JPH10142450A - Terminal treatment device of optical fiber cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal treatment device of an optical fiber cable which is of a simple constitution and is capable of executing the terminal treatment work of the optical fiber cable from many directions. SOLUTION: Plural stations 2 to 9, which execute individual work of the terminal treatment, are installed successively around an index table 1. The index table 1 is provided with a holding jig 22 which has a holding jig clamp 24 grasping the optical fiber cable 25 at one end and is equipped with a holding jig arm 21, whose position is changeable to horizontal and vertical positions by means of a wire 28 for posture-changing to arbitrarily control the position of the optical fiber cable terminal in accordance with individual work of the terminal treatment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for connecting a ferrule (connector having a precision fine hole for positioning an optical fiber) to an optical fiber cable. The present invention relates to a terminal processing device for an optical fiber cable having a transport device for transporting an optical fiber cable in accordance with a processing procedure while sequentially applying an adhesive to an optical fiber and inserting the same into a ferrule.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical fiber cable is used to connect an end of the optical fiber cable to a device or another optical fiber cable.
As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 9, a connector generally called a ferrule 61 is attached to both ends. The ferrule 61 and the optical fiber cable 25 are fixed with an adhesive in a state where the sheath at the end of the optical fiber cable is removed and the optical fiber is exposed. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a cord type as an example of a general optical fiber cable.
In this optical fiber cable manufacturing process, outer sheath portions (PVs) as shown in FIG.
C: A vinyl chloride resin) 101, a tensile member (aramid fiber) 102, and a nylon coating 103 are each cut to an appropriate length to expose the internal optical fiber 43 (core fiber type optical fiber cable is Nylon coating 1
03) A jacket removing step, a step of cleaning residues adhering around the optical fiber wire from which the jacket has been removed, and a ferrule for inserting the optical fiber wire into the ferrule 61 filled with the adhesive. There are a step of filling the ferrule with an adhesive and a step of applying an adhesive to the optical fiber as a preparatory step to the insertion step, the step of cutting the extra length of the optical fiber, and the preparation of the ferrule insertion step.

Conventionally, there has been a semi-automatic machine for individually performing the above-described steps.
Most were manually occupied. However,
In recent years, while the demand for optical fiber cables has been rapidly increasing, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
-37511 discloses an optical fiber cable terminal processing apparatus as shown in a schematic perspective view of FIG.

A terminal processing apparatus shown in FIG. 11 includes a pallet 111 on which the optical fiber cable 25 is placed,
Transfer device 11 for transferring the first one to each work station
0, ferrule insertion and fixing portion 11 for inserting and fixing the optical fiber 43 into the ferrule 61
3 is comprised. The transfer device 110 has a loop structure, and the upper and lower belt conveyors 114, 1
15 and two pallet elevators A116 and B11
7 is provided. The pallet 111 is transferred to each work station position by the upper belt conveyor 114 with the optical fiber cable 25 placed thereon. After the operation is completed, the pallet 111 is transferred to the lower belt conveyor 115 by the elevator B117, and is transferred to the elevator A116 by the lower belt conveyor 115. The optical fiber cable 25 is wound in a coil shape on the pallet 111 and placed on the pallet 111. The optical fiber cable 25 is held by a clamp in a state where both ends are suspended vertically downward by a predetermined length. In the jacket removing section 112, the jacket section 101, the strength member 102, and the nylon covering section 103 of the optical fiber cable 25 are cut into appropriate lengths to expose the internal optical fiber wires 43.

In the ferrule insertion / fixing section 113 for inserting and fixing the optical fiber 43 into the ferrule, as shown in an explanatory diagram of FIG. And the ferrule 61 is raised by rotating the ferrule 61 by the rotary insertion portion 120, and the optical fiber 43 is inserted into the ferrule 61.
Insert At this time, the optical fiber cable 25 is connected to a clamp A different from the clamp attached to the pallet 111.
The nylon coating portion 103 and the optical fiber 43 are clamped by 121, and the optical fiber 43 is supported so as to be vertical. When the ferrule 61 rises while rotating, the clamp A121 opens and retreats. After the insertion is completed, clamp the upper end of ferrule 61 with B1.
22 prevents the ferrule 61 from falling due to caulking.

