Optical connector cleaning tool
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-26
Abstract
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 Patent Application No. 2023-142518 filed in Japan on September 1, 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 feeding mechanism that pulls out a fixed amount of cleaning medium from a feeding bobbin in conjunction with the movement of a moving body, and a winding mechanism that winds the cleaning medium onto a winding bobbin (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The winding mechanism includes a slip mechanism that causes a driving piece that presses against an engaging protrusion of a rotating body of the winding bobbin to slip relative to the rotating body when the load of the driving piece reaches a predetermined load.
[0003] International Publication No. 2020 / 170539
[0004] As the number of cleaning cycles increases, the amount of cleaning media wound on the take-up bobbin increases, which increases the radius of the cleaning media and increases the amount of cleaning media wound by the take-up mechanism per cycle. To address this issue, the slip mechanism prevents the take-up bobbin from winding more cleaning media after a certain amount has been wound, but fine adjustment of this slip mechanism is difficult. Therefore, as the number of cleaning cycles increases, more than a certain amount of cleaning media may be wound onto the take-up bobbin, limiting the number of times the optical connector can be cleaned.
[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 housing that holds the cleaning shaft so that it can move relatively along the axial direction of the cleaning shaft; a first bobbin that is housed in the housing and supplies the cleaning body to the pressing surface; a second bobbin that is housed in the housing and recovers the cleaning body from the pressing surface; and a fixing mechanism that fixes the first bobbin when the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing is displaced in a first direction, and releases the fixation of the first bobbin when the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing is displaced in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
[0007] [2] Aspect 2 of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to aspect 1, which includes a supply mechanism that supplies the cleaning body from the first bobbin to the pressing surface as the cleaning shaft moves relative to the housing in the second direction, and a recovery mechanism that rotates the second bobbin to recover the cleaning body from the pressing surface as the cleaning shaft moves relative to the housing in the first direction.
[0008] [3] Aspect 3 of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool according to aspect 1 or 2, which may be an optical connector cleaning tool equipped with a rotation limiting mechanism that limits rotation of the second bobbin when tension equal to or greater than a predetermined value is applied to the second bobbin via the cleaning body.
[0009] [4] Aspect 4 of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the fixing mechanism comprises a first engaging portion that can move toward and away from the first bobbin, a second engaging portion that the first engaging portion is engageable with and that the first bobbin has, and a guide member that can move relative to the first engaging portion in accordance with the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing, wherein when the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing is displaced in the first direction, the first engaging portion engages with the second engaging portion, and when the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing is displaced in the second direction, the first engaging portion is guided by the guide member, and the first engaging portion moves away from the first bobbin.
[0010] [5] Aspect 5 of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to Aspect 2, wherein the cleaning shaft has a passage through which the cleaning body passes as it is recovered from the pressing surface to the second bobbin, and the supply mechanism comprises: a first contact portion that is movable together with the cleaning shaft in accordance with the relative movement of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing and that is in contact with the portion of the cleaning body between the rear end of the cleaning shaft and the second bobbin; and a second contact portion that is movable together with the housing in accordance with the relative movement of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing and that is in contact with the portion of the cleaning body between the first contact portion and the second bobbin.
[0011] [6] A sixth aspect of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to the second aspect, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool includes a rotating body attached to the second bobbin, and the recovery mechanism includes a pinion gear portion provided on the rotating body, and a rack gear that is movable relative to the rotating body in accordance with the relative movement of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing and engages with the pinion gear portion.
[0012] [7] Aspect 7 of the present invention may be an optical connector cleaning tool according to aspect 3, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool comprises a rotating body attached to the second bobbin, and the rotation limiting mechanism comprises a third engaging portion having a first inclined surface and provided on the rotating body, and a fourth engaging portion having a second inclined surface corresponding to the first inclined surface and provided on the second bobbin, and when tension equal to or greater than the predetermined value is applied to the second bobbin via the cleaning body, the engagement between the third engaging portion and the fourth engaging portion is released, causing the rotating body to rotate freely relative to the second bobbin.
[0013] According to the present invention, the fixing mechanism fixes the first bobbin when the relative position of the cleaning shaft to the housing is displaced in a first direction, and releases the fixation of the first bobbin when the relative position of the cleaning shaft to the housing is displaced in a second direction, thereby increasing the number of times the optical connector can be cleaned using the optical connector cleaning tool.
[0014] 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 is a perspective view showing a rotation limiting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a take-up bobbin according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a collection mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a supply mechanism and a fixing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a support according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an adjustment member according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 13(a) to 13(c) are diagrams showing the internal operation of an optical connector cleaning tool in an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 13(a) is a diagram showing the state before the housing is pushed into the cleaning unit, Figure 13(b) is a diagram showing the state after the housing has been pushed into the cleaning unit, and Figure 13(c) is a diagram showing the state after the housing has been released from being pushed in.
[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016] 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 the object to be cleaned by the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to this embodiment.
[0017] 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.
[0018] 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.
[0019] 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.
[0020] 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.
[0021] 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.
[0022] 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.
[0023] The configuration of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 in this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8. FIG.
[0024] 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 is a perspective view showing the rotation limiting mechanism 91 according to this embodiment, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the take-up bobbin 31 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the collection mechanism 92 according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the supply mechanism 93 and the fixing mechanism 94 according to this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the support 40 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the adjustment member 62 according to this embodiment. FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c) are diagrams illustrating the internal operation of the optical connector cleaning tool 1 according to this embodiment.
[0025] As shown in Figures 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 housing 60, and a first biasing member 70. The cleaning unit 10 is accommodated in the housing 60 so that the cleaning unit 10 is movable relative to the housing 60 along the Y-axis direction in the figures. The first biasing member 70 is interposed between the cleaning unit 10 and the housing 60 and biases the cleaning unit 10 forward (+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 rotating body 32, a delivery bobbin 33 that delivers the cleaning element 5, a support body 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.
[0026] 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. While the cleaning element 5 in this embodiment has a circular cross-sectional shape, this is not particularly limited, and the cross-sectional shape of the cleaning element 5 may be polygonal, for example. Furthermore, although not particularly limited, the cleaning element 5 has a diameter of 0.1 mm to 1 mm, preferably 0.2 mm 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.
[0027] 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.
[0028] 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.
[0029] 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 and collected. 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.
[0030] 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.
[0031] 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 cleaning shaft 20 is provided with an engagement structure that suppresses relative rotation of the cleaning head 21 with respect to the shaft body 24 around the rotation axis RA.
[0032] 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 (in the +Y direction in the figure) 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.
[0033] 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 housing 60 (described later) form a rotation mechanism that rotates the cleaning shaft 20. This rotation mechanism 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 housing 60.
[0034] The shaft member 23 also has a passage 26 (see FIG. 9 ) therein that penetrates along the longitudinal direction of the shaft member 23. The cleaning element 5 fed from the delivery bobbin 33 passes through the passage 26 of the shaft member 23 and is supplied to the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning head 21. On the other hand, the cleaning element 5 collected from the pressing surface 211 of the cleaning head 21 passes through the passage 26 of the shaft main body 24 and is taken up onto the take-up bobbin 31.
[0035] 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 and retrieves the cleaning element 5 from the pressing surface 211. This take-up bobbin 31 corresponds to an example of the "second bobbin" in this aspect of the present invention. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, this take-up bobbin 31 includes a body portion 311 and a pair of flange portions 312, 313. This take-up bobbin 31 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the body portion 311 and the flange portions 312, 313 are integrally formed.
[0036] A used cleaning element 5 is wound around the body portion 311. The body portion 311 has a cylindrical shape, and a first shaft portion 43 (described later) of the support body 40 is inserted into the body portion 311. The pair of flange portions 312, 313 have a disk shape with an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the body portion 311, and are provided on both ends of the body portion 311.
[0037] As shown in Fig. 7, a plurality of recesses 314 are formed on the outer surface of the flange portion 312 on the lower side (the -Z direction side in the figure) of the winding bobbin 31. These recesses 314 are arranged intermittently along the circumferential direction of the flange portion 312. Claw portions 411 (see Fig. 11) of the support body 40, which will be described later, can engage with these recesses 314. These claw portions 411 allow the winding bobbin 31 to rotate in one direction (rightward (clockwise) in Fig. 9) but prohibit the winding bobbin 31 from rotating in the other direction (leftward (counterclockwise) in Fig. 9).
[0038] 6, a gear portion 315 is formed on the outer surface of the flange portion 313 on the upper side (the +Z direction side in the figure) of the winding bobbin 31. Each tooth 316 constituting this gear portion 315 has inclined surfaces 316a, 316b on both sides. The tooth 316 of this gear portion 315 corresponds to an example of a "fourth engagement portion" in this aspect of the present invention, and the inclined surface 316a of the tooth 316 corresponds to an example of a "second inclined surface" in this aspect of the present invention.
[0039] The rotating body 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 rotating body 32. As a result, the rotating body 32 is adjacent to the outer surface of the winding bobbin 31 and is arranged coaxially with the winding bobbin 31. The rotating body 32 includes a gear portion 321 and a pinion gear portion 323. The rotating body 32 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the gear portion 321 and the pinion gear portion 323 are integrally formed.
