JP4404202B2 - Optical fiber cutting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber cutting device, for example, an optical fiber cutting device capable of cutting an optical fiber protruding from the tip of a ferrule by the principle of stress fracture.

Conventionally, the ferrule insertion hole is fixedly arranged on the cutter body, and the ferrule with the optical fiber strand protruding from the tip is set in the ferrule insertion hole. An apparatus for stably scratching a tensioned fiber at the same blade position every time by the operation of the blade to convert the amount of movement into the amount of movement of the blade base is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-79497 A

  By the way, for example, diamond is used for the blade and has sufficient hardness. However, since the cutting is always performed at the same place, the blade tip may be worn or chipped in long-term use. In such a case, it is conceivable to replace only the blade, but it is impossible to adjust the blade after remounting because it is very delicate and difficult, and it is necessary to replace the entire cutting device. There was an inconvenience that the life of the apparatus was short.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber cutting device capable of extending the life by effectively using a blade.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention cuts an optical fiber by applying an initial scratch for stress rupture to a tensioned optical fiber with a flat blade-shaped cutting tool. An optical fiber cutting device in which the cutting tool is moved according to the magnitude of tension applied to the optical fiber, and a displacement mechanism that makes the contact position of the optical fiber in the cutting tool variable is provided in the main body frame , The displacement mechanism is provided between the ferrule holding block and the main body frame for holding the ferrule attached to the optical fiber, and a block movement for moving the ferrule holding block with respect to the blade tool. Further, the main body frame is provided with a block presser for pressing the ferrule holding block. There.

  In the optical fiber cutting device configured as described above, tension is applied to the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is initially scratched and cut by a cutting tool that moves in accordance with the tension. At this time, by changing the position of the cutting tool and the optical fiber by the displacement mechanism, the contact position of the optical fiber, which is the cutting position at the cutting edge, can be moved, so when the cutting position of the cutting edge is worn or missing Can shift the cutting position by relatively moving the cutting tool. As a result, the optical fiber can be cut at a new cutting position without replacing the cutting tool, so that the life of the cutting device can be extended.

  In the optical fiber cutting device configured as described above, the block moving means of the displacement mechanism moves the ferrule holding block holding the ferrule attached to the optical fiber with respect to the cutting tool, thereby cutting the cutting position in the cutting tool. Can be changed.

  Also, in the optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention, the block moving means is a shim plate that is inserted in a layered manner between the main body of the displacement mechanism that holds the ferrule holding block so as to be movable and the ferrule holding block. It is characterized by being.

  In the optical fiber cutting device thus configured, a laminated shim plate is interposed between the main body of the displacement mechanism holding the ferrule holding block so as to be movable and the ferrule holding block holding the ferrule. By doing so, the ferrule holding block can be moved according to the thickness and number of shim plates. Thereby, the position of the cutting edge which cut | disconnects an optical fiber can be changed in steps.

  Further, in the optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention, the block moving means is a distance adjusting screw provided between the body of the displacement mechanism that holds the ferrule holding block so as to be movable and the ferrule holding block. It is characterized by that.

  In the optical fiber cutting device configured as described above, the distance adjusting screw provided between the main body of the displacement mechanism holding the ferrule holding block so as to be movable and the ferrule holding block holding the ferrule is rotated. Thus, the ferrule holding block can be moved by a desired amount. Thereby, the position of the cutting edge which cut | disconnects an optical fiber can be changed in a stepless manner.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem that the cutting device itself becomes unusable when the cutting edge of the cutting tool as in the past is broken. Since the fiber can be cut, it is possible to increase the life of the cutting device.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where an optical fiber is set, FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a displacement mechanism, and FIG. A)-(C) are the detailed drawings of a blade.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an optical fiber cutting device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a flat blade shape attached to a blade base 20 on a tensioned optical fiber 11a (see FIG. 2). When cutting the optical fiber strand 11a by applying an initial flaw for stress rupture with the blade 21, the blade 21 is interlocked according to the magnitude of tension applied to the optical fiber strand 11a. And the displacement mechanism 40 which makes the contact position (refer FIG. 4 (A)) of the optical fiber strand 11a in the blade edge | tip 21a of the blade 21 provided is provided.

  The cutting device 10 has a main body frame 13 provided with a grip 12, and a ferrule insertion hole 14 for attaching a ferrule F (see FIG. 2) is provided at the tip of the main body frame 13. A step (not shown) is provided in the ferrule insertion hole 14 so that the ferrule F abuts and is positioned.

