Optical fiber connector cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9459413-B2
Application number	US-201414210447-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

The present invention provides an optical fiber connector cleaner in which the rotation of the cleaning shaft is linked with the feeding of the cleaning tape so that it is possible to wipe the dirt on the end surface of the connector off reliably. A forwarding and reversing mechanism of the optical fiber connector cleaner is formed of a fixing member contacting the second casing so as to be slidable, and a coil spring biasing the second casing forward in the one direction for the fixing member, a rotation mechanism is formed of a first rack gear disposed on the fixing member, a first gear rotatably mounted in the second casing, and a second gear connected to a base end of the shaft 14 , the first gear includes first teeth fitted to the first rack gear, and second teeth fitted to the second gear.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical fiber connector cleaner which cleans an end surface of an optical fiber connector using cleaning tape, comprising:
a first casing which is longer in one direction relative to the other direction;
a second casing provided in the first casing;
a cleaning shaft extending forward in the one direction from the second casing to be exposed from the first casing;
a cleaning tape;
a supply reel in which the cleaning tape is wound;
a winding reel to wind the cleaning tape from the supply reel;

wherein, the optical fiber connector cleaner further comprising:
a forwarding and reversing mechanism to move the second casing forward and backward in the one direction in the first casing, including
a fixing member which is provided at a predetermined position in the first casing and with which the second casing is in contact so as to be slidable, and
a first biasing means to bias the second casing forward in the one direction relative to the fixing member;

a winding mechanism to feed the cleaning tape from the supply reel toward the cleaning shaft in response to a backward movement of the second casing in the one direction and wind the cleaning tape returned from the cleaning shaft to the winding reel; and
a rotation mechanism to rotate the cleaning shaft about an axis thereof in synchronization with a feeding of the cleaning tape in accordance with the backward movement of the second casing in the one direction, including
a first rack gear disposed on the fixing member and extending in the one direction,
a first gear rotatably mounted in the second casing and having first teeth fitted to the first rack gear, and second teeth fitted to a second gear, and
the second gear coupled to a base end of the cleaning shaft.

2. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the forwarding and reversing mechanism,

the second casing is moved backward in the one direction against the first biasing means when a pressing force to move the cleaning shaft backward in the one direction is applied, and the second casing is moved forward in the one direction by the first biasing means when the pressing force is removed; and
in the rotation mechanism, the first rack gear is moved forward and backward in the one direction in accordance with the forward and backward movement of the second casing in the one direction, and the first gear fitted to the first rack gear via the first teeth is rotated, while the second gear fitted to the second teeth is rotated by the rotation of the first gear, the cleaning shaft connected to the second gear is rotated in normal and reverse directions.

3. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 2 ,
wherein the winding mechanism is formed of a second rack gear provided on the fixing member and extending in the one direction, and a third gear fitted to the second rack gear and mounted rotatably in the second casing to rotate the winding reel, and
in the winding mechanism, the second rack gear is moved forward in the one direction in response to the backward movement of the second casing in the one direction, and the winding reel is rotated in the winding direction of the cleaning tape while the third gear fitted to the second rack gear is rotated.

4. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 3 ,
wherein the third gear includes a ratchet mechanism which rotates the winding reel only to the winding direction of the cleaning tape, and
in the optical fiber connector cleaner, the rotation of the third gear is prevented by the ratchet mechanism when the second rack gear is moved forward in the one direction in accordance with the forward movement of the second casing in the one direction.

5. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 4 ,
wherein the optical fiber connector cleaner includes a guide mechanism which moves the cleaning tape from one side of an outer circumferential surface of the winding reel towards the other side thereof and moves the cleaning tape from the other side thereof toward the one side thereof when the cleaning tape is wound in the winding reel.

6. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 5 ,
wherein the guide mechanism includes:
a fourth gear rotatably mounted in the second casing and being rotated in conjunction with the third gear;
a fifth gear rotatably mounted in the second casing and fitted to the fourth gear;
a sixth gear rotatably mounted in the second casing and fitted to the fifth gear;
a seventh gear rotatably mounted in the second casing and fitted to the sixth gear;
a rotation shaft provided at a forward position of the winding reel in the one direction and extending from the seventh gear; and
a moving block inserted into the rotation shaft and reciprocating between two side edge portions of the rotation shaft,
and wherein the rotation shaft includes a guide groove being bent to a rounding direction around the circumference surface thereof and extending,
and wherein the moving block includes an insertion hole to which the rotation shaft is inserted,
an engagement protrusion which extends inwardly in a radial direction of the insertion hole to engage with the guide groove, and
a tape insertion hole passing through the moving block and extending in the one direction.

7. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 6 ,
wherein the moving block includes a guide recess extending in the radial direction of the insertion hole, and the guide recess is inserted into and engaged with a guide rail of the second casing extending in the axial direction of the rotation shaft.

8. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 7 ,
wherein the fifth to seventh gears are formed of a speed reduced gear train.

9. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 3 ,
wherein the optical fiber connector cleaner includes a position fixing mechanism to fix the installation position of the second casing in the first casing by moving the second casing forward and backward in the one direction, and
in the optical fiber connector cleaner, it is possible to change an exposed length of the cleaning shaft from the first casing by changing the installation position of the second casing in the first casing by the position fixing mechanism.

10. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 9 ,
wherein the position fixing mechanism includes a guide portion provided in the first casing and extending in the one direction, and a stopper portion provided on the fixing member to move on the guide portion forward and backward in the one direction to be engaged and fixed at a predetermined position of the guide portion.

11. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 3 ,
wherein the cleaning shaft includes a fixing pipe fixed in the second casing and extending in the one direction, a guide pipe which is inserted rotatably into the fixing pipe so as to be moved forward and backward in the one direction, and in which a base portion thereof is connected to the rotation mechanism, and a tape support shaft which is connected rotatably to the distal end portion of the guide pipe and movable in the one direction to form the distal end portion of the shaft, and the guide pipe is biased to the fixing pipe via a second biasing means forward in the one direction, and the tape support shaft is biased to the guide pipe via a third biasing means forward in the one direction.

12. The optical fiber connector cleaner according to claim 11 ,
wherein in the distal end portion of the tape support shaft, a distal end opening being open in the one direction to expose the cleaning tape being moved

Assignees

• Seiko Giken Kk

Inventors

• Kida Takahisa

Classifications

• B08B1/008

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G02B6/38

  having fibre to fibre mating means · CPC title

• G02B6/381

  of the ferrule type, e.g. fibre ends embedded in ferrules, connecting a pair of fibres · CPC title

• G02B6/3866 Primary

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

• B08B1/32 Primary

  using rotary cleaning members · CPC title