[0040] The gear portion 321 is formed on the lower surface of the rotating body 32 (the surface on the −Z direction side in the figure) so as to face the gear portion 315 of the winding bobbin 31. Each of the teeth 322 that make up this gear portion 321 also has inclined surfaces 322a, 322b on both sides. The inclined surface 316a of the winding bobbin 31 engages with the inclined surface 322a of the rotating body 32, and the inclined surface 316b of the winding bobbin 31 engages with the inclined surface 322b of the rotating body 32. The tooth 322 of this gear portion 321 corresponds to an example of a "third engagement portion" in this aspect of the present invention, and the inclined surface 322a of the tooth 322 corresponds to an example of a "first inclined surface" in this aspect of the present invention.
[0041] When the rotating body 32 rotates in one direction (rightward (clockwise) in FIG. 9 ), if the force transmitted from the rotating body 32 to the winding bobbin 31 is less than a predetermined value, the gear portions 315 and 321 engage with each other, and the winding bobbin 31 rotates together with the rotating body 32. On the other hand, if the force transmitted from the rotating body 32 to the winding bobbin 31 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the inclined surfaces 316 a and 322 a cause the teeth 322 of the rotating body 32 to climb over the teeth 316 of the winding bobbin 31, and the engagement between the gear portions 315 and 321 is released.
[0042] That is, the gear portion 315 of the take-up bobbin 31 and the gear portion 321 of the rotating body 32 constitute a rotation limiting mechanism 91. When tension equal to or greater than a predetermined value is applied to the take-up bobbin 31 via the cleaning body 5, the rotation limiting mechanism 91 causes the rotating body 32 to rotate freely relative to the take-up bobbin 31, thereby limiting the rotation of the take-up bobbin 31.
[0043] Here, the "predetermined tension" is a tension that is greater than the tension that winds the cleaning body 5 pulled out by the supply mechanism 93 (described later) onto the take-up bobbin 31, and is smaller than the tension that rotates the delivery bobbin 33 with the rotation of the take-up bobbin 31, causing the cleaning body 5 to be pulled out from the delivery bobbin 33. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the delivery bobbin 33 is forcibly fixed by the fixing mechanism 94, so that the upper limit of this "predetermined tension" is widened, and the design of the rotation limiting mechanism 91 is simplified.
[0044] On the other hand, as described above, rotation of the take-up bobbin 31 in the other direction (left-handed (counterclockwise) in FIG. 9 ) is prohibited by the claw portion 411 of the support body 40. Therefore, when the rotating body 32 rotates in the other direction (left-handed (counterclockwise) in FIG. 9 ), the inclined surfaces 316 b, 322 b cause the teeth 322 of the rotating body 32 to climb over the teeth 316 of the take-up bobbin 31, and the rotating body 32 rotates freely relative to the take-up bobbin 31.
[0045] The pinion gear portion 323 of the rotating body 32 is formed on the upper surface of the rotating body 32 (the surface on the +Z direction side in the figure). As shown in Fig. 8 , a rack gear portion 64 (described later) of the housing 60 is engaged with the pinion gear portion 323. The pinion gear portion 323 and the rack gear portion 64 form a recovery mechanism 92 that recovers the cleaning element 5 from the pressing surface 221 by rotating the take-up bobbin 31. The recovery mechanism 92 drives the take-up bobbin 31 to rotate in accordance with the relative movement of the cleaning shaft 20 with respect to the housing 60, thereby winding the cleaning element 5 onto the take-up bobbin 31 and recovering the cleaning element 5 from the pressing surface 221 onto the take-up bobbin 31.
[0046] 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 and supplies the cleaning element 5 to the pressing surface 211. This feed-out bobbin 33 corresponds to an example of the "first bobbin" in this aspect of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, this feed-out bobbin 33 has a body portion 331 and a pair of flange portions 332, 333, similar to the above-mentioned take-up bobbin 31. An unused cleaning element 5 is wound around the body portion 331 of this feed-out bobbin 33 in advance.
[0047] Although not specifically shown, similar to the recess 314 of the take-up bobbin 31 described above, a plurality of recesses are also formed on the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 332 on the lower side (the −Z direction side in the drawing) of the supply bobbin 33. These recesses are arranged intermittently along the circumferential direction of the flange portion 332. Claw portions of the support body 40, which will be described later, can engage with these recesses. These claw portions allow the supply bobbin 33 to rotate in one direction (rightward (clockwise) in FIG. 9) but prohibit the supply bobbin 33 from rotating in the other direction (leftward (counterclockwise) in FIG. 9).
