Cutting device

Abstract

A blade member (19) is disposed above the cutting unit (9). The blade member (19) is a substantially disc-shaped member, and the circumferential portion of the blade member (19) is a blade tip. The blade member (19) is housed inside the positioning members (15a, 15b). When the positioning members (15a, 15b) are joined so as to face each other, slits (23) are formed in the upper portions of the positioning members (15a, 15b). 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 protrusions (35) are formed at two positions across the central axis of the blade member (19). One surface of the blade member (19) is in surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member (15a), and the blade member (19) is pressed in the direction of the slit (23) by the elastic member (31), whereby a tapered portion on the other surface of the blade member (19) is in point contact with the protrusion (35) and positioned.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device for cutting optical fibers. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when splicing optical fibers, first, the coating layer of the optical fiber core is removed, and then the optical fiber is cut into a predetermined size. As a cutting device for cutting optical fibers, there is a cutting device as follows: the coating layer of the optical fiber core is removed to expose the glass fiber portion, and a disk-shaped blade member is brought into contact with the glass fiber portion to cut its surface and cut it off.

[0003] However, in such a cutting device for optical fibers, it is necessary to precisely control the depth of cutting of the optical fiber core. For example, if the positional relationship between the optical fiber core and the blade member is inaccurate, it may result in incomplete cutting, or the blade member may excessively contact the optical fiber core, causing damage to the optical fiber core and other problems. Therefore, for example, it is necessary to align the position of the blade member with the optical fiber core with an accuracy within 10 μm.

[0004] Generally, the blade member used in the cutting device is a disk-shaped blade member. The disk-shaped blade member can be used by rotating to change the worn part due to the wear of the blade tip or the like to a new part.

[0005] Usually, such a circular blade member is fixed at its center. Therefore, due to the clearance between the hole and the shaft at the center, there may be an error in the height of the blade member during installation, resulting in a change in the height of the blade. In addition, when the blade member itself is not a perfect circle, or due to the positional deviation of the hole at the center or the like, the height of the blade tip also changes, so it is difficult to set the height of the blade tip with high precision.

[0006] In response to this, the following method has been proposed: a method of positioning the blade member not at the center position but at a position close to the blade tip (Patent Document 1).

[0007] Prior Art Documents

[0008] Patent Documents

[0009] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-163195 Summary of the Invention

[0010] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0011] According to Patent Document 1, by providing a positioning mechanism based on surface contact or point contact with the tapered portion of the blade member, it is possible to set the height of the blade tip without being easily affected by the positional deviation or eccentricity of the center hole of the blade member.

[0012] However, as described in Patent Document 1, when the positioning member is intended to be brought into surface contact with the tapered portion of the blade member, due to the accuracy of the positioning member or the fixing accuracy, there is a case where complete surface contact cannot be achieved, and misalignment and oblique contact may occur, thereby causing the height of the blade tip to change.

[0013] In addition, even if you want to position the positioning component in the height direction by point contact, there is a situation where the heights of the positioning parts on both sides are inconsistent. In addition, if point contact is set, the axis of the blade component may shake, and the blade component may not be able to contact the optical fiber vertically. Moreover, in positioning based on point contact, it is difficult to perform positioning in the direction perpendicular to the height direction (movement direction of the blade component) with high precision, and the position of the blade component may be misaligned.

[0014] If the position of the blade member changes in this way, the depth of the cut on the optical fiber will also change, making it difficult to cut the optical fiber with high accuracy, and the cutting quality of the optical fiber will deteriorate.

[0015] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cutting device capable of setting the position of a blade member with higher accuracy, thereby being capable of cutting an optical fiber under a constant condition.

[0016] Solutions for solving problems

[0017] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a cutting device for cutting an optical fiber, characterized in that it comprises: a base portion; a disc-shaped blade member; a positioning member, which is arranged on the base portion and limits the position of the blade member; a support portion, which is configured to be variable in height relative to the base portion and supports the blade member; and a first elastic member, which presses the support portion relative to the base portion toward the positioning portion of the positioning member, the positioning member having a slit, and as the positioning portion, a protrusion protruding toward the inner surface side is formed on one of the opposing edge portions of the slit, the protrusion being formed at two locations across the axis of the blade member when viewed from above, the blade member being accommodated inside the positioning member, one surface of the blade member being in contact with the inner surface of the positioning member, and the blade member being pressed toward the direction of the slit by the first elastic member, the tapered portion on the other surface of the blade member being in contact with each of the protrusion points to be positioned, and the front end of the blade member protruding toward the surface side of the slit.

