JPH03256006A - Terminating method and device for coated optical fiber cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the sure cutting of a fiber with mirror shaped plane perpendicular to the center axis thereof by pressing a pressing part to the fiber exposed by expanding the spacing between gripping means and cutting the fiber while moving a cutting edge in the curved state of the fiber. CONSTITUTION:The pressing part 116 is pressed from one side and the cutting edge 115 existing within the plane orthogonal with the axis is cut in the jacket of the coated optical fiber cable from the other side. Such pressing part and cutting edge are rotated around the coated optical fiber cable to cut the jacket of the coated optical fiber cable 101. The spacing between the gripping means is then expanded to expose the fiber 101. The pressing part 116 is pressed to this fiber 101 and while the cutting edge 115 is moved, the cutting edge is pressed to the fiber 101 in the curved state of the fiber 101 to cut the fiber. The fiber 101 is surely cut with the plane perpendicular to the central axis thereof by the simple operation in this way.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to the process of processing the end of an optical fiber cable for attaching a ferrule of an optical connector to the end of the optical fiber cable. The present invention relates to an optical fiber end processing method and apparatus for cutting a fiber in a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the fiber to expose a certain length of the fiber from the end of the core.

<HWL to be solved by the prior art and the invention - Conventionally, the terminal processing of an optical fiber cable core was performed manually using a special tool in the following order: (1) cutting off the coating, and (2) cutting the bare fiber.

An example of this is shown in FIG. Lol! In Figure 1, (a) shows the state before processing, (bl shows the initial state of processing, and (c) shows the state after cutting Lt. As shown in the figure, optical fiber cable core ml (hereinafter referred to as "core wire") ) To cut the coating 11 of 10, two cutting blades 14 and 14 having a semicircular relief hole 13 slightly larger than the fiber strand 12 are brought together, and the fiber element 15 is accommodated in the relief hole 13. By doing so, only the coating 11 is cut, and the removed portion is directly inserted into the cutting blade 14.
It was hooked onto the side of 14 and pulled out.

However, in this method, the coating is applied to two cutting edges 14.1.
4, the cross-sectional shape of the coating 11 is plastically deformed from a circular shape to an elliptical shape, and a cutting edge 14 is formed on the part to be finally cut.
There is a drawback that an overhang 16 is formed in the direction of the butt boundary line of the optical connector, and in the subsequent process ξ, this overhang 16 gets caught on the flange of the ferrule of the optical connector, making it impossible to insert it.

In addition, when cutting fiber strands using push-cutting or shearing methods, the cross section becomes complicated and uneven, requiring a large amount of man-hours to polish the end face in the post-process, so it is necessary to obtain a mirror-like cut surface perpendicular to the central axis of the fiber strand. For this purpose, using the fiber clamping cutting device w20 shown in FIG.
The cutting blade 23 is applied to the midpoint of the two sets of clamps 22 and 22 provided on the fiber element s12 to make a cut in the direction perpendicular to the generatrix line.
A method has been put into practical use in which the cut wound is cut by retracting the cut wound and pressing and bending it with a pad 24 from the back side of the cut.

However, with this method, if a large bend is inadvertently applied when fixing the fiber wire for the first time, it may break, and if it is fixed with torsional stress, a good cut surface may not be obtained. However, there are drawbacks such as the fact that the length from the coated end face to the cut surface of the fiber element is difficult to set, and that careful handling is required.