[0048] As shown in Figure 9, a ratchet gear portion 334 is formed on the outer periphery of the flange portion 333 on the upper side (the +Z direction side in the figure) of the feed bobbin 33. A claw portion 461 of a cantilever 46 of the support body 40, which will be described later, can be engaged with this ratchet gear portion 334. When the claw portion 461 of the cantilever 46 is engaged with the ratchet gear portion 334, rotation of the feed bobbin 33 in one direction (rightward (clockwise) in Figure 9) is prohibited. On the other hand, when the claw portion 461 is not engaged with the ratchet gear portion 334, rotation of the feed bobbin 33 is permitted.
[0049] The support body 40 is a member that supports the above-mentioned cleaning shaft 20, take-up bobbin 31, rotating body 32, and delivery bobbin 33. As shown in Fig. 10 , the support body 40 includes a base portion 41, a support wall 42, shaft portions 43 and 44, guide pins 45a to 45c, a cantilever 46, a cylindrical portion 47, and a convex portion 48.
[0050] The support wall 42, the shafts 43 and 44, and the guide pins 45a to 45c are supported by the base 41. The cantilever 46 is supported by the side wall of the support 40 (the side wall on the -X side in the figure). The tubular portion 47 protrudes in the +Y direction in the figure from the wall on the tip side (the +Y direction side in the figure) of the support 40. The convex portion 48 protrudes in the -Y direction in the figure from the wall on the rear end side (the -Y direction side in the figure) of the support 40. The support 40 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the base 41, the support wall 42, the shafts 43 and 44, the guide pins 45a to 45c, the cantilever 46, the tubular portion 47, and the convex portion 48 are integrally formed.
[0051] 3 and 4, the cleaning shaft 20 is supported by a support body 40 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis RA. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 10, the multiple support walls 42 of the support body 40 each have an arc-shaped recess corresponding 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 figures via a cylindrical portion 47 of the support body 40.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 9 , the first shaft 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 40. The first shaft 43 is also inserted into the inner hole of the rotating body 32, and the rotating body 32 is supported by the support 40 so as to be rotatable coaxially with the take-up bobbin 31. The second shaft 44 is inserted into the inner hole of the supply bobbin 33, and the supply bobbin 33 is rotatably supported by the support 40. The cleaning body 5, which passes through the passage 26 of the cleaning shaft 20 and enters the support 40, is guided to the take-up bobbin 31 by multiple guide pins 45 a to 45 c. The guide pin 45 a contacts a portion of the cleaning body 5 between the rear end (the end on the −Y direction side in the figure) of the cleaning shaft 20 and the take-up bobbin 31, and the guide pin 45 b contacts a portion of the cleaning body 5 between the guide pin 45 a and the take-up bobbin 31. The guide pin 45c comes into contact with the cleaning element 5 at a portion between the guide pin 45b and the take-up bobbin 31 when the amount of the cleaning element 5 wound around the take-up bobbin 31 is small.
[0053] As shown in Figures 4 and 10, the base portion 41 of the support body 40 has a claw portion 411 at a position facing the winding bobbin 31. This claw portion 411 is elastically deformable along a normal direction of the base portion 41. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, this claw portion 411 has an inclined surface 412 and a vertical surface 413 at its tip. The inclined surface 412 allows the claw portion 411 to be released from the recess 314, so the winding bobbin 31 can rotate in one direction (rightward (clockwise) in Figure 9). On the other hand, when the vertical surface 413 abuts against the inner wall surface of the recess 314, the claw portion 411 cannot be released from the recess 314, so the winding bobbin 31 cannot rotate in the other direction (leftward (counterclockwise) in Figure 9).
[0054] Although not specifically shown, the base portion 41 of the support body 40 also has a claw portion similar to the claw portion 411 at a position facing the delivery bobbin 33. This claw portion and the recess of the delivery bobbin 33 allow the delivery bobbin 33 to rotate in one direction (right-handed (clockwise) in FIG. 9 ) but prevent it from rotating in the other direction (left-handed (counterclockwise) in FIG. 9 ).
[0055] 9 and 10 , the cantilever 46 is supported on the side wall (the side wall on the −X side in the figures) of the support body 40 so as to face the flange portion 333 on the upper side (the +Z direction side in the figures) of the delivery bobbin 33 supported on the second shaft portion 44 of the support body 40. The cantilever 46 is cantilevered on the side wall, and the free end of the cantilever 46 can move towards and away from the delivery bobbin 33 due to elastic deformation of the cantilever 46 itself.