[0018] Preferably, the pair of protrusions are arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to a center line in a vertical direction passing through an axis of the blade member.

[0019] Preferably, when viewed from the axial direction of the blade member, the front end of the protrusion is formed in an arc shape, and the arc portion of the protrusion is in point contact with the tapered portion of the blade member.

[0020] Preferably, the cutting device includes a second elastic member that presses the blade member in the axial direction of the blade member and toward the support portion, and one surface of the blade member is pressed by the second elastic member against the inner surface of the positioning member.

[0021] According to the present invention, by bringing one surface of the blade member into surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member using an elastic 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 bringing the tapered portions on the other surface of the blade member into point contact with the two protrusions of the positioning member respectively, the position of the blade member can be positioned with high precision.

[0022] In addition, by arranging the protrusions at positions symmetric with respect to the center line passing through the axis of the blade member, the positioning of the blade member can be performed with high precision.

[0023] 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 brought into surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member.

[0024] Advantages of the Invention

[0025] According to the present invention, a cutting device can be provided that can set the position of the blade member with higher precision, thereby enabling the optical fiber to be cut under constant conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the cutting device 1.

[0027] Figure 2A is a top perspective view of the cutting unit 9.

[0028] Figure 2B is a bottom perspective view of the cutting unit 9.

[0029] Figure 3A is a perspective view of the back side of the cutting unit 9.

[0030] Figure 3B is a top view of the cutting unit 9.

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the positioning mechanism of the blade member 19.

[0032] Figure 5A is an exploded perspective view of the blade member 19 and the positioning members 15a, 15b.

[0033] Figure 5B is Figure 5A an enlarged view of part E of

[0034] Figure 6AThis is a perspective view of the positioning member 15b when the blade member 19 and the positioning members 15a and 15b are assembled together.

[0035] Figure 6B It is Figure 6A An enlarged view of part F.

[0036] Figure 7A This is a three-dimensional view showing the positional relationship between the blade member 19 and the protrusion 35.

[0037] Figure 7B This is a top view showing the positional relationship between the blade member 19 and the protrusion 35. Detailed implementation mode

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional 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.

[0039] A holder placement portion 7 is formed on the upper surface of the main body portion 3. A holder for holding an optical fiber is placed on the holder placement portion 7. The glass fiber portion exposed by removing the coating layer of the optical fiber protrudes from the end of the holder. When the holder is disposed on the holder placement portion 7, the optical fiber is disposed so as to straddle the moving range of the cutting unit 9.

[0040] In a 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).

[0041] 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 direction of A in the figure. When the cutting unit 9 moves, the blade tip contacts the optical fiber and cuts the optical fiber, and by applying a bending stress or the like to the cut portion, the optical fiber can be cut.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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 a blade tip. The blade member 19 is accommodated inside the positioning members 15a, 15b. The positioning members 15a, 15b are members that limit the position of the blade member 19, and they are fixed to the base portion 17. When the positioning members 15a, 15b are opposed and joined, a slit 23 is formed in the upper portion of the positioning members 15a, 15b. The front end of the blade member 19 projects from the slit 23 to the surface side (above) of the positioning members 15a, 15b.

[0046] A part of the inner edge portion of the slit 23 is in contact with the blade member 19. Therefore, the positioning members 15a, 15b serve as positioning portions that limit the position of the blade member 19. In addition, the method of positioning the blade member 19 in the positioning members 15a, 15b will be described in detail later.

[0047] A recess is formed on the bottom surface side of the operation portion 29. Thus, the user can insert a finger into the recess of the operation portion 29 to operate the cutting unit 9.

