JPH07140328A - Inspection apparatus using optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To substantially prevent the entanglement of an optical fiber cable with other members and to protect the optical fiber cable against damaging and bending so as to facilitate handling thereof. CONSTITUTION:A rod body 12 is formed by freely elongatably and contractably inserting plural cylindrical bodies 14, 16, 18 varying in diameter onto this rod body. An objective lens part 58 is disposed at the front end of the cylindrical body 14 of the smallest diameter of the rod body 12. A reel part 32 is disposed at the cylindrical body 18 of the largest diameter of the rod body 12. The optical fiber cable 62 is formed by bundling plural pieces of optical fibers and is wound around the reel part 32. The one end unwound from the reel part 32 is optically connected through the inside of the rod body 12 to the objective lens part 58. The other end of the optical fiber cable 62 is optically connected to an eyepiece part 64.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection device using an optical fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an object to be inspected in a place where an operator or an observer cannot visually check it, such as a power meter arranged at a high place, a nest of a bird made in a tree or a nest box, is shown in FIG. The confirmation work is performed by using the inspection device 50 using the optical fiber as shown in FIG. The inspection device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 52 is a rod body having a grip portion 54 formed at one end (lower end in FIG. 4). Further, a storage battery (not shown) for supplying power to a light emitting unit described later can be housed in the grip portion 54. Further, the storage battery and the light emitting unit are connected by an electric wire (not shown) arranged in the rod body 52, and by operating the switch 56, it is possible to control on / off the current from the storage battery to the light emitting unit. 58 is the other end of the rod body 52 (see FIG.
The upper end of the objective lens unit is attached. 60
Is a light emitting unit arranged in the vicinity of the objective lens unit 58,
For example, it is configured by using a lamp, an LED, or the like. 62
Is an optical fiber cable, and a plurality of optical fibers are bundled into a single cable. Also,
One end of the optical fiber cable 62 is optically connected to the objective lens section 58. The optical fiber cable 62 is formed in a vine shape (curl cord shape),
It is considered that the optical fiber cable does not become loose during the inspection so as not to be entangled with other members arranged near the object to be inspected, and that the optical fiber cable does not become an obstacle when the inspection device 50 is stored after the inspection is completed. Reference numeral 64 denotes an eyepiece lens unit, which is optically connected to the other end of the optical fiber cable 62.

When the inspection device 50 as described above is used, the operator holds the grip portion 54 by hand, brings the objective lens portion 58 close to the object to be inspected, and looks into the eyepiece lens portion 64, so that the optical fiber cable 62 is used. Thus, the image captured by the objective lens unit 58 can be visually confirmed. Further, when the inspection object is in a dark place, the inspection object can be confirmed by controlling the switch 56 to cause the light emitting unit 60 to emit light.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned conventional inspection apparatus using the optical fiber has the following problems. The optical fiber cable is formed in a vine shape (curl cord shape) so that it does not become loose and entangle with other members, but since it is exposed to the outside, it is exposed to other members (for example, the inspection of the area around telephone poles, etc.). In the case of electric wires, or in the case of observing bird's nests, etc.
There is a problem that it is difficult to handle because it is easily injured and bent easily.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to carry out an inspection using an optical fiber which is easy to handle because the optical fiber cable is not easily entangled with other members and is protected from damage and bending. To provide a device.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following constitution. That is, a rod body formed by telescopically inserting a plurality of tubular bodies having different diameters, an objective lens portion provided at a tip portion of the tubular body having the smallest diameter of the rod body, and the rod body. Is formed by bundling a plurality of optical fibers and a reel portion provided in a cylindrical body having the largest diameter, and one end portion unwound from the reel portion is unrolled from the reel portion. It is characterized by comprising an optical fiber cable optically connected to the objective lens portion through the rod body, and an eyepiece lens portion optically connected to the other end portion of the optical fiber cable.
Further, the reel portion is disposed between the drum and the shaft body, a drum around which the optical fiber cable can be wound, a shaft body which is fixed to the rod body and rotatably supports the drum. And a biasing means for biasing the drum to constantly rotate in the direction in which the optical fiber cable is wound. In addition, a light emitting portion provided on the rod body in the vicinity of the objective lens portion and one end portion that is wound around the reel portion together with the optical fiber cable and unwound from the reel portion passes through the rod body. It is more preferable to include a power cable connected to the light emitting unit and a power unit provided in the reel unit and connected to the other end of the power cable.

