Optical connector cleaning tool

Abstract

An optical connector cleaning tool (1) comprises: a cleaning shaft (20); a delivery bobbin (33); a winding bobbin (31); a support body (40); a case (60); a rotation mechanism (91) that rotates the cleaning shaft (20) about a rotation axis (RA) in conjunction with movement of the support body (40) relative to the case (60); and a gear (32) that is attached to the winding bobbin (31). The cleaning shaft (20) has a supply port (252) and a collection port (253). When the support body (40) starts movement relative to the case (60), the rotation mechanism (91) rotates the cleaning shaft (20) about the rotation axis (RA) such that the collection port (253) separates from the gear (32).

Description

Optical connector cleaning tool

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector. For designated countries where incorporation by reference of literature is permitted, the content of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-096163 filed in Japan on June 12, 2023 is incorporated by reference into this specification and made a part of the description of this specification.

[0002] An optical connector cleaning tool is known that includes a head member having a pressing surface formed thereon that presses the cleaning body against the connection end face of the optical connector, a supply reel that supplies the cleaning body to the head member, a take-up reel that takes up the cleaning body from the head member, and a gear attached to the take-up reel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2010-191465 A

[0004] In the above optical connector cleaning tool, when the cleaning body is wound onto the take-up reel, the winding position of the cleaning body in the axial direction of the take-up reel is not controlled, so there is a risk that the cleaning body will be wound unevenly in the axial direction of the take-up reel. Therefore, in the above optical connector cleaning tool, the number of times that the optical connector can be cleaned may be limited in order to prevent the cleaning body from overflowing from the take-up reel and becoming tangled in the gears.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool that can increase the number of times cleaning can be performed.

[0006] [1] Aspect 1 of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector, comprising: a cleaning shaft having a pressing surface that presses a cleaning body against the connection end face, the cleaning body being wrapped around the pressing surface; a delivery bobbin that supplies the cleaning body to the pressing surface; a take-up bobbin that collects the cleaning body from the pressing surface; a support that supports the cleaning shaft, the delivery bobbin, and the take-up bobbin; a housing that accommodates the support so that it can move relatively; a rotation mechanism that rotates the cleaning shaft about a rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cleaning shaft as the support moves relative to the housing; and a gear attached to the take-up bobbin, wherein the cleaning shaft has a supply port through which the cleaning body supplied to the pressing surface passes and a recovery port through which the cleaning body collected from the pressing surface passes; and the rotation mechanism rotates the cleaning shaft about the rotation axis when the support starts to move relative to the housing.

[0007] [2] Aspect 2 of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to aspect 1, wherein the rotation mechanism comprises a cam groove provided on the cleaning shaft and a cam pin provided on the housing and inserted into the cam groove, the recovery port is disposed on one side of the rotation axis, and the cam groove has a spiral shape that rotates along the rotation axis to the other side.

[0008] [3] Aspect 3 of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the support body includes a first shaft portion that rotatably supports the delivery bobbin, a second shaft portion that rotatably supports the take-up bobbin, and a base portion that supports the first and second shaft portions, and when the support body starts to move relative to the housing, the rotation mechanism rotates the cleaning shaft around the rotation axis so that the recovery port approaches the base portion.

[0009] [4] Aspect 4 of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to aspect 3, wherein the rotation mechanism comprises a cam groove provided on the cleaning shaft and a cam pin provided on the housing and inserted into the cam groove, the recovery port is located on the right side of the rotation axis, the base portion is located below the first and second shaft portions with the rotation axis as the center, and the cam groove has a counterclockwise spiral shape along the rotation axis.

[0010] [5] Aspect 5 of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool includes a drive mechanism that rotates the winding bobbin in accordance with relative movement of the support body with respect to the housing, thereby winding the cleaning body onto the winding bobbin, and the drive mechanism may be an optical connector cleaning tool that includes a pinion gear portion of the gear and a rack gear portion of the housing that meshes with the pinion gear portion.

[0011] [6] Aspect 6 of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool is provided with a transmission mechanism that transmits rotation in only one direction from the gear to the winding bobbin, and the transmission mechanism may be provided with a first locking portion that the gear has, and a second locking portion that the winding bobbin has and that locks with the first locking portion when the gear rotates in the one direction.

