Cutting device

Abstract

The support section (25) is disposed so that the height thereof can be changed with respect to the base section, and is a portion for supporting the blade member (19). The support part (25) is pressed upward with respect to the base part (17) by an elastic member (31). The positioning members (15a, 15b) are fixed with respect to the base part, so that the blade member (19) fixed to the support part (25) is pressed above the positioning members (15a, 15b). When the support portion (25) is lowered by the support portion lowering mechanism, the contact between the tapered portion of the blade member (19) and the positioning member is released. Therefore, friction between the blade member (19) and the protrusion disappears, and the blade member (19) can be rotated by the rotation mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a cutting device for cutting an optical fiber. Background Art

[0002] In the past, when fusing optical fibers, the coating of the optical fiber core wire was first removed, and then the optical fiber was cut into a predetermined size. As a cutting device for cutting optical fibers, there is a cutting device that removes the coating of the optical fiber core wire to expose a portion of the glass fiber, and brings a disc-shaped blade member into contact with the glass fiber portion to scratch its surface and cut it.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned cutting device may deteriorate due to repeated contact between the blade member and the optical fiber. Therefore, a cutting device has been proposed that updates the contact position between the blade member and the optical fiber by rotating the blade member during the cutting operation.

[0004] As such a cutting device, for example, during a cutting operation, a disk-shaped blade member is rotated in conjunction with the movement of the blade member to update the contact position with the optical fiber (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] If the rotation axis of the circular blade member is completely located at the center of the blade member, the position of the blade member will not change even if the blade member is rotated. Therefore, even if the blade member is rotated and used, the relative relationship between the blade member and the optical fiber can always be kept constant, and a constant cut can be applied to the optical fiber.

[0006] However, due to the manufacturing accuracy of the blade component, the rotation axis of the blade component may deviate from the center and become eccentric. If the blade component is rotated in this case, the position of the blade component will change due to the rotation of the blade component. Therefore, the depth of the cut of the optical fiber changes. If the depth of the cut changes, it is difficult to cut the optical fiber with high accuracy, and the cutting quality of the optical fiber deteriorates.

[0007] In view of this, a cutting device (Patent Document 2) has been proposed, which can position the blade near the tip of the blade by bringing a tapered positioning portion into contact with the tapered portion of a disc-shaped blade. According to Patent Document 2, even if the rotation axis of the blade is eccentric, the position of the blade tip of the blade can be limited with higher accuracy.

[0008] Prior art literature

[0009] Patent Literature

[0010] Reference document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-203815

[0011] Comparative Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-163195 Summary of the invention

[0012] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0013] However, in Patent Document 2, since the blade member is in a state of being pressed against the positioning portion, a large force is required to rotate the blade member, resulting in poor operability. However, if the pressing force of the blade member relative to the positioning portion is weakened, the blade member is likely to be displaced or rotated, which will reduce the positioning accuracy and may cause the blade member to rotate accidentally.

[0014] Such a change in the position or accidental rotation of the blade member will cause the position or depth of the cut on the optical fiber to be unstable, making it difficult to accurately cut the optical fiber, and the cutting quality of the optical fiber will deteriorate. Therefore, a structure that can accurately position the blade member and can easily and reliably rotate the blade member is desired.

[0015] The present invention is made in view of the foregoing problems, and an object thereof is to provide a cutting device that can accurately set the position of the blade member and can easily rotate the blade member.

[0016] Solutions to the Problems

[0017] To achieve the foregoing object, the present invention provides a cutting device for cutting an optical fiber, characterized by comprising: a base portion; a disk-shaped blade member; a positioning member disposed on the base portion and restricting the position of the blade member; a support portion whose height is configured to be variable relative to the base portion and supports the blade member; a first elastic member that presses the support portion relative to the base portion against a positioning portion of the positioning member; a support portion lowering mechanism disposed on the main body portion and capable of pushing down the support portion in a direction opposite to the positioning portion; and a rotation mechanism capable of rotating the blade member. The positioning member has a slit, the blade member is received inside the positioning member, the blade member is pressed by the first elastic member in the direction of the slit, a tapered portion of the blade member contacts the positioning portion on the inner surface side of the slit and is positioned, and a front end of the blade member protrudes toward the surface side of the slit. By lowering the support portion by the support portion lowering mechanism, the blade member can be rotated by the rotation mechanism in a state where the contact between the tapered portion of the blade member and the positioning portion is released.

[0018] The cutting device may also have an operation portion that moves the support portion relative to the main body portion. When the support portion is moved by the operation portion by a predetermined distance or more, the support portion lowering mechanism can contact a part of the support portion and push down the support portion.