These disadvantages of the prior art are also the dangers that arise from the fact that the cutting of the core sheath 11 and the cutting of the fiber element 12 are carried out in two steps and with two types of tools.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention solves the drawbacks of conventional methods in the terminal processing of optical fiber cables, and integrates a series of processes from removing the coating of the optical fiber core wire to cutting the bare fiber wire into one device. The exposed length of the fiber is set accurately, and the core coating is cut on a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the fiber. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for processing the end of an optical fiber cable core that can be cut with a mirror surface.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an optical fiber cable end processing method according to the present invention includes two sets of gripping means for gripping the main body side and the end side of the optical fiber cable core. The optical fiber cable is held between these gripping means in a straight line while applying tension, and the presser is pressed from one of the opposing positions, and the other side is used to press the holding part in a plane perpendicular to the axis. The blade is cut into the outer sheath of the optical fiber cable core, and the presser portion and the cutting blade are rotated around the axis of the optical fiber cable core to cut the outer sheath of the optical fiber cable core, and then the above-mentioned grip By widening the interval between the means, the fiber strand is exposed, and by pressing the presser part against the fiber strand and cutting the fiber strand while moving the cutting blade while bending the fiber strand. It is characterized by cutting fiber strands.

On the other hand, the configuration of the optical fiber cable end processing device according to the present invention includes: a first gripping part and a second gripping part each gripping optical fiber cable cores arranged in a straight line at regular intervals; A cutting part that is located between the first gripping part and the second gripping part and cuts the optical fiber cable, and the first gripping part, the second gripping part and the cutting part are connected to the axis of the optical fiber cable. and space changing means for changing the respective intervals by positioning and moving in parallel directions, and the cutting portions are provided with cutting blades that are located at opposite positions sandwiching the optical fiber cable core, and that move toward and away from each other for positioning. The present invention is characterized in that it has a rotating mechanism that rotates the cutting blade and the holding part around the axis of the optical fiber cable core.

In the optical fiber cable end processing device configured as described above, tension is applied to the sandwiched portion of the optical fiber cable held by the first gripping part and the second gripping part, and
While the optical fiber cable is sandwiched between the opposing holding part and cutting blade, a concentrated load is applied by the holding part to generate bending stress, and the bending stress is generated in the direction of the radius of curvature from the maximum deflection point toward the center of the vehicle. By applying the cutting blade to the point of maximum stress with a constant positive stress field, the crack propagates to the point of maximum stress, thereby cutting the coating, and then, while gripping the optical fiber cable, the first gripping part and the second gripping part The outer sheath is pulled out halfway within a range where the tip of the fiber wire cannot be pulled out by increasing the distance between the fiber wire and the fiber wire using a spacing changing means, and then a concentrated load is applied to the exposed fiber wire using a holding portion. By applying the cutting edge in the direction of the radius of curvature from the point of maximum deflection toward the center of the vehicle, a crack propagates to the point of maximum stress with a constant positive stress field, and as a result, the fiber element Cut the bare fiber in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the wire.

Embodiment Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber cable end processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

As shown in these drawings, the optical fiber cable end processing device (hereinafter referred to as "terminal processing device") according to the present embodiment is an optical fiber cable end processing device (hereinafter referred to as "terminal processing device") arranged on a vertical straight line. A first gripping part 103 provided on a first base 102 and a second gripping part 105 provided on a second base 104 each grip a core wire (hereinafter referred to as "core wire") 101 at a certain interval, and part 103 and second grip part 10
5, a cutting section 107 provided on the cutting base 106 for cutting the core wire 101, and these first gripping sections 103. The apparatus is equipped with interval changing means for positioning and moving the second grip part 105 and the cutting part 107 in a direction parallel to the axis of the core wire 101 to change the interval between them.

The first base 102, the cutting base 106, and the second base 10
4 is connected in a direction parallel to the axis of the core wire 101 through screws 108 and 109 having a different pitch, and
By driving the screw shafts of the screws 108 and 109 with the rotary motor 110 provided on the base 1o2, the cutting base 106 and the second base 104 are spaced at a predetermined interval with respect to the first base 102. They are approaching and moving away from each other. In this embodiment, the lead between the screw 108 and the screw 109 is approximately 1:2.

In this way, in this embodiment, the screws 108° and 109 with different pitches are engaged with the first base 102, the cutting base 106, and the second base 104, respectively, and the rotating shaft that drives the screw shaft of this screw is used. The motor 110 constitutes an interval changing means.