[0012] In the present invention, when the support body starts to move relative to the gear, the rotation mechanism rotates the cleaning shaft so that the collection port moves away from the gear, thereby preventing the cleaning body from becoming entangled in the gear and increasing the number of times cleaning is possible.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an optical connector to be cleaned by an optical connector cleaning tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an optical connector cleaning tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the optical connector cleaning tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5(a) is a front view showing a tip portion of a cleaning head according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VB-VB in FIG. 5(a). FIG. 6(a) is a plan view showing the inside of the support along arrow VIA in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIB-VIB in FIG. 6(a). FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a rotation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a transmission mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a drive mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] An optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a cleaner for cleaning the connection end faces of optical connectors that connect optical fibers together. Fig. 1 is a front view showing an optical connector 100 that is to be cleaned by the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] The optical connector 100 to be cleaned by this optical connector cleaning tool 1 is, but is not limited to, a single-fiber optical connector plug. As shown in Fig. 1, this optical connector 100 includes a cylindrical ferrule 110 and a housing 130 that houses the ferrule 110. The ferrule 110 has a fiber holding hole that penetrates the ferrule 110 in the longitudinal direction (see Fig. 5(b)). An optical fiber 120 is inserted into the fiber holding hole and fixed to the ferrule 110 with an adhesive or the like. The optical fiber 120 is exposed from a circular connection end face 111 of the ferrule 110.

[0017] Although not particularly limited, specific examples of such an optical connector 100 include a single-fiber optical connector such as an SC (Single-fiber Coupling) connector defined in JIS C5973, an FC (Fiber Connector) connector defined in JIS C5970, an MU (Miniature Universal) connector defined in JIS C 5983, and an LC (Lucent Connector) connector.

[0018] An adapter is used to connect a pair of optical connectors 100 each having the above-described ferrules 110. Specifically, the pair of optical connectors 100 are inserted into openings on both sides of the adapter, and the ferrules 110 are inserted into openings on both sides of a sleeve 150 (see FIG. 5B ) provided in the adapter. Then, by butting the connection end faces 111 of the pair of ferrules 110 together inside the sleeve 150, the optical fibers 120 exposed from the connection end faces 111 of the ferrules 110 are optically connected to each other.

[0019] If dirt, dust, oil, or other contaminants adhere to the connecting end faces 111 of the ferrules 110 during this butting, this may cause damage during connection and disconnection, an increase in transmission loss, etc. Therefore, before connecting the optical connectors 100 together, the connecting end faces 111 of the ferrules 110 are cleaned using an optical connector cleaning tool 1 described below.

[0020] The optical connector 100 described above is an optical connector plug used in a plug-adapter-plug coupling system, but in an optical connector receptacle used in a plug-receptacle coupling system, the connection end face of the ferrule may be cleaned using the optical connector cleaning tool 1 described below. Specifically, this optical connector receptacle has a ferrule attached to the tip of an optical fiber incorporated into a housing into which the optical connector plug is inserted.

[0021] Alternatively, a cap having an inner hole of 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 optical connector plug may be inserted into the cap to clean the connection end face of the optical connector plug alone when not inserted into the adapter.

[0022] The configuration of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 in this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to this embodiment, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning unit 10 according to this embodiment. FIG. 5(a) is a front view showing the tip portion of the cleaning head 21 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VB-VB in FIG. 5(a). FIG. 6(a) is a plan view showing the inside of the support 40 along arrow VIA in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIB-VIB in FIG. 6(a). FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the rotation mechanism 91 according to this embodiment, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the transmission mechanism 92 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the drive mechanism 93 according to this embodiment.

[0024] 2 to 4, the optical connector cleaning tool 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "cleaner 1") in this embodiment includes a cleaning unit 10, a case (housing) 60, and a first biasing member 70. The cleaning unit 10 is housed in the case 60 so that the cleaning unit 10 is movable relative to the case 60 along the Y-axis direction in the figures. The first biasing member 70 is interposed between the cleaning unit 10 and the case 60, and biases the cleaning unit 10 in the +Y direction in the figures. The cleaning unit 10 includes a cleaning shaft 20, a take-up bobbin 31 that takes up the cleaning element 5, a gear 32, a delivery bobbin 33 that delivers the cleaning element 5, a support 40, and a guide nozzle 50. This cleaner 1 cleans the optical connector 100 by pressing the cleaning body 5 wrapped around the cleaning shaft 20 against the connection end face 111 of the ferrule 110 of the optical connector 100 using the pressing surface 211 (described later) of the cleaning shaft 20.

