Cleaning tool of optical connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10634857-B2
Application number	US-201514739168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2015
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

A cleaning tool for cleaning an optical connector including a plurality of ferrules, including: a plurality of heads whose pressing surfaces are spanned by a cleaner, each of the pressing surfaces being for pressing the cleaner against the ferrules; a guide member that is placed sandwiched between the heads, and that guides the heads in such a manner that the heads can move rearward; and a cover that accommodates the plurality of heads and the guide member and that exposes the cleaner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning tool for cleaning an optical connector including a plurality of ferrules, comprising:
a plurality of heads;
a shared cleaner that is shared by the plurality of heads, wherein
each of the plurality of heads comprises a pressing surface that presses the shared cleaner against the ferrules, and
the shared cleaner spans and is transported serially across the pressing surfaces of the plurality of heads;

a mechanism that transports the shared cleaner from one of the heads to another of the heads;
a guide member:
that is placed sandwiched between the heads, and
that guides the heads in such a manner that the heads move rearward; and

a cover:
that accommodates the plurality of heads and the guide member, and
that exposes the cleaner.

2. The cleaning tool according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the heads is placed sandwiched between an inner wall of the cover and the guide member.

3. The cleaning tool according to claim 2 , wherein
a flange section is formed in each of the heads,
a rail section is formed in the guide member, and
the head is guided by the flange section that is received in the rail section.

4. The cleaning tool according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical connector has a housing that accommodates the ferrules,
an edge of an opening of the cover constitutes a meeting section that meets the housing, and
the opening is placed on a side towards the optical connector.

5. The cleaning tool according to claim 4 , wherein
the housing includes:
an inner housing that accommodates the ferrules; and
an outer housing that accommodates the inner housing,

the cover includes a wall section constituting a meeting section that meets the inner housing, and
the wall section is guided by an inner wall of the outer housing.

6. The cleaning tool according to claim 1 , wherein
if the optical connector is a backplane connector that is attached to a connector wall located further inside a plug-in unit,
the cleaning tool is attached to a board that slides in a guide groove formed on the plug-in unit, and
the guide groove is for a printed board.

7. The cleaning tool according to claim 1 , wherein,
at the pressing surfaces of the plurality of heads, the shared cleaner is bridged from an end of the pressing surface of one of the heads to an end of the pressing surface of another of the heads.

Assignees

• Fujikura Ltd

Inventors

• Nakane Junichi

Classifications

• A46B7/06

  movably during use {, i.e. the normal brushing action causing movement (driven brush bodies A46B13/00)} · CPC title

• B08B2240/02

  Optical fibers or optical fiber connectors · CPC title

• G02B6/3866 Primary

  Devices, tools or methods for cleaning connectors (cleaning in general B08B) · CPC title

• B08B1/00

  Cleaning by methods involving the use of tools (cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto B08B9/00) · CPC title

• B08B1/006

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic