Optical Connector Cleaning Tool and Optical Connector Cleaning Method

Abstract

To provide an optical connector cleaning tool capable of suppressing increase in connection loss of an optical connector.SOLUTION: An optical connector 200 includes a ferrule 210 with a connection end face 211, a housing 230 movably storing the ferrule 210, and a first coil spring 240 energizing the ferrule 210 to a connection end face 211 side. An optical connector cleaning tool 1 is a cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face 211 of the optical connector 200, the cleaning tool 1 comprising: a cleaning head 110 which has a pressing face 121 for pressing a cleaning body 2 against the connection end face 211 and on which the cleaning body 2 is wound; a feeding bobbin 30 for supplying the pressing face 121 with the cleaning body 2; a winding bobbin 40 for recovering the cleaning body 2 from the pressing face 121; and a guide nozzle 190 for storing the cleaning head 110. The guide nozzle 190 has an abutting part 192b for coming into contact with the ferrule 210.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector, and a method for cleaning an optical connector using the optical connector cleaning tool.

Background Art

[0002] In order to reliably make a mechanical connection (PC: Physical Contact) between optical fibers, an optical connector is known that is built into a housing and includes a spring that biases a ferrule, and when mating, a pressing force is applied to the ferrules by this spring (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (paragraph

[0033] )).

[0003] On the other hand, if dirt adheres to the connection end face of the ferrule, it may cause damage when attaching and detaching the optical connector or an increase in connection loss. Therefore, as also described in the same document, it is generally performed to clean the connection end face of the optical connector using an optical connector cleaning tool before connecting the optical connectors to each other.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above optical connector, since the ferrule is biased by a spring, the ferrule is held in the housing so as to be movable along the connection direction of the optical connector. Therefore, for example, during the manufacture of the optical connector or when assembling it to equipment, the ferrule may get caught on the housing, causing the posture of the ferrule to tilt with respect to the housing. If the optical connectors are connected in this state, there is a problem that the optical axes of the optical fibers are displaced and the connection loss increases.

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool capable of suppressing an increase in connection loss of an optical connector and a method for cleaning the optical connector.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] [1] The optical connector cleaning tool according to the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning a connection end face of an optical connector including a ferrule having a connection end face where an end face of an optical fiber is exposed, a housing that movably accommodates the ferrule, and a first biasing member that biases the ferrule toward the connection end face side, and includes a cleaning head having a pressing surface for pressing a cleaning body against the connection end face, a supply unit for supplying the cleaning body to the pressing surface, a recovery unit for recovering the cleaning body from the pressing surface, and a cylindrical member for accommodating the cleaning head, and the cylindrical member has a contact portion that contacts the ferrule.

[0008] [2] In the above invention, the first coil spring may be compressed by pressing the ferrule with the contact portion against the cylindrical member.

[0009] [3] In the above invention, the optical connector may be accommodated in an optical connector housing member.

[0010] [4] In the above invention, the opening of the cylindrical member may have a width smaller than the width of the ferrule, and the contact portion may be adjacent to an end of the opening of the cylindrical member.

[0011] [5] In the above invention, the optical connector cleaning tool may include a second biasing member that biases the cylindrical member toward the tip side, and the biasing force of the second biasing member may be larger than the biasing force of the first biasing member.

[0012] [6] In the above invention, the supply unit includes a delivery bobbin for sending out the cleaning body before use, the recovery unit includes a winding bobbin for winding up the used cleaning body, the optical connector cleaning tool has the cleaning head at its tip, a cleaning shaft accommodated in the cylindrical member, a housing that accommodates the delivery bobbin and the winding bobbin while the cleaning shaft extends therefrom, and a drive mechanism that rotationally drives the winding bobbin as the cleaning shaft moves relative to the housing, thereby winding the cleaning body around the winding bobbin. The cleaning shaft is movable relative to the housing together with the cylindrical member, and the second biasing member may be interposed between the cylindrical member and the housing to bias the cylindrical member in a direction away from the housing.

[0013] [7] In the above invention, the cleaning shaft includes a support member that movably supports the cleaning head, and a third biasing member that is interposed between the cleaning head and the support member and biases the cleaning head in a direction away from the support member. The biasing force of the third biasing member may be smaller than the biasing force of the first biasing member.

[0014] [8] In the above invention, the opening of the cylindrical member may be capable of receiving the guide pin of the optical connector, and the end of the opening of the cylindrical member may have a height smaller than the height of the end of the ferrule.

[0015] [9] In the above invention, the optical connector cleaning tool may include a guide pin that can be inserted into the guide hole of the optical connector.

[0016]

[10] The cleaning method of the optical connector according to the present invention is a cleaning method of an optical connector for cleaning the connection end face of the optical connector using the above-described optical connector cleaning tool, wherein the contact portion of the cylindrical member is brought into contact with the ferrule, the ferrule is retracted with respect to the housing, and a first step of compressing the first biasing member; and a second step of releasing the contact of the cylindrical member with respect to the ferrule, expanding the first biasing member, and advancing the ferrule with respect to the housing.

[0017]

[11] In the above invention, the cleaning method of the optical connector may include a third step of cleaning the connection end face with the cleaning body.

[0018]

[12] In the above invention, the third step may be executed between the first step and the second step.

[0019]

[13] In the above invention, the first step may include compressing the first biasing member to the maximum amount.

Effects of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, the cylindrical member of the optical connector cleaning tool has a contact portion that contacts the ferrule of the optical connector. Therefore, when cleaning the optical connector, the posture of the ferrule with respect to the housing can be returned to an appropriate posture, so that an increase in the connection loss of the optical connector can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] The optical connector cleaning tool 1 in the present embodiment is a cleaner for cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector that connects optical fibers to each other. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the optical connector 200 that is the cleaning target of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 in the present embodiment.

[0024] The optical connector 200 to be cleaned by this optical connector cleaning tool 1 is not particularly limited. For example, it may be a multi-core batch connection type optical connector plug that simultaneously connects a plurality of optical fibers.