[0025] The cleaning element 5 is a continuous piece of cleaning cloth processed into a thread or string shape. Specific examples of cleaning cloth include nonwoven or woven fabrics made of ultrafine fibers such as polyester or nylon. The cleaning element 5 in this embodiment has a circular cross-sectional shape, but is not particularly limited thereto. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the cleaning element 5 may be polygonal. Furthermore, although not particularly limited, the cleaning element 5 has a diameter of 0.1 mm to 1 mm, preferably 0.2 to 0.3 mm. A narrow, tape-like continuous piece formed by processing the cleaning cloth into a strip may also be used as the cleaning element 5.

[0026] The cleaning shaft 20 is a long member for pressing the cleaning element 5 against the connection end surface 111 of the optical connector 100. The cleaning element 5 is wound around the cleaning shaft 20 so as to be folded back at the pressing surface 211. An unused cleaning element 5 is wound around the delivery bobbin 33. The unused cleaning element 5 is supplied to the cleaning shaft 20 from the delivery bobbin 33. The cleaning element 5 used on the pressing surface 211 is then collected on the take-up bobbin 31. The cleaning shaft 20 includes a cleaning head (head member) 21, a second biasing member 22, and a shaft member 23.

[0027] The cleaning head 21 is a member that constitutes the tip portion of the cleaning shaft 20. As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), the cleaning head 21 has a pressing surface 211 at its tip that presses the cleaning body 5 against the connection end surface 111 of the optical connector 100. The pressing surface 211 has a shape (circular in this embodiment) that corresponds to the shape of the connection end surface 111 of the ferrule 110 of the optical connector 100 to be cleaned.

[0028] A pair of guide holes 212, 213 are formed in this pressing surface 211, allowing the cleaning element 5 to pass through the inside of the cleaning shaft 20. An unused cleaning element 5 fed from the feed bobbin 33 passes through the inside of the cleaning shaft 20 and one of the guide holes 212, and is supplied to the pressing surface 211. The cleaning element 5 supplied to this pressing surface 211 passes over the center of the pressing surface 211 and moves on the pressing surface 211 toward the other guide hole 213. A used cleaning element 5 passes through the other guide hole 213 and the inside of the cleaning shaft 20, and is taken up onto the take-up bobbin 31. Note that instead of the above-mentioned guide holes 212, 213, a pair of guide grooves may be formed on the side surface of the cleaning head 21, and the cleaning element 5 may be supplied to and collected from the pressing surface 211 via these guide grooves.

[0029] 4, the shaft member 23 includes a shaft main body 24 and an expanded diameter portion 25. Both the shaft main body 24 and the expanded diameter portion 25 have a cylindrical shape, and the expanded diameter portion 25 is connected to the rear end of the shaft main body 24. Although not particularly limited, the shaft member 23 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the shaft main body 24 and the expanded diameter portion 25 are integrally formed.

[0030] The cleaning head 21 is disposed at the tip end of the shaft body 24. The cleaning head 21 is supported by the shaft body 24 so that the cleaning head 21 can move along the Y-axis direction in the figure relative to the shaft body 24. Here, the Y-axis direction in the figure is the direction in which the cleaner 1 is inserted into or removed from the adapter during cleaning, as well as the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the cleaning shaft 20 and the pressing direction in which the cleaning head 21 presses the pressing surface 211 via the cleaning body 5. Although not specifically shown, the shaft member 23 is provided with a locking structure that prevents the cleaning head 21 from rotating relative to the shaft body 24 around the rotation axis RA (described below).

[0031] The second biasing member 22 is interposed between the cleaning head 21 and the shaft body 24. This second biasing member 22 biases the cleaning head 21 forward relative to the shaft body 24, allowing the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning head 21 to press the cleaning body 5 with an appropriate pressing force against the connection end surface 111 of the optical connector 100. Specific examples of this second biasing member 22 include an elastic body such as a spring or rubber, and a specific example of a spring is a coil spring.

[0032] A spiral cam groove 251 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the expanded diameter portion 25. This cam groove 251 and a cam pin 63 of the case 60 (described later) form a rotation mechanism 91 that rotates the cleaning shaft 20. This rotation mechanism 91 rotates the cleaning shaft 20 about a rotation axis RA that is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cleaning shaft 20 as the support body 40 moves relative to the case 60. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 7 , this cam groove 251 has a left-handed (counterclockwise) spiral shape about the rotation axis RA. The spiral shape of the cam groove 251 rotates in the direction from the rear end to the front end of the cleaner 1.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 6(b), the enlarged diameter portion 25 has a supply port 252 and a recovery port 253. The cleaning element 5 fed from the feed bobbin 33 enters the shaft body 24 through the supply port 252 and is supplied to the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning head 21. Meanwhile, the cleaning element 5 recovered from the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning head 21 and passed through the shaft body 24 enters the support body 40 through the recovery port 253 and is taken up onto the take-up bobbin 31. Note that Fig. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of the cleaner 1 as viewed in a direction from the rear end to the front end. For ease of explanation, Fig. 6(b) does not show the cleaning element 5 passing through the supply port 252.

