JP5512786B1 - Optical fiber fusion splicer - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To reduce the working time and improve workability of an optical fiber fusion splicer at a low cost with little (or no) effect on the size of the apparatus and consumption. Development of technology that can avoid an increase in power.
A covering clamp mounting base 22 is provided on both sides via a discharge portion 24a in which optical fibers 9 are heated and fused together by discharge, and a forward mechanism power for advancing the covering clamp mounting base 22 toward the discharge portion 24a. After the fusion splicing is completed, an operation of opening the covering clamp lid 52 of the covering clamp 50 attached to the covering clamp mounting base 22 using the power generated by the advance mechanism power source 81. An optical fiber fusion splicer is provided.
[Selection] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber fusion splicer, and in particular, has a covering clamp installation base that moves forward and backward toward the heat fusion portion on both sides via a heat fusion portion that heats and bonds the optical fibers. The present invention also relates to an optical fiber fusion splicer provided with a coating clamp for gripping and fixing an optical fiber on the coating clamp mounting base.

As an optical fiber fusion splicer, a device (single core machine) that fuses and connects one single optical fiber on each side by discharge heating between a pair of electrode rods, or a pair of multi-fiber optical fibers (tape fibers). There has been provided a device (multi-core machine) for performing a fusion-splicing connection by discharge heating between the electrode rods.
Further, as conventional optical fiber fusion splicers (hereinafter also simply referred to as fusion splicers), those having the following functions and configurations are widely provided (Patent Document 1).
(1) An optical fiber is illuminated from two directions with two illumination light sources, and two lenses and two cameras are used to image the optical fiber from two directions (two-axis observation).
(2) V-grooves for positioning the tip of the optical fiber to be fusion-bonded between the pair of electrode rods are provided on both sides via a heat-sealing portion that is a space between the pair of electrode rods. The V-grooves are provided on both sides in the left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, which is the spacing direction of the pair of electrode rods, along the upper surface of the apparatus main body on which the pair of electrode rods are disposed via the heat-sealing portion. Yes.
As the optical fiber, a coated optical fiber such as an optical fiber core or an optical fiber is often used. The optical fiber glass portion with the coating removed at the tip of the optical fiber (coated optical fiber) is disposed on the V-groove, and is held between the V-groove by a fiber clamp member for pressing the optical fiber glass portion against the V-groove from above. . Two sets of V-grooves and fiber clamp members are provided corresponding to the two right and left optical fibers.
(3) In order to hold the covering portions of the left and right optical fibers, a movable covering clamp is provided in the left-right direction of the apparatus main body, or a fiber holder is movably arranged in the left-right direction of the apparatus main body one by one.
(4) The discharge generated between the electrode rods is sensitive to the wind, and even a slight wind causes fluctuations in the discharge. Therefore, as the fusion splicer, a configuration is provided in which an openable / closable windshield cover is provided to cover the electrode rod, the V groove, the fiber clamp member, and the covering clamp or the fiber holder. The windshield cover has a sealed structure in which the wind does not reach the discharge part between the pair of electrode rods by covering the electrode rods and the like. The windshield cover is manually opened and closed.

The operation of attaching an optical fiber in a conventional general fusion splicer is as follows.
(A) Covering clamp method: Closes the openable and closable lid of the covering clamp attached to the apparatus (fusion splicer), and grips the single-core optical fiber. The covering clamp has a configuration in which a lid is pivotally attached to a base plate fixed on a covering clamp installation base of the apparatus (fusion splicer). A large coated clamp can hold single-core optical fibers with various coated diameters.
Further, since the covering clamp is attached to the apparatus (fusion splicer), there is no risk of loss.
(B) Fiber holder method: A coating clamp (hereinafter also referred to as a fiber holder) that is detachably mounted on a coating clamp installation table of a fusion splicer is used. After holding and fixing the optical fiber to the fiber holder detached from the coating clamp mounting base of the fusion splicer, the fiber holder is placed on the coating clamp mounting base of the fusion splicer. The fiber holder has a base plate and an openable / closable lid portion pivotally attached to the base plate. The fiber holder holds the optical fiber between the base plate and a lid portion closed with respect to the base plate.
The fiber holder can be easily attached to the optical fiber in each step of coating removal, cutting, and fusion. However, it is necessary to prepare various types of fiber holders depending on the coating diameter and the number of core wires.

  The fusion splicing operation of the optical fiber using the conventional fusion splicer was performed by first removing the coating at the tip (extruding the optical fiber glass part), cleaning, and cutting the standard length with the windshield cover opened. A fiber setting operation for mounting an optical fiber on a fusion splicer is performed. The fiber setting operation of the coating clamp type fusion splicer refers to an operation of sandwiching the optical fiber coating portion between the coating clamps. The fiber setting operation of the fiber holder type fusion splicer refers to placing a fiber holder sandwiching an optical fiber coating portion on a coating clamp installation base of the fusion splicer.

  When the installation of the optical fiber to the fusion splicer is completed, the windshield cover is closed, and then the connection start switch of the fusion splicer is turned on. Thereby, the fusion splicer advances the covering clamp mounting base toward the heat fusion part between the electrode bars. The structure for advancing the covering clamp installation base is driven by a motor (installation base advancement motor) to move (advance) the moving drive shaft of the drive mechanism via the motor gear and the drive mechanism gear, and is covered by the moving drive shaft. The clamp mounting base is pushed forward toward the heat fusion part. Thereby, the optical fiber is advanced to a predetermined position. Next, the ends of the left and right optical fibers (optical fiber glass portions) are melted by discharge between the electrode rods. Then, the melted optical fiber is fusion spliced by pushing it further in the axial direction while continuing heating by discharge. The discharge between the electrode bars is automatically stopped after a predetermined time. The fusion splicer automatically performs a tensile test for inspection of the connection part after the discharge is stopped. Hereinafter, this tensile test is also referred to as a proof test. After completing the fusion splicing, manually open the windshield cover and take out the optical fiber.

  In the proof test, the installation base advance motor is driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the forward direction of the covering clamp installation base, and the moving drive shaft of the drive mechanism is moved backward. As a result, the proof test spring installed between the base member of the fusion splicer and the covering clamp mounting base elastically biases the covering clamp mounting base in the direction away from the heat-bonding portion and moves backward. The covering clamp installation base stops retreating when a certain tension acts on the optical fibers connected to each other and connected to each other by the elastic biasing force of the spring for proof test. The moving drive shaft of the drive mechanism is retracted to a position where it does not come into contact with the covering clamp mounting table that has stopped retracting due to tension applied to the optical fibers connected to each other. A gap is secured between the moving drive shaft of the drive mechanism and the covering clamp mounting base. As a result, a tensile test of the connecting portion between the optical fibers is performed by the elastic biasing force of the proof test spring.

  The lid part of the cover clamp of the cover clamp type fusion splicer grips and fixes the optical fiber between the base plate and the cover plate pivotally attached to the base plate when the cover plate is closed to the base plate. For this reason, a configuration in which a gripping rubber member and a clamp spring that elastically biases the gripping rubber member toward the base plate is provided is widely adopted. This covering clamp can maintain the state in which the cover plate is closed with respect to the base plate by an attractive force that magnetically attracts a ferromagnetic material such as iron provided on the cover plate by a magnet incorporated in the base plate. The attractive force of the magnet is adjusted to such an extent that the operator can open the lid plate closed with respect to the base plate with fingers.

  The present inventor, for a general coated clamp used in a coated clamp type fusion splicer, grips an optical fiber between a gripping rubber member and a base plate by a magnet attractive force (hereinafter referred to as a clamp load). And a regulation force (hereinafter also referred to as a fiber gripping force) that regulates slipping of the optical fiber with respect to the gripping rubber member and the base plate was verified. The result is shown in FIG. FIG. 30 shows the result of examining the relationship between the clamp load and the fiber gripping force when the clamp load is applied using various optical fibers for a general coated clamp.

The proof test is performed by applying a tensile load of 1.96 to 2.26 N to the optical fiber.
FIG. 30 shows that the coated clamp has a clamp load of 2.94 N in order to stably maintain the gripping and fixing state without causing the optical fiber to slip even when a tensile load of 1.96 to 2.26 N is applied to the optical fiber. It is necessary to do above.
As the clamping spring of the covering clamp, a spring that generates a pressing force of about 3.43N is employed in order to obtain a clamping load of 2.94N or more. In addition, as a covering clamp, in order to realize stable maintenance in a state in which the cover plate is closed on the base plate, a gripping force (hereinafter referred to as a lid closing force) that acts between the base plate and the cover plate by the attractive force of the magnet. The configuration in which 3) is set to 3.43N or more is employed.

However, a cover clamp with a lid closing force of 3.43N or more is strong against the base plate against the magnetic attraction force of the lid plate with fingers when manually opening the lid portion closed against the base plate. It needs to be lifted and released. For this reason, after completion of the proof test, it sometimes takes time to take out the optical fiber by opening the covering clamp.
Several hundreds of optical fiber fusion splicing operations may be performed per day. For this reason, in the fusion splicer, there has been a demand for shortening the work time for fusion splicing of optical fibers and improving workability.

  The fiber holder generally has a configuration in which a cover plate itself that can be magnetically attracted by a magnet incorporated in the base plate functions as a pressing member that presses the optical fiber into the base plate. As for the fiber holder, the whole cover part is comprised with the cover plate. As for the fiber holder, it is necessary to open the lid plate strongly against the base plate against the magnet's attractive force with fingers when manually opening the lid portion closed with respect to the base plate. This is the same as the covering clamp used in the covering clamp type fusion splicer. Therefore, also for the fiber holder type fusion splicer, after completion of the proof test, it may take time to open the covering clamp and take out the optical fiber. It is.

In view of this, as a covering clamp, for example, as disclosed in paragraphs (0013) to (0018) of FIG. 1 and FIG. A configuration has been proposed in which the motor 25 provided on the base 17) of the connecting machine is opened and closed with respect to the base plate (fixed side clamp 18) by forward and reverse rotation driving. In the covering clamp (gripping device) disclosed in Patent Document 1, the movable side clamp 22 (lid plate) functions as the entire lid portion. In this covering clamp, a rack 21 connected and fixed to a movable side clamp 22 via a fixed pin 22 is meshed with a pinion gear 24 connected to an output shaft of a motor 25 on a base 17 of a fusion splicer. . The cover clamp is configured to open and close the cover plate with respect to the base plate by moving the rack 21 up and down by forward and reverse rotation driving of the motor 25.
Hereinafter, this covering clamp is also referred to as a motor-driven covering clamp.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-160662

However, the above-described motor-driven covering clamp needs to arrange a lid plate opening / closing motor (hereinafter also referred to as a lid plate opening / closing motor) inside the fusion splicer. The fusion splicer has a high density of equipment such as a motor for advancing and retreating the covering clamp mounting base, a motor for focusing operation of a camera for optical fiber imaging, and components for transmitting driving force from these motors. It has a provided configuration. Further, in the case of a fusion splicer having an automatic aligning function, an optical fiber aligning motor set in the V grooves on both the left and right sides is also provided inside. Inside the fusion splicer, devices such as motors are arranged at high density. For this reason, incorporating a lid opening / closing motor inside the fusion splicer has a great influence on the device design, and it is a fact that the fusion splicer is inevitably increased in size and cost.
The motor-driven sheath clamp is configured to grip the optical fiber between the base plate and the cover plate by the driving force of the motor, and supplies power to the motor to maintain gripping and fixing of the coating portion of the optical fiber. It is necessary to continue, and the power consumption is large. For this reason, when the fusion splicer provided with the motor-driven sheath clamp is battery-driven outdoors, the number of fusion splicing until battery replacement is reduced.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention can realize reduction in work time and improvement in workability of optical fiber fusion splicing at a low cost with little (or no) effect on the size of the apparatus, and power consumption. An object of the present invention is to provide a fusion splicer that can avoid an increase in the number of splices.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following configuration.
The first invention, after fusion splicing has been completed, the power source of the power for the advancement of coated clamp installation base, via a drive mechanism for advancing the coating clamp installation stand, attached to the cover clamp installation stand An optical fiber fusion splicer is provided that transmits to a pin installed below a covering clamp lid of the covering clamp, and that the pin pushes up the covering clamp lid to open the covering clamp lid. To do.
2nd invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of 1st invention,
After the fusion splicing is completed, the drive mechanism by the power of the power source is separated from the cover clamp installation stand, covered by the power of the power source which is transmitted through the driving mechanism after separation from the coated clamp installation stand An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized by performing an operation of opening a clamp lid.
A third invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of the second invention,
When a part of the drive mechanism is retracted to separate from the coating clamp installation stand, push the pin through the link part, an optical fiber fusion splicer, wherein the pin pushing up the coating clamp lid provide.
The fourth invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of any one of the first to third inventions,
It has a windshield opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the windshield cover with a power source, and in addition to the power generated by the power source for advancing the covering clamp installation base, the power generated by the power source of the windshield opening / closing mechanism also opens the covering clamp lid. An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized by being used as power is provided.
A fifth invention has a windshield opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes a windshield cover by the power of a power source , and a covering clamp that can maintain a closed state by holding a covering clamp lid closed with respect to a lower clamp member, and is fused After the connection is completed and the cover clamp lid is lifted with respect to the clamp lower member by releasing the closed state of the cover clamp lid by the power of another power source different from the power source , the windshield only the power source of power closing mechanism is generated, to provide an optical fiber fusion splicer and performing an operation of opening the cover clamp lid.
6th invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of 4th or 5th invention,
The cover clamp lid and the windshield cover are connected to each other by a connecting means provided on the cover clamp lid and / or the windshield cover, and the operation of opening the cover clamp lid by the operation of opening the windshield cover is performed. A fiber fusion splicer is provided.
7th invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of 6th invention,
An optical fiber fusion splicer is provided in which the connecting means is a magnet for connecting the covering clamp lid and the windshield cover to each other by magnetic attraction.
The eighth invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of the sixth invention,
An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized in that the connecting means is a lid engaging protrusion that protrudes from the windshield cover and detachably engages with the cover clamp cover to connect the cover clamp cover to the windshield cover. I will provide a.
A ninth invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of any one of the first to eighth inventions,
The covering clamp is provided with an optical fiber fusion splicer, in which an elastic member acting in a direction to open the covering clamp lid is attached so that the covering clamp lid can be easily opened.
The tenth invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of any one of the first to ninth inventions,
A covering clamp which is fixed on the covering clamp mounting base using a fixing means and can be detached from the covering clamp mounting base by releasing the fixing means and mounted on the covering clamp mounting base so as to be removable. An optical fiber fusion splicer having a structure that can be exchanged with a fiber holder and capable of opening the lid of the fiber holder by the same mechanism as that for opening the cover clamp lid when the fiber holder is mounted.
The eleventh invention is the optical fiber fusion splicer of any one of the first to tenth inventions,
Provided is an optical fiber fusion splicer characterized by being able to switch between simultaneous opening of both sides and one-side automatic opening of a covering clamp lid that is opened after completion of fusion splicing of optical fibers by software setting.

The optical fiber fusion splicer according to the present invention automatically performs the operation of opening the covering clamp lid using the power source for advancing the covering clamp installation base after the fusion splicing is completed. For this reason, according to the present invention, the covering clamp lid can be opened easily and smoothly after the fusion splicing is completed, compared to the case where the operator manually opens the covering clamp lid. As a result, it is possible to shorten the work time for fusion splicing of optical fibers and improve workability.
Since the optical fiber fusion splicer according to the present invention is configured to use a power source for advancing the covering clamp installation table as a power source for opening the covering clamp lid, it is necessary to provide a separate power source dedicated to opening the covering clamp lid. No. That is, according to the present invention, the number of power sources installed can be saved. For this reason, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the work time and improve the workability of the fusion splicing of optical fibers at a low cost with little (or no) effect on the apparatus size. Moreover, the optical fiber fusion splicer according to the present invention can avoid an increase in power consumption by saving the number of installed power sources.
In addition, the optical fiber fusion splicer according to the present invention can manually open the closed cover clamp lid without damaging the components of the driving force transmission system for moving forward the cover clamp mount.

It is a front view which shows roughly the structure of the optical fiber fusion splicer of one Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the fusion splicer of the structure which has arrange | positioned the covering clamp on the both right and left sides of a heat-fusion part. It is a whole side view (right side view) which shows the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. 1, and is a figure which shows the state which closed the windshield cover. It is a sectional side view (right sectional view) which shows roughly the structure near the windshield cover of the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. 1, and is a figure which shows the state which closed the windshield cover. It is a top view which shows the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. 1 roughly, and is a figure which shows the state which closed the windshield cover. It is a top view which shows roughly the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. 1, and is a figure which shows the state which opened the windshield cover. As for the relationship between the installation base drive mechanism of the optical fiber fusion splicer shown in FIG. 1 and the covering clamp installation base, the movable shaft of the installation base driving mechanism (micrometer) and the gear with the pressing portion are the initial positions, and the coating clamp installation base is the fiber. It is a figure which shows the state in the position (line A) at the time of mounting | wearing schematically, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. Regarding the relationship between the installation drive mechanism of the optical fiber fusion splicer shown in FIG. 1 and the cover clamp installation stand, the movable shaft of the installation stand drive mechanism (micrometer) and the gear with the pressing part move forward from the initial position. It is a figure which shows roughly the state which the coating | covering clamp installation stand which advanced reached | attained the line B, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. Regarding the relationship between the installation stand drive mechanism and the cover clamp installation stand of the optical fiber fusion splicer shown in FIG. 1, the movable shaft of the installation stand drive mechanism (micrometer) and the gear with the pressing portion move to the rear side from the initial position. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the clamp opening mechanism that is driven in association with this causes the covering clamp lid of the covering clamp to rotate up and release the holding and fixing of the optical fiber, (a) is a plan view, and (b). Is a front view. With respect to the relationship between the installation stand drive mechanism of the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. 1 and the covering clamp installation stand, from the states of FIGS. 8A and 8B, the movable shaft and the press of the installation stand drive mechanism (micrometer) It is a figure which shows roughly the state which the gear with a part further retreated, and the covering clamp installation base reached the position of the back side (line D) rather than the position at the time of fiber attachment, (a) is a top view, (b) Is a front view. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an installation base advance mechanism (including an installation base drive mechanism), a clamp release mechanism, a covering clamp installation base, and a covering clamp of the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a state where the movable shaft and the gear with the pressing portion are in the initial position and the covering clamp mounting base is in the fiber mounting position. It is a figure explaining the structure of the installation base advance mechanism of FIG. 10, (a) is a top view, (b) is the outer periphery gear part of the sleeve-like gear main body of the gear with a press part of an installation base drive mechanism (micrometer). FIG. 4C is an enlarged view for explaining the relationship between the drive gear rotated by the power generated by the forward mechanism power source, and FIG. 4C is a movable shaft for the rear side wall portion of the gear with the pressing portion of the installation base drive mechanism (micrometer). It is a figure explaining an example (press-fit) of a fixed structure. It is the perspective view which looked at the installation stand advance mechanism of FIG. 10, the clamp release mechanism, the covering clamp installation stand, and the covering clamp from the oblique rear side. It is the perspective view which looked at the installation stand drive mechanism of the installation stand advance mechanism, the covering clamp installation stand, and the covering clamp from the obliquely rear viewpoint in the state shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the installation base drive mechanism of the installation base advance mechanism, the covering clamp installation base, and the covering clamp are viewed from a different perspective from FIG. It is a figure, (a), (b) is the perspective view seen from a mutually different viewpoint. It is a schematic diagram explaining the relationship between the engagement recessed part formed in the link components of the clamp release mechanism, and the engagement protrusion provided on the release lever shaft, and (a) shows the clamp release mechanism in the initial state. FIG. 15B is a diagram showing a state in which the link part of the clamp release mechanism is retracted compared to the state of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating drive control setting switching (software setting switching) of the installation base advance mechanism (more specifically, the advance mechanism power source) of the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. One-side automatic opening that automatically opens only one of the left and right covering clamps, and (b) shows both-side simultaneous opening that automatically opens the left and right covering clamps simultaneously. It is a figure which shows the modification of the windshield cover of the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. 1, and is a cross section which shows the structure of a two-part split-type windshield cover which consists of a pair of cover members each rotationally driven by a separate power source for opening and closing FIG. Optical fiber fusion splicing employing a windshield cover in which a magnet for magnetically attracting the cover clamp cover of the cover clamp on the cover clamp mounting base is attached to one inner side of the pair of cover members of the windshield cover illustrated in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view showing the neighborhood of a windshield cover and a covering clamp of a machine, and shows the state where a windshield cover was closed and a covering clamp lid of a covering clamp was rotated up from a closed state by a push-up pin. FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the windshield cover and the covering clamp of the optical fiber fusion splicer of FIG. 18, and by opening the pair of cover members of the windshield cover, one cover member is attracted by the magnet's inner suction force. An operation of opening together with the held covering clamp lid is shown. FIG. 20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the windshield cover and the covering clamp, illustrating a state when the covering clamp lid of the covering clamp of FIG. 19 has reached the open limit position. FIG. 17 shows the vicinity of a windshield cover and a covering clamp of an optical fiber fusion splicer that employs a windshield cover having a structure in which a lid engaging protrusion is provided as a connecting means on one of a pair of cover members of the windshield cover illustrated in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view, and shows the state where the windshield cover was closed and the cover clamp lid of the cover clamp was rotated up from the closed state by the push-up pin. It is an expanded sectional view of the vicinity of a windshield cover and a covering clamp explaining a state when the covering clamp lid of the covering clamp of FIG. 21 has reached the open limit position. It is a perspective view explaining the advancing / retreating unit comprised with the modification of the covering clamp installation stand provided in an optical fiber fusion splicer, and this covering clamp installation stand, an installation stand advance mechanism, and a clamp release mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the covering clamp on the covering clamp installation stand of the advance / retreat mechanism of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which mounted the fiber holder on the covering clamp installation stand of the advance / retreat mechanism of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the clamp unit provided in the windshield cover. It is a perspective view which shows the clamp support member of the clamp unit of FIG. It is a figure which shows the time of a clamp release mechanism in the initial state about the advancing / retreating unit located in the left side when the fusion splicer of FIG. 1 is seen from the front side, (a) is an oblique back side of the advancing / retreating unit. (B) is the perspective view which looked at the advance / retreat unit from the diagonally rear side at an angle different from (a). FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a state in which the push-up pin of the clamp release mechanism pushes up the closed cover clamp lid and slightly opens the lower clamp member with respect to the advance / retreat unit of FIG. The perspective view seen from the diagonal rear side, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the advance / retreat unit from the diagonal rear side at an angle different from (a). In a general coated clamp used in a coated clamp type fusion splicer, the force between the gripping rubber member and the base plate and the force between the base plate and the cover plate are attracted by the magnet. It is a graph which shows the relationship with the gripping force which acts on.