[0056] The cantilever 46 has a claw portion 461 at its tip. When the cantilever 46 is in a normal state (a state in which it is not elastically deformed), the claw portion 461 is separated from the ratchet gear portion 334 of the feeding bobbin 33, allowing rotation of the feeding bobbin 33. On the other hand, when the cantilever 46 is elastically deformed so as to approach the feeding bobbin 33, the claw portion 461 engages with the ratchet gear portion 334 of the feeding bobbin 33, and the feeding bobbin 33 is fixed.
[0057] The cantilever 46 also has a protrusion 462 that protrudes upward (toward the +Z direction in the drawing) from the claw portion 461. The protrusion 462 functions as a cam follower that is guided by a cam portion 66 of the adjustment member 62, which will be described later. When the cam portion 66 presses the protrusion 462 toward the feed bobbin 33, the cantilever 46 elastically deforms so as to approach the feed bobbin 33. On the other hand, when the cam portion 66 no longer presses the protrusion 462, the cantilever 46 moves away from the feed bobbin 33 due to its elastic force.
[0058] 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.
[0059] 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 portion 511 provided approximately in the center of the first cylindrical body 51 engages with a protrusion (not shown) formed on the inner circumference at the tip of the inner hole of the second cylindrical body 52, thereby restricting the movement of the first cylindrical body 51 forward (in the +Y direction in the figure).
[0060] The third biasing member 53 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 47 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.
[0061] The third biasing member 53 is inserted into the second cylindrical body 52 together with the first cylindrical body 51. The cylindrical portion 47 of the support body 40 is also inserted into the second cylindrical body 52. A protrusion 471 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 47 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 471 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 forward (in the +Y direction in the figure).
[0062] 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.
[0063] 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.
[0064] The housing 60 accommodates a portion of the cleaning unit 10 and a first biasing member 70. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the housing 60 includes a housing main body 61 and an adjustment member 62. The housing main body 61 has two notches 612, 613, and an opening 611 is formed at its tip. The cleaning unit 10 is accommodated in the housing main body 61 so that the tip portion of the cleaning unit 10 protrudes from the housing main body 61 through the opening 611. The cleaning unit 10 is accommodated in the housing main body 61 so that the cleaning unit 10 is movable relative to the housing main body 61 along the Y-axis direction in the figures.
[0065] 12, the adjustment member 62 includes a cam pin 63, a rack gear portion 64, a movable pin 65, and a cam portion 66. As shown in FIG. 3, the adjustment member 62 covers the support body 40 so that the cleaning unit 10 is movable relative to the adjustment member 62 in the Y-axis direction in the drawing.
[0066] The cam pin 63 of this 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 housing 60, the cleaning shaft 20 rotates about the rotation axis RA due to the rotation mechanism formed by the cam pin 63 and the cam groove 251.
[0067] Furthermore, the rack gear portion 64 of the adjustment member 62 engages with the pinion gear portion 323 of the rotating body 32. Therefore, when the cleaning unit 10 moves relative to the housing 60, the take-up bobbin 31 is rotated by the collection mechanism 92 formed by the rack gear portion 64 and the pinion gear portion 323.
[0068] 9 , the movable pin 65 is in contact with a portion of the cleaning body 5 between the guide pin 45 a of the support body 40 and the take-up bobbin 31. The movable pin 65 is movable relative to the guide pin 45 a of the support body 40 as the support body 40 moves relative to the housing 60.
[0069] 9 and 13A, when the relative position of the support body 40 with respect to the housing 60 is on the forward side (+Y direction side in the figure) (when the first biasing member 70 is not compressed), the movable pin 65 is located rearward (-Y direction side in the figure) of the guide pin 45a of the support body 40 in the axial direction (Y direction in the figure) of the optical connector cleaning tool 1. Then, when the support body 40 moves rearward (-Y direction in the figure) relative to the housing 60, as shown in FIG. 13B, the movable pin 65 moves forward (+Y direction side in the figure) of the guide pin 45a in the axial direction (Y direction in the figure) of the optical connector cleaning tool 1, and pulls out the cleaning body 5 from the feed bobbin 33 and rotates the feed bobbin 33.
[0070] That is, the movable pin 65 and the guide pin 45a realize a supply mechanism 93 that pulls out the cleaning element 5 from the delivery bobbin 33 to the pressing surface 221 and supplies the cleaning element 5 from the delivery bobbin 33 to the pressing surface 221. The supply mechanism 93 pulls out the cleaning element 5 to the pressing surface 221 and rotates the delivery bobbin 33 in accordance with the relative movement of the support body 40 with respect to the housing 60. The movable pin 65 corresponds to an example of a "second contact portion" in this aspect of the present invention, and the guide pin 45a corresponds to an example of a "first contact portion" in this aspect of the present invention.