[0025] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, this optical connector 200 includes a ferrule 210 having a flat (rectangular) cross-sectional shape (end face shape). This ferrule 210 is a so-called MT (Mechanical Transferable) ferrule and has a plurality (for example, 12) of fiber holding holes arranged along the longitudinal direction of the cross-section of the ferrule 210. And optical fibers 220 are respectively inserted into these plurality of fiber holding holes, and the optical fibers 220 are fixed to the ferrule 210 by an adhesive. These plurality of optical fibers 220 are respectively exposed from the end face 211 of the ferrule 210.

[0026] Note that the number of optical fibers 220 held by the ferrule 210 is not particularly limited and may be less than 12 or more than 12. Also, the optical fibers 220 may be arranged in a plurality of rows (for example, 2 rows) along the longitudinal direction of the cross-section of the ferrule 210. Further, the polished shape of the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210 is not particularly limited. For example, it may be polished perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber 220, or may be polished obliquely with respect to the optical axis.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 9 to be described later, this ferrule 210 is accommodated in the accommodation hole 231 of the housing 230 and is movably held in the housing 230 along the Y-axis direction in the figure. Also, a first coil spring (ferrule coil spring) 240 is interposed between the ferrule 210 and the housing 230, and the ferrule 210 is biased in the direction of protruding from the housing 230 (the connection direction of the optical connector 200) (-Y direction in the figure) by this first coil spring 240. As such an optical connector 200, an F13 type multi-core optical fiber connector (MPO (Multi-fiber Push On) connector) defined in JIS C5982 may be used.

[0028] When connecting a pair of optical connectors 200 equipped with the above ferrule 210, the pair of optical connectors 200 are inserted into the insertion ports 251 on both sides of a sleeve-shaped adapter (optical connector housing member) 250. As shown in FIG. 1, the insertion ports 251 of this adapter 250 are provided with four grooves 252. Then, by butting the end faces 211 of the ferrules 210 of the pair of optical connectors 200 against each other, the optical fibers 220 exposed from the end faces 211 of the ferrules 210 are optically connected to each other. At this time, the guide pins 212 of one ferrule 210 are inserted into the guide holes (not shown) of the other ferrule 210, so that the optical connectors 200 are positioned with high precision.

[0029] During this butting, if dirt such as dust, dust, and oil adheres to the end face 211 of the ferrule 210, it may cause damage during attachment and detachment or an increase in connection loss. Therefore, before connecting the optical connector 200, the end face 211 of the ferrule 210 is cleaned using the optical connector cleaning tool 1 described below. During this cleaning, the optical connector 200 to be cleaned is inserted into one insertion port 251 of the adapter 250, and the optical connector cleaning tool 1 is inserted into the other insertion port 251 of the adapter 250, so that the end face 211 of the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200 is cleaned.

[0030] Note that the above-described optical connector 200 is an optical connector plug used in the plug-adapter-plug coupling method. However, in an optical connector receptacle used in the plug-receptacle coupling method, the end face of the ferrule may be cleaned using the optical connector cleaning tool 1 described below. Specifically, this optical connector receptacle incorporates a ferrule and a housing attached to the tip of an optical fiber into a receptacle housing (optical connector housing member) having an insertion port into which an optical connector plug is inserted.

[0031] Alternatively, a cap (optical connector housing member) having an inner hole with the same shape as the inner hole of the adapter may be attached to the tip of the optical connector cleaning tool 1, and the connection end face of the optical connector plug alone in a state where it is not inserted into the adapter may be cleaned by inserting the optical connector plug into the insertion port of the cap.

[0032] Hereinafter, the configuration of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the optical connector cleaning tool 1 described below has basically the same configuration as the optical connector cleaning tools disclosed in JP-A-2014-35489, JP-A-2014-35490, and JP-A-2014-35491, except for the configurations of the cleaning head 110 and the guide nozzle 190.

[0033] First, the overall configuration of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the optical connector cleaning tool 1 in the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the optical connector cleaning tool 1 with the covers 5 and 6 removed in the present embodiment.

[0034] The optical connector cleaning tool 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "cleaning tool 1") in the present embodiment includes, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a tool body 10 and an extension member 100 extending from the tool body 10. The tool body 10 is covered by a front cover 5 and a rear cover 6. The extension member 100 protrudes forward (in the +Y direction in the figure) from the opening 5a of the front cover 5.

[0035] The extension member 100 has a pressing surface 121 (described later) at its tip for pressing the cleaning body 2 against the connection end face 211 (the end face 211 of the ferrule 210 described above) of the optical connector 200. The tool body 10 has bobbins 30 and 40 (described later) for supplying and recovering the cleaning body 2 to and from the pressing surface 121. The extension member 100 can move relative to the tool body 10 along the axial direction (Y-axis direction in the figure) of the extension member 100.

[0036] As the cleaning body 2 moves on the pressing surface 121 along with the relative movement between the tool body 10 and the extension member 100 (the operation in which the tool body 10 moves forward with respect to the extension member 100), the cleaning body 2 slides while being pressed against the connection end face 211 of the optical connector 200. Thus, it is possible to efficiently wipe off the dirt adhering to the end face 211. However, when an adhesive cleaning body is applied, it may be configured not to slide but only to press against the connection end face 211. Further, along with this relative movement (the operation in which the tool body 10 moves backward with respect to the extension member 100), the used cleaning body 2 can be recovered from the pressing surface 121 to the winding bobbin 40, and an unused cleaning body 2 can be supplied from the feeding bobbin 30 to the pressing surface 121.

[0037] As described above, the optical connector 200 to be cleaned in the present embodiment is a multi-core collective connection type optical connector, and the end face 211 of the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200 has a flat shape. For this reason, the cleaning body 2 is an elongated strip-shaped continuous body (tape). The width of the cleaning body 2 is such that it can wipe at once the end faces of all the optical fibers 220 exposed on the end face 211 of the ferrule 210 and the periphery thereof (for example, the region between the guide pins 212). As an example of such a tape-shaped cleaning body 2, although not particularly limited, a woven fabric of extremely fine fibers made of polyester, nylon, or the like can be exemplified.

