CN103018833B - Optical fiber cutting device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses an optical fiber cutting device. The optical fiber cutting device comprises a support framework which supports a disk type blade member. The blade member forms a cut groove on a surface of a glass fiber unit of an optical fiber by being moved to the glass fiber unit of the optical fiber. A contact member is fixedly installed on a moving path of the blade member. The blade member is rotated by contact friction force generated by a contact between the blade member and the contact member. The blade member comprises a feeding roller which accepts friction force, a single-directional clutch which transmits a torque of the feeding roller into the blade member only when the feeding roller rotates in one direction, and a position adjusting mechanism which adjusts contact friction between the feeding roller and the contact member, wherein a contact region of the blade member and the glass fiber portion is changed by rotating the blade member to be synchronized with movement of the blade member. The contact member is fixed through the position adjusting mechanism. Rotation amount of the blade member is changed through adjustment of the adjusting mechanism.

Description

Fiber cutting device

This application was submitted on January 23, 2008, and the title of the invention is "optical fiber cutting device",

A divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 200810004738.X.

technical field

The present invention relates to an optical fiber cutting device which cuts

A cut is made on the surface of the glass fiber portion of the fiber to cleave the fiber.

Background technique

The "stress fracture" method is a known method for cleaving silica-based optical fibers.

This stress fracture method is a method in which first an initial cut is made on the surface of the glass fiber portion of the optical fiber by a very hard cutting blade made of superhard alloy or diamond etc. for making the cut, and then the glass fiber portion is Bending stress is applied in order to break the fiber, ie by cleaving it so as to obtain a mirror surface on the cross section of the fiber.

According to this method, the mirror surface can be quickly formed without using a grinding stone or the like to grind the cut surface of the optical fiber. Therefore, this method can effectively connect various optical cables at the construction site as well as in the laboratory.

As an optical fiber cleaving apparatus performing this stress fracture method, a device configured to move a disk-shaped blade member toward a glass fiber portion of an optical fiber and form a cut on the surface of the glass fiber portion has been developed.

However, in such an apparatus configured to use a blade member to form a cut on the surface of the glass fiber portion of the optical fiber, when the repeatedly used blade member becomes blunt, the fractured section of the optical fiber formed by cleaving is not a good mirror surface.

Accordingly, there has been proposed an optical fiber cutting device in which a disc-shaped blade member is installed so as to be freely rotatable when a screw for fastening the blade member is loosened, and before the blade member becomes blunt, an operator of the device releases the blade member , and rotate the blade part around its disc center at an appropriate angle in order to change the contact area between the blade part and the glass optical fiber part.

However, the device of this related art has the following problems. That is, the operation of rotating the blade member to change the contact area between the blade member and the glass optical fiber portion imposes a heavy burden on the operator. Furthermore, the frequency of changing the contact area between the blade member and the glass fiber portion varies with the operator. Therefore, it is difficult to appropriately change the contact area between the blade member and the glass optical fiber portion.

Accordingly, in order to avoid such a problem, an optical fiber cutting device as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B has been proposed.

The optical fiber cutting device 100 is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-186436. The optical fiber cleavage device 100 has a pair of upper and lower clamping parts 104 and 105 , a disk-shaped blade part 107 , a support frame 109 and a block part 111 . The upper clamping member 104 and the lower clamping member 105 hold the glass fiber portion 103 exposed by stripping the cladding of the optical fiber 102 . The disc-shaped blade member 107 is adapted to move below the glass optical fiber portion 103 held by these clamping members 104 and 105 and to form a cut on the outer peripheral surface of the glass optical fiber portion 103 . The supporting frame 109 supports the blade part 107 in a rotatable manner. The block member 111 is provided above the glass fiber part 103 in a movable manner up and down so as to apply a bending load to the upper surface of the glass fiber part 103 . After the operation of forming a cut using the blade member 107 on the glass optical fiber portion 103 held by the clamp members 104 and 105 is completed, a bending load is applied to the glass optical fiber portion 103 through the block member 111 . This results in a fracture formed by cleaving the optical fiber.

As shown in FIG. 13B , in the optical fiber cutting device 100 , a gear 113 is integrally provided on the side of the blade member 107 . The gear 113 meshes with a first leaf spring 115 driving the gear and a second leaf spring 117 for preventing the gear from rotating in reverse.

