JPH0933754A - Take-up device for optical fiber cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the take-up device which can send out or take up plural optical cables at the same time and actualizes this function with a small-sized, simple, and easy-to-assemble structure. SOLUTION: The optical fiber cable take-up device is equipped with a hollow reel turntable 2, internally having a center space where fixed-side cables 18a and 18b are put, at the center position, a couple of shafts 3a and 3b supporting reels 4a and 4b wound with take-up side cables 17a and 17b through bearings 5a and 5b concentrically, fixed-side ferrules 7a and 7b in the cores of shafts 3a and 3b for the reels 4a and 4b, ferrule cases 6a and 6b supported at the outward side end positions of the reels 4a and 4b outside them, and rotation-side ferrules 8a and 8b on the cores of ferrule cases 6a and 6b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a winding device for an optical fiber cable.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Fiber optic cables are lighter in weight and can carry a relatively large amount of information as compared to electrical cables. Then, as an application of such an optical fiber cable, for example, an attempt has been made to use a plurality (for example, a pair) of optical fiber cables for transmitting a control signal and an image signal to a pipe traveling robot that travels in a pipe. ing. Here, when a plurality of optical fiber cables are used for such a purpose, a winding device capable of simultaneously sending or winding the cables is required in order to increase the traveling distance.

[0003]

However, there is currently no winding device for an optical fiber cable for a live line, which is provided with a rotary connector, and moreover, a plurality of optical fiber cables can be simultaneously sent out or wound up. There was no take-up device. Further, when the conventional rotary connector is incorporated into the reel, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated and it is difficult to reduce the size, and further the assembly becomes complicated. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to be able to simultaneously send or wind a plurality of optical fiber cables,
Another object of the present invention is to obtain an optical fiber cable winding device that can realize this function with a small size, simple structure, and easy assembly.

[0004]

In order to achieve this object, the first characteristic configuration of the winding device for an optical fiber cable according to the present invention according to claim 1 according to the present invention is the center of which the fixed side cable is introduced. A hollow reel stand having a space inside is provided at a central portion, and a pair of shafts for concentrically supporting a reel around which a take-up side cable is wound via bearings are provided concentrically in the left-right width direction of the hollow reel stand. With respect to each of the reels, the fixed side ferrule is provided on the shaft core of the shaft in a state where the end portion of the cable connection side is exposed in the central space, and is on the outer side in the left-right width direction. A ferrule case supported on the outer side end portion of the reel is provided concentrically with the shaft, and in a state where the cable connection side end is exposed to the outer side in the left-right width direction, the ferrule case is attached to the shaft center of the ferrule case. Rotating side Hue And a drive mechanism for rotating and driving each reel at a center side end portion of the reel located on the center side in the left-right width direction. Especially. further,
A second characteristic configuration of the winding device for an optical fiber cable according to the present invention according to claim 2 is, in addition to the first characteristic configuration,
The drive mechanism comprises a large gear fixedly provided on the end face on the center side of each reel, a small gear meshing with the large gear, and a motor for rotationally driving the small gear, in the left-right width direction, Between the large gear and the small gear provided in each of a pair of reels arranged in parallel, the small gear is in a first cooperation state in which the small gear meshes with both of the pair of large gears, and the small gear is the pair. The second cooperation state in which one of the large gears meshes with the second cooperation state, so that the cooperation can be switched. The actions and effects thereof are as follows.

[0005]

That is, the winding device of the present application has a structure that is symmetrical in the left-right width direction, and is provided with a hollow reel base as a fixed member and a shaft attached to the hollow reel base.
A reel and a ferrule case as a rotating side member rotatably attached to the shaft are provided. Then, the fixed ferrule is attached to the shaft, and the rotary ferrule is attached to the ferrule case. Therefore,
Information can be transmitted between the fixed side ferrule and the rotating side ferrule while the rotating side ferrule is rotatable as the reel rotates. The cable is connected by inserting the fixed side cable into the hollow space and connecting it to the fixed side ferrule, and the end on the base end side (the side opposite to the end sent from the reel) of the winding side cable that is wound up on the reel. Part to the rotating ferrule. Further, in the winding and unwinding operations of the cable, the reel is directly rotated by the drive mechanism to perform this. Here, since this drive is performed at the end portion on the center side of each reel, the balance of the winding device as a whole is good. As a result, the structure is such that information can be transmitted smoothly while favorably performing the winding and unwinding operations of the cable. Further, as described above, since the winding device is provided with the winding system of at least a pair of reels symmetrically with respect to the center, when a pair of left and right reels are simultaneously driven to rotate, a plurality of optical fiber cables are connected. It can be sent or wound at the same time. Further, because of its symmetry, it can be downsized and simplified, and can be easily assembled and disassembled.