[0071] The cam portion 66 is capable of approaching and receding from the cantilever 46 of the support body 40 in accordance with the relative movement of the support body 40 with respect to the housing 60. The cam portion 66 has an outer first cam surface 661 and an inner second cam surface 662.
[0072] When the relative position of the support 40 with respect to the housing 60 is on the forward side (the +Y direction side in the figure) (when the first biasing member 70 is not compressed), this cam portion 66 is separated from the cantilever 46, as shown in Figures 9 and 13(a).
[0073] When the support 40 moves rearward (in the -Y direction in the figure) relative to the housing 60, the protrusion 462 of the cantilever 46 rides up onto the first cam surface 661 of the cam portion 66, as shown in Figure 13(b). This causes the cantilever 46 to elastically deform outward and move away from the delivery bobbin 33. In this state, the claw portion 461 of the cantilever 46 moves away from the ratchet gear portion 334 of the delivery bobbin 33, and the delivery bobbin 33 is released from its fixed position.
[0074] Next, when the support body 40 moves forward (in the +Y direction in the figure) relative to the housing 60, the protrusion 462 of the cantilever 46 is pressed by the second cam surface 662 of the cam portion 66, as shown in Figure 13(c) . This causes the cantilever 46 to elastically deform inward and approach the feed bobbin 33. In this state, the claw portion 461 engages with the ratchet gear portion 334 of the feed bobbin 33, and the feed bobbin 33 is fixed.
[0075] That is, the cam portion 66, the cantilever 46 of the support body 40, and the ratchet gear portion 334 of the feed bobbin 33 constitute a fixing mechanism 94 that fixes or releases the fixation of the feed bobbin 33. In other words, the fixing mechanism 94 prohibits or releases the prohibition (allows the rotation of the feed bobbin 33) the rotation of the feed bobbin 33. The fixing mechanism 94 fixes the rotation of the feed bobbin 33 when the relative position of the support body 40 with respect to the housing 60 is displaced in a first direction (+Y direction in the figure), and releases the fixation of the rotation of the feed bobbin 33 when the relative position of the support body 40 with respect to the housing 60 is displaced in a second direction (-Y direction in the figure). This cam portion 66 corresponds to an example of a "guide member" in this aspect of the present invention, the cantilever 46 of the support body 40 corresponds to an example of a "first engagement portion" in this aspect of the present invention, and the ratchet gear portion 334 of the delivery bobbin 33 corresponds to an example of a "second engagement portion" in this aspect of the present invention.
[0076] 3, the first biasing member 70 is inserted into the protrusion 48 of the support body 40 and is interposed between the wall on the rear end side (the -Y direction side in the figure) of the support body 40 and the wall 67 on the rear end side of the adjustment member 62. This first biasing member 70 biases the cleaning unit 10 toward the tip end (the +Y direction in the figure). Specific examples of the 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.
[0077] The adjustment member 62 and the first biasing member 70 are housed in the housing main body 61 together with the cleaning unit 10. The adjustment member 62 is fixed to the housing main body 61 by the engagement piece 68 of the adjustment member 62 engaging with the notch 612 of the housing main body 61.
[0078] The cleaning unit 10 can be advanced relative to the housing body 61 by advancing the adjustment member 62 relative to the housing body 61 and engaging the engagement piece 68 with another notch 613. In other words, the amount of protrusion of the cleaning unit 10 from the housing body 61 can be adjusted by engaging the engagement piece 68 with either the notch 612 or 613. The 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 housing body 61 during the optical connector 100 cleaning operation.
[0079] The internal operation of the cleaner 1 when cleaning the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100 using the cleaner 1 described above will now be described.
[0080] 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 (see FIG. 5( b)), and the cleaning head 21 brings the cleaning element 5 into contact with the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100.
[0081] Next, when the operator pushes the housing 60 toward the guide nozzle 50 in the +Y direction in the figure, the cleaning unit 10 retreats relatively to the housing 60, contracting the first biasing member 70 and 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.
[0082] 13(a) and 13(b), this pushing action by the operator moves the movable pin 65 forward (toward the +Y direction in the figure) beyond the guide pin 45a of the support body 40, pulling out the cleaning body 5 and rotating the delivery bobbin 33 in one direction (rightward (clockwise) in FIG. 9), so that the cleaning body 5 is supplied from the delivery bobbin 33 to the pressing surface 211. As a result, the cleaning body 5 slides while being pressed against the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100, wiping off any dirt adhering to the connection end face 111. The supply mechanism 93 realized by this movable pin 65 and guide pin 45a can supply a fixed amount of cleaning body 5 from the delivery bobbin 33 to the pressing surface 211 for each pushing action.