Hereinafter, an optical fiber fusion splicer according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as a fusion splicer) will be described with reference to the drawings.
1-5 is a figure explaining the whole structure of this fusion splicer 20. As shown in FIG.
A fusion splicer 20 (indicated by reference numeral 20A in the figure) shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 is a cover clamp type fusion splicer.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 9A is added to one of a pair of optical fibers 9 to be fusion-connected by the fusion splicer 20A, and reference numeral 9B is added to the other.
As the optical fiber 9 exemplified here, a coating material 9c (coating coating) made of synthetic resin is attached to the outer periphery of the optical fiber glass portion 9a (bare optical fiber), such as an optical fiber core wire or an optical fiber strand, A coated optical fiber having an integrated configuration is used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to 5, the fusion splicer 20 </ b> A includes an outer appearance box-shaped device main body 21 and a pair of movable stages that are incorporated in the upper portion of the device main body 21 and are spaced apart from each other. 22. The fusion splicer 20A includes a pair of electrode rods 24, a covering clamp 50 attached to each movable stage 22, one pair of groove forming substrates 23, and a windshield cover 60 on the apparatus main body 21. And have.
The fusion splicer 20 </ b> A can heat-fuse the tips of the optical fibers 9 </ b> A and 9 </ b> B by discharge between the tapered tips of the pair of electrode rods 24 facing each other.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the pair of electrode rods 24 are provided to be separated from each other via a discharge portion 24 a that is a region (space) between tips facing each other.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of movable stages 22 are provided to be separated from each other in a direction orthogonal to the interval direction of the pair of electrode bars 24.
As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the interval direction between the pair of electrode bars 24 and the interval direction between the pair of movable stages 22 are perpendicular to the vertical direction of the apparatus (the vertical direction in FIGS. 1 to 3).
The “device vertical direction” refers to the vertical direction of the device main body 21 with the upper surface 21a on which the electrode rods 24 are disposed on the upper side and the lower surface opposite to the upper surface 21a on the lower side (in FIG. 1 to FIG. Direction).

In the present specification, with respect to the fusion splicer 20, the distance direction between the pair of movable stages 22 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 1, the depth direction in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, the vertical direction in FIG. 4, FIG. 5) is the horizontal direction. The description will be made assuming that the interval direction between the pair of electrode rods 24 (the depth direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 19 and the left-right direction in FIGS. 2 to 5) is the front-rear direction.
As shown in FIG. 2, the fusion splicer 20 includes a monitor device 31 and a reinforcing sleeve heater 32 that are provided in the device main body 21 so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction.
The fusion splicer 20 will be described with the monitoring device 31 side (left side in FIGS. 2 and 3) as the front and the reinforcing sleeve heater 32 side (right side in FIGS. 2 and 3) as the rear. 4 and 5, the left side is the front and the right side is the rear.
1 to 3 and 20, the upper side is the upper side, the lower side is the lower side, the front side is the upper side in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the rear side is the lower side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the monitor device 31 is configured in a panel shape.
A hinge pin 31b for rotatably supporting the monitor device 31 with respect to the device main body 21 is attached to the upper front side of the device main body 21. Specifically, the hinge pin 31b is supported by a protruding portion 21c that protrudes from the upper portion of the front surface 21b (the front surface of the housing 29) of the apparatus main body 21 to the front side of the connecting device.
The monitor device 31 extends in a direction opposite to the hinge pin 31b from a base end portion 31a attached to the device main body 21 via a hinge pin 31b. The monitor device 31 can change the orientation with respect to the device main body 21 around the axis line in the left-right direction of the connecting device by rotating around the hinge pin 31b. The monitor device 31 has a rotational resistance with respect to the device main body 21 that can be manually rotated with respect to the device main body 21 by an operator directly touching with a hand, and is stationary in a desired direction with respect to the device main body 21 when no rotational force is applied. It has been adjusted to such a strength (size) that it can be made to occur.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus main body 21 of the fusion splicer 20 incorporates a camera 71 for imaging an optical fiber disposed in the discharge unit 24a (or the vicinity thereof). The fusion splicer 20 can display an image captured by the camera 71 on the display surface 31c of the monitor device 31 (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 3, the camera 71 is incorporated in two places of the apparatus main body 21 that are shifted in position in the front-rear direction. Of the two cameras 71, reference numeral 71a in the figure is added to the first camera located on the front side, and reference numeral 71b is added to the second camera located in the rear side.
The apparatus body 21 also incorporates lenses 73a and 73b arranged on the discharge unit 24a side of the cameras 71a and 71b. Each camera 71a, 71b images the discharge part 24a and the optical fiber 9 arranged in the vicinity thereof via lenses 73a, 73b provided in the apparatus main body 21.

Inside the windshield cover 60, imaging light sources 72a and 72b for irradiating light when imaging with the camera 71 are disposed in the vicinity of the discharge portion 24a.
The fusion splicer 20 illuminates the optical fiber 9 with two imaging light sources 72a and 72b from two directions, and the two lenses 73a and 73b and the two cameras 71a and 71b illuminate the optical fiber 9 from the respective directions. The two-axis observation that images with two axes is realized.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the fusion splicer 20, when the windshield cover 60 is closed, the imaging light source 72a and the second camera 71b inside the windshield cover 60 are arranged to face each other via the discharge unit 24a. The imaging light source 72b and the first camera 71a are disposed to face each other via the discharge unit 24a.

As the imaging light sources 72a and 72b, for example, light emitting diodes or the like can be suitably used.
The imaging light sources 72a and 72b may be turned on at least when the camera 71 captures an optical fiber. For this reason, the imaging light sources 72a and 72b can be turned on only when the optical fiber is imaged by the camera 71, for example, and can be turned off otherwise.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reinforcing sleeve heater 32 is fixed on the rear end portion of the apparatus main body upper surface 21a.
The reinforcement sleeve heater 32 heat-shrinks the heat-shrinkable reinforcement sleeve extrapolated to the fusion connection portion between the optical fibers 9A and 9B after the completion of the fusion connection and connection portion inspection of the optical fibers 9A and 9B. This is a device for fixing to the optical fibers 9A and 9B.

When an operator performs a fusion splicing operation between the optical fibers 9 using the fusion splicer 20, the fusion splicer 20 should be used in such a direction that the front side (front side) is the worker side. Is preferred.
The monitor device 31 is preferably oriented along the front surface 21 b with respect to the device main body 21. When the monitor device 31 is oriented along the front surface 21b with respect to the device main body 21, the back surface opposite to the display surface 31c is disposed facing the device main body front surface 21b. The monitor device 31 has an orientation along the front surface 21b with respect to the device main body 21, thereby facilitating the operator to visually recognize the display surface 31c from the front side of the fusion splicer 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the movable stage 22 functions as a covering clamp mounting base for attaching a covering clamp 50 (specifically, a clamp lower member 51 described later).
The covering clamp 50 is a plate-like clamp lower member 51 fixed on the movable stage 22, and a plate that is pivotally attached to the clamp lower member 51 and is openable and closable with respect to the upper surface 51 a of the clamp lower member 51. And a clamp upper member 52 (hereinafter also referred to as a covering clamp lid).
As shown in FIG. 5, the covering clamp lid 52 is rotatably attached to the lower clamp member 51 via a pivot 53 provided at the end of the lower clamp member 51 on the apparatus rear side (rear side of the connecting machine). Yes.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 14A, the movable stage 22 includes a plate-shaped installation base body 22a and one side of the installation base body 22a in the front-rear direction of the connecting machine (in the illustrated example, the rear side of the connecting machine). And a forward force receiving protrusion 22c that protrudes from the side surface.
Specifically, the lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 is fixed on the upper surface 22 b of the installation base body 22 a of the movable stage 22.

The protruding position of the forward force receiving protrusion 22c relative to the installation base body 22a is other than on the installation base body 22a, and the installation base pushing member 82b of the installation base advance mechanism 80 that advances the movable stage 22 toward the discharge portion 24a. Is not limited to one side in the front-rear direction of the connecting machine of the installation base body 22a.
The protruding position of the forward force receiving projection 22c with respect to the installation base body 22a may be, for example, the lower part of the installation base body 22a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the covering clamp 50 can hold and fix the optical fiber 9 between the lower clamp member 51 and the covering clamp lid 52. Specifically, the covering clamp 50 grips the covering portion 9d between the lower clamp member 51 and the covering clamp lid 52, which is a portion where the outer periphery of the optical fiber glass portion 9a of the optical fiber 9 is covered with the covering material 9c. It is to be fixed. Further, the covering clamp 50 can switch between holding and releasing the optical fiber 9 by opening and closing the covering clamp lid 52 with respect to the lower clamp member upper surface 51a.

The covering clamp 50 covers the lower clamp member 51 as a clamp lid holding means that holds the closed covering clamp lid 52 with respect to the lower clamp member 51 and maintains the closed state of the lower cover clamp 51 with respect to the lower clamp member 51. A permanent magnet 55 (a magnet for closing the lid, see FIG. 10) that magnetically attracts the metal portion of the clamp lid 52 is incorporated.
As the clamp lid holding means, a configuration in which the holding state of the covering clamp lid 52 can be realized and the holding can be manually released simply by manually closing the covering clamp lid 52 on the lower clamp member 51 is employed. The covering clamp 50 of the fusion splicer 20A is a clamp lower member 51 without causing slippage of the optical fiber even when a tensile load of 1.96 to 2.26N is applied to the optical fiber by the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 55. It is possible to stably maintain the gripping and fixing state between the cover and the covering clamp lid 52. Moreover, in the covering clamp 50, the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 55 is set to a strength that allows the operator to manually perform the opening / closing operation on the lower clamp member 51 by directly operating the covering clamp lid 52 with fingers. It has a configuration.

  The clamp lid holding means is not limited to a permanent magnet that magnetically attracts the metal portion of the covered clamp lid 52. As the clamp lid holding means, for example, one using an engaging claw that can be manually engaged and disengaged can be adopted. As the clamp lid holding means, a conventionally known one can be used for the cover clamp of the fusion splicer.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 14A, the covering clamp 50 elastically biases the covering clamp lid 52 to open the limit position relative to the lower clamp member 51 (the position of the covering clamp lid 52 shown in FIG. 10). And an elastic member 56 (hereinafter also referred to as an opening assist elastic member). FIG. 10 shows a state where the covering clamp lid 52 is in the open limit position.
In the illustrated covering clamp 50, the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 is specifically a torsion spring provided by being extrapolated to the pivot 53. Hereinafter, when the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 indicates a torsion spring, the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 is also referred to as a torsion spring.

The magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 55 takes into account the elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56, and even if a tensile load of 1.96 to 2.26N is applied to the optical fiber, the covering clamp does not occur. The gripping and fixing state of the optical fiber at 50 can be stably maintained, and the operator can directly set the opening and closing operation of the covering clamp lid 52 with fingers.
The opening auxiliary elastic member 56 may be any member that can elastically bias the covering clamp lid 52 in the opening direction and rotate it to the opening limit position, and is not limited to a torsion spring.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the opening limit position of the covering clamp lid 52 is when the covering clamp lid 52 is rotated at an angle greater than 90 degrees and 120 degrees or less from a state where the covering clamp cover 52 is closed to the lower clamp member 51 (closed state). Position.
The elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 can rotate the covering clamp lid 52 opened with respect to the lower clamp member 51 to the opening limit position, and the lower covering member 51 can move the covering clamp lid 52 at the opening limit position. It is set in a range where manual closing can be performed easily.

Setting the opening limit position of the covering clamp lid 52 to a position rotated at an angle of 90 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less from the state where the covering clamp cover 52 is closed to the lower clamp member 51 is relative to the lower clamp member 51. There is an advantage that the opened covering clamp lid 52 can be reliably prevented from falling to the clamp lower member 51 side by its own weight.
Further, this configuration is such that the covering clamp lid 52 at the open limit position stands up from the lower clamp member 51.

For example, when the covering clamp lid 52 opened with respect to the lower clamp member 51 falls to the opposite side of the lower clamp member 51 via the pivot 53 in the front-rear direction of the connecting machine, When manually closing the covering clamp lid 52 on the lower clamp member 51, it is necessary to raise the covering clamp lid 52 from the upper surface 21a of the apparatus main body. Further, it is necessary to rotate the covering clamp lid 52 about 180 degrees.
On the other hand, the configuration in which the opening limit position of the covering clamp lid 52 is set to a position rotated by an angle of 90 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less from the state where the covering clamp cover 52 is closed to the clamp lower member 51 is as follows. The cover clamp lid 52 in the position can be easily closed to the clamp lower member 51 simply by rotating the cover clamp lid 52 so as to be tilted manually toward the clamp lower member upper surface 51a. Therefore, the configuration in which the opening limit position is set at a position rotated from the state in which the covering clamp lid 52 is closed to the lower clamp member 51 by an angle of 90 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less is the covering clamp opened to the lower clamp member 51. The operation of manually closing the lid 52 can be performed efficiently and easily.

The attraction force of the permanent magnet 55 acting on the covering clamp lid 52 is rapidly reduced by the increase in the distance of the covering clamp lid 52 from the permanent magnet 55.
The covering clamp 50 has an elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 such that the covering clamp cover 52 is slightly lifted with respect to the lower clamp member 51, for example, the rotation angle of the covering clamp cover 52 with respect to the lower clamp member 51 is less than 30 degrees. And the attractive force of the permanent magnet 55 acting on the covering clamp lid 52 is equal. The position of the covering clamp lid 52 (position by rotation with respect to the lower clamp member 51) when the elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 and the attracting force of the permanent magnet 55 acting on the covering clamp lid 52 are equal to each other will be described below. -Also called biasing force balance position (suction / opening power balance position).

When the covering clamp lid 52 in a closed state with respect to the lower clamp member 51 is opened, the elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 is applied to the covering clamp lid 52 when the covering clamp lid 52 exceeds the suction / biasing force balance position. It exceeds the attractive force of the acting permanent magnet 55. For this reason, if the covering clamp lid 52 rotates to a position exceeding the suction / biasing force balance position, the covering clamp lid 52 is rotated to the open limit position by the elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 thereafter.
Therefore, this covering clamp 50 can easily realize opening the covering clamp lid 52 closed with respect to the lower clamp member 51 to the open limit position.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the optical fiber 9 is attached to the fusion splicer 20 </ b> A by being held and fixed to the covering clamp 50.
The covering clamp 50 functions as a fiber attachment portion for attaching the optical fiber 9 to the fusion splicer 20A.

In the operation of fusion splicing the optical fibers 9A and 9B using the fusion splicer 20A, the covering clamp cover of the covering clamp 50 is opened with the windshield cover 60 opened as shown in FIG. The optical fiber 9 (covering portion 9d) is sandwiched between the lower clamp member 51 and the covering clamp lid 52 by manually opening and closing the member 52. As shown in FIG. 1, as the optical fiber 9 to be gripped and fixed to the covering clamp 50, the one in which the covering material 9c at the tip thereof is removed in advance to expose the optical fiber glass portion 9a is used. Further, the optical fiber 9 has a tip end side where the optical fiber glass portion 9a is exposed protruded from the covering clamp 50 toward the discharge portion 24a, and the optical fiber glass portion 9a is positioned on the positioning groove 23a formed on the groove forming substrate 23. Is held and fixed to the covering clamp 50.
A portion of the optical fiber 9 that protrudes from the covering clamp 50 (specifically, the lower clamp member 51) toward the discharge portion 24a is hereinafter also referred to as a protruding portion 90b.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the groove forming substrate 23 is provided one by one between the discharge part 24 a and the movable stage 22 on both the left and right sides thereof.
The groove forming substrates 23 on both the left and right sides are formed by positioning a pair of optical fibers 9A and 9B (specifically, the front end of the optical fiber glass portion 9a) mounted on the fusion splicer 20A by being held and fixed to the covering clamp 50 by positioning grooves 23a. Thus, the function of aligning with the same straight line (virtual straight line) in the left-right direction of the connecting device with high accuracy is achieved.

As shown in FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b), 16 (a), 16 (b), etc., the apparatus main body 21 is fixed to the casing 29 and is disposed on the upper side of the casing 29. On both the left and right sides of the discharge part 24a.
The upper support member 21d has a base portion 21e fixed to the housing 29 via components not shown, and a standing wall portion 21f protruding from the base portion 21e.
As shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B and the like, the groove forming substrate 23 is fixed to the standing wall portion 21f by being incorporated in an upper end recessed groove 21h that is recessed from the upper end of the standing wall portion 21f of the upper support member 21d. The groove forming substrate 23 is fixed to the housing 29 of the apparatus main body 21 via the upper support member 21d.
The upper end concave groove 21h of the upper support member 21d is formed so as to penetrate the upper end portion of the standing wall portion 21f of the upper support member 21d in the left-right direction of the connecting device. The upper surface 23b (substrate upper surface) of the groove forming substrate 23 is disposed at a position shifted downward (FIG. 6 (a) on the back side of the paper surface, FIG. 6 (b) lower side) from the upper end of the standing wall portion 21f of the upper support member 21d. Yes.
The positioning groove 23a of the groove forming substrate 23 is formed on the upper surface 23b (substrate upper surface) of the groove forming substrate 23 so as to extend along the horizontal direction of the connecting device.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the positioning groove 23a of the groove forming substrate 23 of the fusion splicer 20A of the illustrated example is a V-groove. However, the positioning groove 23a is not limited to the V groove as long as the optical fiber glass portion 9a exposed at the tip of the optical fiber 9 can be positioned with high accuracy. As the positioning groove 23a, for example, a round groove (groove having a semicircular cross section), a U groove, a trapezoidal groove, or the like can be employed.

As the groove forming substrate 23 of the fusion splicer 20A, a ceramic substrate can be suitably used in order to withstand the heat of discharge heating.
In an apparatus having an optical fiber axis alignment mechanism (fusion splicer), the left and right groove forming substrates 23 are respectively fixed on the left and right optical fiber axis alignment mechanisms. On the other hand, in the case of a fusion splicer that does not have an optical fiber axial alignment mechanism, a configuration in which the groove forming substrate 23 is directly fixed to the apparatus main body 21 can be employed.

6 (a), 6 (b) to 10 and FIGS. 12 (a) to 14 (a), (b) show the vicinity of one of the left and right movable stages 22 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6B, FIG. 7B, FIG. 8B, FIG. 9B, etc., the movable stage 22 is fixed to the casing 29 of the apparatus main body 21 and provided inside the upper part thereof. Guided by the provided rail 21r, it is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction with respect to the apparatus main body housing 29.

  Specifically, the rail 21r is fixed to the housing 29 of the apparatus main body 21, and is arranged to extend in the left-right direction of the connecting device.

As shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b), the rails 21r are provided on both the left and right sides via the discharge part 24a. The left and right movable stages 22 are each guided by a rail 21r and are movable in the left-right direction with respect to the apparatus main body 21, that is, are movable forward and backward toward the discharge part 24a.
As shown in FIG. 5, the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides are aligned with elongated window holes 29 b formed in the top plate portion 29 a of the apparatus main body housing 29 so as to extend in the left-right direction of the connecting device. It is provided on the movable stage 22 so that the whole is located on the upper surface 21a of the apparatus main body, which is the upper surface of the top plate portion 29a. The covering clamp 50 moves forward and backward together with the movable stage 22 toward the discharge portion 24a. The top plate portion 29 a of the apparatus main body housing 29 does not prevent the forward and backward movement of the covering clamp 50 and the movable stage 22 with respect to the discharge portion 24 a.