[0006] In addition, as a method of insertion into the ferrule,
In addition to the method of inserting the ferrule 61 while rotating it as shown in FIG. 12, for example, a method of inserting the ferrule 61 shown in the explanatory view of FIG. The axial force applied to the optical fiber cable 25 in the process is detected by the axial force sensor 131, and the hand 1 on the insertion side is adjusted so that the axial force becomes a predetermined axial force.
32 is controlled by the drive control device 133 while the ferrule 6
A method of inserting the optical fiber cable 25 so that the center of the optical fiber cable 25 is aligned with the insertion hole of the optical fiber cable 25 has also been proposed.

[0007] The application of an adhesive to the optical fiber 43 is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-96608.
4, an adhesive application method as shown in FIG. According to this method, the optical fiber cable 25 is set so as to protrude downward according to a required coating length in a state where the outer sheath portion is removed and the optical fiber strand 43 is exposed, and the adhesive container 141 is slid up and down. It is set on a container holder 142 attached to a movable rail. After being set in this way, the container holder 142 is raised by a certain amount, and the optical fiber 43 is dipped inside the adhesive container 141, so that the adhesive 144 is applied to the optical fiber 43. .

[0008]

A conventional optical fiber cable terminal processing apparatus is configured as shown in FIG.
The fiber optic cable remains fixed on the transport pallet (jig). For this reason, the terminal processing operation of the optical fiber cable at each work station can be performed from only one direction, and the working direction of the device that performs the terminal processing is restricted, so that the mechanism of the terminal processing device becomes complicated. Was. Further, since the supplied optical fiber cable is manually attached to the pallet, the protruding length is not stable, and there is a problem that the optical fiber length varies in a later process. In addition, since the optical fiber cable attached to the pallet is only fixed with the clamp attached to the pallet, the optical fiber cable bends and is caught by the equipment in the device during transport, cutting or bending. There was a problem. Further, according to the ferrule insertion mechanism shown in FIG. 12, since the optical fiber cable is attached to the pallet with the tip thereof hanging downward, there is a problem that after inserting the ferrule, a crimping step of the ferrule is required to prevent the ferrule from dropping. there were. Furthermore, since the manufactured optical fiber cable is stored in a state wound around a drum, the optical fiber cable has a bending tendency. Moreover, since the optical fiber cable is apt to bend easily, a ferrule insertion device as shown in FIG. 13 cannot be used for an extremely bent optical fiber (an optical fiber cable wound and stored on a small-diameter drum). However, there has been a problem that the optical fiber cable is bent, and a ferrule is incorrectly inserted into the optical fiber and a defect of the optical fiber is broken. Further, since the bending habit is different for each optical fiber cable, it is difficult to control the insertion with a uniform axial force setting. In addition, there is a problem that the difference in rigidity of the sheath portion of the optical fiber cable causes an error in inserting the optical fiber into the ferrule.

Since the extra length of the optical fiber is cut by a nipper or the like by hand, the length of projection of the optical fiber from the tip of the ferrule is not stable. There was a problem such as bad.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides an optical fiber cable terminal processing apparatus capable of performing an optical fiber cable terminal processing operation from multiple directions with a simple configuration. The purpose is to:
It is another object of the present invention to provide a terminal processing apparatus for an optical fiber cable, which can eliminate variations caused by manual operation and can stably insert an optical fiber into a ferrule.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber cable terminal processing apparatus, comprising: In an optical fiber cable terminal processing device in which an adhesive is attached to the strand and the ferrule, and the optical fiber strand is inserted into and fixed to the ferrule, a plurality of stations for performing each operation of the terminal processing are sequentially installed around the rotary table, The rotary table is provided with a holding jig having a grip portion for holding an optical fiber cable, and a posture adjusting mechanism for arbitrarily controlling the posture of the optical fiber cable terminal according to each operation of the terminal processing. .

According to a second configuration of the present invention, in the first configuration, the holding jig is configured to hold the optical fiber cable terminal horizontally and vertically upward.

According to a third configuration of the present invention, in the first or second configuration, a sensor for detecting a length of the optical fiber cable protruding from the holding portion of the holding jig, and the holding jig is provided to a work station. And a movable hand for gripping the optical fiber cable, wherein the hand detects the length of the optical fiber cable from the holding jig gripping portion based on a signal from the sensor. The length is adjusted to a predetermined length.