Further, a first gripping part 103 provided on the first base 102 as a gripping means has a claw 1 which can be opened and closed by the operation of an actuator (not shown) having a shaft 111 as a central axis.
12m and 112b, and the fiber core $101 is gripped by opening and closing operations of these.

On the other hand, a second gripping part 105 provided on the second base 104 as a gripping means has a claw 112 that can be opened and closed by the operation of an actuator (not shown) with a shaft 112 as the central axis.
a, 112b, and these claws 112m,
Each of the claws 112b has these claws 112a, 112
Retracting claws 113a and 113b are provided for applying tension to the fiber core as b is closed.

As shown in FIG. 1(b), the retracting claws 113a and 113b are rotatable about axes 114a and 114b that are orthogonal to each other in the opening and closing direction and in the axial direction of the core wire. A spring (not shown) is built into the claws 113a, 113b. The spring biases the retracting claw 113a counterclockwise in the figure and the retracting claw 113b clockwise, and in the open state, the distance between the tip surfaces of the retracting claws 113a and 113b is equal to the distance from the bottom. It maintains an upwardly increasing posture.

And claws 112a and 112b! Lol! When the retractable claws 113a and 113b are rotated in a direction that resists the spring force, the retractable claws 113a and 113b come to grip the $101.

The rotation of 113b pulls the core $101 downward. As a result, the first gripping part 103 and the second gripping part 105
Tension will be generated in the core 5101 between the two.

Note that the retracting claws 113a, 113b clamp the core wire on shafts 114a, 11 which are eccentric with respect to the line of action of the reaction force.
It rotates around 4b. Furthermore, when the spring claws 112a and 112b are open, the tips of the retracting claws 113a and 113b maintain a predetermined posture, and when the claws 112m and 112b close around the shaft 112, they firmly grip the fiber core 101. The spring stiffness is strong enough to allow

The cutting unit 107 provided in the cutting base 106 rotates a cutting blade 115 and a holding unit 116, which are located at opposite positions sandwiching the core 1s101 and move toward and away from each other for positioning, around the axis of the fiber core. It has a rotation mechanism 117 that rotates.

The rotation mechanism 117 is equipped with a fine motor 118 that slightly rotates the cutting blade 115 and an actuator 119 that operates the presser part 116, and has an opening (not shown) in the center through which the core wire 101 passes. And heart wa1
It is composed of a rotation stage 120 whose rotation axis is the central axis of 01, a rotation transmission mechanism 121 that engages with this rotation stage 120, and a rotation motor 122 that drives this rotation transmission mechanism.

In operating this, first, the claws 111a and 1llb of the first gripping part 103 and the second gripping part 105 are set in an initial state.
The claws 112a and 112b are both open, and the cutting blade 115 and the holding part 116 are both retracted from the center position of the rotary stage 120, and the cutting base 106 and the second base are separated from the first base 102. 104 is set so that it is at the highest position. In this state, the core wire 101 is held by the claw 111m of the first gripping part 103.

111b, and the retraction claw 11 at the tip of the second gripping part 105.
3m, and pass vertically between 113b and 113b. Then, first, close the claws 111a and 1llb of the first gripping part 101, and then close the core wire 1.
01 is held and fixed, and then the claw 112 of the second gripping part 105
a.

When 112b is closed, the retractable claw 113a.

113b tries to rotate around the central axes 114m and 114b, so the center 1I110
1, tension is generated.

In this way, the fiber core l11101 is held in the first gripping section 1.
03 and the second gripping part 105, the cutting part 107
The actuator 119 on the rotation stage 120 is moved slightly to hold the presser portion 116 at a position where it is in contact with the covering of the core $101. Next, the fine movement motor 118 on the rotary stage 120 is operated to finely move the cutting blade 115 to a position where its tip finally reaches the inner peripheral surface of the coating of the fiber 101, and at the same time, the rotary motor 122 is driven to transmit the rotation. Mechanism 12
1 to rotate the rotation stage 120.

