JP5049350B2 - Optical connector cleaning tool - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector cleaning tool used for cleaning a connection surface of an optical connector.

  An optical connector used for optical communication couples optical fibers in a state where they are in contact with each other. In this case, if the ferrule end face of the optical connector, especially the end face (connecting face) of the optical fiber that forms the same plane as the coupling end faces of the connectors, is contaminated, or deposits such as oil and grease are attached, the insertion loss of the optical connector will be reduced. Since it increases, the return loss decreases, and the optical signal cannot be transmitted normally, it is indispensable to clean the connection surface as necessary to remove dirt and deposits.

  Conventionally, as an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection surface of such an optical connector, when the optical connector is a female connector, since the connection surface of the optical fiber does not protrude outside the connector body, FIG. A stick-type cleaning tool C composed of a shaft part A and a cotton part B as shown is used. In other words, the cleaning tool C is cleaned by inserting the cotton part B into the optical connector at the time of cleaning, bringing it into contact with the ferrule end face as the surface to be cleaned, and rotating the shaft part A in this state.

  On the other hand, when the optical connector is a male optical connector, for example, the tape type disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-246343, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-17756, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-090576, and WO 2004/073896. They were cleaned using a sheet-type or thread-type cleaning tool.

  For this reason, it is necessary to prepare two types of cleaning tools for male and female types according to the normal optical connector. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-285766, one unit is used. A dual-purpose optical connector cleaner that can clean both the male optical connector and the female optical connector has also been put into practical use.

  However, the conventional optical connector cleaners disclosed in JP-A-9-285766, JP-A-2001-246343, JP-A-2002-090576, and WO2004 / 073896 are all motors, power supplies, Since gears and the like are required, there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the cost becomes high.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool that has a simple structure, does not require a drive source, and can reduce the number of components. Is to provide.

To achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a holding portion and a cleaning portion that is rotatably attached to the holding portion and cleans the connection surface of the optical connector with a cleaning thread, and the holding portion is provided on a peripheral wall. A cylindrical slider having an elastic piece having a guide projection, and a cylindrical body having a spiral groove in which the guide projection is engaged on an outer peripheral surface, and is rotatably and reciprocally disposed in the slider; , A slider return spring for returning the slider to an initial position, and a shaft provided in the slider, wherein the cleaning portion is a rotating pod connected to the body, and the cleaning thread is wound around a supply reel which is one end connected to the shaft, or is connected to the shaft via a clutch, the optical connector of the take-up reel and the thread for cleaning taking up the the cleaned cleaning yarns A cleaning pin that is brought into contact with the connection surface of the cleaning pin, the cleaning pin is provided with a thread support surface that supports the cleaning thread on a tip surface thereof, and has a thread support portion that protrudes from the rotating pod. By rotating integrally with the body during cleaning, tension is applied to the cleaning thread, unused cleaning thread is pulled out from the supply reel, and the cleaned cleaning thread is wound around the take-up reel. It is something to make.

  In the present invention, when the operator grips the slider with his / her hand to bring the tip of the cleaning pin into contact with the connection surface (ferrule end surface) of the optical connector, and the slider is advanced against the slider return spring in this state, the guide The protrusion moves in the spiral groove to press the groove wall, and the linear motion of the slider is converted into the rotational motion of the body by a cam action. When the body rotates, the rotating pod and the cleaning pin rotate together, so that the connection surface of the optical connector is cleaned by the cleaning thread guided to the tip surface of the cleaning pin. Because the tip of the cleaning pin is pressed against the connection surface of the optical connector, the position of the body, rotating pod and cleaning pin does not change even if the body, rotating pod and cleaning pin rotate. The pin is rotated by a predetermined angle. The rotating pod and the body apply tension to the cleaning thread by rotating around the supply reel and the take-up reel. For this reason, the cleaning thread is pulled out from the supply reel and guided to the tip end surface of the cleaning pin. When the end surface of the ferrule is cleaned, the cleaning thread is guided to the take-up reel and wound. Therefore, the ferrule end face can be cleaned with an unused cleaning thread for each cleaning. After the cleaning of the optical connector with the cleaning thread is completed, or when the gripping force on the slider is weakened in the middle of the cleaning, the slider moves backward by the reaction force of the slider return spring and returns to the initial position.

  The spiral groove of the body and the guide protrusion of the slider engage with each other to convert the linear motion of the slider into the rotational motion of the body, so there is no need for a motor, gear mechanism, etc., and the structure is simple and the number of parts is reduced. Cost reduction. Further, the cleaning thread is less likely to be disconnected than the tape, and the cleaning tool is easy to handle. Further, since the body is biased in the direction protruding from the slider by the slider return spring, it cannot be rotated freely except during the operation of the slider, and the cleaning thread can be prevented from loosening.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an optical connector cleaning tool according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the optical connector cleaning tool in FIG. 1. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector cleaning tool in FIG. 1 taken along the line B-B. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the holding portion. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning unit. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining cleaning of the male optical connector. FIG. 7 is a front view of the optical connector cleaning tool according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view of the optical connector cleaning tool. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the slider, the lid, and the body. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a part of the cleaning unit in a broken state. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a part of the rotating pod and the cleaning pin in a broken state. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cleaning pin. FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the tip of the cleaning pin. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the clutch mechanism. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the clutch mechanism. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a part of the latch mechanism in a cutaway manner. FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a part of the first and second one-way clutch in a broken state. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of the cleaning unit and the guide unit and illustrating an initial state. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the cleaning unit is attached to the receptacle. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the cleaning unit is mounted on the receptacle. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the guide member is in contact with the inner wall of the receptacle. FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the guide member is further pressed against the inner wall of the receptacle. FIG. 25 is a sectional view of an optical connector cleaning tool according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the main part of the cleaning pin showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the cleaning pin. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a conventional example of a stick-type cleaning tool.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.
1 to 5, the optical connector cleaning tool 1 includes a holding part 2, a cleaning part 5 attached to the holding part 2, and a cap 6 detachably attached to the tip of the cleaning part 5. The cleaning tool is configured to clean both the female connector 3 and the male connector 90.

  The female optical connector 3 is integrally provided with a receptacle 7 into which the male connector 90 is fitted. The receptacle 7 protects the end surface (connection surface) 4 a of the ferrule 4.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the holding unit 2 includes a substantially cylindrical slider 10 whose both ends are open, a lid 11 that closes the rear-end opening of the slider 10, and a body 12 that is housed in the slider 10. The slider 12 includes a slider return spring 13 and a shaft 14 that urge the body 12 forward and return the slider 10 to the initial position.

  The slider 10 is a portion that is gripped by an operator during cleaning, and is made of a plastic molded product. The slider 10 is provided at a distance of 180 ° in the circumferential direction so that the two elastic pieces 16 are back to back in the vicinity of the front end of the peripheral wall. ing. The elastic piece 16 is formed in the shape of a tongue that is long in the axial direction of the slider 10 by the U-shaped hole 15, the front end is connected to the slider 10, and the rear end and both side edges from the slider 10 by the U-shaped hole 15. Is disconnected. Further, the elastic piece 16 can be elastically deformed in the plate thickness direction, and as shown in FIG. The guide protrusion 17 protrudes into the slider 10 in a normal state. On the other hand, in the vicinity of the rear end side opening on the peripheral wall of the slider 10, two small engagement holes 19 for locking the lid body 11 are formed 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction.

  The lid 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the slider 10. The lid 11 is fitted into the opening on the rear end side of the slider 10, and an engaging protrusion 21 protruding from the outer peripheral surface is engaged with the slider 10. By engaging with the joint hole 19, the slider 10 is detachably attached. At the center of the inner surface of the lid body 11, a shaft 14 is integrally projected via a boss portion 22. The shaft 14 has a hexagonal cross-sectional shape, and the tip extends near the opening on the front end side of the slider 10. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the shaft 14 is not limited to a hexagonal shape, and may be any shape as long as the cross-sectional shape can prevent rotation of a take-up reel 43 described later.

  In FIG. 4, the body 12 is formed into a cylindrical body whose both ends are opened by synthetic resin injection molding and whose outer diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the slider 10, and its rear end is rotatable into the slider 10 and can be advanced and retracted. It is stored. The front end portion 12a of the body 12 constitutes a connecting portion of the rotating pod 40, which will be described later, and forms a tapered portion whose outer peripheral surface is inclined at a required angle and is rotated by being reduced in diameter when the rotating pod 40 is fitted. Four split grooves 23 that facilitate attachment of the pod 40 are formed. These split grooves 23 are formed long in the axial direction of the body 12, and one end is open to the front end surface of the body 12.

