Holder for optical fiber polishing and optical fiber polishing device

Abstract

To provide a holder for optical fiber polishing that enables a polishing length of an optical fiber to be constant and enables easy adjustment of the polishing length, and an optical fiber polishing device to which the holder can be attached.SOLUTION: Provided is a holder for optical fiber polishing used in polishing of an optical fiber. The holder includes: a holder body to which the optical fiber can be fixed; a movable member capable of moving in a vertical direction with respect to a bottom surface of the holder body; and a position adjustment member capable of adjusting a position of the movable member in the vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical fiber polishing holder for holding an optical fiber when polishing the optical fiber, and an optical fiber polishing device for polishing the optical fiber held in the optical fiber polishing holder. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an optical fiber polishing device that polishes an optical fiber by mounting an optical fiber polishing holder with an optical fiber attached to the optical fiber polishing device and rotating a polishing disk of the optical fiber polishing device. In such devices, it is common to adjust how much of the optical fiber is polished, that is, the polishing length of the optical fiber (polishing allowance, polishing amount), by changing the rotation speed of the polishing disk, polishing time, etc.

[0003] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a polishing device in which an optical fiber is attached to a tubular member arranged at a fixed height relative to a polishing plate. In Patent Document 1, the height position of the optical fiber relative to the polishing plate is kept constant, so that the polished length of the optical fiber is kept constant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-19649 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the method of adjusting the polished length of the optical fiber by changing the rotation speed of the polishing disk or the polishing time, there is a possibility that the polished length will vary depending on the usage state of the polishing film, the installation state of the optical fiber, etc. In addition, in the method described in Patent Document 1, although the polished length of the optical fiber can be kept constant, it is necessary to change the height of the tubular member in order to change the polished length, making it difficult to adjust the polished length.

[0006] The present invention provides an optical fiber polishing holder that can keep the polished length of an optical fiber constant and can easily adjust the polished length, and an optical fiber polishing device to which the holder can be attached. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The optical fiber polishing holder of the present invention is an optical fiber polishing holder used for polishing an optical fiber, and comprises a holder body capable of fixing the optical fiber, a movable member capable of moving vertically relative to the bottom surface of the holder body, and a position adjustment member capable of adjusting the vertical position of the movable member. In the optical fiber polishing holder constructed as described above, the polishing length of the optical fiber is adjusted by changing the vertical position of the movable member relative to the bottom surface of the holder body.

[0008] In the above configuration, the movable member may have a protrusion that protrudes downward from a bottom surface of the holder body, and the position adjustment member may be configured to adjust the protruding length of the protrusion from the bottom surface of the holder body. In the optical fiber polishing holder constructed as described above, the polished length of the optical fiber is adjusted by changing the protrusion length that protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the holder body to which the optical fiber is fixed.

[0009] In the above configuration, the protrusion may be arranged so as to pass through a through hole that passes through the holder body in the vertical direction. In the optical fiber polishing holder constructed as described above, the projection of the movable member passes through the through hole formed in the holder body and protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the holder body.

[0010] In the above configuration, the position adjustment member may be arranged above the holder body. In the optical fiber polishing holder constructed as described above, the position of the movable member is adjusted by operating the position adjusting member above the holder body.

[0011] In the aforementioned configuration, the position adjustment member may be configured to adjust the vertical position of the movable member by restricting upward movement of the movable member at a certain position. In the optical fiber polishing holder constructed as described above, the upward movement of the movable member is restricted to a fixed position by the position adjustment member, thereby adjusting the polished length of the optical fiber.

[0012] In the above configuration, the position adjustment member may be arranged above the movable member, and the upward movement of the movable member may be restricted to a certain position by adjusting the gap between the position adjustment member and the movable member. In the optical fiber polishing holder configured as described above, the position adjustment member is disposed above the movable member, and the upward movement of the movable member is restricted to a certain position by adjusting the gap between the position adjustment member and the movable member, thereby adjusting the polishing length of the optical fiber.

[0013] In the above configuration, the movable member may have two or more protrusions, the two or more protrusions protruding from the bottom surface of the holder body at two or more positions, and the position adjustment member may adjust the protrusion lengths of the two or more protrusions from the bottom surface of the holder body in conjunction with each other. In the optical fiber polishing holder configured as described above, the two or more protrusions protrude from the bottom surface of the holder body, thereby adjusting the vertical position of the movable member at two or more positions. Furthermore, the protruding lengths of the two or more protrusions are not adjusted individually, but are adjusted in conjunction with each other by operating the position adjustment member.