[0019] The support part may also be able to move between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is a standby position before cutting and the second position is a position after cutting, and the operating part may push the support part into the main body from the second position to the first position, and when the support part is excessively moved beyond the first position by the operating part, the support part lowering mechanism may contact a part of the support part and push the support part down.

[0020] Preferably, the rotating mechanism has a first gear fixed to the blade member, and a second gear meshing with the first gear and capable of rotating the first gear, and the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other in any state of the support part being lowered by the support part lowering mechanism and being not lowered.

[0021] The cutting device may also include a rotation limiting component pressed onto the first gear or the second gear, wherein the rotation limiting component includes a claw portion meshing with the first gear or the second gear, and the rotation direction of the first gear or the second gear can be limited to a fixed direction through the rotation limiting component.

[0022] The rotation restricting member can regulate the rotation position according to the pitch of the teeth of the first gear or the second gear, and the second gear may include a display unit that indicates the rotation position of the blade member.

[0023] Preferably, the cutting device comprises a second elastic component, which presses the blade component in the axial direction of the blade component and in the direction of the support portion. As the positioning portion, a protrusion protruding toward the inner surface side is formed on one of the opposite edges of the slit, and the protrusion is formed at two locations across the axis of the blade component when viewed from above. The blade component is pressed by the second elastic component so that one surface of the blade component contacts the inner surface of the positioning component, and the blade component is pressed in the direction of the slit by the first elastic component so that the tapered portion on the other surface of the blade component contacts each of the protrusion points and is positioned.

[0024] The cutting device may include a guide mechanism capable of moving the support portion downward while maintaining its posture when the support portion is lowered by the support portion lowering mechanism.

[0025] According to the present invention, when the blade member is pressed against the positioning member and positioned, the contact between the blade member and the positioning portion can be released by pushing down the support portion when the blade member is rotated. Therefore, the blade member can be easily rotated.

[0026] At this time, by moving the support portion with the operation portion used when using the cutting device, the rotation mechanism can be actuated, so no special operation is required and the operation is easy.

[0027] In addition, when the operation portion is pushed in and used, the rotation of the rotation mechanism is restricted at the first position and the second position in the normal use state. By enabling the rotation mechanism to rotate only in a state where it is pushed in further than the first position, it is possible to prevent the blade member from rotating accidentally during normal use.

[0028] In addition, by adopting a rotation restricting member that restricts the rotation direction of the gear constituting the rotation mechanism, the blade member can be rotated in one direction, so that when the blade member is rotated, its return to the old cutting portion can be suppressed.

[0029] In addition, by the rotation restricting member, the rotation position can be defined according to the pitch of the teeth of the gear, whereby the rotation position of the blade member can be easily grasped. In addition, by providing a display portion on the gear that can grasp its rotation position, the replacement timing of the blade member can be easily grasped.

[0030] In addition, by pressing the blade member against the inner surface of the positioning member using the second elastic member, the blade member can be reliably surface - contacted with the inner surface of the positioning member. In this way, by making one surface of the blade member surface - contact with the inner surface of the positioning member, the orientation of the axis of the blade member can be reliably restricted. That is, the orientation of the cutting edge of the blade member with respect to the optical fiber can be kept constant. In addition, by the tapered portion on the other surface of the blade member making point - contact with the projections at two positions of the positioning member, the position of the blade member can be determined with high precision.

[0031] In addition, by providing a guiding mechanism, it is possible to prevent the support portion from tilting or being misaligned when moving downward.

[0032] Advantages of the Invention

[0033] According to the present invention, a cutting device can be provided that can set the position of the blade member with high precision and can easily rotate the blade member. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0034] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the cutting device 1.

[0035] Figure 2A is a top perspective view of the cutting unit 9.

[0036] Figure 2B is a bottom perspective view of the cutting unit 9.

[0037] Figure 3A is a perspective view of the back side of the cutting unit 9.

[0038] Figure 3B It is a top view of the cutting unit 9.

[0039] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram showing the positioning mechanism of the blade member 19.

[0040] Figure 5A It is an exploded perspective view of the blade member 19 and the positioning members 15a, 15b.

[0041] Figure 5B It is Figure 5A An enlarged view of part E of

[0042] Figure 6A It is a perspective view of the positioning member 15b when the blade member 19 and the positioning members 15a, 15b are assembled together.

[0043] Figure 6B It is Figure 6A An enlarged view of part F of

[0044] Figure 7A It is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the blade member 19 and the protrusion 35.

[0045] Figure 7B It is a top view showing the positional relationship between the blade member 19 and the protrusion 35.

[0046] Figure 8A It is a view showing the moving state of the cutting unit 9 (support portion 25) relative to the main body portion 3.