[0048] For example, as described above, by normally protruding the operation portion 29 from the main body portion 3, the workability is good when the main body portion 3 is placed on a table for work. On the other hand, when the main body portion 3 is held by hand for work, since the end 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 is also good when the main body portion 3 is held by hand for work.

[0049] 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 3BSchematic cross-sectional view of 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. Therefore, by rotating the gear 13b, the blade member 19 can be rotated together with the gear 13a.

[0050] In this way, the circumferential position of the blade member 19 protruding from the slit 23 can be changed by the gear 13b. Therefore, the circumferential position of the blade member 19 in contact with the optical fiber can be changed. It should be noted that the rotation method of the blade member 19 is not particularly limited. In addition, during use, the rotation of the gear 13b is restricted by a stopper (not shown), and the blade member 19 is fixed at a predetermined circumferential position.

[0051] 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 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) against the positioning members 15a and 15b (arrow B in the figure).

[0052] In addition, in order to adjust the front end position of the blade member 19, the positioning members 15a and 15b can also be adjusted in height relative to the base portion 17. For example, by pushing down the positioning member 15a with a screw in the long hole provided in the positioning member 15a and pushing up the positioning member 15a with a set screw in a separately provided threaded hole, the height of the positioning members 15a and 15b relative to the base portion 17 can also 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.

[0053] 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 by the protrusion 35 of the positioning member 15b will be described in detail later.

[0054] In addition, the blade member 19 is configured to be clamped by the gear 13a and the support portion 25 and is fixed by a 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 as a second elastic member is disposed in the gap between the head of the fixing screw 11 and the gear 13a.

[0055] 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 - hand 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). Thus, it is possible to bring one surface of the blade member 19 into surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member 15a fixed to the base portion 17.

[0056] In this way, by bringing one surface of the blade member 19 into surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member 15a, it is possible to reliably position the axial position of the blade member 19 (the position in the left - right direction in the figure). In addition, since the blade member 19 is in surface contact with and pressed by the positioning member 15a, it is possible to suppress the axial deviation 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), and it is possible to keep the axial direction of the blade member 19 perpendicular to either the moving direction or the height direction of the blade member 19.

[0057] Next, a method for positioning the blade member 19 using the positioning member 15b will be described in detail. Figure 5A 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 one planar 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 side opposite to the opposing surface of the positioning member 15a.

[0058] Figure 5B is Figure 5A an enlarged view of part E of. 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.

[0059] Figure 6A 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 that protrude 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 positioning portions for the blade member 19. The protrusions 35 are formed at two locations across the center line (axis) in the up - down direction of the blade member 19.

[0060] 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 in the central portion. The thickness of this tapered portion gradually thins towards 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 comes into contact with the protrusion 35 (portion D in the figure).

[0061] 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 comes into contact with each protrusion 35 on the inner edge portion of the slit 23. At this time, the front end of the blade member 19 protrudes towards the surface side of the slit 23.

[0062] 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 and is a top view of observing the blade member 19 from above.

[0063] As Figure 6B shown, when observing from the axial direction of the blade member 19, the front end of the protrusion 35 (the portion in contact with the blade member 19) is formed in an arc shape. In addition, the tapered portion of the blade member 19 is also formed in a circular shape along the outer peripheral portion. Therefore, the arc portion of the protrusion 35 is in point contact with the tapered portion of the blade member 19. That is, the blade member 19 is pressed upward (in the direction of the slit 23) by the elastic member 31, and further upward movement is restricted by the contact between the tapered portion of the blade member 19 and the protrusion 35. Thereby, the blade member 19 can be positioned in the height direction.

[0064] At this time, as Figure 6A shown, a pair of protrusions 35 are arranged at positions symmetric with respect to the center line extending in the height direction of the blade member 19 (the center line in the vertical direction passing through the axis, i.e., G in the figure). That is, when observing the blade member 19 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 blade member 19 can also be positioned with respect to the moving direction (left - right direction in the figure).

[0065] In this way, one surface of the blade member 19 is in surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member 15a, and at the same time, by pressing the blade member 19 towards the slit 23 using the elastic member 31, the tapered portion of the other surface of the blade member 19 is in point contact with the protrusion 35 to position the 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 blade member 19 in the height direction and the moving direction is only performed by the positioning member 15b, and the suppression of the shaft offset (tilt) of the blade member 19 is performed by the positioning member 15a. Therefore, the blade member 19 can be positioned with high precision.