[0014] In the above configuration, a biasing mechanism that biases the movable member in a direction approaching the holder body may be disposed between the movable member and the position adjustment member. In the optical fiber polishing holder configured as described above, the biasing mechanism biases the movable member in a direction toward the holder body, thereby preventing the movable member from moving suddenly when a force is applied in a direction moving the movable member away from the holder body.

[0015] In the above configuration, the position adjustment member may include a microhead. In the optical fiber polishing holder constructed as described above, the vertical position of the movable member is easily and precisely adjusted by easily and precisely changing the vertical position of the movable member using the microhead.

[0016] In the above-mentioned configuration, the holder body may have an installation mechanism capable of attaching an optical fiber fixing jig thereto. In the optical fiber polishing holder configured as described above, the optical fiber can be easily attached and detached to the optical fiber polishing holder by attaching the optical fiber fixing jig with the installation mechanism. Also, there is no need to prepare a polishing holder for each object to be polished that has a different type of optical fiber or polishing shape, and by preparing an optical fiber fixing jig for each object to be polished and attaching it to the installation mechanism of the holder body, polishing according to each polishing specification is possible.

[0017] The present invention can also be configured as an optical fiber polishing device including the optical fiber polishing holder described above. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical fiber polishing holder that can keep the polished length of an optical fiber constant and can easily adjust the polished length, and an optical fiber polishing device equipped with the holder. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an optical fiber polishing device 10 with an optical fiber polishing holder 20 attached thereto. [Diagram 2]1 is a cross-sectional view of an optical fiber polishing apparatus 10 with an optical fiber polishing holder 20 attached thereto, taken along a diagonal line in a plan view. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an optical fiber polishing holder 20. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical fiber polishing holder 20. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber polishing holder 20 taken along the line AA in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber polishing holder 20 taken along the line BB in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the optical fiber polishing device 10 and the optical fiber polishing holder 20 with the movable member 22 positioned downward. [Figure 8] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the optical fiber polishing device 10 and the optical fiber polishing holder 20 with the movable member 22 positioned upward. [Figure 9] 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an optical fiber polishing device 110 with an optical fiber polishing holder 20 attached thereto. [Figure 10] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of an optical fiber polishing device 210 with an optical fiber polishing holder 220 attached thereto. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as an example. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical fiber polishing holder 20 (hereinafter, holder 20) attached to an optical fiber polishing device 10 (hereinafter, polishing device 10). FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the polishing device 10 with the holder 20 attached, cut in a diagonal direction in a plan view. Both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a state in which an optical fiber 40 is attached to the holder 20 via an optical fiber fixing jig 30 (hereinafter, jig 30). For the sake of simplicity of explanation, an example in which one optical fiber 40 is attached to the holder 20 using one jig 30 is shown, but it is also possible to attach multiple optical fibers 40 to the holder 20 using multiple jigs 30.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing apparatus 10 includes a main body 11 that houses drive components and the like, and a base member 12 disposed above the main body 11. The base member 12 is a plate-like member that is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view and has a predetermined thickness. A holding table 13 for holding a holder 20 is provided at each of the four corners of the upper part of the base member 12. A clamp lever 14 is provided on each holding table 13. The holder 20 can be fixed to the polishing apparatus 10 by placing the holder 20 on the holding table 13 and rotating the clamp lever 14 in the horizontal direction. The position of the base member 12 in the height direction relative to the main body 11 is constant, and the position of the holding table 13 in the height direction relative to the base member 12 is constant. When the holder 20 is fixed to the polishing apparatus 10, the holder 20 is fixed at a constant position in the height direction relative to the base member 12 and the main body 11 (i.e., the mounting surface of the polishing apparatus 10). Note that the mechanism for fixing the holder 20 using the holding table 13 and the clamp lever 14 has an existing structure, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0022] The structure of the polishing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. A movable support member 15 for supporting a polishing disk 17 and the like is disposed above the base member 12. The movable support member 15 is formed in a plate shape that is substantially circular in plan view and has a predetermined thickness. The movable support member 15 has a shaft 15A that