  Two spiral grooves 25 and 26 and linear grooves 27 and 28 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the body 12, and project from the spiral grooves 25 and 26 and the elastic pieces 16 of the slider 10. The guide protrusions 17 constitute a rotating mechanism that converts the linear motion of the slider 10 into the rotational motion of the body 2 and rotates the cleaning unit 5. That is, when the guide protrusion 17 moves linearly along the spiral grooves 25 and 26, the body 2 rotates. Further, the guide protrusion 17 is positioned on the start ends 25a and 26a side of the spiral grooves 25 and 26 in the initial position state of the body 12, and together with the spiral grooves 25 and 26, the guide protrusion 17 prevents the body 12 from coming off from the slider 10. Is configured.

  The two spiral grooves 25 and 26 are formed in an angular range of 360 ° with an interval of 180 ° in the circumferential direction of the body 12. For this reason, the body 12 makes one rotation at maximum by the forward movement of the slider 10. In this case, since the spiral grooves 25 and 26 are clockwise grooves, when the slider 10 is advanced against the slider return spring 13, the body 12 causes the guide protrusion 17 to move the left side wall of the spiral grooves 25 and 26. By pressing, it rotates clockwise. However, it may be a counterclockwise groove that rotates counterclockwise.

  On the other hand, the straight grooves 27 and 28 are used as a passage through which the guide protrusion 17 passes when the slider 10 is moved back to the initial position by the slider return spring 13 after the slider 10 has moved forward in the maximum stroke. It consists of a long groove in the axial direction, and is formed 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction. In addition, one of the linear grooves 27, 28 is a linear groove that connects the start end 25 a and the end end 25 b of one spiral groove 25, and the center intersects and communicates with the center of the other spiral groove 26. ing. Further, the groove portion 27A from the start end 27a of the linear groove 27 to the spiral groove 26 and the bottom surface of the groove portion 27B from the center of the linear groove 27 to the terminal end 27b are not constant in depth, and are directed toward the front end of the body 2. It is formed on an inclined slope so that it becomes gradually deeper. The start ends 25 a and 26 a of the spiral grooves 25 and 26 are on the rear end side of the body 12, and the end ends 25 b and 26 b are on the front end side of the body 12. Similarly, the other straight groove 28 is a straight groove connecting the start end 26a and the end end 26b of the other spiral groove 26, and the center intersects and communicates with the center of the one spiral groove 25 (see FIG. 1). ). Also, the groove portion 28A from the start end 26a of the linear groove 28 to the spiral groove 26 and the bottom surface of the groove portion 28B from the center to the terminal end 28b are not constant in groove depth like the straight groove 27, and the front end of the body 12 It is formed in the slope inclined so that it may become deep gradually toward.

  The reason why the two straight grooves 27 and 28 are provided and the bottom surface thereof is formed on the slope is that when the body 12 is extracted from the slider 10, the guide protrusion 17 is easily extracted from the linear grooves 27 and 28. That is, if the depth of the straight grooves 27 and 28 is constant and deep, even if the body 12 is rotated to move the guide protrusion 17 from the spiral grooves 25 and 26 to the straight grooves 27 and 28, The guide protrusion 17 hits the groove wall and the elastic piece 16 cannot be elastically deformed outward, and the guide protrusion 17 cannot be retracted from the linear grooves 27 and 28. On the other hand, if the bottom surfaces of the straight grooves 27 and 28 are formed as slopes, the guide protrusion 17 is positioned at the shallowest portion of the bottom surfaces of the straight grooves 27 and 28, that is, at the start ends 25a and 26a of the straight grooves 27 and 28, or at the center. When the body 12 is rotated, the guide protrusion 17 easily gets over the straight grooves 27 and 28, so that the elastic piece 16 is elastically deformed outward and the guide protrusion 17 is retracted from the straight grooves 27 and 28, in other words, the guide protrusion 17 and the linear grooves 27 and 28 can be released. Therefore, the slider 10 and the body 12 can be separated by causing the body 12 to jump out of the slider 10 by the resilience of the slider return spring 13 or by pulling the body 12 out of the slider 10 by hand. When the body 12 is connected to the slider 10, the rear end of the body 12 is forcibly pushed into the slider 10 against the slider return spring 13, and the guide protrusion 17 is pressed at the rear end of the body 12 to elastically 16 may be elastically deformed outward, and the guide protrusion 17 may be engaged with the spiral grooves 25 and 26, respectively.

  A pair of engagement holes 30, 30 and one long hole 31 are formed in the front end portion 12 a of the body 12. The pair of engagement holes 30 are holes for detachably locking a rotary pod 40 described later, and are formed 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction of the body 12 so as to face each other. The long hole 31 is a hole that is long in the axial direction of the body 12, and the front end is open to the front end side opening of the body 12.

  In FIG. 3, a guide groove 32 and a spring receiving plate 33 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the body 12. The guide groove 32 is formed so that the center line in the width direction is aligned with the center line in the width direction behind the elongated hole 31, in other words, on the same straight line. The groove width of the guide groove 32 is set larger than the hole width of the long hole 31. The spring receiving plate 33 is made of a disc perpendicular to the axis of the body 12 formed behind the guide groove 32, and has an insertion hole 34 through which a rear end side shaft portion 43E of a take-up reel 43 described later passes. is doing. The front end of the slider return spring 13 is pressed against the back surface of the spring receiving plate 33.

  The slider return spring 13 is a spring that returns the slider 10 to the initial position and biases the body 12 in a direction protruding from the slider 10, that is, forward, and is composed of a compression coil spring, and is compressed into the slider 10 by a predetermined amount. Built in state.

  In FIG. 5, the cleaning unit 5 includes a rotary pod 40, a supply reel 42 accommodated in the rotary pod 40, a cleaning thread 41 wound around the supply reel 42, and a winding that winds up the cleaning thread 41. A reel 43, a cleaning pin 44 that rotates integrally with the rotary pod 40 during cleaning, and a thread distributing member 45 that distributes the cleaned cleaning thread 41 wound around the winding reel 43 in the axial direction of the winding reel 43, etc. Has been.

  The rotating pod 40 is integrally formed by injection molding of a synthetic resin, so that a cylindrical pod body 40A with a part of the peripheral wall cut away, and a cone integrally connected to the front end of the pod body 40A. The portion 40B and a cylindrical portion 40C projecting integrally at the front end of the conical portion 40B. The pod main body 40A has three cylindrical portions having the same inner diameter over the entire length and different outer diameters, that is, a large-diameter cylindrical portion 46A, a medium-diameter cylindrical portion 46B, and a small-diameter cylindrical portion 46C that decrease in diameter from the front end side toward the rear end. It consists of A step 47 formed at the boundary between the large diameter cylindrical portion 46 </ b> A and the medium diameter cylindrical portion 46 </ b> B forms an abutting surface that abuts against the distal end surface of the body 12 and positions the rotary pod 40 relative to the body 12. The medium diameter tube portion 46B is a portion that is fitted and inserted into the front end portion of the body 12 together with the small diameter tube portion 46C, and is formed with a thread drawing hole 50 and a long hole 51 spaced apart by 180 ° in the circumferential direction. The thread drawing hole 50 is formed so as to extend from the front end of the medium diameter cylindrical portion 46B to the rear end 53a of the small diameter cylindrical portion 46C, and the rear end is open to the rear end 53a of the small diameter cylindrical portion 46C. The long hole 51 and the long hole 31 of the body 12 form one guide hole 57 (FIG. 3). The guide hole 57 extends over the entire length of the medium diameter cylindrical portion 46B and the small diameter cylindrical portion 46C, and the rear end is open to the rear end 53a of the small diameter cylindrical portion 46C. Further, a pair of locking projections 55 for locking the rotary pod 40 to the body 12 are integrally protruded from the outer periphery of the medium diameter cylindrical portion 46B with a 180 ° separation in the circumferential direction. These locking projections 55 are wedge-shaped projections, and are engaged with the engagement holes 30 (FIG. 4) of the body 12 to removably connect the rotary pod 40 to the front end portion 12a of the body 12. Yes.

  The small diameter cylindrical portion 46C is a portion connected to the body 12 together with the central portion 46B, and an extension portion 46D is integrally extended at a part of the rear end. As shown in FIG. 5, the right end of the extension 46 </ b> D is positioned behind the thread drawing hole 50. The extension 46D is formed with a threading hole 58 through which the cleaned cleaning thread 41 led out from the cleaning pin 44 is inserted. The hole edge of the threading hole 58 forms a fulcrum for swinging the cleaned cleaning thread 41 around the take-up reel 43 in the axial direction of the take-up reel 43. Further, a reel locking piece 59 (see FIG. 2) that prevents the take-up reel 43 from falling off the rotary pod 40 by positioning the take-up reel 43 and restricting movement in the axial direction on the small diameter cylindrical portion 46C. , FIG. 5). The reel locking piece 59 is formed of a cantilevered tongue piece formed at the rear end edge of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 46C, forms a hinge portion that can be bent with the small-diameter cylindrical portion 46C, and has a free end portion. Is normally deviated to the inside of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 46C, thereby locking the front side flange portion 43B of the take-up reel 43 (FIG. 2) from the rear.