[0038] Next, the configuration of the tool body 10 of the cleaning tool 1 in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the optical connector cleaning tool 1 in a state where one housing 22 is removed from the tool body 10 and the guide nozzle 190 is removed from the extension member 100 in the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the tool body 10 in the present embodiment.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tool body 10 includes a housing 20, a feeding bobbin 30, a winding bobbin 40, guide cylinders 51, 52, a roll 53, a ratchet pawl 60, and a transmission member 70.

[0040] The housing 20 is composed of a first housing 21 and a second housing 22. Inside this housing 20, a delivery bobbin 30, a take-up bobbin 40, guide cylinders 51, 52, a roll 53, a ratchet pawl 60, and a transmission member 70 are accommodated. The first housing 21 and the second housing 22 are fixed by fitting fixing pins (not shown) formed on the second housing 22 into the fixing cylinders 211a to 211c formed on the first housing 21.

[0041] The first and second housings 21, 22 are not particularly limited, but are formed of a resin material. On both the first and second housings 21, 22, a support portion 20a, a rib 20b, a locking claw 20c, a window 20d, a housing portion 20e, and a front surface 20f are formed. In addition, on the first housing 21, support shaft portions 212a to 212d are formed. Note that the first and second housings 21, 22 are preferably formed of a transparent resin. Thereby, the user can confirm the unused portion (remaining amount) of the cleaning body 2 inside the housing 20.

[0042] The delivery bobbin 30 is a reel (cylindrical winding frame) for supplying the cleaning body 2. An unused cleaning body 2 is wound around this delivery bobbin 30. This delivery bobbin 30 is rotatably supported by the support shaft portion 212a of the first housing 21. As the delivery bobbin 30 rotates along with the backward movement of the tool body 10 with respect to the extending member 100 described above, the unused cleaning body 2 is sent out from the delivery bobbin 30 to the pressing surface 121.

[0043] On both side surfaces of this delivery bobbin 30, a plurality of engaging grooves 31 arranged in a circumferential shape are formed. On the other hand, on the first and second housings 21, 22, the above-described locking claws 20c project inward so as to face the engaging grooves 31. By the tip of the locking claw 20c coming into contact with the engaging groove 31, the free rotation of the delivery bobbin 30 is suppressed.

[0044] The take-up bobbin 40 is a reel for taking up the used cleaning body 2. This take-up bobbin 40 is rotatably supported by the support shaft portion 212b of the first housing 21. As the take-up bobbin 40 rotates along with the retraction operation of the tool body 10 with respect to the above-described extension member 100, the used cleaning body 2 used on the pressing surface 121 is taken up by this take-up bobbin 40.

[0045] Outer ring portions 41 and inner ring portions 42 are formed on both side surfaces of this take-up bobbin 40. The outer ring portion 41 and the inner ring portion 42 have an annular shape protruding laterally (in the X-axis direction in the figure) from the side surface of the take-up bobbin 40, and are arranged concentrically around the axial hole of the take-up bobbin 40. A ratchet gear 411 that meshes with the ratchet pawl 60 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring portion 41. On the other hand, the inner peripheral surface of the inner ring portion 42 functions as a friction surface 421 with which the leaf spring portion 72 of the transmission member 70 comes into contact.

[0046] The ratchet pawls 60 are provided on both side surfaces of the take-up bobbin 40 so as to be interposed between the outer ring portion 41 and the inner ring portion 42, and are rotatably supported by the support portions 20a of the housings 21 and 22. This ratchet pawl 60 constitutes a ratchet mechanism together with the ratchet gear 411 of the outer ring portion 41. This ratchet mechanism allows the take-up bobbin 40 to rotate in the direction of taking up the cleaning body 2 (take-up direction), but prohibits the take-up bobbin 40 from rotating in the direction opposite to the take-up direction.

[0047] Specifically, when the take-up bobbin 40 rotates in the direction opposite to the take-up direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 5), the ratchet pawl 60 meshes with the ratchet gear 411, thereby prohibiting the rotation of the take-up bobbin 40. On the other hand, when the take-up bobbin 40 rotates in the take-up direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5), the end portion of the spring portion 61 of the ratchet pawl 60 abuts against the rib 20b of the housings 21 and 22, and the spring portion 61 is deformed, whereby the engagement between the ratchet pawl 60 and the ratchet gear 411 is intermittently released, and the rotation of the take-up bobbin 40 is allowed.

[0048] The transmission member 70 is disposed inside both inner ring portions 42 of the take-up bobbin 40. Each transmission member 70 is rotatably supported by the support shaft portion 212b of the first housing 21 and is relatively rotatable with respect to the take-up bobbin 40. That is, the support shaft portion 212b of the first housing 21 supports the two transmission members 70 in addition to the take-up bobbin 40.

[0049] Each transmission member 70 includes a pinion gear 71 and a pair of leaf spring portions 72. The pinion gear 71 protrudes laterally (in the X-axis direction in the figure) with respect to the outer ring portion 41 and the inner ring portion 42 of the take-up bobbin 40. This pinion gear 71 meshes with a rack gear 176 (described later) of the extension member 100, and the pinion gear 71 and the rack gear 176 constitute a rack and pinion mechanism. By this rack and pinion mechanism, the relative linear motion of the extension member 100 with respect to the tool body 10 described above is converted into a rotational motion.

[0050] The pair of leaf spring portions 72 are arranged rotationally symmetrically around the axis of the transmission member 70. With the central portions of the respective leaf spring portions 72 elastically deformed inward, the transmission member 70 is fitted inside the inner ring portion 42 of the take-up bobbin 40. Accordingly, a frictional force acts between each leaf spring portion 72 and the friction surface 421 of the inner ring portion 42, and the leaf spring portion 72 and the friction surface 421 constitute a friction transmission mechanism. The rotational motion converted by the above-described rack and pinion mechanism is transmitted to the take-up bobbin 40 via this friction transmission mechanism.

[0051] The guide cylinders 51 and 52 are rotatably supported by the support shaft portions 212c and 212d of the first housing. Further, the roll 53 is rotatably supported by a pin 531 held by the first and second housings 21 and 22. The unused cleaning body 2 fed out from the feeding bobbin 30 is guided by the guide cylinder 51 toward the pressing surface 121 of the extending member 100. On the other hand, the used cleaning body 2 is guided by the guide cylinder 52 and the roll 53 toward the winding bobbin 40. At this time, the cleaning body 2 is folded back by the roll 53, and the cleaning body 2 is wound around the roll 53.