6 (a), 11 (a), (b) to FIG. 14 (a), (b), etc., the fusion splicer 20 is moved from a position where the movable stage 22 is separated from the discharge part 24a. An installation base advance mechanism 80 that moves (advances) toward the discharge unit 24a is provided. Also, as shown in FIGS. 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B, etc., the fusion splicer 20 has the movable stage 22 advanced by the installation base advance mechanism 80. Spring 83 for moving in a direction (retracting direction) to be elastically biased to move away from the discharge portion 24a, and a clamp for opening the closed cover clamp lid 52 with respect to the lower clamp member 51 of the cover clamp 50 And an opening mechanism 90.
The installation base advance mechanism 80, the proof spring 83, and the clamp release mechanism 90 are provided on both sides of the connecting machine in the left-right direction via the discharge part 24a.

As shown in FIG. 6B and the like, the proof spring 83 includes a protruding installation base spring receiving portion 22d protruding below the rear end of the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22 and the discharge of the rail 21r. It is interposed between the spring receiving member 27 fixed to the rear end opposite to the front end on the part 24a side. The installation stand spring receiving portion 22d is disposed at a position separated from the spring receiving member 27 in the direction opposite to the discharge portion 24a.
The proof spring 83 in the illustrated example is specifically a compression coil spring. The proof spring 83 is provided between the installation base spring receiving portion 22 d and the spring receiving member 27 so that the axial direction thereof is aligned with the interval direction between the installation base spring receiving portion 22 d and the spring receiving member 27.

  The installation base advancing mechanism 80 includes a power source 81 and an installation base pushing member 82 b that is moved in the left-right direction of the connecting machine by the driving force of the power source 81. The installation table pushing member 82b is moved forward (pushing) toward the discharge unit 24a from a position separated from the discharge unit 24a by pressing the movable stage 22 by the driving force of the power source 81. Then, a backward movement that is a movement in the opposite direction to the forward movement is performed. The movable stage 22 advances toward the discharge part 24a by being pushed by the installation table pushing member 82b from the side opposite to the discharge part 24a. As shown in FIG. 6A and the like, specifically, the installation table pushing member 82b of the installation table advance mechanism 80 has the advance force receiving protrusion 22c of the movable stage 22 from the side opposite to the discharge unit 24a. By pressing, the movable stage 22 is pushed and moved forward.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 11A, the installation base advancing mechanism 80 in the illustrated example is specifically driven by a power source 81 and a driving force of the power source 81 to move the movable stage. And a drive mechanism 82 (hereinafter also referred to as an installation table drive mechanism) that moves (advances) 22 toward the discharge unit 24a from a position separated from the discharge unit 24a. The installation table drive mechanism 82 has an installation table pushing member 82b (specifically, a movable shaft described later). The installation table pushing member 82 b of the installation table drive mechanism 82 can be moved forward and backward by the driving force of the power source 81. The installation table drive mechanism 82 pushes and advances the movable stage 22 toward the discharge part 24a by the forward movement of the installation table pressing member 82b.

Hereinafter, the power source 81 of the installation base advance mechanism 80 is also referred to as an advance mechanism power source.
The forward drive power source 81 is preferably one that generates power by being driven by electromagnetic force. For example, an electric motor, an electromagnet, a solenoid, or the like can be suitably employed.

6 (a), 11 (a), 11 (b) to 14 (a), 14 (b) and the like, the forward drive mechanism power source 81 is specifically an electric motor, and the installation base drive mechanism 82 is specific. Is a micrometer. Hereinafter, the forward drive power source 81 is also referred to as an electric motor, and the installation table drive mechanism 82 is also referred to as a micrometer.
FIG. 11A is an enlarged plan view showing the structure of the installation table drive mechanism 82 (micrometer). As shown in FIG. 11 (a) and the like, the micrometer 82 in the illustrated example includes a barrel 82a fixed to the casing 29 of the apparatus main body 21 via a fixing member (not shown), and is inserted into the barrel 82a. And a gear 82c with a pressing portion fixed to the movable shaft 82b.
The micrometer 82 is attached to the housing 29 by screwing a male screw portion 82 n formed on the outer periphery of the front end portion of the barrel 82 a into a female screw portion (not shown) formed in the housing 29. The female thread portion of the housing 29 is formed on a protrusion inside the housing 29. The internal thread portion barrel 82 a is fixed to the housing 29 by screwing an external thread portion 82 n into the housing 29. The external thread 82n at the outer periphery of the front end of the barrel 82a is shown only in FIG. 11 (a), and is not shown in other figures.
The movable shaft 82b is screwed into the barrel 82a by engaging a male screw portion 82h formed on the outer periphery of the central portion in the longitudinal direction (axis direction) with a female screw portion 82g formed on the inner peripheral surface of the barrel 82a. .
The gear 82c with a pressing portion is fixed to an end portion (rear end portion) protruding from the rear end portion (base end portion) of the barrel 82a of the movable shaft 82b.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the gear 82c with a pressing portion protrudes from the inner surface of the sleeve-shaped gear body 82d inside the cylindrical sleeve-shaped gear body 82d and one end in the axial direction of the sleeve-shaped gear body 82d. And a rear side wall portion 82k supported via the support member portion 82e.
The sleeve-like gear main body 82d of the gear 82c with a pressing portion accommodates the rear end portion (base end portion) of the barrel 82a inside thereof. The sleeve-shaped gear body 82d is externally inserted at the rear end portion of the barrel 82a. The rear side wall portion 82k is fixed to one end portion (rear end portion) in the axial direction of the movable shaft 82b, and is disposed on the rear side (base end side) of the barrel 82a. The movable shaft 82b has a rear end portion (base end portion) fixed to the rear side wall portion 82k of the gear 82c with a pressing portion, and is integrated with the gear 82c with a pressing portion.
The support member portion 82e protrudes from the rear side wall portion 82k in the radial direction of the movable shaft 82b and is disposed on the rear side of the trunk cylinder 82a, and bridges the rear side wall portion 82k and the rear end portion of the sleeve-like gear body 82d.
The gear 82c with a pressing portion includes a pressing protrusion 82f that protrudes from the rear side wall portion 82k to the side opposite to the movable shaft 82b.

As shown in FIG. 11 (c), the movable shaft 82b of the installation base drive mechanism 82 in the illustrated example has a fitting hole formed at its one end (rear end) in the rear side wall 82k of the gear 82c with a pressing portion. It is press-fitted into 82m and fixed and integrated with a gear 82c with a pressing portion.
The method for fixing and integrating one end (rear end) of the movable shaft 82b to the rear side wall portion 82k of the gear 82c with a pressing portion is not particularly limited, and for example, screwing or the like can be employed. Further, as the micrometer 82, a configuration in which the movable shaft 82b is integrally formed with the gear 82c with a pressing portion can be employed.

In FIG. 11A, the movable shaft 82b and the sleeve-like gear main body 82d of the gear 82c with the pressing portion are provided coaxially with the barrel 82a. The movable shaft 82b and the sleeve-like gear main body 82d are provided so as to be rotatable about the central axis of the barrel 82a with respect to the barrel 82a.
The movable shaft 82b rotates integrally with the gear 82c with the pressing portion by rotating the gear 82c with the pressing portion with respect to the barrel 82a. As a result, the movable shaft 82b moves relative to the trunk cylinder 82a in the axial direction of the trunk cylinder 82a by changing the screwing position of the male thread section 82h with the female thread section 82g inside the trunk cylinder 82a. Further, as the movable shaft 82b moves relative to the barrel 82a in the axial direction of the barrel 82a, the gear 82c with the pressing portion also moves relative to the barrel 82a in the axial direction of the barrel 82a integrally with the movable shaft 82b. To do.

6 (a) and 11 (a), the movable shaft 82b passes through the inside of the barrel 82a. 6 (a) and 11 (a), the movable shaft 82b has a distal end side opposite to the proximal end side fixed to the rear side wall portion 82k of the gear 82c with a pressing portion, and the distal end (front end) of the barrel cylinder 82a. ).
The micrometer 82 can change the projecting dimension of the movable shaft 82b from the tip of the barrel 82a by rotating the gear 82c with a pressing portion.

The micrometer 82 is provided such that the central axes of the trunk cylinder 82a and the movable shaft 82b are aligned in the left-right direction of the connecting device. Further, in the micrometer 82, in the left-right direction of the connecting machine, the front end of the barrel 82a is on the discharge part 24a side, and the side where the rear side wall part 82k and the pressing protrusion 82f with the pressing part are disposed is opposite to the discharge part 24a. It is provided in the apparatus main body 21 (inside the casing 29) in the direction of the side.
In this specification, with respect to the installation base drive mechanism 82, the discharge unit 24a side (left side in FIG. 11 (a)) in the left and right direction of the connecting device is front, and the opposite side to the discharge unit 24a (right side in FIG. 11 (a)) is rear. , And will be described.
Note that the movable stage 22, the covering clamp 50, the entire installation base advance mechanism 80, the proof spring 83, and the clamp release mechanism 90 are also disposed on the front side of the discharge unit 24a in the left-right direction of the connecting machine and on the side opposite to the discharge unit 24a. Will be described later. Hereinafter, the front side of the installation base advance mechanism 80 is also referred to as the drive mechanism front side, and the rear side is also referred to as the drive mechanism rear side.

As shown in FIG. 11A and the like, the rear side wall portion 82k and the pressing projection 82f of the gear 82c with a pressing portion are disposed on the rear side (rear side of the driving mechanism) of the rear end 82o of the barrel cylinder 82a. . The central portion of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the driving mechanism of the pressing projection 82f is located on the central axis of the sleeve-shaped gear body 82d.
As shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b), the gear 82c with a pressing portion is configured to use a gear portion 82i (hereinafter also referred to as an outer peripheral gear portion) formed on the outer periphery of the sleeve-like gear main body 82d as a forward mechanism power source. It is meshed with a gear 81b (hereinafter also referred to as a drive gear) fixed to a drive shaft 81a. The gear 82c with a pressing portion is rotated about its axis with respect to the barrel 82a by the rotational drive of the drive shaft 81a of the forward drive mechanism power source 81.

As shown in FIG. 6A, FIG. 11A, etc., the electric motor 81 has an exterior case 81d fixed to the housing 29 of the apparatus main body 21. The electric motor 81 has a configuration in which a drive gear 81b is coaxially fixed to a projecting portion (hereinafter also referred to as a shaft projecting portion) of a drive shaft 81a projecting from the outer case 81d. The drive shaft 81a and the drive gear 81b of the advancing mechanism power source 81 are rotationally driven with a rotation axis in the horizontal direction of the connecting machine.
Specifically, the outer case 81 d of the electric motor 81 is fixed to the auxiliary support member 21 g fixed to the casing 29 of the apparatus main body 21. The electric motor 81 (specifically, the outer case 81d) is attached to the housing 29 of the apparatus main body 21 via the auxiliary support member 21g.

The outer peripheral gear portion 82i of the sleeve-like gear main body 82d of the gear 82c with a pressing portion is configured by tooth portions 82j that protrude from a plurality of locations around the axis of the sleeve-like gear main body 82d. Each tooth portion 82j is formed in a ridge shape extending in the left-right direction of the connecting machine (front-rear direction of the drive mechanism).
At a plurality of locations on the outer periphery of the drive gear 81b of the advance mechanism power source 81, protruding tooth portions 81c extending in the front-rear direction of the connecting machine are provided. The tooth part 82j of the outer peripheral gear part 82i of the gear 82c with a pressing part and the tooth part 81c of the drive gear 81b of the advance mechanism power source 81 extend in parallel to each other. The tooth portion 81c of the drive gear 81b of the advance mechanism power source 81 is engaged with the outer peripheral gear portion 82i of the gear 82c with a pressing portion of the installation base drive mechanism 82.

The gear 82c with a pressing portion is rotated by the rotational drive of the drive shaft 81a and the drive gear 81b of the advance mechanism power source 81.
The forward mechanism power source 81 can switch forward and reverse in the rotational direction of the drive gear 81b.
As shown in FIGS. 6 (a), 7 (a), 8 (a), and 9 (a), the pressing portion-equipped gear 82c is rotated by the rotational drive of the drive gear 81b of the advance mechanism power source 81. By this, it moves with respect to the trunk cylinder 82a in the axial direction of the trunk cylinder 82a together with the movable shaft 82b. The rotation of the drive gear 81b of the advance mechanism power source 81 that moves the gear 82c with the pressing portion and the movable shaft 82b in the forward direction with respect to the barrel 82a is hereinafter referred to as forward rotation, and the drive gear in the direction opposite to the forward rotation. Hereinafter, the rotation of 81b is also referred to as reverse rotation.

  As described above, the tooth portion 82j of the outer peripheral gear portion 82i of the gear 82c with a pressing portion and the tooth portion 81c of the drive gear 81b of the advance mechanism power source 81 are formed to extend in parallel to each other. For this reason, the gear 82c with a pressing portion is rotated by the rotational drive of the drive gear 81b of the forward mechanism power source 81, and the axial direction of the drive shaft 81a with respect to the drive gear 81b of the forward mechanism power source 81 (connector left and right) And smoothly move in the axial direction of the barrel 82a with respect to the barrel 82a.

When the gear 82c with a pressing portion is rotated by the forward rotation drive of the drive gear 81b of the forward drive mechanism power source 81, the gear 82c is slid in the axial direction of the drive shaft 81a with respect to the drive gear 81b and is driven with respect to the barrel 82a. Move relative to the front.
Further, when the gear 82c with a pressing portion is rotated by the reverse rotation driving of the drive gear 81b of the forward drive mechanism power source 81, the gear 82c with respect to the barrel 82a is slid in the axial direction of the drive shaft 81a with respect to the drive gear 81b. Relative movement toward the drive mechanism rear side.

As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 7A, the movable shaft 82b of the installation base drive mechanism 82 is rotated (forward rotation) by the forward rotation drive of the forward drive mechanism power source 81. When the gear 82c with the pressing portion moves toward the front side of the drive mechanism with respect to the barrel cylinder 82a, the projecting dimension from the tip (front end) of the trunk cylinder 82a increases. The movable shaft 82b presses the movable stage 22 (specifically, the forward force receiving projection 22c) by the front end protruding from the front end of the barrel 82a, and advances (pushes) the movable stage 22 toward the discharge unit 24a. Move).
The movable shaft 82b of the installation base drive mechanism 82 functions as an installation base pushing member that pushes the movable stage 22 forward.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 11A, when the power switch (not shown) of the fusion splicer 20A is turned from the off state to the on state, the movable shaft 82b of the installation base drive mechanism 82 The side slightly protrudes from the tip of the barrel 82a. At this time, the movable shaft 82b and the gear 82c with the pressing portion can move toward the front side of the drive mechanism with respect to the barrel cylinder 82a and move toward the rear side of the drive mechanism by rotating around the axis with respect to the barrel cylinder 82a. (The position shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 11A. Hereinafter also referred to as the initial position).

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 11A, the movable stage 22 is movable with the forward force receiving projection 22c in the initial position by the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83. The shaft 82b is pressed and brought into contact with the tip of the drive mechanism from the front side (discharge portion 24a side). At this time, the position of the movable stage 22 relative to the apparatus main body housing 29 in the left-right direction of the connecting device is also referred to as a fiber mounting position. The position when the fiber is mounted is farther from the discharge part 24a than the advance limit position (position shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B) of the movable stage 22 with respect to the discharge part 24a by driving the installation base advance mechanism 80. .
Hereinafter, the position of the covering clamp 50 when the movable stage 22 is in the fiber mounting position is also referred to as the fiber mounting position.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the fusion splicer 20A, when the power switch is turned from the off state to the on state, the left and right movable stages 22 and the covering clamps 50 are arranged at the fiber mounting position.
At this time, the proof spring 83 is slightly compressed between the installation base spring receiving portion 22 d and the spring receiving member 27.

As shown in FIGS. 10, 12 to 14A, 14B, etc., the clamp release mechanism 90 includes a link component 91, an open lever shaft 92 (see FIGS. 10 and 13), and the open lever shaft. And an open lever 93 which is fixed to the open shaft 92 and rotates integrally with the open lever shaft 92.
The release lever shaft 92 is shown only in FIG. 10, FIG. 13, FIG. 15 (a), (b), FIG. 16 (a), (b), and FIG. ing.
As shown in FIG. 6B, FIG. 7B, etc., the covering clamp 50 has a push-up pin 54 provided on the lower clamp member 51 so as to be movable up and down. As shown in FIG. 8B, FIG. 9B, and the like, the push-up pin 54 is lifted with respect to the lower clamp member 51 to push up the closed cover clamp lid 52 to the lower clamp member 51. It is open to the public.

The release lever 93 of the clamp release mechanism 90 is rotated together with the release lever shaft 92 by the driving force of the advance mechanism power source 81 transmitted through the link component 91, and pushes up the push-up pin 54. The clamp release mechanism 90 opens the covering clamp lid 52 closed to the clamp lower member 51 with respect to the clamp lower member 51 when the release lever 93 driven to rotate pushes up the push-up pin 54.
The release lever 93 functions as a pin push-up member that pushes up the push-up pin 54 by the driving force of the advance mechanism power source 81.

As shown in FIGS. 6A, 7A, etc., the link component 91 in the illustrated example includes a rod-like main body 91a extending in the left-right direction of the connecting device, and a front end of the rod-like main body 91a on the discharge portion 24a side Is a rod-shaped cross member 91b protruding from the opposite rear end to one side in the longitudinal direction of the connecting device (in the illustrated example, the rear side of the connecting device), and a driving force receiving portion protruding from the protruding end of the cross member 91b toward the discharge portion 24a. 91c.
The projecting end of the driving force receiving portion 91c of the link component 91 is disposed on the rear side (driving mechanism rear side) of the pressing projection 82f at the rear end of the gear 82c with the pressing portion of the micrometer 82. 6A, the protruding end of the driving force receiving portion 91c is in contact with the rear end of the pressing protrusion 82f of the gear 82c with the pressing portion at the initial position of the micrometer 82.

As shown in FIGS. 10, 12 to 14 (a), (b), etc., the release lever shaft 92 is fixed to the apparatus main body housing 29 and is provided in a cylindrical bracket 921 provided in the housing 29. Is provided. The bracket 921 and the release lever shaft 92 are disposed below the rail 21r so as to extend along the central axis in the front-rear direction of the connecting device.
The bracket 921 is fixed to an apparatus main body casing 29 and is fixed to a support member (not shown) provided in the casing 29. The release lever shaft 92 is supported by a bracket 921 so as to be rotatable around its central axis.
The bracket 921 only needs to be able to support the release lever shaft 92 so as to be rotatable about its central axis, and the shape thereof is not limited to a cylindrical shape. For example, the release lever shaft 92 may be supported by a ring-shaped bracket 921 so as to be rotatable about the central axis of the release lever shaft 92 in a direction extending in the front-rear direction of the connecting device at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction. .

As shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 12, etc., the release lever 93 is integrally formed with an end portion on one side in the longitudinal direction of the elongated arm portion 93a and a push-up piece portion 93b protruding in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 93a. It is the member provided in.
The release lever 93 fixes the base end portion of the arm portion 93a opposite to the tip portion from which the push-up piece portion 93b protrudes in the longitudinal direction to the end portion on one side in the extending direction of the release lever shaft 92. ing. The arm portion 93 a of the release lever 93 is fixed to a portion protruding from the end portion of the bracket 921 of the release lever shaft 92. The arm portion 93a of the release lever 93 extends from the release lever shaft 92 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis.

16 (a) and 16 (b), the arm portion 93a base end portion of the release lever 93 of the clamp release mechanism 90 on the right side (right side in FIGS. The shaft 92 is fixed to the end of the connecting machine front side. The right-side installation base advancing mechanism 80 as viewed from the front side of the connecting machine is disposed on the rear side of the connecting machine with respect to the right movable stage 22 as viewed from the front side of the connecting machine.
28 (a), 28 (b), 29 (a), and 29 (b) show the movable stage 22 on the left side (left side in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b)) and the installation stage advance as seen from the front side of the connecting machine. The positional relationship with the mechanism 80 and the clamp release mechanism 90 is shown. As shown in FIGS. 16A, 16B, 28A, 28B, 29A, and 29B, the release lever 93 of the clamp release mechanism 90 on the left side when viewed from the front side of the connecting machine. The base end portion of the arm portion 93a is fixed to the end portion of the open lever shaft 92 (see FIG. 29A) on the front side of the connecting device. The installation base advancing mechanism 80 on the left side as viewed from the front side of the connection machine is disposed on the front side of the connection machine relative to the left movable stage 22 as viewed from the front side of the connection machine.

The push-up pin 54 of the covering clamp 50 is inserted into a pin insertion hole 51b (see FIG. 6B) that penetrates the thickness of the plate-like clamp lower member 51, and is provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the clamp lower member 51. Yes.
The pin insertion hole 51b is illustrated only in FIG. 6B, and is not illustrated in other drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the push-up pin 54 has a head 54b of a size that cannot be inserted into the pin insertion hole 51b at one end in the longitudinal direction of the pin body 54a having a thickness that can be inserted into the pin insertion hole 51b. Have. The push-up pin 54 is provided in the covering clamp 50 with the pin main body 54 a inserted into the pin insertion hole 51 b and the head 54 b disposed on the clamp lower member 51. The longitudinal dimension of the pin body 54a is longer than the axial dimension of the pin insertion hole 51b.