[0007]

[Function] Since the optical fiber cable is wound around the reel portion and is optically connected to the objective lens portion through the rod body, it is not entangled with other members or damaged, and can be handled easily. Easy to do. Further, if the drum constituting the reel portion is constantly rotated in the direction in which the optical fiber cable is wound by the urging means arranged between the drum and the shaft body, the drum of the optical fiber cable is compressed when the rod body is contracted. Can be stored easily. In addition, if a light-emitting part is provided in the objective lens part, the object to be inspected can be illuminated, and an electric wire that connects the power-source part and the light-emitting part is placed inside the rod body so that it can be wound around the drum together with the optical fiber cable for easier handling. Easy to do.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an inspection apparatus using an optical fiber according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of FIG. Figure 3
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 showing the configuration of the reel section.

First, the structure of an inspection apparatus 10 using an optical fiber will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those of the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 12 denotes a rod body, which is formed by a plurality of (three in this embodiment, by way of example) tubular bodies 14, 16, 18 having different diameters being telescopically inserted. 20 and 22 are tightening rings,
By tightening the tightening ring 20 in the specified direction,
On the other hand, the expansion and contraction of the cylindrical body 14 is restricted, and the tightening ring 22 restricts the expansion and contraction of the cylindrical body 16 with respect to the cylindrical body 18. Further, a groove (not shown) is provided in each of the tubular bodies 14, 16 and 18 along the length direction, and the groove of each of the tubular bodies 14, 16 and 18 is slidably engaged in the length direction. It is more preferable to have a structure in which one cylindrical body is prevented from rotating the other cylindrical body, because the optical fiber cable 62 is not twisted.

The objective lens section 58 is the cylindrical body 1 having the smallest diameter.
It is provided on a mounting base 26 screwed to the tip portion of No. 4 by an adjusting screw 24. Reference numeral 28 denotes a projecting portion provided on the mount 26, and the length L is the objective lens portion 58.
It is formed according to the focal position of. That is, when the tip of the protruding portion 28 is brought into contact with the inspection object, the focus of the objective lens portion 58 is brought into focus on the inspection object at that position. By loosening the adjusting screw 24, the mounting base 2 for the tubular body 14
The angle of 6 can be changed, and it can be adapted to the mounting angle of the inspection object. The mounting base 26 may be of a simple structure in which it is directly fixed to the tubular body 14. Reference numeral 30 is a connecting member that constitutes a part of the rod body 12, and one end of the connecting member is a tubular body 18.
1 is fixed to the lower end in FIG. A reel portion 32 is attached to the largest-diameter tubular body 18 of the rod body 12 via a connecting member 30. The optical fiber cable 62 is wound around the reel portion 32, and one end portion unwound from the reel portion 32 passes through the rod body 12 and is optically connected to the objective lens portion 58. The other end is optically connected to the eyepiece lens unit 64. The optical fiber cable 62 connected to the eyepiece lens unit 64
If a part of the optical fiber cable 62 is fixed to the reel part 32 so that the other end side of the reel part 32 is not unwound from the reel part 32 by a predetermined length or more, the optical fiber cable 62 will come off the reel part 32. It can prevent entanglement.