  The cylindrical portion 40C of the rotary pod 40 is a portion that accommodates the cleaning pin 44 in a non-rotatable manner and projects the thread support portion 44B of the cleaning pin 44 forward, and has a hexagonal fitting hole 60 formed of a through hole. .

  The cleaning thread 41 is made of, for example, a thread formed by twisting a large number of ultrafine fibers (polyester or the like) of about 0.1 to 0.5 denier, and has a diameter (1. 25 mmφ or 2.5 mmφ). The cleaning thread 41 is wound around the supply reel 42 such that the winding thickness is uniform in the axial direction of the reel 42. In order to make the winding thickness of the cleaning thread 41 uniform in the axial direction of the reel 42, the cleaning thread 41 is regularly reciprocated in the axial direction of the supply reel 42 and wound around the supply reel 42. That is, after the supply reel 42 is wound from one end side toward the other end side, the supply reel 42 is wound from the other end side toward the one end side, and by repeating this, it can be wound to have an equal thickness.

  The supply reel 42 includes a cylindrical portion 42A around which the cleaning thread 41 is wound, and a pair of flange portions 42B and 42C integrally provided at both ends of the cylindrical portion 42A. It is rotatably supported by the side shaft portion 43D. Such a supply reel 42 is incorporated into the rotary pod 40 together with the take-up reel 43, so that the front flange portion 42B abuts against the inner wall 40a (FIG. 3) of the rotary pod 40, and the rear flange portion. The movement in the axial direction is restricted by the contact of 42 </ b> C with the flange 43 </ b> B on the front side of the take-up reel 43.

  The take-up reel 43 extends in front of the collar portion 43B, a cylindrical portion 43A for winding the cleaned cleaning thread 41, a pair of flange portions 43B and 43C provided integrally at both ends of the cylindrical portion 43A, and the flange portion 43B. The front end side shaft portion 43D and the rear end side shaft portion 43E integrally projecting from the rear end of the flange portion 43C. The front end side shaft portion 43D is inserted through the center hole of the supply reel 42, thereby rotatably supporting the supply reel 42. In addition, the front end portion of the front end side shaft portion 43 </ b> D protrudes forward of the supply reel 42 to form a bearing portion 63 that rotatably supports the rear end of the cleaning pin 44. The rear end side shaft portion 43E has a larger outer diameter than the front end side shaft portion 43D, and is formed with a hexagonal engagement hole 64 into which the tip end portion of the shaft 14 is fitted. For this reason, the take-up reel 43 is connected to the shaft 14 in a non-rotatable and detachable manner.

  Further, the take-up reel 43 is incorporated into the rotary pod 40 together with the supply reel 42 and the cleaning pin 44 so that the front flange 43B is locked to the reel locking piece 59 (FIG. 2) of the rotary pod 40. Thus, the removal from the rotating pod 40 is prevented. When assembling the optical connector cleaning tool 1, the supply reel 42 and the cleaning pin 44 are assembled into the rotary pod 40, the take-up reel 43 is assembled into the body 12, and then the medium diameter cylindrical portion 46 </ b> B and the small diameter cylindrical portion are assembled. The rotating pod 40 and the body 12 are integrally coupled by inserting 46C into the body 12 and engaging the engaging protrusion 55 with the engaging hole 30. Further, the rear end portion of the body 12 is inserted into the slider 10, the guide protrusion 17 is engaged with the spiral grooves 25 and 26, and the rear end side shaft portion 43 E of the take-up reel 43 is slid relative to the shaft 14. By freely fitting, the body 12 and the slider 10 are connected, whereby the assembly of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 is completed.

  When the take-up reel 43 is pulled out from the rotary pod 40, the free end side of the reel locking piece 59 is elastically deformed outward by hand to engage the flange 43B of the take-up reel 43 with the reel locking piece 59. By releasing the state, the take-up reel 43 can be easily pulled out from the rotary pod 40.

  In FIG. 5, the cleaning pin 44 includes a pin body 44A and a thread support portion 44B. The pin main body 44 </ b> A is formed of a hexagonal cylinder, and is inserted into the fitting hole 60 of the cylindrical portion 40 </ b> C of the rotary pod 40 while being restricted in rotation. At the rear end of the pin main body 44A, two slits 65, 65 for allowing the cleaning thread 41 to pass therethrough are formed 180 ° apart in the circumferential direction in the axial direction. In addition, two stoppers 66 (FIG. 2) that define the amount of insertion of the pin main body 44A into the cylindrical portion 40C are integrally formed at the rear end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the pin main body 44A at an interval of 180 ° in the circumferential direction. Projected. The stopper 66 is formed in a wedge shape.

  The thread support portion 44B of the cleaning pin 44 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter (1.25 mmφ or 2.5 mmφ) substantially equal to the ferrule 4 (91), and protrudes integrally with the front end of the pin body 44A. . The tip end surface of the thread support portion 44B forms a thread support surface S that supports the cleaning thread 41. The yarn support surface S is formed with a yarn support groove 70 passing through the center, and both ends are open to the outer periphery (side surface) of the yarn support portion 44B. A yarn outlet groove 71 and a yarn introduction groove 72 (FIG. 6) are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the yarn support portion 44B so as to be separated from each other by 180 ° in the circumferential direction of the yarn support portion 44B. The front ends of the yarn lead-out groove 71 and the yarn introduction groove 72 are respectively located behind the yarn support groove 70, and the rear end side communicates with the inside of the pin main body 44A.

  The yarn distribution member 45 is formed in a long and narrow plate shape using a transparent material such as acrylic resin, and is slidable from the inside of both members into a guide hole 57 (FIG. 3) formed in the connection portion between the body 12 and the rotary pod 40. A supply reel side hole 80 and a take-up reel side hole 81 through which the cleaning thread 41 is inserted are formed at both ends. The cleaning thread 41 drawn from the supply reel 42 is inserted into the supply reel side hole 80, and the cleaned cleaning thread 41 that has passed through the threading hole 58 of the rotary pod 40 is inserted into the take-up reel side hole 81. Has been. The cleaning thread 41 pulled out from the supply reel 42 passes through the supply reel side hole 80 of the thread distributing member 45 and is then guided into the cleaning pin 44 from one slit 65 at the rear end of the cleaning pin 44. It is drawn out of the cleaning pin 44 from the lead-out groove 71. Further, the cleaning thread 41 drawn out from the thread lead-out groove 71 is guided again into the pin body 44A through the thread support groove 70 and the thread introduction groove 72 of the cleaning pin 44, and the rear end of the pin body 44A. It is pulled out from the opening. The cleaning thread 41 pulled out from the cleaning pin 44 is further inserted into the threading hole 58 of the rotary pod 40 and the winding reel side hole 81 of the thread distributing member 45 and then wound around the winding reel 43.

  6, the cap 6 is formed in a cylindrical body whose both ends are open, the inner diameter of the rear end portion into which the cylindrical portion 40C of the rotary pod 40 is fitted is large, and the front end where the yarn support portion 44B of the cleaning pin 44 is inserted. The inner diameter of the part is small. The hole 85 on the front end side of the cap 6 forms a hole into which the connection end of the ferrule 91 is inserted when the male optical connector 90 is cleaned. The hole 85 is closed by a lid 93 when the optical connector cleaning tool 1 is not used. The lid 93 is integrally connected to the front end of the cap 6 through a thin hinge portion 94 that can be folded.

  In the optical connector cleaning tool 1 having such a structure, when the holding portion 2 is assembled, the lid body 11 to which the shaft 14 is attached is fitted and fixed to the rear end side opening portion of the slider 10 as described above. After the slider return spring 13 is housed in the slider 10, the body 12 is assembled into the slider 10. When assembling the body 12 into the slider 10, the guide protrusion 17 and the spiral grooves 25 and 26 are aligned, and the body 12 is pushed into the slider 10 against the slider return spring 13. When the body 12 is pushed into the slider 10, the rear end of the body 12 comes into contact with the guide protrusion 17, and the elastic piece 16 is elastically deformed outward. When the body 12 is further pushed into the slider 10 and the guide protrusion 17 is aligned with the spiral grooves 25 and 26, the elastic piece 16 is elastically restored, so that the guide protrusion 17 engages with the start ends 25a and 26a of the spiral grooves 25 and 26, respectively. Thus, the assembly of the holding part 2 is finished.

  When the body 12 is extracted from the slider 10, the body 12 is pushed into the slider 10 against the slider return spring 13 as described above, and the guide protrusion 17 is inserted into the linear groove 27 from the start ends 25 a and 26 a of the spiral grooves 25 and 26. , 28 are moved to the start ends 27a, 28a. In this state, the body 12 is rotated by a required angle to elastically deform the elastic piece 16 to the outside, the guide protrusion 17 is extracted from the linear grooves 27 and 28, and then the body 12 is pulled out from the slider 10.

