JP6285069B1 - Attachment for optical connector cleaning tool - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical connector cleaning tool attachment capable of connecting a plurality of types of optical connector plugs is provided. An attachment main body 2 in which a cleaning portion 11 of an optical connector cleaning tool 5 is inserted into a first hole on one end side, and an optical connector plug 6 is inserted into a second hole 13 on the other end side, and the attachment. An LC connector plug attachment 4 attached to the main body 2 via a connecting piece 3 is provided. The optical connector plug 6 is an MPO connector plug 7 or an LC connector plug 8. The LC connector plug attachment 4 has a cylindrical portion 36 that fits into the second hole 13 of the attachment body 2 and a pair of guide grooves 44 into which the housing 31 of the LC connector plug 8 fits. The second hole 13 can be inserted into either the MPO connector plug 7 or the cylindrical portion 36 of the LC connector plug attachment 4. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an optical connector cleaning tool attachment for connecting a plurality of types of optical connector plugs to an optical connector cleaning tool.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when cleaning a coupling end surface of an optical connector plug, an optical connector cleaning tool is used as described in Patent Document 1, for example. This optical connector cleaning tool has a structure in which a coupling end surface is rubbed with a tape-shaped cleaning cloth. In order to clean the optical connector plug with this cleaning tool, the optical connector plug is attached to the cleaning portion of the optical connector cleaning tool via an attachment.
A first hole into which the cleaning part of the optical connector cleaning tool is fitted is formed at one end of the attachment. The other end of the attachment is formed with a second hole into which the optical connector plug is fitted.

JP 2005-10726 A Patent No. 5049350

  As data communication between devices progresses in a data center, connection with an optical fiber cord with a multi-core MPO optical connector plug is increasing. The MPO optical connector plug is cleaned after attaching an attachment to the optical connector cleaner described in Patent Document 1, and is connected to the transmission device. Optical fiber cords with single-core LC and SC optical connector plugs are also conventionally used as optical fiber cords, and there are optical connector cleaners as described in Document 2 corresponding to these. In a place where these optical connectors are mixed, there is a problem that a plurality of optical connector cleaners must be prepared. The optical connector cleaner described in Document 2 is a method of cleaning the end face of the optical connector with a cleaning thread, and does not clean the entire end face of the optical connector, but only the range that does not affect the optical characteristics from the center. It was. Although there is no influence on the optical characteristics, there is a problem that dirt remains in the vicinity, and there is no guarantee that the influence will not appear when the attachment and detachment are repeated.

  An object of the present invention is to attach to an optical connector cleaning tool having a structure in which a coupling end surface is rubbed with a tape-shaped cleaning cloth, and to connect a plurality of types of optical connector plugs. An object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for an optical connector cleaning tool that realizes the entire cleaning of the end face of a core type optical connector plug.

  In order to achieve this object, the optical connector plug cleaning tool attachment according to the present invention has a first hole into which a cleaning portion having a cleaning cloth of the optical connector cleaning tool is inserted at one end side, and the like. An attachment body in which an optical connector plug is inserted on the end side and a second hole is formed to hold a portion to be cleaned at the tip of the optical connector plug and the cleaning cloth in contact with each other; and the attachment body An LC connector plug attachment attached via a connecting piece having flexibility, and the optical connector plug is one of an MPO connector plug and an LC connector plug, and the LC connector plug attachment Are fitted into the second hole of the attachment body and inserted into the second hole; and A pair of concave grooves, which are provided on a wall, engage with an outer wall of a rectangular tube shape at a tip portion of the LC connector plug, and position the LC connector plug in two directions orthogonal to an insertion direction; The 2 holes are formed in a size that can be inserted into either the MPO connector plug or the cylindrical portion of the LC connector plug attachment.

  According to the present invention, in the attachment for an optical connector cleaning tool, the MPO connector is fitted in the second hole with concave grooves provided at both ends in the horizontal direction when viewed from the end face of the MPO connector plug. A pair of convex portions for positioning the plug in two directions orthogonal to the insertion direction and the cylindrical portion of the LC connector plug attachment are fitted, and the LC connector plug attachment is orthogonal to the insertion direction. And corners for positioning may be provided.

  In the attachment for an optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention, the optical connector plug includes an SC connector plug in addition to an MPO connector plug and an LC connector plug, and the second hole of the attachment body includes the LC connector plug. Both the tubular part of the connector plug attachment and the square tubular outer wall at the tip of the SC connector plug are formed so as to be fitted, and the SC connector plug is perpendicular to the insertion direction. You may form in the shape positioned in a direction.

  The present invention provides the optical connector cleaning tool attachment, wherein the cleaning cloth is provided in a longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug and at both ends of the MPO connector plug in a state where the cleaning cloth is in contact with the portion to be cleaned of the MPO connector plug. The pair of concave grooves moves in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the pair of concave grooves are arranged, and the convex portion is formed by a protrusion that fits into the concave groove of the MPO connector plug, and the second hole One end located on the back side may be inclined so as to be located on the upstream side in the moving direction of the cleaning cloth from the other end located on the opening side of the second hole.

