JP3605754B2 - Optical fiber cutter - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical fiber cutter. In particular, the present invention relates to an optical fiber cutter capable of minimizing variations in blade height even when a circular blade is rotated.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an optical fiber cutter for cutting an optical fiber by making an initial scratch. The procedure for cutting the cutter is as follows. First, the coating at the end of the optical fiber core is removed to expose the bare optical fiber. Next, of the bare optical fiber, two locations on the root side and the tip side are held by clamps. On the other hand, a slider slidable in a direction perpendicular to the bare optical fiber is provided between the clamps, and a circular blade is fixed to the slider. By sliding this slider, an initial scratch is made in the middle of the bare optical fiber held by the clamp. Then, a pillow is pressed against a portion where the initial scratch is made to bend, and the initial scratch is developed to cut the bare optical fiber.
[0003]
Here, as a means for fixing the circular blade to the slider, a support structure (screw type) shown in FIG. 15A and a support structure (shaft support type) shown in FIG. 19 are known.
In the support structure shown in FIG. 15A, the circular blade 50 is directly screwed to the slider 17. A circular hole is provided at the center of the circular blade, and a screw is directly fitted into the circular hole and fixed to the slider 17. The screw has a rod shape without a screw surface on the head side, and has a screw surface on the tip side. The circular blade 50 is fixed by fitting a rod-shaped portion having no screw surface into a circular hole and screwing a portion having a screw surface into a slider.
[0004]
The support structure shown in FIG. 19 uses a pin 400 penetrating the center of the circular blade 50. That is, pin holes 410 and 420 that are processed with high precision are formed in the center of the circular blade 50 and the slider 17. The circular blade 50 is brought into contact with the slider 17, and the pin 400 penetrates through the pin holes 410 and 420 of the circular blade from the slider side. The screw 430 is screwed into the tip of the pin 400 from the circular blade side to fix the circular blade 50.
[0005]
In such an optical fiber cutter, when the sharpness of the circular blade is reduced, the screw 430 is loosened, the circular blade 50 is rotated by a predetermined angle, and the screw 430 is retightened before use. When the sharpness decreases over the entire circumference of the circular blade 50, the circular blade itself is replaced.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the optical fiber cutter having such a circular blade mounting structure has the following problems.
[0007]
(1) It is difficult for the user to rotate and replace the circular blade. In a screw-type support structure, if the user rotates the circular blade to retighten the screw, the height of the blade is likely to vary. This does not change even if the coaxiality of the circular blade described later is made high precision. On the other hand, in the support structure of the shaft support type, the outer peripheral circle of the circular blade and the pin hole of the circular blade have a high coaxiality (a deviation between the central axis of the outer peripheral circle and the central axis of the pin hole). Even if the rotation is performed, the variation in the height of the blade can be suppressed relatively small. However, even with the support structure of the shaft-supporting type, the replacement of the circular blade by the user requires fine adjustment to make the circular blade an appropriate height, and it is very difficult in practice. For this reason, the optical fiber cutter is usually sent back to the manufacturer once, and the replacement and mounting adjustment of the circular blade are performed. In this case, there is a problem that the user cannot use the optical fiber cutter until the optical fiber cutter returns.
[0008]
{Circle around (2)} High precision machining is required for the circular blade, and the yield is reduced. The support structure of the shaft-supporting type allows the user to rotate the circular blade, but as a prerequisite, extremely high precision is required for the coaxiality between the outer peripheral circle of the circular blade and the pin hole of the circular blade. If the coaxiality is low, the height of the blade (the wrap amount of the circular blade with respect to the optical fiber) changes due to the rotation of the circular blade, and the cutting accuracy of the optical fiber varies greatly. At present, almost 100% yield is sufficient for obtaining a coaxiality of 20 μm or less, but a yield of about 60% (about 40% is poor) for obtaining a coaxiality of 10 μm or less. On the other hand, as the circular blade of the optical fiber cutter, a coaxiality of 5 μm or less is desired if possible. Under such circumstances, even if the yield is reduced, a high-precision circular blade has to be used, and there is a problem that the cost is increased.