When the block member 111 falls, the first leaf spring 115 is pushed downward by the operation pin 119 fixedly provided at the base end of the block member 111 . The gear 113 is rotated by a predetermined constant angle in an arrow direction R as shown in FIG. 13B . Since the gear 113 is integral with the blade member 107, the blade member 107 rotates integrally with the gear 113 by a predetermined constant angle. Accordingly, the contact area of the blade member 107 with the glass optical fiber portion 103 is changed.

That is, in the optical fiber cutting device 100 shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B , the blade member 107 is automatically rotated at a predetermined constant angle synchronously with the downward movement of the block member 111 so as to split the glass fiber portion 103 on which the cut is formed. In this way, the contact area of the blade member 107 with the glass optical fiber portion 103 is changed. Accordingly, the contact area of the blade member can be changed without increasing the burden on the operator. In addition, variations in the contact area change frequency can be reduced.

Meanwhile, in the optical fiber cutting device 100 , the contact area of the blade member 107 with the glass optical fiber portion 103 is changed by rotating the blade member 107 every time by a predetermined angle corresponding to, for example, (1/12) of the circumference. However, there is a lower limit to the predetermined constant angle per rotation of the blade member 107 in consideration of the workability of the gear 113 for rotating the blade member 107 and the manufacturing cost.

Therefore, in the optical fiber cutting device 100 of the related art, the length of each change of the contact area is relatively long. Accordingly, there is a limit to the number of times the contact area of the blade member 107 is changed. Therefore, the optical fiber cutting device 100 of the related art has a problem that it is difficult to prolong the life of the blade member 107 .

Contents of the invention

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide such an optical fiber cutting device, which can automatically change the contact area of the blade part and the glass optical fiber part without increasing the burden on the operator, and can rotate the blade member every time to change the contact area. The amount of rotation of the blade member is set to an optionally smaller value, thereby prolonging the life of the blade member.

The present invention is realized by a device having the following configuration.

(1) An optical fiber cutting device for cutting an optical fiber, comprising: a support frame that rotatably supports a disk-shaped blade member, the support frame being supported in a movable manner in a sliding direction, wherein, by moving the blade member in the sliding direction toward the glass fiber portion of the optical fiber, the blade member forming a cut on the surface of the glass fiber portion of the fiber, the blade member moving integrally with the support frame a contact member, which is fixedly arranged in the moving path of the blade member, wherein the rotation of the blade member is achieved by contact friction force generated by the contact between the blade member and the contact member, and the blade The components include: a feed roller for receiving the contact friction force; and a one-way clutch for transmitting the torque of the feed roller to the blade only when the feed roller rotates in one direction a member; and a position adjustment mechanism that adjusts contact friction between the feeding roller and the contact member. The optical fiber cutting device is characterized in that the contact area between the blade member and the glass optical fiber portion is changed by rotating the blade member in synchronization with its moving operation, and fixing the contact parts, and change the rotation amount of the blade part by adjusting the position adjustment mechanism.

With this configuration, the blade member rotates in synchronization with its movement. The contact area between the blade part and the glass optical fiber part is automatically changed. Accordingly, it is possible to automatically change the contact area between the blade member and the glass optical fiber portion without increasing the burden on the operator. Thus, in the moving operation of the blade member, the contact member is in contact with the feed-in roller in the forward and return strokes. However, due to the provision of the one-way clutch, the blade member rotates only on one of the forward and return strokes. Therefore, even if the direction of the contact friction force acting between the contact member and the feeding roller on the forward stroke is opposite to the direction of the contact friction force on the return stroke, the blade member is not reversely rotated. Therefore, the blade member can be properly rotated in one direction. Furthermore, depending on the selection of the operating direction of the one-way clutch, it may be determined whether the blade member rotates on the forward stroke or on the return stroke. Furthermore, by adjusting the contact friction using the position adjustment mechanism, the amount of rotation of the blade member for changing the contact area can be set to an arbitrary value. Therefore, the maximum number of changes of the contact area of the blade part can be increased. Accordingly, the life of the blade part can be extended.

(2), the embodiment of the optical fiber cutting device described in (1) (hereinafter referred to as the optical fiber cutting device described in (2)), is characterized in that the position adjustment mechanism can adjust the The position of the contact member, the three directions include: the direction of the rotation axis of the disc-shaped blade member, the moving direction of the blade member perpendicular to the rotation axis of the blade member, and the rotation direction of the blade member The direction of the axis and the direction of movement of the blade member are both perpendicular.