  In the attachment for an optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention, the first hole into which the cleaning part having the cleaning cloth of the optical connector cleaning tool is inserted is formed on one end side, and the optical connector plug is inserted on the other end side. An attachment main body in which a second hole is formed so that the portion to be cleaned at the tip of the optical connector plug and the cleaning cloth are in contact with each other, and a flexible connecting piece on the attachment main body And an LC connector plug attachment, wherein the optical connector plug is either an SC connector plug or an LC connector plug, and the LC connector plug attachment is the second of the attachment body. A cylindrical portion that fits into the second hole and is inserted into the second hole; and an inner wall of the cylindrical portion, the LC connector plug A rectangular tube-like outer wall at the front end of the connector, and a pair of concave grooves for positioning the LC connector plug in two directions perpendicular to the insertion direction. The second hole is formed by the SC connector. It is formed in a size that can be inserted into either the rectangular tubular outer wall at the tip of the plug or the tubular portion of the LC connector plug attachment.

According to the present invention, the MPO connector plug is connected to the second hole of the attachment body in a state where the attachment for the LC connector plug is detached from the attachment body. It can be cleaned with a cleaning cloth. On the other hand, in the state where the attachment for the LC connector plug is attached to the second hole of the attachment main body, the LC connector plug is connected to the attachment for the LC connector plug so that the portion to be cleaned of the LC connector plug is attached to the optical connector cleaning tool. It can be cleaned with a cleaning cloth.
Therefore, according to this invention, the attachment for optical connector cleaning tools which can connect a MPO connector plug and LC connector plug can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, the SC connector plug is connected to the second hole of the attachment body in a state where the attachment for the LC connector plug is detached from the attachment body, whereby the portion to be cleaned of the SC connector plug is connected to the optical connector. It can be cleaned with the cleaning cloth of the cleaning tool. On the other hand, in the state where the attachment for the LC connector plug is attached to the second hole of the attachment main body, the LC connector plug is connected to the attachment for the LC connector plug so that the portion to be cleaned of the LC connector plug is attached to the optical connector cleaning tool. It can be cleaned with a cleaning cloth.
Therefore, according to this invention, the attachment for optical connector cleaning tools which can connect SC connector plug and LC connector plug can be provided.

It is a perspective view of an attachment for optical connector cleaning tools, a cleaning tool, and an optical connector plug concerning the present invention. It is a perspective view of an attachment. It is a perspective view of an attachment. It is a top view of an attachment. It is the VV sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the VI-VI sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which attached the MPO connector plug to the attachment. It is a side view which shows the state which attached the MPO connector plug to the attachment. It is the IX-IX sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the XX sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which attached LC connector plug to the attachment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which attached LC connector plug to the attachment. It is the XIII-XIII sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which attached the SC connector plug to the attachment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which attached the SC connector plug to the attachment. It is the XVI-XVI sectional view taken on the line of the attachment main body and SC connector plug in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the MPO connector plug to the attachment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached LC connector plug to the attachment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the MC connector plug to the attachment. It is a perspective view of a female MPO connector plug. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the contact part of the MPO connector and cleaning cloth in the case of an upright state at an inclination angle of 0 degree. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state at the time of cleaning in the case of an upright state at an inclination angle of 0 degree. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the contact part of the MPO connector and cleaning cloth in the case of an inverted state at an inclination angle of 0 degree. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state at the time of cleaning in the case of an inverted state with the inclination angle of 0 degree. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the contact part of the MPO connector and cleaning cloth in the case of an upright state at an inclination angle of 1 to 4 degrees. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state at the time of the cleaning in the case of an upright state at an inclination angle of 1 to 4 degrees. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the contact part of the MPO connector and cleaning cloth in the case of an inverted state at an inclination angle of 1 to 4 degrees. It is a mimetic diagram showing the state at the time of cleaning in the case of an inverted state at an inclination angle of 1 to 4 degrees. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the contact part of the MPO connector and cleaning cloth in the case of an upright state at an inclination angle of 6 degrees. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state at the time of the cleaning in the case of an upright state at an inclination angle of 6 degrees. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the contact part of the MPO connector and cleaning cloth in the case of an inverted state at an inclination angle of 6 degrees. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state at the time of cleaning in the case of an inverted state with an inclination angle of 6 degrees.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an optical connector cleaning tool attachment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
An attachment 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an attachment body 2 formed in a rectangular tube shape, and an LC connector plug attachment 4 attached to one side portion of the attachment body 2 via a connecting piece 3. . This attachment 1 is used for connecting the optical connector plug 6 to the optical connector cleaning tool 5. The optical connector plug 6 includes an MPO connector plug 7, an LC connector plug 8, an SC connector plug 9, and the like, details of which will be described later.

A first hole 12 (see FIG. 6) into which the cleaning portion 11 of the optical connector cleaning tool 5 is inserted is formed at one end portion (the upper right end portion in FIG. 1) of the attachment main body 2, and the other end portion. Is formed with a second hole 13. In the following, for the sake of convenience, the direction in which the cleaning tool 5 is directed from the other end of the attachment body 2 through one end is defined as the front direction, and the other end is directed from the cleaning tool 5 through one end of the attachment body 2. The direction will be described as the backward direction. In this embodiment, the upper side in FIG. 1 is the upper side, the lower side is the lower side in FIG. 1, and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the vertical direction is described as the left-right direction.
The first hole 12 of the attachment main body 2 is positioned in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in a state in which the cleaning unit 11 of the optical connector cleaning tool 5 is detachably fitted and the rearward movement is restricted. It is formed in the shape to do.