  6B and 10, the head 54b of the push-up pin 54 is accommodated in a head accommodating recess 51c formed in the clamp lower member 51 so as to be recessed from the upper surface 51a, and the bottom surface 51d of the head accommodating recess 51c. It is in contact with the bottom of the housing recess. The pin main body 54a protrudes downward from the lower clamp member 51 from the portion accommodated in the pin insertion hole 51b.

Hereinafter, the position of the push-up pin 54 with respect to the lower clamp member 51 shown in FIG. 6B and FIG.
When the push-up pin 54 is at the lower limit position, the entire head 54b of the push-up pin 54 is housed in the head housing recess 51c. For this reason, the head 54 b of the push-up pin 54 at the lower and lower limit position does not come into contact with the covered clamp lid 52 closed to the lower clamp member 51, and does not obstruct the closing of the covered clamp lid 52 with respect to the lower clamp member 51.

  As shown in FIG. 10 and the like, the pin insertion hole 51b of the lower clamp member 51 is connected to the front end of the lower connecting member 51 in the front-rear direction of the connecting machine (the rear side of the connecting machine on which the installation base advance mechanism 80 is disposed). Is formed at the opposite end). The push-up pin 54 is provided at the end of the lower clamp member 51 on the front side of the connecting machine so as to be movable up and down (more specifically, movable in the axial direction of the pin insertion hole 51b). Further, the push-up pin 54 is located at a position separated from the release lever shaft 92 toward the discharge unit 24a side (front side of the release mechanism) in the left-right direction of the connecting machine.

As shown in FIGS. 6B and 10, the arm portion 93 a of the release lever 93 extends from the release lever shaft 92 to the discharge portion 24 a side (front side of the release mechanism) in the connecting machine left-right direction. The push-up piece portion 93b of the release lever 93 protrudes upward from the tip end portion of the arm portion 93a.
In FIG. 6B and FIG. 10, the push-up piece 93 b of the release lever 93 is disposed below the lower end 54 c of the push-up pin 54 at the lift lower limit position.

Regarding the clamp release mechanism 90, the state shown in FIGS. 6B and 10 is also referred to as an initial state.
When the clamp release mechanism 90 is in the initial state, the protruding end of the driving force receiving portion 91c of the link component 91 contacts the rear end of the pressing protrusion 82f of the gear 82c with the pressing portion at the initial position of the micrometer 82, and the release lever 93 The push-up piece portion 93b is disposed below the lower end of the push-up pin 54 at the lower limit position.

In the initial state of the clamp release mechanism 90, the driving force receiving portion 91c protruding end of the link component 91 is rearward from the rear end of the pressing protrusion 82f of the gear 82c with the pressing portion at the initial position of the micrometer 82 (driving mechanism). It is good also as a state arrange | positioned spaced apart through a slight clearance in the rear side.
6B and 10, the protruding end of the push-up piece portion 93 b of the release lever 93 is in contact with the lower end 54 c of the push-up pin 54, but the initial state of the clamp release mechanism 90 is that of the release lever 93. The protruding end of the push-up piece portion 93b may be in a state of being spaced apart from the lower end of the push-up pin 54 downward with a slight gap.

As shown in FIG. 8A, FIG. 9A, etc., the gear 82c with a pressing portion of the micrometer 82 is rotated by the reverse rotation drive of the drive shaft 81a of the electric motor 81, so that the barrel 82a On the other hand, it can move from the initial position to the rear side of the drive mechanism.
The link component 91 of the clamp release mechanism 90 in the initial state is such that when the gear 82c with the pressing portion of the micrometer 82 is moved to the rear side of the drive mechanism from the initial position, the pressing protrusion at the rear end of the gear 82c with the pressing portion. By 82f, it is pushed in the direction away from the discharge part 24a (the opening mechanism rear side) (see FIG. 8A and FIG. 9A).

The link component 91 moves in the left-right direction of the connecting device while being guided by a guide member (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body housing 29.
While the link component 91 is guided by the guide member, the rod-shaped main body 91a extends in the left-right direction of the connecting device, and the cross member 91b extends from the rear end of the rod-shaped main body 91a to one side of the connecting device in the front-rear direction (in the illustrated example, the rear side of the connecting device). ) Move in the left-right direction of the connecting device while maintaining the posture protruding to).

As shown in FIGS. 14 (a), 14 (b), 15 (a) and 15 (b), the discharge part 24a side of the rod-shaped main body 91a of the link component 91 (the right side in FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b)). An engaging recess 91d that is recessed from the side surface of the outer periphery of the rod-shaped main body 91a is formed at the front end portion.
The link component 91 accommodates an engaging protrusion 92a projecting from the outer periphery of the end opposite to the opening lever 93 of the opening lever shaft 92 in the engaging recess 91d at the front end of the rod-shaped main body 91a. The engaging protrusion 92 a is provided so as to protrude from the end of the bracket 921 of the opening lever shaft 92.

When the link component 91 is pushed by the pressing projection 82f from the initial state, the clamp release mechanism 90 has a step 91e at the front end position of the engaging recess 91d of the rod-shaped main body 91a (see FIGS. 15A and 15B). (Hereinafter also referred to as a step on the front side) pushes the engagement protrusion 92a of the release lever shaft 92 from the discharge portion 24a side to rotate the release lever shaft 92. As a result, the release lever 93 rotates together with the release lever shaft 92 from the state shown in FIG. 6B in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6B. As a result, the clamp release mechanism 90 can push up the push-up pin 54 by raising the push-up piece 93b of the release lever 93 that rotates together with the release lever shaft 92.
In the fusion splicer 20A, the gear 82c with the pressing portion of the installation table drive mechanism 82 pushes the link component 91 of the clamp release mechanism 90, so that the release lever 93 pushes the push pin 54 and the cover clamp of the cover clamp 50. The lid 52 is configured to be able to be pushed up from a state in which the lid 52 is closed to the clamp lower member 51 to a position where the lid 52 is rotated upward from the suction / biasing force balance position.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the windshield cover 60 is attached to the apparatus main body 21 via a rotation shaft 61 supported on the apparatus main body 21 so as to be rotatable with a rotation axis in the horizontal direction of the connecting device. The fusion splicer 20 rotates the windshield cover 60 around the rotation shaft 61 by the driving force of an electric power source 69 (see FIG. 2, a windshield opening / closing power source) incorporated in the housing 29 of the apparatus main body 21. Thus, the apparatus main body 21 can be opened and closed.
The electric power source 69 in the illustrated example is specifically an electric motor. The windshield cover 60 is opened and closed by the driving force of the electric motor 69 transmitted via a driving force transmission system (not shown).
Further, in the drawing, a reference numeral 61 a is attached to the rotating shaft 61 on the right side in the left-right direction of the connecting machine (right side when viewed from the front side of the connecting machine), and a reference numeral 61 b is added to the rotating shaft 61 on the left side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the windshield cover 60 includes a cover body 62 having an elongated structure extending in a U-shaped cross section, and ends provided substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cover body 62 at both longitudinal ends thereof. It is comprised in the elongate container shape which has wall part 63a, 63b (refer FIG. 5). The end wall portions 63a and 63b on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the cover main body 62 are provided so as to block both ends in the extending direction of the groove-shaped space inside the cover main body 62.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and the like, the cover body 62 of the illustrated windshield cover 60 includes an elongated plate-like top wall portion 64, and one side of the ceiling wall portion 64 from both ends in the width direction of the ceiling wall portion 64. A pair of side wall portions 65a and 65b projecting in a rib shape over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the top wall portion 64 are provided on the side.
An inner space 66 (hereinafter also referred to as a cover inner space 66) surrounded by the cover main body 62 and the end wall portions 63a and 63b on both sides in the longitudinal direction is provided on the opposite side of the cover main body 62 from the top wall 64. The main body 62 is open over the entire length in the longitudinal direction.

The windshield cover 60 is attached to the apparatus main body 21 via the rotating shaft 61 at one end of both ends (both ends of the cross section) of the cover main body 62 on the cross-sectional opening side (lower side in FIGS. 2 and 3). Is provided to be rotatable.
Further, the windshield cover 60 is provided on the apparatus main body 21 with its longitudinal direction aligned in the horizontal direction of the connecting device.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating shaft 61 of the windshield cover 60, the pair of electrode rods 24, the covering clamp 50 on each movable stage 22, and the pair of groove forming substrates 23 are arranged on the front side in the longitudinal direction of the connecting machine. The hinge pin 31b and the rear reinforcing sleeve heater 32 are provided. The movable stage 22 is also provided between the hinge pin 31b and the reinforcing sleeve heater 32 in the front-rear direction of the connecting machine.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the windshield cover 60 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21, the end portions of the cover main body 62 and the end wall portions 63 a and 63 b on the opening side of the cover inner space 66 are arranged. It contacts the apparatus main body upper surface 21a. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when the windshield cover 60 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21, a pair of electrode rods 24 positioned on the apparatus main body 21 and a covering on each movable stage 22 are disposed inside the windshield cover 60. The clamp 50 and the pair of groove forming substrates 23 are accommodated.
When the windshield cover 60 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21, the entire upper side of the movable stage 22 is covered with the windshield cover 60.

The fusion splicing between the optical fibers 9 using the fusion splicer 20 is performed with the windshield cover 60 closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21.
The windshield cover 60 closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21 covers both the electrode rods 24 and the discharge portions 24a between the electrode rods 24, and the wind outside the windshield cover 60 affects the fusion splicing between the optical fibers 9. prevent.

As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 18, the end wall portions 63 a and 63 b on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the windshield cover 60 are notched (not shown) recessed from the end surface on the opening side of the cover inner space 66. A notch for insertion) is formed.
When the windshield cover 60 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21, the portion of the optical fiber 9 held and fixed to the covering clamp 50 on the upper surface 21a of the apparatus main body can be accommodated in the fiber insertion notch. Thereby, the windshield cover 60 can make the optical fiber 9 pass through the inside and outside of the windshield cover 60 through the notch for fiber insertion.
The windshield cover 60 accommodates a part in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 9 in the notch for inserting the fiber, so that the optical fiber 9 is strongly sandwiched between the end wall parts 63a and 63b and the apparatus main body upper surface 21a and is damaged. You can avoid that.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the rotating shafts 61 a and 61 b of the windshield cover 60 are provided on the front side of the connecting device with respect to the electrode rod 24, the covering clamp 50, and the groove forming substrate 23 of the fusion splicer 20. . Further, the rotary shafts 61 a and 61 b are provided on the front side of the connecting machine with respect to the movable stage 22 of the fusion splicing machine 20.
When the windshield cover 60 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21, the pair of side wall portions 65a and 65b are connected to each other via the electrode rod 24, the covering clamp 50, the groove forming substrate 23, and the movable stage 22 (not shown). It is arranged on both sides in the front-rear direction.
The rotary shaft 61 includes a ceiling wall portion 64 of the side wall portion 65a that is positioned on the front side of the connecting device with respect to the cover inner space 66 when the windshield cover 60 is closed to the apparatus main body upper surface 21a, of the pair of side wall portions 65a and 65b. The other end is pivotally attached to the housing 29 of the apparatus main body 21.

In the fusion splicer 20, when the power switch (not shown) is turned off from the on state, the movable stage 22 is disposed at the above-described fiber mounting position and the windshield cover 60 is closed (hereinafter, referred to as the “fiber switch”). It is also called a non-use state).
The fusion splicer 20 in a non-use state is a fiber set in which the movable stage 22 is disposed at the fiber mounting position and the windshield cover 60 is opened by turning on the power switch that has been turned off. It will be in a standby state. 1, FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 11 (a) show a fiber set standby state.

As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 11 (a), in this fiber set standby state, the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear 82c with a pressing portion are disposed at an initial position with respect to the barrel 82a. Further, in the fiber set standby state, the clamp release mechanism 90 is in the initial state shown in FIGS. The push-up pin 54 is disposed at the lower limit position.
In the fiber set standby state, the covering clamp lid 52 of the covering clamp 50 may be closed with respect to the lower clamp member 51 or may be disposed at the open limit position.

The operation of fusion splicing the optical fibers 9A and 9B using the fusion splicer 20A is performed by first applying an optical fiber to each of the covering clamps 50 (see FIG. 1) on both the left and right sides in the above-described fiber set standby state. 9 is held and fixed.
The holding and fixing of the optical fiber 9 by the covering clamp 50 is performed by placing the optical fiber 9 on the lower clamp member 51 in a state where the covering clamp lid 52 is opened with respect to the lower clamp member 51, The optical fiber 9 is clamped and fixed between the lower clamp member 51 and the lower clamp member 51 and the covering clamp lid 52.
When the coated clamp lid 52 is closed to the lower clamp member 51 in the fiber set standby state, the optical fiber 9 is placed on the lower clamp member 51 after the coated clamp lid 52 is manually opened with respect to the lower clamp member 51. And the covering clamp lid 52 is closed to the lower clamp member 51.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 10, the lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 has a protruding wall portion 51 h protruding on the end portion on the discharge portion 24 a side. The protruding wall 51h is formed with a fiber groove 51i that is recessed from the upper surface thereof. The fiber groove 51i is formed to penetrate the protruding wall 51h in the left-right direction of the connecting device.
The optical fiber 9 to be gripped and fixed to the covering clamp 50 has an upper surface 51a extending from the protruding wall portion 51h of the lower clamp member 51 to the rear side with the covering portion 9d open in a state where the covering clamp lid 52 of the covering clamp 50 is opened. Place on top. Further, before closing the cover clamp lid 52 in the open state, the optical fiber 9 is inserted into the fiber groove 51i and the optical fiber glass portion 9a exposed by removing the coating material at the tip is inserted into the lower clamp member. The tip end portion of the optical fiber glass portion 9a protruding from the front end of the upper surface 51a is placed on the positioning groove 23a formed on the groove forming substrate 23.
And as above-mentioned, the optical fiber 9 mounted the coating | coated part 9d on the clamp lower member upper surface 51a, and mounted the front-end | tip part of the optical fiber glass part 9a on the positioning groove 23a on the groove | channel formation board | substrate 23. In this state, the covering clamp lid 52 is closed and held and fixed to the covering clamp 50.

In FIG. 6A and FIG. 10, the optical fiber 9 aligns the front end of the covering portion 9d with the rear end surface 51j of the protruding wall portion 51h (the rear end surface of the protruding wall portion 51h in the front-rear direction of the covering clamp 50). And placed on the upper surface 51a of the lower clamp member.
The clamp lower member 51 of the covering clamp 50 in the illustrated example has a pair of fiber guide protrusions 51k protruding on the front end portion of the clamp lower member upper surface 51a. The pair of fiber guide protrusions 51k is provided in the vicinity of the rear end face 51j of the protruding wall part 51h. Between the pair of fiber guide protrusions 51k, a groove-like space is secured that is located on a virtual extension of the fiber groove 51i in the longitudinal direction of the covering clamp 50. The mutually opposing surfaces of the pair of fiber guide protrusions 51k are located on the extension of the inner surface on both sides of the fiber groove 51i.
6A and 10, the optical fiber 9 is clamped by aligning the tip of the covering portion 9d accommodated in the groove-like space between the pair of fiber guide protrusions 51k with the rear end surface 51j of the protruding wall portion 51h. It is placed on the lower member upper surface 51a. As the optical fiber 9, one having an outer diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the distance between the pair of fiber guide protrusions 51k and the groove width of the fiber groove 51i is used. The covering portion 9d of the optical fiber 9 can be inserted into the fiber groove 51i.

In addition, when the covering clamp lid 52 opened with respect to the lower clamp member 51 is closed with respect to the lower clamp member 51, it avoids the protruding wall portion 51 h and the fiber guide protrusion 51 k and the upper surface of the lower clamp lower member. 51a is closed. The protruding wall portion 51 h and the fiber guide protrusion 51 k of the lower clamp member 51 do not obstruct the opening and closing of the covering clamp lid 52 with respect to the lower clamp member 51.
The pair of fiber guide protrusions 51k of the lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 10 are formed integrally with the protruding wall portion 51h of the lower clamp member 51. However, the pair of fiber guide protrusions 51k may be formed at positions separated from the protruding wall portion 51h of the lower clamp member 51 on the rear side.
The fiber groove 51i of the clamp lower member 51 of the covering clamp 50 illustrated in FIG. 6A and FIG. 10 has a groove bottom surface continuous with the clamp lower member upper surface 51a. However, the groove bottom of the fiber groove 51i may be located below the clamp lower member upper surface 51a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface 22b of the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22 on both the left and right sides of the fusion splicer 20A is located on the upper side (upper side in FIGS. 1 and 6A) as the distance from the discharge unit 24a increases. It is inclined to become. Further, the upper surface 51a and the fiber groove 51i of the lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 on both the left and right sides are also inclined so as to be on the upper side (upper side in FIGS. 1 and 6A) as they are separated from the discharge portion 24a. .
As described above, in the optical fiber 9, the tip end side where the optical fiber glass portion 9a (see FIG. 1) is exposed protrudes from the covering clamp 50 to the discharge portion 24a side, and the optical fiber glass portion 9a is made into the groove forming substrate 23. It is placed on the positioning groove 23a formed on the top and held and fixed to the covering clamp 50.

  When the optical fibers 9A and 9B are gripped and fixed to the covering clamps 50 on the left and right sides, the ends of the optical fiber glass portions 9a of the optical fibers 9 are arranged to face each other with a slight gap therebetween. The length of the projecting portion 90b is adjusted. In addition, the optical fibers 9A and 9B are arranged on the left and right sides of the optical fiber glass portion 9a of each optical fiber 9 through a virtual straight line connecting the tips of the pair of electrode rods 24 by adjusting the length of the protrusion 90b. To be.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fusion splicer 20 </ b> A includes a cover closing switch 31 d that protrudes from the outer peripheral portion of the monitor device 31 on the display surface 31 c side.
In the fusion splicer 20A, after the gripping and fixing of the optical fibers 9A and 9B to the covering clamp 50 is completed, the cover closing switch 31d is turned on by pushing in, so that the electric power source 69 (see FIG. 2) is turned on. The cover is closed and the windshield cover 60 in the opened state is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21 (windshield cover closing operation). The fusion splicer 20A detects a detection signal obtained from the cover close detector 33 when the cover close detector 33 (see FIG. 5) detects that the windshield cover 60 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21. It is configured to automatically start the fusion splicing operation using as a trigger.
The fusion splicer 20 has a control device that controls the overall drive thereof. When the control device acquires a detection signal from the cover close detector 33, the fusion splicer 20 shifts to a fusion splicing operation under the control of the control device.

The cover closing switch 31d is not particularly limited, and is not limited to a push-in switch that is switched on by a pushing operation. As the cover closing switch 31d, a dial type switch that is switched on (on operation) by a rotating operation can also be employed. The cover closing switch 31d may be, for example, a display button displayed on a touch panel used as the monitor device 31.
Further, the installation location of the cover closing switch 31d in the fusion splicer is not particularly limited. For example, a configuration in which the cover closing switch 31d is provided in the apparatus main body 21 can be employed.

As the cover close detector 33, a well-known device used for detecting that the windshield cover 60 is in a closed state can be used for the fusion splicer.
Here, as the cover closing detector 33, a magnetic sensor for detecting a magnetic body (for example, magnets 12a and 12b shown in FIG. 5) attached to the windshield cover 60 is used. This magnetic sensor detects that the windshield cover 60 is closed without contact (becomes a detection state), and the windshield cover 60 is displaced from the closed position in the opening direction, so that the windshield cover 60 is not closed. Sometimes it becomes a non-detection state.

  The magnets 12a and 12b shown in FIG. 5 magnetically attract the magnet catches 13a and 13b, which are ferromagnetic materials such as iron, which are attached to the upper surface of the apparatus main body 21 so as to be exposed on the upper surface 21a of the apparatus main body. Fulfills the function of securely contacting the upper surface 21a of the apparatus. The attraction force by which the magnets 12a and 12b attract the magnet catches 13a and 13b is set to a strength that allows the windshield cover 60 in the closed state to be manually opened. The driving force that acts on the windshield cover 60 from the electric power source 69 during the opening operation of the windshield cover 60 in the closed state is stronger against expansion than the attractive force that the magnets 12a and 12b attract the magnet catches 13a and 13b. For this reason, the attractive force by which the magnets 12a and 12b attract the magnet catches 13a and 13b does not hinder the opening operation of the closed windshield cover 60 by the driving force of the electric power source 69.

The cover closing detector 33 is not limited to the magnetic sensor described above.
As the cover closing detector 33, for example, a non-contact sensor such as a photo sensor, or a touch sensor that detects opening / closing of the windshield cover by contact / separation of the windshield cover can be adopted.
Further, as the cover close detector, an encoder or an angle sensor that measures the rotation angle of the portion (rotation portion for detection) formed on or around the extension of the rotation shaft of the windshield cover can be employed. In the case of a rotation angle measurement sensor such as an encoder or an angle sensor, it is possible to detect that the windshield cover 60 is disposed at the fully open position, in addition to detecting that the windshield cover 60 is disposed at the closed position. It is also possible to detect that 60 is between the fully open position and the closed position.