[0052] Next, the configuration of the extending member 100 of the cleaning tool 1 in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0053] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the extending member 100 in the present embodiment, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the cleaning head 110 in the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a front view of the tip portion of the extending member 100 in the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the extending member 100 and the optical connector 200 in the present embodiment, and corresponds to IX-IX in FIG. 3. Note that the cleaning body 2 is not shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, and the cleaning body 2 and the adapter 250 are not shown in FIG. 9.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 6, the extending member 100 includes a cleaning shaft 105, a second coil spring (coil spring for guide nozzle) 180, and a guide nozzle 190.

[0055] The cleaning shaft 105 is a member (pressing member) for pressing the cleaning body 2 against the connection end surface 211 of the optical connector 200. The cleaning shaft 105 is a long member extending along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction in the figure) of the extending member 100, and includes a cleaning head (head member) 110, a third coil spring (coil spring for cleaning head) 160, and a rack shaft (support member) 170. Note that the cleaning head 110 and the rack shaft 170 may be integrally formed.

[0056] The cleaning head 110 is a member that constitutes the tip portion of the cleaning shaft 105. As shown in FIG. 7, this cleaning head 110 includes a pressing portion 120, a neck portion (tilting portion) 130, a main body portion (support portion) 140, and an insertion portion 150. Although not particularly limited, for example, this cleaning head 110 is made of a resin material, and the pressing portion 120, the neck portion 130, the main body portion 140, and the insertion portion 150 are integrally formed.

[0057] The pressing portion 120 has a pressing surface 121 at its tip that presses the cleaning body 2 against the connection end surface 211 of the optical connector 200. This pressing surface 121 has a flat shape (rectangular shape) so as to correspond to the shape of the end surface of the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200 to be cleaned. The cleaning body 2 is wound around this pressing surface 121 from the upper side to the lower side, an unused cleaning body 2 is supplied from the upper side, and a used cleaning body 2 is sent out to the lower side (see arrow A in FIGS. 4 and 11(b)). That is, the cleaning body 2 is wound around the cleaning head 110 so as to be folded back by the pressing surface 121, and moves from the upper side to the lower side along the short axis direction of the pressing surface 121 on this pressing surface 121.

[0058] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the width W of the pressing portion 120 3 is narrower than the interval S between a pair of guide pins 212 of the optical connector 200 1 (W 3 <S 1 ). Therefore, when cleaning the optical connector 200 with the cleaning tool 1, as shown in FIG. 9, the pressing portion 120 can enter between the pair of guide pins 212, and the guide pins 212 can enter the opening 194a of the guide nozzle 190.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 7, this pressing portion 120 is connected to the main body portion 140 via the neck portion 130. This neck portion 130 is elastically deformable with respect to the pressing force from the optical connector 200 to the pressing portion 120. This neck portion 130 tilts the pressing portion 120 according to the inclination of the end surface of the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200.

[0060] The main body portion 140 has a plate-like shape with a flat (rectangular) cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the pressing portion 120. The unused cleaning body 2 supplied from above to the pressing surface 121 of the pressing portion 120 passes over the upper surface 141 of this main body portion 140. On the other hand, the used cleaning body 2 sent out downward from the pressing surface 121 passes over the lower surface of this main body portion 140.

[0061] This main body portion 140 has a pair of convex portions 142. These convex portions 142 are respectively provided on the side surfaces of the main body portion 140 so as to project laterally (in the X-axis direction in the figure) of the main body portion 140. These convex portions 142 are inserted into the groove 194b of the opening 194a of the guide nozzle 190 described later, whereby the cleaning head 110 is supported by the guide nozzle 190 so as to be movable along the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction in the figure).

[0062] An insertion portion 150 is connected to the rear side of this main body portion 140. This insertion portion 150 is a portion inserted into the tip portion 171 of the rack shaft 170 and has a plate-like shape with a width narrower than that of the main body portion 140. A columnar shaft portion 151 protruding rearward (in the -Y direction in the figure) is formed at the rear end of this insertion portion 150, and a protrusion 152 protruding laterally (in the X-axis direction in the figure) is formed.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 6, the third coil spring 160 is interposed between the cleaning head 110 and the rack shaft 170 in a state where the shaft portion 151 of the cleaning head 110 is inserted into the third coil spring 160. This third coil spring 160 biases the cleaning head 110 in a direction away from the rack shaft 170 (in the +Y direction in the figure). Thereby, the pressing surface 121 of the cleaning head 110 can press the cleaning body 2 against the connection end surface 211 of the optical connector 200 with an appropriate pressing force.

[0064] In the present embodiment, the spring constant k of this third coil spring 160 3 is the spring constant k of the first coil spring 240 included in the above-described optical connector 200 1is less than (k 3 <k 1 ), together with the spring constant k of the second coil spring 180 described later 2 is less than (k 3 <k 2 ). Therefore, when the optical connector 200 is cleaned by the cleaning tool 1 and the cleaning head 110 presses the connection end face 211 of the optical connector 200 via the cleaning body 2, this third coil spring 160 starts to compress prior to the first and second coil springs 240, 180.

[0065] The rack shaft 170 is a member that supports the cleaning head 110 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction in the figure). As shown in FIG. 6, this rack shaft 170 includes a tip portion 171, a body portion 172, a shoulder portion 173, and an arm portion 175. Although not particularly limited, for example, this rack shaft 170 is made of a resin material, and the tip portion 171, the body portion 172, the shoulder portion 173, and the arm portion 175 are integrally formed.

[0066] An insertion groove 171a and a window 171b are formed in the tip portion 171 of this rack shaft 170. The insertion groove 171a is a groove that opens at the tip of the rack shaft 170. The insertion portion 150 of the cleaning head 110 is inserted into this insertion groove 171a so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction in the figure). Further, the window 171b opens on the side surface of the tip portion 171. A protrusion 152 of the insertion portion 150 of the cleaning head 110 is inserted into this window 171b. The cleaning head 110 is guided in the front-rear direction by the insertion groove 171a, and the window 171b prevents the cleaning head 110 biased by the third coil spring 160 from falling off forward (+Y direction in the figure).

