JPH0440839Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a device used for cleaning the end face of an optical connector ferrule.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, when dust, oil, etc. adhere to the end face of an optical connector ferrule and the connection state becomes unstable, cleaning is done by impregnating a cleaning liquid or solution with lens paper or the like and wiping it by hand.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

With the conventional method of cleaning the end face of an optical connector ferrule described above, even extremely fine deposits have a large effect on single mode optical connectors with an optical fiber core diameter of 10 μm, making it extremely difficult to clean the end face of the optical connector ferrule. It had some drawbacks.

In particular, in optical connectors in which the end face of the low-reflection optical connector ferrule has recently been polished into a convex spherical surface, the deposits on the end face of the optical connector ferrule are completely crushed, which not only takes an extremely long time to clean but also makes it difficult to check. It's getting crowded.

[Means for solving problems]

The optical connector ferrule cleaner of the present invention includes a cleaning member that is porous and has elasticity with excellent wear resistance;
It has a mechanism for relatively moving the cleaning member and the optical connector ferrule to be cleaned, a holding member and a moving mechanism for the optical connector, and a mechanism for supplying liquid to the cleaning member.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The figure is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, porous cleaning members 1 and 1' are made of a urethane rubber material in the form of a sponge sheet, for example, which has high wear resistance and does not damage the end face of the optical connector ferrule. A pipe 6 serving as a flow path for a liquid as a cleaning liquid or solution is placed on the top of the cleaning member 1. As the liquid, for example, ethyl alcohol, acetone, etc. can be used. The liquid is supplied by a liquid supply lever 10 using a lever, and the operation of the lever is transmitted to the liquid tank 12, and the liquid is dripped as necessary. When the drive motor 4 is started, it is decelerated by the reducer 4' directly connected to the motor, and therefore the driving force with increased torque is transferred to the pulley 2.
and is transmitted via the belt 3 to the main shaft 7' of the mechanical unit 7. Here, since the drum 5 that holds and fixes the cleaning members 1, 1' is mounted eccentrically with respect to the main shaft 7', the drum 5 is swung by the amount of eccentricity. The inner diameter of the drum 5 to be swung, which has the same dimensions as the circumscribed circle, is supported on the main shaft 7' inside the unit 7. An elastic material with a high frictional force, such as synthetic rubber, applied to the entire circumference of the drum 5 generates a force that rotates the drum 5 at the contact surface between the unit 7 and the drum 5. Therefore, the drum 5 performs a planetary motion in which the drum 5 also rotates while being swung around by an eccentric amount.

The optical connector 9 is placed on a holding member 8 having a V-groove-shaped holding part, and the ferrule end face is naturally pressed against the cleaning member 1, and while the ferrule end face is wetted, the rotational force and the frictional force of the cleaning member are used to attach the ferrule end face. Remove the kimono completely. Next, the optical connector 9 held by the holding member 8 is moved on the guide rail 11, and the ferrule end face is naturally pressed against the cleaning member 1' to dry the ferrule end face.

The above is the operating principle of this optical connector ferrule cleaner. In this embodiment, it is also possible to automatically supply the liquid by using a manual rotation mechanism as the driving force or by using an electric spray system as the liquid supply system. Furthermore, by using a quick-drying cleaning liquid or solution as the liquid, it is also possible to reduce the number of cleaning steps.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, the present invention combines the end face of an optical connector ferrule with a cleaning member that is porous, has excellent abrasion resistance and elasticity and is impregnated with a liquid, and a porous, abrasion resistant and elastic cleaning member that is used for finishing in a dry state. The end face of the optical connector ferrule can be reliably and easily cleaned by simply pressing the optical connector ferrule against the cleaning member in sequence.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figure is a plan view showing an embodiment of the optical connector ferrule cleaner of the present invention. 1, 1'...Cleaning member, 2...Pulley, 3...
...belt, 4...drive motor, 4'...reducer,
5...Drum, 6...Pipe, 7...Mechanical unit, 7'...Main shaft, 8...Holding member, 9...Optical connector, 10...Liquid supply lever, 11...Guide rail, 12... Liquid tank, 13...main body base.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] An optical connector ferrule cleaner for cleaning an end face of an optical connector ferrule, comprising: first and second cleaning members that are porous and elastic; and the first and second cleaning members. first and second mechanisms that fix the optical connector ferrule and perform rotational or linear motion with respect to the optical connector ferrule; a tank that supplies cleaning liquid to the first cleaning member; An optical connector ferrule cleaner comprising: a guide mechanism that moves the tip end surface of the optical connector ferrule to come into contact with the first cleaning member and then to bring it into contact with the second cleaning member.