[0047] Figure 8B It is a view showing the moving state of the cutting unit 9 (support portion 25) relative to the main body portion 3.

[0048] Figure 8C It is a view showing the moving state of the cutting unit 9 (support portion 25) relative to the main body portion 3.

[0049] Figure 9A It is a view showing the moving state of the blade member 19.

[0050] Figure 9B It is a view showing the moving state of the blade member 19. Detailed Embodiments

[0051] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the cutting device 1. The cutting device 1 mainly includes a main body portion 3, a cover portion 5, a cutting unit 9, etc. The cutting device 1 is a device for cutting an optical fiber at a predetermined position.

[0052] A retainer placement portion 7 is formed on the upper surface of the main body portion 3. A retainer for holding an optical fiber is placed on the retainer placement portion 7. The glass fiber portion exposed by removing the coating layer of the optical fiber protrudes from the end of the retainer. When the retainer is disposed on the retainer placement portion 7, the optical fiber is disposed so as to straddle the moving range of the cutting unit 9.

[0053] In the normal state, the operation portion 29 of the cutting unit 9 protrudes from the main body portion 3. In this state, by pushing the operation portion 29 into the main body portion 3, the cutting unit 9 moves into the main body portion 3. At this time, since the cutting unit 9 is pressed by an elastic member in the direction of being pushed out from the main body portion 3, the cutting unit 9 is pushed into the main body portion 3 against the pressing force of this elastic member. When the cutting unit 9 is completely pushed in, the blade tip of the cutting unit 9 moves to a position closer to the inside than the optical fiber. In this state, the cutting unit 9 is held by a locking portion (not shown).

[0054] When the cover portion 5 is closed in this state, the locking portion holding the cutting unit 9 is released, and the cutting unit 9 is pushed out from the main body portion 3 by the aforementioned elastic member. That is, the cutting unit 9 moves. That is, the cutting unit 9 can reciprocate in the A direction in the figure. When the cutting unit 9 moves, the blade tip contacts the optical fiber and cuts the optical fiber, and the optical fiber can be cut by applying a bending stress or the like to the cut portion.

[0055] In this way, by normally keeping the cutting unit 9 (operation portion 29) protruding from the main body portion 3 and pushing it into the main body portion 3 during use, for example, when the main body portion 3 is placed on a table or the like for operation, the pushing operation of the cutting unit 9 is also easy.

[0056] Next, the cutting unit 9 will be described. Figure 2A is a top perspective view of the cutting unit 9, Figure 2B is a bottom perspective view of the cutting unit 9, Figure 3A is a perspective view of the back side of the cutting unit 9, Figure 3B is a top view of the cutting unit 9. The cutting unit 9 is composed of a base portion 17, a support portion 25 ( Figure 3A , Figure 3B ), a blade member 19, positioning members 15a, 15b, etc.

[0057] A rail 27 is fixed to the side surface of the base portion 17. The rail 27 can slide relative to a slider (not shown) fixed to the main body portion 3 of the cutting device 1. That is, the cutting unit 9 can move relative to the main body portion 3 along Figure 1 the A direction.

[0058] Above the cutting unit 9, a blade member 19 is disposed. The blade member 19 is a substantially disk-shaped member, and the circumferential portion is the blade tip. The blade member 19 is accommodated inside the positioning members 15a and 15b. The positioning members 15a and 15b are members that restrict the position of the blade member 19, and they are fixed to the base portion 17. When the positioning members 15a and 15b are opposed and joined, a slit 23 is formed in the upper portion of the positioning members 15a and 15b. The front end of the blade member 19 projects from the slit 23 toward the surface side (upper side) of the positioning members 15a and 15b.

[0059] A part of the inner edge portion of the slit 23 is in contact with the blade member 19. Therefore, the positioning members 15a and 15b become positioning portions that restrict the position of the blade member 19. In addition, the method of positioning the blade member 19 in the positioning members 15a and 15b will be described in detail later.

[0060] A recess is formed on the bottom surface side of the operation portion 29. Thereby, the user can put a finger into the recess of the operation portion 29 to operate the cutting unit 9.

[0061] For example, as described above, by normally causing the operation portion 29 to project from the main body portion 3, the workability when the main body portion 3 is placed on a table for work is good. On the other hand, when working while holding the main body portion 3 by hand, since the end portion of the operation portion 29 is far from the main body portion 3, the workability is poor for a user with small hands. However, by providing a recess into which a finger can be inserted on the back surface of the operation portion 29, the workability when working while holding the main body portion 3 by hand is also good.