The fusion splicer 20 has a cover closing completion notification means for notifying when the cover close detector 33 detects that the windshield cover 60 is closed.
A configuration in which notification information (cover closing notification information) is output from the cover closing completion notification means when the cover closing detector 33 detects that the windshield cover 60 is closed is a windshield for an operator who uses the fusion splicer. This effectively contributes to grasping the opening / closing status of the cover 60.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the cover closing operation is completed, the fiber clamp member 25 provided inside the windshield cover 60 is a portion (optical light) disposed on the positioning groove 23a of the groove forming substrate 23 of the optical fiber 9. The fiber glass portion 9a) is pressed toward the bottom of the positioning groove 23a. Thereby, the optical fiber glass part 9a of the optical fiber 9 is positioned with high accuracy by the positioning groove 23a.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the fiber clamp members 25 are provided at two locations in the longitudinal direction of the windshield cover 60 so as to correspond to the groove forming substrates 23 on both the left and right sides. 1 to 5, illustration of the fiber clamp member 25 is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5, FIG. 26, etc., the windshield cover 60 in the illustrated example has a clamp support member 26a fixed to the inner surface of the top wall portion 64, two fiber clamp members 25, and two springs. A clamp unit 25A having 26b is attached.
As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 26, and the like, the fiber clamp member 25 in the illustrated example includes a cylindrical body 25 c (cylindrical in the illustrated example), and a tip wall that closes one end in the axial direction of the body 25 c. And a fiber pressing protrusion 25b that protrudes from the tip wall 25a to the opposite side of the body 25c.

In FIG. 3, FIG. 5, FIG. 26, FIG. 27, etc., the clamp support member 26a is formed in a plate shape. The clamp support member 26 a is fixed to the top wall portion 64 of the windshield cover 60 along the inner surface. The clamp support member 26a in the illustrated example is screwed and fixed to the windshield cover top wall portion 64 using screws 25f. Further, the clamp support member 26a in the illustrated example is formed in an elongated plate shape extending along the connecting machine left-right direction.
The clamp support member 26a is formed with a clamp accommodation hole 26c that accommodates an end (base end) of the body 25c of the fiber clamp member 25 opposite to the fiber pressing projection 25b. The clamp accommodating holes 26c are formed at two locations that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction of the connecting device of the clamp support member 26a so as to penetrate the thickness of the clamp support member 26a. The clamp accommodation hole 26c is open to a back surface 26f facing the windshield cover top wall portion 64 of the clamp support member 26a and a front surface 26g opposite to the back surface 26f.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 26, the fiber clamp member 25 has a retaining projection 25d that projects from the outer periphery of the proximal end portion of the body portion 25c. As shown in FIGS. 3, 26, and 27, the clamp support member 26 a is also formed with a protrusion accommodating notch 26 d that accommodates the retaining protrusion 25 d of the fiber clamp member 25.
This protrusion accommodating notch 26d is formed in a concave shape recessed from the inner surface of the end (base end) of the clamp accommodating hole 26c on the windshield cover top wall 64 side. The protrusion accommodating notch portion 26d in the illustrated example is formed to reach the end surface of the clamp support member 26a from the inner surface of the base end portion of the clamp accommodating hole 26c.

As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 26, etc., each fiber clamp member 25 has the body portion 25c inserted into the clamp housing hole 26c, and the fiber pressing projection 25b is connected to the windshield cover top wall portion 64 via the body portion 25c. Is provided on the clamp support member 26a in a direction located on the opposite side. Further, the retaining protrusion 25d of each fiber clamp member 25 is inserted into the protrusion accommodating notch 26d of the clamp support member 26a.
The distance from the front surface 26g of the clamp support member 26a to the windshield cover top wall 64 is smaller than the axial dimension of the body 25c of the fiber clamp member 25. The fiber clamp member 25 protrudes to the side of the front surface 26g of the clamp support member 26a, that is, the side opposite to the windshield cover top wall portion 64 via the clamp support member 26a.

The body portion 25c and the retaining protrusion 25d of the fiber clamp member 25 are movable in the axial direction of the clamp housing hole 26c with respect to the clamp support member 26a. The fiber clamp member 25 is provided so as to be movable in the axial direction of the clamp housing hole 26c with respect to the clamp support member 26a.
The fiber clamp member 25 maintains the orientation in which the fiber pressing projection 25b is located on the side opposite to the windshield cover top wall 64 via the trunk portion 25c by the inner surface of the clamp receiving hole 26c of the clamp support member 26a. The clamp housing hole 26c is movable in the axial direction with respect to the clamp support member 26a. As the fiber clamp member 25 moves in the axial direction of the clamp housing hole 26c with respect to the clamp support member 26a, the projecting dimension from the clamp support member 26a varies.

When the fiber clamp member 25 moves in the axial direction of the clamp housing hole 26c relative to the clamp support member 26a, the retaining projection 25d is guided to the inner surfaces on both sides of the projection housing notch 26d in the circumferential direction of the inner surface of the clamp housing hole 26c. However, the protrusion accommodating notch 26d is moved along the axial direction of the clamp accommodating hole 26c.
The stopper protrusion 25d also functions as a stopper protrusion that restricts the rotation of the fiber clamp member 25 about its axis.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 26, etc., the spring 26 b is interposed between the windshield cover top wall portion 64 and the fiber clamp member 25. The spring 26b functions to elastically urge the fiber clamp member 25 to the side opposite to the windshield cover top wall portion 64 via the clamp support member 26a.
The spring 26b of the clamp unit 25A in the illustrated example is specifically a compression coil spring. This spring 26b (compression coil spring) has one end in the axial direction inserted into the inner side of the body 25c of the fiber clamp member 25, and the axial direction is aligned with the axial direction of the body 25c of the fiber clamp member 25. The member 25 is interposed between the front end wall portion 25 a and the windshield cover top wall portion 64.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 26, and 27, a step surface 26 h is formed at the end of the projection support notch 26 d of the clamp support member 26 a on the clamp support member front surface 26 g side.
As shown in FIG. 26, when the pushing force against the clamp support member 26 a is not acting on the fiber clamp member 25, the retaining protrusion 25 d of the fiber clamp member 25 is the elastic biasing force of the spring 26 b acting on the fiber clamp member 25. Thus, the stepped surface 26h of the clamp support member 26a is brought into contact (pressure contact) from the clamp support member rear surface 26f side. The fiber clamp member 25 has the largest protrusion dimension from the clamp support member 26a when the retaining protrusion 25d abuts on the stepped surface 26h of the clamp support member 26a. Hereinafter, the position of the fiber clamp member 25 with respect to the clamp support member 26a, that is, the position of the fiber clamp member 25 shown in FIG. 26 is also referred to as a clamp member initial position.

The fiber clamp member 25 at the initial position of the clamp member is separated from the windshield cover top wall portion 64. A clearance is secured between the fiber clamp member 25 at the initial position of the clamp member and the windshield cover top wall 64.
The fiber clamp member 25 in the initial position of the clamp member is located with respect to the clamp support member 26a up to the push-in limit position where the base end opposite to the distal end side where the fiber pressing projection 25b is located contacts the windshield cover top wall portion 64. It can be pushed in.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the cover closing operation is completed, each fiber clamp member 25 is disposed on the positioning groove 23a of the groove forming substrate 23 by the protruding end surface 25e of the fiber pressing protrusion 25b at the tip thereof. The optical fiber glass portion 9a can be pressed toward the positioning groove 23a groove bottom.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the two fiber clamp members 25 are provided at positions separated from each other in the lateral direction of the connecting device so as to correspond to the groove forming substrates 23 on both sides of the connecting device in the lateral direction via the discharge part 24 a. It has been.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the optical fiber glass portion 9a is sandwiched between the fiber clamp member 25 and the groove forming substrate 23 by the cover closing operation, the fiber clamp member 25 is slightly pushed into the clamp support member 26a from the initial position of the clamp member. It is.
As the optical fiber 9, an optical fiber glass 9 a having a diameter that is significantly smaller than the separation distance between the fiber clamp member 25 and the windshield cover top wall portion 64 at the initial position of the clamp member is employed. Thereby, the fiber clamp member 25 does not reach the push limit position described above when the optical fiber glass portion 9a is sandwiched between the fiber clamp member 25 and the groove forming substrate 23 by the cover closing operation. Further, when the optical fiber glass portion 9a is sandwiched between the fiber clamp member 25 and the groove forming substrate 23 by the cover closing operation, the optical fiber glass portion 9a is moved to the bottom of the positioning groove 23a by the elastic biasing force of the spring 26b. Hold down toward.

  In the fusion splicing operation of the fusion splicer 20A, the cover closing detector 33 detects that the cover closing operation is completed and the windshield cover 60 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21, whereby the forward mechanism power source 81 is controlled. Driven (the electric motor is driven to rotate in the forward direction), the left and right movable stages 22 are moved forward from the fiber mounting position (see FIGS. 7A and 7B) to approach the discharge unit 24a. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the movable stage 22 has a forward force receiving projection 22c that is advanced by the driving force of the forward mechanism power source 81 and the front end (front end) of the micrometer movable shaft 82b. It is advanced by being pushed by. The fusion splicer 20A advances the tips of the optical fibers 9A and 9B (tips of the optical fiber glass portion 9a) to a predetermined position by the advance of the movable stage 22 on both the left and right sides. Then, the fusion splicer 20A joins the optical fibers on the left and right sides while discharging them by the discharge between the electrode rods 24, and performs fusion splicing. The discharge between the electrode bars 24 is automatically stopped after a predetermined time.

6A, 9 </ b> B, 9 </ b> A, and 9 </ b> B, lines A to D indicate positions of the front end of the lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 that accompany the movement of the movable stage 22 (connector left and right). (Position in direction) is shown.
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the movable stage 22 is in the fiber mounting position, the front end of the lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 is positioned on the line A.

  The lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 moves forward and backward together with the movable stage 22 toward the discharge portion 24a as the movable stage 22 moves forward and backward with respect to the discharge portion 24a. For this reason, when the fusion splicer 20A completes the cover closing operation and the cover closing detector 33 detects that the windshield cover 60 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 21, the movable stage 22 is moved forward. The lower clamp member 51 of the clamp 50 also moves forward together with the movable stage 22 toward the discharge portion 24a. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the fusion splicing operation is completed (discharging is stopped), the covering clamp 50 is disposed at a position where the front end of the lower clamp member 51 is located on the line B.

  The force by which the fiber clamp member 25 presses the optical fiber glass portion 9a into the positioning groove 23a is adjusted to a strength that realizes smooth sliding of the optical fiber glass portion 9a with respect to the groove forming substrate 23 as the movable stage 22 advances. Is done. Thereby, when the fusion splicer 20 advances the movable stage 22, the optical fiber glass portion 9 a advances integrally with the movable stage 22.

The fusion splicer 20A inspects the connection part after the fusion splicing is completed (discharge is stopped between the electrode rods 24). After completion of the connection portion inspection (connection portion inspection operation), the fusion splicer 20A performs a cover opening operation (windshield cover opening operation) that drives the electric power source 69 to open the windshield cover 60 and a connection portion tensile inspection. Do it automatically.
The windshield cover 60 remains in a closed state (closed state) from completion of the cover closing operation by turning on the cover closing switch 31d to execution of the cover opening operation.
The start timing of the connection portion tensile inspection can be set regardless of the start of the cover closing operation. Further, the completion timing of the connection portion tensile inspection can be set regardless of the completion of the cover closing operation. The connection portion tensile inspection may be completed before the cover closing operation is started, or may be completed after the cover closing operation is completed.
The fusion splicer 20A drives the advance mechanism power source 81 after the connection portion tensile inspection is completed, and automatically returns the movable stage 22 to the fiber mounting position.

The fusion splicer 20A synchronizes the driving of the advancing mechanism power source 81 of the left and right installation base advancing mechanisms 80 with each other so that the movable stage 22 on both the left and right sides and the discharge movement of the covering clamp 50 with respect to the discharge portion 24a are the same. Run.
Further, the fusion splicer 20A can automatically open the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides holding and fixing the optical fiber 9 by the clamp opening mechanism 90 (opening of the covering clamp lid 52) (described later). The connection portion tensile inspection by the fusion splicer 20A is completed by automatically opening the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides. The automatic opening of the left and right covering clamps 50 is realized simultaneously by moving the movable stage 22 and the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides forward and backward with respect to the discharge part 24a in the same manner (both sides opening simultaneously).
As shown in FIG. 16B, the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides are both disposed at the fiber mounting position with the covering clamp lid 52 positioned at the open limit position after completion of the connection portion tensile inspection. .

However, the fusion splicer 20A does not only perform the program operation (hereinafter referred to as “both sides simultaneous opening operation”) that automatically opens the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides simultaneously as described above, but also switches the setting of the software of the control device. Accordingly, it is possible to execute a program operation (hereinafter, “one-side automatic opening operation”) for automatically opening only one of the covering clamps 50 on the left and right sides (one-side automatic opening). The fusion splicer 20A can select and execute both-side simultaneous opening operation and one-side automatic opening operation by switching the setting of the software of the control device.
The operation of the installation base advancing mechanism 80 from the ON operation of the cover closing switch 31d to the completion of the fusion splicing operation and the forward and backward movement of the movable stage 22 on both the left and right sides and the discharge portion 24a of the covering clamp 50 thereby are simultaneously opened on both sides. Common to operation and one-side automatic opening operation. The one-side automatic opening operation is different from the both-side simultaneous opening operation in the connection portion tensile inspection and the subsequent operation.

Here, first, the operation of the fusion splicer 20A after the completion of the fusion splicing operation in the simultaneous opening operation on both sides will be described.
In the connection inspection operation and the subsequent operations described here, the operations of the left and right installation base advance mechanisms 80 are the same, and the operations of the left and right clamp release mechanisms 90 are also the same. The operations of the installation base advance mechanism 80 and the clamp release mechanism 90 are realized in the same manner in synchronism with each other on the left and right sides. The forward and backward movement of the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 with respect to the discharge part 24a and the automatic opening of the covering clamp 50 are also realized in the same manner in synchronism with each other on both the left and right sides.

  In the connection portion inspection (connection portion inspection operation), as shown in FIG. 3, the fusion spliced portion is imaged by the camera 71 incorporated in the apparatus main body 21, the captured image is analyzed by the image processing apparatus, and the connected optical fiber 9 automatically measures the connection loss, and automatically determines abnormal connection. If there is an abnormality in the measurement result, the fusion splicer issues an alarm to the worker, but if it is normal, there is no alarm, and the operator automatically shifts to the next step without performing an operation for completing the inspection.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, in the connection portion tensile inspection, after the connection portion inspection operation is completed, the electric motor 81 is reversely driven to move the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 to the barrel 82a. In contrast, it is moved (retracted) toward the rear side (rear side of the drive mechanism), and a tensile load is applied to the fusion spliced portions of the optical fibers 9A and 9B by the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83.
When the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 is moved backward from the position shown in FIG. 7A after the connection portion inspection operation is completed, the distal end (front end) of the movable shaft 82b is moved to the movable stage 22 (specifically, its forward force receiving bump). Part 22c). As a result, a tensile load can be applied to the fusion spliced portions of the optical fibers 9A and 9B by the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83.

As shown in FIG. 9A, after the connection portion inspection operation is completed, the movable shaft 82b (and the gear 82c with the pressing portion) of the micrometer 82 is driven more backward than the initial position by the reverse rotation driving of the electric motor 81. It is moved to a position shifted to the rear side. Further, as will be described later, the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 is advanced by the forward rotation driving of the electric motor 81 after the connection portion tensile inspection is completed, and is arranged at the initial position shown in FIG.
Hereinafter, the position of the movable shaft 82b and the gear 82c with the pressing portion illustrated in FIG. 7A is also referred to as the most advanced position, and the position of the movable shaft 82b and the gear 82c with the pressing portion illustrated in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the fusion splicing operation is completed (discharge is stopped), the movable stage 22 is located at a position shifted from the fiber mounting position toward the discharge unit 24a. For this reason, the proof spring 83 is compressed and deformed as compared with the case where the movable stage 22 is in the fiber mounting position.
The state where the front end of the clamp lower member 51 is positioned in the line B is maintained in the covering clamp 50 until the start of the connecting portion tensile inspection after the fusion splicing operation is completed.
Therefore, if the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 is moved backward from the most advanced position shown in FIG. 7A in the connection portion tensile inspection, the optical fibers 9A and 9B are melted by the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83. A tensile load can be applied to the landing connection portion.

  In this embodiment, the position of the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 when the front end of the lower clamp member 51 is on the line B is the forward limit position.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a gear 82c with a pressing portion of the micrometer 82 (specifically, a pressing protrusion 82f at the rear portion) moves the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 from the initial position to the most advanced position. By moving forward, the drive force receiving portion 91c of the link component 91 of the clamp release mechanism 90 is separated.
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the gear 82c with a pressing portion of the micrometer 82 is clamped in the process of moving from the most advanced position to the last retracted position by the backward movement after the connection portion inspection operation is completed. Abutting on the driving force receiving portion 91c of the link component 91 of the opening mechanism 90, the link component 91 is pushed in a direction away from the discharge portion 24a. As described above, in the gear 82c with a pressing portion, specifically, the pressing protrusion 82f at the rear portion abuts against the driving force receiving portion 91c of the link component 91 to push the link component 91.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, in the clamp release mechanism 90, as the result that the gear 82c with the pressing portion pushes the link component 91, the release lever 93 rotates, and the push-up pin 54 at the lower limit position is moved up and down. Push up.
The release lever 93 sucks and biases the thrust pin 54 from the state in which the cover clamp lid 52 of the cover clamp 50 is closed to the clamp lower member 51 until the gear 82c with the pressing portion that moves backward reaches the last retracted position. Push up to a position to rotate above the balance position. The covering clamp lid 52 pushed up by the push-up pin 54 and rotated upward from the suction / biasing force balance position is rotated by the elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 and is disposed at the opening limit position described above. .

The fusion splicer 20A can automatically open the covering clamp 50 by the backward movement of the gear 82c with the pressing portion.
Further, in the simultaneous opening operation on both sides, the driving of the installation base advancing mechanisms 80 on both the left and right sides is performed in the same manner in synchronization with each other. For this reason, automatic opening of the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides is realized simultaneously.

8B, 13, 14 </ b> A, and 14 </ b> B, the release lever 93 of the clamp release mechanism 90 pushes the push-up pin 54, and the cover clamp lid 52 of the cover clamp 50 is attached to the clamp lower member 51. A state in which it is pushed up from the closed state to the suction / biasing force balance position is shown.
The gripping and fixing of the optical fiber 9 by the covering clamp 50 is released until the covering clamp lid 52 closed by the clamp lower member 51 is pushed up by the push-up pin 54 and reaches the suction / biasing force balance position. The connecting portion tensile inspection is completed by releasing the holding and fixing of the optical fiber 9 by the covering clamp 50.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, when the covering clamp 50 releases the holding and fixing of the optical fiber 9, the covering clamp 50 is separated from the discharge portion 24 a together with the movable stage 22 by the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83. Is moved (retracted).
As described above, the covering portion 9d of the optical fiber 9 can be inserted into the fiber groove 51i. For this reason, the covering clamp 50 from which the holding and fixing of the optical fiber 9 is released is slidable relative to the optical fiber 9. When the gripping and fixing of the optical fiber 9 is released, one or both of the covering clamps 50 on the left and right sides slide relative to the optical fiber 9 to realize a backward movement. The optical fibers 9 </ b> A and 9 </ b> B that have completed the fusion splicing do not become an obstacle to the backward movement of the covering clamp 50 that has released the gripping and fixing of the optical fiber 9.
As shown in FIG. 9A, the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 stop the backward movement when the forward force receiving protrusion 22c of the movable stage 22 contacts the tip of the micrometer movable shaft 82b at the last retracted position. To do.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the positions of the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 when the forward force receiving protrusion 22c of the movable stage 22 abuts the tip of the micrometer movable shaft 82b at the last retracted position are as follows. Also called the retreat limit position.
As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the line D indicates the front end position of the lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 when the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 are at the retreat limit position.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the covered clamp lid 52 that is pushed up and rotated by the push-up pin 54 is configured so that the movable stage 22 and the covered clamp 50 are in the advance limit position after the holding and fixing of the optical fiber 9 by the covered clamp 50 is released. At the position slightly retracted from (Line A), the suction / biasing force balance position is reached.
As shown in FIG. 8B, the line C indicates the front end position of the clamp lower member 51 of the cover clamp 50 when the cover clamp lid 52 that is rotated by being pushed up by the push-up pin 54 reaches the suction / biasing force balance position. Indicates. The line C is located at a position shifted from the line D toward the discharge part 24a.

  Next, the fusion splicer 20A drives the advance mechanism drive source 81 (the electric motor is driven to rotate forward), and moves the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear 82c with the pressing portion to the last retracted position in FIG. 9A. To move forward to return to the initial position. As a result, the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 return to the fiber mounting position. The covering clamp 50 returns to the fiber mounting position while the covering clamp lid 52 is disposed at the open limit position (see FIG. 16B).