Further, according to a fourth configuration of the present invention, in any one of the first to third configurations, the optical fiber cable is wound while leaving both ends thereof, and both ends of the optical fiber cable are held and fixed. And a winding jig that is suspended and supported by being held by the gripping portion of the tool.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the first hand for holding the optical fiber cable at the work station for inserting the optical fiber into the ferrule is provided. A second hand movable along an optical fiber cable;
Holding the foremost part of the optical fiber cable jacket part immediately adjacent to the optical fiber exposed by the hand from above, and using the second hand to hold any part between the first hand and the holding jig clamp. The optical fiber cable is gripped at a position.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 (a) is a schematic configuration diagram showing the entire configuration of an optical fiber cable terminal processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 1 (b) is a schematic perspective view schematically showing the overall configuration, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an optical fiber cable holding jig of the apparatus, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a jacket removing station, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an optical fiber wire cleaning station, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an optical fiber wire adhesive application station, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a ferrule insertion station, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a clamp mechanism of the ferrule insertion station.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an index table, which is a rotary table. A station for performing a terminal processing operation necessary for connecting an optical fiber cable and a ferrule clockwise around the index table 1 in the order of processing operations. In this case, eight stations from 1 to 8 are provided, and a unit having a function described later is provided in each of the stations. Also, on the index table 1, a holding jig for holding the optical fiber cable terminals (both ends) freely and horizontally and vertically upward in this case according to each operation of the terminal processing. Eight 22 are installed corresponding to each station.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holding jig 22 is a holding jig clamp 24 for holding an optical fiber cable 25, a holding jig clamp opening / closing wire 26, and the holding posture of the optical fiber cable 25. A holding jig arm 21 and a wire 28 for changing the horizontal / vertical posture of the arm 21 are provided. The opening / closing of the clamp 24 of the holding jig 22 and the change of the posture of the arm 21 are performed by a clamp opening / closing wire 26 and a posture changing wire 28.
Through a cylinder (not shown) below the index table. The horizontal and vertical positioning of the arm 21 is performed by bringing the arm 21 into contact with a stopper (not shown). Except for the operation of removing the sheath and cleaning the optical fiber with the yarn cleaner, the arm 21 of the holding jig 22 is held vertically and the end of the optical fiber cable 25 is held vertically upward.

The optical fiber cable 25 is supplied by being wound around a reel-shaped winding jig 23 while leaving both ends, and both ends are gripped by the clamp 24 and held by the holding jig 22. The winding jig 23 is configured to be hung by the optical fiber cable 25 in a vertically free state in the jig storage pocket 29 of the holding jig. Therefore, the tension applied to the optical fiber cable 25 is constant (approximately the weight of the winding jig 23), and the optical fiber cable 25 does not bend even if the arm 21 is moved horizontally and vertically. Further, the clamping force of the optical fiber cable 25 is
The optical fiber cable 25 is set by the force of a spring (not shown) provided to the optical fiber cable 25 with a strength (in this case, about 130 g) that does not cause the optical fiber cable 25 to slip down or damage the outer cover. Grasping. Then, the clamp 24 has a plurality of chuck claws having, for example, a v-shaped groove so that the optical fiber cable can be positioned at a predetermined position with high precision and the fiber can be securely held.
It is configured such that the opposing claws are alternately overlapped.

Second station (first jacket removal) 3
As shown in FIG.
An XY table 33 equipped with a jacket removing device 31 (in this case, an optical fiber cable precision processing machine Schleuniger FO7045: Schleuniger Japan K.K.) is installed. A fiber cable tip detection sensor 32 and an optical fiber cable gripping hand 34 are provided. The third station (second jacket removal) 4 is configured similarly to the second station 3. As shown in FIG. 4, an XY table 42 on which a cleaning device 41 (in this case, an optical fiber polishing device TP-125MKII Tokki Co., Ltd.) is mounted is installed in the fourth station (optical fiber cleaning) 5. I have. As shown in FIG. 5, a fifth station (application of an optical fiber wire adhesive) 6
A container 53 containing dust-free paper 54 impregnated with an adhesive, and a transfer plate 5 for transferring the optical fiber 43
2. A motor 51 for moving the transfer plate 52 in the up-down direction, and an optical fiber element existence confirmation sensor (not shown) are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, an adhesive filling unit 11 for filling the ferrule 61 with an adhesive and a ferrule 61 are supplied to the sixth station (filling the adhesive into the ferrule and inserting the optical fiber) into the sixth station. A parts feeder 12, a transfer hand 13 for transferring the parts from the parts feeder 12 to the adhesive filling unit 11, and a dispenser 14 for filling the ferrule 61 with a fixed amount of adhesive are provided. Further, a ferrule insertion hand 62 for inserting the optical fiber 43 into the ferrule 61 shown in FIG. 6, an image pickup device 63 for imaging the optical fiber 43 at the time of insertion, a first hand 71 for holding the optical fiber cable, A second hand 72 is provided. In this case, a UV irradiation device (not shown) is installed in the eighth station (ferrule fixing) 9 because a UV-curable adhesive is used as the ferrule connection adhesive in this case. The seventh station 8 is a spare station.

