Optical connector cleaning tool

Abstract

A cleaner (1) comprises: a housing (20); a support member (80) that is supported on the housing (20) in a manner allowing relative movement; a cleaning shaft (60) that comprises a pressing surface (611) which presses a cleaning body (5) against a connection end surface (111) of an optical connector (100) and that is rotatably supported by the support member (80); and a first rotation mechanism that rotates the cleaning shaft (60) along with first relative movement of the support member (80) with respect to the housing (20). The first rotation mechanism is provided with: a rotating body (70) that is rotatably supported by the support member (80); a conversion mechanism (217, 73) that converts the first relative movement into rotational movement of the rotating body (70); and a transmission mechanism (651, 74) that transmits rotation of the rotating body (70) to the cleaning shaft (60) in such a manner that the rotation amount of the cleaning shaft (60) differs from the rotation amount of the rotating body (70).

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. In designated countries where incorporation by reference is permitted, the contents described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-025313, filed in Japan on February 19, 2025, are incorporated herein by reference and constitute part of this specification.

[0002] As an optical connector cleaning tool that cleans the connection end face of an optical connector with a cleaning body, there is a known type in which the cleaning body is pressed against the connection end face by a head member and the tool body is moved relative to the insertion part, thereby rotating the head member around its axis while the cleaning body is in contact with the connection end face (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-191465

[0004] In the above-mentioned optical connector cleaning tool, if the amount of movement of the insertion part relative to the tool body is reduced, it may not be possible to ensure sufficient rotation of the head component, which can result in the inability to properly clean the connection end face of the optical connector.

[0005] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool that can effectively clean the connection end face of an optical connector.

[0006] [1] One aspect of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector, comprising: a first support; a second support supported so as to be movable relative to the first support; a cleaning shaft rotatably supported on the second support and having a pressing surface for pressing a cleaning body against the connection end face; and a first rotation mechanism for rotating the cleaning shaft in accordance with a first relative movement of the second support with respect to the first support, wherein the first rotation mechanism comprises: a rotating body rotatably supported on the second support; a conversion mechanism for converting the first relative movement into rotational motion of the rotating body; and a transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the rotating body to the cleaning shaft such that the first amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft is different from the second amount of rotation of the rotating body.

[0007] [2] A second aspect of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool in which the transmission mechanism is greater than the second rotation amount, in which the transmission mechanism is greater than the first rotation amount.

[0008] [3] A third aspect of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool in the optical connector cleaning tool of the first or second aspect, wherein the conversion mechanism comprises a helical cam groove provided on the rotating body and a cam pin provided on the first support and sliding within the cam groove.

[0009] [4] A fourth aspect of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool in any one of the aspects 1 to 3, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises a first gear portion provided on the cleaning shaft and a second gear portion provided on the rotating body and meshing with the first gear portion.

[0010] [5] Embodiment 5 of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool in which the gear ratio of the first gear portion to the second gear portion is less than 1, in the optical connector cleaning tool of Embodiment 4.

[0011] [6] Embodiment 6 of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool in any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the rotating body is supported on the second support such that the first rotation axis of the cleaning shaft and the second rotation axis of the rotating body are parallel.

[0012] [7] Embodiment 7 of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool in any one of embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool comprises a first bobbin rotatably supported on the first support and dispensing the cleaning body before use, and a supply mechanism that supplies a fixed amount of the cleaning body to the pressing surface in accordance with the relative movement of the first.

[0013] [8] Embodiment 8 of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool in any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool comprises a second bobbin rotatably supported on the first support for winding up the used cleaning material, and a second rotating mechanism for rotating the second bobbin in conjunction with the relative movement of the first.

[0014] [9] Aspect 9 of the present invention is an optical connector cleaning tool of aspect 8, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool is equipped with a rotation limiting mechanism that limits the rotation of the second bobbin by the second rotation mechanism when a tension greater than a predetermined value is applied to the second bobbin through the cleaning body.

[0015] In this invention, the optical connector cleaning tool is equipped with a first rotation mechanism that rotates the cleaning shaft in conjunction with a first relative movement. This first rotation mechanism comprises a rotating body rotatably supported by a second support, a conversion mechanism that converts the first relative movement into rotational motion of the rotating body, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the rotating body to the cleaning shaft such that the first amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft is different from the second amount of rotation of the rotating body. As a result, the first amount of rotation can be set independently of the amount of the first relative movement, so that the connection end face of the optical connector can be cleaned effectively.

[0016] Figure 1 is a front view showing an optical connector to be cleaned by the optical connector cleaning tool in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the optical connector cleaning tool in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the optical connector cleaning tool with the cover removed in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the optical connector cleaning tool with the second housing removed from the tool body and the outer cylinder of the guide nozzle removed from the extension member in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the first housing in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a side view showing the first housing with the bobbin attached in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the extension member in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the extension member in an embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 4. Figure 9(a) is a front view showing the tip portion of the cleaning head in an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 9(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IXB-IXB in Figure 9(a). Figure 10 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the cleaning shaft, rotating body, and support member in an embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line XX in Figure 7. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the first and second gear sections in an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view along the line XI-XI in Figure 4. Figures 12(a) and 12(b) are side views showing the state of use of the optical connector cleaning tool in an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 12(a) shows the housing in an advanced position toward the cleaning shaft, and Figure 12(b) shows the housing in a retracted position toward the cleaning shaft.

[0017] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0018] The optical connector cleaning tool 1 in this embodiment of the present invention is a cleaner for cleaning the connection end faces of optical connectors that connect optical fibers together. Figure 1 is a front view showing the optical connector plug 100, which is the target of cleaning by the optical connector cleaning tool 1 in this embodiment. This optical connector plug 100 corresponds to an example of an "optical connector" in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The optical connector 100 to be cleaned by the optical connector cleaning tool 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "cleaner 1") is a single-core connection type optical connector plug. As shown in FIG. 1, this optical connector 100 includes a ferrule 110, an optical fiber 120, and a housing 130.