extends downward through a through hole formed in the base member 12. The movable support member 15 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (height direction of the polishing apparatus 10) relative to the main body 11 and the base member 12 by operating a driving mechanism (not shown) on the shaft 15A. A turntable 16 is placed on the upper surface of the movable support member 15. The polishing disk 17 is placed on the horizontal surface of the upper surface of the turntable 16. The turntable 16 is rotated in the horizontal direction by a motor (not shown). The motor may include a rotation motor for rotating the turntable 16 and a revolution motor for revolving the turntable 16. When the turntable 16 is driven to rotate, it slides on the upper surface of the movable support member 15 while rotating. In other words, the polishing disk 17 is placed on the turntable 16 which is slidable relative to the movable support member 15. By rotating the turntable 16 with the polishing disk 17 (polishing pad, polishing film, etc.) placed on the upper surface of the turntable 16, the optical fiber 40 is polished by the polishing film, etc. In this embodiment, the movable support member 15 and the turntable 16 correspond to the members supporting the polishing disk 17. Since the structure and operation for driving the turntable 16 to rotate can use conventionally known technology, detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0023] As described above, the movable support member 15 is configured to be movable in the height direction relative to the base member 12. As a driving mechanism for moving the movable support member 15 in the height direction, for example, a mechanical mechanism using a cam or a fluid mechanism such as an air cylinder can be used, but since the driving mechanism is a conventionally known technology, detailed description will be omitted. When the movable support member 15 moves in the height direction, the turntable 16 and the polishing plate 17 move in the height direction in conjunction with (synchronization with) the movable support member 15. Since the position of the optical fiber 40 attached to the holder 20 in the height direction is fixed, when the polishing plate 17 moves in the height direction, the relative position of the polishing plate 17 in the height direction with respect to the optical fiber 40 changes. In other words, the polishing plate 17 approaches or moves away from the optical fiber 40. By bringing the polishing plate 17 close to the optical fiber 40 attached to the holder 20, a polishing pressure is applied to the optical fiber 40, and the optical fiber 40 is polished. By restricting the upward movement of the polishing plate 17 at a certain position, the relative distance between the optical fiber 40 and the polishing plate 17 can be fixed at a predetermined distance. This makes it possible to keep constant the polished length of the optical fiber 40. The structure for limiting the upward movement of the polishing disk 17 to a certain position will be described later.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the holder 20, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holder 20. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the holder 20 taken along line AA in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the holder 20 taken along line BB in FIG. The holder 20 is a member for holding the optical fiber 40 at a predetermined position relative to the polishing surface of the polishing device 10. The holder 20 has a holder body 21 capable of fixing the optical fiber 40, a movable member 22 capable of moving vertically relative to a bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21, a microhead 23 that limits the upward movement of the movable member 22 at a certain position by varying the protruding length of the tip, and a first fixing member 24 and a second fixing member 25 that fix the microhead 23 at a predetermined height position relative to the holder body 21. In this embodiment, the microhead 23, the first fixing member 24, and the second fixing member 25 correspond to position adjustment members capable of adjusting the vertical position of the movable member 22. Note that adjusting the vertical position of movable member 22 here includes adjusting the upper limit vertical position and limiting the upper limit vertical position within the movable range of movable member 22. The upper limit position is the highest position within the movable range of movable member 22 and is the position farthest vertically from polishing disk 17 of polishing apparatus 10.

[0025] The holder body 21 is a member placed on the holding table 13 of the polishing device 10 and used in a state where its position is fixed relative to the polishing device 10. The holder body 21 is formed in a plate shape that is approximately square in plan view and has a predetermined thickness, and a circular cavity is formed in the center. The holder body 21 is formed with an installation hole 21B for attaching a jig 30 for fixing an optical fiber. A fixing pin 21C is fixed to the installation hole 21B, and the optical fiber 40 can be attached to the jig 30 by attaching the jig 30 to the fixing pin 21C. In this embodiment, the installation hole 21B and the fixing pin 21C correspond to an installation mechanism that can attach the jig 30. When the optical fiber 40 is attached to the jig 30, the end face of the optical fiber 40 protrudes downward by a predetermined length from the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21. In this state, the holder 20 is attached to the polishing device 10, and the end face of the optical fiber 40 is polished by the polishing device 10. In this embodiment, the optical fiber 40 is not arranged perpendicular to the polishing surface, but is instead arranged at a predetermined angle from the vertical direction and then polished at an angle.