  Inside the body frame 13 corresponding to the ferrule insertion hole 14, a tension applying mechanism 30 for applying tension to the optical fiber 11a is provided. The tension applying mechanism 30 includes a fiber holder 32 having a chuck 31 at the tip, a tension spring 33 that urges the fiber holder 32 in a direction away from the ferrule insertion hole 14 (Y direction in the figure), and the tension spring. The lever 34 is connected to the fiber holder 32 through the lever 33 so as to be relatively movable in the Y direction, the lever 34, the guide shaft 35 penetrated through the fiber holder 32, and the return spring 36 of the lever 34. .

  The fiber holder 32 is supported by a guide 37 provided on the main body frame 13 and is slidable in the fiber longitudinal direction (Y direction). The chuck 31 provided at the tip of the fiber holder 32 has a cam-type clamp claw 31b that can rotate about the support shaft 31a, and a clamp surface 31c formed on the clamp claw 31b and a fixed side. The optical fiber 11a is sandwiched between the clamp surface 31d. The gap between the clamp surfaces 31c and 31d is an extension of the ferrule insertion hole 14, and as shown in FIG. 2, the optical fiber 11a protruding from the tip of the ferrule F attached to the ferrule insertion hole 14 is the gap. Inserted into.

As shown in FIG. 3, the clamp pawl 31b is urged clockwise in FIG. 3 about the support shaft 31a by a spring 31f. The spring 31f is set to be sufficiently smaller than the return spring 36 (see FIG. 2), and in the natural state, the protrusion 31e formed on the clamp pawl 31b hits the end wall of the main body frame 13 and is slightly counterclockwise. It is in a state that has been turned. In this state, the gap between the clamp surfaces 31c and 31d opens to a size that allows the optical fiber 11a to be inserted.
When the fiber holder 32 moves to the right in the Y direction, the clamp pawl 31b rotates clockwise by the force of the spring 31f, and the optical fiber 11a is sandwiched between the clamp surfaces 31c and 31d. When 32 further moves to the right in the Y direction, the clamping surface 31c is retained by the optical fiber 11a, and the force to turn the clamping claw 31b clockwise increases, and the clamping force increases.

  The lever 34 is provided with a movement restraining portion 38 that restricts the movement of the fiber holder 32, and the force of the return spring 36 is also transmitted to the fiber holder 32 through the movement restraining portion 38. Since the force of the spring 31f that rotates the clamp pawl 31b is sufficiently smaller than the force of the return spring 36, the projection 31e is pushed by the force of the spring 36 in the state of FIG. It is pressed against the wall and rotates counterclockwise, and the clamp by the clamp pawl 31b is reliably released.

As shown in FIG. 3, the blade base 20 provided in the front lower portion of the main body frame 13 is moved in the Z direction along the guide 20 a by the force of the spring 23, and the fiber holder 32 and the lever 34 are The relative movement amount is converted into the momentum of the blade base 20, and the position control of the blade base 20 is performed.
That is, the blade base restraint tool 22 is interposed between the blade base 20 and the tapered surface 32 a provided at the lower end of the fiber holder 32, and the blade base restraint tool 22 is inserted into a hole provided at the tip of the lever 34. It is slidably fitted in the Z direction, and is displaced in the Z direction by the action of the tapered surface 32a while being moved in the Y direction by the lever 34.

  Next, the cutting operation by the above-described cutting apparatus 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, when the optical fiber 11 is not set, or the optical fiber 11a is not sufficiently held by the fiber holder 32, the cutting device 10 is retained when the lever 34 is pulled. The fiber holder 32 not receiving the force follows the lever 34, so that relative movement does not occur between them, and the positional relationship between the taper surface 32a and the blade base restraint tool 22 is maintained as it is, and the blade base 20 is maintained. Does not move.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when the optical fiber 11 with the ferrule F attached is set and the lever 34 is pulled while the optical fiber 11 a is securely gripped by the chuck 31, the fiber holder 32 is moved. Since only the lever 34 moves in the Y direction because it is held by the optical fiber 11a, the tension spring 33 is compressed, and the tension determined by the force of the tension spring 33, in other words, the fiber holder 32 and the lever 34 The tension determined by the relative movement amount is applied to the optical fiber 11a.
At this time, the relative movement between the fiber holder 32 and the lever 34 displaces the constraining point by the tapered surface 32a in the Z direction, and the blade 20 moves in the Z direction while pushing the blade constraining device 22, so that the blade 21 is moved. Cut into the optical fiber 11a.