[0020] The ferrule 110 has a cylindrical shape. The ferrule 110 has a fiber holding hole that penetrates the ferrule 110 in its longitudinal direction. The optical fiber 120 is inserted into this fiber holding hole (see FIG. 9(b)), and the optical fiber 120 is fixed to the ferrule 110 by an adhesive or the like. The optical fiber 120 is exposed from the circular connection end face 111 of the ferrule 110.

[0021] The connection end face 111 of this ferrule 110 is a flat polished end face (for example, UPC: Ultra Physical Contact) without inclination. Note that the connection end face 111 may be an obliquely polished end face (for example, APC: Angled Physical Connect) having an inclination. Although not particularly limited, in this case, the connection end face 111 has an inclination angle of 8 degrees with respect to the direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical fiber 120, for example.

[0022] This ferrule 110 is held by the housing 130. The housing ́130 has a recess 131, and the ferrule 110 protrudes from the bottom surface of the recess 131 and extends to the outside of the recess 131.

[0023] Although not particularly limited, specific examples of such an optical connector plug 100 include, for example, single-core optical connectors such as the SC connector defined in JIS C5973, the FC connector defined in JIS C5970, the MU connector defined in JIS C 5983, the ST connector, and the LC connector.

[0024] When connecting a pair of optical connectors 100 each provided with the above ferrule 110, an adapter is used. Specifically, the pair of optical connectors 100 are inserted from the openings on both sides of the adapter, and the ferrules 110 are respectively inserted into the openings on both sides of the sleeve 150 (see FIG. 9(b)) provided in the adapter. Then, by abutting the connection end faces 111 of the pair of ferrules 110 against each other within this sleeve 150, the optical fibers 120 respectively exposed from the connection end faces 111 of the ferrules 110 are optically connected to each other.

[0025] When making this abutment, if foreign matter (dirt) such as dust, dirt, and oil adheres to the connection end face 111 of the ferrule 110, it may cause damage during attachment and detachment or an increase in transmission loss. Therefore, before connecting the optical connectors 100 to each other, the connection end face 111 of the ferrule 110 is cleaned using the cleaner 1 described below.

[0026] The cleaner 1 of the present embodiment can clean the optical connector plug 100 in a state of being attached to the adapter without using accessory parts such as a cap, and can also directly clean the optical connector plug 100 in a single state (a state of not being attached to the adapter). That is, this cleaner 1 can clean the connection end face 111 of the optical connector plug 100 without using a cap regardless of the state of the optical connector plug 100.

[0027] Note that the above-described optical connector plug 100 is an optical connector plug used in the plug - adapter - plug coupling method, but in an optical connector receptacle used in the plug - receptacle coupling method, the end face of the ferrule may be cleaned using the cleaner 1 described below. Specifically, this optical connector receptacle directly incorporates a ferrule attached to the tip of an optical fiber into a housing into which the optical connector plug is inserted, and the ferrule is pre - inserted into a sleeve provided in the housing.

[0028] Hereinafter, the configuration of the cleaner 1 in the present embodiment will be described in detail while referring to the drawings.

[0029] First, the overall configuration of the cleaner 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the cleaner 1 in this embodiment. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the cleaner 1 with the cover 40 removed in this embodiment. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the cleaner 1 with the second housing 22 removed from the tool body 10 and the outer cylinder 92 of the guide nozzle 90 removed from the extension member 50 in this embodiment.

[0030] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the cleaner 1 in this embodiment comprises a tool body 10 and an extension member 50 extending from the tool body 10.

[0031] The extension member 50 protrudes forward (towards the +Y direction in the figure) from the opening 41 of the cover 40 of the tool body 10. The extension member 50 has a pressing surface 611 (see Figures 7 to 9(b) described later) at its tip that presses the cleaning body 5 against the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100. The tool body 10 is equipped with bobbins 31 and 32 for supplying and retrieving the cleaning body 5 to the pressing surface 611. The extension member 50 is capable of moving relative to the tool body 10 along the axial direction of the extension member 50 (the Y direction in the figure).

[0032] As the tool body 10 and the extension member 50 move relative to each other (the tool body 10 moves forward relative to the extension member 50), the cleaning body 5 moves on the pressing surface 611, causing the cleaning body 5 to slide while being pressed against the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100, thus enabling efficient wiping of foreign matter adhering to the connection end face 111. Furthermore, as the tool body 10 moves backward relative to the extension member 50, the used cleaning body 5 can be collected from the pressing surface 611 and transferred to the winding bobbin 32, while unused cleaning bodies 5 can be supplied from the discharge bobbin 31 to the pressing surface 611.

[0033] The cleaning body 5 is a continuous body formed by processing a cleaning cloth into a thread-like or string-like shape (see Figures 9(a) and 9(b)). Specific examples of the cleaning cloth include, for example, a nonwoven or woven fabric composed of extremely fine fibers such as polyester or nylon. Although the cleaning body 5 in this embodiment has a circular cross-sectional shape, it is not limited to this, and for example, the cross-sectional shape of the cleaning body 5 may be polygonal. Also, although not particularly limited, the cleaning body 5 has a diameter of 0.1 mm to 1 mm, preferably 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm. A narrow tape-like continuous body formed by processing the cleaning cloth into a strip may also be used as the cleaning body 5.

[0034] Next, the configuration of the tool body 10 of the cleaner 1 in this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 5 and 6, in addition to Figure 4.

[0035] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the first housing 21 in this embodiment, and Figure 6 is a side view showing the first housing 21 with the bobbins 31 and 32 attached in this embodiment.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4, the tool body 10 includes a housing 20, a feed bobbin 31, a winding bobbin 32, a transmission member 33, rollers 341 to 343 (see Figure 6), and a cover 40 (see Figures 2 and 3). The housing 20 corresponds to an example of the "first support" in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The housing 20 consists of a first housing 21 and a second housing 22. A discharge bobbin 31, a winding bobbin 32, and a transmission member 33 are housed inside the housing 20. The first housing 21 and the second housing 22 are fixed together by a fixing pin formed in the first housing 21 fitting into a fixing hole formed in the second housing 22.