[0062] A part of the gear 13b projects to the bottom surface side of the cutting unit 9. The gear 13b is an operation portion for rotating the blade member 19. Figure 4 is Figure 3B A schematic cross-sectional view taken along the M-M line. A gear 13a is fixed to the blade member 19. The gear 13b meshes with the gear 13a fixed to the blade member 19. In addition, the rotation mechanism of the blade member 19 based on the gears 13a and 13b will be described in detail later.

[0063] A support portion 25 is fixed to one side of the blade member 19. A pin 33 is connected below the support portion 25. In addition, an elastic member 31 as a first elastic member is disposed on the outer periphery of the pin 33. The support portion 25 is configured to be able to change in height relative to the base portion 17, and it is a portion that supports the blade member 19. The support portion 25 is pressed upward relative to the base portion 17 by the elastic member 31. Since the positioning members 15a and 15b are fixed to the base portion 17, the blade member 19 fixed to the support portion 25 is pressed upward (in the direction of the slit 23, that is, the direction of the positioning portion) by the positioning members 15a and 15b (arrow B in the figure).

[0064] In addition, in order to adjust the front end position of the blade member 19, the positioning members 15a and 15b can also be made adjustable in height relative to the base portion 17. For example, the positioning member 15a can be pushed downward by a screw disposed in the long hole of the positioning member 15a, and the positioning member 15a can be pushed upward by a set screw disposed in a separately provided threaded hole, so that the height of the positioning members 15a and 15b relative to the base portion 17 can be finely adjusted. Therefore, the front end position of the blade member 19 can be finely adjusted relative to the base portion 17. It should be noted that the height adjustment of the positioning members 15a and 15b relative to the base portion 17 is not necessary, and in addition, the height of the positioning members 15a and 15b can also be adjusted by other methods.

[0065] At this time, a protrusion 35 serving as a positioning portion of the blade member 19 is formed on the inner surface side of the positioning member 15b, and the blade member 19 is positioned by contacting the protrusion 35. In addition, the positioning using the protrusion 35 of the positioning member 15b will be described in detail later.

[0066] In addition, the blade member 19 is configured to be clamped by the gear 13a and the support portion 25 and fixed by the fixing screw 11. In addition, a part of the positioning member 15a is sandwiched in the gap between the support portion 25 and the blade member 19. At this time, an elastic member 21 serving as a second elastic member is disposed in the gap between the head of the fixing screw 11 and the gear 13a.

[0067] The blade member 19 is pressed by the elastic member 21 in the axial direction of the blade member 19 (the left-right direction in the figure) and in the direction of the support portion 25. Therefore, one surface of the blade member 19 (the left surface in the figure, the surface substantially perpendicular to the axial direction except for the tapered portion) is pressed by the elastic member 21 against the inner surface of the positioning member 15a (arrow C in the figure). Therefore, one surface of the blade member 19 can be brought into surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member 15a fixed to the base portion 17.

[0068] In this way, by bringing one surface of the blade member 19 into surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member 15a, the axial position (the position in the left-right direction in the figure) of the blade member 19 can be reliably positioned. In addition, since the blade member 19 is in surface contact with the positioning member 15a and is pressed, the axial offset of the blade member 19 (the plane portion of the blade member 19 is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the blade member 19 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) or the height direction) can be suppressed, and the axial direction of the blade member 19 can be maintained perpendicular to either the moving direction or the height direction of the blade member 19.

[0069] Next, the positioning method of the blade member 19 using the positioning member 15b will be described in detail. Figure 5AIt is an exploded perspective view of the positioning members 15a, 15b and the blade member 19. As described above, the inner surface of the positioning member 15a is in surface contact with a flat portion of the blade member 19. On the other hand, a pair of protrusions 35 are formed above the positioning member 15b and on the opposite surface side of the positioning member 15a.

[0070] Figure 5B is Figure 5A An enlarged view of part E. The protrusions 35 protrude toward the inner surface side above the positioning member 15b. Therefore, when the positioning members 15a, 15b are connected and fixed, the protrusions 35 are located near both ends of the slit 23.

[0071] Figure 6A It is a view showing a state in which the blade member 19 is accommodated inside the positioning members 15a, 15b, and is a perspective view of the positioning member 15b (the positioning member 15b is shown by a dotted line). As Figure 6A shown, a pair of protrusions 35 protruding toward the inner surface side are formed on one of the opposing edge portions of the slit 23 (the edge portion of the inner surface of the positioning member 15b) as a positioning portion for the blade member 19. The protrusions 35 are formed at two positions across the vertical center line (axis) of the blade member 19.