<Description of cleaning tool>
The optical connector cleaning tool 5 includes a housing 14, a cleaning portion 11 protruding from a nose portion 14 a of the housing 14, a cleaning cloth supply device (not shown) provided in the housing 14, and the like. Yes. The housing 14 includes a gripping portion 14b that is gripped by an operator (not shown), and a rectangular tube-shaped nose portion 14a that protrudes from one end (the rear end in this embodiment) of the gripping portion 14b. ing.

  The cleaning part 11 is supported by the nose part 14a so as to be movable in the front-rear direction in a state where a part is accommodated in the nose part 14a. A cleaning cloth 15 is exposed at the rear end portion of the cleaning unit 11. The cleaning cloth 15 is a strip-shaped cleaning tape. Although not shown, the cleaning cloth 15 is pulled out from the supply reel in the housing 14 and folded while contacting the cleaning head 11a at the rear end portion of the cleaning portion 11 to be wound up in the housing 14. It is wound on a reel.

  The cleaning cloth 15 is folded along the flat surface of the cleaning head 11a. When the cleaning cloth 15 is along the flat surface, a flat cleaning surface 15a is generated. The optical connector plug 6 is cleaned in contact with the cleaning surface 15a. The cleaning head 11a is formed of a flexible material such as rubber. For this reason, the cleaning surface 15a is inclined along the surface to be cleaned 6a when the surface to be cleaned 6a of the optical connector plug 6 is pressed.

  The cleaning cloth supply device draws the cleaning cloth 15 from the supply reel by a predetermined length by the cleaning section 11 being pushed into the nose portion 14a from the protruding position shown in FIG. Wrap around. The cleaning cloth 15 moves from the lower side of the cleaning unit 11 toward the rear end, moves back from the lower side as indicated by an arrow in FIG. Move towards the take-up reel.

<General description of attachment>
The first hole 12 of the attachment body 2 has a stopper 12a (see FIG. 6) that allows the cleaning part 11 to be inserted only when the upper part of the attachment body 2 and the upper part of the cleaning part 11 overlap.
Three types of optical connector plugs 6, that is, an MPO connector plug 7, an LC connector plug 8, and an SC connector plug 9 are inserted into the second hole 13 of the attachment body 2. The MPO connector plug 7 and the SC connector plug 9 are directly inserted into the second hole 13. On the other hand, the LC connector plug 8 is inserted into the second hole 13 via an LC connector plug attachment 4 described later. Although the details will be described later, the second hole 13 has a holding structure 16 that holds the optical connector plug 6 in a state in which the cleaning target surface 6a (joining end surface) at the tip and the cleaning cloth 15 are in contact with each other.

<Description of MPO connector plug>
There are two types of MPO connector plugs 7, male and female. As shown in FIG. 1, the male mold has two guide pins 22 erected at both ends in the left-right direction of the ferrule 21. As shown in FIG. 20, the female mold has guide holes 23 formed at both ends in the left-right direction of the ferrule 21. A plurality of optical fibers 7 a are provided between the guide pins 22 or the guide holes 23. The portion to be cleaned of the MPO connector plug 7 is a portion where the plurality of optical fibers 7 a are exposed between the two guide pins 22 and between the two guide holes 23 on the tip surface of the ferrule 21.

There are two types of MPO connector plugs 7, one in which the front end surface of the ferrule 21 extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug 7 and the other in which the front end surface of the ferrule 21 is inclined at a predetermined angle. In the MPO connector plug 7 shown in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 21, the front end surface 21a of the ferrule 21 is inclined. 9 and 21 are drawn with the optical fiber 7a omitted to facilitate understanding of the configuration.
The distal end surface 21a is inclined by A degrees (see FIG. 21) with respect to the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug 7. This angle A is generally 8 degrees.

  Further, both end portions of the housing 24 covering the ferrule 21 in the MPO connector plug 7, that is, both end portions in the direction in which the two guide pins 22 are arranged (both end portions in the horizontal direction when viewed from the front end surface of the ferrule 21 in the MPO connector plug 7. ), As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. These concave grooves 25 are formed in a predetermined length from the front end of the housing 24 toward the step portion 26 in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug 7. The step portion 26 is formed in a shape in which the outer shape on the other end side is larger than the outer shape on the tip side with a step.

  The step portion 26 contacts the rear end surface 27 (see FIG. 2) of the attachment body 2 when the MPO connector plug 7 is inserted into the second hole 13 of the attachment body 2. For this reason, the MPO connector plug 7 is inserted into the second hole 13 until the stepped portion 26 comes into contact with the rear end surface 27 of the attachment body 2 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 17. The MPO connector plug 7 is positioned at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) with respect to the attachment body 2 by the step portion 26 coming into contact with the attachment body 2. This predetermined position is a position where the tip surface 21a of the ferrule 21 of the MPO connector plug 7 is pressed against the cleaning cloth 15 with a pressing force suitable for cleaning.

<Description of LC connector plug>
As shown in FIG. 1, the LC connector plug 8 includes a rectangular tubular housing 31 and a columnar ferrule 32 housed in the center of the housing 31. The optical fiber 33 is exposed at the tip surface of the ferrule 32. The portion to be cleaned of the LC connector plug 8 is the tip surface of the ferrule 32. On one side of the housing, a lever 34 for releasing the lock is provided. In this embodiment, the housing 31 corresponds to the “square tubular outer wall” of the LC connector plug in the present invention.