[0038] While not particularly limited, for example, the first and second housings 21 and 22 are formed from a resin material. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, both the first and second housings 21 and 22 have engaging pieces 211 and 212, a window 213, and a notch 214. In addition to these, the first housing 21 has support shaft portions 215 and 216 and a cam pin 217.

[0039] The delivery bobbin 31 is a reel (cylindrical winding frame) for supplying the cleaning body 5. Unused cleaning body 5 is wound on this delivery bobbin 31. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, this delivery bobbin 31 is rotatably supported on the support shaft portion 215 of the first housing 21. As the tool body 10 retracts relative to the extension member 50 described above, unused cleaning body 5 is pulled out from this delivery bobbin 31 to the pressing surface 611.

[0040] Multiple engagement grooves 311 are formed on both sides of the discharge bobbin 31, arranged circumferentially at equal intervals. In contrast, the first and second housings 21 and 22 are provided with the aforementioned engagement pieces 211 facing these engagement grooves 311, and these engagement pieces 211 protrude inward toward the housings 21 and 22. As shown in Figure 5, one surface 211a of the tip of the engagement piece 211 is inclined, while the other surface 211b of the tip is upright. Therefore, the engagement piece 211 allows the discharge bobbin 31 to rotate in the direction that discharges the cleaning body 5 (discharge direction) (counterclockwise in Figure 6). On the other hand, the engagement piece 211, by engaging with the engagement grooves 311, prevents the discharge bobbin 31 from rotating in the opposite direction to the discharge direction (clockwise in Figure 6).

[0041] The winding bobbin 32 is a reel for winding up the used cleaning body 5. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, this winding bobbin 32 is rotatably supported on the support shaft portion 216 of the first housing 21. As the tool body 10 moves backward relative to the extension member 50, the winding bobbin 32 rotates, and the used cleaning body 5 used on the pressing surface 611 is wound onto this winding bobbin 32.

[0042] Multiple engagement grooves 321 are formed on both sides of the winding bobbin 32. In contrast, the first and second housings 21 and 22 are provided with the aforementioned engagement pieces 212 facing these engagement grooves 321, and these engagement pieces 212 protrude inward toward the inside of the housings 21 and 22. Similar to the discharge bobbin 31 described above, these engagement pieces 212 allow the winding bobbin 32 to rotate in the direction that winds the cleaning body 5 (winding direction) (counterclockwise in Figure 6), but prohibit the winding bobbin 32 from rotating in the opposite direction to the winding direction (clockwise in Figure 6).

[0043] As shown in Figure 6, ring portions 322 are formed on both sides of the winding bobbin 32. These ring portions 322 have an annular shape that protrudes laterally (in the X direction in the figure) from the side of the winding bobbin 32 and are arranged concentrically with respect to the axial hole of the winding bobbin 32. The inner circumferential surface of the ring portion 322 functions as a friction surface 323 that comes into contact with the leaf spring portion 332 of the transmission member 33.

[0044] The transmission members 33 are positioned inside both ring portions 322 of the winding bobbin 32. Each transmission member 33 is rotatably supported on the support shaft portion 216 of the first housing 21 that supports the winding bobbin 32, and is rotatable relative to the winding bobbin 32. In other words, the support shaft portion 216 of the first housing 21 supports the winding bobbin 32 as well as the two transmission members 33, and the winding bobbin 32 and the transmission members 33 are arranged coaxially.

[0045] Each transmission member 33 comprises a pinion gear 331 and a pair of leaf spring portions 332. The pinion gear 331 protrudes laterally (in the X direction in the figure) from the ring portion 322 of the winding bobbin 32.

[0046] As shown in Figure 4, the rack gear 862 of the support member 80 of the cleaning shaft 60 meshes with the pinion gear 331 from below (the -Z side in the figure). The pinion gear 331 and the rack gear 862 constitute a "rack and pinion mechanism". This rack and pinion mechanism 331, 862 converts the relative linear motion of the support member 80 with respect to the housing 20 into rotational motion of the transmission member 33, which in turn rotates the winding bobbin 32. In other words, this rack and pinion mechanism 331, 862 realizes a "second rotation mechanism" that rotates the winding bobbin 32 in accordance with the relative movement of the support member 80 with respect to the housing 20.

[0047] As shown in Figure 6, the pair of leaf spring sections 332 are arranged rotationally symmetrically around the axis of the transmission member 33. With the central part of each leaf spring section 332 elastically deformed inward, the transmission member 33 is fitted inside the ring section 322 of the winding bobbin 32. Therefore, a frictional force acts between each leaf spring section 332 and the friction surface 323 of the ring section 322, and these leaf spring sections 332 and friction surfaces 323 constitute a "friction transmission mechanism".

[0048] The rotational motion of the transmission member 33, converted by the rack and pinion mechanism described above, is transmitted to the winding bobbin 32 via the friction transmission mechanisms 332 and 323, causing the winding bobbin 32 to rotate. The friction transmission mechanisms 332 and 323 transmit the rotational motion of the transmission member 33 to the winding bobbin 32 when the force transmitted from the transmission member 33 to the winding bobbin 32 is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Conversely, if the force transmitted from the transmission member 33 to the winding bobbin 32 is greater than the predetermined value, the leaf spring portion 332 slips against the friction surface 323, causing the transmission member 33 to rotate but the winding bobbin 32 not to rotate.

[0049] In other words, a "rotation limiting mechanism" is realized by the friction surface 323 of the winding bobbin 32 and the leaf spring portion 332 of the transmission member 33. When a tension greater than a predetermined value is applied to the winding bobbin 32 via the cleaning body 5, the rotation limiting mechanism 332, 323 causes the transmission member 33 to rotate freely relative to the winding bobbin 32, thereby limiting the rotation of the winding bobbin 32 by the second rotation mechanism 331, 862. Here, the "predetermined tension" is a tension less than the tension required to rotate the discharge bobbin 31 by the rotation of the winding bobbin 32 and pull out the cleaning body 5 from the discharge bobbin 31. Furthermore, this "predetermined tension" is a tension greater than or equal to the tension required to wind a certain amount of cleaning body 5 pulled out from the discharge bobbin 31 onto the winding bobbin 32.