[0026] The movable member 22 is a plate-like member having a long rectangular shape in a plan view and a predetermined thickness, and is disposed above the holder body 21 with the longitudinal direction of the movable member 22 facing the diagonal of the holder body 21, which is rectangular in a plan view. The holder body 21 is a member whose position in the height direction is fixed with respect to the polishing device 10, whereas the movable member 22 is a member configured to be movable in the height direction with respect to the holder body 21 and the polishing device 10. A protrusion 26 extending downward is fixed to the bottom surface of each of both ends of the movable member 22. The protrusion 26 has a circular cross-sectional shape in a plan view, and protrudes from the bottom surface of both ends of the movable member 22 toward the polishing device 10. The movable member 22 linearly connects the two protrusions 26 at the shortest distance. When the movable member 22 is disposed so as to contact the upper surface of the holder body 21, the protrusion 26 protrudes downward from the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21 through a through hole 21D that penetrates the holder body 21 vertically. The diameter of the protrusion 26 is formed slightly smaller than the diameter of the through hole 21D, and the protrusion 26 is configured to be slidable in the height direction in the through hole 21D. The movable member 22 is configured to be movable in the height direction between the upper surface of the holder body 21 and the bottom surface of the first fixed member 24. When the movable member 22 moves in the height direction relative to the holder body 21, the protrusion length from the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 to the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21 (the protrusion length of the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 relative to the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21) changes. Below the protrusion 26 fixed to the movable member 22, the outer periphery part (part close to the outer periphery) of the movable support member 15 of the polishing device 10 is located, and the protrusion 26 is configured to be able to abut against the movable support member 15. In other words, when the movable support member 15 moves upward, the movable support member 15 is configured to abut against the protrusion 26. When the movable support member 15 moves further upward from the state where the movable support member 15 abuts against the projection 26, the movable support member 15 is configured to be able to push up the projection 26.

[0027] The first fixing member 24 is a plate-like member formed to be wider than the movable member 22 and shorter in length than the movable member 22. The first fixing member 24 is fixed to four support columns 22A extending upward from the holder body 21 by bolts or the like. The second fixing member 25 is a plate-like member formed to be approximately the same width as the first fixing member 24 and shorter in length than the first fixing member 24. The second fixing member 25 is disposed on the upper surface of the first fixing member 24 and fixed to the first fixing member 24 by bolts or the like. The microhead 23 is fixed to the second fixing member 25 in a state where it is inserted into an insertion hole 25A formed in the center of the second fixing member 25. The tip (lower end) of the microhead 23 penetrates the insertion hole 25A and also penetrates the through hole 24A formed in the center of the first fixing member 24, and protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the first fixing member 24. Since the first fixing member 24, the second fixing member 25 and the main body portion of the microhead 23 (excluding the movable part at the tip) are fixed to the holder main body 21, the height position of the main body portion of the microhead 23 relative to the holder main body 21 is fixed.

[0028] The microhead 23 is configured so that the downward protrusion length of the tip of the microhead 23 can be finely adjusted. By adjusting the protrusion length of the tip of the microhead 23, the protrusion length of the tip of the microhead 23 downward from the bottom surface of the first fixing member 24 changes. In other words, the distance from the bottom surface of the holder body 21 to the tip of the microhead 23 changes. When the tip of the microhead 23 abuts against the upper surface of the movable member 22, the microhead 23 functions as a position adjustment member that adjusts the position of the movable member 22. In this embodiment, the tip of the microhead 23 acts on (abuts against) the movable member 22 near the midpoint between the two protrusions in a plan view. In addition, since the movable member 22 is configured to be movable in the height direction between the upper surface of the holder body 21 and the bottom surface of the first fixed member 24, the protruding length from the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 to the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21 here means the protruding length when the movable member 22 abuts against the bottom surface of the first fixed member 24, that is, the minimum protruding length among the protruding lengths from the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 to the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21. Therefore, it can also be said that the position adjustment member here is a member that determines the upper limit position of the movable range of the movable member 22, and is a member that determines the minimum protruding length from the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 to the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21.