  In the case of the illustrated apparatus, the momentum of the blade base 20 relative to the relative movement amount of the fiber holder 32 and the lever 34 is determined by the inclination angle of the tapered surface 32a. Therefore, if the angle is set appropriately and the cutting tool 21 hits the optical fiber 11a with an appropriate pressure when an appropriate tension is applied to the optical fiber, the cutting tool is at a position where the cutting is performed under the best conditions. 21 stops and no further cuts are made. In addition, since the force that holds the fiber holder 32 is lost when the optical fiber 11a is cut, the fiber holder 32 moves in the Y direction by the force of the tension spring 33, and the relative movement amount with respect to the lever 34 Becomes smaller and the blade 20 is forcibly pushed back. Therefore, excessive cutting of the blade 21 is prevented.

Also, now, assuming that the gripping of the optical fiber 11a is stable after the lever 34 is pulled halfway, and tension is applied to the optical fiber 11a from there, the fiber holder until the tension is applied. The fiber holder 32 and the lever 34 are moved relative to each other after the lever 32 follows the lever 34 and tension is applied. Therefore, even in such a case, the relationship between the magnitude of the tension applied to the optical fiber 11a and the cutting amount of the cutting tool 21 is substantially constant, and the cutting tool 21 is not cut under the condition of insufficient tension or poor setting.
After cutting, the lever 34 returns to the original position by the force of the spring 36. At this time, the fiber holder 32 is also pushed back together, and the protrusion 31e hits the main body frame 13 and the clamp by the chuck 31 is released, so that the cut strand can be easily removed.

Next, the contact position (cutting position) 21c of the optical fiber 11a in the blade edge 21a will be described.
A cutting tool 21 is attached to the front surface of the blade base 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the cutting tool 21 is provided with a mounting hole 21 b and is fixed by a mounting screw 24 as shown in FIG. 3. Further, a flat blade-shaped cutting edge 21a is brazed to the upper end portion of the cutting tool 21, and the optical fiber 11a is scratched and broken by the cutting edge 21a.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 (A), in front of the cutting tool 21 on the front end surface of the main body frame 13, a contact position 21c of the optical fiber 11a on the cutting edge 21a of the cutting tool 21 (see FIG. 4 (A)). A displacement mechanism 40 is provided to make the variable.
The displacement mechanism 40 includes a ferrule holding block 41 that holds the ferrule F attached to the optical fiber 11, and a block moving unit 42 that moves the ferrule holding block 41 with respect to the blade 21.

  The ferrule holding block 41 is provided with guide portions 41 a and 41 b at the top and bottom, and along a not-shown groove provided inside the upper and lower sides of the notch 13 b provided on the front end surface 13 a of the main body frame 13. It can be moved in the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIG. 5). Further, an insertion hole 41c for positioning the ferrule F and passing the optical fiber 11a is provided at the center of the ferrule holding block 41. The insertion hole 41c opens the end face of the ferrule holding block 41 so that the optical fiber 11a can be easily passed therethrough.

  Further, a block presser 43 is provided on the front end side surface 13c of the main body frame 13 to press the ferrule holding block 41 accommodated inside the notch 13b to prevent the dropout. The block presser 43 presses the ferrule holding block 41 by tightening the presser bolt 44 in the screw hole 13d of the main body frame 13. The ferrule holding block 41 can be moved so as to form a gap with the main body frame 13 by loosening the presser bolt 44 and releasing the block presser 43.

As shown in FIG. 5, a block moving means 42 is provided between the ferrule holding block 41 and the main body frame 13. Here, as an example of the block moving means 42, there is a shim plate 45 inserted between the main body frame 13 and the ferrule holding block 41 as a main body of a displacement mechanism that holds the ferrule holding block 41 movably. it can.
Therefore, after loosening the presser bolt 44 to release the block presser 43 and moving the ferrule holding block 41 so that a gap is formed with the main body frame 13, a desired number of shim plates 45 are inserted into the gap. By tightening the block retainer 43 with the retainer bolt 44, the contact position 21c of the optical fiber 11a in the blade edge 21 can be changed.

5A shows a state where four shim plates 45 are set, FIG. 5B shows a state where no shim plate 45 is used, and FIG. 5C shows a state where two shim plates 45 are set. Show. 6A to 6E show a change in the contact position 21c of the optical fiber 11a on the blade edge 21 when the number of shim plates 45 to be used is 0 to 4. FIG. Here, if the plate | board thickness of the shim board 45 is set to the dimension substantially equivalent to the outer diameter of the optical fiber strand 11a, the contact position 21c with respect to the optical fiber strand 11a of the blade edge | tip 21 will always be a new part in steps. It can be updated and is preferable.
For example, when a shim plate 45 having a thickness substantially equal to the outer diameter of the optical fiber strand 11a is used to move the optical fiber strand 11a to the contact position 21c of the new cutting edge 21, as shown in FIG. In addition, when the number of shim plates 45 is zero, the contact position 21 c of the blade edge 21 is the position of the substantially left end of the blade edge 21. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, when there is one shim plate 45, the contact position 21c at the blade edge 21 is shifted from the left end of the blade edge 21 by approximately one optical fiber strand 11a. Become. As shown in FIG. 6C, when there are two shim plates 45, the contact position 21c of the blade edge 21 is shifted from the left end of the blade edge 21 by approximately two optical fiber strands 11a, that is, the illustrated example. In this case, it becomes the center in the width direction of the blade edge 21a. Further, as shown in FIG. 6D, when there are three shim plates 45, the contact position 21c at the blade edge 21 is shifted from the left end of the blade edge 21 by approximately three optical fiber strands 11a. Become. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (E), when there are four shim plates 45, the contact position 21c at the blade edge 21 is shifted from the left end of the blade edge 21 by approximately four optical fiber strands 11a. The position of the right end of