<Description of attachment for LC connector plug>
Here, the configuration of the LC connector plug attachment 4 used when the LC connector plug 8 is connected to the attachment body 2 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the LC connector plug attachment 4 includes a flange portion 35 connected to the attachment body 2 via a connecting piece 3, a cylindrical portion 36 protruding from the flange portion 35, and a flange. The lid portion 38 is connected to the portion 35 via a hinge 37. The attachment body 2, the connecting piece 3, and the LC connector plug 8 are integrally formed by integral molding using a plastic material. The connecting piece 3 is formed in a thin strip shape so as to be easily bent.

  The flange portion 35 is formed in a quadrangular plate shape that can be overlapped on the rear end of the attachment body 2 without a step. As shown in FIG. 3, an insertion port 41 is formed at the center of the flange portion 35. The insertion port 41 opens larger than the tip of the LC connector plug 8. The opening shape of the insertion port 41 is a rectangle longer in the left-right direction than in the up-down direction. The insertion port 41 is connected to the internal space of the cylindrical portion 36. On the lower part and the upper part of the insertion port 41, protrusions 42 and 43 are formed to be fitted to a lid part 38 to be described later.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 13, guide grooves 44 and 45 (only the lower guide groove 44 is shown in FIG. 3) are formed in the lower portion and the upper portion of the insertion port 41. These guide grooves 44 and 45 are also formed on the inner wall 46 of the cylindrical portion 36 and extend to the bottom wall 47 (see FIG. 2) of the cylindrical portion 36. The groove widths of these guide grooves 44 and 45 and the distance between the guide grooves 44 and 45 are the width and distance with which the housing 31 of the LC connector plug 8 in a predetermined posture is fitted.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the predetermined posture is a posture in which the distal end portion of the unlocking lever 34 is inserted into one side portion of the insertion port 41. When the LC connector plug 8 is fitted into the pair of guide grooves 44 and 45, movement in two directions (left and right direction and up and down direction) perpendicular to the insertion direction of the LC connector plug 8 is restricted. In this embodiment, the pair of guide grooves 44 and 45 correspond to “a pair of concave grooves” in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cylindrical portion 36 is formed in a bottomed rectangular tube shape having a rectangular tube 48 and the above-described bottom wall 47. Concave grooves 49 extending from the bottom wall 47 to the flange portion 35 are formed at both ends in the left-right direction of the square tube 48.
The rectangular tube 48 of the tubular portion 36 according to this embodiment is formed in the same shape as the distal end portion of the housing 51 (see FIG. 1) of the SC connector plug 9 described later. That is, the four corners 52 are arranged at the same interval as the corner 53 of the housing of the SC connector plug 9.

  A through hole 54 is formed in the bottom wall 47 of the cylindrical portion 36. As shown in FIG. 12, the through hole 54 is connected to a hollow portion of a cylinder 55 formed in the cylindrical portion 36. The hollow portion and the through hole 54 are fitted with the ferrule 32 when the housing 31 of the LC connector plug 8 is fitted into the guide grooves 44 and 45 described above. The housing 31 of the LC connector plug 8 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 36 along the guide grooves 44 and 45, and the distal end abuts the bottom wall 47 in the cylindrical portion 36, so that further insertion is restricted. . The ferrule 32 protrudes from the bottom wall 47 by a predetermined length through the through hole 54 with the housing 31 in contact with the bottom wall 47. Although the details of the predetermined length will be described later, the distal end surface of the ferrule 32 is pressed against the cleaning cloth 15 in a state where the LC connector plug attachment 4 is inserted into a second hole 13 described later of the attachment body 2. It is the length that contacts with pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lid portion 38 of the LC connector plug attachment 4 is formed in a plate shape and is swingably attached to the lower end portion of the flange portion 35 via a hinge 37. A concave portion 56 is formed at the center of the lid portion 38. The recessed portion 56 is formed in a shape in which the pair of protrusions 42 and 43 of the flange portion 35 are engaged when the lid portion 38 swings around the hinge 37 and overlaps with the flange portion 35. . When the protrusions 42 and 43 are engaged with the recessed portion 56, the lid portion 38 is fixed in a state of overlapping the flange portion 35, and the insertion port 41 of the flange portion 35 is closed by the lid portion 38.

<Description of SC connector plug>
As shown in FIG. 1, the SC connector plug 9 includes a rectangular tubular housing 51 and a columnar ferrule 61 accommodated in the center of the housing 51. The distal end portion of the housing 51 has four corner portions 53 and a pair of left and right concave grooves 62.
The optical fiber 63 is exposed at the tip surface of the ferrule 61. The portion to be cleaned of the SC connector plug 9 is the tip surface of the ferrule 61. In this embodiment, the housing 51 corresponds to the “square tube-shaped outer wall” of the SC connector plug in the present invention.