[0029] A spring 27 is disposed between the movable member 22 and the microhead 23 as a biasing mechanism. The upper end of the spring 27 is inserted into the lower part of the microhead 23, and the lower end of the spring 27 abuts against the upper surface of the movable member 22. As a result, the spring 27 acts between the upper surface of the movable member 22 and the tip of the microhead 23, and biases the movable member 22 downward. In other words, the spring 27 biases the movable member 22 in a direction to bring it closer to the holder main body 21. As a result, when the movable support member 15 moves upward and abuts against the protrusion 26 fixed to the movable member 22, the movable member 22 is prevented from suddenly moving upward.

[0030] Hereinafter, the operation of the movable member 22 when it moves in the height direction will be described. The height direction is the vertical direction, which is perpendicular to the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the polishing apparatus 10 and the holder 20 in a state where the movable member 22 is located downward. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the polishing apparatus 10 and the holder 20 in a state where the movable member 22 is located upward. FIG. 7 shows a state before polishing is started, and a state before the movable support member 15 of the polishing apparatus 10 moves upward. In this state, the protrusion 26 fixed to the lower part of the movable member 22 is not in contact with the movable support member 15 of the polishing apparatus 10, and the movable member 22 is located at the lowest position in the movable range. At this time, the gap C1 between the upper surface of the movable support member 15 and the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 is maximum in the movable range. In addition, the gap C2 between the upper surface of the movable member 22 and the tip surface of the microhead 23 is also maximum in the movable range.

[0031] When the optical fiber 40 is polished, the movable support member 15 moves upward from the state shown in FIG. 7. When the movable support member 15 moves upward, first the upper surface of the movable support member 15 abuts against the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26. That is, the gap C1 between the upper surface of the movable support member 15 and the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 gradually decreases, and the gap C1 disappears (C1=0). When the movable support member 15 moves further upward from this state, the upper surface of the movable support member 15 pushes the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 upward. Accordingly, the movable member 22 moves upward together with the protrusion 26, and the gap C2 between the upper surface of the movable member 22 and the tip surface of the microhead 23 gradually decreases. As shown in FIG. 8, the movable support member 15 moves upward until the upper surface of the movable member 22 abuts against the tip surface of the microhead 23. When the upper surface of the movable member 22 abuts against the tip surface of the microhead 23, the upward movement of the movable support member 15 and the movable member 22 stops. At this time, the gap formed between the upper surface of the movable member 22 and the tip surface of the microhead 23 has disappeared (C2=0). The downward protrusion length of the tip of the microhead 23 can be finely adjusted, and by adjusting the protrusion length of the tip of the microhead 23, the upward movement of the movable member 22 can be restricted at a predetermined position. In other words, by adjusting the gap C2 between the upper surface of the movable member 22 and the tip surface of the microhead 23 before the movable member 22 starts to move upward, the upward movement of the movable member 22 can be restricted at a desired position. In other words, the upward movable range of the movable member 22 can be adjusted.

[0032] After polishing of the optical fiber 40 is completed, the movable support member 15 moves downward from the state shown in Fig. 8, and the movable member 22 moves downward together with the movable support member 15, releasing the contact between the upper surface of the movable member 22 and the tip surface of the microhead 23. As the movable support member 15 moves further downward, when the movable support member 15 reaches a predetermined position, the contact between the upper surface of the movable support member 15 and the bottom surface 26A of the protrusion 26 is released. As the movable support member 15 moves further downward, its downward movement stops at the position shown in Fig. 7.