[0083] At this time, the protrusion 462 of the cantilever 46 rides up onto the first cam surface 661 of the cam portion 66, and the cantilever 46 elastically deforms outward and moves away from the delivery bobbin 33. As a result, the claw portion 461 moves away from the ratchet gear portion 334 of the delivery bobbin 33, allowing the delivery bobbin 33 to rotate.
[0084] Furthermore, when the cleaning unit 10 moves backward relative to the housing 60, the cam pin 63 slides relatively within the cam groove 251, 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 connection end surface 111 to be cleaned, it is possible to wipe away dirt from the entire area of the connection end surface 111. Although not particularly limited, the rotation angle of the cleaning shaft 20 is preferably 180 degrees or greater.
[0085] As described above, the claw portion 411 of the support body 40 prohibits the take-up bobbin 31 from rotating in the other direction (left (counterclockwise) in FIG. 9 ), and the gear portions 315, 321 of the take-up bobbin 31 and the rotating body 32 have inclined surfaces 316b, 322b. Therefore, even if the cleaning unit 10 is pushed back relatively to the housing 60 by the operator, the rotating body 32 rotates idly relative to the take-up bobbin 31, and the take-up bobbin 31 does not rotate.
[0086] Next, when the operator releases the pushing of the housing 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 housing 60, as shown in FIG. 13( c). This relative linear motion of the cleaning unit 10 with respect to the housing 60 is converted into rotational motion of the rotor 32 by the rack gear portion 64 and the pinion gear portion 323. Then, the gear portions 321, 315 of the rotor 32 and the take-up bobbin 31 engage with each other, and the rotation of the rotor 32 is transmitted to the take-up bobbin 31. This causes the take-up bobbin 31 to rotate, and a certain amount of the cleaning element 5 pulled out by the supply mechanism 93 is wound onto the take-up bobbin 31, and the cleaning element 5 is collected by the take-up bobbin 31.
[0087] At this time, as described above, when tension equal to or greater than a predetermined value is applied to the take-up bobbin 31 via the cleaning body 5, the rotation limiting mechanism 91 (the gear portion 315 of the take-up bobbin 31 and the gear portion 321 of the rotating body 32) causes the rotating body 32 to rotate freely relative to the take-up bobbin 31. Therefore, even if the radius of the cleaning body 5 wound around the take-up bobbin 31 increases with an increase in the number of cleaning operations, a situation in which an amount of cleaning body 5 greater than the fixed amount pulled out by the above-mentioned supply mechanism 93 is pulled out from the delivery bobbin 33 by the rotation of the take-up bobbin 31 is suppressed.
[0088] Furthermore, when the cleaning unit 10 moves forward relative to the housing 60, the protrusion 462 of the cantilever 46 is pressed by the second cam surface 662 of the cam portion 66, causing the cantilever 46 to elastically deform inward and approach the delivery bobbin 33. As a result, the claw portion 461 engages with the ratchet gear portion 334 of the delivery bobbin 33, forcibly fixing the delivery bobbin 33, thereby increasing the reliability of preventing the cleaning body 5 from being pulled out from the delivery bobbin 33 due to rotation of the take-up bobbin 31.
[0089] 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 .
[0090] As described above, in this embodiment, the fixing mechanism 94 fixes the delivery bobbin 33 when the relative position of the cleaning shaft 20 with respect to the housing 60 is displaced in a first direction (the +Y direction in the figure), and releases the fixation of the delivery bobbin 33 when the relative position of the cleaning shaft 20 with respect to the housing 60 is displaced in a second direction (the -Y direction in the figure). This makes it possible to prevent the cleaning body 5 from being pulled out by more than a certain amount due to rotation of the take-up bobbin 31, thereby increasing the number of times the optical connector 100 can be cleaned by the optical connector cleaning tool 1.
[0091] 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.
[0092] Although not particularly shown, for example, the cantilever 46 may be tilted inward so that the relative position of the support 40 with respect to the housing 60 is on the forward side (the +Y direction in the figure) (a state in which the first biasing member 70 is not compressed), and the claw portion 461 may be constantly engaged with the ratchet gear portion 334. Then, the engagement between the claw portion 461 of the cantilever 46 and the ratchet gear portion 334 of the feed bobbin 33 may be released only when the protrusion 462 of the cantilever 46 rides on the first cam surface 661 of the cam portion 66. This prevents unintended tension from being applied to the feed bobbin 33 via the cleaning element 5 when the fixation of the rotation of the feed bobbin 33 is released, and prevents unnecessary cleaning element 5 from being pulled out from the feed bobbin 33.
