JP6159244B2 - End face observation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an end face observation apparatus that observes an end face state of an optical connector.

  In optical communication, an optical connector is an indispensable component for connecting various network devices and optical fibers, and reducing the loss in the optical connector is very important for realizing good optical communication. . The loss factor in the optical connector is mainly dust and foreign matter adhering to the connector end face and dirt. Therefore, cleaning and observation of the connector end face are important tasks when connecting the optical connector. The optical connector includes a plug that is a male connector and a receptacle that is a female connector and serves as a plug insertion port in a network device or the like.

  So far, cleaners and end face observation devices have been proposed for plugs and receptacles. For example, there is a cleaner having a cleaner tape for a connector end surface in a receptacle (see Patent Document 1), an observation device for a connector end surface in a receptacle (see Patent Document 2), and the like. When performing connector connection or the like, the optical connector is cleaned and observed using such an apparatus.

JP 2004-219602 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-19728

  However, since the conventional cleaning device and the observation device are provided as separate devices, each device is prepared, and they are used separately while appropriately exchanging them. Therefore, there is a problem that work complexity is inevitable.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a subject, The place made into the objective is providing the end surface observation apparatus which makes it possible to integrate a cleaning apparatus and an observation apparatus.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an end face observation apparatus, a transparent member disposed in the immediate vicinity of an end face of a subject, and a mechanism disposed on the transparent member and having a function of operating the end face The transparent member and the light source so that the light irradiated from the light source can illuminate the end surface of the subject through the transparent member. A first light propagation path that is optically connected and a second light propagation that optically connects the transparent member and the image receiving portion so that an end face image of the subject is formed on the image receiving portion. road and the than the transparent member of the second optical propagation path have a, a lens positioned on the image-receiving portion, wherein the structure, a cleaner mechanism for cleaning the foreign matter adhered to the end face of the subject It is a part of .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the end face observation device according to the first aspect, the transparent member is a second lens.

The invention according to claim 3 is the end face observation device according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a beam splitter or a half mirror located on the first and second light propagation paths. To do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the end face observation device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the first light propagation path is at least partially a propagation path using a transparent member other than air as a medium. It is characterized by including.

  The present invention makes it possible to integrate the cleaning device and the observation device, thereby producing effects such as improved operability and shortened operation time.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which is observing the end surface of the optical connector 200 of a receptacle with the end surface observation apparatus of this invention.

  In the present invention, as an optical connector cleaner, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cleaning tape is pressed against an optical fiber portion of a connector end face and is slid in a certain direction within the end face. The sliding guide mechanism of the cleaning tape is smaller in diameter than the connector diameter at the connector end. The cleaning tape is pressed against the vicinity of the end face of the optical fiber at the center of the connector, and the foreign matter on the end face is removed by sliding.

  Furthermore, the present invention has a connector end face observation mechanism that can be integrated with such a cleaning mechanism.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
(Embodiment 1)
In FIG. 1, the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is shown.

  In FIG. 1, what is indicated by a two-dot chain line is an optical connector 200 to be observed and cleaned. The end surface observation device 100 includes a cleaning tape 101 for cleaning the end surface so as to face the center of the optical connector 200, a guide / sliding mechanism 102, and a transparent member 103 through which light passes. However, only a part of the cleaning tape 101 and the guide / sliding mechanism 102 are shown, and details are not shown. The transparent member 103 is disposed at a position closest to the optical connector 200 so that the connector end surface can be observed through the tube 104. Further, the transparent member 103 is provided with a sliding guide for sliding the thin cleaning tape 101. When cleaning the end face of the optical connector 200, the cleaning tape 101 is pressed against the end face together with the transparent member 103, and the cleaning tape 101 is slid according to the slide guide.

  The end face observation apparatus 100 further includes two lenses 105 and 106, an image receiving element 107, and a light source 108 inside the cylinder 104. The end face image of the optical connector 200 is transmitted through the portion of the transparent member 103 where the cleaning tape 101 is not provided, passes through the two lenses 105 and 106, and forms an image on the image receiving element 107. Similarly, the illumination light from the light source 108 propagates through the transparent member 103 so as to irradiate the end face. An LED is generally used as the light source 108.

  As in the present embodiment, by arranging the transparent member 103 having the guide of the cleaning tape 101 at the tip, the cleaning device and the observation device for the optical connector end face can be integrated.

  By adjusting the ratio of the focal length of the lens 105 and the focal length of the lens 106, the magnification of the image formed on the image receiving element 107 can be adjusted. In the propagation optical path of the end face image in this embodiment, since it propagates with almost parallel light between the two lenses, it becomes possible to propagate the image with high definition even if there is an obstacle such as a cleaning mechanism in the center. It is easy to detect the size of foreign matter attached to the end face.

(Embodiment 2)
In FIG. 2, the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention is shown. In the first embodiment, the two lenses 105 and 106 are disposed in the propagation optical path of the end face image, but in this embodiment, the transparent member 103 itself is the lens 109 as shown in FIG. It is said. As a result, the number of lenses can be reduced to two as in the first embodiment, and the number of optical components can be reduced.

  By adjusting the ratio of the focal length of the lens 109 and the focal length of the lens 106 before the image receiving element, the magnification of the image formed on the image receiving element 107 can be adjusted. In the propagation path of the end face image in the present embodiment, since the light propagates almost parallel between the two lenses as in the first embodiment, the image is propagated with high definition even if there is an obstacle such as a cleaning mechanism in the center. This makes it possible to easily detect the size and the like of the foreign matter adhering to the end face.