[0034] In this embodiment, the supply port 252 and the recovery port 253 face each other across the rotation axis RA. The supply port 252 is disposed on the left side of the rotation axis RA, while the recovery port 253 is disposed on the right side of the rotation axis RA.

[0035] That is, in this embodiment, the recovery port 253 is disposed on the right side of the rotation axis RA, whereas the spiral shape of the cam groove 251 rotates left (counterclockwise) along the rotation axis RA.

[0036] The take-up bobbin 31 is a bobbin that takes up the cleaning element 5 used on the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning head 21. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the take-up bobbin 31 includes a body 311 and a pair of flanges 312 and 313. The take-up bobbin 31 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the body 311 and the flanges 312 and 313 are integrally formed.

[0037] A used cleaning element 5 is wound around the body 311. The body 311 has a cylindrical shape, and a first shaft 43 (described later) of the support 40 is inserted into the body 311. The pair of flanges 312, 313 have a disk shape with an outer diameter larger than that of the body 311, and are provided on both ends of the body 311. A ratchet gear portion 315 is formed on an outer surface 314 of the upper flange 312 (the +Z direction side in the figure).

[0038] The gear 32 is a gear member attached to the winding bobbin 31. Specifically, the first shaft portion 43 of the support body 40, which is inserted into the inner hole of the winding bobbin 31, is also inserted into the inner hole of the gear 32. As a result, the gear 32 is adjacent to the outer surface 314 of the winding bobbin 31 and is arranged coaxially with the winding bobbin 31. The gear 32 includes a ratchet gear portion 321 and a pinion gear portion 322. The gear 32 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the ratchet gear portion 321 and the pinion gear portion 322 are integrally formed.

[0039] The ratchet gear portion 321 is formed on the underside of the gear 32 (the surface on the −Z direction side in the figure) so as to face the ratchet gear portion 315 of the take-up bobbin 31. This ratchet gear portion 321 engages with the ratchet gear portion 315 of the take-up bobbin 31 when the gear 32 rotates in one direction (rightward (clockwise) in FIG. 6A). On the other hand, this ratchet gear portion 321 does not engage with the ratchet gear portion 315 of the take-up bobbin 31 when the gear 32 rotates in the other direction (leftward (counterclockwise) in FIG. 6A).

[0040] That is, the ratchet gear portion 321 and the ratchet gear portion 315 of the take-up bobbin 31 constitute a transmission mechanism 92 that transmits rotation in only one direction from the gear 32 to the take-up bobbin 31. When the gear 32 rotates in one direction (rightward (clockwise) in FIG. 6A), the transmission mechanism 92 transmits the rotation of the gear 32 to the take-up bobbin 31, thereby rotating the take-up bobbin 31. On the other hand, when the gear 32 rotates in the other direction (leftward (counterclockwise) in FIG. 6A), the rotation of the gear 32 is not transmitted to the take-up bobbin 31, and therefore the take-up bobbin 31 does not rotate.

[0041] On the other hand, the pinion gear portion 322 is formed on the upper surface of the gear 32 (the surface on the +Z direction side in the figure). A rack gear portion 64 (described later) of the case 60 is engaged with this pinion gear portion 322. The pinion gear portion 322 and the rack gear portion 64 constitute a drive mechanism 93 that rotationally drives the take-up bobbin 31. The drive mechanism 93 rotates the take-up bobbin 31 in accordance with the relative movement of the support body 40 with respect to the case 60, thereby winding the cleaning element 5 onto the take-up bobbin 31.

[0042] The feed-out bobbin 33 is a bobbin that feeds out the cleaning element 5 used on the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning head 21. Like the take-up bobbin described above, the feed-out bobbin 33 has a body portion and a pair of flange portions. An unused cleaning element 5 is wound around the body portion of the feed-out bobbin 33 in advance. No gear 32 is attached to the feed-out bobbin 33.