[0067] The body portion 172 is connected to the rear side of this tip portion 171. This body portion 172 has a columnar shape and is a long portion extending along the axial direction of the extension member 100 (the Y-axis direction in the figure). The rear portion of this body portion 172 is disposed within the housing 20 of the tool body 10, while the other portion of the body portion 172 extends forward (the +Y direction in the figure) from the front surface 20f of the housing 20.

[0068] The upper surface of this body portion 172 functions as a guide surface for guiding the unused cleaning body 2 supplied from the tool body 10 to the cleaning head 110. On the other hand, the lower surface of this body portion 172 functions as a guide surface for guiding the used cleaning body 2 recovered from the cleaning head 110 to the roll 177. Further, this body portion 172 is inserted into the second coil spring 180 and also has the function of supporting the second coil spring 180 (see FIG. 4).

[0069] A pair of shoulder portions 173 are connected to the rear end of this body portion 172. Each shoulder portion 173 protrudes laterally (the X-axis direction in the figure) from the rear end of the body portion 172 and is disposed within the windows 20d of the first and second housings 21, 22.

[0070] Further, a protrusion 174 protruding laterally (the X-axis direction in the figure) is formed on this shoulder portion 173. In a state where the shoulder portion 173 is disposed within the window 20d of the housings 21, 22, this protrusion 174 protrudes from the window 20d and is fitted into a window 197 (described later) of the guide nozzle 190 (see FIG. 3).

[0071] A pair of arm portions 175 are connected to the lower side of the shoulder portion 173 and extend rearward (the -Y direction in the figure) from the shoulder portion 173. These arm portions 175 are respectively accommodated in the accommodation portions 20e of the first and second housings 21, 22.

[0072] At the front ends of the pair of arm portions 175, holding holes 175a are formed. A pin 178 is inserted into the holding hole 175a, and a roll 177 is rotatably supported by the pin 178. The used cleaning body 2 guided along the lower surface of the body portion 172 is guided toward the take-up bobbin 40 by the roll 177, the guide tube 52 of the tool body 10 described above, and the roll 53. At this time, the cleaning body 2 is folded back by the roll 177, and the cleaning body 2 is caught by the roll 177. As described above, since the cleaning body 2 is also folded back by the roll 53 of the tool body 10, as a result, the cleaning body 2 is stretched between the rolls 177 and 53.

[0073] In addition, rack gears 176 are formed on the rear portions of the respective arm portions 175. A take-up bobbin 40 is disposed between the pair of rack gears 176, and a pinion gear 71 of the transmission member 70 described above meshes with the rack gear 176, thereby constituting a rack and pinion mechanism.

[0074] The guide nozzle (cylindrical member) 190 is a member having a cylindrical portion 191 and a plate portion 196. The cylindrical portion 191 includes a tip portion 192 that is inserted into the adapter 250 during cleaning of the optical connector 200, and a main body portion 195 connected to the rear side of the tip portion 192. Protrusions 193 are formed on the upper, lower, left, and right outer surfaces of the tip portion 192. When the tip portion 192 is inserted into the adapter 250, the protrusions 193 fit into grooves 252 formed in the insertion port 251 of the adapter 250.

[0075] The cylindrical portion 191 has an inner hole penetrating in its axial direction (Y-axis direction in the figure), and a cleaning shaft 105 and a second coil spring 180 are accommodated in the inner hole. The cylindrical portion 191 also has a function of protecting the cleaning body 2 that moves along the upper and lower surfaces of the body portion 172 of the rack shaft 170. Although not particularly limited, for example, the guide nozzle 190 is made of a resin material, and the tip portion 192, the main body portion 195, and the plate portion 196 are integrally formed.

[0076] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the main body 140 of the cleaning head 110 is accommodated in the inner hole 194 of the tip 192 of the cylindrical portion 191. And the pressing portion 120 connected to the main body 140 via the neck portion 130 protrudes forward (in the +Y direction in the figure) from the opening 194a of the inner hole 194 of the tip 192 of the cylindrical portion 191. Note that the pressing portion 120 of the cleaning head 110 may be accommodated in the inner hole 194 of the cylindrical portion 191.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 8, the guide nozzle 190 of the present embodiment has a contact portion 192b at its tip that contacts and presses against the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200 when the optical connector 200 is cleaned by the cleaning tool 1. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the width W of the opening 194a of the inner hole 194 of the guide nozzle 190 2 is smaller than the width W of the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200 1 (W 2 <W 1 ), and a pair of contact portions 192b (the portions marked in FIG. 8) are provided at portions adjacent to both ends of the opening 194a on the end face 192a of the tip 192 of the cylindrical portion 191. In the present embodiment, the contact portion 192b contacts a region outside the guide pin 212 on the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210.

[0078] Further, the inner hole 194 of the guide nozzle 190 has a pair of grooves 194b at both ends thereof. As shown in FIG. 9, the pair of grooves 194b can receive the guide pins 212 of the optical connector 200. As described above, the convex portions 142 of the main body 140 of the cleaning head 110 are also inserted into the grooves 194b. Thus, in the present embodiment, since the guide pins 212 of the optical connector 200 can be inserted into the inner hole 194 of the guide nozzle 190, it is possible to accurately bring the relatively narrow contact portion 192b into contact with the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210.

[0079] Further, in the present embodiment, since the inner hole 194 has the above-described grooves 194b, the height H of both end portions of the opening 194a of the inner hole 194 2is smaller than the height H of the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200 (H 1 < H 2 < H 1 ). Therefore, the contact portion 192b extends also to the upper and lower regions of the groove 194b at the end face 192a of the guide nozzle 190, and a wide contact area of the contact portion 192b with respect to the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210 is ensured.