[0072] In addition, as described above, the blade member 19 is substantially disc-shaped, and a tapered portion is formed on the outer edge side of the flat portion at the center. The thickness of the tapered portion gradually becomes thinner toward the outer peripheral side. Therefore, when the blade member 19 is pressed upward (in the direction of arrow B in the figure), the tapered portion of the blade member 19 contacts the protrusion 35 (portion D in the figure).

[0073] More specifically, a part of the blade member 19 is inserted from the back side of the slit 23. Regarding the tapered portions formed on both sides of the blade tip of the blade member 19, one tapered portion contacts each of the protrusions 35 on the inner edge portion of the slit 23. At this time, the front end of the blade member 19 protrudes toward the surface side of the slit 23.

[0074] Figure 6B is Figure 6A An enlarged view of part F. In addition, Figure 7A is a top perspective view showing the contact portion between the protrusion 35 and the blade member 19, Figure 7B is a top view of the blade member 19 observed from above.

[0075] As Figure 6BAs shown, when viewed axially from the cutting blade member 19, the front end of the projection 35 (the portion in contact with the cutting blade member 19) is formed in an arc shape. In addition, the tapered portion of the cutting blade member 19 is also formed in a circular shape along the outer peripheral portion. Therefore, the arc portion of the projection 35 is in point contact with the tapered portion of the cutting blade member 19. That is, the cutting blade member 19 is pressed upward (in the direction of the slit 23) by the elastic member 31, and the further upward movement thereof is restricted by the contact between the tapered portion of the cutting blade member 19 and the projection 35. Thus, the cutting blade member 19 can be positioned in the height direction.

[0076] At this time, as Figure 6A shown, a pair of projections 35 are arranged at positions symmetric with respect to the center line (the center line extending in the height direction of the cutting blade member 19, that is, the center line G in the figure) passing through the vertical center line of the axis. That is, when the cutting blade member 19 is viewed from above, it is positioned at two points in the height direction. In this way, by positioning at two points at a predetermined distance from the center line (axis), the cutting blade member 19 can also be positioned with respect to the moving direction (the left - right direction in the figure).

[0077] For example, in the case where the positioning member is in surface contact with the tapered portion of the cutting blade member 19, due to the accuracy of the positioning members 15a and 15b or the fixing accuracy, there may be a situation where complete surface contact cannot be achieved, resulting in misalignment and inclined contact, and thus there may be a change in the height of the cutting edge. In addition, when it is desired to position the cutting blade member 19 in the height direction by point contact on both of the two positioning members 15a and 15b, there may be a situation where the heights of the positioning portions on both sides are inconsistent, and when point contacts are provided at one point on each side respectively, the axis of the cutting blade member may shake and the cutting blade member cannot be in perpendicular contact with the optical fiber.

[0078] In contrast, in the present embodiment, one surface of the cutting blade member 19 is in surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member 15a, and at the same time, by pressing the cutting blade member 19 in the direction of the slit 23 using the elastic member 31, the tapered portion of the other surface of the cutting blade member 19 is in point contact with the projection 35 to position the cutting blade member 19. In this way, even if there is a slight misalignment when the positioning members 15a and 15b are connected, the positioning of the cutting blade member 19 in the height direction and the moving direction is only performed by the positioning member 15b, and the suppression of the axis deviation (tilt) of the cutting blade member 19 is performed by the positioning member 15a. Therefore, the cutting blade member 19 can be positioned with high precision.

[0079] Among them, as Figure 5AAs shown, a notch portion 34 is formed in the positioning member 15a. When the blade member 19 is held by the positioning members 15a and 15b for installation, the support portion 25 is arranged in a manner of being inserted into the notch portion 34. In addition, flat surfaces are formed on both side surfaces of the support portion 25 in the vertical direction, and the notch portion 34 is formed in a straight line in the vertical direction at a portion corresponding to the flat surface of the support portion 25. Therefore, the support portion 25 can slide in a substantially straight line in the vertical direction in a state of being inserted into the notch portion 34.

[0080] Next, the rotation operation of the blade member 19 will be described. Figure 8A - Figure 8C It is a diagram showing the movement of the cutting unit 9 (support portion 25) relative to the main body portion 3. A support portion lowering portion 37 is fixed to the main body portion 3. The support portion lowering portion 37 is fixed to the main body portion 3 at a predetermined position.

[0081] In addition, an elastic member 43 for pressing the cutting unit 9 is arranged on the main body portion 3. The cutting unit 9 is subjected to a force in a direction of being pushed out from the main body portion 3 by the elastic member 43. Therefore, as Figure 8A shown, in a normal state, the operation portion 29 of the cutting unit 9 is in a state of protruding from the main body portion 3. In this state, the support portion lowering portion 37 does not contact the cutting unit 9.