[0043] The support body 40 is a member that supports the cleaning shaft 20, take-up bobbin 31, gear 32, and delivery bobbin 33. As shown in FIGS. 4, 6(a), and 6(b), the support body 40 includes a base portion 41, a support wall 42, shaft portions 43 and 44, a guide pin 45, a tubular portion 46, and a protrusion 47. The support wall 42, the shaft portions 43 and 44, and the guide pin 45 are supported by the base portion 41. The tubular portion 46 protrudes in the +Y direction from the wall of the front end side (the +Y direction side in the figure) of the support body 40. Meanwhile, the protrusion 47 protrudes in the -Y direction from the wall of the rear end side (the -Y direction side in the figure) of the support body 40. The support body 40 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the base portion 41, support wall 42, shaft portions 43 and 44, the guide pin 45, the tubular portion 46, and the protrusion 47 are integrally formed.

[0044] The cleaning shaft 20 is supported by the support body 40 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis RA. Specifically, each of the support walls 42 (three in this embodiment) of the support body 40 has an arc-shaped recess that corresponds to the outer peripheral surface of the expanded diameter portion 25 of the cleaning shaft 20. The expanded diameter portion 25 is held in the recess of the support wall 42, so that the cleaning shaft 20 is rotatably supported by the support body 40. Meanwhile, the shaft main body 24 of the cleaning shaft 20 protrudes from the support body 40 in the +Y direction in the figure via a cylindrical portion 46 of the support body 40.

[0045] The first shaft portion 43 is inserted into the inner hole of the take-up bobbin 31, and the take-up bobbin 31 is rotatably supported by the support body 40. The first shaft portion 43 is also inserted into the inner hole of the gear 32, and the gear 32 is supported by the support body 40 so as to be rotatable coaxially with the take-up bobbin 31. The second shaft portion 44 is inserted into the inner hole of the delivery bobbin 33, and the delivery bobbin 33 is rotatably supported by the support body 40. As shown in FIG. 6( a), the cleaning element 5 that passes through the cleaning shaft 20 and enters the support body 40 via the recovery port 253 is guided to the take-up bobbin 31 by multiple (two in this embodiment) guide pins 45.

[0046] The base portion 41 of the support body 40 has claw portions 411 at positions facing the take-up bobbin 31 and the supply bobbin 33. Meanwhile, although not specifically shown, a plurality of recesses are formed intermittently along the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the flange portion 313 on the lower side (the -Z direction side in the drawing) of the take-up bobbin 31. The claw portions 411 engage with the recesses, thereby restricting the idling of the take-up bobbin 31. Similarly, the claw portions 411 engage with recesses formed on the outer surface of the flange on the lower side of the supply bobbin, thereby restricting the idling of the supply bobbin 33.

[0047] 3 and 4, the guide nozzle 50 includes a first cylindrical body 51, a second cylindrical body 52, and a third biasing member 53. The guide nozzle 50 is disposed on the tip side of the support body 40. The guide nozzle 50 is supported by the support body 40 so that the first cylindrical body 51 is movable relative to the support body 40 along the Y-axis direction in the drawings.

[0048] Both the first and second cylindrical bodies 51, 52 have a cylindrical shape. The first cylindrical body 51 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the second cylindrical body 52 and is inserted into the second cylindrical body 52. ​​The first cylindrical body 51 is inserted into the second cylindrical body 52 so as to be relatively movable along the Y-axis direction in the figure. Note that a step 511 provided approximately in the center of the first cylindrical body 51 engages with a protrusion (not shown) formed on the inner circumference of the tip of the inner hole of the second cylindrical body 52, thereby limiting movement of the first cylindrical body 51 in the +Y direction in the figure.

[0049] The third biasing member 53 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 46 of the support body 40. The rear end (-Y direction side in the figure) of the third biasing member 53 contacts the wall on the front end (+Y direction side in the figure) of the support body 40. Meanwhile, the rear end (-Y direction side in the figure) of the first cylindrical body 51 contacts the front end (+Y direction side in the figure) of the third biasing member 53. In other words, the third biasing member 53 is interposed between the first cylindrical body 51 and the support body 40. Specific examples of the third biasing member 53 include an elastic body such as a spring or rubber, and a specific example of the spring is a coil spring.

[0050] The third biasing member 53 is inserted into the second cylindrical body 52 together with the first cylindrical body 51. The cylindrical portion 46 of the support body 40 is also inserted into the second cylindrical body 52. ​​A protrusion 461 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 46 of the support body 40, and a window portion 521 is formed in the rear end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical body 52. ​​The protrusion 461 is inserted into the window portion 521, thereby fixing the second cylindrical body 52 to the support body 40. In this state, the third biasing member 53 biases the first cylindrical body 51 in the +Y direction in the figure.

