JP5084464B2 - Optical fiber cutting device and optical fiber cutting method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber cutting device and an optical fiber cutting method for cutting an optical fiber.

As an apparatus for cutting an optical fiber, an optical fiber cutting apparatus as shown in FIG. 18 is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
As shown in FIG. 18, the optical fiber cutting device 100 described in Patent Document 1 includes clamps 102a and 102b that hold the coated optical fiber 101 on both sides of the planned cutting location CT, and light at the planned cutting location CT. A disc-shaped blade member 103 that moves in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the fiber 101 and cuts into the coating on the optical fiber 101 to give an initial scratch to the glass optical fiber, and a spring force of the spring 105 when the initial scratch is applied And a pillow 104 for pressing the optical fiber from the opposite side of the initial wound.

JP 2006-284839 A

However, in the optical fiber cutting device 100 described above, the blade member 103 is moved in the direction orthogonal to the optical fiber 101 to impart initial scratches to the optical fiber 101, and thus the moving mechanism 106 of the blade member 103 is required. It is necessary to appropriately adjust the position of the blade member 103 with respect to the optical fiber 101. Therefore, the structure of the apparatus becomes complicated and the number of parts increases, leading to an increase in the cost of the optical fiber cutting apparatus 100. And since an apparatus is easy to enlarge and a weight becomes heavy, workability | operativity is not good.
The blade member 103 uses a new blade edge by rotating the blade member 103 after using the same portion of the blade edge contacting the optical fiber 101 a predetermined number of times, but it is difficult to manage the number of times the blade edge is used. is there. For this reason, the same cutting edge may be used more than a predetermined number of times, and in that case, there is a risk of causing end face defects such as occurrence of breakage at the optical fiber cutting location or an increase in the cut surface angle.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber cutting device and an optical fiber cutting method capable of obtaining good workability with a simple configuration and further reducing the cost.

  An optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention that can solve the above-described problems is a clamp for fixing the optical fiber by clamping both sides in the axial direction of a planned cutting position of the optical fiber, and is held by the clamp A blade member that applies an initial flaw by pressing a blade edge against a planned cutting position of the optical fiber, and an update that updates the position of the blade member or the clamp so that an unused portion of the blade edge contacts the optical fiber at the time of cutting. A mechanism, a pillow member that presses the optical fiber from the opposite side of the initial scratch imparted by the blade member and applies a tensile bending force to break the optical fiber, and the blade member faces the optical fiber A blade pressure setting spring that is biased by a predetermined elastic biasing force.

  In the optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the blade member is a single blade having a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm.

  In the optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the elastic biasing force by the blade pressure setting spring is 30 gf or more and 200 gf or less.

  In the optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the blade feeding mechanism automatically changes the position of the blade member in conjunction with one cutting operation.

The optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention preferably includes an optical fiber positioning means for setting an axial position of a planned cutting position of the optical fiber.
Further, it is preferable that the optical fiber positioning means is detachable from the main body portion of the optical fiber cutting device.

  The optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention preferably includes blade member collecting means for collecting a used portion of the blade member.

  The optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention preferably has an optical fiber recovery means for recovering the cut optical fiber.

  The optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention preferably further includes a buffer mechanism for controlling a cutting speed of the blade member.

  In the optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the buffer mechanism controls so as not to apply the initial scratch when the cutting speed of the blade member exceeds a predetermined value.

  The optical fiber cutting device according to the present invention preferably further includes a blade member replacement timing display mechanism for notifying the replacement timing of the blade member.

  Further, the optical fiber cutting method according to the present invention includes a step of clamping the optical fiber by clamping both sides in the axial direction of the planned cutting position of the optical fiber, and an uncut blade member at the planned cutting position of the optical fiber. A step of applying an initial flaw by pressing a blade edge of a use portion with a predetermined elastic biasing force, and retracting the blade member from the optical fiber, pressing a pillow member on the opposite side of the initial flaw in the optical fiber, A step of breaking the optical fiber by applying a tensile bending force to the optical fiber; a step of releasing the holding state of the optical fiber by the clamp; and an unused portion of the cutting edge in contact with the optical fiber at the next cutting And renewing the position of the blade member or the clamp.

  In the optical fiber cutting method according to the present invention, the optical fiber may be a coated optical fiber.