[0080] Note that the shape of the opening 194a of the inner hole 194 of the guide nozzle 190 is not particularly limited as long as the guide nozzle 190 is provided with the contact portion 192b. Further, instead of the groove 194b described above, the guide nozzle 190 may be provided with a pair of guide holes on both sides of the inner hole 194. These guide holes are holes formed in the end face 192a of the tip portion 192 so as to correspond to the guide pins 212 of the optical connector 200.

[0081] Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the guide nozzle 190 may be provided with a pair of guide pins 192c protruding from the end face 192a of the tip portion 192. These guide pins 192c are arranged so as to correspond to the guide holes 213 of the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200. When cleaning the optical connector 200 with the cleaning tool 1, the guide pins 192c are inserted into the guide holes 213, so that the relatively narrow contact portion 192b can be accurately brought into contact with the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the guide nozzle 190 in the present embodiment.

[0082] Further, although not particularly shown, the guide nozzle 190 may be provided with a split sleeve instead of the guide pins 192c. In this case, the split sleeve is supported by a coil spring and can be retracted into a housing hole formed in the end face 192a of the tip portion 192 of the guide nozzle 190. And when the optical connector 200 is of a type having the guide holes 213, this split sleeve is inserted into the guide holes 213. On the other hand, when the optical connector 200 is of a type having the guide pins 212, the guide pins 212 are inserted into this split sleeve.

[0083] Returning to FIG. 6, from the opening 195a on the rear side of the main body portion 195 of the cylindrical portion 191 of the guide nozzle 190, the shoulder portion 173 and the arm portion 175 of the rack shaft 170 project rearward (in the -Y direction in the figure). And the protrusion 174 of the shoulder portion 173 of the rack shaft 170 is fitted into the window 197 formed in the plate portion 196 of the guide nozzle 190 (see FIG. 3), whereby the rack shaft 170 and the guide nozzle 190 are fixed to each other.

[0084] Also, the main body portion 195 of the cylindrical portion 191 of the guide nozzle 190 has a tapered portion 195b with a larger inner diameter at its central portion. A second coil spring 180 is interposed between this tapered portion 195b and the front surface 20f of the housing 20. This second coil spring 180 biases the guide nozzle 190 in a direction away from the tool body 10 (in the +Y direction in the figure).

[0085] In this embodiment, the spring constant k of this second coil spring 180 2 is larger than the spring constant k of the first coil spring 240 included in the above-described optical connector 200 1 (k 2 > k 1 ). Therefore, when the cleaning head 110 presses the connection end face 211 of the optical connector 200 through the cleaning body 2 when cleaning the optical connector 200 with the cleaning tool 1, the first coil spring 240 starts to be compressed prior to the second coil spring 180.

[0086] Next, an example of a method for cleaning the optical connector 200 using the optical connector cleaning tool 1 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 11(a) to 12(e).

[0087] Figs. 11(a) to 11(c) are side views showing a method for cleaning the optical connector 200 using the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 11(a) shows a state before the cleaning tool 1 contacts the optical connector 200. Fig. 11(b) shows a state where the tool body 10 is advanced toward the extension member 100. Fig. 11(c) shows a state where the tool body 10 is retracted from the extension member 100.

[0088] Also, Figs. 12(a) to 12(e) are schematic views showing a method for cleaning the optical connector 200 using the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to the present embodiment, and are corresponding views to Fig. 9. In Figs. 12(a) to 12(e), the cleaning body 2 and the adapter 250 are not shown.

[0089] When cleaning the connection end face 211 of the optical connector 200 using the optical connector cleaning tool 1, as shown in Figs. 11(a) and 12(a), first, an operator inserts the tip of the extension member 100 of the cleaning tool 1 into the insertion port 251 of the adapter 250 to bring the cleaning head 110 close to the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200. Then, as shown in Figs. 11(b) and 12(b), the pressing surface 121 of the cleaning head 110 presses the cleaning body 2 against the end face 211 of the ferrule 210. At this time, the convex portion 193 at the tip 192 of the guide nozzle 190 of the extension member 100 fits into the groove 252 of the adapter 250, so that the pressing surface 121 of the cleaning head 110 is positioned with respect to the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200.

[0090] Next, as shown in Fig. 12(c), the operator pushes the tool body 10 against the extension member 100. At this time, as described above, the spring constant k of the third coil spring 160 3 is set smaller than the spring constants k of the first and second coil springs 240 and 180 1 , k 2 (k 3 < k 1 , k 3 < k 2) The biasing force with which the third coil spring 160 biases the cleaning head 110 is smaller than the biasing force with which the first coil spring 240 biases the ferrule 210, and is also smaller than the biasing force with which the second coil spring 180 biases the guide nozzle 190. For this reason, among the three coil springs 240, 180, and 160, the third coil spring 160 is compressed first, and the contact portion 192b of the guide nozzle 190 contacts the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210.

[0091] Next, as shown in FIG. 12(d), the operator further pushes the tool body 10 against the extension member 100. At this time, as described above, the spring constant k of the second coil spring 180 2 is set larger than the spring constant k of the first coil spring 240 1 (k 2 >k 1 ), and the biasing force with which the second coil spring 180 biases the guide nozzle 190 is larger than the biasing force with which the first coil spring 240 biases the ferrule 210. For this reason, the first coil spring 240 starts to be compressed before the second coil spring 180, and the ferrule 210 is pressed by the guide nozzle 190 and moves backward with respect to the housing 230 (moves in the +Y direction in the figure).

[0092] In this way, in the present embodiment, when the optical connector 200 is cleaned by the cleaning tool 1, the ferrule 210 is pressed by the guide nozzle 190 to compress the first coil spring 240. As a result, even when the posture of the ferrule 210 with respect to the housing 230 is inclined, when the compression of the first coil spring 240 is released, the posture of the ferrule 210 can be reset to an appropriate posture (a state in which the axial direction of the ferrule 210 is parallel to the axial direction of the housing 230 (the biasing direction of the first coil spring 240)).