As a result, the coating (not shown) of the core wire 101 is torn in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the core $101. In addition, the core wire 101
As shown in FIG. 1(e), an interference layer (primary coat layer) 1 is provided between the coating 123 and the fiber wire 124.
25, the fiber wire 124 will not be damaged by the above operation.

After the coating 123 of the core wire 101 is cut by the above operation, the rotary motor 110 on the first base 102 is driven to move the cutting base 106 and the second base 104 to the first base 102.
Avoid far away. As a result, while the second gripping part 105 grips the lower part of the core @ 1101, the end of the fiber wire 124 is coated by a predetermined amount (not shown) within a range where the end of the fiber wire 124 does not completely come off from the grip by the second gripping part 105. 123
pull out.

At this time, if both the cutting edge 115 and the holding part 116 are retracted from the center position of the rotation stage 120 in advance, there is no risk of damaging the fiber element 124, but the cutting edge 1
There is no particular need to retract the tip of fiber element $124 as long as it is guaranteed that it does not touch fiber element $124.

Schematic diagrams of such a core 11101 when the coating is cut and after the coating is pulled out are shown in FIG. 2 1M) and FIG. 2(b). Also,
Figure 3 shows the processing equipment immediately after the core wire is pulled out.
A schematic diagram is shown. As shown in these drawings, when cutting the coating, the first gripping portion 103. The cutting portion 107 and the second gripping portion 105 are spaced at equal intervals, but after the covering is pulled out, their positional relationship will be expanded to a predetermined distance. In other words, since the lead between the screw 108 and the screw 109 is approximately 1:2, the second base 104 is lower than the cutting base 10 for a constant drive amount of the rotary motor 110.
Since the fiber core moves about twice as much as the amount of movement of 6, the fiber core is $101
When the second gripping part 105 has finished pulling out the coating 123, the cutting blade 115 is at a height of approximately - of the exposed part of the fiber element 124, as shown in FIG. 2(b). The first gripping portion 103
Height from the side covered end face to the cutting edge of the cutting blade 115 (j1)
That is, the exposed length (1) of the fiber element $124 after cutting, which will be described later, can be accurately controlled.

Next, the process of cutting the exposed fiber wire will be described. In FIG. 3, the cutting blade 115 is temporarily retracted from the center position of the rotation stage 120, and the holding part 116
Slightly move the fiber element $124 and press it against the cutting edge 11.
Apply a bending force to make it convex toward 5.

At this time, the effect of the retracting claws 113m and 113b is still connected, so as shown in FIGS. Cutting edge 115 due to fixed support condition
The cross-section of the part facing the is a stress field of full-scale strain.

After creating the condition B, the fine motor 118 is quickly operated to shallowly cut the fiber strand 124 with the cutting blade 115. However, at this time, the cutting edge of the cutting blade 115 is set in advance so that the cutting depth remains at the surface layer of the fiber element $124. As a result, if the first crack 126 is generated at the maximum stress point of the positive bending stress field inside the fiber element $124, the crack 126 will always be generated at the maximum stress point of the positive stress field.
6 can be propagated, so the effect is that the fiber element $1 can be propagated in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the fiber element $124.
24 can be cut.

Finally, open the second gripping part 105 and remove the chips 1 of the core $101.
27 is discharged downward, and then the first gripping portion 103 is opened to take out the core wire 101 from the terminal processing device (2).

Through the above series of operations, all the end processing of the optical fiber cable core, which is the object of the present invention, is completed.

As is clear from this result, by carrying out the present invention, both the end face of the core wire coating and the end face of the fiber wire can be aligned with respect to the central axis of the fiber wire with extremely easy operation compared to the conventional technology. It is now possible to reliably cut on a vertical plane.

As described above, the present invention provides two sets of gripping means and an illuminant for processing from removing the coating of the optical fiber to cutting the fiber.
This is done using the cutting means 1 and 2II, and tension is applied to the portion of the fiber core held between the grips 2II and a concentrated load is applied to generate bending stress, and the center of the vehicle is cut from the maximum deflection point. By applying the cutting edge in the direction of the radius of curvature, it is possible to propagate the crack to the point of maximum stress in a constantly positive stress field, and as a result, the core coating and fiber Can cut strands of wire.