According to the present invention, the blade member has a blade member that presses the blade edge against the planned cutting position of the optical fiber held by the clamp to give an initial scratch, and the unused portion of the blade edge contacts the optical fiber at the time of cutting. Alternatively, since the position of the clamp is renewed, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for sliding the blade member at the time of cutting, and an initial scratch can be given to the optical fiber using a general-purpose inexpensive blade member. Thereby, size reduction, weight reduction, and cost reduction of a cutting device can be achieved.
In addition, since cutting is performed at the unused portion of the blade edge, the quality of the cutting is stabilized and the blade edge of the blade member is pressed against the optical fiber with a predetermined elastic biasing force, so that the optical fiber is initially scratched with an appropriate blade pressure. It is possible to prevent excessive blade pressure from acting on the optical fiber. Therefore, the optical fiber can be surely cut without requiring adjustment of the operator's force, and the workability is good.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of an optical fiber cutting device and an optical fiber cutting method concerning the present invention is described, referring to drawings.
1A is a plan view of an optical fiber cutting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side view when the cover is closed, FIG. 1C is a side view when the cover is open, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of the blade tip of the blade member, and FIG. 4 is a process diagram showing the optical fiber cutting operation.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical fiber cutting device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has an upper frame 12U and a lower frame 12L, and both the frames 12U and 12L have a rotating shaft 13 at one end. The two frames 12U and 12L are urged in the opening direction by a spring 14 provided between the frames 12U and 12L. When not in use, as shown in FIG. 1C, the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are opened at a certain angle. An upper cover 15U and a lower cover 15L may be provided outside the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower frame 12L is provided with a lock arm 17, and the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are closed when the optical fiber cutting device 10 is not used (FIG. 1B ))) Can be locked.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a clamp 20 for fixing the optical fiber 11 by sandwiching both sides in the axial direction of the planned cutting position of the coated optical fiber 11 inside the frames 12U and 12L, and the clamp 20 And a blade member 30 for applying an initial flaw 11a by pressing the blade edge 31 against a planned cutting position of the optical fiber 11 held by the above. Further, the blade feeding mechanism 40 that is an updating mechanism that updates the blade member 30 so that the unused portion 31 a of the blade edge 31 contacts the optical fiber 11 at the time of cutting, and light from the opposite side of the initial scratch applied by the blade member 30. The pillow member 50 that presses the fiber 11 and applies a tensile bending force to break the optical fiber 11, and the blade member 30 is urged toward the optical fiber 11 with a predetermined elastic urging force to thereby size the initial scratch 11a. And a blade pressure setting spring 32 for determining.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the clamp 20 has an upper clamp 20U and a lower clamp 20L to clamp the optical fiber 11 from above and below, and is separated in the axial direction of the optical fiber 11 across the cutting position. (See FIG. 9). Both clamps 20U and 20L may be formed of a soft material (for example, nitrile rubber: NBR) such as a resin so as not to damage the optical fiber 11 (especially in the case of a glass fiber) when the optical fiber 11 is gripped. preferable.

  The upper clamp 20U is attached to the lower surface of the upper end of the upper clamp frame 21U, and the lower clamp 20L is attached to the upper surface near the front end of the lower clamp frame 21L. An upper frame guide 12a is provided on the lower surface of the distal end portion of the upper frame 12U, and a lower frame guide 12b is provided on the upper surface of the distal end portion of the lower frame 12L. Both frame guides 12a and 12b are provided to face each other and regulate the approach distance between the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L. Further, a lower clamp frame guide 21a is provided in front of the lower clamp 20L in the lower clamp frame 21L. The upper surface of the lower clamp frame guide 21a is higher than the upper surface of the lower frame guide 12b. It faces the lower surface of the.

  The upper clamp frame 21U is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the upper frame 12U inside the upper frame 12U, and is connected to the upper frame 12U by an upper clamp spring 22. Therefore, when the clamp is opened, the upper clamp frame 21U is held below the upper frame 12U by a predetermined interval. On the other hand, the lower clamp frame 21L is provided inside the lower frame 12L so as to be rotatable with respect to the lower frame 12L, and is connected to the lower frame 12L by a lower clamp spring 23. Therefore, when the clamp is opened, the lower clamp frame 21L is held above the lower frame 12L by a predetermined distance.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the blade member 30 is supported by the blade support frame 33 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2). The blade support frame 33 is suspended so as to be movable upward by a blade support bar 34 attached to the upper frame 12U and penetrating the upper clamp frame 21U, and the height of the blade tip 31 is the lower surface of the upper clamp 20U. Is set to a higher position. The blade pressure setting spring 32 is provided between the blade support frame 33 and the upper clamp frame 21 </ b> U in the blade support bar 34. Therefore, the blade member 30 is urged downward by the blade pressure setting spring 32 with a predetermined elastic urging force against the upper clamp frame 21U.

  As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the blade member 30 is a stainless steel single blade, and the thickness T is 0.2 mm or more and 0.5 mm. When the initial flaw 11a is applied to the optical fiber 11, the tip side to be discarded of the optical fiber 11 is disposed on the taper side (left side in FIG. 3) of the cutting edge 31, and the flat side (right side in FIG. 3) of the cutting edge 31 is disposed. ) Is the optical fiber 11 to be used. Thereby, the taper side where the cut surface of the optical fiber 11 is likely to become rough when the initial scratch 11a is applied can be discarded, and a smooth cut surface can be obtained at the tip of the use side.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the blade member 30 has a predetermined breaking groove 30a (for example, an optical fiber) so that the used part can be folded and removed each time it is used. The outer diameter is about 0.25 mm. The blade member 30 is connected to the upper frame 12U via a blade pressure setting spring 32 and is movable upward. The blade member 30 is provided below the upper clamp frame 21U. When the blade member 30 is raised by a certain amount or more, the blade member 30 comes into contact with a contact member 24 attached to the lower surface of the upper clamp frame 21U. When the blade member 30 is further raised from this state, the blade member 30 and the upper clamp frame 21U are integrally raised.

The elastic biasing force by the blade pressure setting spring 32 is preferably 30 gf or more and 200 gf or less. When the cutting edge 31 is pressed against the optical fiber 11 with a force within this range, the coating can be cut and the initial flaws 11a can be appropriately imparted to the glass fiber inside the coating.
In addition, the strength of the spring force of the upper clamp spring 22, the lower clamp spring 23, and the blade pressure setting spring 32 is set to be in the order of "lower clamp spring 23> upper clamp spring 22> blade pressure setting spring 32". ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lower frame 12L is provided with a blade push-up pin 16 upward, and protrudes upward through the lower clamp frame 21L. The upper end surface 16a of the blade push-up pin 16 approaches the blade support frame 33 and comes into contact therewith, and the blade tip 31 of the blade member 30 cannot move downward from a predetermined position.