<Description of the second hole of the attachment>
The second hole 13 of the attachment body 2 is formed in a size that allows any of the MPO connector plug 7, the cylindrical portion 36 of the LC connector plug attachment 4, and the SC connector plug 9 to be inserted.
The pair of side walls 71 (see FIG. 5) located on both sides in the left-right direction of the second hole 13 are provided with convex portions 72 that constitute a part of the holding structure 16 described above. As shown in FIG. 6, the pair of convex portions 72, 72 are formed by protrusions extending at a predetermined angle B with respect to the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the attachment body 2. These convex portions 72 are formed in a shape that fits with the pair of concave grooves 25 provided in the housing 24 of the MPO connector plug 7. The pair of concave grooves 49 of the cylindrical portion 36 of the LC connector plug attachment 4 and the pair of concave grooves 62 of the housing 51 of the SC connector plug 9 are formed to have a size to accommodate the convex portion 72 in a loosely fitted state. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the MPO connector plug 7 is inserted into the second hole 13 in a state where the pair of concave grooves 25 are fitted into the convex portions 72. In this inserted state, the convex portion 72 positions the MPO connector plug 7 at a position where the front end surface 21a of the ferrule 21 contacts the cleaning cloth 15, and is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the MPO connector plug 7 (left and right direction and up and down direction). Direction). That is, the MPO connector plug 7 is positioned at a position where the tip surface 21a of the ferrule 21 contacts the cleaning surface 15a.

As shown in FIG. 6, the direction in which the convex portion 72 is inclined is the rear of the convex portion 72 where the front end 72 a of the convex portion 72 located on the back side of the second hole 13 is located on the opening side of the second hole 13. This is a direction located upstream of the end 72b in the movement direction of the cleaning cloth 15 (lower side in FIG. 6).
An angle B at which the convex portion 72 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the attachment main body 2 can be set to 1 to 4 degrees, for example.

  The cleaning cloth 15 is in a state (vertical direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug 7 and the direction in which the pair of convex portions 72 of the attachment body 2 are arranged (left-right direction) in a state where it is in contact with the portion to be cleaned of the MPO connector plug 7. Direction). The moving direction of the cleaning cloth 15 is a direction from the bottom to the top as shown by an arrow in FIG.

<Description of the reason why the convex portion is inclined>
Here, the reason why the convex portion 72 is inclined will be described.
As described above, some MPO connector plugs 7 have the tip surface 21a (tip surface of the portion to be cleaned) of the ferrule 21 inclined. The direction in which the front end surface 21a of the ferrule 21 is inclined is a direction in which one end in the vertical direction of the front end surface 21a protrudes in the longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug 7 from the other end. In the following, as shown in FIG. 21, the protruding one end is called a front end 21b, and the other end is called a rear end 21c.

When the optical connector cleaning tool 5 is pressed against the tip surface 21 a of the inclined ferrule 21 as described above, the cleaning head 11 a is elastically deformed and deformed so as to follow the ferrule 21 as shown in FIG. 21 and 22 show a case where the longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug 7 and the insertion direction when the MPO connector plug 7 is inserted into the attachment body 2 are parallel to each other as in the conventional attachment.
With the cleaning cloth 15 being sent from the rear end 21c side to the front end 21b side of the front end face 21a in a state where the optical connector cleaning tool 5 is pressed against the front end face 21a, resistance caused by contact with the cleaning cloth 15 is generated. The ferrule 21 moves slightly toward the downstream side in the moving direction of the cleaning cloth 15, and the inclination angle of the ferrule 21 changes.

As shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, when the rear end 21 c of the front end surface 21 a is in the upright state located on the upstream side in the moving direction of the cleaning cloth 15, the ferrule 21 is generated by contact with the cleaning cloth 15. Even if the inclination angle changes due to movement due to resistance, the rear end 21c is only more strongly pressed against the cleaning cloth 15, so that the front end surface 21a can be correctly cleaned.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 23, when the MPO connector plug 7 is inverted in the vertical direction and inserted into the attachment body 2, the front end 21 b of the front end surface 21 a of the ferrule 21 is positioned upstream in the moving direction of the cleaning cloth 15. Inverted state.

In the inverted state, as shown in FIG. 24, the rear end 21 c of the front end surface 21 a is displaced in a direction away from the cleaning cloth 15 by tilting the ferrule 21 due to the resistance caused by the contact with the cleaning cloth 15. It will be. In this case, in the range indicated by the two-dot chain line A in FIG. 24, that is, in the portion on the rear end 21c side, the cleaning cloth 15 cannot contact the front end surface 21a or even if it comes into contact, only a part of the cleaning cloth 15 is used. Only cleaning can be performed, and cleaning becomes insufficient.
For this reason, the conventional attachment to which the MPO connector plug 7 is connected is in an upright state adapted to the moving direction of the cleaning cloth 15, that is, the rear end 21 c of the front end surface 21 a is located on the upstream side in the moving direction of the cleaning cloth 15. In this state, the MPO connector plug 7 is configured to be connected.

  The attachment main body 2 according to this embodiment is configured such that the MPO connector plug 7 is inclined at an inclination angle of 1 to 4 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the attachment main body 2 as shown in FIG. When the MPO connector plug 7 is attached to the attachment body 2 in an upright state, the rear end 21c of the front end surface 21a is separated from the cleaning cloth 15 as compared with the case where the MPO connector plug 7 is not inclined. However, if the tilt angle is 1 to 4 degrees, the ferrule 21 is tilted by the resistance caused by the contact with the cleaning cloth 15, so that the rear end 21 c is sufficiently close to the cleaning cloth 15 as shown in FIG. 26. To touch.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 27, when the MPO connector plug 7 is attached to the attachment body 2 in an inverted state, the rear end 21c comes closer to the cleaning cloth 15 than when the MPO connector plug 7 is not inclined. . For this reason, as shown in FIG. 28, even if the ferrule 21 is inclined due to the resistance caused by the contact with the cleaning cloth 15, the rear end 21c of the front end face 21a is not separated from the cleaning cloth 15, but the front end face 21a. It is possible to correctly clean a wide area of the.