[0066] 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. Thus, 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 portion of the blade member 19 can be kept constant.

[0067] 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.

[0068] In this way, since the optical fiber can always be cut by the blade member 19 under constant conditions, the shape deviation and cutting failure of the cut surface of the optical fiber caused by the deviation of the cutting depth can be suppressed. Therefore, the cutting quality of the optical fiber can be improved.

[0069] 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.

[0070] For example, as described above, by rotating the gear 13b, 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 changed. At this time, as long as the length from the rotation center of the blade member 19 to the blade tip is completely constant in the circumferential direction, even if the blade member 19 is rotated, the position of the blade tip will not change. On the other hand, if the rotation axis of the blade member 19 is slightly eccentric, by rotating the blade member 19, the distance from the rotation center of the blade member 19 to the blade tip will change.

[0071] In response to this, in the present invention, the front end portion of the blade member 19 is respectively in point contact with a pair of protrusions 35 on the inner edge portion of the slit 23 and is positioned. Therefore, even if the axis of the blade member 19 is eccentric, the length of the blade tip of the blade member 19 protruding from the slit 23 can be kept substantially constant.

[0072] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. Obviously, those skilled in the art can easily think of various deformation examples or modification examples 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.

[0073] For example, as long as the blade member 19 can be pressed against the positioning members 15a and 15b in a predetermined direction, the configuration of the elastic members 21 and 31, the structure of the support portion 25, etc. are not limited to the illustrated examples.

[0074] In addition, the blade member 19 is pressed against the inner surface of the positioning member 15a by the elastic member 21 provided on the axis of the blade member 19 to achieve surface contact. However, for example, instead of using the elastic member 21, other fixing members or the like can be used to fasten the blade member 19 and make the blade member 19 in surface contact with the inner surface of the positioning member 15a.

[0075] In addition, the pair of protrusions 35 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center line of the blade member 19. However, as long as the positioning of the blade member 19 can be performed, they do not necessarily have to be in symmetric positions.

[0076] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0077] 1: Cutting device

[0078] 3: Main body part

[0079] 5: Cover part

[0080] 7: Holder placement part

[0081] 9: Cutting unit

[0082] 11: Fixing screw

[0083] 13a, 13b: Gears

[0084] 15a, 15b: Positioning members

[0085] 17: Base part

[0086] 19: Blade member

[0087] 21: Elastic member

[0088] 23: Slit

[0089] 25: Support part

[0090] 27: Track

[0091] 29: Operation part

[0092] 31: Elastic member

[0093] 33: Pin

[0094] 35: Protrusion

Claims

1. A cutting device that cuts an optical fiber, characterized in that, have: Base part; A disc-shaped blade component; a positioning member disposed on the base portion and limiting the position of the blade member; a support portion configured to be variable in height relative to the base portion and supporting the blade member; as well as a first elastic member that presses the support portion toward the positioning portion of the positioning member relative to the base portion, The positioning member has a slit, and a protrusion protruding toward the inner surface is formed on one of the opposing edges of the slit as the positioning portion, and the protrusion is formed at two locations across the axis of the blade member when viewed from above. The blade component is housed inside the positioning component, one surface of the blade component is in contact with the inner surface of the positioning component, and the blade component is pressed toward the slit by the first elastic component, and the tapered portion on the other surface of the blade component is in contact with each of the protrusion points to be positioned, and the front end of the blade component protrudes toward the surface side of the slit.

2. The cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pair of protrusions are arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to a center line in the up-down direction passing through the axis of the blade member.

3. The cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When viewed from the axial direction of the blade member, the front end of the protrusion is formed in an arc shape, and the arc portion of the protrusion is in point contact with the tapered portion of the blade member.

4. The cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cutting device includes a second elastic member that presses the blade member in the axial direction of the blade member and in the direction of the support portion, and one surface of the blade member is pressed against the inner surface of the positioning member by the second elastic member.

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