  When attaching the cleaning unit 5 to the holding unit 2, the rotary pod 40 is fitted into the front end portion 12 a of the body 12, the locking projection 55 of the rotary pod 40 is engaged with the engagement hole 30 of the body 12, The rear end side shaft portion 43 </ b> E of the take-up reel 43 is fitted to the shaft 14.

  Here, when all the cleaning thread 41 is used and used, it is necessary to replace it with a new cleaning thread. In this case, the threading operation of the cleaning thread 41 through the cleaning pin 44 is troublesome. It is desirable to remove the used cleaning unit 5 from the body 12 and replace it with a new cleaning unit 5 assembled. The replacement operation of the cleaning unit 5 is performed by releasing the engagement between the engagement protrusion 55 and the engagement hole 30 and removing the cleaning unit 5 from the body 12, and then inserting the new cleaning unit 5 into the front end portion 12a of the body 12. Since it is only necessary to connect the take-up reel 43 to the shaft 14 by engaging the engaging protrusion 55 and the engaging hole 30, the replacement can be performed easily and easily.

  When cleaning the connection surface of the female optical connector 3 with such an optical connector cleaning tool 1, the operator holds the slider 10 and inserts the thread support portion 44B of the cleaning pin 44 into the receptacle 7 for cleaning. The thread 41 is brought into contact with the connection surface 4 a of the ferrule 4. That is, when the thread support portion 44B is inserted into the receptacle 7 and the thread support surface S of the cleaning pin 44 is pressed against the connection surface 4a of the ferrule 4, the thread support groove 70 formed in the thread support surface S is cleaned. The thread 41 contacts the connection surface 4a.

  Next, the slider 10 gripped in this state is advanced against the slider return spring 13. When the slider 10 is advanced, the guide protrusion 17 presses the left groove wall in FIG. 1 of the spiral grooves 25 and 26, so that the body 12 rotates clockwise in FIG. That is, since the spiral grooves 25 and 26 form internal threads and the guide protrusion 17 forms an external thread, when the slider 10 moves forward, the body 12 is rotated by the cam action of the guide protrusion 17 and the spiral grooves 25 and 26. When the body 12 rotates, the rotating pod 40 also rotates together with the body 12. When the rotating pod 40 rotates, the cleaning pin 44 also rotates integrally with the rotating pod 40, and the connection surface 4a of the ferrule 4 is cleaned by the cleaning thread 41 guided to the thread support surface S of the cleaning pin 44. In this case, when the slider 10 is moved forward by the maximum stroke, the body 12 rotates once, so the cleaning pin 44 also rotates once, and the cleaning thread 41 moves once over the entire connection surface 4a of the ferrule 4 at 0 to 180 °. Clean once at 180-360 °, twice in total.

  Further, the rotating pod 40 rotates around the supply reel 42 and the take-up reel 43 during cleaning, and applies tension to the cleaning thread 41 by rotating the take-up reel 43 integrally. As a result, the unused cleaning thread 41 wound around the supply reel 42 is forcibly pulled out, and the cleaning thread 41 that has finished cleaning the connection surface 4 a is taken up by the take-up reel 43. Accordingly, it is possible to automatically pull out the cleaning thread 41 from the supply reel 42 and to take up the winding reel 43 simply by moving the slider 10 forward, and a clean cleaning thread that is unused for each cleaning. 41 can be cleaned. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a rotation transmission mechanism such as a gear for transmitting rotation to the supply reel 42 and the take-up reel 43, the structure of the cleaning tool 1 can be simplified and the number of parts can be reduced. Further, when the slider 10 is moved forward by the maximum stroke or stopped halfway, the slider 10 moves backward by the reaction force of the slider return spring 13 and returns to the initial position. When rotated, the optical connector 3 can be repeatedly cleaned.

  Further, the spiral grooves 25 and 26 formed on the outer periphery of the body 12 and the guide protrusion 17 provided on the slider 10 constitute a rotation mechanism that converts the linear motion of the slider 10 into the rotational motion of the cleaning unit 5. There is no need to provide a driving device such as a motor, and from this point, the structure is simple and the number of parts can be reduced.

  Moreover, since the optical connector cleaning tool 1 uses the thin thread 41 as a cleaning member, it is less likely to be disconnected than a tape, and the optical connector cleaning tool 1 is easy to handle.

  When the body 12 rotates freely, that is, freely rotates, the cleaning thread 41 is loosened, and the thread that has already been cleaned and soiled is rewound, resulting in thread clogging or malfunction due to the loosening of the thread. Accidents such as cleaning again with dirty cleaning thread occur. On the other hand, the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to the present invention urges the body 12 forward by the slider return spring 13 and presses the spiral grooves 25 and 26 against the guide protrusion 17. There is no risk of loosening, and loosening of the cleaning thread 41 can be reliably prevented.

  Moreover, since the cleaning part 5 is attached to the holding part 2 so as to be exchangeable, the holding part 2 can be reused if the cleaning thread 41 is used up and then replaced with a new cleaning part 5. .

  In addition, since the take-up reel 43 rotatably supports the supply reel 42 and the cleaning pin 44, it is not necessary to provide a special bearing member, and the number of parts can be further reduced.

  Further, the cleaning unit 5 guides the cleaning thread 41 from the inside of the cleaning pin 44 through the thread leading slit 71 to the outside of the cleaning pin 44 and guides it to the thread supporting groove 70, and further from the thread introducing slit 72. Since it is led again into the cleaning pin 44, the portion of the cleaning thread 41 that is exposed to the outside from the cleaning pin 44 is small, so that dust or the like adheres to the unused thread portion or becomes dirty when touched by the hand. The cleaning thread 41 can be used in a clean state.

  In addition, since the cleaning unit 5 further includes a thread distributing member 45, the cleaned cleaning thread 41 can be distributed in the axial direction of the take-up reel 43 and wound around the cylindrical part 43A of the take-up reel 43. , It won't be rolled up in one place. That is, when the rotary pod 40 rotates during cleaning, the cleaning thread 41 wound around the supply reel 42 is fed out while reciprocating in the axial direction of the reel 42 from the supply reel 42. In other words, the cleaning thread 41 is swung in the axial direction of the supply reel 42. For this reason, the yarn distributing member 45 reciprocates in the guide hole 57 formed in the joint portion between the body 12 and the rotary pod 40 by the tension of the cleaning yarn 41, and the cleaned cleaning yarn 41 is transferred to the take-up reel 43. Wrap in the axial direction. Therefore, the cleaning thread 41 is not hardened and wound around one place of the take-up reel 43.

  Further, since the sorting member 45 is formed of a transparent material, the inside of the cleaning unit 5 can be visually recognized from the outside, and it is easy to determine whether or not the unused cleaning thread 41 remains on the supply reel 42. Can be confirmed.

  Further, the cleaning unit 5 inserts the cleaned cleaning thread 41 led out from the cleaning pin 44 into the threading hole 58 provided at the rear end of the rotary pod 40, and further performs the cleaning through the threading hole 58. Since the yarn 41 is inserted into the take-up reel side hole 81 of the yarn distribution member 45 and then guided to the take-up reel 43, the used cleaning yarn 41 can be more reliably distributed and wound around the take-up reel 43. it can.

  Furthermore, the cleaning unit 5 can protect the thread support surface S of the cleaning pin 44 from dust and the like by attaching the cap 6 to the thread support part 44B of the cleaning pin 44. Moreover, by using the cap 6, the connection surface 91a of the male optical connector 90 can be cleaned as shown in FIG. That is, the lid 93 is opened, the ferrule 91 of the male optical connector 90 is inserted into the hole 85 of the cap 6, and the connection surface 91 a is pressed against the thread support surface S of the cleaning pin 44. Then, when the female optical connector 3 is cleaned, the slider 10 is advanced against the slider return spring 13 and the body 12, the rotary pod 40 and the cleaning pin 44 are rotated together. The connection surface 91a can be cleaned.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The optical connector cleaning tool 100 according to the present embodiment is applied to cleaning the SC-type and FC-type optical connectors 3 (such as those defined in JIS C 5973 and 5970) whose outer diameter of the ferrule 4 is 2.5 mm. Thus, the optical connector cleaning tool 1 shown in the first embodiment is greatly different from the point that the maximum rotation angle of the rotating pod 40 is 180 °, and the cleaning unit 5 includes the guide unit 101 and the yarn prevention. The mechanism 102 is provided. For this reason, the configuration different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and substantially the same components and parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  7 to 11, the optical connector cleaning unit 100 includes a holding unit 2, a cleaning unit 5, a cap 6, a guide unit 101, and a thread loosening prevention mechanism 102.

  As in the first embodiment, the holding unit 2 includes a slider 10, a lid body 11 that closes the rear end side opening of the slider 10, a body 12 that is partially housed in the slider 10, The slider return spring 13 and the shaft 14 are included.

  The elastic piece 16 of the slider 10 is formed of a long and thin plate-like piece supported at both ends and separated from the slider 10, and a guide protrusion 17 is integrally projected at the center of the back surface.