[0050] As shown in Figure 6, rollers 341 to 343 are rotatably held by pins 351 to 353 held in the housing 20. Roller 341 guides unused cleaning material 5 supplied from the feed bobbin 31 to the pressing surface 611 of the extension member 50. On the other hand, rollers 342 and 343 guide used cleaning material 5 that is collected from the pressing surface 611 of the extension member 50 to the winding bobbin 32. In this case, the cleaning material 5 is folded back by roller 343 and the cleaning material 5 is caught on roller 343.

[0051] The housing 20 described above, with the delivery bobbin 31, winding bobbin 32, transmission member 33, and rollers 341-343 housed inside the cover 40 through the opening 42 at the rear end of the cover 40 (see Figure 3). The extension member 50 protrudes forward (towards the +Y side in the figure) from the opening 41 at the front end of the cover 40 (see Figure 2). The housing 20 is fixed to the cover 40. On the other hand, the extension member 50 is not fixed to the cover 40 and can move relative to the housing 20 and the cover 40. The operator cleaning the optical connector 100 with the cleaner 1 operates the cleaner 1 by grasping the cover 40 with their hand.

[0052] Next, the configuration of the extension member 50 of the cleaner 1 in this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 7 to 11.

[0053] Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the extension member 50 in this embodiment. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the extension member 50 in this embodiment, taken along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 4. Figure 9(a) is a front view showing the tip portion of the cleaning head 61 in this embodiment, and Figure 9(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IXB-IXB in Figure 9(a). Figure 10 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the cleaning shaft 60, rotating body 70, and support member 80 in this embodiment, taken along the line XX in Figure 7. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the first and second gear portions 651 and 74 in this embodiment, taken along the line XI-XI in Figure 4.

[0054] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the extension member 50 comprises a cleaning shaft 60, a rotating body 70, a support member 80, a guide nozzle 90, and coil springs 95 and 96. The support member 80 corresponds to an example of the "second support" in the embodiment of the present invention. Note that the coil springs 95 and 96 are not shown in Figure 7.

[0055] The cleaning shaft 60 is a member (pressing member) for pressing the cleaning body 5 against the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100. The cleaning body 5 is wrapped around this cleaning shaft 60 so as to be folded back at the pressing surface 611. Unused cleaning bodies 5 sent out from the delivery bobbin 31 move along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning shaft 60 and are supplied to the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning shaft 60. The cleaning bodies 5 used at the pressing surface 611 then move along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning shaft 60 and are collected in the winding bobbin 32. This cleaning shaft 60 is a long member that extends along the longitudinal direction (Y direction in the figure) of the extension member 50 and comprises a cleaning head (head member) 61, a coil spring 62, and a shaft member 63.

[0056] The cleaning head 61 is a component that makes up the tip portion of the cleaning shaft 60. As shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), the cleaning head 61 has a pressing surface 611 at its tip that presses the cleaning body 5 against the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100. This pressing surface 611 has a shape (circular in this embodiment) that corresponds to the shape of the connection end face 111 of the ferrule 110 of the optical connector 100 that is to be cleaned.

[0057] A pair of guide holes 612 and 613 are formed in the pressing surface 611, allowing the cleaning body 5 to pass through the inside of the cleaning shaft 60. Unused cleaning bodies 5, sent out from the delivery bobbin 31, pass through the inside of the cleaning shaft 60 and one of the guide holes 612, and are supplied to the pressing surface 611. The cleaning bodies 5 supplied to the pressing surface 611 pass over the center of the pressing surface 611 and move along the pressing surface 611 toward the other guide hole 613. The used cleaning bodies 5 then pass through the other guide hole 613 and the inside of the cleaning shaft 60, and are wound onto the winding bobbin 32 for collection. Alternatively, instead of the guide holes 612 and 613 described above, a pair of guide grooves may be formed on the side surface of the cleaning head 61, and the cleaning bodies 5 may be supplied to and collected from the pressing surface 611 via these guide grooves.

[0058] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the shaft member 63 comprises a shaft body 64 and an enlarged diameter portion 65. Both the shaft body 64 and the enlarged diameter portion 65 have a cylindrical shape, and the enlarged diameter portion 65 is connected to the rear end of the shaft body 64. Although not particularly limited, this shaft member 63 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the shaft body 64 and the enlarged diameter portion 65 are integrally formed.

[0059] The cleaning head 61 described above is positioned at the tip of the shaft body 64. The cleaning head 61 is supported by the shaft body 64 so that it can move along the Y direction in the figure relative to the shaft body 64. Although not specifically shown, the cleaning shaft 60 has a rotation axis RA １ It is equipped with an engagement structure that prevents the cleaning head 61 from rotating relative to the shaft body 64, which is centered on the shaft.

[0060] A coil spring 62 is interposed between the cleaning head 61 and the shaft body 64. This coil spring 62 biases the cleaning head 61 forward (towards the +Y side in the figure) relative to the shaft body 64, allowing the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning head 61 to press the cleaning body 5 against the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100 with appropriate pressure. Although not specifically shown in the figures, the cleaning shaft 60 is equipped with a locking structure to prevent the cleaning head 61, which is biased by the coil spring 62, from falling out.

[0061] As shown in Figures 7, 10, and 11, the enlarged diameter portion 65 of the shaft member 63 has a first gear portion 651 at its rear end. This first gear portion 651 is a spur gear that meshes with the second gear portion 74 of the rotating body 70, which will be described later. This first gear portion 651 is formed integrally with the enlarged diameter portion 65 and moves with the rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 along with the rotation axis RA of the cleaning shaft 60. １ It is possible to rotate it around this point.