[0033] As described above, in the present invention, the movable support member 15 of the polishing device 10 is moved up and down, so that the movable support member 15 comes into contact with the protrusion 26 fixed to the movable member 22 of the holder 20, and the movable member 22 is moved up and down. The upward movement of the movable member 22 is restricted at a predetermined position by the microhead 23, so that the upward movement of the movable support member 15 can be stopped at a fixed position. As a result, when polishing the optical fiber 40, the height distance between the tip of the optical fiber 40 protruding from the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21 and the polishing disk 17 arranged above the movable support member 15 can be fixed at a fixed position. In other words, the relative vertical position between the tip of the optical fiber 40 and the movable member 22 can be fixed at a fixed position. In addition, the vertical position of the movable member 22 can be easily adjusted by minutely changing the protruding length of the tip surface of the microhead 23. The optical fiber 40 is attached to the holder body 21 whose vertical position is fixed, whereas the movable member 22, whose vertical position can be adjusted with respect to the holder body 21 when the polishing device 10 and the holder 20 approach each other, is structured so that the relative distance between the polishing surface of the polishing device 10 and the bottom surface of the holder body 21 can be adjusted. With the above configuration, the polishing length of the optical fiber 40 can be fixed to a constant length, and the polishing length of the optical fiber 40 can be easily changed. Even if the movable member 22 is slightly inclined with respect to the polishing surface of the polishing disc 17, the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21 and the polishing surface of the polishing disc 17 are always kept parallel. Therefore, even if multiple optical fibers 40 are attached to the polishing holder 20, the occurrence of variations in the polishing length between the multiple optical fibers 40 can be suppressed. In addition, it is also possible to set the polishing length to be short at the start of polishing, and adjust the protruding length of the tip of the microhead 23 during polishing, thereby polishing the optical fiber 40 while changing the polishing length in stages.

[0034] The protrusions 26 are provided on both ends of the movable member 22. That is, the protrusions 26 protrude from the bottom surface 21A of the holder main body 21 at two positions. The microhead 23 abuts against the movable member 22 at the intermediate portion of the two protrusions 26. When the microhead 23 abuts against the movable member 22 at the intermediate portion of the two protrusions 26, the protrusion lengths of the two protrusions 26 from the bottom surface 21A of the holder main body 21 are adjusted to the same length in conjunction with each other. Since the movable member 22 and the movable support member 15 contact each other at two points, the movable member 22 and the movable support member 15 can be kept parallel to each other.

[0035] Since the protrusion 26 is disposed so as to protrude downward while passing through the through hole 21D that passes through the holder body 21 in the vertical direction, it is not necessary to form a protrusion on the outside of the holder body 21, and the protrusion 26 can be protruded toward the polishing device 10 with a simple structure. Since the protrusion 26 protrudes downward from the holder body 21 while the position adjustment members such as the microhead 23 are disposed above the holder body 21, the position in the height direction can be adjusted above the holder body 21, and operability is also good. Since the protrusion 26 is formed at two places and the protrusion 26 and the movable support member 15 abut at two places, the distance between the bottom surface 21A of the holder body 21 and the polishing surface of the polishing disk 17 can be adjusted more accurately. By biasing the movable member 22 in a direction approaching the holder body 21 by the spring 27, it is possible to suppress the movable member 22 from moving suddenly when the movable support member 15 pushes the movable member 22 upward. This prevents the movable member 22 from colliding forcefully with the tip of the microhead 23. By using the micro-head 23 as a position adjustment member, the vertical position of the movable member 22 can be easily and precisely adjusted.

[0036] In the above embodiment, an example in which the optical fiber is directly attached to the holder has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can be applied to a structure in which an optical fiber attached to a ferrule or an array is polished, or a structure in which an optical fiber is attached to a holder via a connector or the like. In addition, in the above embodiment, an example in which oblique polishing is performed in which the optical fiber is polished while being arranged at a predetermined angle from the perpendicular direction to the polishing surface has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can also be applied to a structure in which the optical fiber is arranged perpendicular to the polishing surface and polished. By changing the structure of the jig for fixing the optical fiber, various types of optical fibers can be attached to the holder and polished.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the relative distance in the height direction between the polishing disk and the optical fiber is changed by moving the movable support member that supports the polishing disk of the polishing device has been described, but the polishing device to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a structure in which the position of the polishing disk is fixed and the holder is moved in the height direction to change the relative distance in the height direction between the polishing disk and the optical fiber. In that case, the downward movement of the holder is limited to a certain position by a position adjustment member. The present invention can be applied as long as the holder and polishing device have a structure that can change the relative distance in the height direction between the polishing disk and the holder.

[0038] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the movable support member of the polishing apparatus abuts against the movable member of the holder to push up the movable member, but the portion with which the movable member of the holder abuts is not limited to the movable support member of the polishing apparatus. As long as it is a portion that moves in the height direction, the movable member of the holder may abut against any portion of the polishing apparatus. Note that, in a configuration in which the holder moves in the height direction but the polishing apparatus does not move in the height direction, the movable member of the holder may abut against any portion of the polishing apparatus.