  An annular groove 104 into which the cap 6 is detachably inserted is formed on the back surface of the lid body 11.

  The body 12 is integrally formed of a resin material, and spiral grooves 25 and 26 and linear grooves 27 and 28 with which the guide protrusions 17 of the slider 10 can be engaged are formed on the outer peripheral surface. The spiral grooves 25 and 26 are formed on the outer periphery of the slider 10 in an angle range of 180 °, respectively, so that the cleaning unit 5 can be rotated up to 180 ° by one cleaning operation. For this reason, the cleaning thread 41 cleans the connection surface 4a of the ferrule 4 once over the entire circumference when the slider 10 is moved forward by the maximum stroke by one cleaning operation.

  One linear groove 27 has a front end opened to the front end of the body 12, a rear end communicating with the start end 25 a of one spiral groove 25, and a middle communicating with the end of the other spiral groove 26. Similarly, the other linear groove 28 has a front end that opens to the front end of the body 12, a rear end that communicates with the start end 26 a of the other spiral groove 26, and a middle that communicates with the end of the one spiral groove 25. The first half of the straight grooves 27 and 28 is formed slightly shallower than the depth of the spiral grooves 25 and 26, the latter half is formed deeper than the depth of the spiral grooves 25 and 26, and gradually decreases toward the front at the end portion. Slope 105 (FIG. 11) is formed. When the guide protrusion 17 moves the maximum distance from the start ends 25a and 26a of the spiral grooves 25 and 26 by the forward movement of the slider 10 and reaches the end ends 25b and 26b, the guide protrusion 17 moves back along the linear grooves 27 and 28, By overcoming the slope 105, the spiral grooves 25 and 26 return to the starting ends 25a and 26a.

  The cleaning unit 5 includes a rotary pod 40, a cleaning thread 41, a supply reel 42, a take-up reel 43 and a cleaning pin 44, a pin biasing spring 124 that biases the cleaning pin 44 forward, and the like. ing. The supply reel 42 and the take-up reel 43 are incorporated in the rotary pod 40 in a state in which the supply reel 42 and the take-up reel 43 are accommodated in a reel accommodating body 110 that is a constituent member of the yarn loosening prevention mechanism 102 described later. Further, the supply reel 42 and the take-up reel 43 are accommodated in the reel accommodating body 110 with their axes orthogonal to each other.

  In FIGS. 16, 18 and 19, the reel housing body 110 is formed in a cylindrical body whose both ends are open, and the interior is partitioned into two chambers 113A and 113B by a partition wall 112 (FIGS. 8 and 10). ing. In the front chamber 113A, the supply reel 42 is stored with its axis orthogonal to the axis of the reel housing 110, and in the rear chamber 113B, the take-up reel 43 has its axis aligned with the axis of the reel housing 110. Are stored. The supply reel 42 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearing portions 115 each having a semicircular recess 115 a provided on the peripheral wall of the reel housing body 110 at each end of the cylindrical portion 42 A, and is forwardly moved by a drop prevention piece 116. The move to is blocked. The slip-off preventing piece 116 is elastically deformable in the plate thickness direction, and is positioned in front of the bearing portion 115. When the supply reel 42 is assembled into the chamber 113A, it is pressed by the end portion of the cylindrical portion 42A and elastically deformed outward. The end portion of the cylindrical portion 42A is engaged with the bearing portion 115, and is elastically restored after the engagement, thereby preventing the bearing portion 115 from coming off.

  The take-up reel 43 is rotatably supported by a shaft pin 116 protruding from the partition wall 112 of the reel housing 110 and a shaft pin 117 protruding from a clutch plate 150 described later.

  In FIG. 12, a guide part 101 is provided on the outer periphery of the cleaning part 5. The guide part 101 protects the thread support part 44B and the cleaning thread 41 of the cleaning pin 44 exposed to the outside of the rotary pod 40 when not in use, together with the cap 6, and the tip of the cleaning part 5 is connected to the receptacle 7 during cleaning. A guide lock 121 attached to the rotary pod 40, a guide member 122 that covers the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 40C of the rotary pod 40, and a guide biasing spring 123 that biases the guide member 122 forward. It is configured.

  The guide lock 121 is formed in a truncated cone shape, is fitted to the front surface of the pod main body 40 </ b> A of the rotary pod 40, and is detachably fixed by engagement of the plurality of engagement pieces 131 and the locking holes 132. . The front opening of the guide lock 121 forms a straight hole 126, and the guide member 122 is slidably inserted into the hole 126.

  The guide member 122 is formed in a cylindrical body, and is fitted to the cylindrical portion 40C of the rotary pod 40 so as to be able to advance and retract. A flange 127 is integrally provided at the rear end of the guide member 122, and the flange 127 abuts on a stepped portion 128 provided at the rear end of the hole 126 to prevent the guide member 122 from coming off the guide lock 121. ing.

  The guide biasing spring 123 is elastically mounted in an annular gap between the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 40 </ b> C of the rotating pod 40 and the inner periphery of the rear end portion of the guide member 122, so that the front end is the inner surface of the guide member 122. The guide member 122 is urged forward, and the flange 127 of the guide member 122 is connected to the step of the guide lock 121. It is pressed against the part 128. In this state, the guide member 122 is positioned on the front side of the cleaning pin 44, surrounds the periphery of the thread support portion 44 </ b> B protruding from the rotary pod 40 of the cleaning pin 44, and is supported by the thread support surface S. The dust is not attached to the cleaning thread 41, the operator accidentally touches and cleans the cleaning thread 41, or the thread support portion 44B is applied to the wall surface or the like to be damaged. The pin biasing spring 124 is elastically mounted in an annular gap between the outer periphery of the front end portion of the cylindrical portion 40C of the rotating pod 40 and the inner peripheral surface of the front end portion of the guide member 122, and biases the cleaning pin 44 forward. . The front end of the pin biasing spring 124 is pressed against a flange 140 provided on the cleaning pin 44, and the rear end is pressed against a stepped portion 141 provided on the cylindrical portion 40 </ b> C of the rotary pod 40. The spring force of the guide biasing spring 123 is set to be weaker than the spring force of the slider return spring 13. The spring force of the pin biasing spring 124 is set to be weaker than the spring force of the guide biasing spring 123.

  13 to 15, the cleaning pin 44 is provided at the boundary between the columnar main body 44A, the yarn support portion 44B integrally projecting from the front end of the main body 44A, and the main body 44A and the yarn support portion 44B. In addition, two threading grooves 65A and 65B are formed on the outer periphery of the main body 44A and the thread support portion 44B so as to be shifted by 180 ° in the circumferential direction. The threading grooves 65A and 65B are formed with a length extending from the vicinity of the front end of the thread support portion 44B to the vicinity of the rear end of the main body 44A. Further, the rear end portion of the main body 44A is divided into two forks by the slit 143 to form a pair of elastic deformation portions 44F and 44G that face each other, and a stopper 66 is integrally projected at the front end portion of the outer peripheral surface. Has been. The slit 143 communicates with the threading grooves 65A and 65B. When the cleaning pin 44 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 40C of the rotating pod 40, the elastically deforming portions 44F and 44G are elastically deformed inward so that the cleaning pin 44 can be attached to the rotating pod 40. The stopper 66 engages with the front end edge 147 a of the opening 147 formed in the cylindrical portion 40 </ b> C of the rotating pod 40, thereby positioning the cleaning pin 44 and preventing it from coming off from the rotating pod 40.

  The front end surface 142 of the cleaning pin 44 is formed as a flat surface, a recess 141 is formed at the center, and the groove bottom surface forms a flat yarn support surface S that supports the cleaning yarn 41. On both sides of the yarn support surface S, a yarn outlet hole 144 and a yarn introduction hole 145 communicating with the threading grooves 65A and 65B are formed. A tapered surface 143 is formed between the outer periphery of the concave portion 141 and the yarn support portion 44B. Since the tapered surface 143 has a smaller outer diameter of the tip surface 142, even if the ferrule 4 is a slant contact ferrule, the edge of the ferrule end surface 4a hits the tip surface 142 as shown in FIG. The yarn support surface S can be brought closer to the ferrule end surface 4a. The cleaning thread 41 is guided to the threading groove 65A through the inside of the rotary pod 40, drawn forward through the thread outlet hole 144, and then to the thread introduction hole 145 across the thread support surface S. It is inserted and guided to the inside of the rotary pod 40 through the threading groove 65B.

  The yarn loosening prevention mechanism 102 prevents loosening and reverse feed of the yarn due to idle rotation of the supply reel 42 or the take-up reel 43, and ensures stable and reliable feeding and winding operation of the cleaning yarn 41. The reel 42, the take-up reel 43, the reel housing 110, the clutch plate 150, the latch mechanism 180, the first and second one-way clutches 190 and 191, the clutch biasing spring 151, and the like. Yes.