[0009]
Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber cutter that can use a circular blade that does not require high-precision processing, and that can minimize variations in height that occurs when the circular blade is rotated or replaced. Is to do.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The optical fiber cutter of the present invention achieves the above object by maintaining the tapered surface of the circular blade.
[0011]
That is, the optical fiber cutter of the present invention includes a slidable slider and a circular blade fixed to the slider and for initial scratching the optical fiber. The circular blade has a tapered surface on the outer periphery. And it is characterized by comprising a holding metal fitting for holding at least two places of the tapered surface and a mounting screw penetrating the circular blade.
[0012]
By supporting the circular blade with the tapered surface, even when the circular blade is rotated, variation in the height of the blade can be reduced. Circular blade is formed by processing the tapered surface of the outer peripheral part, the outer peripheral circle to be the cutting edge is formed, compared with processing the coaxiality of the outer peripheral circle of the circular blade and the pin hole of the circular blade with high precision. This is because it is much easier to machine the tapered surface to the required accuracy. Therefore, even if the user rotates the circular blade, the fluctuation of the blade height can be reduced irrespective of the degree of coaxiality, and the variation in cutting accuracy can be minimized.
[0013]
Further, the coaxiality between the screw hole of the mounting screw formed on the circular blade and the outer peripheral circle of the circular blade does not need to be high precision. This is because the height of the circular blade is determined by the holding metal, so that the mounting screw only needs to perform the function of preventing the circular blade from being displaced. Therefore, the yield in the manufacturing stage of the circular blade can be increased.
[0014]
Here, it is preferable that the holding metal has a substantially U-shaped notch and a stepped cross-sectional shape including a thick portion and a thin portion. In this case, a configuration is adopted in which the corners of the thin portion abut on two line-symmetrical points on the tapered surface of the circular blade.
[0015]
Further, the means for attaching the holding member to the slider is not particularly limited, but a reliable attaching means is desired so as not to cause displacement. For example, it is preferable to attach with a fixing screw that penetrates the holding metal.
[0016]
In this case, by covering the head of the fixing screw, it is possible to prevent the user from accidentally loosening the fixing screw and shifting the holding metal. This coating may cover the head of the fixing screw with a suitable metal fitting so that the user cannot easily remove it. In addition, the notch of the head into which the rotating tool of the fixing screw is fitted may have a special shape so that the fixing screw cannot be loosened with a general screwdriver or a hexagon wrench such as a plus or minus screwdriver.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the cutter of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the same. 3 and 4 are a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA and a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1, respectively. 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are cross-sectional views taken along arrows CC, DD, and EE in FIG. 3, respectively. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow -F, a cross-sectional view taken along arrow GG, and a cross-sectional view taken along arrow HH. FIG. 7 is a left side view.
[0018]
(overall structure)
The cutter includes a main body 10, a lid 20, a pillow 30 for bending the bare optical fiber, upper and lower clamps 40 and 41 (FIG. 5) for holding the bare optical fiber, and a circular shape for initial scratching the bare optical fiber. It has a blade 50 and a chip collecting mechanism 60 for bare optical fibers.
[0019]
When the bare optical fiber is cut, the bare optical fiber is sandwiched between the upper and lower clamps 40 and 41, and the circular blade 50 is slid between the clamps to scratch the bare optical fiber. Then, the pillow 30 is pressed against the portion where the initial scratch has been made to apply a bend, and the initial scratch is developed to cut the bare optical fiber. Hereinafter, the mounting structure of the circular blade 50 will be described first, and then another configuration of the cutter will be described.
[0020]
(Circular blade mounting structure)
The circular blade 50 is fixed to a slider 17 slidably attached to the main body 10. The mounting structure will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0021]
A rectangular plate-shaped holding member 310 having a substantially U-shaped notch 312 is attached to the slider 17 which is a plate-shaped metal piece with a pair of fixing screws 320 (FIG. 12). Therefore, a pair of screw holes 311 for fixing screws are formed in the holding member 310. A pair of screw holes 301 for fixing screws are formed in the slider, and a screw hole 302 for attaching a circular blade described later is also formed.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 13, the holding member 17 has a stepped cross section in which the thick portion 313 and the thin portion 314 are continuous, and the corner of the thin portion 314 abuts the tapered surface of the circular blade. In this example, the opening angle θ of the U-shape was set to 60 °. The processing error is ± 0.5 °. The notch width W is 19.5 mm, and the processing error is ± 0.02 mm. The thickness of the thick part 313 was 3.5 mm, and the thickness of the thin part 314 was 2.1 mm. It should be noted that a processing error of the notch width W can be tolerated even about ± 0.1 mm.