The fusion splicer 20A is a sensor (not shown) that detects that the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear 82c with a pressing portion have moved from the front side of the drive mechanism to the final retracted position with respect to the final retracted position (hereinafter, referred to as “not shown”). It is also called the last retreat position sensor).
Here, the driving of the advance mechanism drive source 81 for moving the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear 82c with the pressing portion forward from the last retracted position and returning to the initial position is performed by, for example, controlling the micro mechanism 82 under the control of the control device. A predetermined time set in advance after detecting that the gear 82c with a pressing portion of the meter 82 has moved backward from the position shown in FIG. 9A and reached the last retracted position (detected by the last retracted position sensor). Execute automatically after elapse.

In addition, as the fusion splicer 20, a configuration that does not have the last retracted position sensor can be employed.
As the fusion splicer 20 that does not have the last retracted position sensor, the advancement mechanism for automatically moving the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear 82c with the pressing portion from the last retracted position to automatically return to the initial position. The drive of the drive source 81 is set in advance from the start of the connection portion tensile inspection (start of the backward movement of the movable shaft 82b and the gear 82c with the pressing portion shown in FIG. 9B), for example, under the control of the control device. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that automatically executes after a predetermined time (hereinafter also referred to as an elapsed time after the start of tensile inspection). The elapsed time after the start of the tensile inspection is set equal to or longer than the time required for the movable shaft 82b and the gear 82c with the pressing portion shown in FIG. 9B to reach the last retracted position by the backward movement. .

  The fusion splicer 20A receives the advance force of the movable stage 22 that is moved backward by the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83 when the connection portion tensile inspection is completed (release of the holding and fixing of the optical fiber 9 by the covering clamp 50). A configuration in which the protrusion 22c abuts on the tip of the micrometer movable shaft 82b stopped at the last retracted position can be employed. In addition, the fusion splicer 20A is configured so that the forward force receiving projection 22c of the movable stage 22 that is moved backward by the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83 when the connection portion tensile inspection is completed is before reaching the last retracted position. It is also possible to employ a configuration that abuts the tip of the micrometer movable shaft 82b that is moving backward and moves backward together with the micrometer movable shaft 82b until the movable shaft 82b reaches the last retracted position.

The clamp release mechanism 90 returns the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear 82c with the pressing portion to the initial position, so that the release lever 93 rotates by its own weight, and the state shown in FIG. Return to the initial state shown in b).
The push-up pin 54 of the covering clamp 50 is lowered from the state shown in FIG.

The release lever shaft 92 of the clamp release mechanism 90 rotates integrally with the release lever 93 as the release lever 93 rotates from the state shown in FIG. 9B to the state shown in FIG. 6B. As shown in FIG. 15, the link component 91 of the clamp release mechanism 90 has an engagement protrusion 92 a protruding from the release lever shaft 92 by the rotation of the release lever shaft 92, and the front end of the rod-shaped main body 91 a of the link component 91. This is advanced by pushing the front side step 91e of the part toward the discharge part 24a. As shown in FIG. 6A, the link component 91 advances by the driving force receiving portion 91c protruding end coming into contact with the protruding end (rear end) of the pressing protrusion 82f of the pressing portion 82c of the micrometer 82. As a result, it returns to the position shown in FIG.
In order to realize the rotation of the release lever 93 from the position shown in FIG. 9B to the position shown in FIG. A weight of 54 also contributes.

In the fusion splicer 20A, the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear 82c with the pressing portion are returned to the initial position, the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 are returned to the fiber mounting position, and the clamp release mechanism 90 is in the initial state. When the push-up pin 54 is disposed at the lower limit position, the state shown in FIG.
The fusion splicer 20A returns to the above-described fiber set standby state when the cover opening operation is completed.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, as described above, the cover clamp 50 of the fusion splicer 20A is configured so that the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear with the pressing portion are formed after the connection portion tensile inspection is completed. It is automatically opened by the backward movement of 82c. Therefore, in the fusion splicer 20A, when the automatic opening of the covering clamp 50 and the cover opening operation are completed, the operator manually takes out the optical fibers 9A and 9B from the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides together with the fusion connecting portion. (Fiber extraction work) can be performed easily and very easily. When this fiber extraction operation is performed, the covering clamp 50 has already been opened, so that the operator does not need to manually open the left and right covering clamps.

In the simultaneous opening operation on both sides described here, the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides are simultaneously opened. Therefore, if the operator holds the optical fiber 9 with fingers, after the opening of the covering clamp 50 and the cover opening operation are completed. The fiber take-out operation can be performed quickly. It is preferable that the gripping of the optical fiber 9 by the operator is performed when the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides are automatically opened, or before that, until the completion of the fiber extraction operation.
The simultaneous opening operation on both sides is advantageous for shortening the time until the next process starts after the opening of the covering clamp 50 and the opening of the cover. Therefore, the simultaneous opening operation on both sides effectively contributes to the improvement of work efficiency when the fusion splicing of the optical fiber is repeatedly executed a plurality of times.

Next, the one-side automatic opening operation will be described.
The one-side automatic opening operation executed by the fusion splicer 20A is performed in the same manner as the both-side simultaneous opening operation from the turning-on operation of the cover closing switch 31d to the completion of the fusion splicing operation. The forward and backward movement of the movable stage 22 on both the left and right sides and the discharge part 24a of the covering clamp 50 by the operation of the installation base advance mechanism 80 is the same as the simultaneous opening operation on both sides.

  In the simultaneous opening operation on both sides, the left and right installation base advancing mechanisms 80 are synchronously driven in the same manner, and the connection portion tensile inspection after the connection portion inspection operation is completed, and thereafter, the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 are attached to the fiber. The operation until returning to the hour position is performed. In the one-side automatic opening operation, only one of the left and right installation base advance mechanisms 80 is driven to perform the connection portion tensile inspection after the connection portion inspection operation is completed, and thereafter, when the movable stage 22 and the covering clamp 50 are attached to the fiber. The operation until returning to the position is executed, and the other installation base advance mechanism 80 is kept stopped. The installation stand advance mechanism 80 driven by the one-side automatic opening operation moves the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 and the gear 82c with the pressing portion by driving the advance mechanism power source 81 after the connection portion inspection operation is completed. ) From the most advanced position shown in FIG. 9A to the last retracted position shown in FIG. 9A, and then advances from the last retracted position to return to the initial position.

  The operation of the installation table advance mechanism 80 driven by the one-side automatic opening operation is the same as the operation of the installation table advance mechanism 80 in the simultaneous opening operation on both sides. In other words, the one-side automatic opening operation is such that only one of the left and right installation base advance mechanisms 80 is driven in the same manner as in the case of the both-side simultaneous release operation, and the other installation base advance mechanism 80 is kept stopped. is there.

In the one-side automatic opening operation, only one of the left and right movable stages 22 is moved forward and backward with respect to the discharge unit 24a by driving the installation base advancing mechanism 80 in the connection portion tensile inspection and subsequent operations, and the fiber is attached. It is placed (returned) at the hour position.
In the one-side automatic opening operation, among the covering clamps 50 on the left and right sides, the covering clamp attached to the movable stage 22 that is moved forward and backward with respect to the discharge portion 24a by driving the installation base advance mechanism 80 after the connection portion inspection operation is completed. Only 50 is opened (automatically opened). In the one-side automatic opening operation, only one of the left and right coating clamps 50 is automatically opened, and the other coating clamp 50 maintains the state in which the optical fiber 9 is held and fixed. For this reason, the fusion splicer 20A is in the state shown in FIG. 16A when the automatically opened covering clamp 50 is placed (returned) at the fiber mounting position by driving the installation base advance mechanism 80.

In this one-side automatic opening operation, when the automatic opening and the cover opening operation of one of the left and right covering clamps 50 are completed, the covering clamp 50 that is closed holds and fixes the optical fiber 9. For this reason, there is no fear that the fusion-bonded optical fibers 9A and 9B are inadvertently dropped from the left and right coating clamps 50, and the operator must hold the optical fiber 9 with fingers when the coating clamp 50 is automatically opened. There is no.
In this one-side automatic opening operation, after the automatic opening of one of the left and right covering clamps 50 and the cover opening operation are completed, the covering clamp 50 that has been closed is manually opened to perform fiber extraction work.

  After the fusion splicing is completed, the fusion splicer 20 automatically opens the covering clamp lid 52 by the driving force of the advance mechanism power source 81 for both or one of the covering clamps 50 on the left and right sides. The fusion splicer 20 can omit an operation of manually opening the covering clamp lid 52 by the operator after completion of the fusion connection for both or one of the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides. For this reason, the fusion splicer 20 can efficiently cover both the left and right sides in a shorter time than when the operator manually opens both the covering clamp lids 52 of the left and right side covering clamps 50 after the completion of the fusion splicing. The opening of the clamp 50 can be realized. The fusion splicer 20 can improve the workability of fusion splicing of optical fibers, and can easily reduce the total work time including the fiber removal work after fusion splicing.

  Further, since the fusion splicer 20A is configured to use the advance mechanism power source 81 as a power source for opening the covering clamp lid 52, it is not necessary to separately provide a power source dedicated to opening the covering clamp lid 52. The fusion splicer 20A can save the number of installed power sources, and can avoid or suppress an increase in apparatus size. For this reason, the fusion splicer 20A can reduce the work time and improve the workability of the fusion splicing of optical fibers at a low cost with little (or no) effect on the apparatus size. Further, saving the number of installed power sources has an advantage that an increase in power consumption can be avoided or suppressed.

As described above, the clamp release mechanism 90 is driven by the driving force of the advance mechanism power source 81 to push up the push-up pin 54, and pushes the covered clamp lid 52 closed by the clamp lower member 51 with the push-up pin 54. It is configured to open. The clamp opening mechanism 90 does not become an obstacle to manual opening of the closed cover clamp lid 52.
In addition, the clamp opening mechanism 90 has no components that follow the cover clamp lid 52 when the cover clamp cover 52 in the closed state is manually opened and closed. The fusion splicer 20 can manually open and close the closed cover clamp lid 52 without damaging the components of the clamp opening mechanism 90. In addition, the manual opening and closing of the cover clamp lid 52 in the closed state can be performed without affecting the components of the installation base advance mechanism 80.

  In the motor-driven covered clamp of Patent Document 1 described above, the gear or the like is damaged when the operator manually opens the closed cover plate. For this reason, the motor-driven covering clamp cannot perform an operation of manually opening the lid plate once after holding the optical fiber and re-holding the optical fiber. For example, if the motor-driven covering clamp has a configuration in which forward / reverse rotation driving of the motor can be switched appropriately, the optical fiber can be re-gripped. However, in this configuration, the work of re-gripping the optical fiber takes time and the work efficiency is lowered.

  On the other hand, as described above, the clamp opening mechanism 90 does not include any components that follow the covering clamp lid 52 when the closed covering clamp lid 52 is manually opened and closed. There is no worry of damage due to manual opening and closing. The fusion splicer 20A can manually open the covering clamp 50 after gripping the optical fiber 9 and grip the optical fiber again without affecting the clamp opening mechanism 90.

(Example of split type windshield cover)
As a windshield cover, it is not limited to the thing of the structure illustrated in FIGS.
As the windshield cover, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, a structure having a pair of cover members 610 and 620 obtained by dividing the windshield cover 60 illustrated in FIGS. is there. FIG. 17 schematically shows an example of a two-divided windshield cover 60A.
The pair of cover members 610 and 620 of the windshield cover 60A shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the cover member 610 on the front side of the connecting device is also referred to as a first cover member, and the cover member 620 on the rear side of the connecting device is also referred to as a second cover member.

The windshield cover 60 </ b> A illustrated in FIG. 17 is opened and closed by opening and closing between the pair of cover members 610 and 620.
The windshield cover 60 </ b> A is configured in an elongated container shape that extends in the left-right direction of the connecting device by closing the closing end surfaces 611 and 621 of the pair of cover members 610 and 620 together. The windshield cover 60 </ b> A is configured in an elongated container shape by closing a pair of cover members 610 and 620, so that a pair of electrode bars 24 on the apparatus main body 21, a covering clamp 50 on each movable stage 22, and a pair The groove forming substrate 23 is covered.

As shown in FIG. 17, the first cover member 610 has a ceiling wall portion 613 that is inclined with respect to the side wall portion 612 protruding from the entire width direction one end perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elongated plate-like side wall portion 612. The cover member main body 614 having the above-described structure, and end wall portions 615 formed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cover member main body 614 at both longitudinal ends of the cover member main body 614 are provided. The first cover member 610 is configured in an elongated container shape in which a space functioning as a part of the inner space 601 of the windshield cover 60A is secured inside the cover member main body 614 and the end wall portions 615 at both ends thereof. Has been.
The second cover member 620 is a cover member main body having a configuration in which a ceiling wall portion 623 that is inclined with respect to the side wall portion 622 is projected from the entire widthwise one end perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elongated plate-like side wall portion 622. 624 and end wall portions 625 formed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cover member main body 624 at both longitudinal ends of the cover member main body 624. The second cover member 620 is configured in an elongated container shape in which a space functioning as a part of the inner space 601 of the windshield cover 60A is secured inside the cover member main body 624 and the end wall portions 625 at both ends thereof. Has been.

The top wall portions 613 and 623 of the cover members 610 and 620 are brought into contact with each other by closing the cover members 610 and 620 to constitute the top wall portion 602 of the windshield cover 60A. Further, the end wall portions 615 and 625 of the cover members 610 and 620 are brought into contact with each other by closing the cover members 610 and 620 to form end wall portions 603 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the windshield cover 60A.
The closing end surface 611 of the first cover member 610 includes an end surface on the opposite side to the side wall portion 612 of the top wall portion 613 and an end surface located on the opposite side of the side wall portion 612 of the end wall portion 615. . The closing end surface 621 of the second cover member 620 includes an end surface on the opposite side to the side wall portion 622 of the top wall portion 623 and an end surface located on the opposite side of the side wall portion 622 of the end wall portion 625. .

The cover members 610 and 620 are rotatably attached to the apparatus main body 21 with a rotation axis in the left-right direction of the connecting device via rotation axes 616 and 626 supported on the apparatus main body 21, respectively.
The first cover member 610 is attached to the apparatus main body 21 (specifically, the housing 29 thereof) via the rotation shaft 616 on the end of the side wall 612 opposite to the top wall 613, so that the first cover member 610 Is provided.
The second cover member 620 has an end of the side wall 622 opposite to the top wall 623 attached to the apparatus main body 21 (specifically, the casing 29) via the rotation shaft 626, and is mounted on the apparatus main body 21. Is provided.

Each of the cover members 610 and 620 is rotated around the rotation shafts 616 and 626 by a driving force generated by a power source 619 and 629 (a windshield opening and closing power source) of a windshield opening and closing mechanism provided in the apparatus main body 21. The cover members 610 and 620 are rotationally driven in opposite directions by the windshield opening / closing mechanism.
The windshield cover 60A is closed when the pair of cover members 610 and 620 are closed to each other, and the pair of cover members 610 and 620 are rotated in the opposite directions from the closed state and separated from each other. The cover members 610 and 620) indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 17, when the windshield cover 60A is in the closed state, the pair of cover members 610 and 620 are closed to each other, and the end wall portions 615 and 625 on both sides in the longitudinal direction are brought into contact with the upper surface 21a of the apparatus body. The device body 21 is in a closed state (closed state) with respect to the apparatus main body 21 (specifically, its upper surface 21a). The end wall portions 615 and 625 of the cover members 610 and 620 have contact end surfaces 617 and 627 that come into contact with the apparatus main body upper surface 21a when the windshield cover 60A is closed.

As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 17, when the windshield cover 60 </ b> A is in the open state, the pair of cover members 610, 620 are positions when they are closed to the apparatus main body 21 via the respective rotation shafts 616, 626. It is in the state arrange | positioned on the opposite side to (the position of the cover members 610 and 620 shown as a continuous line in FIG. 17).
The states of the cover members 610 and 620 at this time are set to the open state.
Further, when the pair of cover members 610 and 620 is in a state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

As the windshield opening / closing power sources 619 and 629, the same windshield opening / closing power source (electric power source 69) illustrated in FIG. 2 can be adopted.
In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 17, two windshield opening / closing mechanisms are provided in the apparatus main body 21 corresponding to the two cover members 610 and 620, respectively. The pair of cover members 610 and 620 are separately rotated by windshield opening / closing mechanisms provided corresponding to the cover members 610 and 620, respectively.

The fiber clamp member 25 is provided only on the second cover member 620.
The fiber clamp member 25 is provided on the inner surface (surface facing the inner space 601 of the windshield cover 60A) of the top wall portion 623 of the second cover member 620.

(Example of a windshield cover having a cover clamp lid connecting portion)
18 to 20 show a fusion splicer 20 (refer to reference numeral 20B in FIGS. 18 to 20) that employs a windshield cover 60B having a magnet 67 (permanent magnet) for magnetically attracting the covering clamp lid 52 of the covering clamp 50. It is a figure explaining an example.
The windshield cover 60B shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 has a structure in which a magnet 67 is provided inside the cover member of the two-part windshield cover. 18-20, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component similar to the windshield cover 60A illustrated in FIG. 17, and the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

  The windshield cover 60B shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 has a configuration in which a magnet 67 is attached to the inner surface side of the top wall portion 623 of the second cover member 620 of the two-part windshield cover 60A. The magnet 67 is disposed at a position spaced upward from the closed cover clamp lid 52 in a state where the second cover member 620 is closed to the apparatus main body 21.

18 to 20, illustration of the fiber clamp member 25 and the windshield opening / closing power sources 619 and 629 is omitted.
The configuration of the fusion splicer 20B other than the windshield cover 60B and the windshield opening / closing mechanism that rotationally drives the cover members 610 and 620 of the windshield cover 60B will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16A and 16B. The same as the fusion splicer 20A.

The fiber set standby state of the fusion splicer 20B is the same as the fiber set standby state of the fusion splicer 20A described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16 except for the opening (full opening) of the two-divided windshield cover 60B. It is the same.
In the fusion splicer 20B in the fiber set standby state, the movable stage 22 is disposed at the fiber mounting position, the windshield cover 60B is opened, and the movable shaft 82b of the micrometer 82 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). And the gear 82c with a pressing part is arrange | positioned in the initial position with respect to the trunk cylinder 82a, the clamp release mechanism 90 will be in the initial state shown in FIG.6 (b) and FIG. 10, and the thrust pin 54 is arrange | positioned in the raising / lowering lower limit position (FIG.6 (b)). )).
Here, the state in which the windshield cover 60B is opened refers to a fully opened state, that is, a state in which the pair of cover members 610 and 620 are positioned as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

In the fusion splicing of the optical fiber using the fusion splicer 20B, the cover closing switch 31d (FIG. 2) is performed after performing the fiber setting operation of holding and fixing the optical fiber 9 to the covering clamps 50 on both sides in the fiber set standby state. On).
The fusion splicer 20B performs a cover closing operation for closing the pair of cover members 610 and 620 with respect to the apparatus main body 21 and closing each other by turning on the cover closing switch 31d. Further, after the cover closing operation is completed, the fusion splicer 20B starts the connection portion tensile inspection after performing the fusion connection operation and the connection portion inspection with the windshield cover 60B closed.

The operations of the installation base advance mechanism 80 and the clamp release mechanism 90 of the fusion splicer 20B after the cover closing switch 31d is turned on are the same as those of the fusion splicer 20A described with reference to FIGS.
In the fusion splicer 20B, after the start of the joint tension test, the clamp release mechanism 90 pushes up the push-up pin 54 by the driving force of the advance mechanism power source 81 (see FIG. 18), and the cover clamp lid 52 in the closed state is moved upward. Rotate to However, as shown in FIG. 18, in the fusion splicer 20B, with the windshield cover 60B closed, the push-up pin 54 is pushed up by the clamp release mechanism 90, and the covering clamp lid 52 is moved to the magnet inside the second cover member 620. 67 abuts or approaches (in FIG. 18, approach). Further, the fusion splicer 20B places the pair of cover members 610 and 620 by the driving force of the windshield opening / closing power source after the covering clamp lid 52 is in contact with or close to the magnet 67 inside the second cover member 620. A cover opening operation for rotating (opening) the windshield cover 60B is started.

Here, when the push-up pin 54 is pushed up by the clamp opening mechanism 90, the rotational lifting force that acts on the covered clamp lid 52 by the elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 and the attractive force of the magnet 67 acts on the covered clamp lid 52. The cover clamp lid 52 in the closed state is rotated up to a position exceeding the attractive force of the permanent magnet 55 of the lower clamp member 51.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 19, when the opening (rotation in the opening direction) of the second cover member 620 is started, the covering clamp lid 52 is moved to the second cover member 620 by the attractive force of the magnet 67 of the second cover member 620. The second cover member 620 opens with being sucked and held by the second cover member 620. In other words, the covering clamp lid 52 opens together with the second cover member 620 while maintaining the connection state with the second cover member 620 by the attractive force of the magnet 67 of the second cover member 620.
The magnet 67 functions as a covering clamp lid connecting portion (connecting means) for connecting the covering clamp lid 52 to the second cover member 620. Hereinafter, the magnet 67 of the second cover member 620 is also referred to as a lid holding magnet.