[0093] At this time, although not particularly limited, it is preferable to compress the first coil spring 240 by an amount corresponding to the maximum compression amount of the first coil spring 240. In this case, the spring constants k of the first and second coil springs 240, 180 1 , k2 It is set such that after the first coil spring 240 is compressed to the maximum compression amount, the compression of the second coil spring 180 is started. Thereby, when releasing the compression of the first coil spring 240, the posture of the ferrule 210 can be surely reset. In this embodiment, the maximum compression amount of the coil spring is the compression amount of the coil spring when the maximum allowable load is applied to the coil spring. In other words, it is the compression amount of the coil spring when the coil spring is compressed until it reaches the minimum dimension.

[0094] Although not particularly shown, in order to ensure a sufficient compression amount of the first coil spring 240 by the contact portion 192b of the guide nozzle 190, the tip portion 192 of the guide nozzle 190 may enter into the housing 230 of the optical connector 200.

[0095] Next, as shown in FIG. 12(e), the operator further pushes the tool body 10 against the extending member 100. As a result, the second coil spring 180 is compressed, and as shown in FIG. 11(b), the distance between the roll 177 of the extending member 100 and the roll 53 of the tool body 10 becomes wider by a predetermined length L.

[0096] For this reason, the length of the cleaning body 2 existing between the supply-side guide cylinder 51 and the roll 177 becomes shorter by the predetermined length L, while the length of the cleaning body 2 existing between the rolls 177 and 53 becomes longer by the predetermined length L. As a result, the cleaning body 2 on the pressing surface 121 is pulled toward the take-up bobbin 40 side (recovery side), and the cleaning body 2 slides while being pressed against the end surface 211 of the ferrule 210, wiping off the dirt adhering to the end surface 211.

[0097] Here, when the cleaning body is slid on the end surface of the ferrule, a frictional force may be generated between the cleaning body and the ferrule, and due to this frictional force, the posture of the ferrule may be inclined with respect to the housing.

[0098] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the cleaning body 2 is slid on the end face 211 of the ferrule 210 in a state where the protruding amount of the ferrule 210 from the housing 230 is minimized by compressing the first coil spring 240. For this reason, since the distance between the acting point of the force for rotating the ferrule 210 and the rotation center is shortened, the occurrence of the inclination of the ferrule 210 due to cleaning can be suppressed.

[0099] Note that, as described above, since this cleaning tool 1 is for cleaning the multi-core collective connection type optical connector 200 having the ferrule 210 with a flat end face, the cleaning shaft 105 of the cleaning tool 1 does not rotate relative to the tool body 10 about the axis of the cleaning shaft 105.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 11(b), when the operator pushes in the tool body 10, the rack gear 176 rotates the pinion gear 71. However, since the rotation of the take-up bobbin 40 in the direction opposite to the take-up direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 11(b)) is prohibited by the ratchet pawl 60, slippage occurs between the leaf spring portion 72 of the transmission member 70 and the friction surface 421 of the inner ring portion 42. Therefore, in this case, the transmission member 70 rotates idly and the take-up bobbin 40 does not rotate.

[0101] Next, when the operator releases the pushing-in of the tool body 10 with respect to the extending member 100, the compression of the first coil spring 240 is released and the ferrule 210 moves forward with respect to the housing 230 (moves in the -Y direction in the figure). By such a compression operation and release operation of the first coil spring 240, even if the ferrule 210 is inclined with respect to the housing 230, the posture of the ferrule 210 is reset to an appropriate state.

[0102] In addition, when making the optical connector multi-core and miniaturized, with multi-core design, the width of the ferrule tends to increase, and with miniaturization, the height of the ferrule tends to decrease. Along with this, the shape of the coil spring for the ferrule also changes from a perfect circle to an ellipse or an oblong (a shape formed by connecting a pair of semi-circles with a straight line). Such a flat coil spring has a weak elastic force in the vertical direction, so it may be difficult to return the tilted posture of the ferrule to an appropriate posture only by the elastic force of this coil spring due to the above-mentioned frictional force.

[0103] In contrast, in this embodiment, instead of returning the posture of the ferrule 210 by the elastic force of the first coil spring 240, as described above, the guide nozzle 190 presses the ferrule 210 to compress the first coil spring 240, and when releasing this compression, the posture of the ferrule 210 is reset to an appropriate posture. Therefore, even if the shape of the first coil spring 240 becomes flattened due to the multi-core and miniaturization of the optical connector 200, the tilted posture of the ferrule 210 can be returned to an appropriate posture.

[0104] When the operator releases the pushing of the tool body 10 against the extension member 100, as shown in Fig. 11(c), due to the elastic force of the second coil spring 180, the tool body 10 retreats with respect to the extension member 100, and at the same time, the distance between the roll 177 of the extension member 100 and the roll 53 of the tool body 10 becomes shorter by a predetermined length L, and the rack gear 176 rotates the pinion gear 71. The rotational force of this pinion gear 71 is transmitted to the winding bobbin 40 through the leaf spring portion 72 of the transmission member 70 and the friction surface 421 of the inner ring portion 42, the winding bobbin 40 rotates, and the used cleaning body 2 is wound onto the winding bobbin 40.

[0105] That is, the drive mechanism for rotationally driving the winding bobbin 40 along with the relative movement of the extension member 100 with respect to the tool body 10 is composed of the above-mentioned rack and pinion mechanism composed of the rack gear 176 and the pinion gear 71, and the above-mentioned friction transmission mechanism composed of the leaf spring portion 72 and the friction surface 421.

[0106] At the same time, the length of the cleaning body 2 existing between the supply-side guide cylinder 51 and the roll 177 becomes longer by a predetermined length L. At this time, the distance between the pressing surface 121 of the cleaning head 110 and the roll 177 is constant, and since the cleaning body 2 is wound around the pressing surface 121 of the cleaning head 110, an unused cleaning body 2 having a length corresponding to the predetermined length L is sent out from the supply bobbin 30.

[0107] When the cleaning is completed, the operator removes the cleaning tool 1 from the adapter 250 by pulling out the extension member 100 from the insertion port 251 of the adapter 250.

[0108] As described above, in the present embodiment, the guide nozzle 190 of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 has a contact portion 192b that contacts the ferrule 210 of the optical connector 200. Therefore, when cleaning the optical connector 200, the posture of the ferrule 210 with respect to the housing 230 can be returned to an appropriate posture, so that an increase in the connection loss of the optical connector 200 can be suppressed.