[0023]
The important point here is the mounting position of the holding member 310 with respect to the slider 17. Since the height of the circular blade is determined by the position of the holding member 310, the holding member is attached so that the circular blade is held at an optimum height when the slider 17 to which the circular blade is fixed is mounted on the main body.
[0024]
When the holding member 310 can be fixed to the slider 17, the circular blade 50 is inserted into a gap formed between the slider and the thin portion 314 (FIG. 14). The circular blade 50 has a circular hole 51 for a mounting screw formed in the center, a flat plate shape extending from the center to the outer peripheral direction, and an outer peripheral portion formed of a tapered surface. And the outer peripheral edge is a cutting edge. When the circular blade 50 is inserted between the slider and the thin portion 314, two points of line symmetry on the tapered surface on the front side (the surface seen in FIG. 14) of the circular blade come into contact with the corner of the thin portion 314, and the rear side of the circular blade is It comes into contact with the slider 17. In this state, the mounting screw 340 is inserted into the circular hole via the washer 330, and the mounting screw 340 is screwed into the screw hole 302 of the slider to fix the circular blade 50. The circular hole 51 of the circular blade 50 is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the mounting screw, and high accuracy is not required for the coaxiality with the outer peripheral circle of the circular blade 50. The fixing with the mounting screw 340 is sufficient if the circular blade 50 positioned by the holding metal 310 can be prevented from shifting.
[0025]
In this manner, by supporting the tapered surface of the circular blade 50, even if the circular blade 50 is rotated, variations in the height of the blade can be minimized. Further, the coaxiality between the outer peripheral circle of the circular blade 50 and the circular hole 51 of the circular blade may be low, and the yield of the circular blade 50 can be increased to reduce the cost.
[0026]
When rotating the circular blade 50, it is only necessary to loosen the mounting screw 340, rotate the circular blade 50 by a predetermined angle, and then retighten the mounting screw 340. When replacing the circular blade 50, it is only necessary to remove the mounting screw 340, take out the old circular blade, replace it with a new circular blade, and tighten again with the mounting screw 340.
[0027]
In FIG. 14, the head of the fixing screw 320 of the holding member is exposed, but the holding member 310 does not need to be moved once it is positioned and fixed. Rather, since the height of the circular blade changes when it is moved, it is desirable to prevent the user from loosening the fixing screw 320 by mistake. For this purpose, it is preferable to take measures such as separately covering the head of the fixing screw 320 with metal fittings, or to form the fixing screw 320 so that it can be rotated only by a special tool.
[0028]
(Body)
The main body 10 is a substantially l-shaped metal block in which an upper piece 11 and a lower piece 12 are connected by a connecting piece 13 (FIG. 2). On its upper surface, a holder guide 14 (FIG. 7) for mounting a multi-core optical fiber holder 70 (a device for holding optical fiber core wires in a parallel state) is formed. An exposure hole 15 (FIG. 8) of the circular blade 50 is formed in the upper piece 11, and the circular blade 50 protrudes upward from the exposure hole 15. Further, a slide mechanism of the circular blade 50 is mounted on the connecting piece 13 (FIG. 2). The slide mechanism has a linear guide 16 fixed to the main body 10 and a slider 17 that slides along the linear guide and has a circular blade 50 fixed thereto. Further, a pair of lower clamps 41 (FIGS. 5 and 8) are fixed at positions on the upper surface of the main body that sandwich the exposure holes 15.