[0039] In the above embodiment, an example in which a long movable member is disposed on the upper surface of the holder body has been described, but the shape of the movable member is not particularly limited. The shape of the movable member is not limited as long as it is a member that can move in the height direction relative to the holder body. The direction in which the movable member is disposed is also not limited to the diagonal direction of the holder body. It is also possible to use a movable member that is rectangular or circular in plan view, and it is also possible to dispose the movable member parallel to a line that forms the outer shape of the holder body. The movable member may be formed in an arc shape in side view, and a position adjustment member may be applied to the center portion.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the structure in which two protrusions protruding downward are provided at both ends of the movable member has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, one protrusion or three or more protrusions may be provided. However, by providing two or more protrusions, the movable member of the holder and the movable support member of the polishing device can be maintained more parallel. By providing two protrusions and applying a position adjustment member to the intermediate portion between the two protrusions, the positions of the two protrusions can be adjusted with one position adjustment member. In addition, by applying a position adjustment member to the intermediate portion, the parallelism between the movable member of the holder and the movable support member of the polishing device can be further improved. Note that the intermediate portion means a position near the middle of the two protrusions, and does not mean that the intermediate portion is strictly equidistant from the two protrusions.

[0041] In the above embodiment, an example in which a microhead is used as a position adjustment member has been described, but the position adjustment member of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a structure in which the height position of the movable member is adjusted by changing the number of shims (spacers) sandwiched or the thickness of the shims can be adopted. In addition, a structure in which the microhead limits the upper limit of the height direction position of the movable member is described, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this structure. In addition, a first fixing member and a second fixing member are used to fix the microhead, but it is not essential to use two fixing members. As long as the structure can fix the microhead to the holder body, it is not necessary to use a fixing member. For example, a structure in which the tip of the microhead protrudes downward from the lower surface of the holder as it is, so that the microhead functions as both a movable member and a position adjustment member, is also conceivable.

[0042] In the above embodiment, an example in which a spring is disposed between the movable member and the microhead as a biasing mechanism has been described, but the location of the biasing mechanism is not limited to this. As long as the biasing mechanism biases the movable member in a direction approaching the holder body, the location of the biasing mechanism is not limited. For example, the biasing mechanism may be disposed between the bottom surface of the second fixed member and the movable member without inserting the biasing mechanism into the tip of the microhead. Also, an example in which a spring is used as the biasing mechanism has been described, but the biasing mechanism is not limited to a spring. For example, an elastic member such as urethane or a hydraulic damper may be used as the biasing mechanism.

[0043] As another embodiment of the polishing apparatus, an optical fiber polishing apparatus 110 (hereinafter, the polishing apparatus 110) will be described. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the polishing apparatus 110 with the holder 20 attached thereto. The holder 20 is the same as that used in the above-described embodiment. The configuration of the polishing apparatus 110 is basically the same as that of the polishing apparatus 10, except that an extension member 150 is fixed to the movable support member 115. The extension member 150 is a plate-like member that is fixed to the movable support member 115 that supports the turntable 116 and the polishing disk 117 and extends radially outward from the polishing disk 117. When the movable support member 115 moves upward, the extension member 150 abuts against the protrusion 26 of the movable member 22 to push the movable member 22 upward. As a result, even if the position of the protrusion 26 of the movable member 22 is located outside the movable support member 115, the extension member 150 abuts against the protrusion 26, thereby allowing the movable member 22 to be pushed upward in the height direction relative to the holder body 21. It should be noted that the member to which the extending member 150 is fixed is not limited to the movable support member 115. The extending member 150 may be fixed to any member as long as it supports the polishing disk 117. For example, the extending member 150 may be fixed to the turntable 116.