[0109] Note that the embodiments described above are described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not described to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiments is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0110] For example, as disclosed in FIGS. 12A to 12C of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-35489, the rolls 153 and 177 for supplying the cleaning body 2 having a predetermined length L may not be provided. In this case, the winding direction of the take-up bobbin 40 is opposite to that of the above-described embodiment, and the ratchet mechanism including the ratchet pawl 60 and the ratchet gear 411 is also installed in the direction opposite to that of the above-described embodiment.

[0111] Alternatively, instead of the first to third coil springs 240, 180, and 160 described above, an elastic body other than a spring such as rubber may be used. Also in this case, based on Hooke's law, the spring constant (k) of the elastic body can be calculated by dividing the load (F) applied to the elastic body by the displacement amount (x) of the elastic body (k = F / x).

[0112] In the above-described embodiment, the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210 is cleaned by the cleaning body 2 with the first coil spring 240 in a compressed state. However, if the cleaning method of cleaning the optical connector 200 using the cleaning tool 1 includes a step of compressing the first coil spring 240, the order of the steps is not particularly limited thereto.

[0113] For example, after cleaning the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210 by the cleaning body 2, the first coil spring 240 may be compressed. In this case, the spring constant k 2 of the second coil spring 180 is made smaller than the spring constant k 1 of the first coil spring 240 (k 2 < k 1 ). Alternatively, after releasing the compression of the first coil spring 240, the connection end face 211 of the ferrule 210 may be cleaned by the cleaning body 2.

[0114] In the above-described embodiment, an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of a multi-core collective connection type optical connector has been described. However, the present invention may also be applied to an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of a single-core connection type optical connector. Specific examples of the cleaning tool for a single-core connection type optical connector include, for example, those described in JP-A-2010-191465, JP-A-2010-266675, JP-A-2011-33736, JP-A-2011-75585, JP-A-2011-137872, and JP-A-2011-150083.

[0115] In this case, as the cleaning body, a woven fabric made of extremely fine fibers such as polyester or nylon can be processed into a thread-like shape and used. Alternatively, a narrow tape-like object can be used as the cleaning body.

[0116] Moreover, as the single-core connection type optical connector to be cleaned, examples include an LC type optical connector (trademark of Lucent Technologies), an SC type optical connector defined in JIS C5973, an MU type optical connector defined in JIS C5983, an SC2 type optical connector, etc.

Explanation of Signs

[0117] 1... Optical connector cleaning tool 2... Cleaning body 10... Tool body 20... Housing 30... Feeding bobbin 40... Take-up bobbin 100... Extension member 105... Cleaning shaft 110... Cleaning head 120... Pressing part 121... Pressing surface 140... Main body part 160... Third coil spring 170... Rack shaft 180... Second coil spring 190... Guide nozzle 191... Cylindrical part 192... Tip part 192a... End face 192b... Contact part 194... Inner hole 194a... Opening 194b... Groove 200... Optical connector 210... Ferrule 211... End face 212... Guide pin 220... Optical fiber 230... Housing 231... Accommodation hole 240... First coil spring 250... Adapter

Claims

1. An optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector, comprising a ferrule having a connection end face where the end face of an optical fiber is exposed, a housing that movably accommodates the ferrule, and a first biasing member that biases the ferrule toward the connection end face side, a cleaning head having a pressing surface for pressing a cleaning body against the connection end face, and the cleaning body is wound around the cleaning head, a supply unit for supplying the cleaning body to the pressing surface, a recovery unit for recovering the cleaning body from the pressing surface, and a cylindrical member for accommodating the cleaning head, wherein the cylindrical member has a contact portion that contacts the ferrule, and the cleaning head is a member independent of the cylindrical member and is relatively movable with respect to the cylindrical member. The optical connector cleaning tool.

2. The optical connector cleaning tool according to Claim 1, wherein the opening of the cylindrical member has a width smaller than the width of the ferrule, and the contact portion is adjacent to an end of the opening of the cylindrical member. The optical connector cleaning tool.

3. The optical connector cleaning tool according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool includes a second biasing member that biases the cylindrical member toward the tip side, and the biasing force of the second biasing member is greater than the biasing force of the first biasing member. The optical connector cleaning tool.

4. The optical connector cleaning tool according to Claim 3, wherein the supply unit includes a delivery bobbin for sending out the cleaning body before use, the recovery unit includes a winding bobbin for winding up the used cleaning body, and the optical connector cleaning tool, comprises a cleaning shaft provided with the cleaning head at the tip and accommodated in the cylindrical member, a housing in which the cleaning shaft extends and which accommodates the delivery bobbin and the winding bobbin, and a drive mechanism for driving the winding bobbin to rotate as the cleaning shaft moves relative to the housing, thereby winding the cleaning body around the winding bobbin, wherein the cleaning shaft is relatively movable with respect to the housing together with the cylindrical member, and the second biasing member is interposed between the cylindrical member and the housing and biases the cylindrical member in a direction away from the housing. The optical connector cleaning tool.

5. The optical connector cleaning tool according to Claim 4, wherein the cleaning shaft, comprises a support member for movably supporting the cleaning head, and a third biasing member interposed between the cleaning head and the support member and biasing the cleaning head in a direction away from the support member. An optical connector cleaning tool in which the biasing force of the third biasing member is smaller than the biasing force of the first biasing member.

6. An optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the opening of the cylindrical member is capable of receiving the guide pin of the optical connector, and an end portion of the opening of the cylindrical member has a height smaller than the height of the end portion of the ferrule.

7. An optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool includes a guide pin that can be inserted into a guide hole of the optical connector.

8. An optical connector cleaning method for cleaning a connection end face of an optical connector using the optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, the method including: a first step of bringing the contact portion of the cylindrical member into contact with the ferrule, retracting the ferrule with respect to the housing, and compressing the first biasing member; and a second step of releasing the contact of the cylindrical member with respect to the ferrule, expanding the first biasing member, and advancing the ferrule with respect to the housing.

9. An optical connector cleaning method according to Claim 8, wherein the first step includes compressing the first biasing member to the maximum amount.

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