[0029]
(Lid)
The lid 20 is a plate-like body that is attached to a side edge of the upper surface of the main body via a support shaft 21 (FIG. 4) so as to be freely opened and closed. A pillow 30, a pair of upper clamps 40, and a plunger 23 that presses the optical fiber holder 70 by the repulsive force of the compression spring 22 are provided on the back surface (the surface facing the main body 10) of the lid portion 20 (FIG. 3). The upper clamp 40 is opposed to the lower clamp 41 on the main body by closing the lid 20, and sandwiches the bare optical fiber.
[0030]
(Automatic opening mechanism of lid (clamp))
In this embodiment, the lid 20 is provided with an automatic opening mechanism. The automatic opening mechanism includes a torsion spring 24 (FIGS. 4 and 8) mounted on the support shaft 21, a stop mechanism for holding the lid 20 in a closed state, and a release mechanism for releasing the stop mechanism. It is. The torsion spring 24 presses the lid 20 in a direction to open.
[0031]
The stopping mechanism uses a magnet 26 and a catcher 27 that is attracted to the magnet 26 (FIG. 6). The magnet 26 is screwed to a side edge of the cover 20 opposite to the support shaft 21 via a magnet holding bracket 28. On the other hand, the catcher 27 is also fixed to the upper surface of the main body by screwing. When the lid is closed, the magnet 26 is attracted to the catcher 27 against the pressing force of the torsion spring 24. In this example, the magnet 26 and the catcher 27 are mounted without using an adhesive, and thus the magnet 26 or the catcher 27 can be prevented from falling off due to the deterioration of the adhesive.
[0032]
Further, a release lever 25 supported on the back surface of the lid 20 via a shaft 29 (FIG. 2) is used as the release mechanism. The release lever 25 is normally held horizontally as shown by a solid line in FIG. However, when the release lever 25 is pulled upward (see the broken line in FIG. 2), the lever 25 rotates and the lower corner is pressed against the upper surface of the main body, and the upper surface presses the lid, so that the lid is pry open. As a result, the suction between the magnet 26 and the catcher 27 is released. When the suction is released, the lid 20 is automatically opened by the repulsive force of the torsion spring 24 (see the broken line in FIG. 7). As described above, by providing the lid 20 with the automatic opening mechanism, the upper clamp 40 can also be automatically opened, and workability is improved.
[0033]
(pillow)
The pillow 30 (FIG. 3) is configured to be always kept in a protruding state, that is, a state in which the bare optical fiber is bent by the rebound of the compression spring 31. The compression spring 31 is interposed between the holding plate 32 screwed to the surface of the lid 20 and the rear end of the pillow 30. Before the initial scratch, the pillow 30 is pushed back into a state of non-contact with the bare optical fiber, and after the initial scratch, the slide of the circular blade 50 and the protrusion of the pillow 30 are brought into contact with the bare optical fiber. Linked retreat. In this manner, by automating the bending application operation on the pillow 30, variations due to the operator are eliminated, and high-precision cutting is enabled. The interlocking mechanism between the circular blade 50 and the pillow 30 will be described later in detail.
[0034]
(Clamp)
The upper and lower clamps 40 and 41 are configured by fitting rubbers 44 and 45 into metal bases 42 and 43 (FIGS. 5 and 8). The pedestals 42 and 43 are screwed to the upper surface of the main body or the rear surface of the lid, respectively. The rubbers 45 and 46 are preferably hard rubbers having a Shore hardness Hs of 80 or more. By using hard rubber for the clamp, stable holding of the bare optical fiber is realized, and ultra-high precision cutting can be performed. In particular, when a short cut of the multi-core optical fiber is performed (the length of the optical fiber is about 5 mm), the irregularity of the cut surface can be greatly reduced.
[0035]
(Chip recovery mechanism)
The chip collecting mechanism 60 (FIG. 3) includes an outer case 61 integrated with the main body 10, a lower roller 62 supported in the outer case, and an opening / closing lid 63 attached to the outer case 61 via a hinge. And an upper roller 64 pivotally supported on the back surface of the opening / closing lid 63. When the opening / closing lid 63 is closed, chips of the bare optical fiber are caught between the upper roller 64 and the lower roller 62. Then, by rotating the lower roller 62, the chips are sent in a direction away from the clamp, and are fed into the outer case.