With this configuration, by adjusting the position of the contact member in the direction of the rotation axis of the blade member, the contact width between the contact area and the feed-in roller can be adjusted to an arbitrary value. In addition, by adjusting the position of the contact member in the moving direction of the blade member perpendicular to the rotation axis of the blade member, the contact length between the contact member and the feeding roller can be adjusted to any value. By adjusting the position of the contact member in a direction perpendicular to both the rotation axis direction of the blade member and the moving direction of the blade member, the contact pressure between the contact member and the feeding roller can be adjusted. to any value. The combination of the adjustment corresponding to these three directions by the position adjustment mechanism can increase the adjustment range of the contact friction force acting between the contact member and the feeding roller, and can fine-tune the contact friction force. In addition, the amount of rotation of the blade member can be adjusted with higher precision. Furthermore, the reduced contact friction force due to the wear of the contact members can be recovered.

(3) Embodiments of the optical fiber cutting device described in (1) (hereinafter referred to as the optical fiber cutting device described in (3)) further include: a cleaning device disposed in the moving path of the blade member.

In this way, even if debris generated when forming a cut on the glass optical fiber portion adheres to the blade member, the debris attached to the blade member can be removed by the cleaning operation of the cleaning device before the next cut forming operation. crumbs. Therefore, debris remaining on the blade member does not affect the next incision forming operation.

(4), the embodiment of the optical fiber cutting device described in (1) (hereinafter referred to as the optical fiber cutting device described in (4)), is characterized in that the blade part reciprocates and rotates on the forward stroke , while forming a notch on the glass fiber portion on the return trip.

With this configuration, the contact area between the blade member and the glass optical fiber portion is changed every time immediately before the kerf forming operation. Therefore, an incision can be made by a sharp-edged blade member.

(5) In the embodiment of the optical fiber cutting device described in (1), the blade member includes a mark that can visually check the rotation state of the blade member.

With this configuration, when the blade member rotates in synchronization with its moving operation, the mark provided on the blade member moves. Therefore, it is possible to easily visually check whether or not the contact area is properly changed by the rotation of the blade member. This facilitates adjustment of the amount of rotation by which the blade member rotates in synchronization with its moving operation.

According to the optical fiber cutting device of the present invention, the contact area between the blade member and the glass optical fiber portion is automatically changed by the rotation of the blade member in synchronization with its moving operation.

Accordingly, it is possible to automatically change the contact area between the blade member and the glass optical fiber portion without increasing the burden on the operator.

Other features and advantages will emerge from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a first embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a body of the optical fiber cutting device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 2 .

4A to 4D are explanatory diagrams showing an operation of forming a cut in a glass optical fiber portion using a blade member.

5 is a plan view showing a body of a second embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view taken along the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 5 .

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a main part of a body of a third embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view taken along the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. 7 .

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a main part of a body of a fourth embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view taken along the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 9 .

Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a main part of a body of a fifth embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view taken along the direction of arrow E shown in FIG. 11 .

Fig. 13A is a perspective view of a main part of a related art optical fiber cutting device. Fig. 13B is an explanatory diagram showing a mechanism for changing a contact area by rotating a blade member.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of a first embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a body of the optical fiber cutting device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a view taken along the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 2 . 4A to 4D are explanatory diagrams showing an operation of forming a cut in a glass optical fiber portion using the blade member shown in FIG. 3 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the optical fiber cutting device 1 includes: a lower case 5 having a disc-shaped blade part 3;

As shown in FIG. 1 , an optical fiber mounting portion 19 for positioning an optical fiber holder 17 for holding an optical fiber 15 is provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 5 .

The fiber holder 17 has a base 21 for supporting the fiber holder 17 from below and a pressing plate 22 for pressing the optical fiber 15 onto the base 21 .

The optical fiber mounting portion 19 positions the optical fiber holder 17 so that the glass optical fiber portion 16 exposed from the end of the optical fiber 15 held by the optical fiber holder 17 is above the lower case 5 with the moving path of the blade part 3 (i.e., as shown in FIG. 2 ). The path indicated by the arrow X) crosses.

A supporting frame 11 that rotatably supports the disk-shaped blade member 3 is supported in a movable manner in a direction indicated by an arrow X shown in FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 4A , when the end surface 11 a exposed from the side of the lower case 5 is pushed, the support frame 11 slides in the direction of pushing the end surface 11 a. The blade part 3 moves integrally with the support frame 11 .

As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D , spring members 13 are provided on opposite sides of the support frame 11 and serve to push the support frame 11 in a direction to push the support frame 11 back.