Next, the operation of the optical fiber cable terminal processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first station 2, the optical fiber cable 25 is
The optical fiber cable 25 is supplied to the holding jig 22 while being wound on a reel-shaped winding jig 23 as shown in FIG.
Is clamped by the clamp 24. At this time, the reel-shaped winding jig 23 is suspended from the holding jig 22.

In this apparatus, when the operator presses the index table operation button 10 after the processing work in all of the first to eighth stations is completed, the index table 1 is rotated by one station and each holding is performed. Jig 22
Is moved to the next station, and the next processing operation is performed. Hereinafter, the description of the rotation operation of the index table 1 after each work is omitted.

In the second station 3, the sheath portion 101 and the strength member 102 of the optical fiber cable 25 are removed. First, in FIG. 3, the holding jig arm 21 holding the optical fiber cable 25 of the holding jig 22 sent to the second station 3 is turned to be horizontal. In this state, the sheath removing device 31 is moved by the XY table 33 in a direction approaching the axial direction of the optical fiber cable 25, and the tip of the optical fiber cable 25 is detected by the sensor 32. The XY table 33 is positioned so that the detected tip position is corrected by the amount of deviation from the reference position.
The optical fiber cable 25 is gripped by the optical fiber cable gripping hand 34 installed on the Y table 33, and the holding jig clamp 24 is released. After the jacket removing device 31 has performed the jacket removing process, the XY table 33 is moved so that the tip of the optical fiber cable 25 comes to a predetermined position with respect to the holding jig 22. The optical fiber cable 25 is gripped by the clamp 24, and the optical fiber cable gripping hand 34 is released. By thus changing the gripping of the optical fiber cable 25, the position of the tip of the optical fiber cable from the holding jig 22 is always aligned at a fixed position. That is, the projection length of the optical fiber cable 25 from the holding jig clamp 24 is adjusted to a predetermined length. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the variation due to the manual operation when supplying the optical fiber cable to the apparatus, and to eliminate the variation in the sheath removal amount and the optical fiber length.
When the sheath removal of the optical fiber cable 25 on one side is completed, the arm 21 of the holding jig becomes vertical, and the sheath removing device 31 is moved by the XY table 33 to the other end of the optical fiber cable, and the above-described operation is performed. Repeat the operation.

Next, in the third station 4, the nylon coating 103 of the optical fiber cable 25 is removed.
Similarly to the second station, first, the holding jig arm 21 holding the optical fiber cable 25 of the holding jig 22 sent to the third station 4 rotates horizontally. In this state, the sheath removing device is moved by the XY table in the direction approaching the axial direction of the optical fiber cable 25 by the amount by which the nylon coating 103 is removed, and the sheath removing process is performed. When the removal of the optical fiber cable 25 on one side is completed, the arm 21 of the holding jig becomes vertical, the sheath removing device is moved to the other optical fiber cable end side by the XY table, and the above operation is repeated. Do.

Next, the optical fiber cable 25 sent to the fourth station 5 is moved in the XY direction with the holding jig arm 21 holding the optical fiber cable 25 being horizontal, as in the sheath removing step. The table 42 is moved back and forth in the axial direction of the optical fiber cable 25. As a result, the yarn cleaner (several yarns containing alcohol) moves while rotating over the entire length of the optical fiber wire 43 from which the jacket has been removed, and the optical fiber wire 4 generated when the jacket is removed.
Cleaning is performed by removing residual silicon adhering to the three portions. When the cleaning of one optical fiber 43 is completed, the holding jig arm 21 becomes vertical, the cleaning device 41 is moved to the other optical fiber by the XY table 42, and the above operation is repeated.

In the above-described jacket removal and optical fiber cleaning operation, even if the arm 21 of the holding jig is turned horizontally and falls down, the suspended reel-shaped winding jig 23 is still in the suspended state. As a result, the optical fiber cable 25 is always given a constant tension.
5 does not bend.