[0036]
Further, in this embodiment, the rotation axis of the upper roller 64 is shifted from the rotation axis of the lower roller 62 in a direction away from the clamp. Thus, the chips can be sent downward, and the chips can be reliably guided into the outer case. The disposable inner case may be stored in the outer case, and the chips may be discarded together with the inner case.
[0037]
(Interlocking mechanism between opening of clamp and rotation of lower roller)
The lower roller 62 of the chip collecting mechanism is rotated in conjunction with the opening of the clamps 40 and 41. The interlocking mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present example, the arc movement accompanying the opening and closing of the lid 20 is transmitted as the rotation movement of the lower roller 62. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, a pin 201 protrudes from an end surface of the lid 20. On the other hand, a transmission mechanism storage case 80 is disposed adjacent to the outer case 61, and a lever 81 that rotates within a predetermined range is supported in the case. The distal end of the lever 81 projects from the transmission mechanism housing case 80 and has an elongated hole. The pin 201 is fitted into the elongated hole of the lever 81.
[0038]
In the transmission mechanism storage case, a first gear 82 is mounted on a rotation shaft of the lever 81, and meshes with the second gear 83 (FIG. 8). The crown gear 84 coaxial with the second gear 83 is engaged with the third gear 85. The lower roller 62 is mounted on the rotation shaft of the third gear 85. Therefore, when the lid 20 is opened after the cutting of the bare optical fiber, the lower roller 62 is rotated with the rotation of the lever 81, and chips are sent into the outer case 61.
[0039]
In this example, the one-way clutch 86 is mounted on the rotation shaft of the first gear 82, the first gear 82 is rotated only when the lid 20 is opened, and the first gear 82 is rotated when the lid 20 is closed. The gear 82 is configured not to rotate. As a result, the lower roller 62 is rotated only so as to feed the chips in a direction away from the clamp. Even if chips are attached to the lower roller 62, the chips are re-applied when the lid 20 is closed. Can be avoided.
[0040]
(Interlocking mechanism of circular blade and pillow)
In this example, the operation of imparting a bend to the bare optical fiber by the pillow 30 is automated, but the automation is realized by interlocking the slide of the circular blade 50 with the advance and retreat of the pillow 30. As shown in FIG. 3, a pillow support piece 33 extending downward is fixed to the pillow 30. On the other hand, the slider 17 having a circular blade is provided with a projection 18 (see FIG. 12 described later) which projects upward and abuts on the pillow support piece 33. The length of the projection 18 in the sliding direction is limited as shown in FIGS. Therefore, the pillow support piece 33 and the projection 18 are in contact with each other until the bare optical fiber is scratched, and the pillow 30 is pushed back to a state where the pillow 30 is not in contact with the bare optical fiber. However, when the initial scratch is made, the projection 18 passes below the pillow support piece 33, and the pressing force of the compression spring 31 projects the pillow 30 to bend the bare optical fiber and cut the bare optical fiber. FIGS. 3 and 6 show a state in which the projection 18 contacts the pillow 30 and the pillow 30 is pushed back.
[0041]
(Interlocking mechanism between the circular blade and the open / close lid in the chip collection mechanism)
As described above, the chips are held between the upper roller 64 and the lower roller 62 by the closing operation of the opening / closing lid 63 (FIG. 3). The closing operation of the opening / closing lid 63 is desirably performed after the cutting of the bare optical fiber. If the opening / closing lid 63 is closed before cutting the bare optical fiber, the tip of the bare optical fiber sandwiched by the upper and lower clamps 40 and 41 is further sandwiched by the upper and lower rollers 64 and 62, and the bare optical fiber is clamped by the upper and lower clamps 40 and 41. This is because the gripping force of the optical fiber changes, and as a result, it is difficult to stably realize a tension appropriate for cutting the bare optical fiber. Then, the closing operation of the opening / closing lid 63 is linked to the slide of the circular blade 50 so that the opening / closing lid 63 is closed after the bare optical fiber is cut, and chips are sandwiched between the upper and lower rollers 64 and 62. did.