The permanent magnet 55 of the lower clamp member 51, which acts on the covering clamp lid 52, which is acted on the covering clamp lid 52 rotating around the pivot 53 by the elastic urging force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 and the attractive force of the magnet 67. Hereinafter, the position of the covering clamp lid 52 when it becomes equal to the suction force is also referred to as a suction / lifting force balance position (suction / opening power balance position).
In the push-up operation of the push-up pin 54 by the clamp opening mechanism 90, the closed covering clamp lid 52 is rotated and raised above the clamp lowering member 51 above the suction / lift force balance position.

  The covering clamp lid 52 shown in FIG. 18 is disposed at the aforementioned suction / biasing force balance position. The fusion splicer 20B shown in FIG. 18 has a configuration in which, in addition to the elastic biasing force of the opening auxiliary elastic member 56, the attractive force of the lid holding magnet 67 of the windshield cover 60B also acts on the covering clamp lid 52 as its rotational lifting force. is there. The suction / biasing force balance position shown in FIG. 18 is located above the suction / lifting force balance position and on the opening limit position side in the rotation direction of the covering clamp lid 52.

  In the fusion splicer 20B, as a result of the push-up operation of the push-up pin 54 by the clamp opening mechanism 90, when the closed cover clamp lid 52 reaches the suction / biasing force balance position, the lid opening / closing power sources 619, 629 ( The cover opening operation for opening (opening) the windshield cover 60B is started by rotating the pair of cover members 610 and 620 by the driving force of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the rotation center of the covering clamp lid 52 is shifted from the rotation center of the second cover member 620 in the front-rear direction of the connecting device (the left-right direction in FIGS. 18 to 20). Therefore, as the second cover member 620 starts to move, the covering clamp lid 52 that moves together with the second cover member 620 while being held by the second cover member 620 by the attractive force of the lid holding magnet 67 is As the opening of the cover member 620 progresses, the distance from the lid holding magnet 67 increases (see FIG. 20).

FIG. 20 shows a state in which the cover clamp lid 52 has reached its open limit position and the cover members 610 and 620 on both sides of the windshield cover 60B continue to open.
As shown in FIG. 20, when the covering clamp lid 52 reaches the opening limit position by opening, further opening movement is restricted. On the other hand, the second cover member 620 is opened from a state where it is closed to the apparatus main body upper surface 21a to a position where the second cover member 620 is disposed on the opposite side via the rotation shaft 626 in the connecting machine front-rear direction. The windshield cover 60B is fully opened (the cover members 610 and 620 on both sides are in the positions indicated by the two-dot chain lines in FIG. 17) by opening the cover members 610 and 620 on both sides.

When the cover clamp lid 52 opened with the opening of the second cover member 620 by the cover opening operation reaches the open limit position, the cover of the second cover member 620 is covered with the lid holding magnet 67 by continuing the opening of the second cover member 620. The suction holding of the clamp lid 52 is released.
The fusion splicer 20B returns to the fiber set standby state when the cover opening operation is completed or thereafter.
When the cover opening operation is completed, the covering clamp lid 52 is disposed at the opening limit position.

The fiber setting operation for gripping and fixing the optical fiber 9 to the coating clamps 50 on both the left and right sides of the fusion splicer 20B in the fiber set standby state is, for example, a coating clamp in which the coating clamp lid 52 is placed in the open limit position and opened. After the optical fiber 9 is disposed on the 50 clamp lower members 51, the covering clamp lid 52 is manually closed.
When the fusion splicer 20B is in the fiber set standby state, the covering clamp lid 52 arranged at the open limit position is released from being held on the second cover member 620 by the attractive force of the lid holding magnet 67. In the fiber setting operation in the fiber setting standby state, the covering clamp lid 52 disposed at the open limit position is not manually affected by the attractive force of the lid holding magnet 67 and is manually directed toward the lower clamp member 51. Can be rotated and closed.

  The operation of the setting base advance mechanism 80, the clamp release mechanism 90, and the cover members 610 and 620 of the fusion splicer 20B after the cover closing switch 31d is turned on is the same as that of the two-part windshield cover 60A shown in FIG. The same applies to the fusion splicer 20 employed.

21 and 22 show modifications of the windshield cover.
The windshield cover 60 </ b> C shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 is an engagement projection piece 68 that removably engages with the cover cover 52 of the cover clamp 50 with the second cover member 620 in the windshield cover 60 </ b> A illustrated in FIG. 17. A cover member 620 </ b> A with a lid engaging portion that protrudes (hereinafter also referred to as a lid engaging protrusion) is employed. This windshield cover 60C is different from the windshield cover 60A illustrated in FIG. 17 only in that a cover member 620A with a lid engaging portion is adopted, and other configurations are the same as the windshield cover 60A illustrated in FIG.

More specifically, the windshield cover 60C shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 omits the lid holding magnet 67 from the second cover member 620 of the windshield cover 60B illustrated in FIGS. The cover member 620 </ b> A includes a cover member 620 </ b> A with a lid engaging portion in which the above-described lid engaging protrusion 68 is protruded.
This windshield cover 60C is different from the windshield cover 60B illustrated in FIGS. 18 to 20 only in that a cover member 620A with a lid engaging portion is adopted, and the other configurations are the windshield cover 60B illustrated in FIGS. 18 to 20. It is the same.

21 and 22 (indicated by reference numeral 20C in the figure) is a windshield cover 60B of the fusion splicer 20B illustrated in FIGS. 18 to 20 in FIGS. The configuration is changed to the windshield cover described above with reference numeral 60C.
In the fusion splicer 20C, the cover engaging protrusion 68 of the cover member 620A with a cover engaging portion is used as a cover clamp cover connecting portion (connecting means) for connecting the cover clamp lid 52 to the second cover member 620. Only the point of using is different from the fusion splicer 20B illustrated in FIGS.
The installation base advance mechanism 80, the clamp release mechanism 90, and the cover members 610 and 620 of the fusion splicer 20C are the same as the installation base advance mechanism 80 and the clamp release mechanism of the fusion splicer 20B illustrated in FIGS. 90 and cover members 610 and 620 are operated to return from the fiber set standby state to the fiber set standby state through the fusion splicing operation.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the lid engaging protrusion 68 of the cover member 620 </ b> A with a lid engaging portion protrudes from the top wall portion 623 of the second cover member 620 to the side opposite to the side wall portion 622. An engaging claw 68b is protruded from the side surface of the tip of the protruding piece 68a.
Specifically, the elastic protruding piece 68a in the illustrated example is formed from the protruding end portion of the protruding piece portion 68c protruding from the top wall portion 623 of the second cover member 620 to the side opposite to the side wall portion 622. When the 620 is closed on the apparatus main body upper surface 21a, a tip piece 68d extending downward is projected.

The engaging claw 68b of the lid engaging protrusion 68 protrudes from the side surface of the protruding end of the tip piece 68d of the elastic protrusion 68a.
Specifically, the engaging claw 68b of the lid engaging protruding piece 68 in the illustrated example protrudes on the side facing the side wall 622 of the second cover member 620 of the tip piece 68d of the elastic protruding piece 68a. Yes.

As shown in FIG. 21, the lid engaging protrusion 68 of the cover member 620 </ b> A with a lid engaging portion is engaged with the covering clamp lid 52 pushed up from the closed state with respect to the lower clamp member 51 of the covering clamp 50 by the pushing pin 54. Then, the cover clamp lid 52 functions as a cover clamp cover connecting portion (connecting means) for connecting the second cover member 620 to the cover clamp lid 620.
As shown in FIG. 21, the engaging claw 68b of the lid engaging protrusion 68 of the cover member 620A with the lid engaging portion is pushed up by the push-up pin 54 and rotated from the closed state when the windshield cover 60C is closed. The cover is engaged with the cover clamp lid 52 that has been lifted to reach the suction / biasing force balance position.
The covering clamp lid 52 is provided on a plate-shaped clamp lid main body 52 a that opens and closes with respect to the lower clamp member 51, and an opening / closing operation protrusion 52 b that protrudes from an end opposite to the pivot 53 of the covering clamp 50. It becomes the composition. Specifically, the engaging claw 68 b of the lid engaging protrusion 68 is detachably engaged with the opening / closing protrusion 52 b of the covering clamp lid 52.

The engagement claw 68b of the lid engagement protrusion 68 has a cover clamp cover 52 (see FIG. 5) in a closed state with respect to the clamp lower member 51 of the cover clamp 50 in a state where the second cover member 620 is closed to the upper surface 21a of the apparatus main body. 21, a covering clamp 52 indicated by a two-dot chain line, specifically, a position spaced upward from the opening / closing operation projection 52 b.
The engaging claw 68b has a mountain shape whose projecting dimension from the tip piece 68d decreases in the extending direction of the tip piece 68d extending from the protruding piece 68c of the elastic protrusion 68a as it goes from the center to both sides. It is the protrusion formed in. The covering clamp lid 52 pushed up from the closed state of the covering clamp 50 with respect to the lower clamp member 51 by the pushing pin 54 passes over the engaging claw 68b from the lower side to reach the suction / biasing force balance position.

  The protrusion 52b for opening / closing operation of the covering clamp lid 52 has its protruding end abutted against the engaging claw 68b of the elastic protruding piece 68a as the covering clamp cover 52 is pushed up by the push-up pin 54 and rotated upward from the closed state. The elastic protrusions 68a are slightly elastically deformed and moved to the upper side of the engaging claws 68b to reach the suction / biasing force balance position. The protrusion 52b for opening / closing operation of the covering clamp lid 52 can be engaged with the lid engaging protrusion 68 (specifically, the engaging claw 68b) by climbing the engaging claw 68b upward from the lower side. Become.

In the fusion splicer 20C, as a result of the push-up operation of the push-up pin 54 by the clamp release mechanism 90, the projection 52b for opening / closing the cover clamp lid 52 in the closed state becomes the tip of the engagement claw 68b of the lid engagement projection 68. After climbing over a portion having the largest projecting dimension from the piece 68d (hereinafter also referred to as the largest projecting portion) from the lower side to the upper side, a pair of power sources 619 and 629 (see FIG. 17) for opening and closing the lid A cover opening operation for opening the windshield cover 60C by rotating (opening) the cover members 610 and 620 in the opening direction is started.
The covering clamp lid 52 has its opening / closing operation projection 52b climbing over the maximum protruding portion of the engaging claw 68b of the lid engaging projection 68 from the lower side upward, and then the push-up pin 54 is moved by the clamp opening mechanism 90. Until the push-up upper limit position is reached, the force (push-up force) by which the clamp opening mechanism 90 pushes the push-up pin 54 and the force by which the lid opening / closing power source 629 (see FIG. 17) rotates the second cover member 620 in the opening direction ( Rotation is increased by one of both (open power).

  The cover clamp lid 52 is configured such that after the engagement claw 68b of the lid engaging protrusion 68 abuts (engages) with the opening / closing operation protrusion 52b by the opening of the second cover member 620, the lid engaging protrusion 68 ( Specifically, it is rotated (opened) in the opening direction together with the second cover member 620 while being held (connected) by the second cover member 620 by the engaging claws 68b). However, as described above, the rotation center of the covering clamp lid 52 is shifted from the rotation center of the second cover member 620 in the front-rear direction of the connecting machine (the left-right direction in FIGS. 21 to 22). For this reason, as the opening of the second cover member 620 progresses, the position of the engaging claw 68b at the tip of the lid engaging protrusion 68 is relatively clamped relative to the opening / closing operation protrusion 52b of the covering clamp lid 52. It shifts in the direction opposite to the lid body 52a side. Then, as shown in FIG. 22, the engaging claw 68b at the tip of the lid engaging projection piece 68 extends from the opening / closing operation projection 52b of the covering clamp lid 52 until the covering clamp lid 52 reaches the open limit position. The engagement with the opening / closing operation projection 52b is released.

FIG. 22 shows a state in which the covering clamp lid 52 has reached its open limit position and the cover members 610 and 620 on both sides of the windshield cover 60C continue to open.
As shown in FIG. 22, when the covering clamp lid 52 reaches the opening limit position by opening, further opening movement is restricted. On the other hand, the second cover member 620 is opened from a state where it is closed to the apparatus main body upper surface 21a to a position where the second cover member 620 is disposed on the opposite side via the rotation shaft 626 in the connecting machine front-rear direction. The windshield cover 60 </ b> C is fully opened (the cover members 610 and 620 on both sides are in the positions indicated by the two-dot chain lines in FIG. 17) by opening the cover members 610 and 620 on both sides.

  In the fusion splicer 20C in the fiber set standby state, the covering clamp lid 52 disposed at the open limit position is the engagement claw of the lid engaging protrusion 68 of the cover member 620A with the lid engaging portion of the windshield cover 60C in the fully opened state. 68b is separated from the cover member 620A with a lid engaging portion. For this reason, when the covering clamp lid 52 arranged at the open limit position is manually closed to the lower clamp member 51, it is necessary to release the engagement with the lid engaging protrusion 68 of the cover member 620A with a lid engaging portion. There is no need to close the clamp lower member 51.

The specific shape of the lid engaging protrusion that detachably engages with the covering clamp lid 52 and connects the covering clamp lid 52 to the second cover member 620 is not limited to the illustrated example, and the design can be changed as appropriate. .
Further, the connecting means for connecting the covering clamp lid 52 and the second cover member 620 to each other is not limited to the covering clamp cover connecting portion provided on the windshield cover (second cover member 620 in FIGS. 18 to 22). The cover clamp cover 52 and the windshield cover are connected to each other by, for example, a magnet that is attached to the cover clamp cover 52 and magnetically attracts a ferromagnetic material provided on the windshield cover, or is protruded from the cover clamp cover 52 and is connected to the windshield cover. You may implement | achieve by the connection means (windshield connection part) provided in the covering clamp lid | cover 52, such as an engagement protrusion piece engaged with a latching | locking part so that engagement / disengagement is possible. Further, the connection between the covering clamp lid 52 and the windshield cover may be realized by the combined use of the covering clamp lid connecting portion and the connecting means (windshield connecting portion) provided on the covering clamp lid 52.

The configuration in which the covering clamp lid connecting portion is provided on the windshield cover can also be applied to the windshield cover 60 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.
For example, the windshield cover may be provided with the cover clamp lid connecting portion on the inner surface side of the top wall portion 64 of the windshield cover 60 (the side facing the inner space 66 of the windshield cover 60) and / or the lid retaining magnet 67 and / or the lid member. The structure which provided the collision piece 68 can be taken.
Also in the fusion splicer employing the windshield cover 60 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting means (windshield connecting portion) provided on the covering clamp lid 52, or the covering clamp lid connecting portion, and the covering clamp lid 52. The covering clamp lid 52 and the windshield cover may be connected by using together with the connecting means (windshield connecting portion) provided on the cover.

  The windshield cover 60 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 itself functions as a cover member that opens and closes with respect to the apparatus main body 21 by rotation. In other words, the windshield cover 60 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a windshield cover configured by one cover member.

  In the fusion splicer provided with the engagement protrusion on the cover member of the windshield cover or the covering clamp lid 52, for example, the covering clamp lid 52 that starts rotating up from the closed state by the clamp release mechanism 90 pushing up the push-up pin 54. However, when the suction / lift force balance position or the suction / lift force balance position has not been reached, the connection between the cover member of the windshield cover and the covering clamp lid 52 by the engaging protrusion can be realized. It is.

(Modified example of covering clamp installation base)
FIG. 23 shows a modification of the movable stage (covering clamp mounting base).
A movable stage 22A (covering clamp mounting base) shown in FIG. 23 is for supporting the push-up pin 54 on the movable stage 22 illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B to 14A, 14B and the like. The pin support protrusion 22f is provided. FIG. 23 shows an installation table 22P with a push-up pin having a structure in which a push-up pin 54 is provided on the movable stage 22A so as to be movable up and down.
In the present specification, the installation table 22P with a push-up pin is also treated as functioning as a covering clamp installation table.

As shown in FIG. 23, the movable stage 22 </ b> A is one side in the connecting device front-rear direction of the installation stage main body 22 a of the movable stage 22 illustrated in FIGS. 6 (a), (b) to FIGS. The pin support protrusion 22f is provided so as to protrude from the side surface. In FIG. 23, the pin support protrusion 22f protrudes from the side of the installation base body 22a opposite to the connection machine rear side where the installation base advance mechanism 80 is installed.
The pin support protrusion 22f of the movable stage 22A in the illustrated example is a protrusion formed integrally with the installation base body 22a. However, the pin support protrusion 22f may be one in which a member different from the installation base body 22a is fixed and integrated with the installation base body 22a.

The push-up pin 54 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction on the movable stage 22A by inserting the pin main body 54a into the pin insertion hole 22g passing through the pin support protrusion 22f in the vertical direction so as to be movable in the axial direction.
The pin insertion hole 22g of the pin support protrusion 22f is formed in a cross-sectional size in which the head 54b disposed on the pin support protrusion 22f of the push-up pin 54 does not enter.
When the head 54b of the push-up pin 54 comes into contact with the upper surface of the pin support protrusion 22f, the pin support protrusion 22f is arranged so that the lower end 54c side portion of the push-up pin 54 protrudes downward from the pin support protrusion 22f. The dimension in the direction along the central axis of the insertion hole 22g is adjusted.

FIG. 24 shows a state where the covering clamp 50A is attached to the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22A in FIG.
The covering clamp 50A illustrated in FIG. 24 includes a pin insertion hole 51b and a push-up pin 54 from the clamp lower member 51 of the covering clamp 50 illustrated in FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b) to 14 (a), 14 (b) and the like. The only difference from the covering clamp 50 is that the lower clamp member 51 </ b> A having the configuration is omitted. This covering clamp 50A is different from the covering clamp 50 illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 14A, 14B, etc. only in that it does not have the pin insertion hole 51b and the push-up pin 54. Other configurations are the same as those of the covering clamp 50.

FIG. 24 is a covering clamp that does not have the installation table 22P with the push-up pin and the push-up pin 54 in place of the movable stage 22 and the cover clamp 50 in the fusion splicer 20A described with reference to FIGS. It is a figure explaining the structure which employ | adopted 50A.
The movable stage 22 shown in FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b), 10 and the like, the surrounding installation base advance mechanism 80, and the clamp release mechanism 90 are connected to the discharge portion 24a (FIG. 6 (a), An advance / retreat unit U1 that moves forward and backward toward (b) and the like) is configured. The advance / retreat unit U1 advances and retracts the covering clamp 50 toward the discharge portion 24a by the driving force generated by the advance mechanism power source 81 and the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83. Further, the advance / retreat unit U1 rotates the cover clamp lid 52 in the closed state by the clamp release mechanism 90 pushing up the push-up pin 54 provided on the cover clamp 50 by the driving force generated by the advance mechanism power source 81. Can be raised.

FIG. 24 shows an advancing / retreating unit U2 having a configuration in which an installation base 22P with a push-up pin is used instead of the movable stage 22 for the advancing / retreating unit U1 shown in FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b), 10 and the like. . The advance / retreat unit U2 advances and retracts the covering clamp 50A toward the discharge portion 24a by the driving force generated by the advance mechanism power source 81 and the elastic biasing force of the proof spring 83. Further, in this advancing / retracting unit U2, the clamp release mechanism 90 pushes up the push-up pin 54 of the installation base 22P with the push-up pin, and the push-up pin 54 pushes up the cover clamp lid 52 of the cover clamp 50A holding and fixing the optical fiber. Can be raised and rotated.
That is, in this advance / retreat unit U2, the clamp release mechanism 90 pushes up the push-up pin 54 of the stand 22P with the push-up pin even if the cover clamp 50A attached on the stand base body 22a of the movable stage 22 does not have the push-up pin 54. The covered clamp lid 52 in the closed state can be rotated up.

The relationship between the lower end 54c of the push-up pin 54 of the installation base 22P with the push-up pin and the release lever 93 of the clamp release mechanism 90 is illustrated in FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b) to 14 (a), (b), etc. This is the same as the relationship between the lower end 54 c of the push-up pin 54 of the covered clamp 50 and the release lever 93.
In the clamp release mechanism 90, the push-up piece 93 b of the release lever 93 rotated by the driving force of the forward drive mechanism power source 81 (see FIGS. 6A and 10) pushes the push-up pin 54. The clamp release mechanism 90 can rotate and lift the closed cover clamp lid 52 to, for example, above the suction / biasing force balance position by pushing up the push-up pin 54.

  However, the push-up amount of the push-up pin 54 by the clamp opening mechanism 90 is the windshield cover of the fusion splicer so that the cover clamp cover 52 can reach the open limit position by the rotation of the cover clamp cover 52 after reaching the upper limit position. And / or can be set as appropriate according to the presence or absence of the connection means to the covering clamp lid 52, the configuration of the connection means, and the like. For example, in the case of the fusion splicer 20 </ b> B described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 20 described above, by pushing up the push-up pin 54 by the clamp release mechanism 90, the closed cover clamp lid 52 is sucked and raised. Rotate and raise above the balance position.

As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the movable stage 22 </ b> A also has a positioning pin 22 e that protrudes on the installation base body 22 a. The positioning pins 22e are projected at two locations on the installation base body 22a.
Pin fitting holes 51e for inserting and fitting positioning pins 22e on the mounting base body 22a of the movable stage 22A are formed at two locations on the lower clamp member 51A of the covering clamp 50A. The pin fitting hole 51e in the illustrated example is formed through the thickness of the lower clamp member 51A of the covering clamp 50A.
In the covering clamp 50A, the positioning pins 22e of the movable stage 22A are inserted and fitted in the two pin fitting holes 51e of the lower clamp member 51A, and the lower clamp member 51A is screwed onto the installation base body 22a. It is fixed on the installation base main body 22a by being fixed by a fixing means. The two positioning pins 22e of the movable stage 22A function to position the clamp lower member 51A of the covering clamp 50A with respect to the installation base body 22a and to prevent misalignment.