As shown in FIG. 4B, when the support frame 11 is pushed and slid so that the blade member 3 exceeds the kerf forming position P (that is, the position where the blade member 3 comes into contact with the glass fiber portion 16 in the optical fiber and forms a kerf as described below), the support The frame 11 is engaged with a hook mechanism (not shown) provided in the lower case 5 and fixed at this position.

As shown in FIG. 4B , after the blade member 3 exceeds the slit forming position P and is fixed, the fiber holder 17 holding the optical fiber 15 is set on the fiber mounting portion 19 as shown in FIG. 4C . Thereby, the glass optical fiber portion 16 is positioned at the notch forming position P. As shown in FIG.

When in the position shown in Figure 4C, the upper case 9 is closed (that is, the upper case 9 is turned to the lower case 5 and pressed against the upper surface of the lower case 5), and the engagement release member (not shown) disengages the engagement between the supporting frame 11 and the locking mechanism. Therefore, the urging force of the spring member 13 quickly returns the support frame 11 to the original position. The moving operation of the blade member 3 at this time causes the cutting edge of the blade member 3 to come into contact with the glass optical fiber portion 16 and form a cut on the glass optical fiber portion 16 .

In the optical fiber cutting device 1 according to the present invention, the blade member 3 is rotated in synchronization with the moving operation of the blade member 3 for forming a cut. This changes the contact area of the blade part 3 with the glass fiber part 16 .

The mechanism for rotating the blade part 3 in synchronization with its moving operation is configured as follows.

In the moving operation of the blade part 3 for forming an incision, the blade part 3 is rotated synchronously with its movement by the contact friction force generated by the contact between the blade part 3 and the contact part 27, which is fixedly arranged on the blade In the movement path of part 3.

The contact part 27 is made of a rubber material with a high coefficient of friction, and is fixed to the body of the lower case 5 by a position adjustment mechanism 28 arranged in the moving path of the blade part 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the blade member 3 includes: a feeding roller 31 configured to rotate by being in contact with the contact member 27 and receiving contact friction; and a one-way clutch 33 configured to rotate only when the feeding roller 31 transmits the torque of the feeding roller 31 to the blade member 3 when rotating in a specific direction, thereby causing the blade member 3 to rotate.

In the present embodiment, the one-way clutch 33 is fitted into the inner peripheral portion of the feed-in roller 31 . The output shaft of the one-way clutch 33 is fixed to the center shaft of the blade member 3 .

The position adjustment mechanism 28 is a plate member, on the upper surface of which the contact member 27 is fixed. The position adjustment mechanism 28 is installed on the body of the lower case 5 and can realize position adjustment in three directions, these three directions include: the direction of the rotation axis of the disc-shaped blade part 3 (ie, the Y direction shown in FIG. 2 ) , the moving direction of the blade part 3 perpendicular to the rotation axis of the blade part 3 (ie, the X direction shown in FIG. By causing the position adjustment mechanism 28 to perform position adjustment in three directions (ie, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction), the position of the position where the contact member 27 comes into contact with the feed-in roller 31 can be adjusted in each direction.

By adjusting the position where the contact member 27 contacts the feed roller 31, the contact area between the feed roller 31 and the contact member 27 and the contact pressure acting therebetween can be changed. Therefore, the magnitude of the contact friction force between the feeding roller 31 and the contact member 27 can be adjusted.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D , the contact member 27 is disposed at a position set apart from the incision forming position along the direction in which the blade member 3 moves by a predetermined distance. Therefore, after pushing the support frame 11 to pass the feeding roller 31 through the notch forming position P, the blade member 3 is rotated due to the contact friction between the contact member 27 and the blade member 3 at a position deviated from the notch forming position P.

Then, in the optical fiber cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4D , a cleaning device 35 contacting the blade part 3 is provided in the path of the blade part 3 moving back, for cleaning the surface of the blade part 3 .

The cleaning device 35 is installed in the upper case 9 . When the upper case 9 is closed, the cleaning device 35 protrudes into the moving path of the blade part 3 . Furthermore, the surface of the blade member 3 is cleaned by the contact between the blade member 3 and the bristles (or nonwoven fabric) of the cleaning device 35 .

In the optical fiber cutting device 1 described above, the blade member 3 is rotated in synchronization with the moving operation of the blade member 3 for forming the slit 24 on the glass optical fiber portion 16 . In this way, the contact area between the blade part 3 and the glass fiber part 16 is automatically changed.

Therefore, it is possible to automatically change the contact area between the blade member 3 and the glass optical fiber portion 16 without increasing the burden on the operator.