[0042]
For this interlocking mechanism, a notch end face 19 provided on a circular blade slider 17 and a swing lever 87 disposed in a transmission mechanism housing case are used. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, a notch 100 in the sliding direction is provided below the slider 17, and a notch end face 19 is formed. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the swing lever 87 has one end extending to the opening of the outer case 61, a pin 88 protruding from the other end, and an intermediate portion via a shaft 89. It is rotatably supported. Further, a torsion spring (not shown) is mounted on the shaft 89, and one end of the swing lever 87 is normally kept in a state of protruding from the opening of the outer case 61. The pin 88 penetrates the elongated hole 800 (FIGS. 10 and 11) of the transmission mechanism housing case and is located between the notches 100 of the slider 17.
[0043]
Here, before the circular blade 50 is slid, the notch end face 19 of the slider 17 does not contact the pin 88, so that one end of the swing lever 87 (see the solid line in FIG. 11) protrudes from the opening of the outer case 61. The lid 63 is pushed up. For this reason, the upper roller 64 cannot be separated from the lower roller 62 to sandwich the bare optical fiber. Next, when the circular blade 50 is slid, the notch end face 19 pushes the pin 88, and the swing lever 87 swings. As a result, one end of the swing lever 87 sinks below the opening of the outer case 61 (see the broken line in FIG. 11), the opening / closing lid 63 is closed, and the bare light is interposed between the upper roller 64 and the lower roller 62. Fiber can be sandwiched. In FIG. 3, a state in which the opening / closing lid 63 is slightly opened and the upper roller 64 is separated from the lower roller 62 and a state in which the opening / closing lid 63 is completely opened are indicated by alternate long and short dash lines.
[0044]
By adjusting the position of the notch end face 19 and the length of the protrusion 18 of the slider, “initial scratching → bending by the pillow 30 (cutting of the bare optical fiber) → closing operation of the opening / closing lid 63 (upper / lower rollers 64) , 62) can be automatically performed. If the rocking lever 87 swings before the pillow 30 imparts a bend to the bare optical fiber after the initial scratch on the bare optical fiber, the bare optical fiber is pinched by the upper and lower rollers 64 and 62 before cutting. Will be. Then, the effect of stabilizing the gripping force of the bare optical fiber by the upper and lower clamps 40 and 41 is reduced. Therefore, if the position of the notch end face 19 and the length of the protrusion 18 of the slider are adjusted so that the swing lever 87 is swung after the pillow 30 gives the bend to the bare optical fiber, the upper and lower clamps 40 and 41 can be adjusted. And stabilizes the gripping force of the bare optical fiber, thereby realizing high-precision cutting. That is, when the protrusion 18 of the slider passes below the pillow support piece 33 (when the pillow 30 bends the optical fiber), the notch end face 19 of the slider may be prevented from contacting the pin 88.
[0045]
(Disconnection procedure and operation)
Such a cutter is used as follows. Here, a case where the multi-core optical fiber is cut will be described as an example.
[0046]
(1) The coating at the end of the optical fiber core wire is removed to expose the bare optical fiber.
[0047]
{Circle around (2)} The optical fiber core wire is set in the optical fiber holder 70, the cover 20 is opened, and the optical fiber holder 70 is fitted into the holder guide 14.
[0048]
(3) The lid 20 is closed against the repulsive force of the pillow 30 and the plunger 23, and the magnet 26 is attracted to the catcher 27. At this time, a bare optical fiber is sandwiched between the upper and lower clamps 40 and 41. In addition, the pillow support piece 33 abuts on the projection 18, and the pillow 30 is held in a pushed back state.
[0049]
{Circle around (4)} The slider 17 is slid to bring the circular blade 50 into contact with the bare optical fiber to make initial scratches.
[0050]
{Circle around (5)} When the bare optical fiber is scratched initially, the projection 18 passes below the pillow support piece 33, and the pillow 30 is returned to the protruding state, thereby bending the bare optical fiber. At this time, tension is applied because the tip side and the root side of the bare optical fiber are held by the clamps 40 and 41. As a result, the initial scratch develops and the bare optical fiber breaks.
[0051]
{Circle around (6)} When the slider 17 is further advanced, the notch end face 19 presses the pin 88, the swing lever 87 swings, and the opening / closing lid 63 is closed. At that time, chips are sandwiched between the upper and lower rollers 64 and 62.