  A pillow member 50 is provided at a position facing the blade member 30 across the optical fiber 11 in the lower clamp frame 21L, that is, at an intermediate position (see FIG. 9) of the separated lower clamp 20L. The pillow member 50 is preferably formed of a soft material such as a resin, like the upper clamp 20U and the lower clamp 20L, but may be made of a material harder than the upper clamp 20U and the lower clamp 20L. The pillow member 50 is provided with an upper stopper 52U and a lower stopper 52L at predetermined intervals across the lower clamp frame 21L, and is movable up and down relative to the lower clamp frame 21L between the stoppers 52U and 52L. It has become. The pillow member 50 is biased downward by a pillow return spring 51, and the upper stopper 52U is locked to the lower clamp frame 21L when not in use. The height of the upper end surface of the pillow member 50 at this time is set slightly lower than the upper surface of the lower clamp 20L. Further, when the lower clamp frame 21L moves downward by a predetermined amount or more, the lower stopper 52L of the pillow member 50 comes into contact with the lower frame 12L and stops, so that the upper end surface of the pillow member 50 is relative to the upper end surface of the lower clamp 20L. Become expensive. The width of the upper end surface of the pillow member 50 (the axial length of the optical fiber 11) is preferably about 2 to 5 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a knob 41 of the blade feed mechanism 40 is provided at the front end of the upper frame 12U. By rotating this knob 41, the blade member 30 is advanced (leftward in FIG. 1). When cutting the optical fiber 11, the position of the blade edge 31 can be updated so that the unused blade edge 31 is always at the cutting position. Further, when the used part of the blade member 30 is folded and removed, it is preferable to provide a blade member collecting means 42 (see FIG. 8) for collecting the used part. Thereby, the labor of cleaning after work can be saved, and injuries by the cut blade member 30 can be prevented.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, a bracket 61 is detachably attached to the outer side of the lower frame 12L on the optical fiber 11 side, and the axial direction of the planned cutting position of the optical fiber 11 is attached to the bracket 61. It is preferable to attach a fiber holder 62 as an optical fiber positioning means 60 for setting the position. The fiber holder 62 is detachable with respect to the bracket 61, and can move a desired distance toward the cutting position with the optical fiber 11 mounted thereon. This makes it possible to accurately cut the planned cutting position of the optical fiber 11. Moreover, between the fiber holder 62 and the bracket 61, for example, by providing a magnet, a latch for connection, or the like, it is easy to connect and separate them. If there is no restriction on the cutting position of the optical fiber 11, it is possible to simply provide a groove along the optical fiber without attaching the fiber holder 62.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, the cut fiber cut by the optical fiber cutting device 10 is accommodated on the outer side opposite to the optical fiber 11 of the lower frame 12L (upper side in FIG. 1A). It is preferable to provide the optical fiber recovery means 70 to be detachable. As a result, it is possible to save the trouble of cleaning after work, and to prevent injury due to the cut optical fiber.

  Note that the optical fiber positioning means 60 and the optical fiber recovery means 70 can be mounted in opposite positions. Therefore, workability is good regardless of the dominant hand of the worker.

Next, a cutting method using the optical fiber cutting device 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the optical fiber 11 to be cut is positioned at a predetermined position, and the operator holds the optical fiber cutting device 10 to bring the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L closer to each other. The optical fiber 11 is clamped and fixed on both sides in the axial direction of the planned cutting portion. At this time, since the blade edge 31 of the blade member 30 is above the lower surface of the upper clamp 20U, the blade edge 31 is not in contact with the optical fiber 11.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are moved closer until the upper frame guide 12a and the lower clamp frame guide 21a come into contact with each other. At this time, since the spring force of the lower clamp spring 23 supporting the lower clamp frame 21L is larger than the spring force of the upper clamp spring 22 supporting the upper clamp frame 21U, the upper clamp 20U is connected to the optical fiber 11. Then, the upper clamp spring 22 is pushed up relatively while being compressed. Thereby, the blade edge 31 of the blade member 30 is pushed into the optical fiber 11, and the initial flaw 11 a is imparted to the glass fiber of the optical fiber 11. At this time, since the spring force of the blade pressure setting spring 32 for setting the blade pressure is smaller than the spring force of the upper clamp spring 22, the blade pressure (predetermined elastic biasing force) set by the blade pressure setting spring 32 is used. The initial flaw 11a is given to the optical fiber 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are further moved closer together, and the lower clamp frame guide 21a is pushed down by the upper frame guide 12a. Thereby, the upper end surface of the blade push-up pin 16 comes into contact with the blade support frame 33 and the blade member 30 is retracted upward. Moreover, since the lower surface of the pillow member 50 provided in the lower clamp frame 21L comes into contact with the lower frame 12L and stops, the pillow member 50 rises relative to the lower clamp frame 21L that moves down.

  As shown in FIG. 4D, when the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are further approached and the lower clamp frame guide 21a is pushed down by the upper frame guide 12a, the pillow member 50 further rises. As a result, the optical fiber 11 held between the upper clamp 20U and the lower clamp 20L is pressed and pushed up by the pillow member 50 from the opposite side of the initial scratch 11a, whereby a tensile bending force acts, and the initial scratch 11a Break from. Further, the blade member 30 is pushed up by the blade push-up pin 16 and comes into contact with the contact member 24 attached to the upper clamp frame 21U.