That is, the conventional technology uses 2II different tools,
The process is divided into two steps: ■ Cutting off the coating by bringing two cutting blades into contact with each other, and ■ Making a cut on the surface of the fiber strand and cutting by pressing and bending from the back side. Particularly active in cutting the fiber strand. The fact that no tension is applied is a notable difference from the present invention, and the present invention differs not only in the system configuration but also in the fundamental method of cutting compared to the prior art.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the device is configured by a combination of typical mechanisms, but the partial mechanisms that perform the subdivision function are not limited to this, and may be used to convert a rotary type into a linear type, or vice versa. It is possible to replace

<Effects of the Invention> As described above in detail along with the embodiments, according to the present invention, both the end face of the coating and the end face of the fiber wire can be reliably maintained in a plane that is truly perpendicular to the central axis of the fiber wire. ,
Moreover, since it can be cut with a simple operation, it is possible to perform the terminal processing of the optical fiber cable core, which is the object of the present invention, with high yield and efficiency. There is no need to re-cut the fiber wire at all, and furthermore, the end polishing process is a pure water shape finishing process that does not involve length adjustment, which has the advantage of significantly reducing the number of man-hours.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 18) is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber cable end processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 1(b) and (e
) is a schematic diagram of the main parts, Figure 2 (a) is a schematic diagram of the core wire when the sheathing is cut, and Figure 2 (b) is a schematic diagram of the core wire after the sheath is pulled out.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the processing equipment immediately after pulling out the coating from the core wire, and Figures 4 (al and (b)) are diagrams of the internal stress state of the fiber strand and the propagation of cracks when cutting the fiber strand. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a coating cutting process according to the prior art, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a fiber strand cutting device according to the prior art. In the drawings, 101 is a fiber Core wire, 102 is a first base, 103 is a first gripping part, 104 is a second base, 105 is a second gripping part, 106 is a cutting base, 107 is a cutting part, 108 is a screw, 109 is a screw , 110 is a rotating motor, 111 is a shaft, 111a, 1llb are claws, 112 is a ring, 112a, 112b are claws, 113m, 113b are retractable claws, 114 is a shaft, 115 is a cutting blade, 116 is a presser portion, 117 is a rotation Mechanism, 118 is a fine movement motor, 119 is an actuator, 120 is a rotation stage, 121 is a rotation transmission mechanism, 122 is a rotation motor, 123 is a coating, 124 is a fiber wire, 125 is an interference layer, 126 is a crack, 127 is a chip be.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) The main body side and the end side of the optical fiber cable are held in a straight state by two sets of gripping means while applying tension, and the optical fiber cable is held between these gripping means. Press the holding part from one of the opposing positions while cutting into the coating of the optical fiber cable with a cutting blade in a plane perpendicular to the axis from the other side, and use the holding part and the cutting blade to cut the optical fiber cable. The coating of the optical fiber cable core is cut by rotating the core around the axis of the core, and then the fiber is exposed by widening the interval between the gripping means, and the holding part is applied to the fiber. A method for processing an end of an optical fiber cable, characterized in that the fiber is cut by pressing against it and cutting the fiber while moving the cutting blade while bending the fiber. 2) A first gripping part and a second gripping part each gripping the optical fiber cable cores arranged in a straight line at regular intervals; a cutting section for cutting the cable core; and a spacing changing means for positioning and moving the first gripping section, the second gripping section, and the cutting section in a direction parallel to the axis of the optical fiber cable core to change their respective intervals. The cutting section has a cutting blade and a holding part which are located at opposite positions sandwiching the optical fiber cable core, and move toward and away from each other for positioning, and the cutting blade and the holding part are connected to each other with light. 1. A terminal processing device for an optical fiber cable, comprising a rotation mechanism for rotating the fiber cable around an axis.