[0052]
{Circle around (7)} Next, the lid 20 is opened. This opening is performed by pushing the release lever 25 downward and prying the lid 20 open. Since the torsion spring 24 that presses the lid in the opening direction is attached to the support shaft 21 of the lid 20, the lid 20 is automatically opened by the repulsive force, and the upper and lower clamps 40 and 41 are also opened. .
[0053]
{Circle around (8)} The lower roller 62 is rotated in accordance with the opening operation of the lid 20, and feeds the chips in a direction away from the clamp. The sent chips fall and are stored in the outer case 61.
[0054]
(9) When the cutting is completed, the optical fiber core wire is taken out from the optical fiber holder 70.
[0055]
(Experimental example 1)
Using the cutter of the present invention and the conventional cutter, a change in the height of the blade accompanying rotation of the circular blade was measured. The mounting structure of the circular blade used for the test is as follows.
[0056]
Comparative Example 1 (screw type): A circular hole is provided at the center of the circular blade, and a screw is directly fitted into the circular hole and fixed to the slider. The screw has a rod shape without a screw surface on the head side, and has a screw surface on the tip side. The circular blade is fixed by inserting a rod-shaped portion having no threaded surface into a circular hole and screwing a portion having a threaded surface into a slider. A 15 μm circular blade was used for the coaxiality between the circular hole and the outer peripheral circle.
[0057]
Comparative Example 2 (shaft support type): A pin hole is formed in the center of the circular blade and in the slider. The circular blade is brought into contact with the slider, and the slider penetrates through the pin holes of the slider and the circular blade from the slider side. A screw is screwed into the tip of the pin from the circular blade side to fix the circular blade (see FIG. 19). A 6 μm circular blade was used for the coaxiality between the pin hole and the outer circumference circle.
[0058]
Example 1 (Blade gripping type): Using a holding member having a U-shaped notch, the tapered surface of the circular blade is supported by the holding member, and a fixing screw is passed through a circular hole at the center of the circular blade and fixed to the slider ( See FIG. 14). A 15 μm circular blade was used for the coaxiality between the circular hole and the outer peripheral circle.
[0059]
The measurement of the blade height was performed immediately after fixing (rotation angle 0 °), after applying impact, and after rotating the circular blade 90 °, 180 °, and 360 °. This impact test was performed in order to confirm whether or not the circular blade was displaced, assuming an impact that the optical fiber cutter would receive during transportation. Here, the circular blade fixed to the slider was dropped from a predetermined height, and an impact of about 40 G or more was applied.
[0060]
As shown in FIG. 15, the height of the blade was measured by measuring the distance from the upper edge of the lower clamp or the slider to the upper end of the circular blade. That is, in Comparative Example 1 (FIG. 15A) and Example 1 (FIG. 15C), the distance from the upper edge of the slider to the upper end of the circular blade was measured. In Comparative Example 2 (FIG. 15B), the distance from the lower clamp to the upper end of the circular blade was measured. It was measured. The measurement of each distance was performed by magnifying with a 50 times projector. FIG. 16 shows the results of Comparative Examples 1 and 2, and FIG. 17 shows the results of Example 1. In each figure, the height of the blade is indicated as "blade pressure". All units are “mm”.
[0061]
As shown in FIG. 16A, in Comparative Example 1 in which the screw was directly screwed, the fluctuation amount of the blade height was very large. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 2 using a high-precision circular blade having a coaxiality of 6 μm, it can be seen that the fluctuation amount of the blade height is small (FIG. 16B). On the other hand, in Example 1, the variation in the height of the blade is slightly larger than that in Comparative Example 2, but the variation in the height of the blade is considerably small considering that the coaxiality of the circular blade is poor at 15 μm. It can be said that it is suppressed to the level (FIG. 17).
[0062]
(Experimental example 2)
Next, in the mounting structures of Comparative Example 2 and Example 1, the same test was performed with the circular blades having the same coaxiality. The coaxiality of Comparative Example 2 and Example 1 are both 15 μm. Further, at the time of measuring the height of the blade, the measuring place and the measuring method are the same as those in the above-mentioned Experimental Example 1. The test results are shown in the graph of FIG.