[0093] 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 hole 22...Second biasing member 23...Shaft member 24...Shaft main body 25...Expanded diameter portion 251...Cam groove 26...Passage path 31...Winding bobbin 311...Body portion 312, 313...Flange portion 314...Recess 315...Gear portion 316...Teeth 316a, 316b...Inclined surface 32...Rotating body 321...Gear portion 322...Teeth 322a, 322b...Inclined surface 323...Pinion gear portion 33...Feeding bobbin 331...Body portion 332, 333...Flange portion 334...Ratchet gear portion 40...Support body 41...Base portion 411...Pawl portion 412...Inclined surface 413...Vertical surface 42...Support wall 43...First shaft portion 44...Second shaft portion 45a to 45c...Guide pin 46...Cantilever 461...Claw portion 462...Protrusion 47...Cylinder portion 471...Protrusion 48...Convex portion 50...Guide nozzle 51...First cylinder body 511...Step portion 52...Second cylinder body 521...Window portion 53...Third biasing member 60...Housing 61...Housing main body 611...Opening 612, 613...Notches 62...Adjusting member 63...Cam pin 64...Rack gear portion 65...Movable pin 66...Cam portion 661...First cam surface 662...Second cam surface 67...Rear end wall 68...Engaging piece 70...First biasing member 91...Rotation limiting mechanism DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 92: Recovery mechanism 93: Supply mechanism 94: Fixing mechanism 100: Optical connector 110: Ferrule 111: Connection end face 120: Optical fiber 130: Housing 131: Opening 150: Sleeve 151: End face
Claims
1. A cleaning tool for optical connectors, which cleans the connection end face of an optical connector. A cleaning shaft having a pressing surface for pressing the cleaning body against the connecting end face, the cleaning body wrapped around the pressing surface, A housing that holds the cleaning shaft so that it can move relative to the cleaning shaft along its axial direction, A first bobbin housed in the housing supplies the cleaning body to the pressing surface, A second bobbin housed in the housing for collecting the cleaning material from the pressing surface, An optical connector cleaning tool comprising: a fixing mechanism that fixes the first bobbin when the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing is displaced in a first direction, and releases the fixing of the first bobbin when the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing is displaced in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
2. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1, The aforementioned optical connector cleaning tool is A supply mechanism that supplies the cleaning body from the first bobbin to the pressing surface as the cleaning shaft moves relative to the housing in the second direction, A light connector cleaning tool comprising: a recovery mechanism that rotates the second bobbin to recover the cleaning body from the pressing surface as the cleaning shaft moves relative to the housing in the first direction.
3. An optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1 or 2, The optical connector cleaning tool is equipped with a rotation limiting mechanism that limits the rotation of the second bobbin when a tension exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the second bobbin via the cleaning body.
4. An optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned fixing mechanism is A first engaging portion that can move toward and away from the first bobbin, The first engaging portion is engageable with the second engaging portion provided on the first bobbin, The system includes a guide member that is movable relative to the first engaging portion as the cleaning shaft moves relative to the housing, When the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing is displaced in the first direction, the first engaging portion engages with the second engaging portion. An optical connector cleaning tool in which, when the relative position of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing is displaced in the second direction, the first engaging portion is guided by the guide member so that the first engaging portion moves away from the first bobbin.
5. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 2, The cleaning shaft has a passage through which the cleaning body, which is collected from the pressing surface to the second bobbin, passes. The aforementioned supply mechanism is The cleaning body has a first contact portion which is movable relative to the cleaning shaft in conjunction with the relative movement of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing, and which is in contact with the portion between the rear end of the cleaning shaft and the second bobbin in the cleaning body, An optical connector cleaning tool comprising: a second contact portion which is movable relative to the housing in conjunction with the relative movement of the cleaning shaft with respect to the housing, and which contacts the portion of the cleaning body between the first contact portion and the second bobbin.
6. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 2, The optical connector cleaning tool comprises a rotating body mounted on the second bobbin, The aforementioned recovery mechanism is The rotating body comprises a pinion gear section, An optical connector cleaning tool comprising a rack gear that is movable relative to the rotating body in conjunction with the relative movement of the cleaning shaft relative to the housing, and that engages with the pinion gear portion.
7. The optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 3, The optical connector cleaning tool comprises a rotating body mounted on the second bobbin, The rotation limiting mechanism is Having a first inclined surface, the rotating body has a third engaging portion, It has a second inclined surface corresponding to the first inclined surface, and comprises a fourth engaging portion provided on the second bobbin, An optical connector cleaning tool in which, when a tension exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the second bobbin via the cleaning body, the engagement between the third engaging portion and the fourth engaging portion is released, causing the rotating body to rotate freely relative to the second bobbin.