Furthermore, in the optical fiber cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment, the rotation of the blade member 3 is realized by the contact friction force passing between the blade member 3 and the contact member 27 fixedly provided in the moving path of the blade member 3 . contact between.

The blade part 3 includes: a feed-in roller 31 for receiving contact friction force; and a one-way clutch 33 for transmitting the torque of the feed-in roller 31 to the blade part 3 only when the feed-in roller 31 rotates in one direction .

Thus, in the moving operation of the blade member 3 for forming the slit 24 on the glass optical fiber portion 16, the contact member 27 contacts the feed-in roller 31 on the forward and return strokes. However, since the one-way clutch 33 is provided, the blade member 3 can only rotate on one of the forward stroke and the return stroke. Therefore, even if the direction of the contact friction force acting between the contact member 27 and the feeding roller 31 on the forward stroke is opposite to the direction of the contact friction force on the return stroke, the blade member 3 will not be reversely rotated. Therefore, the blade part 3 can be properly rotated in one direction.

Furthermore, depending on the selection of the operating direction of the one-way clutch 33, it can be determined whether the blade member 3 rotates on the forward stroke or on the return stroke.

In the above-described embodiments, the blade member 3 rotates in the forward stroke. Therefore, it is ensured that the blade member 3 is rotated due to the contact friction force between the contact member 27 and the feed-in roller 31 . However, the blade member 3 may be adjusted so as to rotate when the blade member 3 moves back on the return stroke due to the urging force of the spring member 13 . With such a configuration, in order to securely obtain contact friction force when the feed-in roller 31 moves back quickly due to the urging force of the spring, it is preferable that the contact member 27 exerts elastic force on the feed-in roller 31 by means of a leaf spring or the like.

In addition, in the optical fiber cutting device 1 according to this embodiment, the contact member 27 is fixed in the moving path of the blade member 3 by the position adjustment mechanism 28, and the position adjustment mechanism 28 is used to adjust the distance between the contact member 27 and the feeding roller 31. contact friction. The amount of rotation of the blade member 3 is adjusted to a small amount by adjusting the magnitude of the contact friction force to a small value using the position adjustment mechanism 28 .

Therefore, the maximum number of changes of the contact area of the blade member 3 can be increased. Accordingly, the life of the blade part 3 can be extended.

In addition, according to the optical fiber cutting device 1 of this embodiment, the position adjustment mechanism 28 can adjust the position of the contact member 27 in three directions, these three directions include: the direction of the rotation axis of the blade member 3 (that is, as shown in FIG. 2 Y direction of the blade part 3), the moving direction of the blade part 3 perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the blade part 3 (that is, the X direction shown in FIG. The direction (that is, the Z direction in Figure 3).

In this way, by adjusting the position of the contact member 27 in the direction of the rotation axis of the blade member 3, the contact width between the contact member 27 and the feed-in roller 31 can be adjusted to an arbitrary value. Furthermore, by adjusting the position of the contact member 27 in the moving direction of the blade member 3 perpendicular to the rotation axis of the blade member 3, the contact length between the contact member 27 and the feed-in roller 31 can be adjusted to an arbitrary value. The contact pressure between the contact member 27 and the feed roller 31 can be adjusted to an arbitrary value by adjusting the position of the contact member 27 in a direction perpendicular to both the rotation axis direction of the blade member 3 and the moving direction of the blade member 3 . The combination of adjustment corresponding to these three directions by the position adjustment mechanism 28 can increase the adjustment range of the contact friction force between the contact member 27 and the feeding roller 31 , and can fine-tune the contact friction force. For example, the amount of rotation of the blade member 3 for changing the contact area of the blade member 3 is set to a minimum value in order to prolong the life of the blade member 3 . Furthermore, the reduced contact frictional force due to the wear of the contact member 27 can be restored.

Incidentally, considering the length of the blade contacting the glass optical fiber portion 16 and the life of the blade member 3, it is desirable to set the amount of rotation of the blade member 3 at 5 degrees to 35 degrees each time the contact area of the blade member 3 is changed. Appropriate value within the range of degrees. In this way, in the case where the rotation amount of the blade member 3 is limited each time the contact area of the blade member 3 is changed, the length of the contact area changed each time is not excessively large. Therefore, the number of times the contact area needs to be changed is in the range of 10 to 72. Therefore, the contact area can be changed by the rotation of the blade member, thereby reliably extending the life of the blade member.