[0051] The portion of the cleaning shaft 20 that protrudes from the support body 40 is inserted into this guide nozzle 50. The portion of the cleaning shaft 20 that protrudes from the support body 40 is the portion of the cleaning shaft 20 that is closer to the tip end (the +Y direction in the figure) than the expanded diameter portion 25, and specifically, the cleaning head 21, the second biasing member 22, and the shaft body 24.

[0052] In the normal state (when the cleaner 1 is not in use (when the tip of the guide nozzle 50 is not inserted into the adapter)), the tip of the cleaning shaft 20 does not protrude from the guide nozzle 50 but is located inside the guide nozzle 50. When the cleaner 1 is used to clean the optical connector 100, the tip of the guide nozzle 50 is inserted into the adapter and comes into contact with the end face 151 of the sleeve 150 (see FIG. 5B ), causing the first cylindrical body 51 to retract relative to the second cylindrical body 52, and the tip of the cleaning shaft 20 to protrude from the guide nozzle 50.

[0053] The case 60 houses a portion of the cleaning unit 10 and a first biasing member 70. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the case 60 includes a case main body 61 and an adjustment member 62. The case main body 61 has two notches 612, 613, and an opening 611 formed at its tip. The cleaning unit 10 is inserted into the case main body 61 through an opening at the rear end side (the −Y direction side in the figure) of the case main body 61, and the tip portion of the cleaning unit 10 protrudes from the case main body 61 through this opening 611. The cleaning unit 10 is housed in the case main body 61 so that the cleaning unit 10 can move relative to the case main body 61 along the Y-axis direction in the figure.

[0054] The adjustment member 62 includes a cam pin 63 and a rack gear portion 64. The adjustment member 62 covers the support body 40 so that the cleaning unit 10 can move relative to the adjustment member 62 along the Y-axis direction in the figure. The cam pin 63 of the adjustment member 62 is inserted into the cam groove 251 of the shaft member 23. Therefore, when the cleaning unit 10 moves relative to the case 60, the cleaning shaft 20 rotates about the rotation axis RA due to a rotation mechanism 91 formed by the cam pin 63 and the cam groove 251. The rack gear portion 64 of the adjustment member 62 meshes with the pinion gear portion 322 of the gear 32. Therefore, when the cleaning unit 10 moves relative to the case 60, the take-up bobbin 31 rotates due to a drive mechanism 93 formed by the rack gear portion 64 and the pinion gear portion 322.

[0055] The first biasing member 70 is interposed between the protrusion 47 of the support body 40 and the wall 65 on the rear end side (the -Y direction side in the figure) of the adjustment member 62. This first biasing member 70 biases the cleaning unit 10 toward the front end side (the +Y direction side in the figure). Specific examples of this first biasing member 70 include an elastic body such as a spring or rubber, and a specific example of a spring is a coil spring.

[0056] The adjustment member 62 and the first biasing member 70, together with the cleaning unit 10, are inserted into the case body 61 from an opening at the rear end side of the case body 61 (the -Y direction side in the figure) and are housed inside the case body 61. At this time, the adjustment member 62 is fixed to the case body 61 by the locking piece 66 of the adjustment member 62 locking into the notch 612 of the case body 61.

[0057] The cleaning unit 10 can be advanced relative to the case body 61 by advancing the adjustment member 62 relative to the case body 61 and engaging the locking piece 66 with another notch 613. That is, by engaging the locking piece 66 with either the notch 612 or 613, the amount of protrusion of the cleaning unit 10 from the case body 61 can be adjusted. This adjustment of the amount of protrusion of the cleaning unit 10 is performed before the optical connector 100 is cleaned, and the adjustment member 62 is not moved relative to the case body 61 during the optical connector 100 cleaning operation.

[0058] When cleaning the optical connector 100 using the cleaner 1 described above, the procedure is as follows.

[0059] First, the operator inserts the tip of the guide nozzle 50 of the cleaner 1 into the opening of the adapter. This causes the tip of the guide nozzle 50 to abut against the end face 151 of the sleeve 150. Then, when the operator pushes the cleaner 1 toward the adapter, the third biasing member 53 contracts, the first cylindrical body 51 retracts relative to the second cylindrical body 52, and the cleaning head 21 of the cleaning shaft 20 protrudes from the tip of the guide nozzle 50. Then, this cleaning head 21 enters the sleeve 150, and the cleaning head 21 brings the cleaning element 5 into contact with the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100.