[0062] The rotating body 70 comprises a main body portion 71, a pair of shaft portions 72, a cam groove 73, and a second gear portion 74. The main body portion 71 has a cylindrical shape. The pair of shaft portions 72 protrude from both ends of the main body portion 71 and have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the main body portion 71. These shaft portions 72 are supported by the bearing portion 871 (described later) of the support member 80, and the rotation axis RA of the cleaning shaft 60 １ Rotation axis RA parallel to ２ The rotating body 70 is capable of rotating around this central point.

[0063] Although not specifically shown in the figures, the rotating body 70 may have a notch that penetrates from the central hole through to the outer circumferential surface, and the shaft of the support member 80 may be inserted into this notch, thereby rotatably supporting the rotating body 70 on the support member 80. In this case, the rotating body 70 does not need to have a shaft portion 72, and the support member 80 does not need to have a bottom plate 87.

[0064] The cam groove 73 is a spiral groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 71. The cam pin 217 (see FIG. 5) of the first housing 21 described above is inserted into this cam groove 73. The cam groove 73 and the cam pin 217 realize a "conversion mechanism" that converts the relative linear motion of the support member 80 with respect to the housing 20 into the rotational motion of the rotating body 70. As the support member 80 moves relative to the housing 20, the cam pin 217 slides within the cam groove 73, causing the rotating body 70 to rotate about the rotation axis RA ２ around the rotation axis RA.

[0065] The second gear portion 74 is provided at the rear end of the main body 71. The second gear portion 74 is a spur gear that meshes with the first gear portion 651 of the cleaning shaft 60 described above. The second gear portion 74 is integrally formed with the main body 71 and can rotate about the rotation axis RA ２ of the rotating body 70 as the rotating body 70 rotates. The first gear portion 651 and the second gear portion 74 realize a "transmission mechanism" that transmits the rotational motion of the rotating body 70 to the cleaning shaft 60. When the rotating body 70 rotates by the conversion mechanism 217, 73 described above, the transmission mechanism 651, 74 transmits the rotational motion of the rotating body 70 to the cleaning shaft 60, causing the cleaning shaft 60 to rotate about the rotation axis RA １ around the rotation axis RA. That is, the rotating body 70, the conversion mechanism 217, 73, and the transmission mechanism 651, 74 realize a "first rotation mechanism" that rotates the cleaning shaft 60 as the support member 80 moves relative to the housing 20.

[0066] Here, the number of teeth (z １ ) of the first gear portion 651 of the cleaning shaft 60 and the number of teeth (z ２ ) of the second gear portion 74 of the rotating body 70 may satisfy the following (1). That is, the gear ratio (z １ / z ２ ) of the first gear portion 651 with respect to the second gear portion 74 may be less than 1. Thereby, the transmission mechanism 651, 74 can make the rotation amount of the cleaning shaft 60 larger than the rotation amount of the rotating body 70.

[0067] z１ / z ２ <1 … (1)

[0068] Alternatively, the number of teeth of the first gear portion 651 of the cleaning shaft 60 (z １ ) and the number of teeth of the second gear portion 74 of the rotating body 70 (z ２ ) and may satisfy the following (2). That is, the gear ratio of the first gear portion 651 to the second gear portion 74 (z １ / z ２ ) may be 0.5 or less. This allows the transmission mechanisms 651 and 74 to make the rotation amount of the cleaning shaft 60 more than twice the rotation amount of the rotating body 70.

[0069] z １ / z ２ ≤0.5 …(2)

[0070] Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the number of teeth (z) of the first gear portion 651 of the cleaning shaft 60 １ ) is "10" (z １ = 10) In contrast, the number of teeth of the second gear portion 74 of the rotating body 70 (z ２ ) is "20" (z ２ = 20). Therefore, the gear ratio of the first gear section 651 and the second gear section 74 is 0.5 (z １ / z ２ = 10 / 20). In this embodiment, "number of teeth" refers to the total number of teeth when teeth are provided around the entire circumference of the root circle (the circle connecting the roots of the teeth). Therefore, although the second gear portion 74 of the rotating body 70 has nine teeth due to some missing teeth, the number of teeth of the second gear portion 74 is "20".

[0071] As shown in Figures 7 and 10, the support member 80 comprises a main body 81, a bottom plate 87, a pin 88, and a roller 89. The main body 81 comprises a cylindrical portion 82, a shaft support portion 83, a roller support portion 84, a housing portion 85, and a pair of arm portions 86. The main body 81 is made of resin material, and the cylindrical portion 82, shaft support portion 83, roller support portion 84, housing portion 85, and arm portions 86 are integrally formed. The bottom plate 87 is fitted into the opening 851 of the housing portion 85. The support member 80 is supported by the housing 20 so as to be movable relative to the cleaning shaft 60 along its axial direction.

[0072] The cylindrical portion 82 is the rotational axis RA １ The rear end portion of the shaft body 64 of the cleaning shaft 60 is rotatably housed around the center. The shaft support portion 83 is connected to the rear end of this cylindrical portion 82. The shaft support portion 83 is centered on the rotation axis RA １ The enlarged diameter portion 65 of the cleaning shaft 60 is rotatably supported around the center RA. Therefore, the cleaning shaft 60 is rotated around the axis RA １ The cleaning shaft 60 is rotatably supported by the support member 80, with the support member 80 as its center. The cleaning shaft 60 is also supported by the housing 20 via the support member 80 so as to be movable relative to the housing 20 along the axial direction of the cleaning shaft 60. The tip portion of the shaft body 64 of the cleaning shaft 60 protrudes forward (towards the +Y side in the figure) from the cylindrical portion 82 of the support member 80. A projection 831 is formed on the side surface of the shaft support portion 83, protruding laterally (towards the X direction in the figure). This projection 831 is fitted into the window (opening) 926 of the guide nozzle 90, which will be described later (see Figure 3).