  As shown in FIG. 4E, the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are brought close to each other until the upper frame guide 12a and the lower frame guide 12b come into contact with each other. As a result, the blade push-up pin 16 pushes up the upper clamp frame 21U via the blade support frame 33 and the abutting member 24, so that the upper clamp 20U is pushed up and the sandwiched state of the optical fiber 11 is released.

  Thereafter, by turning the knob 41 of the blade feed mechanism 40, the blade member 30 is advanced (leftward in FIG. 1) so that the unused cutting edge 31 is always in the cutting position at the next cutting of the optical fiber 11. The position of the blade edge 31 is updated.

According to the optical fiber cutting device 10 and the optical fiber cutting method of the first embodiment described above, the blade member that presses the blade tip 31 against the planned cutting position of the optical fiber 11 held by the clamp 20 and applies the initial flaw 11a. 30 and the position of the blade member 30 is updated so that the unused portion of the blade edge 31 contacts the optical fiber 11 at the time of cutting, so there is no need to provide a mechanism for sliding the blade member 30 at the time of cutting. An initial flaw 11 a can be applied to the optical fiber 11 using an inexpensive stainless steel blade member 30. Thereby, size reduction, weight reduction, and cost reduction of the cutting device 10 can be achieved.
Further, since cutting is performed at an unused portion of the blade tip 31, the quality of cutting is stabilized, and the blade tip 31 of the blade member 30 is pressed against the optical fiber 11 with a predetermined elastic biasing force by the blade pressure setting spring 32. The initial flaw 11a can be given to the optical fiber 11 by the blade pressure, and an excessive blade pressure can be prevented from acting on the optical fiber 11. Therefore, the operator can hold the optical fiber cutting device 10 and move the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L closer to each other and the subsequent separation operation without any adjustment of the operator's force. The fiber 11 can be cut, and the workability is good.

Next, an optical fiber cutting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an optical fiber cutting device according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a process diagram of the optical fiber cutting operation. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the site | part which is common in 1st Embodiment mentioned above, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the upper frame 12 </ b> U and the lower frame 12 </ b> L are connected by a rotating shaft 13 so as to be opened and closed. An upper clamp frame 21U having an upper clamp 20U at the tip is provided on the upper frame 12U so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The upper clamp frame 21U is supported on the upper frame 12U by an upper clamp spring 22. A blade support frame 33 is fixed to the upper frame 12U, and the blade member 30 is attached to be movable in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 5). Moreover, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the blade feed mechanism 40 is provided similarly to 1st Embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lower frame 12L is provided with a lower clamp frame 21L having a lower clamp 20L at the tip so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The lower clamp frame 21L is supported by the lower frame 12L. Yes. In addition, a pillow unit 56 is provided at the front end of the lower frame 12L so as to be movable up and down, and the movement range is regulated by a pillow raising stopper 53 provided on the lower side of the pillow unit 56. A pillow member 50 is provided inside the pillow unit 56 so as to be vertically movable, and is urged upward by a pillow return spring 51 which is a blade pressure setting spring.

  An upper end of a connecting rod 57 is rotatably attached to the upper frame 12U, and a lower end portion of the connecting rod 57 is provided so as to be vertically movable with respect to the lower frame 12L. A pillow push-up crank 54 is rotatably provided at the lower end of the connecting rod 57 and is always urged clockwise by a crank rotation spring 55 in the drawing. In the non-operating state as shown in FIG. 5, the pillow push-up crank 54 is in contact with the side surface 56 a of the pillow unit 56 and stopped.

Next, a cutting method using the above-described optical fiber cutting device 10A will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the optical fiber 11 to be cut is positioned at a predetermined position, the optical fiber cutting device 10A is gripped, and the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are brought close to each other. The optical fiber 11 is gripped by 20L. The clamping force at this time is determined by the upper clamp spring 22. In addition, since the blade edge 31 of the blade member 30 is above the lower surface of the upper clamp 20U, the blade edge 31 is not in contact with the optical fiber 11 at this time.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (B), the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are brought closer to each other, and the cutting edge 31 of the blade member 30 attached to the upper frame 12U is pressed against the optical fiber 11 to cause initial scratches (FIG. 3). Reference). At this time, since the upper clamp 20U cannot contact the optical fiber 11 and cannot be lowered, the upper clamp 20U moves upward while being compressed and is separated from the optical fiber 11. Further, the opposite side of the optical fiber 11 on which the blade edge 31 has hit is supported by the pillow member 50. For this reason, the blade pressure when applying the initial flaw is determined by the pillow return spring 51. At this time, the pillow push-up crank 54 moves downward and is rotated by the crank rotation spring 55 to support the lower surface of the pillow unit 56.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6C, the gripping of the optical fiber cutting device 10 </ b> A is loosened, the upper frame 12 </ b> U is raised, and the blade member 30 is separated from the optical fiber 11. At this time, the pillow push-up crank 54 connected to the upper frame 12U rises while supporting the pillow unit 56, so that the pillow unit 56 is lifted.