Next, at the fifth station 6, first,
The transfer plate 52 is placed on the adhesive supply container 53 containing the dust-free paper 54 impregnated with the adhesive. At this time, the adhesive is stained according to the amount of pressing the transfer plate 52 against the dust-free paper 54, so that an appropriate amount of the adhesive is transferred to the transfer plate 52. Next, the transfer plate 52 is rotated to be raised horizontally, and the holding jig 2 is rotated.
The optical fiber strand 43 held vertically by 2 is brought into contact with the optical fiber 43,
The transfer plate 52 is vertically operated by the motor 51 to transfer and apply the adhesive to the optical fiber 43. Thereby, a constant amount of adhesive can be stably applied to the optical fiber at all times.

Next, at the sixth station 7, first,
In the operation of filling the inside of the ferrule 61 with the adhesive, the ferrules 61 supplied one by one by the parts feeder 12 are transferred to the adhesive filling unit 11, and the adhesive is filled into the ferrule 61 by the dispenser 14 by a fixed amount. After that, the tip side of the ferrule is made negative pressure by a vacuum chamber (not shown), and the adhesive is filled up to the extremely fine pore portion of the ferrule 61. As a result, the desired amount of adhesive can be filled into the ferrule 61 without excess or shortage. Therefore, the poor connection between the ferrule and the optical fiber or the adhesion of the adhesive caused by the excess or insufficient amount of the adhesive applied to the optical fiber or the amount of the adhesive filled into the ferrule, which has been a problem in the past. Problems such as adhesion of the adhesive to places that should not be performed are eliminated, and the joining reliability and quality can be improved.

Next, in the operation of inserting the optical fiber 43 into the ferrule, as shown in FIG. 6, the ferrule 61 filled with the adhesive up to the tip of the ferrule in advance is gripped by the ferrule insertion hand 62. On the other hand, the optical fiber cable 25 is gripped by the first hand 71 from the top of the jacket, where the root of the exposed optical fiber 43 and the end of the jacket 101 at the boundary with the optical fiber 43 are held from above the jacket. An arbitrary position between the first hand 71 and the holding jig clamp 24 is gripped by the second hand 72. Then, the insertion of the optical fiber 43 into the ferrule 61 is as follows.
An image of the optical fiber is captured by the plurality of image sensors 63, and the position of the axis of the optical fiber 43 is determined by an image processing device (not shown) from, for example, two directions of XY of the optical fiber 43, and After the ferrule insertion hand 62 is moved in the X and Y directions so that the axes of the ferrules 61 coincide with each other to perform alignment, the ferrule insertion hand 62 is lowered by an elevating means (not shown), and the optical fiber strand 43 is transferred to the ferrule 61. insert. In order to prevent the first hand 71 from interfering with the ferrule 61, the first hand 71 is released during insertion into the ferrule 61.

As described above, the optical fiber 43 can be automatically inserted into the ferrule 61. In addition, since the optical fiber cable 25, that is, the optical fiber 43 is held with the tip vertically upward, the ferrule 61 does not drop due to gravity after the ferrule 61 is inserted. For example, as in the conventional example shown in FIG. In addition, the subsequent crimping step of the ferrule 61 is not required, so that the crimping device is not required and the manufacturing is simplified. Furthermore, by grasping the base of the optical fiber 43 with the first hand 71, the bending habit of the optical fiber cable 25 can be corrected, and the optical fiber cable is clamped vertically upward without being affected by the bending habit. The optical fiber 43 can be smoothly inserted into the ferrule 61. The second hand 72 is movably supported along the optical fiber cable 25, and moves the desired position between the first hand 71 and the holding jig clamp 24 to the optical fiber cable, that is, the outer part of the jacket. It can be gripped according to the difference in rigidity (lumbar strength), and stable insertion into the ferrule can be performed even for optical fiber cables having different rigidities. For example, for an optical fiber cable having a weak stiffness, the gripping position of the optical fiber cable can be made closer to the insertion position to prevent breakage of the optical fiber wire generated at the time of insertion.

Next, in the eighth station 9, in this case, a UV-curable adhesive is used as the ferrule connection adhesive, so that the end of the optical fiber cable inserted into the ferrule 61 is irradiated with ultraviolet light to be bonded. The agent is cured and the ferrule 61 and the optical fiber cable 25 are bonded.