[0082] As Figure 8B shown, when the operation portion 29 is pushed into the main body portion 3 from this state (arrow H in the figure), the cutting unit 9 is held in a state of being pushed into the main body portion 3 by a locking portion (not shown). That is, the cutting unit 9 (support portion 25) can be moved relative to the main body portion 3 by the operation portion 29. When the cutting unit 9 is pushed into the main body portion 3 by a predetermined distance or more, it is locked at this position by the locking portion and remains in a state of being pressed by the elastic member 43. As described above, if the cover portion 5 ( Figure 1 ) is closed in this state, the locking portion is released in conjunction with the closing operation of the cover portion 5, and the cutting unit 9 is pushed out by the elastic member 43 and returns to Figure 8A the state. At this time, the optical fiber can be cut by cutting the optical fiber and applying stress when the blade member 19 moves.

[0083] Here, the standby position before cutting as shown in Figure 8B (that is, the state where the cutting unit 9 is pushed into the main body portion 3) is defined as the first position of the cutting unit 9 (the support portion 25 in the cutting unit 9) relative to the main body portion 3. In addition, the position after cutting as shown in Figure 8A (that is, the state where the cutting unit 9 is pushed out from the main body portion 3) is defined as the second position of the cutting unit 9 (the support portion 25 in the cutting unit 9) relative to the main body portion 3. That is, the cutting unit 9 can move between the first position and the second position, and the operation portion 29 can push the cutting unit 9 from the second position into the main body portion 3 to the first position.

[0084] As Figure 8A , Figure 8B shown, at the first position and the second position of the cutting unit 9, the support part lowering part 37 and the support part 25 do not interfere with each other. That is, since the support part 25 is pressed upward (toward the positioning part side) by the elastic member 31 ( Figure 4 ), the blade member 19 is in a state of being pressed against the protrusion 35 of the positioning member 15b.

[0085] On the other hand, as Figure 8C shown, from the Figure 8B state, the cutting unit 9 can be further slightly pushed into the main body part 3 (arrow I in the figure). That is, there is a small gap between the maximum pushing position of the cutting unit 9 and the locking position (first position) of the cutting unit 9.

[0086] When the operation part 29 is further pushed from the first position against the pressing of the elastic member 43, the support part 25 comes into contact with the support part lowering part 37. At this time, if, for example, the upper surface of the support part 25 (the upper part of the flat surface of the aforementioned side surface) is arc-shaped and the support part lowering part 37 has a tapered surface whose end face position gradually becomes higher as it approaches the front end, then through the mutual contact, the support part 25 is pushed downward (arrow J in the figure). That is, the support part lowering part 37 provided on the main body part 3 functions as a support part lowering mechanism for lowering the support part 25. When the support part 25 is moved by more than a predetermined distance by the operation part 29, the support part lowering part 37 can contact a part of the support part 25 and push the support part 25 downward in the direction opposite to the positioning part.

[0087] At this time, as described above, the flat surfaces on both sides of the support part 25 move along the linear part of the notch part 34 formed on the positioning member 15a, so the blade member 19 does not tilt and can make a straight sliding motion downward. That is, the positioning member 15a has a guiding mechanism that can make the support part 25 move straight downward in a state of not tilting and maintaining its posture. In addition, the structure of the guiding mechanism is not particularly limited.

[0088] In this way, the support part 25 can move between the first position, which is the standby position before cutting, and the second position, which is the position after cutting. The operation part 29 can push the support part 25 from the second position into the main body part 3 at the first position. By using the operation part 29 to make the support part 25 move excessively beyond the first position, the support part lowering mechanism can contact a part of the support part 25 and push the support part 25 downward.

[0089] Figure 9A is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the blade member 19 and the gears 13a, 13b, etc. at the first position ( Figure 8B ),Figure 9B It is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the blade member 19 and the gears 13a, 13b, etc. in a state where the support portion 25 is moved beyond the first position ( Figure 8C ).

[0090] As described above, the gear 13a is fixed to the blade member 19. In addition, the gear 13a meshes with the gear 13b fixed to the base portion, and a part of the gear 13b protrudes from the main body portion. That is, the rotation mechanism for rotating the blade member 19 is composed of the gear 13a fixed to the blade member 19 and the gear 13b fixed to the base portion. By the meshing of the gear 13a and the gear 13b, the gear 13a can be rotated by the gear 13b.

[0091] The gears 13a and 13b mesh with each other in any state of the state where the support portion 25 has not descended ( Figure 9A ) and the state where it has descended by the support portion lowering mechanism ( Figure 9B ). That is, the gear 13b does not rotate idly independently of the gear 13a, and the gears 13a and 13b are always interlocked.