More specifically, in the case where the amount of rotation of the blade member per change is set to 15 degrees, the contact area can be changed 24 times. As a result, the life of the blade member 3 can be extended while keeping the blade member 3 very sharp.

Furthermore, in the optical fiber cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment, the blade member 3 can be rotated at a position deviated from the kerf forming position P due to the contact friction force between the contact member 27 and the blade member 3 .

In this way, the blade member 3 and the glass optical fiber portion 16 are brought into contact at the notch forming position P while the blade member 3 is at rest. Therefore, notches can be formed with high precision. Furthermore, damage to the blade part 3 can be reduced.

In addition, in the optical fiber cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4D , a cleaning device 35 contacting the blade member 3 is provided in the moving path of the blade member 3 for cleaning the surface of the blade member 3 .

Accordingly, even if debris adhering to the blade member 3 is attached when forming a cut on the glass optical fiber portion 16, the debris adhering to the blade member 3 can be removed by the cleaning operation of the cleaning device 35 before the next cut forming operation. . Therefore, debris remaining on the blade member 3 does not affect the next incision forming operation.

Next, a second embodiment of the optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention is described. 5 is a plan view showing a body of a second embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a view taken along the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 5 .

An optical fiber cutting device 1A according to the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except for a mechanism for rotating the blade member 3 in synchronization with the movement of the blade member 3 . The same reference numerals denote the same parts and positions as in the first embodiment. Descriptions of the same components and positions are thus omitted.

According to the second embodiment, the rotation of the blade member 3 in synchronization with its movement is achieved using a gear 37 which is integrally provided with the blade member 3 and an arm member 39 which is fixedly arranged in the path of movement of the blade 3 so as to cooperate with the gear 37 surface contact.

The gear 37 is configured such that concave teeth and convex teeth are continuously formed in the circumferential direction on the annular outer peripheral surface. The gear 37 is integrated with the blade member 3 by fitting a protrusion (not shown) protruding from the surface of the gear 37 facing the blade member 3 into a hole formed in the relevant surface of the blade member 3 .

The blade part 3 integrally formed with the gear 37 is rotatably installed in the support frame 11 by a screw 43 passing through the center of the blade part 3 . A coil spring 45 is provided between the gear 37 and the screw 43 . The blade part 3 is pushed against the support frame 11 by the thrust of the coil spring 45, thereby installing the blade part 3 in the support frame 11, and the thrust is in the range of 1 kgf to 3 kgf. The mounting accuracy of the blade member 3 is ensured by this thrust. However, when the thrust force becomes too large by tightening the screw 43 too tightly, the blade member 3 is not easily rotated. On the contrary, in the case where the screw 43 is tightened too loosely, the blade member 3 is easily rotated. Therefore, the magnitude of the thrust force is specified within the above range of 1kgf to 3kgf.

The arm member 39 is provided on the position adjusting mechanism 28 such that one end of the arm member 39 is swingably mounted on the position adjusting mechanism 28 and the other end of the arm member 39 is supported so as to be able to approach or depart from the position adjusting mechanism 28 swing in the direction.

The compression spring 47 provided between the arm member 39 and the position adjustment mechanism 28 urges the arm member 39 with a spring force of 78gf to 100gf, so that the arm member 39 can elastically contact the gear 37 .

At this time, the magnitude of the thrust of the compression spring 47 is set to satisfy the condition that the gear 37 rotates by being in contact with the arm member 39 during the forward stroke of the moving operation of the blade member 3, and during the rotation, when the rotated The gear 37 is prevented from rotating when the tops of the teeth (male and concave) 41 of the gear 37 contact the arm member 39 and depress the arm member 39 to the maximum (ie, the compression spring 47 is compressed to the maximum). Furthermore, when the blade unit 3 moves on its return stroke, the gear 37 is maintained in a non-rotating state. Thus, an incision is made on the glass fiber portion by the contact area of the blade member 3 which has changed when the blade member 3 is moved on its forward stroke. Incidentally, the rotation of the gear 37 cannot be reliably prevented only by the urging force of the compression spring 47 . Accordingly, it is advisable to control the rotation of the gear 37 by simultaneously adjusting the pushing force of the blade part 3 against the support frame 11 .

Incidentally, the rotation amount of the blade member 3 can be changed according to the gear 37 by changing the pitch of the teeth 41 of the gear 37 . Alternatively, the amount of rotation of the blade member 3 may be varied by setting the pitch of the teeth 41 of the individual gear 37 to vary non-uniformly.