  When the angle at which the MPO connector plug 7 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the attachment body 2 is 6 degrees, the rear end 21c of the front end surface 21a is excessively separated from the cleaning cloth in the upright state as shown in FIG. It becomes like this. Therefore, in the upright state, as shown in FIG. 30, even if the ferrule 21 is inclined due to the resistance caused by the contact with the cleaning cloth 15, even if the rear end 21 c cannot contact the cleaning cloth 15, Therefore, the cleaning becomes insufficient in the range indicated by the two-dot chain line B in FIG.

On the other hand, in the inverted state shown in FIG. 31, the rear end 21 c comes closer to the cleaning cloth 15 as compared with the case where the MPO connector plug 7 is inclined at 1 to 4 degrees. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 32, the rear end 21c of the front end surface 21a is sufficiently in contact with the cleaning cloth 15 even though the ferrule 21 is inclined due to the resistance caused by the contact with the cleaning cloth 15, so that the front end surface 21a It becomes possible to correctly clean the entire area of the.
Therefore, by setting the angle at which the MPO connector plug 7 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the attachment body 2 to 1 to 4 degrees, the distal end surface 21a can be correctly positioned in either the upright state or the inverted state. Can be cleaned.

<Description of the corner of the second hole>
As shown in FIG. 5, the second hole 13 is provided with four corners 73 serving as a part of the above-described holding structure 16 in addition to the above-described convex portion 72. These corners 73 are formed in a connection portion between the pair of side walls 71 and 71 and the lower wall 74 of the attachment body 2 and a connection portion between the side walls 71 and 71 and the upper wall 75. As shown in FIG. 13, these corners 73 are corners 52 of a cylindrical portion 36 of the LC connector plug attachment 4 described later, and corners of the housing 51 of the SC connector plug 9 as shown in FIG. 53 is formed into a shape that fits into the shape.

  These corners 73 are attached to the LC connector plug in two directions (left and right and up and down) perpendicular to the insertion direction when the LC connector plug attachment 4 is inserted into the second hole 13. 4 movement is restricted. The guide grooves 44 and 45, the through hole 54, and the cylinder 55 of the cylindrical portion 36 of the attachment 4 for the LC connector plug are arranged so that the distal end surface of the ferrule 32 with the cylindrical portion 36 fitted in the second hole 13 in this way. Is formed at a position where it contacts the cleaning cloth 15. For this reason, the ferrule 32 of the LC connector plug 8 attached to the LC connector plug attachment 4 fits the LC connector plug attachment 4 into the second hole 13, so that the front end surface of the ferrule 32 becomes the cleaning cloth 15. It is positioned at the position where it contacts.

  Further, these corners 73 position the SC connector plug 9 at a position where the front end surface of the ferrule 61 contacts the cleaning cloth 15 in a state in which the SC connector plug 9 is inserted into the second hole 13, and the insertion direction Restricts movement in two orthogonal directions (left-right direction and up-down direction). That is, the SC connector plug 9 is positioned at a position where the tip surface of the ferrule 61 contacts the cleaning cloth 15.

As shown in FIG. 2, a stopper 76 having a shape protruding into the second hole 13 is provided on the lower wall 74 of the attachment body 2. The holding structure 16 described above is configured by the stopper 76 and the above-described convex portions 72 and corner portions 73.
The stopper 76 is formed at a position away from the opening of the second hole 13 by a predetermined distance in the hole, and the insertion of the LC connector plug attachment 4 and the SC connector plug 9 inserted into the second hole 13 is performed. Define the position of the direction.

The attachment 4 for the LC connector plug cannot advance further than the distal end of the cylindrical portion 36 in contact with the stopper 76 in the process of proceeding toward the back of the second hole 13 (see FIG. 12).
When the LC connector plug attachment 4 abuts against the stopper 76, the LC connector plug attachment 4 is positioned at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) with respect to the attachment body 2. This predetermined position is a position where the front end surface of the ferrule 32 of the LC connector plug 8 attached to the LC connector plug attachment 4 is pressed against the cleaning cloth 15 with a pressing force suitable for cleaning.

  The SC connector plug 9 cannot be moved deeper as the front end of the housing comes into contact with the stopper 76 in the process of moving toward the second hole 13 (see FIG. 15). When the SC connector plug 9 abuts against the stopper 76, the SC connector plug 9 is positioned at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) with respect to the attachment body 2. This predetermined position is a position where the tip surface of the ferrule 61 of the SC connector plug 9 is pressed against the cleaning cloth 15 with a pressing force suitable for cleaning.

<Description of cleaning procedure>
Next, a procedure for cleaning the optical connector plug 6 using the optical connector cleaning tool attachment 1 configured as described above will be described.
The attachment 1 is attached to the cleaning tool 5 by fitting the cleaning part 11 of the cleaning tool 5 into the first hole 12 in advance.