[0073] A roller support portion 84 is connected to the rear end of the shaft support portion 83. A retaining hole 841 is formed in the roller support portion 84. A pin 88 is inserted into this retaining hole 841, and a roller 89 is rotatably supported on this pin 88. The used cleaning body 5, having passed through the inside of the cleaning shaft 60, is guided toward the winding bobbin 32 by this roller 89 and the rollers 342 and 343 of the tool body 10 described above. At this time, the cleaning body 5 is folded back by this roller 89, and the cleaning body 5 is hooked onto the roller 89. As described above, the cleaning body 5 is also folded back by the roller 343 of the tool body 10, so as a result, the cleaning body 5 is stretched between the rollers 89 and 343.

[0074] As will be described later, the rollers 89 and 343 provide a "supply mechanism" that supplies a fixed amount of cleaning material 5 to the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning shaft 60. This supply mechanism 89 and 343 supplies a fixed amount of cleaning material 5 to the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning shaft 60 as the support member 80 moves relative to the housing 20.

[0075] The housing section 85 is located below the shaft support section 83. The rotating body 70 is housed in this housing section 85. A bottom plate 87 is fitted into the opening 851 of the housing section 85, and the bottom plate 87 closes the opening 851. The bottom plate 87 has a pair of bearing sections 871 at both ends. The rotating body 70 is housed in the housing section 85 with its shaft section 72 rotatably supported by these bearing sections 871. The rotating body 70 is located within the housing section 85, with the rotation axis RA of the cleaning shaft 60 １ Rotation axis RA parallel to ２ It is possible to rotate it around this point.

[0076] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 7 and 11, an opening 852 is formed on one side (the -X side in the figures) of the housing portion 85. The cam pin 217 of the housing 20 enters the housing portion 85 through this opening 852 and is inserted into the cam groove 73 of the rotating body 70.

[0077] As shown in Figure 10, a communication hole 853 is formed between the shaft support portion 83 and the housing portion 85, and the shaft support portion 83 and the housing portion 85 are in communication through this communication hole 853. The first gear portion 651 of the cleaning shaft 60 and the second gear portion 74 of the rotating body 70 are meshed through this communication hole 853.

[0078] As shown in Figure 7, a pair of arms 86 are connected to the rear end of the housing 85. These arms 86 extend rearward from the housing 85 (towards -Y in the figure). A projection 861 is formed at the base of each arm 86 (towards +Y in the figure), projecting laterally (towards X in the figure). This projection 861 is inserted into the window 213 (opening) of the housing 20 (see Figures 3 and 4). This projection 861 is capable of moving relative to the window 213 along the axial direction of the cleaning shaft 60.

[0079] Furthermore, a rack gear 862 is formed on the rear portion of each arm 86 (the portion on the -Y side in the figure). A winding bobbin 32 and a pair of transmission members 33 are arranged between this pair of rack gears 862. As described above, the pinion gear 331 of the transmission member 33 meshes with the rack gear 862 to form a "rack and pinion mechanism".

[0080] The shaft support portion 83, roller support portion 84, housing portion 85, and arm portion 86 of this support member 80 are located inside the housing 20 (see Figure 4). Therefore, the enlarged diameter portion 65 of the cleaning shaft 60, which is supported by the shaft support portion 83, is also located inside the housing 20. On the other hand, the cylindrical portion 82 of this support member 80 extends forward from the housing 20 (towards the +Y side in the figure). Therefore, the portion of the cleaning shaft 60 that is closer to the tip than the enlarged diameter portion 65 also extends forward from the housing 20.

[0081] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the guide nozzle 90 comprises an inner cylinder 91 and an outer cylinder 92.

[0082] The inner cylinder 91 is a cylindrical member into which the cleaning shaft 60 is inserted. The cleaning shaft 60 is inserted into this inner cylinder 91 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning shaft 60 (the Y direction in the figure). A coil spring 95 is interposed between the rear end surface 911 of the inner cylinder 91 and the stepped portion 821 at the tip of the support member 80. Because the cleaner 1 is equipped with this inner cylinder 91 and coil spring 95, it is possible to clean the optical connector plug 100 when it is attached to the adapter with a single cleaner 1 without using a cap, and it is also possible to directly clean the optical connector plug 100 when it is in a standalone state (not attached to the adapter).

[0083] The outer cylinder 92 comprises a cylindrical portion 921 and a plate portion 925. Although not particularly limited, for example, the outer cylinder 92 is made of a resin material, and the cylindrical portion 921 and the plate portion 925 are integrally formed. The cylindrical portion 921 houses an inner cylinder 91 into which a cleaning shaft 60 is inserted. This inner cylinder 91 is housed in the cylindrical portion 921 so as to be movable in the axial direction (Y direction in the figure) of the cleaning shaft 60.

[0084] The cylindrical portion 921 has an enlarged diameter portion 922 at its rear end. A coil spring 96 is interposed between the inner stepped portion 923 of the enlarged diameter portion 922 and the front surface 218 of the housing 20. This coil spring 96 biases the outer cylinder 92 in the direction away from the housing 20 (towards the +Y side in the figure).

[0085] A pair of plate portions 925 are connected to the rear end of the cylindrical portion 921. These plate portions 925 extend from the cylindrical portion 921 toward the rear (towards -Y in the figure). In addition, the shaft support portion 83, roller support portion 84, housing portion 85, and arm portion 86 of the main body portion 81 of the support member 80 protrude toward the rear (towards -Y in the figure) from the rear opening 924 of the cylindrical portion 921.

[0086] The projection 831 of the shaft support portion 83 of the support member 80 fits into the window 926 formed in the plate portion 925 of the outer cylinder 92 (see Figure 3). This fixes the support member 80 and the outer cylinder 92 to each other. Consequently, the coil spring 96 also biases the cleaning shaft 60 and the support member 80 forward (towards the +Y side in the figure) relative to the housing 20.