  As described above, the reel housing body 110 is formed of a resin material into a cylindrical body that is open at both ends, is non-rotatably inserted inside the body 12, and rotates integrally with the body 12. In addition, the reel housing 110 has two chambers 113A and 113B for housing the supply reel 42 and the take-up reel 43, and a pair of transparent windows that allow the front chamber 113A to be visible from the outside on the peripheral wall. The parts 152 are provided 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction. The transparent window portion 152 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped projecting body, and the surface is exposed to the outside of the body 12 by fitting into an opening portion 153 (FIG. 10) formed in the peripheral wall of the body 12. By visually recognizing the supply reel 42 accommodated in the chamber 113A through the transparent window 152, it can be confirmed how much unused cleaning thread 41 remains.

  In addition, a pair of bearing portions 115, a slip-off preventing piece 116, an elastic piece 154, an engagement protrusion 155 and an opening 156 are provided on the peripheral wall of the reel housing 110 so as to be 180 ° apart in the circumferential direction. In addition, a threading hole 167, a thread passing groove 168, and a plurality of slits 169 are formed. As described above, the bearing portion 115 pivotally supports the end portion of the cylindrical portion 42 </ b> A of the supply reel 42, and the removal prevention piece 116 prevents the end portion from coming off from the bearing portion 115. The threading groove 168 guides the cleaned cleaning thread 41 to the take-up reel 43, and the front end opens to the front end of the reel housing 110 and the rear end communicates with the threading hole 167. At the rear end of the reel housing 110, for example, four arcuate tongue pieces 170 that are elastically deformed in the plate thickness direction by being divided by a slit 169 at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction are provided. . Of these tongue pieces 170, the front ends of the two tongue pieces 170 facing each other support the rear ends of the clutch plate urging springs 151, and prevent springs from coming out of the reel housing 110. 171 protrudes integrally toward the inside.

  The clutch plate 150 is formed in a disc shape having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the reel housing 110, and is placed in a chamber 113 </ b> B on the rear side of the reel housing 110 together with the take-up reel 43 and the clutch biasing spring 151. Contained. When the clutch plate 150 is housed in the rear chamber 113B, the tongue piece 170 of the reel housing 110 is inserted in a state of being elastically deformed outward. A shaft pin 117 that rotatably supports the rear end of the take-up reel 43 is integrally projected at the center of the front surface of the clutch plate 150, and a cylindrical body 175 having a hexagonal hole 174 is integrally formed at the center of the back surface. Projected. The cylindrical body 175 passes through the center hole of the partition plate 33 (FIGS. 8 and 10) provided inside the body 12 and is inserted into the slider 10 and is slidably fitted to the shaft 14. The clutch biasing spring 151 is housed together with the take-up reel 43 in the chamber 113B on the rear side of the reel housing 110, the front end is pressed against the back surface of the clutch plate 150, and the rear end is a spring receiving portion 171 of the reel housing 110. The clutch plate 150 is pressed against the take-up reel 43 via the second one-way clutch 191, and the take-up reel 43 is further pressed against the first one-way clutch 190.

  In FIG. 18, the latch mechanism 180 prevents the supply reel 42 from rolling, and the concave and convex portions 182 that are provided radially on the outer surface of the flange portions 42 </ b> B and 42 </ b> C of the supply reel 42 and the elastic piece 154. And a projecting body 183 projecting from the head. The concavo-convex portion 182 is composed of a triangular convex body 182a and a concave groove 182b, the width of which increases from the center of the flange portions 42B and 42C toward the outside, and the inclination angles of two sides are equal. The elastic piece 154 protrudes integrally with the partition wall 112 of the reel housing 110, and the protrusion 183 protrudes integrally on the surface facing the supply reel 42. The projecting body 183 is a triangle having the same size as that of the projecting body 182a and the recessed groove 182b. The projecting body 183 is formed into a projecting body having a narrow front end and a wide width toward the rear end, and is engaged with the recessed groove 182b. The supply reel 42 is braked.

  According to the latch mechanism 180 including the uneven portion 182 and the protruding body 183, it is possible to reliably prevent the cleaning thread 41 wound around the supply reel 42 from being loosened. That is, when the slider 10 is moved forward during cleaning and the body 12, the reel housing 110, the supply reel 42, and the take-up reel 43 are rotated together, tension is generated in the cleaning thread 42, and the winding is wound around the supply reel 42. The rotated cleaning thread 41 is drawn out, and the cleaned cleaning thread 41 is taken up on the take-up reel 43. At this time, the supply reel 42 is rotated by the tension of the cleaning thread 41, but the protruding body 183 sequentially climbs over the concavo-convex portion 182, so that the supply reel 42 does not rotate freely and the tension of the cleaning thread 41 is substantially constant. The cleaning thread 41 is smoothly delivered. Therefore, the cleaning thread 41 does not loosen.

  When the slider 10 is advanced by the maximum stroke and one cleaning operation is completed, the body 12 and the reel housing 110 are stopped. For this reason, the protruding body 183 maintains a state of being engaged with the concavo-convex portion 182 and prevents the supply reel 42 from rotating. Accordingly, at this time, the tension of the cleaning thread 41 can be kept constant and the loosening can be prevented. When one cleaning operation is completed, the guide protrusion 17 of the slider 10 returns to the initial position through the linear grooves 27 and 28 as described above. At this time, the body 12 and the reel accommodating body 110 do not rotate, and the protrusion 193 continues to maintain the engaged state with the concavo-convex portion 182, so that the supply reel 42 keeps the tension of the cleaning thread 41 constant. The loosening of the cleaning thread 41 is prevented.

  In FIG. 19, the first one-way clutch 190 is turned on when the slider 10 moves forward to transmit the rotation of the reel housing 110 to the take-up reel 43, and is turned off when the reel housing 110 is rotated in the reverse direction. 43, which blocks transmission of rotation to the winding reel 43, and has a ridge 194 formed on the outer surface of the flange 43B on the front side of the take-up reel 43, and a projecting body projecting from the partition plate 112 of the reel housing 110. 195. The concavo-convex portion 194 includes a right-angled triangular convex body 194a and a concave groove 194b whose width increases from the center of the flange portion 43B toward the outside. Further, the protrusion 194a is formed in a sawtooth shape in which the surface on the rotation direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 19) side when the cleaning thread 41 is wound is a vertical surface and the surface opposite to the rotation direction is a slope. Has been. The projecting bodies 195 are composed of projecting bodies having the same shape as the projecting bodies 194a and the recessed grooves 194b. For example, three projecting bodies 195 are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the partition wall 112 and mesh with the concavo-convex portion 194. . Therefore, the rotation of the reel housing 110 can be reliably transmitted to the take-up reel 43 by the first one-way clutch 190 during cleaning, and the cleaning thread 43 can be taken up. That is, when the body 10 is rotated by moving the slider 10 forward during cleaning, the reel housing 110 rotates integrally with the body 12 in FIG. At this time, the concavo-convex part 194 and the protruding body 195 maintain the engaged state. Therefore, the rotation of the reel housing 110 is transmitted to the take-up reel 43 via the first one-way clutch 190, and rotates the take-up reel 43 in the take-up direction. As a result, the cleaning thread 41 is applied with tension and is wound on the take-up reel 43. On the other hand, when the reel housing body 110 rotates in the reverse direction, the projecting body 195 gets over the uneven portion 194, so that the rotation of the reel housing body 110 is not transmitted to the take-up reel 43.

  The second one-way clutch 191 is turned on when the slider 10 is retracted to transmit the rotation of the clutch plate 150 to the take-up reel 43, and is turned off when the slider 10 is moved forward to block transmission of rotation to the take-up reel 43. Therefore, it is composed of a serrated uneven portion 200 formed on the outer surface of the flange portion 43 </ b> C on the rear side of the take-up reel 43, and a protruding body 201 protruding from the front surface of the clutch plate 150. . The concavo-convex part 200 includes a right-angled triangular convex body 200a and a concave groove 200b whose width increases from the center of the flange part 43C toward the outside. Further, the protrusion 200a has a right-angled cross-sectional shape in which the surface on the rotation direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 19) side when the cleaning thread 41 is wound is an inclined surface, and the surface opposite to the rotation direction is a vertical surface. It is formed in a triangular protrusion. That is, the uneven portion 200 of the second one-way clutch 191 has the same shape as the uneven portion 194 of the first one-way clutch 190, but is formed in the opposite direction. The projecting bodies 201 of the clutch plate 150 are projecting bodies having the same shape as the projecting bodies 200 a and the recessed grooves 200 b, and three projecting bodies are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the clutch plate 150.