  As shown in FIG. 6D, when the upper frame 12U is raised by further loosening the gripping of the optical fiber cutting device 10A, the pillow unit 56 is raised by the raising of the pillow push-up crank 54, and the pillow member 50 is The optical fiber 11 is pushed up. At the same time, the upper clamp 20U is pushed down by the clamp spring 22, and the upper clamp 20U located on both sides in the axial direction of the planned cutting position is lowered relative to the upper frame 12U. By these operations, the optical fiber 11 held between the upper clamp 20U and the lower clamp 20L is pushed up and pushed up by the pillow member 50 from the opposite side of the initial scratch, and a tensile bending force acts to break from the initial scratch. To do. At this time, the pillow unit 56 is raised to the top dead center, and the pillow raising stopper 53 is in contact with the lower frame 20L and stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 6E, when the gripping of the optical fiber cutting device 10A is released, the upper clamp 20U is lifted to release the optical fiber 11 from the sandwiched state. At this time, the upper frame 20U is further raised to raise the connecting rod 57, but the pillow unit 56 is prevented from being raised by the pillow raising stopper 53 (see FIG. 6D). Rises while rotating counterclockwise in the figure against the urging force of the crank rotation spring 56, and comes into contact with the side surface 56 a of the pillow unit 56 and stops. As a result, the pillow push-up crank 54 returns to the state at the start of the cutting operation.

  Thereafter, the blade member 30 is advanced by the blade feed mechanism 40, and the position of the blade edge 31 is updated so that the unused blade edge 31 is always at the cutting position when the optical fiber 11 is cut next time.

According to the optical fiber cutting device 10A and the optical fiber cutting method according to the second embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment described above, a general-purpose and inexpensive stainless steel blade member 30 is used to make the optical fiber 11. An initial scratch can be imparted to the surface. Thereby, size reduction, weight reduction, and cost reduction of the cutting device 10A can be achieved.
In addition, since the cutting is performed at the unused portion of the blade tip 31, the quality of the cutting is stabilized, and the blade pressure that presses the blade tip 31 of the blade member 30 against the optical fiber 11 is predetermined by the pillow return spring 51 that supports the pillow member 50. Since the elastic urging force is set, an initial flaw can be applied to the optical fiber 11 with an appropriate blade pressure, and an excessive blade pressure can be prevented from acting on the optical fiber 11. Therefore, the operator can hold the optical fiber cutting device 10A by only the operation of bringing the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L closer to each other and the subsequent separation operation without any adjustment of the operator's force. The fiber 11 can be cut, and the workability is good.

Next, an optical fiber cutting device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of an optical fiber cutting device according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 7B illustrates cutting at an optimum speed in the optical fiber cutting device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part for explaining cutting at an inappropriate speed in the optical fiber cutting device according to the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in the optical fiber cutting device 10B according to the third embodiment, a shock absorbing mechanism 90 for controlling the wound speed by the blade member 30 is attached on the lower frame 12L.

  In the buffer mechanism 90, a piston 92 biased by a return spring 93 is accommodated in a cylinder 91, and a blade member abutting member 94 is coupled to the piston 92. The cylinder 91 may be filled with oil or fluid having a predetermined viscosity instead of the return spring 93. Further, they may be used in combination with the return spring 93.

  The buffer mechanism 90 performs work (force × distance) by applying the drag accumulated in the return spring 93 in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the blade member abutting member 94, and controls the energy of the blade member 30. . Specifically, when the approach speed of the frame 12U to the lower frame 12L is slower than a predetermined value (for example, 3 to 30 mm / sec), the initial scratch 11a ( (See FIG. 3). On the other hand, when the approaching speed of the frame 12U to the lower frame 12L is faster than a predetermined speed, the blade member 30 is prevented from being subjected to initial scratches on the optical fiber 11 to avoid the blade member 30. Let Thereby, the blade pressure by the blade member 30 is set to 0.5N-8N.

  Next, a cutting method using the optical fiber cutting device 10B will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are approached until the upper frame guide 12a and the lower clamp frame guide 21a come into contact with each other. The clamp spring 32 is relatively pushed up while being compressed. At this time, when the approaching speed of the upper frame 12L to the lower frame 12L is lower than a predetermined value and not more than a predetermined value, the blade member 30 contacts the blade member contact member 94 of the buffer mechanism 90. At this time, since the blade member abutting member 94 of the buffer mechanism 90 does not push down the piston 92, the cutting edge 31 of the blade member 30 is pushed into the optical fiber 11, and the glass fiber of the optical fiber 11 is initially scratched 11a (FIG. 3). Reference).

  As shown in FIG. 8, the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are approached until the upper frame guide 12a and the lower clamp frame guide 21a contact each other, and the upper clamp 20U comes into contact with the optical fiber 11 and then the upper clamp spring 32. It is pushed up relatively while pushing down. At this time, when the approach speed to the lower frame 12L of the upper frame 12U is faster than a predetermined value and is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the blade member 30 contacts the blade member contact member 94 of the buffer mechanism 90. At this time, the blade member abutting member 94 of the buffer mechanism 90 pushes down the piston 92. For this reason, the blade edge 31 a of the blade member 30 is not pushed into the optical fiber 11, and initial scratches are not given to the glass fiber of the optical fiber 11.

  When the approach speed of the upper frame 12L to the lower frame 12L is higher than a predetermined value and is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the optical fiber 11 is not damaged without giving an initial damage to the optical fiber 11. For this reason, the cutting operation is performed again after reviewing the approach speed.

  Since the optical fiber cutting device 10B and the optical fiber cutting method according to the third embodiment described above have the effects of the first embodiment described above, the description thereof will be omitted. Therefore, the bending speed can also be controlled by controlling the scratching speed by the buffer member 90. Therefore, a reliable cutting operation can be performed.