The covering clamp lid 52 of the covering clamp 50A shown in FIG. 24 has a push-up receiving protrusion 52c that protrudes from the lower clamp member 51A to the side opposite to the pivot 53 when closed by the lower clamp member 51A. Specifically, the push-up pin 54 pushed up by the clamp opening mechanism 90 pushes up the push-up receiving projection 52c of the covering clamp lid 52 from below, and rotates the covering clamp lid 52.
When the cover clamp 50A is closed to the clamp lower member 51A, the push-up receiving protrusion 52c of the cover clamp lid 52 is positioned on the extension of the central axis of the pin insertion hole 22g (see FIG. 23) of the movable stage 22A. As described above, the clamp lower member 51A is positioned on the installation base main body 22a by the positioning pins 22e of the movable stage 22A and attached to the movable stage 22A.

The positioning pins 22e are also provided on the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22 illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B to 14A, 14B and the like. The movable stage 22 has positioning pins 22e that protrude from two places on the installation base body 22a.
The covered clamp 50 illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B to 14A, 14B, etc. has movable stages in pin fitting holes 51e formed at two locations of the clamp lower member 51, respectively. The positioning pin 22e of 22 is inserted, and the lower clamp member 51 is fixed on the installation base main body 22a by fixing means such as screws, and is provided on the installation base main body 22a. The two positioning pins 22e of the movable stage 22 fulfill the functions of positioning the clamp lower member 51 of the covering clamp 50 with respect to the installation base body 22a and preventing the displacement.

As shown in FIG. 24, the plate-like clamp lower member 51A of the covering clamp 50A is formed with a screw insertion hole 51f that penetrates the thickness thereof. Further, as shown in FIG. 23, a screw 51g passed through a screw insertion hole 51f of a clamp lower member 51A (see FIG. 24) installed on the upper surface 22b is screwed into the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22A. A female screw hole 22h for fastening and fixing the lower clamp member 51A to the installation base body 22a is formed. The female screw hole 22h is formed to open on the upper surface 22b of the installation base body 22a.
As shown in FIG. 24, the covering clamp 50A is configured by a screw 51g screwed into the female screw hole 22h (see FIG. 23) of the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22A through the lower screw member 51A through the screw insertion hole 51f. It is fixed to the installation base body 22a and attached to the movable stage 22A.

The screw 51g functions as a fixing means (hereinafter also referred to as a covering clamp fixing means) for fixing the covering clamp 50A to the movable stage 22A. As the covering clamp fixing means, a means capable of switching between fixing and releasing the covering clamp 50A with respect to the movable stage 22A is used.
The screw 51g, which fixes the covering clamp 50A to the movable stage 22A, is rotated in the opposite direction to that when the installation base body 22a is screwed into the female screw hole 22h, and is extracted from the female screw hole 22h, thereby moving the movable stage 22A of the covering clamp 50A. Can be unlocked. The covering clamp 50A, which is fixedly mounted on the mount base body 22a of the movable stage 22A by the female screw hole 22h, is fixed to the clamp lower member 51A in which the fixing to the movable stage 22A by the female screw hole 22h is released. The clamp lower member 51A is lifted from the main body 22a and removed from the positioning pin 22e inserted in the pin fitting hole 51e, so that it can be detached from the movable stage 22A.

The fact that the female screw hole 22h is formed in the installation base body 22a illustrated in FIG. 23 indicates that the movable stage 22 illustrated in FIG. 6 (a), (b) to FIG. 14 (a), (b), etc. The same applies to the installation base body 22a. The female screw hole 22h of the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22 is not shown.
The clamp lower member 51 of the covering clamp 50 illustrated in FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b) to 14 (a), 14 (b) and the like is also passed through a screw insertion hole (not shown) passing through the thickness of the screw 51g. The installation base body 22a is fastened and fixed to the installation base body 22a by being screwed into the female screw hole 22h, and is attached to the movable stage 22. The covering clamp 50 can be removed from the movable stage 22 by extracting the screw 51g from the female screw hole 22h by a rotation operation in the direction opposite to that when screwed into the female screw hole of the installation base body 22a.
Moreover, the pin fitting hole 51e (FIG. 6 (FIG. 6) which penetrates the thickness also to the clamp lower member 51 of the covering clamp 50 illustrated in FIG. 6 (a), (b)-FIG. 14 (a), (b) etc. a) and FIG. 10) are formed. The clamp lower member 51 of the covering clamp 50 is movable by inserting and fitting the positioning pins 22e protruding at two places on the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22 into the pin fitting holes 51e so as to be removable. The stage 22 is positioned and attached to the movable stage 22.

The covering clamp fixing means capable of switching between fixing and releasing the fixing of the lower clamp member of the covering clamp with respect to the movable stage is not limited to the screw 51g.
As this covering clamp fixing means, for example, there is a pressing member disposed on the lower clamp member of the covering clamp installed on the installation base body 22a, and the clamp lower member is fixed to the installation base body 22a by this pressing member. It is also possible to employ a fixing mechanism or the like that can be switched between releasing and releasing by rotating a nut that is screwed onto a screw shaft that protrudes on the installation stage main body 22a of the movable stage.

As shown in FIG. 25, the movable stage 22 </ b> A illustrated in FIG. 23 can be mounted with a fiber holder 40 that is a covering clamp that is placed on the installation base body 22 a and is detachably provided.
The fiber holder 40 is pivotally attached to an elongated plate-like base plate 41 (clamp lower member) and one end in the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the base plate 41 on the upper surface 41a of the base plate 41 via a pivot (not shown). And a cover plate 42 (covered clamp cover). The cover plate 42 is provided on the base plate upper surface 41a so as to be openable and closable by rotation about the pivot axis.

Further, the fiber holder 40 magnetically attracts a metal lid plate 42 formed of a ferromagnetic material such as iron by a permanent magnet 41c (hereinafter also referred to as a lid closing magnet) provided on the base plate 41. The cover plate 42 is kept closed by the base plate 41 by the force. However, the attractive force of the permanent magnet acting on the cover plate 42 closed to the base plate 41 can be released by forcibly rotating the cover plate 42 closed by the base plate 41 with the fingers in the opening direction. It is set to a degree of strength.
The cover plate 42 is not limited to a configuration in which the entire cover plate 42 is formed of a ferromagnetic material that can be magnetically attracted to the lid closing magnet 41 c of the base plate 41, and a configuration in which only a part is formed of a ferromagnetic material can also be employed. It is.

As shown in FIG. 25, a fiber groove 43 for positioning the optical fiber 9 is formed on the base plate upper surface 41a so as to extend over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the base plate upper surface 41a that coincides with the longitudinal direction of the base plate 41. .
The fiber holder 40 is configured such that the optical fiber 9 is disposed in the fiber groove 43 of the base plate 41 with the cover plate 42 opened with respect to the base plate 41, and then the open cover plate 42 is closed to the base plate 41. The optical fiber 9 can be held and fixed between the base plate 41 and the lid plate 42.

The fiber setting operation for attaching the optical fiber 9 to be fused to the fusion splicer using the fiber holder 40 is performed by holding and fixing the optical fiber 9 to the fiber holder 40 after holding the optical fiber 9 to the fiber holder 40. As it is, it is placed on the movable stage of the fusion splicer.
The optical fiber 9 is held and fixed between the base plate 41 and the lid plate 42 of the fiber holder 40 with the tip portion protruding from the fiber holder 40. Between the base plate 41 and the cover plate 42 of the fiber holder 40, the covering portion 9d (see FIG. 1 and the like) of the optical fiber 9 is held and fixed.
The fiber holder 40 holding and fixing the optical fiber 9 is placed on the movable stage in a state in which the coating material 9c at the tip of the optical fiber 9 protruding from the fiber holder 40 is removed and the optical fiber glass portion 9a is opened. To do.

As shown in FIG. 25, the base plate 41 of the fiber holder 40 is formed with two pin fitting holes 41b into which the two positioning pins 22e on the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22A are inserted and fitted. ing. The pin fitting hole 41 b in the illustrated example is formed through the thickness of the base plate 41 of the fiber holder 40.
The fiber holder 40 inserts and fits the positioning pins 22e of the movable stage 22A into the two pin fitting holes 41b of the base plate 41 with the optical fiber 9 held and fixed, and installs the base plate 41. It mounts on the upper surface 22b (refer FIG. 23) of the base main body 22a. The base plate 41 of the fiber holder 40 placed on the installation base main body 22a is positioned with respect to the installation base main body 22a by the two positioning pins 22e of the movable stage 22A. Be regulated.

  The base plate 41 of the fiber holder 40 placed on the installation base body 22a of the movable stage 22A is not fixed to the installation base body 22a. The fiber holder 40 mounted on the movable stage 22A by placing the base plate 41 on the installation base body 22a is raised from the installation base body 22a, and the base plate 41 is inserted into the pin fitting hole 41b. It can be removed from the movable stage 22A simply by removing it from the positioning pin 22e.

The cover plate 42 of the fiber holder 40 has an opening / closing operation protrusion 42 a that protrudes from the base plate 41 to the side opposite to the pivot in the width direction of the base plate 41.
The fiber holder 40 placed on the installation base body 22a of the installation base 22P with the push-up pin has a movable stage in which the projection 42a for opening and closing the lid plate 42 is in a state where the lid plate 42 is closed with respect to the base plate 41. The two positioning pins 22e of the movable stage 22A are positioned and arranged with respect to the installation base body 22a so as to be positioned on the extension of the central axis of the 22A pin insertion hole 22g.

  The advancing / retracting unit U2 includes an opening / closing operation protrusion 42a of the cover plate 42 of the fiber holder 40 that is held and fixed on the movable stage 22A by holding the optical fiber 9 by the push-up pin 54 pushed up by the clamp release mechanism 90. It can be pushed up from below and rotated (opened) and raised in the opening direction.

  The above-described covering clamps 50 and 50A have the opening auxiliary elastic member 56 (see FIG. 10 and the like). On the other hand, the fiber holder 40 in the illustrated example is not provided with an elastic member that elastically biases the cover plate 42 in the opening direction with respect to the base plate 41.

The push-up amount of the push-up pin 54 by the clamp release mechanism 90 in the advance / retreat unit U2 can be set as appropriate.
For example, when the advancing / retracting unit U2 is applied to the fusion splicer 20B described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 20, the second windshield cover 60B is closed when the windshield cover 60B is closed. The cover holding magnet 67 of the cover member 620 is arranged with a slight separation distance above the fiber holder 40 mounted on the movable stage 22A in a state where the optical fiber is held and fixed. The advance / retreat unit U2 attracts the lid plate 42 of the fiber holder 40 to the lid holding magnet 67 acting on the lid plate 42 by pushing up the push-up pin 54 by the clamp opening mechanism 90 after the start of the connection portion tensile inspection. A configuration is adopted in which the force is rotated up to a place where the force exceeds the attractive force of the lid closing magnet 41 c acting on the lid plate 42.

  Here, the lid closing magnet 41c of the base member 41 of the fiber holder 40 mounted on the movable stage 22A and the lid holding magnet 67 of the second cover member 620 of the closed windshield cover 60B are closed. There is an attraction / attraction force balance position (attraction / opening power balance position) where the attraction force of the lid closing magnet acting on the lid plate 42 rotated and raised from the state is equal to the attraction force of the lid holding magnet 67. The advancing / retracting unit U2 is configured to rotate and raise the lid plate 42 of the fiber holder 40 above the suction / suction force balance position by pushing up the push-up pin 54 by the clamp release mechanism 90.

In addition, as a covering clamp, the structure which abbreviate | omitted the opening auxiliary | assistant elastic member 56 from the covering clamp 50 mentioned above, and the structure which abbreviate | omitted the opening auxiliary | assistant elastic member 56 from the covering clamp 50A are also employable.
In this case, when the push-up pin 54 is pushed up by the clamp release mechanism 90, the covering clamp lid 52 is rotated and raised to a position above the suction / suction force balance position.

The advance / retreat unit U2 can also be applied to the fusion splicer 20B described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22 described above.
In this case, the advancing / retreating unit U2 pushes the push-up pin 54 by the clamp release mechanism 90, so that the lid 42 of the closed state of the fiber holder 40 is opened and the projection 42a for opening / closing operation is the tip of the lid engaging projection piece 68. A configuration in which the engagement claw 68b can be engaged, that is, the opening / closing operation projection 42a is moved over the engagement claw 68b at the front end of the lid engagement projection piece 68 and rotated up to a position disposed on the upper side. And

  Here, the amount of push-up of the push-up pin 54 by the clamp opening mechanism 90 of the advance / retreat unit U2 is determined by adjusting the protrusion 42a for the opening / closing operation of the cover plate 42 of the fiber holder 40 and the engaging claw 68b of the cover engaging protrusion 68. It is a position where it can get over from below and be arranged on the upper side of the engaging claw 68b. The upper limit of pushing up of the push-up pin 54 by the clamp release mechanism 90 may be a position where the opening / closing operation protrusion 42a of the cover plate 42 that has passed over the engagement claw 68b contacts the engagement claw 68b, or the opening / closing operation of the cover plate 42. It is good also as a position which arrange | positions the protrusion 42a for use in the place which left | separated from the engaging claw 68b some upwards.

The installation table 22P with push-up pins illustrated in FIG. 23 can selectively mount the covering clamp 50A and the fiber holder 40 on the installation table main body 22a.
Further, the installation table 22P with a push-up pin is removed from the installation table main body 22a by releasing the fixation of the coating clamp 50A fixed on the installation table main body 22a using the above-described coating clamp fixing means by the coating clamp fixing means. It is also possible to detachably mount the fiber holder 40 on the installation base body 22a. That is, the installation table 22P with the push-up pin can replace the covering clamp 50A with the fiber holder 40.
Further, the installation table 22P with the push-up pin can be changed from a state in which it is used for mounting the fiber holder 40 to a configuration in which the covering clamp 50A is fixed on the installation table main body 22a.

(Configuration to open the cover clamp lid only with the driving force of the windshield opening / closing power source)
For example, a fusion splicer having an engagement protrusion on the cover member of the windshield cover or the covering clamp lid 52, such as the fusion splicer 20C illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22, is opened in the fiber set standby state. When the cover closing operation for closing the windshield cover that has been in the fully opened state is completed, the engaging claw 68b at the tip of the lid engaging protrusion 68 is below the opening / closing operation protrusion 52b of the covering clamp cover 52. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that can enter the side and engage with the opening / closing operation projection 52b.
For example, with respect to the lid engaging projection piece 68 illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22, the configuration is such that, when the cover closing operation is completed, the engagement claw 68 b is in the closed state under the opening / closing operation projection 52 b of the covering clamp lid 52. This can be realized by making a design change to increase the projecting dimension of the tip piece 68d from the protruding piece 68c so as to enter the side.

In the case of this configuration, for example, the cover opening operation performed after the start of the connection portion inspection after the fusion splicing operation is not performed without pushing up the cover clamp lid 52 by pushing up the push-up pin 54 by the clamp opening mechanism 90. The covering clamp lid 52 held on the second cover member 620 by the engaging protrusion 68 can be opened by opening the second cover member 620 and disposed at the open string opening position. In this case, the closed cover clamp lid 52 is opened only by the power generated by the windshield opening / closing power source 629.
Further, since the advance / retreat unit U1 does not need to push up the push-up pin 54 by the clamp release mechanism 90, the clamp release mechanism 90 can be omitted.

As the configuration for opening the covering clamp lid only by the driving force of the windshield opening / closing power source, as described above, in addition to the configuration employing the windshield cover provided with the lid engaging protrusion 68, for example, the windshield opening / closing power source It is also possible to employ a configuration in which the push-up pin 54 is pushed up by the power (driving force) generated to open the cover clamp lid 52 in the closed state.
In this case, for example, the push-up pin 54 is pushed up by the driving force of the windshield opening / closing power source. For example, an elevating member that is moved up and down by the driving force of the anti-opening / closing power source is disposed below the push-up pin 54. A configuration in which the push-up pin 54 is pushed up by raising the elevating member can be employed.

Although the present invention has been described based on the best mode, the present invention is not limited to the above-described best mode, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, the execution of the cover closing operation from the fiber set standby state in the fusion splicer is not limited to the operation of FIG. 2 of the cover closing switch 31d (see FIG. 3). As a fusion splicer, for example, when the completion of gripping and fixing of the optical fibers 9A and 9B to the covering clamps 50 on both the left and right sides or the completion of installation of the fiber holders 40 on the left and right movable stages 22 is detected by a sensor. Alternatively, the cover closing operation may be automatically executed, and the fusion splicing operation may be automatically started after the cover closing operation is completed.
Further, as the cover clamp type fusion splicer 20A, the sensor detects the installation of the optical fibers 9A and 9B on the lower clamp members 51 of the cover clamps 50 on the left and right sides, or the vicinity of the cover clamps 50 on the left and right sides. It is also possible to employ a configuration in which the cover closing operation is automatically executed with the sensor installed in the sensor detecting the operator's fingers simultaneously on the left and right sides, and the fusion splicing operation is automatically started after the completion.
Note that the fusion splicer does not start the fusion splicing operation when it detects the occurrence of an abnormal closing operation, regardless of what the trigger signal functions as an operation start command for starting the cover closing operation. The configuration.

  20, 20A, 20B, 20C ... Fusion splicer, 21 ... Main body, 22, 22A ... Covered clamp mounting base (movable stage), 22P ... Covered clamp mounting base (setting base with push-up pin), 40 ... Fiber holder, 50, 50A ... Cover clamp, 52 ... Cover clamp lid, 60, 60A, 60B, 60C ... Windshield cover, 610 ... Cover member (first cover member), 619 ... (for windshield opening / closing) Power source, 620 ... Cover member ( (Second cover member), 629 ... (for windshield opening / closing) power source, 69 ... (for windshield opening / closing) power source, 81 ... (advance mechanism) power source, 82 ... drive mechanism (installation table drive mechanism), 91 ... link component .

Claims (9)

After the fusion splicing is completed, a part of the drive mechanism for moving the covering clamp mounting table forward is separated from the covering clamp mounting table by the power of the power source for advancing the covering clamp mounting table and moves backward. At this time, the power of the power source is transmitted to the pin installed below the covering clamp lid of the covering clamp attached to the covering clamp mounting base via the driving mechanism, and the pin is covered with the covering. An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized in that the clamp lid is pushed up to open the covering clamp lid. In the optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1 ,
An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized in that when a part of the drive mechanism is separated from the covering clamp mounting base and retracts, the pin is pushed up via a link part, and the pin pushes up the covering clamp lid. In the optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1 or 2 ,
Has a windshield opening and closing mechanism that opens and closes the windshield cover with a power source,
The covering clamp lid and the windshield cover are connected to each other by connecting means provided on the covering clamp cover and / or the cover,
Opening the windshield cover by opening the windshield cover In addition to the power generated by the forward power source of the cover clamp installation base that opens the windshield cover, the windshield cover is opened by opening the windshield cover connected to the cover clamp lid. An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized in that the power generated by the power source of the mechanism is also used as power for opening the covering clamp lid. With a windshield opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the windshield cover by the power of the power source, and a covering clamp that can maintain a closed state by holding a closed covering clamp lid with respect to the lower clamp member,
The covering clamp lid and the windshield cover are connected to each other by connecting means provided on the covering clamp lid and / or the windshield cover,
After the fusion splicing is completed, and after the closed state of the covering clamp lid is released by the power of another power source different from the power source and the covering clamp lid is lifted with respect to the lower clamp member, An optical fiber fusion characterized in that an operation of opening the windshield cover connected to the cover clamp lid is performed to open the cover clamp lid only by power generated by a power source of the windshield opening / closing mechanism. Connection machine. In the optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 3 or 4 ,
An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized in that the connecting means is a magnet for connecting the covering clamp lid and the windshield cover to each other by magnetic attraction. In the optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 3 or 4 ,
An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized in that the connecting means is a lid engaging protrusion that protrudes from the windshield cover and detachably engages with the cover clamp cover to connect the cover clamp cover to the windshield cover. . In the optical fiber fusion splicer according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
An optical fiber fusion splicer, wherein the covering clamp is equipped with an elastic member that acts in a direction to open the covering clamp lid so that the covering clamp lid can be easily opened. In the optical fiber fusion splicer according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
A covering clamp which is fixed on the covering clamp mounting base using a fixing means and can be detached from the covering clamp mounting base by releasing the fixing means and mounted on the covering clamp mounting base so as to be removable. An optical fiber fusion splicer having a replaceable structure with a fiber holder, wherein the cover of the fiber holder can be opened by the same mechanism as that of the cover clamp lid when the fiber holder is mounted. In the optical fiber fusion splicer according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
An optical fiber fusion splicer characterized by being capable of switching between simultaneous opening of both sides and automatic opening of one side of a covering clamp lid that is opened after completion of fusion splicing of optical fibers by software setting.

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