Further, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the reel portion 32
Will be described in detail. Reference numeral 34 is a drum which is formed in a tubular shape with one opening closed, and flanges 36 are provided at both ends in the length direction. This allows the drum 3
An optical fiber cable 62 can be wound around the outer peripheral surface between the four flange portions 36. In addition, inside the drum 34, a holding portion 38 formed using a material having elasticity such as synthetic resin is provided. The holding section 38 can detachably hold the eyepiece lens section 64. When the inspection apparatus 10 is not used, the holding section 38 holds the eyepiece lens section 64 and stores it in the drum 34. Prevent damage. A shaft 40 is fixed to the connecting member 30 and rotatably supports the drum 34. In this embodiment, as an example, a bolt and a nut are used. Four
Reference numeral 2 denotes a vine-shaped spring as an urging means, one end of which is fixed to the drum 34 and the other end of which is fixed to the shaft body 40 and arranged between the drum 34 and the shaft body 40. It is urged to always rotate in the winding direction (arrow B direction).

Reference numeral 44 denotes a ratchet mechanism, which is composed of a ratchet wheel (not shown) attached to the shaft body 40 and a claw (not shown) provided on the drum 34. An optical fiber cable 62 pulled out from the drum 34 is Carelessly drum 3
It has a function of preventing the roll 4 from being wound up. Further, as a result, the urging force of the vine winding spring 42 is not always applied to the pulled-out optical fiber cable 62, and the durability of the optical fiber cable 62 is improved. Drum 3
4 is provided with a release switch (not shown) for releasing the engagement between the pawl and the ratchet wheel, and the operator operates the release switch to cause the drum 34 to move in the arrow direction by the urging force of the vine winding spring 42. It becomes possible to rotate in the B direction. To simplify the structure and reduce the cost, the urging means and the ratchet mechanism 44 may not be provided, and the optical fiber cable 62 may be wound manually.

Subsequently, an inspection device 1 using an optical fiber
The operation method of 0 will be described. First, the tubular body 18 is grasped by hand, and the tightening rings 20, 22 are temporarily loosened, and the tubular body 14,
16 and 18 to the desired length and re-tightening ring 20,
Tighten 22 to fix the length of the rod body 12. At this time, the drum 34 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow B, and the optical fiber cable 62 is pulled out by the required length. The drum 34, which is constantly urged to rotate in the direction of the arrow B by the vine winding spring 42, is prevented from rotating by the ratchet mechanism 44, so that the optical fiber cable 6 pulled out.
2 is not wound by the drum 34. next,
The eyepiece lens unit 64 is removed from the holding unit 38, and the drum 34
Take out from inside.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the objective lens portion 58 is brought close to the object to be inspected 46, the tip of the protruding portion 28 is brought into contact with the object to be inspected, and the eyepiece lens portion 64 is looked into. As a result, the image captured by the objective lens unit 58 is transmitted to the eyepiece lens unit 64 via the optical fiber cable 62 and the object to be inspected can be inspected. When the object to be inspected is an animal such as a bird, the objective lens unit 58 has a lens structure that deepens the depth of the subject, and the projection 28 allows the object to be properly focused even if the distance is not accurately measured. This is preferable from the viewpoint of animal protection because it is not necessary to bring the protruding portion 28 into contact with the object to be inspected. Further, in this case, the protruding portion 28 may not be provided. Finally, when the inspection is completed, the eyepiece lens portion 64 is held by the holding portion 38, and the release switch provided on the drum 34 is operated to release the engagement between the pawl of the ratchet mechanism 44 and the ratchet wheel. Then, the tightening rings 20 and 22 are loosened, and the rod body 12 is contracted. Since the drum 34 is rotated by the vine winding spring 42 in the direction of arrow B, the rod body 1
At the same time when 2 is contracted, the optical fiber cable 62 in each of the tubular bodies 14, 16 and 18 is wound up on the drum 34, and can be easily put away.