[0087] The plate portion 925 of the outer cylinder 92 is inserted into the notch (opening) 214 (see Figures 3 to 5) of the housing 20. The plate portion 925 is able to move relative to the notch 214 along the axial direction of the cleaning shaft 60. Also, as described above, the projection 861 of the arm portion 86 of the support member 80 is also able to move relative to the window 213 along the axial direction of the cleaning shaft 60. Therefore, the guide nozzle 90, the support member 80, and the cleaning shaft 60 are able to move relative to the housing 20 along the axial direction of the cleaning shaft 60 (Y direction in the figure).

[0088] Next, an example of how to use Cleaner 1, as described above, will be explained with reference to Figures 12(a) and 12(b).

[0089] Figures 12(a) and 12(b) are side views showing the state of use of the cleaner 1 in this embodiment. Figure 12(a) shows the housing 20 in the forward position toward the cleaning shaft 60, and Figure 12(b) shows the housing 20 in the backward position toward the cleaning shaft 60.

[0090] First, the operator inserts the tip of the guide nozzle 90 of the cleaner 1 into the other opening of the adapter, into which the optical connector plug 100 is inserted. This causes the outer cylinder 92 to fit into the recess of the adapter housing, and the tip of the inner cylinder 91 to contact the end face 151 of the adapter sleeve 150. This positions the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning head 61 relative to the connecting end face 111 of the ferrule 110. When the cleaner 1 is pushed toward the adapter from this state, the coil spring 95 contracts, causing the inner cylinder 91 to retract, and the cleaning head 61 protrudes from the inner cylinder 91 and enters the sleeve 150. Then, within the sleeve 150, the cleaning head 61 presses the cleaning body 5 against the connecting end face 111 of the ferrule 110.

[0091] When cleaning the optical connector plug 100 in its standalone state, the operator inserts the tip of the cleaner 1 into the recess 131 of the optical connector plug 100. This causes the ferrule 110 of the optical connector plug 100 to be inserted into the opening 912 of the inner cylinder 91, and the tip of the inner cylinder 91 to be inserted into the recess 131 of the housing 130 of the optical connector plug 100. This positions the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning head 61 relative to the connecting end face 111 of the ferrule 110. Then, the cleaning head 61 presses the cleaning body 5 against the connecting end face 111 of the ferrule 110 within the inner cylinder 91.

[0092] Next, whether cleaning the optical connector plug 100 while it is attached to the adapter, or cleaning the optical connector plug 100 directly as a standalone unit, the operator pushes the tool body 10 against the extension member 50 while the cleaning head 61 is pressing the cleaning body 5 against the connecting end face 111 of the ferrule 110. As a result, as shown in Figure 12(a), the coil spring 96 contracts, and the distance between the roller 89 of the extension member 50 and the roller 343 of the tool body 10 (the distance along the Y direction in the figure) becomes length L. ０ (See Figure 12(b)) from length L １ It widens (L １ > L ０ ).

[0093] Therefore, the length of the portion of the cleaning body 5 located between the supply-side roller 341 and the roller 89 of the extension member 50 is shortened, while the length of the portion of the cleaning body 5 located between the rollers 343 and 89 is lengthened. As a result, the cleaning body 5 on the pressing surface 611 is pulled towards the winding bobbin 32, and the cleaning body 5 slides while being pressed against the connecting end face 111 of the ferrule 110, wiping away the dirt adhering to the connecting end face 111. At this time, the cleaning body 5 is pulled by widening the gap between the rollers 343 and 89, so a constant amount of cleaning body 5 is supplied to the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning shaft 60. By keeping the amount of cleaning body 5 supplied to the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning shaft 60 constant, the number of cleaning cycles of the cleaner 1 can be increased.

[0094] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12(a), the operator's pushing of the tool body 10 causes the rack gear 862 of the extension member 50 to rotate the pinion gear 331. However, the engaging pieces 211 and 212 of the housing 20 prevent the winding bobbin 32 from rotating in the opposite direction to the winding direction (clockwise in Figure 12(a)) (counterclockwise in Figure 12(a)), so slippage occurs between the leaf spring portion 332 and the friction surface 323 of the ring portion 322 of the transmission member 33. Therefore, in this case, the transmission member 33 spins freely and the winding bobbin 32 does not rotate.

[0095] Furthermore, the pressing action of the operator described above causes the cam pin 217 of the housing 20 to slide relative to the cam groove 73 of the rotating body 70, thereby causing the rotating body 70 to rotate along its axis RA. ２ It rotates around the axis RA. That is, the conversion mechanisms 217 and 73 convert the relative linear motion of the support member 80 with respect to the housing 20 into rotational motion of the rotating body 70. Furthermore, since the second gear portion 74 of this rotating body 70 meshes with the first gear portion 651 of the cleaning shaft 60, the rotational motion of the rotating body 70 is transmitted to the cleaning shaft 60, and the cleaning shaft 60 rotates around the axis RA. １ It rotates around a central point. Therefore, even if the width of the thread-like or string-like cleaning body 5 is narrower than the connecting end face 111 that is to be cleaned, dirt can be wiped off from the entire surface of the connecting end face 111. Although not particularly limited, the rotation angle of the cleaning shaft 60 is preferably 180 degrees or more.

[0096] In this case, the gear ratio of the first gear section 651 to the second gear section 74 (z １ / z ２ (z) is less than 1 １ / z ２ <1) The amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 can be made greater than the amount of rotation of the rotating body 70. Alternatively, the gear ratio (z １ / z ２ ) is 0.5 or less, which means (z １ / z ２ (≤0.5), the amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 can be made to more than twice the amount of rotation of the rotating body 70. Therefore, the rotational axis RA １The amount of rotation of the surrounding cleaning shaft 60 can be increased, and a sufficient amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 can be ensured even if the amount of relative movement of the support member 80 with respect to the housing 20 is reduced.

[0097] Next, when the operator releases the push of the tool body 10 against the extension member 50, as shown in Figure 12(b), the elastic force of the coil spring 96 causes the tool body 10 to retract relative to the extension member 50, shortening the distance between the roller 89 of the tool body 10 and the roller 343 of the extension member 50. At the same time, the rack gear 862 of the extension member 50 rotates the pinion gear 331. This rotational force of the pinion gear 331 is transmitted to the winding bobbin 32 via the friction surfaces 323 of the leaf spring portion 332 and ring portion 322 of the transmission member 33, causing the winding bobbin 32 to rotate and the used cleaning body 5 to be wound onto the winding bobbin 32.