[0063]
As is clear from this graph, under the same condition that the coaxiality is 15 μm, the variation in the height of the blade in Example 1 is smaller, and even if the circular blade is rotated, the cutting accuracy is not significantly affected. You can see that.
[0064]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since the circular blade is held by the tapered surface, it is not necessary to require high accuracy in the coaxiality between the central hole and the outer peripheral circle. Therefore, the cost can be reduced by increasing the yield of the circular blades.
[0065]
In addition, even if a circular blade that does not require high accuracy in coaxiality is used, the user can rotate the circular blade, and variations in the height of the blade due to the rotation can be reduced. Further, the user can replace the circular blade.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cutter according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the cutter of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a left side view of the device of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 3;
9 is a sectional view taken along the line FF in FIG. 3;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 3;
11 is a sectional view taken along the line HH in FIG.
FIGS. 12A and 12B show an attachment structure of a holding metal and a slider used in the cutter of the present invention, wherein FIG. 12A is an exploded perspective view, and FIG.
13A and 13B show a holding metal used for the cutter of the present invention, wherein FIG. 13A is a top view and FIG. 13B is a front view.
14A and 14B show a mounting structure of a circular blade in the cutter of the present invention, wherein FIG. 14A is an exploded perspective view, and FIG.
15A and 15B are explanatory diagrams showing measurement points of the height of the blade, wherein FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram of Comparative Example 1, FIG. 15B is an explanatory diagram of Comparative Example 2, and FIG. 15C is an explanatory diagram of Example 1. is there.
16A is a graph showing the amount of change in blade height in Comparative Example 1, and FIG. 16B is a graph showing the amount of change in blade height in Comparative Example 2. FIG.
FIG. 17 is a graph showing the amount of change in blade height in Example 1.
18A is a graph showing the amount of change in blade height in Comparative Example 2, and FIG. 18B is a graph showing the amount of change in blade height in Example 1. FIG.
FIG. 19 is an explanatory view of a mounting structure of a circular blade in a conventional cutter.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 body
11 Upper piece
12 Lower piece
13 Connecting piece
14 Holder Guide
15 Exposed hole
16 Straight guide
17 Slider
18 protrusion
19 Notch end face
20 Lid
21 Support shaft
22 Compression spring
23 plunger
24 torsion spring
25 Release lever
26 magnet
27 Catcher
28 Magnet holding bracket
29 axes
30 pillows
31 Compression spring
32 Holding plate
33 Pillow support pieces
40 Upper clamp
41 Lower clamp
42, 43 base
44, 45 rubber
50 circular blade
51 hole
60 Chip recovery mechanism
61 Outer case
62 Lower roller
63 Open / close lid
64 Upper roller
66 One side
70 Multi-core optical fiber holder
80 Transmission mechanism storage case
81 lever
82 First Gear
83 Second Gear
84 Crown Gear
85 Third gear
86 one-way clutch
87 swing lever
88 pins
89 axes
100 notch
201 pin
301 screw hole
302 screw hole
310 Holding bracket
311 screw hole
312 Notch
313 Thick part
314 Thin part
320 Fixing screw
330 washer
340 mounting screw
400 pins
410, 420 pin hole
430 screw
800 slot

Claims (3)

An optical fiber cutter including a slidable slider and a circular blade fixed to the slider and having a tapered surface on an outer peripheral portion and initially scratching an optical fiber,
A holding bracket is fixed to the slider,
The circular blade is inserted into a gap between the slider and the holding member, and is positioned by contacting at least two portions of the tapered surface with the holding member,
An optical fiber cutter wherein the positioned circular blade is fixed to a slider with a mounting screw penetrating the circular blade . The holding member has a substantially U-shaped notch, and has a step-like cross-sectional shape composed of a thick portion and a thin portion,
The optical fiber cutter according to claim 1, wherein a corner of the thin portion abuts on two line-symmetrical points on the tapered surface of the circular blade. The holding bracket is attached to the slider with a fixing screw,
The optical fiber cutter according to claim 1, wherein a head of the fixing screw is covered.

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