  If such a second one-way clutch 191 is provided, it is possible to prevent the cleaning thread 41 from loosening particularly when the cleaning operation is started, stopped halfway and the slider 10 is returned to the initial position. it can. That is, when the slider 10 is stopped halfway without being advanced by the maximum stroke, the guide protrusion 17 returns to the initial position through the spiral grooves 25 and 26 as described above, so the body 12, the reel housing 110, and the take-up reel. 43, the clutch plate 150 and the like are rotated in the opposite direction to that during cleaning. At this time, since the first one-way clutch 190 is OFF, the take-up reel 43 may idle, and the cleaning thread 41 may be loosened. At this time, the second one-way clutch 191 transmits the rotation to the reel housing 110 because it is ON. Therefore, the take-up reel 43 does not idle, and continues to maintain a state where tension is applied to the cleaning thread 41, thereby preventing the cleaning thread 41 from loosening.

  Next, the operations of the cleaning unit 5 and the guide unit 101 when the ferrule end face of the SC type optical connector is cleaned by the optical connector cleaning tool 100 having such a structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 20 to 24. To do.

  12, 20, and 21 show a state before the optical connector cleaning tool 100 is inserted into the receptacle 7. Inside the receptacle 7, a sleeve holder 220, a sleeve 221 and a pair of locking pieces 224 are provided. The sleeve holder 220 has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the distal end portion of the guide member 122. The sleeve 221 positions the ferrule 4 with respect to the sleeve holder 220, and is disposed inside the sleeve holder 220. The inner diameter of the sleeve 221 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the ferrule 4 and is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the thread support portion 44B of the cleaning pin 44. The pair of locking pieces 224 are for holding the distal end portion of the guide member 122 and fixing the guide member 122 to the receptacle 7, and are opposed to each other with the sleeve holder 220 interposed therebetween. 225 is an inner wall of the receptacle 7, 226 is an optical fiber, and 227 is a housing.

  In a state before the optical connector cleaning tool 100 is inserted into the receptacle 7 (FIGS. 20 and 21), the guide member 122 is positioned forward by the spring force of the guide biasing spring 123, and the thread support of the cleaning pin 44 is achieved. The part 44B is covered. The tip of the cleaning pin 44 is retracted 0.8 mm from the tip of the guide member 122 (2.55 mm for a diameter of 1.25 mm).

  FIG. 22 shows a state in the middle of inserting the distal end portion of the optical connector cleaning tool 100 into the receptacle 7. When the tip of the optical connector cleaning tool 100 is gradually inserted into the receptacle 7 while holding the slider 10, the tip of the guide member 122 engages with the sleeve holder 220 while elastically deforming the engaging piece 224 outward. It is inserted into the gap between the piece 224. When the tip of the optical connector cleaning tool 100 is inserted into the receptacle 7 by a certain amount, the tip of the guide member 122 comes into contact with the inner wall 225 of the receptacle 7 and stops (FIG. 22). Further, when the optical connector cleaning tool 1 is pushed into the receptacle 7, the guide biasing spring 123 is gradually compressed, the rotary pod 40 advances, and the tip of the cleaning pin 44 is brought into contact with the ferrule end surface 4a. FIG. 23 shows this state. In this state, the guide member 122 is retracted relative to the cleaning pin 44 by 0.8 mm (the amount of initial cleaning pin retracted from the tip of the guide member) + Ymm due to the contraction of the guide biasing spring 123. Become. Y (FIG. 23) is the distance between the inner wall 225 of the receptacle 7 and the ferrule end face 4a, for example, 1.3 mm.

  In FIG. 24, the optical connector cleaning tool 100 is further pushed into the receptacle 7 so that the guide member 122 is relatively moved by 5 mm (maximum amount the guide member can be retracted relative to the rotating pod 40) −2.1 mm = 2.9 mm. Indicates the state of the As a result, the cleaning pin 44 is also retracted by 2.9 mm with respect to the rotating pod 40, and the pin biasing spring 124 is contracted by 2.9 mm. When the guide member 122 moves backward by the maximum distance, the rear end hits the front surface of the main body 40 </ b> A of the rotary pod 40 and stops, and is completely connected to the rotary pod 40. In this state, the guide urging spring 123 is bottomed, that is, the amount of bending is maximized, and adjacent coils are brought into close contact with each other and are not compressed any further. On the other hand, the pin biasing spring 124 is not yet bottomed, and maintains the state in which the cleaning pin 44 is pressed against the end face 4a of the ferrule 4 with a predetermined pressing force.

  When the guide member 122 is further pressed against the side wall 225 of the receptacle 7 in this state, the guide biasing spring 123 is not compressed due to the bottomed state, and the slider 10 starts to move against the slider return spring 13. . That is, since the slider return spring 13 is incorporated in the slider 10 in a compressed state in the initial state, the force with which the tip of the guide member 122 pushes the inner wall 225 of the receptacle 7 gives the restoring force of the slider return spring 13. It will not shrink unless it exceeds. Before reaching the restoring force, the pressing force of the tip of the cleaning pin 44 is set to a predetermined load. Therefore, the slider return spring 13 does not start until the tip of the cleaning pin 44 is in a state suitable for cleaning. The restoring spring 13 begins to contract beyond the restoring force. As a result, the slider 10 starts to move forward with respect to the body 12, and the guide protrusion 17 advances along the spiral grooves 25 and 26, thereby rotating the body 12. As a result, the rotary pod 40, the guide member 122, and the cleaning pin 44 also rotate together with the body 12, and the ferrule end face 4a is cleaned by the cleaning thread 41. Therefore, the wiping residue of the ferrule end surface 4a does not occur, and the ferrule end surface 4a can be reliably cleaned over the entire surface. That is, when the guide member 122, the cleaning pin 44, and the urging springs 13, 123, 124 do not move as described above, and the cleaning pin 44 starts to rotate before contacting the ferrule end surface 4a, the cleaning thread Since 41 cleans the ferrule end face 4a at an angle of 180 ° or less, wiping remains will be generated. Since the pin 44 and the like can be rotated, there is no possibility that the above wiping residue phenomenon occurs, and the ferrule end face 4a can be reliably cleaned over the entire surface.

As described above, the optical connector cleaning tool 100 according to the present embodiment includes the guide portion 101, and thus has the effects listed below.
(1) Since the cleaning pin 44 is positioned and protected inside the guide member 122 by the guide portion 101 except during cleaning, the accident that the cleaning pin 44 is accidentally bumped and damaged other than during cleaning. Can be prevented in advance.
(2) Since the guide member 122 is urged forward by the guide urging spring 123, the body 12, the rotary pod 40, and the cleaning are relatively performed after the front end of the guide member 122 is pressed against the inner wall 225 of the receptacle 7. The pin 44 moves forward, and the cleaning pin 44 can be reliably inserted into the sleeve 221.
(3) By setting the outer diameter of the distal end portion of the guide member 122 to an optimum dimension according to the internal shape of the receptacle 7, the guide member 122 can be inserted into the receptacle 7 with the aim of the center of the ferrule 4 accurately. The tip is naturally guided by the receptacle 7 and inserted, so that the cleaning pin 44 can be reliably brought into contact with the ferrule end surface 4a without the operator being aware of it.

  FIG. 25 shows an optical connector cleaning tool 250 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. This optical connector cleaning tool 250 is applied to MU type and LC type optical connectors (ferrule diameter 1.25 mm), and is structurally similar to the optical connector cleaning tool 100 shown in the second embodiment. Is due to the difference in the opening shape of the receptacle for SC and FC type and MU and LC type optical connectors, the diameter of the ferrule, and the distance Y between the inner wall of the receptacle and the ferrule tip. For this reason, only the tip shape of the cleaning portion 5, the insertion dimension into the receptacle, the outer diameter of the thread support surface S of the cleaning pin 44, the tip shape of the guide member 122, and the like are different. This is substantially the same as the optical connector cleaning tool 100 used in the FC type optical connector. For this reason, the holding unit 2 is used as a common part for all models, and cleaning units 5 for SC, FC, MU, and LC are prepared in advance, and the cleaning unit 5 corresponding to the optical connector 3 to be cleaned is prepared. May be selected and attached to the holding portion 2.

  Specifically, depending on the type of optical connector, the shape of the opening of the receptacle 7 and the distance Y between the inner wall 225 (FIG. 20) of the receptacle 7 and the ferrule tip are different. For this reason, the tip shape and length of the guide member 122 are different between the SC and FC optical connectors and the MU and LC optical connectors.

  Regarding the difference in the shape of the opening of the receptacle 7, in order to correspond to the shape of various openings, when the ferrule diameter is 2.5 mm, the outer diameter of the tip of the guide member 122 is both the SC type and the FC type receptacle 7. Since the inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve holder 220 of the receptacle 7, both optical connectors can be accommodated. In particular, in the case of the SC type optical connector, the tip is naturally invited to the locking piece 224 without inserting the optical connector cleaning tool 100 with the center of the opening of the receptacle 7 so much that the guide member smoothly. 122 is inserted into the receptacle 7 so that the cleaning pin 44 can be inserted into the sleeve 221 without the operator being aware of it. The outer diameter of the cleaning pin 44 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the sleeve 221 of 2.5 mm. Specifically, the tip of the cleaning pin 44 (about 4 mm in length) has a diameter of 5.9 mm to accommodate the FC type optical connector, and the rear end has a diameter of 6.4 mm, so that the insertion into the SC type optical connector is stable. It is supposed to be. The inner diameter of the guide member 122 is 4.9 mm, and it corresponds to the SC type optical connector in which the outer diameter of the sleeve holder 220 is large.

