hook 110: housing 110U: top wall 112D: dry tape 112W: wet tape 114D, 114W: supply reels 116D, 116W: take-up reel 118D, 118W: shafts 120D, 120W: shafts 124D, 126D: rollers 122W, 124W, 126W: rollers 128: matching oil tanks 130D, 130W: support bases 132D, 132W: openings 134D, 134W: ratchet mechanisms 136D, 136W: gear 1 8D, 138 W: Hook 140: operation lever 142: Belt 146: Axis 150: optical fiber

Claims (4)

Dry tape (12D, 112D) that can clean the fiber end face;
A dry tape supply reel (14D, 114D) for supplying the dry tape (12D, 112D);
A dry tape take-up reel (16D, 116D) for taking up the dry tape (12D, 112D) supplied from the dry tape supply reel (14D, 114D);
Wet tape (12W, 112W) for applying matching oil to the fiber end face;
A wet tape supply reel (14W, 114W) for supplying the wet tape (12W, 112W);
A matching oil container (32, 128) for holding matching oil to be attached to the wet tape (12W, 112W) drawn from the wet tape supply reel (14W, 114W);
A wet tape take-up reel (16W, 116W) for taking up the wet tape (12W, 112W) supplied from the wet tape supply reel (14W, 114W);
The dry tape (12D, 112D), the dry tape supply reel (14D, 114D), the dry tape take-up reel (16D, 116D), the wet tape (12W, 112W), and the matching oil container (32, 128) ), The wet tape supply reel (14W, 114W), and the casing (10, 110) that accommodates the wet tape take-up reel (16W, 116W), and the dry tape supply reel (14D, 114D) Dry tape opening (36D, 132D) exposing the dry tape (12D, 112D) between the dry tape take-up reel (16D, 116D), the matching oil container (32, 128) and the wet Between tape take-up reel (16W, 116W) Housing having a wet tape (14W, 114W) wet tape opening exposed to the outside (36W, 132W) (10,110
)
An optical fiber end surface processing apparatus comprising:   Further, the dry tape (12D, 112D) travels from the dry tape take-up reel (16D, 116D) to the dry tape supply reel (14D, 114D), and the wet tape take-up reel (16W, 116W). 2. A reverse running prevention mechanism (38, 134 D, 134 W) for preventing reverse running of the wet tape (12 W, 112 W) from the reel to the wet tape supply reel (14 W, 114 W). Optical fiber end face processing equipment.   Furthermore, an operation member (22, 140) for rotating the dry tape take-up reel (16D, 116D) and the wet tape take-up reel (16W, 116W) in the take-up direction according to a user operation is provided. The optical fiber end surface processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The optical fiber end face processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein matching oil is supplied from the matching oil container (128) onto the wet tape (114W) according to the operation of the operation member (140).

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