[0060] Next, when the operator pushes the case 60 toward the +Y direction in the figure against the guide nozzle 50, the cleaning unit 10 retreats relatively to the case 60, and the first biasing member 70 contracts, as well as the second biasing member 22. This contraction of the second biasing member 22 causes the cleaning head 21 to press the cleaning body 5 against the connection end face 111 of the ferrule 110 with an appropriate pressing force.

[0061] Furthermore, the relative linear motion of the cleaning unit 10 with respect to the case 60 caused by the pushing action by the operator is converted into rotational motion of the gear 32 by the rack gear portion 64 and the pinion gear portion 322. Then, since the rotation direction of this gear 32 is one direction (rightward (clockwise) in FIG. 6A ), the ratchet gear portions 321 and 315 engage with each other, and the rotation of the gear 32 is transmitted to the take-up bobbin 31. This causes the take-up bobbin 31 to rotate, and the cleaning element 5 used on the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning shaft 20 is taken up onto the take-up bobbin 31. Furthermore, a tensile force acts on the cleaning element 5 in association with this take-up action, causing the delivery bobbin 33 to rotate, and an unused cleaning element 5 is supplied from the delivery bobbin 33 to the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning shaft 20. As a result, the cleaning body 5 slides while being pressed against the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100 , wiping off dirt adhering to the connection end face 111 .

[0062] Furthermore, the cam pin 63 slides relatively within the cam groove 251 due to the pushing action of the operator, causing the cleaning shaft 20 to rotate about the rotation axis RA. Therefore, even if the width of the thread-like or string-like cleaning element 5 is narrower than the connecting end surface 111 to be cleaned, it is possible to wipe away dirt from the entire connecting end surface 111. Although not particularly limited, the rotation angle of the cleaning shaft 20 is preferably 180 degrees or more.

[0063] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B , when the cleaning unit 10 starts to move relative to the case 60, the rotation mechanism 91 rotates the cleaning shaft 20 about the rotation axis RA so that the collection port 253 of the cleaning shaft 20 moves away from the gear 32. Specifically, the collection port 253 is located on the right side of the rotation axis RA, while the spiral shape of the cam groove 251 rotates left (counterclockwise) along the rotation axis RA. Therefore, when the cleaning unit 10 starts to move relative to the case 60 due to the above-mentioned pushing action by the operator, the rotation mechanism 91 rotates the cleaning shaft 20 about the rotation axis RA so that the collection port 253 moves closer to the base portion 41 of the support body 40, as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 6B .

[0064] As described above, in this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 91 rotates the cleaning shaft 20 so that the recovery port 253 approaches the base portion 41 of the support body 40, and therefore the cleaning element 5 is preferentially wound on the side of the body portion 311 of the take-up bobbin 31 away from the gear 32 (the -Z direction side in the figure). This prevents the cleaning element 5 from spilling over from the take-up bobbin 31 and becoming entangled with the gear 32, and increases the number of times the cleaner 1 can clean the optical connector 100.

[0065] Furthermore, in a support formed by injection molding, the guide surface of the guide pin may be inclined, and the cleaning element guided by this inclined guide surface may be wound unevenly around the take-up bobbin. In contrast, in this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 91 rotates the cleaning shaft 20 so that the recovery port 253 approaches the base part 41 of the support 40, so that the cleaning element 5 can be wound preferentially around the base side of the guide pin 45, and the cleaning element 5 can be prevented from overflowing from the take-up bobbin 31 and becoming tangled in the gear 32.

[0066] Next, when the operator releases the pushing of the case 60 against the guide nozzle 50, the elastic force of the first biasing member 70 causes the cleaning unit 10 to move forward relative to the case 60. At this time, the rotation direction of the gear 32 is the other direction (leftward (counterclockwise) in FIG. 6( a)), and the ratchet gear portions 321, 315 are not engaged, so the take-up bobbin 31 does not rotate. Meanwhile, by releasing the pushing, the cam pin 63 slides relatively within the cam groove 251, and the cleaning shaft 20 rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction during the above-mentioned pushing operation, as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 6( b).

[0067] When cleaning is completed, the worker removes the cleaner 1 from the optical connector 100 by pulling out the tip portion of the guide nozzle 50 of the cleaner 1 from the optical connector 100 .