Next, an example of a blade feed mechanism that can be commonly applied to the optical fiber cutting devices according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment described above will be described.
FIG. 9A is a side view of the blade feed mechanism, and FIG. 9B is a plan view of the blade feed mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the blade feed mechanism 40A automatically feeds the blade member 30 in conjunction with one cutting operation to update the unused portion to the cutting position. The blade member 30 is attached to the blade support frame 33 by a stopper 33a, and a rack gear 33b is formed on the side surface of the blade support frame 33 opposite to the blade member 30 attachment side. A rotary shaft 43 is rotatably provided in parallel with the blade support frame 33, and a worm gear 44 that meshes with the rack gear 33 b of the blade support frame 33 is integrally attached to a midway position of the rotary shaft 43. A first bevel gear 45 is integrally attached to the rear end (right end in FIG. 9) of the rotating shaft 43. On the other hand, the rotary shaft 13 is integrally provided with a second bevel gear 46 that meshes with the first bevel gear 45. The rotating shaft 13 is attached to the frames 12U and 12L via a one-way clutch (not shown), and the second bevel gear 46 can rotate only in one direction.

When the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L are moved closer to each other in the cutting operation, the rotary shaft 13 rotates in one direction along with the separation operation, and thus the second bevel gear 46 rotates in one direction. Accordingly, the first bevel gear 45 meshing with the second bevel gear 46 rotates in one direction, the rotating shaft 43 rotates, and the worm gear 44 rotates in one direction. As the worm gear 44 rotates, the rack gear 33b meshing with the worm gear 44 moves only forward (leftward in FIG. 7), and the blade member 30 moves forward. At this time, the moving amount of the blade member 30 that is moved by opening and closing the upper frame 12U and the lower frame 12L once is set equal to the interval (about 0.25 mm) of the planned fracture grooves 30a provided in the blade member 30. And good. Further, when the blade member 30 has moved to the forward end and has been used up as a whole, the blade support frame 33 can be moved again to the origin position (end on the rotating shaft 13 side).
Thereby, since the blade member 30 is moved (blade edge update) by a series of operations of the cutting operation, the cutting operation can always be performed using the unused portion of the blade member 30, and the workability is improved. be able to.

Next, an example of the blade member recovery means that can be applied in common to the optical fiber cutting devices according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment described above will be described.
FIG. 10A is a side view showing the blade member collecting means, and FIG. 10B is a plan view seen from the B direction in FIG.

  As an optical fiber cutting device, it is preferable to accommodate the effective use length of the blade member 30 in the frame 12, but when the used blade member protrudes from the frame 12 as in the case of using the long blade member 30. The blade member collecting means shown in FIG. 8 is preferably used.

As shown in FIG. 10A, a blade member collection box 42 as a blade member collection unit is provided at the tip of the upper frame 12U so as to be rotatable with respect to the upper frame 12U. In addition, the blade member collection box 42 can be inserted straight at a tip portion having a length corresponding to at least the interval between the planned breaking grooves 30a of the blade member 30 accommodated in the upper frame 12U. ), By rotating the blade member collection box 42 with the tip portion inserted, the tip portion of the blade member 30 can be folded at the position of the planned fracture groove 30a. The folded blade member 30b is accommodated in the blade member recovery box 42 as it is.
Thereby, the used blade member 30 can be collect | recovered easily and safely.

Next, an example of an optical fiber recovery means that can be commonly applied to the optical fiber cutting devices according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment described above will be described.
FIG. 11 is a plan view of a lower frame showing an optical fiber recovery box as an optical fiber recovery means, FIG. 12 (A) is a side view of a fiber feeding mechanism as an optical fiber recovery means, and FIG. 12 (B) is a plane of the lower frame. FIG. 12C is an end view seen from the direction C in FIG.

In this optical fiber recovery means, as shown in FIG. 11, an optical fiber recovery box 70 is detachably provided on the outer side of the tip of the lower frame 12L (upper side in FIG. 9) and below the axis of the optical fiber 11. ing.
The cut optical fiber 11b falls and is accommodated in the optical fiber collection box 70, so that it is possible to save the trouble of cleaning after the cutting operation and to prevent the cut optical fiber 11b from being injured. can do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a fiber feeding mechanism 71 for feeding the cut optical fiber 11b and collecting it in the optical fiber collection box 70 may be provided as the optical fiber collecting means. The fiber feed mechanism 71 has a pair of upper and lower rubber rollers 72U and 72L rotatably at the side end of the lower frame 12L. The upper roller 73U is rotatably supported in contact with the lower roller 73L. The lower roller 72L is attached to one end of the rotating shaft 73 and is driven to rotate by the rotating shaft 73. A pinion gear 74 is attached to the other end of the rotating shaft 73, and the pinion gear 74 meshes with an idle gear 75. The idle gear 75 has teeth protruding from the outer peripheral edge of the disc 75a toward the outside of the lower frame 12L, and meshes with the pinion gear 74. Further, teeth are also formed on the outer peripheral surface of the disk 75a and meshed with the gear 76 with a crank. A crank bar 76a is integrally provided on the rotation shaft of the gear 76 with a crank, and a slide pin 76b is provided at the tip of the crank bar 76a. The slide pin 76b is movable along a guide hole 77 provided on the side surface of the upper frame 12U along the longitudinal direction.