[0092] As described above, in the state where the support portion 25 has not descended ( Figure 9A ), since the blade member 19 is pressed against the positioning portion, the rotation of the blade member 19 is restricted by the friction of the protrusion 35. On the other hand, when the support portion 25 is lowered by the support portion lowering mechanism ( Figure 9B ), the contact between the tapered portion of the blade member 19 and the positioning member 15b (protrusion 35) is released. Therefore, the friction between the blade member 19 and the protrusion 35 disappears, and the blade member 19 can be rotated by the rotation mechanism. Therefore, when the gear 13b is operated to rotate it (arrow K in the figure), the blade member 19 can be rotated together with the gear 13a (arrow L in the figure).

[0093] The rotation restricting member 14 is pressed against the gear 13b by the elastic member 41. A claw portion 39 that meshes with the gear 13b is formed at the front end portion of the rotation restricting member 14. The rotation restricting member 14 can restrict the rotation direction of the gear 13b to a fixed direction. That is, the rotation restricting member 14 functions as a ratchet with respect to the gear 13b. In addition, the rotation restricting member 14 can also be pressed against the gear 13a to restrict the rotation direction of the gear 13a.

[0094] In addition, by the rotation restricting member 14, the rotation position can be defined according to the tooth pitch of the gears 13a and 13b. That is, when the gear 13b is rotated, due to the elastic member 41, the claw portion 39 of the rotation restricting member 14 is pushed into the next tooth space every time it crosses the tooth of the gear 13b, so that the user can grasp that a predetermined amount has been rotated according to each tooth pitch.

[0095] At this time, a display unit (not shown) for indicating the rotational position of the gear 13b (blade member 19) may also be provided on the gear 13b. Thereby, the user can grasp the current rotational position of the blade member 19 (the position protruding from the slit). Therefore, it is possible to grasp how many more rotational operations can be performed until the blade member 19 rotates one full turn, and thus the replacement timing of the blade member 19 can be known.

[0096] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the elastic member 31 is provided to press the blade member 19 against the positioning member 15b that restricts the height of the blade member 19. Thereby, even if the rotation axis of the blade member 19 is eccentric, the height of the front end of the blade member 19 protruding to the surface side of the slit 23 can be kept constant. That is, the positional relationship between the optical fiber and the blade tip of the blade member 19 can be kept constant.

[0097] In addition, the blade member 19 is in surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member 15a by the elastic member 21. Therefore, the orientation of the axis of the blade member 19 can be reliably restricted. That is, the orientation of the blade portion of the blade member 19 with respect to the optical fiber can be kept constant.

[0098] In this way, since the optical fiber can always be cut by the blade member 19 under constant conditions, it is possible to suppress shape deviation of the cut surface of the optical fiber, cutting failure, etc. caused by deviation of the cutting depth. Therefore, the cutting quality of the optical fiber can be improved.

[0099] In addition, since the machining accuracy of the rotation axis of the blade member 19 can be slightly poor, the manufacturing of the blade member 19 becomes easy, and the machining cost of the blade member 19 can be suppressed.

[0100] In addition, by moving the support portion 25, the support portion 25 can be brought into contact with the support portion lowering portion 37 and the support portion 25 can be pushed down in the direction opposite to the protrusion 35. Thereby, the contact between the blade member 19 and the protrusion 35 is released, and thus the rotational resistance of the blade member 19 can be reduced. Therefore, the blade member 19 can be easily rotated. Therefore, the circumferential position of the blade member 19 in contact with the optical fiber can be easily changed.

[0101] In addition, since the rotation restricting member 14 is pressed against the gear 13b for rotating the blade member 19 so that it can always rotate only in one direction, it is possible to prevent the gear 13b from being accidentally rotated in the opposite direction and changing to the old blade tip position of the blade member 19.

[0102] In addition, since the gears 13a and 13b are always kept in the meshed state, the gear 13b does not rotate idly. Therefore, by providing a display unit for indicating the rotational position of the blade member 19 on the gear 13b, it is possible to easily grasp the blade tip position of the currently used blade member 19.

[0103] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. Obviously, those skilled in the art can easily conceive of various variations or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these of course also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0104] For example, as long as the blade member 19 can be pressed against the positioning members 15a and 15b in a predetermined direction, the arrangement of the elastic members 21 and 31, the structure of the support portion 25, etc. are not limited to the illustrated examples. In addition, as long as the tip of the blade can be positioned by pressing the tapered portion of the blade member 19 against the positioning portion, the positioning structure is not limited to the above examples. For example, the positioning portion may be in point contact or surface contact with the tapered surface points on both sides of the blade member 19.