Similar to the first embodiment, in this case, the rotation amount of the blade member 3 every time the contact area of the blade member 3 is changed is set to an appropriate value within the range of 5 degrees to 35 degrees. In this way, the length of the contact area changed each time is not too large. Therefore, the maximum number of changes of the contact area of the blade member can be set to a sufficiently large value. Accordingly, the life of the blade part is extended.

In the above-mentioned optical fiber cutting device 1A, by omitting the one-way clutch used in the first embodiment, the simplification of the device structure and the reduction of the manufacturing cost can be achieved.

Furthermore, in the optical fiber cutting device 1A according to the second embodiment, the rotation of the blade member 3 can be realized by contact or elastic contact between the gear 37 integrally formed with the blade member 3 and the arm member 39 It is fixedly arranged in the moving path of the blade part 3 . Therefore, the blade member 3 can be reliably rotated.

Furthermore, in the two embodiments described above, the blade member 3 is rotated on the forward stroke of the movement. Then, when the blade member 3 is moved on the return stroke, a cut is made on the surface of the glass optical fiber portion by the changed contact area of the blade member 3 . In this way, the contact area of the blade member 3 is changed every time immediately before the operation of forming a cut on the surface of the glass optical fiber portion. Therefore, an incision can be made by a sharp-edged blade member.

Incidentally, the specific structure for fixing the gear 37 to the blade member 3 described in the second embodiment is not limited to the structure described in the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, the third to fifth embodiments obtained by modifying the specific structure for fixing the gear 37 to the blade member 3 described in the second embodiment are sequentially described.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a main part of a body of a third embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device 1B according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view taken along the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. 7 .

The optical fiber cutting device 1B according to the third embodiment is a modification of the structure for fixing the gear 37 to the blade member 3 described in the second embodiment. The other components of the third embodiment are the same as the corresponding components of the second embodiment. The same reference numerals indicate the same parts and positions. Descriptions of the same components and positions are thus omitted.

In the third embodiment, the flat portion of the surface of the blade member 3 is provided with: a circular counterbore 51 in which the gear 37 is fitted so as to position the gear 37; and a rotation stop pin 53 facing from the bottom of the counterbore 51 toward Gear 37 protrudes. The circular counterbore 51 prevents the gear 37 fitted therein from moving in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the gear 37 .

As shown in FIG. 8 , the rotation stop pin 53 fits between the teeth 41 of the gear 37 fitted in the counterbore 51 , thereby restricting the rotation of the gear 37 fitted in the counterbore 51 .

An adhesive is applied to the contact surface between the gear 37 and the counterbore 51 .

That is, in the third embodiment, by the bonding strength of the adhesive, the force for restricting the position of the gear 37 in the direction perpendicular to the central axis of the gear 37 by the counterbore 51 , and the rotation stop pin 53 The engagement with the teeth 41 has the effect of preventing the rotation of the gear 37 , which is fixed to the blade part 3 and is integral with it.

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a main part of a body of a fourth embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a view taken along the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 9 .

The optical fiber cutting device 1C according to the fourth embodiment is obtained by further improving the structure for fixing the gear 37 to the blade member 3 described in the third embodiment. The other components of the fourth embodiment are the same as the corresponding components of the second and third embodiments. The same reference numerals indicate the same parts and positions. Descriptions of the same components and positions are thus omitted.

In the fourth embodiment, the flat part of the surface of the blade member 3 is provided with: a circular counterbore 51 in which the gear 37 is fitted so as to position the gear 37; and a rotation stop pin 54 facing from the bottom of the counterbore 51 toward Gear 37 protrudes. The circular counterbore 51 prevents the gear 37 fitted therein from moving in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the gear 37 .

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the gear 37 is fitted in the counterbore 51 , and the rotation stop pin 54 is fitted in the engagement hole 55 provided on the gear 37 , thereby restricting the rotation of the gear 37 fitted in the counterbore 51 .

An adhesive is applied to the contact surface between the gear 37 and the counterbore 51 .

That is, in the fourth embodiment, by the bonding strength of the adhesive, the force for restricting the position of the gear 37 in the direction perpendicular to the central axis of the gear 37 by the counterbore 51, and the rotation stop pin 54 engages with the engaging hole 55 to prevent the rotation of the gear 37, which is fixed to the blade member 3 and integrated therewith.

Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a main part of a body of a fifth embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention. FIG. 12 is a view taken along the direction of arrow E shown in FIG. 11 .