In the inspection apparatus using the optical fiber having the above-mentioned structure, the optical fiber cable 62 is the rod body 1.
The optical fiber cable 6 is arranged in the second optical fiber cable 6 by releasing the ratchet mechanism 44 even when the rod body 12 is contracted.
Since the 2 is automatically wound around the drum 34, the optical fiber cable 62 does not become loose and do not get entangled or come into contact with other members, and therefore the possibility of damage is small. Further, in order to make it easier to wind the optical fiber cable 62 around the drum 34, it is better to previously form the optical fiber cable into a spiral shape (curl cord shape) as in the conventional example. Further, if a release switch is provided on the holding portion 38 so that the ratchet mechanism 44 cannot be released unless the eyepiece lens portion 64 is held by the holding portion 38 when the rod body 12 is contracted after the inspection is completed, the eyepiece lens is mistakenly provided. It is possible to prevent the optical fiber cable 62, to which the portion 64 is connected, from rotating around the reel portion 32 without being wound onto the reel portion 32 and contacting the other optical fiber cable 62 or other members to damage them. .

Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and an inspection can be performed even when an object to be inspected is arranged in a dark place. In order to achieve the above, a light emitting portion is provided in the vicinity of the objective lens portion (for example, on a mounting base) as in the conventional example, and one end portion unwound from the reel portion is wound around the reel portion together with the optical fiber cable. A power cable connected to the light emitting part through the rod body is provided, and a power source part connected to the other end of the power cable is provided in the reel part, and the light emitting part is supplied with current from the power source part through the power cable. Alternatively, the object to be inspected may be illuminated by causing it to emit light. In addition to the above-mentioned optical fiber cable for video transmission, another optical fiber may be arranged inside the rod along the optical fiber cable for video transmission, and this optical fiber may be used for illumination. Alternatively, a small penlight may be directly provided in parallel with and close to the objective lens section and used for illuminating the object to be inspected. Further, it may be used not only for inspecting the inspection object but also for observing animals and plants. Further, if the rod body is formed of a non-conductive material, it can be safely used for maintenance work of electric wires and the like, and many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. That is.

[0017]

When the inspection apparatus using the optical fiber of the present invention is used, the optical fiber cable is wound around the reel portion and is optically connected to the objective lens portion through the rod body. It can be handled easily without being entangled with or damaged by the members. Further, since the drum constituting the reel portion is urged by the urging means arranged between the drum and the shaft body so as to always rotate in the direction in which the optical fiber cable is wound, when the rod body is contracted. The optical fiber cable can be easily stored in the drum. In addition, if a light-emitting part is provided in the objective lens part, the object to be inspected can be illuminated, and an electric wire that connects the power-source part and the light-emitting part is placed inside the rod body so that it can be wound around the drum together with the optical fiber cable for easier handling. It has a remarkable effect that it can be easily done.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an inspection apparatus using an optical fiber according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, showing the configuration of the reel section.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of a conventional inspection apparatus using an optical fiber.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Inspection device 12 Rod body 14, 16, 18 Cylindrical body 32 Reel part 58 Objective lens part 62 Optical fiber cable 64 Eyepiece part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A rod body formed by inserting and contracting a plurality of tubular bodies having different diameters in an extendable and contractible manner, and an objective lens portion provided at a tip portion of the tubular body having the smallest diameter of the rod body. The reel portion provided on the largest-diameter cylindrical body of the rod body and a plurality of optical fibers are bundled and formed,
An optical fiber cable which is wound around the reel unit and one end of which is unwound from the reel unit is optically connected to the objective lens unit through the rod body, and the other end of the optical fiber cable. An inspection apparatus using an optical fiber, comprising an eyepiece lens section optically connected. 2. The reel unit includes a drum around which the optical fiber cable can be wound, a shaft body fixed to the rod body and rotatably supporting the drum, and between the drum and the shaft body. 2. An inspection apparatus using an optical fiber according to claim 1, further comprising: a biasing unit that is biased to constantly rotate the drum in a winding direction of the optical fiber cable. 3. A light emitting portion provided on the rod body in the vicinity of the objective lens portion, and one end portion which is wound around the reel portion together with the optical fiber cable and unwound from the reel portion. 3. A power supply cable connected to the light emitting unit through the body, and a power supply unit provided in the reel unit and connected to the other end of the power supply cable. Inspection device using the described optical fiber.