  In order to clean the MPO connector plug 7, first, the distal end portion of the housing 24 is inserted into the second hole 13 of the attachment main body 2, and the concave groove 25 is fitted into the convex portion 72 of the attachment main body 2. This insertion operation can be performed even when the MPO connector plug 7 is in an inverted state in addition to an upright state in the vertical direction. Then, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 and FIG. 17, the MPO connector plug 7 is pushed into the attachment main body 2 until the stepped portion 26 of the housing 24 contacts the attachment main body 2.

  By connecting the MPO connector plug 7 to the attachment main body 2 in this way, the distal end surface 21a of the ferrule 21 comes into contact with the cleaning cloth 15 and is pressed with a predetermined pressing force as shown in FIG. In this state, the cleaning tool 5 is pressed against the MPO connector plug 7, and the cleaning part 11 of the cleaning tool 5 is inserted into the housing 14, so that the cleaning cloth 15 is in contact with the tip surface 21 a of the ferrule 21. The tip surface 21a of the ferrule 21 is cleaned.

  In order to clean the LC connector plug 8, first, the cylindrical portion 36 of the LC connector plug attachment 4 is fitted into the second hole 13 of the attachment main body 2 so that the LC connector plug attachment 4 is attached to the attachment main body 2. Attach to. Then, the housing 31 of the LC connector plug 8 is fitted into the insertion port 41 of the LC connector plug attachment 4, and the tip of the housing 31 is attached to the LC connector plug attachment 4 as shown in FIGS. The LC connector plug 8 is pushed into the attachment 4 until it contacts the inner surface of the bottom wall 47.

  By connecting the LC connector plug 8 to the LC connector plug attachment 4 in this way, the tip surface of the ferrule 32 comes into contact with the cleaning cloth 15 and is pressed with a predetermined pressing force, as shown in FIG. By pressing the cleaning tool 5 against the LC connector plug 8 in this state, the cleaning cloth 15 moves in contact with the front end surface of the ferrule 32, and the front end surface of the ferrule 32 is cleaned.

  In order to clean the SC connector plug 9, first, the SC connector plug 9 is inserted into the second hole 13 of the attachment body 2, and the housing 51 is fitted into the second hole 13. Then, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 16 and 19, the SC connector plug 9 is pushed into the attachment body 2 until the front end of the housing 51 abuts against the stopper 76 of the attachment. By connecting the SC connector plug 9 to the attachment main body 2 in this way, the tip surface of the ferrule 61 comes into contact with the cleaning cloth 15 and is pressed with a predetermined pressing force as shown in FIG. By pressing the cleaning tool 5 against the SC connector plug 9 in this state, the cleaning cloth 15 moves in contact with the front end surface of the ferrule 61 and the front end surface of the ferrule 61 is cleaned.

<Explanation of effect by embodiment>
In the attachment 1 according to this embodiment, the MPO connector plug 7 is connected to the second hole 13 of the attachment body 2 with the LC connector plug attachment 4 removed from the attachment body 2. 7 to be cleaned can be cleaned by the cleaning cloth 15 of the optical connector cleaning tool 5. On the other hand, in a state where the LC connector plug attachment 4 is attached to the second hole 13 of the attachment body 2, the LC connector plug 8 is connected to the LC connector plug attachment 4 to thereby clean the portion to be cleaned of the LC connector plug 8. Can be cleaned by the cleaning cloth 15 of the optical connector cleaning tool 5.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, an optical connector cleaning attachment capable of connecting the MPO connector plug 7 and the LC connector plug 8 can be provided.

  In the second hole 13 of the attachment main body 2 according to this embodiment, a pair of convex portions that fit into the concave grooves 25 of the MPO connector plug 7 and position the MPO connector plug 7 in two directions orthogonal to the insertion direction. 72 is provided. In addition, the cylindrical portion 36 of the LC connector plug attachment 4 is fitted in the second hole 13, and a corner portion 73 is provided for positioning the LC connector plug attachment 4 in two directions orthogonal to the insertion direction. ing.

  For this reason, the positional relationship between the MPO connector plug 7 and the LC connector plug 8 and the cleaning cloth 15 is adjusted by the attachment 1, and the positions of the front end surfaces of the ferrules 21 and 32 of both are positioned at positions where they contact the cleaning cloth 15. Can do. As a result, according to this embodiment, it is possible to clean two types of optical connector plugs 6 (MPO connector plug 7 and LC connector plug 8) having completely different shapes on the front end surface of the ferrule by using one attachment 1. it can.

The second hole 13 of the attachment body 2 according to this embodiment is formed so that it can be fitted to either the cylindrical portion 36 of the LC connector plug attachment 4 or the tip of the housing 51 of the SC connector plug 9. In addition, the SC connector plug 9 is formed in a shape for positioning in two directions orthogonal to the insertion direction. For this reason, when the LC connector plug attachment 4 is detached from the attachment body 2, the SC connector plug 9 is connected to the second hole 13 of the attachment body 2 so that the portion to be cleaned of the SC connector plug 9 is removed. It can be cleaned with the cleaning cloth 15 of the optical connector cleaning tool 5.
Therefore, since the MPO connector plug 7, the LC connector plug 8, and the SC connector plug 9 can be cleaned with one attachment 1, these three types of optical connector plugs 6 can be efficiently cleaned.