  The same applies to a cleaning tool for an optical connector having a ferrule diameter of 1.25 mm, which can be applied to both the MU type and the LC type, and can be easily inserted into the receptacle 7, so that the cleaning pin 44 can be inserted into the sleeve 221 without the operator being aware of it. Can be inserted into. The outer diameter of the cleaning pin 44 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter 1.25 mm of the sleeve 221. Specifically, since the flange lung depth of the cleaning pin 44 for the LC connector is long, the distal end portion of the guide member 122 has an outer diameter of 4.3 mm. Therefore, the optical connector cleaning tool for a diameter of 1.25 mm is approximately 13 mm (more precisely, 13.35 mm) longer than the optical connector cleaning tool for an outer diameter of 2.5 mm. Accordingly, the cleaning pin 44 for the ferrule having a diameter of 2.5 mm and the ferrule having a diameter of 1.25 mm can have the same position of the flange 140, and the spring between the rotating pod 40 and the guide member 122. The lengths of the storage spaces can be made common, and as a result, the pin biasing springs 124 can be used in common.

  The distance Y between the inner wall of the receptacle and the ferrule end face is different from 1.3 mm, 3.7 mm, 1.35 mm, and 0.65 mm for the SC type, FC type, MU type, and LC type, respectively. The contraction amount of the guide biasing spring 123 is 2.9 mm (= 5-0.8-1.3) and 0.5 mm (= 5-0) for the SC type, FC type, MU type, and LC type, respectively. .8-3.7), 1.1 mm (= 5-2.5-1.35), and 1.8 mm (= 5-2.55-0.65). The distance Y between the inner wall of the receptacle and the ferrule end face is greatly different for each optical connector, but the guide return spring 123 is always contracted (at least 0.5 mm) so that a pressing force is applied. So no problem.

  With the above features, parts can be shared and costs can be reduced. That is, a cleaning pin 44 and a guide member 122 for a ferrule having a diameter of 2.5 mm and a ferrule having a diameter of 1.25 mm are prepared according to the type of the optical connector, and the biasing spring 123 for the guide and the biasing spring 124 for the pin are also provided. In other words, the other members may be interchanged for the ferrule having a diameter of 2.5 mm and the ferrule having a diameter of 1.25 mm, with the other members being in common.

  FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the main part of the cleaning pin according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the cleaning pin. In this embodiment, a head 44 </ b> D is integrally provided at the tip of the thread support portion 44 </ b> B of the cleaning pin 44. The head portion 44D forms a thread support surface with a flat front surface, and is connected to the thread support portion 44B via a neck portion 44E. The neck 44E can be elastically deformed, thereby allowing the head 44D to tilt in all directions. A cylindrical outer cylinder 280 made of another member is fitted on the outer periphery of the thread support portion 44B, and an annular gap between the outer cylinder 280 and the thread support portion 44B allows the cleaning thread 41 to pass through. A yarn passage 281 is formed.

  According to such a cleaning pin 44, the head 44D is tilted while ensuring a large contact length between the cleaning thread 41 and the ferrule 4, so that the ferrule end surface is other than a flat surface or a spherical surface, for example, FIG. It is possible to cope with an oblique contact type ferrule as shown in FIG. Further, after the cleaning thread 41 is guided forward along the outer periphery of the thread support portion 44B and passed over the front surface of the head portion 44D, the outer cylinder 280 may be attached to the thread support portion 44B. The thread drawing hole 144 and the thread introduction hole 145 shown in FIG. 14 do not need to be formed, and the cleaning thread 41 can be easily attached to the cleaning pin 44.

  The optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention can be used in common for both the female connector 3 and the male connector 90.

Claims (16)

A holding unit, and a cleaning unit that is rotatably attached to the holding unit and cleans the connection surface of the optical connector with a cleaning thread,
The holding portion has a cylindrical slider having an elastic piece having a guide protrusion on a peripheral wall, and a spiral groove in which the guide protrusion is engaged on an outer peripheral surface, and is rotatably and reciprocally disposed in the slider. A cylindrical body, a slider return spring for returning the slider to an initial position, and a shaft provided in the slider,
The cleaning unit includes a rotating pod connected to the body, a supply reel on which the cleaning thread is wound, and one end connected to the shaft, or connected to the shaft via a clutch, and has been cleaned. A winding reel for winding the cleaning thread and a cleaning pin for bringing the cleaning thread into contact with the connection surface of the optical connector,
The cleaning pin has a thread support portion that is provided with a thread support surface that supports the cleaning thread on a tip surface and protrudes from the rotary pod,
The rotating pod rotates integrally with the body during cleaning, thereby applying tension to the cleaning thread, pulling out unused cleaning thread from the supply reel, and applying the cleaned cleaning thread to the winding reel. A cleaning tool for an optical connector, which is wound around a take-up reel. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The cleaning tool for an optical connector, wherein the cleaning unit is attached to the holding unit in a replaceable manner. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The slider moves forward against the slider return spring in a state where the cleaning thread is in contact with the connection surface of the optical connector during cleaning, so that the body, the rotating pod, and the cleaning pin are integrated. A cleaning tool for optical connectors, wherein the cleaning tool is rotated. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The optical connector cleaning tool, wherein the take-up reel rotatably supports the supply reel and the cleaning pin. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The cleaning pin has a thread support groove formed on the front end surface of the thread support portion, a thread lead-out slit and a thread introduction slit formed on the outer periphery,
When the cleaning thread is led from the inside of the cleaning pin through the thread leading slit to the outside of the cleaning pin, the cleaning thread is engaged with the thread supporting groove, and the cleaning thread passes through the thread introducing slit. An optical connector cleaning tool, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool is guided again into the pin. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The cleaning unit further includes a thread distributing member that distributes the cleaned cleaning thread wound around the winding reel in the axial direction of the winding reel,
The yarn distribution member has a supply reel side hole through which a cleaning thread pulled out from the supply reel is inserted, and a take-up reel side hole through which a cleaned cleaning thread is inserted, and the cleaning unit An optical connector cleaning tool, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool is slidably disposed in the axial direction of the body in the provided guide hole. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 6,
The optical connector cleaning tool, wherein the yarn distribution member is formed of a transparent material, and the supply reel is visible from the outside of the cleaning unit. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 6,
The rotary pod further has a threading hole through which the cleaned cleaning thread is inserted, and the cleaned cleaning thread is inserted into the take-up reel side hole of the thread distributing member through the threading hole. A cleaning tool for optical connectors. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The cleaning unit is detachably attached to the tip of the rotating pod and further includes a cap for protecting the tip of the cleaning pin, and the cap has a hole into which the tip of the optical fiber of the male optical connector is inserted. An optical connector cleaning tool comprising a lid for closing the hole. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The cleaning part further comprises a guide part for guiding the cleaning pin to a receptacle of a female optical connector,
The guide portion is configured by a guide member that is fitted on the outer periphery of the rotary pod so as to be movable forward and backward, and whose front end is positioned forward of the normal rotary pod, and a biasing spring for the guide member that biases the guide member forward. ,
The cleaning pin is disposed so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the rotating pod, and is urged forward by a pin urging spring so that a thread supporting portion protrudes from the rotating pod and is usually in the distal end portion of the guide member. An optical connector cleaning tool, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool is positioned. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The cleaning unit further includes a thread loosening prevention mechanism that prevents the cleaning thread from loosening,
The yarn loosening prevention mechanism includes a reel housing that rotatably houses the take-up reel and the supply reel and rotates integrally with the body, a latch mechanism that prevents the supply reel from rotating, and a forward movement of the slider. A first one-way clutch that transmits the rotation of the reel housing to the take-up reel, and a second one-way clutch that transmits the rotation of the reel housing to the take-up reel when the slider moves backward And a cleaning tool for optical connectors. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 11,
An optical connector cleaning tool, wherein an axis of the supply reel is orthogonal to an axis of the take-up reel. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The cleaning tool for an optical connector, wherein the cleaning pin has a tapered surface around a yarn support surface. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The cleaning for an optical connector, wherein the cleaning pin further includes an outer cylinder fitted on the outer periphery of the thread support part, and a gap between the thread support part and the outer cylinder forms a thread passage. Ingredients. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 14,
The cleaning tool for an optical connector, wherein the thread support portion of the cleaning pin further has a head that is tiltable in all directions at the tip, and the front surface of the head forms a thread support surface. In the cleaning tool for optical connectors according to claim 1,
The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein the body further includes a linear groove formed on the outer peripheral surface in parallel with the axis to connect a start end and a terminal end of the spiral groove.

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