The holding jig 22 is used for the index table 1
Makes a single rotation, it returns to the first station 2 while holding the optical fiber cable 25 for which ferrule connection has been completed. The optical fiber cable 25 to which the ferrule 61 is connected is released from the holding jig clamp 24, and is carried out by an operator or a transfer robot (not shown).

Although the number of stations is eight in the first embodiment, any number of stations may be used as long as the number of stations is equal to or greater than the number of stations in the processing step. Further, additional functions such as an inspection step and a surplus processing step may be provided in the empty station.

Further, in the first embodiment, the jacket removing device 31 is mounted on the XY table 33 and the jacket removing operation is performed one by one sequentially. However, two jacket removing devices 31 are installed. By performing the jacket removal operation at both ends simultaneously, the operation time can be reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, the optical fiber cable 25 whose both ends are processed is shown as a terminal processing object, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a case where the optical fiber terminal work processing is performed only on one side.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of an insertion station into a ferrule according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the first embodiment, at the second station 3, the holding jig 22 of the optical fiber cable 25 is
In this embodiment, the protrusion from the ferrule 61 protrudes from the front end of the ferrule 61 using an image sensor 84 as shown in FIG. The length of the optical fiber is measured, and when the optical fiber protrudes from the distal end position of the ferrule 61 by a predetermined length or more, after fixing the distal end of the optical fiber 43 with the hand 82, the exclusive optical fiber cutting nipper 81 is used. To make the amount of projection of the optical fiber 43 from the tip of the ferrule constant, that is, an extra length optical fiber cutting mechanism is provided. The cut optical fiber waste is discarded in a dedicated waste container 83.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of an insertion station into a ferrule according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the second embodiment, in the operation of inserting into the ferrule, the optical fiber 4
3 is obtained. In the third embodiment, FIG.
The inspection light 92 is made to enter from the end of the optical fiber cable 25 on the opposite side from the ferrule insertion side as shown in FIG. 2 to extend the light emitted from the end of the optical fiber cable 25 on the ferrule insertion side, that is, the light emitted from the optical fiber 43. Captured by the image sensor 91 installed on the line, for example, using a bright point centroid calculation,
As a configuration in which the position of the optical fiber 43 is detected and inserted into the ferrule 61, the axis of the optical fiber 43 is obtained by one image sensor 91.

In the above-described embodiment, an image sensor may be used instead of the sensor 32 for adjusting the optical fiber cable 25 in the second station 3 to a fixed length, and the same effect is obtained.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the optical fiber cable terminal is held horizontally and vertically upward is described as the holding posture, but the holding posture is not limited to this, and a desired posture is taken according to the work. It may be configured as follows. For example, an arm can be held at an arbitrary angle by changing the position of the stopper in the vertical direction by using a stopper that stops the cylinder that pulls the posture changing wire 28 below the index table 1 during the retraction. Further, the posture changing wire 28 can be stopped at a predetermined position by pulling the posture changing wire 28 with a vertically movable motor.

[0040]

According to the first configuration of the optical fiber cable terminal processing apparatus of the present invention, the sheath at the end of the optical fiber cable is removed to expose the optical fiber, and the optical fiber cable is exposed. In an optical fiber cable terminal processing device in which an adhesive is attached to a ferrule and an optical fiber is inserted into and fixed to the ferrule, a plurality of stations for performing each operation of terminal processing are sequentially installed around a rotary table, and the rotary table is provided. Since a holding jig having a holding portion for holding the optical fiber cable and an attitude adjusting mechanism for arbitrarily controlling the attitude of the optical fiber cable terminal in accordance with each operation of the terminal processing is provided, A terminal processing operation can be performed from multiple directions according to the operation.

In the second configuration of the present invention,
In the first configuration, since the optical fiber cable end of the holding jig is configured to be held horizontally and vertically upward, for example, at the time of ferrule insertion work, the tip of the optical fiber cable can be held vertically upward. ,
The ferrule can be easily manufactured without dropping after the ferrule is inserted.

In the third configuration of the present invention,
In the first or second configuration, a sensor for detecting a length of the optical fiber cable protruding from a holding portion of the holding jig, and a work station provided to face the holding jig and holding the optical fiber cable And a movable hand that adjusts the projection length of the optical fiber cable from the holding jig gripping portion to a predetermined length based on the signal from the sensor. It is possible to eliminate variations in the terminal position due to manual operation when supplying the device, and it is possible to eliminate variations in the sheath removal amount and the optical fiber length.