The optical fiber cutting device 1D according to the fifth embodiment is obtained by further improving the structure for fixing the gear 37 to the blade member 3 described in the third embodiment. The other components of the fifth embodiment are the same as the corresponding components of the second and third embodiments. The same reference numerals indicate the same parts and positions. Descriptions of the same components and positions are thus omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, the flat portion of the surface of the blade member 3 is provided with: a circular counterbore 51 in which the gear 37 is fitted so as to position the gear 37; and a screw insertion hole 56 formed in the counterbore 51 and The blade member 3 is penetrated from the back side of the blade member 3 . The circular counterbore 51 prevents the gear 37 fitted therein from moving in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the gear 37 .

A screw 57 is passed through the screw insertion hole 56 from the back side of the blade unit 3 . A screw 57 is screwed into an internally threaded portion 58 penetrating through the gear 37 . In this way, the rotation of the gear 37 fitted into the counterbore 51 is restricted.

That is, in the fifth embodiment, the force for limiting the position of the gear 37 in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the gear 37 and the effect of screwing the screw 57 into the internally threaded portion 58 generated by the counterbore 51, the gear 37 is fixed to the blade part 3 and is integral with it.

In the fifth embodiment, the gear 37 can be tightly fitted to the bottom surface of the counterbore 51 by the tightening force of the screw 57 . In this way, the use of adhesives for reinforcement is omitted.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12 , in the fifth embodiment, marks 61 enabling visual inspection of the rotational state of the blade member 3 are provided at a plurality of positions spaced along the circumferential direction of the blade member 3 .

In the example shown in FIG. 12 , marks 61 are provided at 8 positions that are evenly spaced along the circumferential direction (that is, at intervals of 45 degrees on the circle). However, the interval between the marks 61 is not limited thereto. It is desirable to set the interval to an appropriate value within a range from, for example, 20 degrees to 45 degrees.

With the configuration provided with the mark 61 , the mark 61 provided on the blade part 3 moves relative to a reference point (not shown) provided in the lower case 5 (see FIG. 1 ) when the blade part 3 rotates in synchronization with its moving operation. . In this way, the operator can easily visually check whether or not the contact area of the blade member 3 is properly changed by the rotation of the blade member 3 . This facilitates performing an operation of adjusting the amount of rotation of the blade member 3 in synchronization with its moving operation. In addition, for example, numerical symbols each indicating a numerical value arranged in ascending or descending order may be engraved on the blade part 3 instead of the triangular mark as shown in FIG. 12 . Therefore, the used amount or remaining amount of the blade unit 3 can be clearly shown.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-204172 filed on August 6, 2007 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-013025 filed on January 23, 2007, the entire contents of which are set forth in Incorporated herein by reference.

While the invention has been described in connection with a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that other embodiments can be devised according to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (5)

1. An optical fiber cutting device for cutting optical fibers, comprising: a support frame rotatably supporting a disc-shaped blade member, the support frame being supported in a movable manner in a sliding direction in which, by moving the blade member toward the glass of the optical fiber an optical fiber portion, the blade member forming a cut on the surface of the glass fiber portion of the optical fiber, the blade member moving integrally with the support frame; a contact member, which is fixedly provided in the moving path of the blade member, wherein the rotation of the blade member is achieved by contact friction force generated by the contact between the blade member and the contact member, and the blade member including: a feed roller for receiving the contact friction force; and a one-way clutch for transmitting torque of the feed roller to the blade member only when the feed roller rotates in one direction ;as well as a position adjustment mechanism that adjusts the contact friction between the feeding roller and the contact member, wherein the contact area between the blade member and the glass optical fiber portion is changed by rotating the blade member in synchronization with its moving operation, and The contact member is fixed by the position adjustment mechanism, and the rotation amount of the blade member is changed by adjusting the position adjustment mechanism. 2. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, wherein, The position adjustment mechanism is capable of adjusting the position of the contact member in three directions including: the direction of the rotation axis of the disc-shaped blade member, the direction of the blade perpendicular to the rotation axis of the blade member, The direction of movement of the part, and the direction perpendicular to both the axis of rotation of the blade part and the direction of movement of the blade part. 3. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, further comprising: A cleaning device is arranged in the moving path of the blade part. 4. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, wherein, The blade member reciprocates in the sliding direction, and rotates on a forward stroke, and forms a cut on the glass optical fiber portion on a return stroke. 5. The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1, wherein, The blade part includes a mark enabling visual inspection of the rotation state of the blade part.