[0105] In addition, the blade member 19 is pressed against the inner surface of the positioning member 15a by the elastic member 21 disposed on the axis of the blade member 19 to achieve surface contact. However, for example, the elastic member 21 may not be used, and the blade member 19 may be fastened by other fixing members or the like to achieve surface contact between the blade member 19 and the inner surface of the positioning member 15a.

[0106] In addition, the pair of protrusions 35 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center line of the blade member 19, but as long as the blade member 19 can be positioned, they do not necessarily have to be in symmetric positions.

[0107] In addition, as the support portion lowering mechanism for releasing the contact between the blade member 19 and the positioning portion, it is not limited to the above examples, and may also be an independent mechanism that is not linked to the moving mechanism of the cutting unit 9.

[0108] Description of reference numerals:

[0109] 1: Cutting device

[0110] 3: Main body portion

[0111] 5: Cover portion

[0112] 7: Holder mounting portion

[0113] 9: Cutting unit

[0114] 11: Fixing screw

[0115] 13a, 13b: Gears

[0116] 14: Rotation restricting member

[0117] 15a, 15b: Positioning members

[0118] 17: Base portion

[0119] 19: Blade member

[0120] 21: Elastic component

[0121] 23: Slit

[0122] 25: Support part

[0123] 27: Track

[0124] 29: Operation part

[0125] 31: Elastic component

[0126] 33: Pin

[0127] 34: Notch part

[0128] 35: Protrusion

[0129] 37: Support part descending part

[0130] 39: Claw part

[0131] 41: Elastic component

[0132] 43: Elastic component

Claims

1. A cutting device, which is a cutting device for cutting optical fibers, characterized in that, Comprising: A base portion; A disc-shaped blade member; A positioning member which is provided on the base portion and restricts the position of the blade member; A support portion which is configured to be able to change in height relative to the base portion and supports the blade member; A first elastic member which presses the support portion relative to the base portion against the positioning portion of the positioning member; A support portion lowering mechanism which is provided on the main body portion and can push down the support portion in a direction opposite to the positioning portion; and A rotation mechanism which can rotate the blade member, The positioning member has a slit, The blade member is accommodated inside the positioning member, the blade member is pressed by the first elastic member in the direction of the slit, the tapered portion of the blade member contacts the positioning portion on the inner surface side of the slit and is positioned, and the front end of the blade member projects toward the surface side of the slit. The support portion is lowered by the support portion lowering mechanism so that the blade member can be rotated by the rotation mechanism in a state where the contact between the tapered portion of the blade member and the positioning portion is released.

2. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein The cutting device has an operation portion which moves the support portion relative to the main body portion, When the support portion is moved by the operation portion by a predetermined distance or more, the support portion lowering mechanism can contact a part of the support portion and push down the support portion.

3. The cutting device according to claim 2, wherein The support portion can move between a first position and a second position, the first position is a standby position before cutting, the second position is a position after cutting, the operation portion can push the support portion into the main body portion from the second position to the first position, When the support portion is over-moved by the operation portion beyond the first position, the support portion lowering mechanism can contact a part of the support portion and push down the support portion.

4. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein The rotation mechanism has a first gear fixed to the blade member and a second gear which meshes with the first gear and can rotate the first gear, The first gear and the second gear mesh with each other in any one of the states where the support portion has been lowered by the support portion lowering mechanism and the state where it has not been lowered.

5. The cutting device according to claim 4, wherein The cutting device has a rotation restricting member pressed against the first gear or the second gear, the rotation restricting member has a claw portion which meshes with the first gear or the second gear, By the rotation restricting member, the rotation direction of the first gear or the second gear can be restricted to a fixed direction.

6. The cutting device according to claim 5, wherein By the rotation restricting member, the rotation position can be specified according to the pitch of the teeth of the first gear or the second gear, and a display portion indicating the rotation position of the blade member is provided on the second gear.

7. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein: the cutting device is provided with a second elastic member that presses the blade member axially of the blade member and toward the support portion; as the positioning portion, a protrusion protruding toward the inner surface side is formed on one of the opposing edges of the slit, and the protrusion is formed at two positions with the axis of the blade member therebetween when viewed from above; the blade member is pressed by the second elastic member so that one surface of the blade member is in surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member; the blade member is pressed by the first elastic member toward the slit so that the tapered portion on the other surface of the blade member comes into contact with each of the protrusion points and is positioned.

8. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein: the cutting device has a guiding mechanism that can move the support portion downward while maintaining the attitude of the support portion when the support portion is lowered by the support portion lowering mechanism.

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