In the winding device having the second characteristic constitution of the present application, a large gear is provided on the end face of the center of each reel, and the small gear meshed with the large gear drives the rotation. Then, by switching the mutual cooperation state of these gears, it is possible to operate both of them or only one of them in the reels provided at least one pair on the left and right with respect to the center of the device. For example, in a pipe traveling robot, when only traveling control is required, it is possible to reach the end by rotating one reel.

[0007]

Therefore, by adopting the first characteristic configuration of the present application, a plurality of optical fiber cables can be simultaneously sent out or wound up, and this function can be made compact, simple and easy to assemble. A winding device for an optical fiber cable that can be realized was obtained. further,
By adopting the second characteristic configuration of the present application, the number of reels to be rotated can be adjusted between the pair of reels provided symmetrically with respect to the center of the winding device.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, only one reel shows a 1/4 cross section.
(Parts for reels are marked with letters a and b) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the winding device is a base plate 1, a hollow reel base 2 having a central space S therein, shafts 3a, 3b. ,
Reels 4a, 4b, ball bearings 5a, 5b, ferrule cases 6a, 6b, fixed side ferrules 7a, 7b, rotary side ferrules 8a, 8b, large gears 9a, 9b, drive device 1
0, a cable guide device 11. In FIG. 2, the fixed ferrule 7a is inserted into the shaft 3a and fixed by the ferrule retainer 12a, and the shaft 3a is fixed to the reel stand 2 by the mounting screw 13a. Reel 4
A is attached to the shaft 3a via a ball bearing 5a and is fixed by a bearing retainer 14a. The rotating ferrule 8a is inserted into the shaft center of the ferrule case 6a and is fixed by the ferrule retainer 15a. This Ferrule Case 6a
Is integrated with the bearing retainer 14a and can rotate as the reel 4a rotates. A groove 16a is commonly provided outside the ferrule retainer 15a, the ferrule case 6a, the bearing retainer 14a, and the reel 4a, and serves as a passage for an optical fiber cable (winding-side cable) 17a. The optical fiber cable (fixed side cable) 18a of the fixed side ferrule 7a is guided to the outside through a hole 19a provided in the reel stand 2. The above description relates to the right reel 4a in FIG. 2, and the same applies to the left reel 4b.
Each part symbol is shown by adding a letter b and its description is omitted. Here, the left and right reels 4a and 4b are concentric with each other, and naturally the left and right shafts 3a and 3b are also concentric.

Referring to FIG. 2, the assembling order of the main body of the winding device for an optical fiber cable according to the present application is shown below. 1. Attach the hollow reel base 2 to the base plate 1. 2. The fixed cables 18a and 18b are passed through the holes 19a and 19b of the hollow reel stand 2 and inserted into the shafts 3a and 3b, and fixed to the shafts 3a and 3b by the ferrule retainers 12a and 12b. 3. The shafts 3a and 3b are fixed to the hollow reel base 2 with mounting screws 13a and 13b. 4. The ball bearings 5a and 5b are incorporated in the reels 4a and 4b, mounted on the shafts 3a and 3b, and fixed together with the reels 4a and 4b by bearing retainers 14a and 14b. The large gears 9a and 9b are mounted inside the reels 4a and 4b in advance. 5. The ferrules 8a and 8b on the rotating side are suppressed by the ferrule 1
The ferrule cases 6a and 6b are attached to the ferrule cases 6a and 6b by 5a and 15b, and are assembled.
Bearings 14a, 14b integrated with the reels 4a, 4b
Attach to In this way, the device can be assembled relatively easily.