  As described above, in the cutting device 10, the contact position 21c of the blade 21 for cutting the optical fiber 11a can be changed stepwise by changing the number of shim plates 45 to be interposed. Can be cut using the other part of the blade edge 21. For this reason, since the same blade edge | tip 21 can be used changing a place, the lifetime improvement of the cutting device 10 can be achieved. Various thicknesses of the shim plate 45 can be used depending on the distance to which the blade edge 21a is to be moved.

Note that the optical fiber cutting device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications and improvements can be made.
For example, in the embodiment described above, the shim plate 45 inserted between the main body frame 13 and the ferrule holding block 41 as the main body of the displacement mechanism that movably holds the ferrule holding block 41 as the block moving means 42 is illustrated. However, in addition to this, a structure as shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the side surface 13e of the main body frame 13 opposite to the side surface 13c provided with the block presser 43 is provided through the screw hole 46a at a position corresponding to the ferrule holding block 41. The adjustment screw 46 reaching the ferrule holding block 41 from the outside of the main body frame 13 is attached to the screw hole 46a. The ferrule holding block 41 is positioned by being sandwiched between the adjusting screw 46 and the block presser 43. After positioning, the presser bolt 44 is tightened, and the ferrule holding block 41 is securely fixed by the block presser 43.
As a result, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained, and in this case, an arbitrary amount of movement can be obtained steplessly, unlike the case where the shim plate 45 is used. Further, the ferrule holding block 41 can be easily moved without being removed.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, as a displacement mechanism that makes the contact position of the optical fiber variable, the cutting tool side is fixed and the ferrule side is moved, but conversely, the cutting tool side is moved and the ferrule is moved. The side may be fixed. However, in such a structure, a delicate setting such as positioning is required so that the contact angle of the cutting tool does not change due to movement, which is not realistic.

  The optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention has an effect of extending the life of the cutting device without exchanging the cutting tool, and particularly cuts an object using an expensive diamond flat blade-shaped cutting tool. Useful for cutting devices.

It is sectional drawing which shows embodiment which concerns on the optical fiber cutting device of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which set the optical fiber. It is an expanded sectional view of a displacement mechanism. (A)-(C) are detailed drawings of a blade. (A) is a state in which four shim plates 45 are set, (B) is a state in which no shim plate 45 is used, and (C) is a front view showing a state in which two shim plates 45 are set. (A)-(E) is explanatory drawing which shows the change of the contact position of the optical fiber strand in the blade edge | tip when the number of the shim boards to be used is 0-4. It is a front view which shows the example of another block moving means.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical fiber cutting device 11 Optical fiber 20 Blade base 21 Cutting tool 21a Cutting edge 21c Contact position 40 Displacement mechanism 41 Ferrule holding block 42 Block moving means 45 Shim plate 46 Spacing adjustment screw F Ferrule

Claims (3)

When cutting an optical fiber by applying an initial flaw for stress rupture to a tensioned optical fiber with a flat blade-shaped blade, the blade moves according to the magnitude of tension applied to the optical fiber. An optical fiber cutting device
A displacement mechanism for changing the contact position of the optical fiber in the blade is provided in the main body frame ,
The displacement mechanism is provided between the ferrule holding block and the main body frame for holding the ferrule attached to the optical fiber, and a block movement for moving the ferrule holding block with respect to the blade tool. And a block presser for holding the ferrule holding block is provided on the main body frame . Said block moving means, according to claim 1, wherein a shim plate which is inserted in layers between the body of the displacement mechanism for holding the ferrule holding block movable with said ferrule holding block Optical fiber cutting device. 2. The light according to claim 1 , wherein the block moving unit is a distance adjusting screw provided between the main body of the displacement mechanism that holds the ferrule holding block so as to be movable and the ferrule holding block. fiber cutting equipment.

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