  When the closed upper frame 12U is raised at the end of the cutting operation, the slide pin 76b moves in the direction of arrow A along the guide hole 77, so that the crank bar 76a moves in the direction of arrow B as the slide pin 76b rises. Rotate. As a result, the crank gear 76 is also rotated in the B direction and the idle gear 75 is rotated in the arrow C direction, so that the pinion gear 74 and the lower roller 72L are rotated in the arrow D direction (see FIG. 12C), The optical fiber 11 is sandwiched and discharged between the rollers 72U and collected in the optical fiber collection box 70.

Next, another example of the blade feed mechanism that can be commonly applied to the optical fiber cutting devices according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment described above will be described.
FIGS. 13A to 13D are schematic operation explanatory views of the front and side surfaces of the blade feed mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, the blade feed mechanism 120 includes a blade shaft rotation ring 121 and a lever avoidance pin 122 that are housed in the blade support frame 33 and connected to the rotation shaft 43, and a blade shaft rotation lever 123. And consist of

  The blade shaft rotating ring 121 has a lever avoiding pin insertion / removal groove 124, and a pivot 125 is rotatably supported by the lower frame 12L. The blade shaft rotating ring 121 is biased from the lower frame 12L via a biasing spring 126. . The lever avoidance pin 122 is accommodated in the axial direction of the blade support frame 33 via a return spring 127 so as to be movable back and forth.

  The lever avoidance pin 122 is disposed in the lever avoidance pin insertion / removal groove 124 of the blade shaft rotating ring 121 at the raised position of the blade member 30 shown in FIG. Therefore, the blade shaft rotation ring 121 is not engaged with the blade shaft rotation lever 123.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, when the blade member 30 is lowered, the blade support frame 33 is lowered, so that the lever retracting pin 122 is lowered in the lever avoiding pin insertion / removal groove 124. The blade shaft rotating ring 121 remains unengaged with the blade shaft rotating lever 123.

  As shown in FIG. 13C, when the blade member 30 is further lowered, the lever retracting pin 122 is disengaged from the lever avoiding pin insertion / removal groove 124 against the return spring 127, and the lower frame is moved by the biasing spring 126. The blade shaft rotation lever 123 biased from 12L is engaged with the blade shaft rotation ring 121.

  As shown in FIG. 13 (D), when the blade member 30 starts to rise after being lowered, the blade support frame 33 starts to rise, so that the blade shaft rotating ring 121 engaged with the blade shaft rotating lever 123 is moved. , Rotation in the clockwise direction in FIG. Thereby, the blade member 30 is advanced by rotating the rotating shaft 43.

  Since the blade feed mechanism 120 has the same effects as the blade feed mechanism 40A described above, description thereof will be omitted. In particular, the blade feed mechanism 120 can perform automatic blade feed. In addition, the structure can be made much simpler than the blade feed mechanism 40 of the first embodiment.

Next, an example of a blade member replacement time display mechanism that can be commonly applied to the optical fiber cutting devices according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment described above will be described.
14 (A) and 14 (B) are schematic operation explanatory views of the blade member replacement time display mechanism, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the blade member replacement time display mechanism 130 has a protruding member 131 fixed at a midway position of the rotating shaft 43 via a fixing screw 132, and the lower frame within the stroke of the protruding member 131. A protrusion receiver 133 is disposed in front of the 12L side.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, the rotation shaft 43 is rotated by the rotation of the blade shaft rotation ring 121, and the blade member 30 is advanced. At this time, the protruding member 131 is also advanced together with the blade member 30. When the blade member 30 is used up to the length to be replaced, when the blade member 30 is lowered for cutting, the projection member 131 is brought into contact with the projection receiver 133 and the blade member 30 is not advanced. The operator is urged that the blade member 30 has reached the replacement time.

  According to the blade member replacement time display mechanism 130, it is possible to prompt the operator to replace the blade member 30, so that it is possible to perform a cutting operation with no mistakes by replacing the blade member 30 in advance.

In addition, the structure of each embodiment mentioned above can be changed suitably for the optical fiber cutting device and the optical fiber cutting method of the present invention.
For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the optical fiber 11 to be cut is arranged and cut in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the frames 12U and 12L has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 11 can be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the frames 12U and 12L. In this case, the blade member 30 is provided in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the frames 12U and 12L, and the optical fiber recovery box 70 is provided in the lower frame 12L.

  Moreover, in each embodiment mentioned above, although the blade feed mechanism 40, 40A which moves the blade member 30 was illustrated as an update mechanism for the unused part of a blade edge to contact an optical fiber at the time of a cutting | disconnection, the blade member 30 is used. It is good also as a mechanism which fixes to the fixed position and updates the position of the clamp 20 for every cutting operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, a configuration in which the clamp 20, the pillow member 50, the bracket 61, and the like can be moved along the longitudinal direction of the blade member 30 without providing the blade feeding mechanism 40 can be adopted.

  Moreover, in each embodiment mentioned above, the optical fiber 11 was cut | disconnected by the unused blade edge | tip 31 by moving one long blade member 30, However, The length used by one cutting operation previously is carried out. It is also possible to use a cartridge containing a plurality of blade members 30 that have been cut. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, when a cartridge 80 in which a plurality of short blade members 30c are accommodated is used, the cartridge 80 is accommodated inside the apparatus main body, so that the size can be reduced. The replacement (updating) of the blade member 30c is performed by pushing out the used blade member 30c manually or automatically by the push pin 81.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the coated optical fiber 11 is cut has been described. However, the present invention can also be used for cutting a glass fiber that is not covered with the coating.