[0068] As described above, in this embodiment, when the cleaning unit 10 starts to move relative to the case 60, the rotation mechanism 91 rotates the cleaning shaft 20 so that the recovery port 253 of the cleaning shaft 20 moves away from the gear 32. This prevents the cleaning element 5 from becoming entangled with the gear 32, and increases the number of times the optical connector 100 can be cleaned.

[0069] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, the elements disclosed in the above embodiments are intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0070] For example, in the above embodiment, the recovery port 253 is disposed on the right side of the rotation axis RA, while the spiral shape of the cam groove 251 rotates left (counterclockwise) along the rotation axis RA, but the position of the recovery port 253 with respect to the rotation axis RA and the rotation direction of the spiral shape of the cam groove 251 are not particularly limited to the above, as long as they are opposite to each other. Specifically, the recovery port 253 may be disposed on the left side of the rotation axis RA, and the rotation direction of the spiral shape of the cam groove 251 may be right (clockwise) along the rotation axis RA.

[0071] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Optical connector cleaning tool 5...Cleaning body 10...Cleaning unit 20...Cleaning shaft 21...Cleaning head 211...Pressing surface 212, 213...Guide holes 22...Second biasing member 23...Shaft member 24...Shaft main body 25...Expanded diameter portion 251...Cam groove 252...Supply port 253...Recovery port 31...Winding bobbin 311...Body portion 312, 313...Flange portion 314...Outer surface 315...Ratchet gear portion 32...Gear 321...Ratchet gear portion 322...Pinion gear portion 33...Feeding bobbin 40...Support body 41...Base portion 411...Pawl portion 42...Support wall 43...First shaft portion 44...Second shaft portion 45...Guide pin 46...Cylinder portion 461...Protrusion 47...Convex portion DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50... Guide nozzle 51... First cylindrical body 511... Step portion 52... Second cylindrical body 521... Window portion 53... Third biasing member 60... Case 61... Case main body 611... Opening 612, 613... Notch 62... Adjusting member 63... Cam pin 64... Rack gear portion 65... Rear end wall 66... ​​Locking piece 70... First biasing member 91... Rotation mechanism 92... Transmission mechanism 93... Driving mechanism 100... Optical connector 110... Ferrule 111... Connection end face 120... Optical fiber 130... Housing 131... Opening 150... Sleeve 151... End face

Claims

1. An optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning a connection end face of an optical connector, a cleaning shaft having a pressing surface that presses the cleaning body against the connecting end surface, the cleaning body being wrapped around the pressing surface; a delivery bobbin for supplying the cleaning body to the pressing surface; a take-up bobbin that collects the cleaning element from the pressing surface; a support for supporting the cleaning shaft, the delivery bobbin, and the take-up bobbin; a housing that accommodates the support body so that the support body can move relatively; a rotation mechanism that rotates the cleaning shaft about a rotation axis parallel to a longitudinal direction of the cleaning shaft in accordance with relative movement of the support body with respect to the housing; a gear attached to the winding bobbin, The cleaning shaft a supply port through which the cleaning element passes when it is supplied to the pressing surface; a collection port through which the cleaning element passes to be collected from the pressing surface, The rotation mechanism is an optical connector cleaning tool that rotates the cleaning shaft around the rotation axis so that the recovery port moves away from the gear when the support body starts to move relative to the housing.

2. 2. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1, The rotation mechanism includes: a cam groove provided in the cleaning shaft; a cam pin that is included in the housing and is inserted into the cam groove, the recovery port is disposed on one side of the rotation axis, The cam groove has a spiral shape that turns to the other side along the rotation axis.

3. 3. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1, The support is a first shaft portion that rotatably supports the delivery bobbin; a second shaft portion that rotatably supports the winding bobbin; a base portion supporting the first and second shaft portions, An optical connector cleaning tool in which, when the support body starts to move relative to the housing, the rotation mechanism rotates the cleaning shaft around the rotation axis so that the recovery port approaches the base portion.

4. 3. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1, the optical connector cleaning tool includes a drive mechanism that rotates and drives the winding bobbin in accordance with relative movement of the support body with respect to the housing, thereby winding the cleaning element onto the winding bobbin; The drive mechanism includes: a pinion gear portion of the gear; a rack gear portion that is included in the housing and that meshes with the pinion gear portion.

5. 3. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1, the optical connector cleaning tool includes a transmission mechanism that transmits rotation in only one direction from the gear to the winding bobbin, The transmission mechanism includes: a first locking portion of the gear; a second locking portion that is provided on the take-up bobbin and that locks onto the first locking portion when the gear rotates in the one direction.