  It is possible to reduce the number of optical components, and it can be expected to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus and simplify the assembly work by reducing the number of members to be aligned.

  The image receiving element may be a CCD or CMOS. In addition, the propagation of illumination light uses the same space in the cylinder as the propagation of the end face image, which enables a small-diameter structure and is suitable for observation of a thin-diameter connector.

  The lens 106 in front of the image receiving element may be omitted, and an optical system that forms an image on the image receiving element with only one lens 109 may be used.

(Embodiment 3)
In FIG. 3, the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention is shown. In this embodiment, the light source 108 is disposed outside the tube 104, the illumination light from the light source 108 is bent and propagated by the beam splitter 110, and the light from the image is transmitted through the beam splitter 110 and propagates to the image receiving element. It is a configuration.

  Illumination light and light from the image propagate through the lens 109. In this embodiment, the beam splitter 110 is used for bending, but a half mirror may be used instead. In this embodiment, the illumination light is bent, but conversely, the light from the image may be bent and the image receiving element 107 may be arranged outside the cylinder 104.

  With such a configuration, the restriction on the place where the light source 108 is arranged is reduced, and it is easy to make an integrated configuration, and the light propagation of the illumination and the light propagation of the light from the image can be designed independently. This makes it possible to facilitate optical design that provides brighter and more uniform illumination and higher resolution imaging.

(Embodiment 4)
In FIG. 4, the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention is shown. In this embodiment, the illumination light from the light source 108 is bent by a bending mirror, and then an optical material called a light valve 113 is propagated as a medium and propagated through the lens of the lens 109 to illuminate an image. By passing the light valve 113, it is possible to irradiate the image with uniform illumination light over a wider range than when propagating in the air.

  Although the light valve 113 is used in the present embodiment, the same effect can be obtained by using, for example, a fiber bundle or a diffusion plate instead.

  However, when the light from the image propagates through the light valve 113, the fiber bundle or the diffusion plate and reaches the image receiving element 107, the image resolution in the image receiving element 107 deteriorates. Therefore, a light shielding plate 112 is provided in order to shield the light propagating from the image through the optical member such as the light valve 113 so as not to propagate to the image receiving element 107. By doing in this way, compared with the case where the light from an image propagates through a light valve or the like, a higher resolution image can be obtained on the image receiving surface.

(Embodiment 5)
In FIG. 5, the structure of the end surface observation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention is shown. In the present embodiment, the light source 108 is disposed in the immediate vicinity of the light valve 113 without bending the illumination light from the light source 108. As a result, the same effect as in the fourth embodiment can be obtained, and the size can be reduced as compared with the fourth embodiment. Also in this embodiment, a light shielding plate 112 is provided to prevent light from the image from propagating to the image receiving element 107 through the light valve 113 or the like.

  FIG. 6 shows a state where the end face of the optical connector 200 of the receptacle is observed with the end face observation apparatus 100 of the present invention. In the receptacle, the optical connector 200 is disposed in a cylindrical member called a split sleeve 300. Therefore, by setting the outermost diameter of the tip portion of each embodiment to be equal to or smaller than the connector diameter, it is possible to enter the split sleeve 300 and clean the end face of the optical connector 200 in the receptacle and observe the end face.

  As described above, in any of the embodiments, by setting the outermost diameter near the optical connector to be equal to or smaller than the connector diameter, the end face observation device 100 that can be integrated with the cleaning mechanism in both the receptacle and the plug optical connector is provided. Can be configured.

  Further, although the embodiment in which the cleaning mechanism and the observation mechanism are integrated has been described, the end surface observation apparatus 100 of the present invention operates not only the cleaning mechanism but also the end surface of the subject, such as a prober or a stylus device, By locating a processing device or the like in front of the lens, it is possible to integrate them with the observation mechanism. As a result, regardless of which device is integrated, the images before and after the operation can be observed in each device, so that the operability can be improved and the operation time can be shortened.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Cleaning tape 102 Guide / sliding mechanism 103 Transparent member 104 Tube 105, 106, 109 Lens 107 Image receiving device 108 Light source 110 Beam splitter 111 Bending mirror 112 Light shielding plate 113 Light valve 200 Optical connector 300 Split sleeve

Claims (4)

A transparent member disposed in the immediate vicinity of the end surface of the subject;
A structure that is disposed on the transparent member and that is at least part of a mechanism having a function of operating an end surface;
A light source;
An image receiver;
A first light propagation path for optically connecting the transparent member and the light source so that the light emitted from the light source can illuminate the end surface of the subject via the transparent member;
A second light propagation path for optically connecting the transparent member and the image receiving unit so that an end face image of the subject is formed on the image receiving unit;
A lens positioned closer to the image receiving unit than the transparent member on the second light propagation path;
Have a, the structure, the end surface observation apparatus which is a part of a cleaner mechanism for cleaning the foreign matter adhered to the end face of the subject. The end face observation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent member is a second lens. It said located first and second optical propagation path, a beam splitter or the end surface observation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a half mirror. The end face observation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the first light propagation path includes at least a propagation path using a transparent member other than air as a medium.

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