(A) is a top view of the optical fiber cutting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, (B) is a side view when the cover is closed, and (C) is a side view when it is opened. It is a schematic block diagram of the front part of the cutting device of an optical fiber. It is sectional drawing which shows the shape of the blade edge | tip of a blade member. It is process drawing which shows the cutting operation | work of an optical fiber. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the cutting device of the optical fiber which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is process drawing of the cutting operation | work of an optical fiber. (A) is typical sectional drawing of the principal part of the optical fiber cutting device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (B) is the principal part explaining the cutting | disconnection at the optimal speed in the optical fiber cutting device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is typical sectional drawing. It is a typical sectional view of an important section explaining cutting at an unsuitable speed in an optical fiber cutting device concerning a 3rd embodiment. (A) is a side view of the blade feed mechanism, (B) is a plan view of the blade feed mechanism. (A) is a side view which shows a blade member collection | recovery means, (B) is the top view seen from the B direction in FIG. 8 (A). It is a top view of the lower frame which shows the optical fiber collection box which is an optical fiber collection | recovery means. (A) is sectional drawing of the fiber feeding mechanism which is an optical fiber collection | recovery means, (B) is a top view of a lower frame, (C) is the end elevation seen from C direction in FIG. 10 (A). (A)-(D) are typical operation | movement explanatory drawings of the front and side of a blade feeding mechanism, respectively. (A), (B) is typical operation | movement explanatory drawing of a blade member replacement time display mechanism, respectively. It is a top view which shows an example at the time of supplying an optical fiber to the longitudinal direction of a flame | frame. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of the cutting device of an optical fiber. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of the cutting device of an optical fiber. It is a side view which shows the example of the cutting device of the conventional optical fiber.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10A, 10B Optical fiber cutting device 11 Optical fiber 11a Initial scratch 20U Upper clamp (clamp)
20L lower clamp (clamp)
30 Blade member 31 Blade tip 32 Blade pressure setting spring 40 Blade feed mechanism (update mechanism)
42 Blade member collection box (blade member collection means)
50 Pillow member 60 Optical fiber positioning means 70 Optical fiber recovery box (optical fiber recovery means)
90 Buffer mechanism 120 Blade feed mechanism (update mechanism)
130 Blade member replacement time display mechanism

Claims (14)

A clamp for fixing the optical fiber by sandwiching both axial sides of the planned cutting position of the optical fiber;
A frame to which the clamp is attached;
A blade member that applies an initial flaw by pressing a blade edge against a planned cutting position of the optical fiber held by the clamp;
An update mechanism for updating the position of the blade member or the clamp so that an unused portion of the blade edge contacts the optical fiber at the time of cutting;
A pillow member that breaks the optical fiber by pressing the optical fiber from the opposite side of the initial scratch imparted by the blade member and applying a tensile bending force;
A blade pressure setting spring that biases the blade member toward the optical fiber with a predetermined elastic biasing force ,
The clamp includes an upper clamp and a lower clamp,
The frame includes an upper frame and a lower frame,
Wherein the clamp is connected via the upper clamp spring on said frame, the lower clamp, the cutting device for an optical fiber characterized that you have been connected through the lower clamp spring to the lower frame.   The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1,
The spring force of the upper clamp spring is set to be stronger than the spring force of the blade pressure setting spring, and the spring force of the lower clamp spring is set to be stronger than the spring force of the upper clamp spring. Cutting device.   An optical fiber cutting device according to claim 1 or 2,
  An optical fiber cutting device, wherein the blade member is a single blade having a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm.   An optical fiber cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
  The apparatus for cutting an optical fiber, wherein the elastic biasing force by the blade pressure setting spring is 30 gf or more and 200 gf or less.   An optical fiber cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
  The optical fiber cutting device, wherein the update mechanism automatically changes the position of the blade member in conjunction with one cutting operation.   An optical fiber cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
  An optical fiber cutting device comprising optical fiber positioning means for setting an axial position of a planned cutting position of the optical fiber.   An optical fiber cutting device according to claim 6,
  An optical fiber cutting device, wherein the optical fiber positioning means is detachable from a main body portion of the optical fiber cutting device.   An optical fiber cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
  An optical fiber cutting device comprising blade member collecting means for collecting a used portion of the blade member.   An optical fiber cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
  An optical fiber cutting device comprising optical fiber recovery means for recovering the cut optical fiber.   An optical fiber cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
  An optical fiber cutting device further comprising a buffer mechanism for controlling a cutting speed of the blade member.   The optical fiber cutting device according to claim 10,
  The said buffer mechanism is controlled so that the said initial stage damage | wound is not provided, when the cutting speed of the said blade member exceeds the predetermined value.   An optical fiber cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
  An optical fiber cutting device, further comprising a blade member replacement time display mechanism for notifying the replacement time of the blade member.   Fixing the optical fiber by sandwiching the upper and lower clamp springs by pressing the upper and lower clamp springs on both sides in the axial direction of the planned cutting position of the optical fiber;
  A step of applying an initial flaw by pressing a cutting edge of an unused portion of the blade member with a predetermined elastic urging force to a planned cutting position of the optical fiber;
  Retracting the blade member from the optical fiber, pressing a pillow member on the opposite side of the initial flaw in the optical fiber, and applying a tensile bending force to the optical fiber to break the optical fiber;
  Releasing the sandwiched state of the optical fiber by the upper and lower clamps;
  And a step of updating a position of the blade member or the upper and lower clamps so that an unused portion of the blade edge contacts the optical fiber at the next cutting.   An optical fiber cutting method according to claim 13,
  The method of cutting an optical fiber, wherein the optical fiber is a coated optical fiber.

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