  The cleaning cloth 15 of the optical connector cleaning tool 5 according to this embodiment is in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug 7 and the pair of convex portions 72 of the attachment body 2 are arranged in contact with the portion to be cleaned of the MPO connector plug 7. Moves in a direction perpendicular to. The protrusion 72 of the attachment body 2 is formed by a protrusion that fits into the groove 25 of the MPO connector plug 7, and the front end 72 a located on the back side of the second hole 13 is the second hole 13. It inclines so that it may be located in the upstream of the moving direction of the cleaning cloth 15 from the rear end 72b located in the opening side.

  For this reason, by adopting this embodiment, when the MPO connector plug 7 is connected to the attachment 1, it is possible to make a connection even in an inverted state that is inverted vertically from the conventional upright state. Therefore, according to this embodiment, not only the three types of optical connector plugs 6 (MPO connector plug 7, LC connector plug 8, and SC connector plug 9) can be connected, but also when the MPO connector plug 7 is connected. It is possible to provide an optical connector cleaning tool attachment that increases the degree of freedom of the posture.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Attachment for optical connector cleaning tools, 2 ... Attachment main body, 3 ... Connection piece, 4 ... Attachment for LC connector plug, 5 ... Optical connector cleaning tool, 6 ... Optical connector plug, 7 ... MPO connector plug, 8 ... LC connector Plugs, 9 ... SC connector plugs, 11 ... cleaning part, 12 ... first hole, 13 ... second hole, 15 ... cleaning cloth, 25 ... concave groove, 31, 51 ... housing (rectangular outer wall), 36: cylindrical portion, 44, 45 ... guide groove, 46 ... inner wall, 72 ... convex portion, 73 ... corner

Claims (5)

A first hole into which a cleaning portion having a cleaning cloth of the optical connector cleaning tool is inserted is formed on one end side, and an optical connector plug is inserted on the other end side, and a portion to be cleaned at the tip of the optical connector plug And an attachment main body formed with a second hole for holding the cleaning cloth in contact with each other;
An attachment for an LC connector plug attached to the attachment body via a flexible connecting piece;
The optical connector plug is one of an MPO connector plug and an LC connector plug,
The LC connector plug attachment is:
A tubular portion that fits into the second hole of the attachment body and is inserted into the second hole;
A pair of concave grooves provided on an inner wall of the cylindrical portion, and fitted with a rectangular tube-shaped outer wall at a tip portion of the LC connector plug, and positioning the LC connector plug in two directions perpendicular to the insertion direction; Have
The optical connector cleaning tool attachment, wherein the second hole is formed in a size that allows insertion of either the MPO connector plug or the cylindrical portion of the LC connector plug attachment. In the attachment for optical connector cleaning tools according to claim 1,
In the second hole,
A pair of convex portions for fitting with concave grooves provided at both ends in the horizontal direction when viewed from the end face of the MPO connector plug, and positioning the MPO connector plug in two directions orthogonal to the insertion direction;
Optical connector cleaning characterized in that the cylindrical portion of the attachment for the LC connector plug is fitted, and a corner for positioning the attachment for the LC connector plug in two directions orthogonal to the insertion direction is provided. Equipment attachment. In the attachment for optical connector cleaning tools according to claim 1 or 2,
The optical connector plug includes an SC connector plug in addition to an MPO connector plug and an LC connector plug,
The second hole of the attachment body is formed so as to be able to fit both the cylindrical portion of the attachment for the LC connector plug and the rectangular outer wall of the distal end portion of the SC connector plug. An attachment for an optical connector cleaning tool, wherein the SC connector plug is formed in a shape for positioning in two directions orthogonal to the insertion direction. In the attachment for optical connector cleaning tools of Claim 2 or Claim 3,
The cleaning cloth is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the MPO connector plug and the direction in which a pair of concave grooves provided at both ends of the MPO connector plug are in contact with the portion to be cleaned of the MPO connector plug. Move in the direction,
The convex portion is formed by a protrusion that fits into the concave groove of the MPO connector plug, and one end located on the back side of the second hole is located on the opening side of the second hole. An optical connector cleaning tool attachment, wherein the attachment is inclined so as to be located upstream of the other end in the moving direction of the cleaning cloth. A first hole into which a cleaning portion having a cleaning cloth of the optical connector cleaning tool is inserted is formed on one end side, and an optical connector plug is inserted on the other end side, and a portion to be cleaned at the tip of the optical connector plug And an attachment main body formed with a second hole for holding the cleaning cloth in contact with each other;
An attachment for an LC connector plug attached to the attachment body via a flexible connecting piece;
The optical connector plug is one of an SC connector plug and an LC connector plug,
The LC connector plug attachment is:
A tubular portion that fits into the second hole of the attachment body and is inserted into the second hole;
A pair of concave grooves provided on an inner wall of the cylindrical portion, and fitted with a rectangular tube-shaped outer wall at a tip portion of the LC connector plug, and positioning the LC connector plug in two directions perpendicular to the insertion direction; Have
The second hole is formed to have a size that can be inserted into either the rectangular cylindrical outer wall of the tip of the SC connector plug or the cylindrical portion of the LC connector plug attachment. Attachment for optical connector cleaning tool.

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