[0044] As another embodiment of the polishing device and the holder, an optical fiber polishing device 210 (hereinafter, the polishing device 210) and an optical fiber polishing holder 220 (hereinafter, the holder 220) will be described. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the polishing device 210 with the holder 220 attached thereto. The configuration of the polishing device 210 is basically the same as that of the polishing device 10, except that an extension member 250 is fixed to the movable support member 215. The extension member 250 is fixed to the movable support member 215 that supports the turntable 216 and the polishing disk 217, and is a plate-like member that extends radially outward from the polishing disk 217. In addition, the extension member 250 has a circular projection 251 that protrudes upward in the height direction in a plan view. That is, the extension member 250 and the projection 251 form an L-shaped cross-sectional shape that extends radially outward and protrudes upward when viewed from the side. The configuration of the holder 220 is basically the same as that of the holder 20, except that no protrusion is formed on the bottom surface of the movable member 222. That is, in this embodiment, instead of forming a protrusion on the bottom surface of the movable member 222, a protrusion 251 protruding upward is formed on the extension member 250 fixed to the movable support member 215. When the movable support member 215 moves upward, the protrusion 251 of the extension member 250 penetrates the through hole 221D of the holder body 221 and protrudes upward from the holder body 221. Thereafter, the protrusion 251 abuts against the bottom surface of the movable member 222, thereby pushing the movable member 222 upward relative to the holder body 221. As a result, the movable member 222 can be pushed upward in the height direction in a state in which no protrusion is provided on the bottom surface of the movable member 222 and the bottom surface is formed flat. Note that the member to which the extension member 250 is fixed is not limited to the movable support member 215. The extension member 250 may be fixed to any member as long as it is a member that supports the polishing disc 217. It is also possible to provide a protrusion on the movable member 222 and also on the extension member 250, so that the protrusions come into contact with each other.

[0045] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. -Appropriately change and apply the mutually replaceable members and configurations disclosed in the above embodiments. · Appropriately replacing members and configurations that are not disclosed in the above embodiments but are publicly known and can be mutually substituted for the members and configurations disclosed in the above embodiments, and changing the combinations thereof for application. - Substitute members and configurations, etc. that are not disclosed in the above embodiments but that a person skilled in the art could imagine as substitutes for the members and configurations, etc. disclosed in the above embodiments based on publicly known techniques, and change the combinations and apply the present invention. is disclosed as one embodiment of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 10...optical fiber polishing device, 11...main body, 12...base member, 13...holding stand, 14...clamp lever, 15...movable support member, 16...turntable, 17...polishing disk, 20...optical fiber polishing holder, 21...holder main body, 22...movable member, 23...microhead, 24...first fixing member, 25...second fixing member, 26...protrusion, 27...spring, 30...optical fiber fixing jig, 40...optical fiber, 110...optical fiber polishing device, 150...extension member, 210...optical fiber polishing device, 220...optical fiber polishing holder, 250...extension member, 251...protrusion.

Claims

1. An optical fiber polishing holder used for polishing an optical fiber, comprising: a holder body capable of fixing the optical fiber; a movable member that is movable in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the holder body; a position adjustment member capable of adjusting the vertical position of the movable member; 1. An optical fiber polishing holder comprising:

2. The movable member has a protrusion that protrudes downward from a bottom surface of the holder body, 2. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment member adjusts the length of projection of the protrusion from the bottom surface of the holder body.

3. 3. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 2, wherein the projection is disposed in a state of penetrating a through hole that penetrates the holder body in the vertical direction.

4. 2. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment member is disposed above the holder body.

5. 2. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment member adjusts the vertical position of the movable member by restricting the upward movement of the movable member at a certain position.

6. the position adjustment member is disposed above the movable member, 6. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 5, wherein the upward movement of the movable member is restricted to a certain position by adjusting a gap between the position adjustment member and the movable member.

7. The movable member is provided with two or more protrusions, The two or more protrusions protrude from a bottom surface of the holder body at two or more positions from the holder body, 3. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 2, wherein the position adjustment member adjusts the lengths of the two or more protrusions projecting from the bottom surface of the holder body in a coordinated manner.

8. 5. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 4, further comprising a biasing mechanism disposed between the movable member and the position adjustment member for biasing the movable member in a direction approaching the holder body.

9. 2. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment member includes a microhead.

10. 10. The optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 1, further comprising an installation mechanism for mounting an optical fiber fixing jig to the holder body.

11. 10. An optical fiber polishing device comprising the optical fiber polishing holder according to claim 1.

12. The member supporting the polishing disk has a protrusion protruding upward, 12. The optical fiber polishing device according to claim 11, wherein the protrusion is capable of coming into contact with the movable member.

13. A member supporting the polishing disk has an extension member extending radially outward from the polishing disk, 12. The optical fiber polishing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the movable member is capable of contacting the extending member.

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