[0098] Furthermore, even if the amount of cleaning material 5 wound around the winding bobbin 32 increases, and a large tension is applied to the winding bobbin 32 that would cause the delivery bobbin 31 to rotate via the cleaning material 5, the rotation limiting mechanisms 332 and 323 allow the winding bobbin 32 to spin freely, limiting the rotation of the winding bobbin 32 by the second rotation mechanisms 331 and 862. Therefore, even if the radius of the cleaning material 5 wound around the winding bobbin 32 increases with the number of cleaning cycles, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation where a cleaning material 5 longer than the amount supplied by the supply mechanisms 89 and 343 is pulled out from the delivery bobbin 31 by the rotation of the winding bobbin 32, thereby further increasing the number of cleaning cycles of the cleaner 1.

[0099] Simultaneously, the length of the portion of the cleaning body 5 located between the supply-side roller 341 and the roller 89 of the extension member 50 increases. At this time, the distance between the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning head 61 and the roller 89 remains constant, and because the cleaning body 5 is folded back at the pressing surface 611 of the cleaning head 61, unused cleaning body 5 is fed out from the delivery bobbin 31.

[0100] Once cleaning is complete, the operator removes the cleaner 1 from the adapter (or optical connector plug 100) by pulling the tip of the cleaner 1 out of the adapter (or optical connector plug 100).

[0101] As described above, in this embodiment, the cleaner 1 is equipped with a first rotation mechanism 70, 217, 73, 651, 74 that rotates the cleaning shaft 60 in accordance with the first relative movement (relative movement of the support member 80 with respect to the housing 20). This first rotation mechanism comprises a rotating body 70 rotatably supported by the support member 80, conversion mechanisms 217, 73 that convert the first relative movement into rotational motion of the rotating body 70, and transmission mechanisms 651, 74 that transmit the rotation of the rotating body 70 to the cleaning shaft 60 so that the amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 is different from the amount of rotation of the rotating body 70. As a result, the amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 can be set independently of the amount of the first relative movement, so that even if the amount of the first relative movement is small, a sufficient amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 can be secured and the connection end face of the optical connector 100 can be cleaned well.

[0102] The embodiments described above are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0103] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the transmission mechanism is configured by gears 651 and 74 that mesh with each other, but the configuration of the transmission mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it is a mechanism that transmits rotational motion between the rotating body 70 and the cleaning shaft 60. For example, rotational motion may be transmitted between the rotating body 70 and the cleaning shaft 60 by a transmission mechanism comprising a pair of pulleys and an endless belt stretched over the pulleys.

[0104] As described above, the first rotating mechanisms 70, 217, 73, 651, and 74 that rotate the cleaning shaft 60 in conjunction with the first relative movement are equipped with transmission mechanisms 651 and 74 that make the amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 different from the amount of rotation of the rotating body 70, so that the amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 can be set independently of the first relative movement. Therefore, regardless of the magnitude of the first relative movement, the amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft 60 can be increased or decreased by the transmission mechanisms 651 and 74 to effectively clean the connection end face 111 of the optical connector 100.

[0105] 1…Optical connector cleaning tool 5…Cleaning body 10…Tool body 20…Housing 217…Cam pin 31…Feeding bobbin 32…Take-up bobbin 33…Transmission member 331…Pinion gear 341-343…Roller 40…Cover 50…Extending member 60…Cleaning shaft 61…Cleaning head 611…Pressing surface 63…Shaft member 651…First gear section 70…Rotating body 73…Cam groove 74…Second gear section 80…Support member 81…Main body 83…Shaft support section 85…Housing section 86…Arm section 862…Rack gear 87…Bottom plate 871…Bearing section 89…Roller 90…Guide nozzle 100…Optical connector 110…Ferrule 111…Connecting end face

Claims

1. An optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector, comprising: a first support; a second support supported so as to be movable relative to the first support; a cleaning shaft rotatably supported by the second support and having a pressing surface for pressing a cleaning body against the connection end face; and a first rotation mechanism for rotating the cleaning shaft in accordance with a first relative movement of the second support with respect to the first support, wherein the first rotation mechanism comprises: a rotating body rotatably supported by the second support; a conversion mechanism for converting the first relative movement into rotational motion of the rotating body; and a transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the rotating body to the cleaning shaft such that the first amount of rotation of the cleaning shaft is different from the second amount of rotation of the rotating body.

2. An optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein the transmission mechanism makes the first rotation amount greater than the second rotation amount.

3. An optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conversion mechanism comprises a helical cam groove provided on the rotating body and a cam pin provided on the first support and sliding within the cam groove.

4. An optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises a first gear portion provided on the cleaning shaft and a second gear portion provided on the rotating body and meshing with the first gear portion.

5. An optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 4, wherein the gear ratio of the first gear portion to the second gear portion is less than 1.

6. An optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rotating body is supported on the second support such that the first rotation axis of the cleaning shaft and the second rotation axis of the rotating body are parallel.

7. An optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the optical connector cleaning tool comprising: a first bobbin rotatably supported on a first support for dispensing the cleaning body before use; and a supply mechanism for supplying a fixed amount of the cleaning body to the pressing surface in conjunction with the first relative movement.

8. An optical connector cleaning tool according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the optical connector cleaning tool comprising: a second bobbin rotatably supported on the first support for winding up the used cleaning material; and a second rotating mechanism for rotating the second bobbin in conjunction with the relative movement of the first support.

9. An optical connector cleaning tool according to claim 8, wherein the optical connector cleaning tool is equipped with a rotation limiting mechanism that limits the rotation of the second bobbin by the second rotation mechanism when a tension greater than a predetermined value is applied to the second bobbin via the cleaning body.

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