Further, in the fourth configuration of the present invention, in any one of the first to third configurations, the optical fiber cable is wound leaving both ends thereof, and both ends of the optical fiber cable are held. A winding jig that is suspended and supported by being held by the gripping part of the jig is provided, so that tension is always applied to the optical fiber cable by the weight of the winding jig, thereby eliminating bending of the optical fiber cable. Can be.

According to a fifth configuration of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth configurations, a first hand for gripping an optical fiber cable is provided at a work station for inserting an optical fiber into a ferrule. A second hand movable along the optical fiber cable, and gripping the foremost end of the optical fiber cable jacket portion immediately adjacent to the optical fiber exposed by the first hand from above the jacket. Since the optical fiber cable is gripped at an arbitrary position between the first hand and the holding jig clamp by the second hand, the bending habit of the optical fiber cable can be corrected, and the influence of the bending habit can be reduced. Without receiving
The optical fiber can be smoothly inserted into the ferrule, and the desired position between the first hand and the holding jig clamp can be gripped according to the difference in the rigidity (lumbar strength) of the jacket. Thus, optical fiber cables having different rigidities can be stably inserted into the ferrule.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic perspective view showing an optical fiber cable terminal processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an optical fiber cable holding jig according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a jacket removing section (station) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an optical fiber cleaning section (station) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of an optical fiber wire adhesive application section (station) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a ferrule insertion section (station) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a ferrule insertion section (station) according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a ferrule insertion section (station) according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an optical fiber cable to which a general ferrule is attached.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a general optical fiber cable (cord type).

FIG. 11 is an overall schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional optical fiber terminal processing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional ferrule insertion method.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a conventional ferrule insertion method.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing a conventional adhesive application method.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Index table 2 1st station 3 2nd station 4 3rd station 5 4th station 6 5th station 7 6th station 8 7th station 9 8th station 10 Index table operation button 11 Adhesion Agent filling unit 12 Parts feeder 13 Transfer hand 14 Dispenser 21 Holding jig arm 22 Holding jig 23 Winding jig 24 Holding jig clamp 25 Optical fiber cable 28 Posture conversion wire 31 Outer jacket removing device 32 Tip detection sensor 33 XY Table 34 Hand holding optical fiber cable 41 Cleaning device 42 XY table 43 Optical fiber wire 51 Motor 52 Transfer plate 53 Adhesive supply container 54 Dustless paper 61 Ferrule 62 Ferrule insertion hand 63 Imaging Element 71 First hand 72 Second hand 81 Optical fiber strand cutting nipper 82 Optical fiber strand gripping hand 84 Image sensor 91 Image sensor 92 Inspection light 101 Jacket part 102 Strength member 103 Nylon coating

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shoichiro Hara 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber cable is exposed by removing a jacket portion at an end of the optical fiber cable, an adhesive is adhered to the optical fiber cable and the ferrule, and the optical fiber cable is inserted into the ferrule and fixed. In the optical fiber cable terminal processing device, a plurality of stations for performing each operation of the terminal processing are sequentially installed around the rotary table, and the rotary table, a gripper that holds the optical fiber cable,
An optical fiber cable terminal processing apparatus, comprising: a holding jig having an attitude adjusting mechanism for arbitrarily controlling the attitude of the optical fiber cable terminal according to each of the terminal processing operations. 2. A holding jig for holding an optical fiber cable terminal horizontally and vertically upward.
A terminal processing device for the optical fiber cable according to the above. 3. A sensor for detecting the length of an optical fiber cable protruding from a holding portion of a holding jig, and a movable station provided at a work station facing the holding jig and holding the optical fiber cable. 3. A hand, wherein the hand adjusts a projection length of the optical fiber cable from the holding jig gripping part to a predetermined length based on a signal from the sensor. A terminal processing device for the optical fiber cable according to the above. 4. A winding jig which is wound around an optical fiber cable leaving both ends thereof, and which is suspended by holding both ends of the optical fiber cable by a holding portion of a holding jig. The terminal processing apparatus for an optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein: 5. A first work station for holding an optical fiber cable at a work station for inserting an optical fiber wire into a ferrule.
And a second hand movable along the optical fiber cable, and a top end portion of an optical fiber cable jacket portion immediately adjacent to the optical fiber exposed by the first hand is placed on the jacket. 5. The optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber cable is gripped at an arbitrary position between the first hand and the holding jig clamp by the second hand. A terminal processing device for the optical fiber cable according to the above.