In FIG. 3, the large gear 9b is a drive unit 10.
The reel 4b is driven by meshing with the small gear 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the drive device 10 drives a drive shaft 21 with a motor 23 via a joint 22. That is, the drive mechanism for the reels 4a and 4b is composed of the large gears 9a and 9b, the small gear 20, and the motor 23. The drive shaft 21 is provided with a long key 24 so that the small gear 20 can be moved and fixed at an arbitrary position. In the case of FIG. 4, both reels are driven simultaneously, and if the small gear 20 is fixed to the right end, the reel 4a (FIG. 2)
Only the reel is driven, and the reel 4b becomes free. Small gear 2
If 0 is fixed at the left intermediate position, the reel 4b is driven and the reel 4a becomes free. If the small gear 20 is fixed to the left end, both reels will be free. Here, a state in which both reels 4a and 4b are driven is called a first linked state, and a state in which only one reel is driven is called a second linked state.

FIG. 5 shows the relative relationship between the reels 4a and 4b, the drive unit 10 and the cable guide unit 11. The cable guide device 11 corresponds to each reel as shown in FIG. 6, and corresponds to the cable guides 25a and 25b and the shafts 26a and 26b.
And shafts 26a, 26b have bearings 27a, 27b and 2
It is supported by 8. The cable guides 25a and 25b move on the shafts 26a and 26b in accordance with the same principle as that used in the conventional general cable winding, so as to prevent the cable from being wound around the rod. When controlling the winding of the cable when using this device, if the load is below a certain load (when the cable is loose), the motor rotates forward to wind the fiber, and above a certain load (the cable is stretched). At the time), a method in which the motor reverses and the fiber is sent out can be adopted.

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, an example in which the driving force is transmitted by gears as the driving mechanism has been shown, but any type such as a friction system can be adopted.

It should be noted that reference numerals are given in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a winding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the winding device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a reel stand in the section P-P of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a driving device in a QQ section of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the winding device.

6 is a schematic explanatory view of a cable guide device taken along the line RR in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Hollow reel stand 3a, 3b Shaft 4a, 4b Reel 5a, 5b Bearing 6a, 6b Ferrule case 7a, 7b Fixed side ferrule 8a, 8b Rotation side ferrule 9a, 9b Large gear 17a, 17b Winding side cable 18a, 18b Fixed Side cable 20 Small gear 23 Motor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Otsuo Yoshida 4-1-2, Hirano-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Prefecture Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Nobu Kanai Wadazaki-cho, Hyogo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 1-1-1 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Kobe Shipyard (72) Inventor Yukio Fukagawa 2-1-1, Niihama, Arai-cho, Takasago-shi, Hyogo Prefecture Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. Takasago Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Reizo Miyauchi Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture 2-1-1, Niihama, Arai-machi, Yokohama-shi Takasago Laboratory, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A hollow reel base (2) having a central space (S) into which fixed cables (18a) (18b) are introduced is provided at a central portion, and the left and right widths of the hollow reel base (2). Direction, winding side cable (17a) (17b)
Bearings (5a) for reels (4a) (4b)
A pair of shafts (3a) and (3b) supported via (5b),
The fixed side ferrules (7a) and (7b) are attached to the reels (4a) and (4b) in a state where the cable connection side ends are exposed in the central space (S) for each of the reels (4a) and (4b). ) (3
A ferrule case (6a) which is provided on the axial center of b) and is supported on the outer side end portion of the reels (4a) (4b) existing on the outer side in the left-right width direction.
(6b) is provided concentrically with the shafts (3a) and (3b), and the end portion of the cable connection side is exposed outside in the left-right width direction,
The ferrule cases (6a) (6b) are provided with rotating ferrules (8a) (8b) facing the fixed ferrules (7a) (7b) on the axis, and in the left-right width direction, the center An optical fiber cable winding device having a drive mechanism for rotating and driving each of the reels (4a), (4b) located on the side, on the side of the center side. 2. A large gear (9a) (9b) fixedly provided on an end surface of a center side of each reel, a small gear (20) meshing with the large gear (9a) (9b), and the drive mechanism. The large gear (9a) which is provided for each of the pair of reels (4a) (4b) arranged in parallel in the left-right width direction, which is composed of a motor (23) for rotationally driving the small gear (20). ) (9b) and the pinion gear (20), the pinion gear (20) is provided between the pair of gear wheels (9).
a) A linked state between a first linked state in which both gears engage with both (9b) and a second linked state in which the small gear (20) meshes with only one of the pair of large gears (9a) and (9b). The winding device for an optical fiber cable according to claim 1, which is configured freely.