JP2006267309A - Optical fiber ribbon manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of efficiently manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon having an arbitrary number of cores is provided.
A method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon includes a plurality of optical fiber structures, each of which is coated with a first coating on one side of a plurality of aligned optical fibers. Then, the coated surfaces of the plurality of optical fiber structures are coated with a second coating body to integrate the plurality of optical fiber structures. The material constituting the first cover and the second cover is preferably silicone rubber.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of aligned optical fibers are collectively formed into a tape shape.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fiber cores are arranged in parallel and a bundle of a plurality of optical fibers is integrated by covering them is known (Patent Document 1). The optical fiber ribbon is used when the optical fiber core is housed in an optical fiber cable in high density and in a compact manner. It is also used for multi-fiber wiring of optical fiber cores between devices or in devices, and contributes to space saving of wiring. As a manufacturing method of the optical fiber ribbon, the apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is generally used. That is, the plurality of optical fiber cores 1a to 1h are guided from the core wire supply device 15 to the core wire aligner 16, and the optical fiber core wires are arranged in parallel and in a line. Next, the aligned optical fiber core wires are guided into a coating jig 17 filled with a coating material, and the coating material is collectively coated around the optical fiber core wires. Thereafter, the coating material is molded while being taken out from the hole provided at the outlet of the coating jig, and the coating material is further cured by a curing device 18 such as an ultraviolet irradiator to manufacture an optical fiber ribbon. In addition, the typical thing of the application | coating jig | tool 17 used in such a case is shown to Fig.7 (a), (b). The coating jig 17 includes a hole 17a into which the optical fiber core wire is inserted, a coating material reservoir 17b that fills the coating material, and a hole 17c that carries out the optical fiber core wire, and the optical fiber core wires 1a to 1d. Is carried out from the hole 17c and covered and molded by the covering material 6.
JP-A-6-123826

  In the conventional manufacturing method, an alignment jig and a coating jig according to the number of optical fiber ribbons and the optical fiber pitch are required, and for an optical fiber ribbon with a specific number and a specific optical fiber pitch. Must be manufactured with a specific manufacturing apparatus prepared for that purpose, or a specific coating jig must be replaced. Therefore, an optical fiber ribbon with an arbitrary number of cores cannot be efficiently manufactured. . The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above-described problems in the prior art, and provides a method for efficiently manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon having an arbitrary number of cores. .

  The manufacturing method of the optical fiber ribbon of the present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and includes a plurality of optical fiber structures in which one side of a plurality of aligned optical fibers is covered with a first coating. After aligning the individual, parallel, and coated surfaces in the same direction, the coated surfaces of the plurality of optical fiber structures are coated with a second coating body to form the plurality of optical fibers. The structure is integrated.

  In the method for manufacturing the optical fiber ribbon of the present invention, it is preferable that the material constituting the first covering is a silicone resin. Moreover, it is preferable that the material which comprises a 2nd coating body is also a silicone type resin. Further, in the plurality of optical fiber structures, the plurality of optical fiber cores may be aligned in parallel with each other, and a part of the plurality of optical fiber cores cross each other to change the alignment order. It may be arranged in a state. When the plurality of optical fiber cores of the optical fiber structure are aligned in parallel, the first covering body is tangent to a plurality of circles forming the outer shape of the plurality of optical fiber cores, It is preferable to coat a plurality of optical fiber core wires.

  The optical fiber ribbon in this specification refers to a fiber in which optical fibers are aligned and fixed to each other. The optical fiber ribbon is used when wiring an optical fiber, and can take the most compact configuration as a wired optical fiber.

  According to the manufacturing method of the optical fiber ribbon of the present invention, it is not necessary to replace the jig as in the conventional manufacturing method for the increase or decrease of the number of the fiber cores, and the optical fiber core or the optical fiber. The optical fiber ribbon can be manufactured by an alignment operation on the plane of the structure and a continuous coating operation. Therefore, an optical fiber ribbon with an arbitrary number of cores can be easily and efficiently manufactured, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. In addition, the optical fiber ribbon obtained by the manufacturing method of the present invention can make the thicknesses of the first cover and the second cover uniform and has good flexibility. It can be used practically for wiring.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are schematic views of an optical fiber ribbon manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a side view and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. 2 is a schematic view of an optical fiber structure used in the manufacture of the optical fiber ribbon of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2 (a) is a side view and FIG. 2 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber structure 3 has a structure in which four optical fiber cores 1 are aligned in parallel, and a first covering 2 is covered thereon. The first covering covers only one side of the optical fiber core. Moreover, the 1st coating | covering body has covered the optical fiber core wire to the common tangent of four circles which make the external shape of four optical fiber core wires.

  The optical fiber ribbon 5 of FIG. 1 is manufactured using the optical fiber structure shown in FIG. 2 by the manufacturing method of the present invention. That is, a process of aligning a plurality (four) of the optical fiber structures 3 in FIG. 2 in parallel so that the first cover 2 is in the same direction, and covering the top with the second cover 4 Manufactured by. Note that it is not an essential requirement of the present invention that the first covering body covers the tangent line common to the four circles forming the outer shape of the four optical fiber cores. You may cover the outside of the core. The thickness of the second cover is preferably 50 μm or more and 500 μm or less. This is because the fiber optic tape core wire needs to be strong enough to maintain flexibility and prevent breakage due to bending. The distance between the optical fiber cores (optical fiber pitch) in the optical fiber structure may be set as appropriate according to the specifications of the optical fiber structure to be produced. An open state is preferable.

  In the optical fiber structure shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of optical fiber cores are aligned in parallel. The alignment order of the plurality of optical fiber cores is as shown in FIG. The fiber cores may be aligned in a state where a part of the fiber cores cross each other and the alignment order is changed. In this case, one surface of the optical fiber core wire 1 in which the alignment order is converted as shown in FIG. 3 is covered with the first covering body 2.

  In the present invention, the materials of the first cover and the second cover may be the same or different, and are not particularly limited as long as the production method of the present invention can be applied. Examples of the material type include a rubber-like resin material, a flexible heat or photo-curing resin, and a flexible thermoplastic resin. Particularly preferred are silicone-based resins and butyl rubber that are easy to peel off after curing and that are easy to mold. In particular, silicone-based resins, especially silicone rubber are most suitable. In the present invention, in the step of coating the first and second coated bodies, the coating may be performed so that the coating of the coating material is formed with a certain thickness on the surface of the optical fiber core. Although not limited, the method by application | coating can be employ | adopted. The coated body is cured and dried as necessary, and the curing method may be appropriately selected depending on the type of the coating material. For example, when an ultraviolet curable resin is used, it may be cured by ultraviolet irradiation after coating, and when a thermosetting resin is used, it may be cured by a heater such as a dryer.

  In the coating process (coating process) of the first coating body and the second coating body of the present invention, it is necessary to place the optical fiber core and the optical fiber structure on a plane. May be provided with an adhesive layer. In that case, the optical fiber core line placed on the plane is temporarily fixed by the adhesive layer. Therefore, alignment for alignment of the optical fiber cores can be easily performed. The adhesive used for the adhesive layer is an adhesive strength that maintains the shape of the optical fiber core, does not undergo stress strain due to adhesion, and does not damage the optical fiber core during peeling. Any material can be used, for example, urethane, acrylic, epoxy, nylon, phenol, polyimide, vinyl, silicone, rubber, fluorinated epoxy, fluorinated acrylic etc. Various pressure-sensitive adhesives (pressure-sensitive adhesives), thermoplastic adhesives, and thermosetting adhesives can be used.

  The optical fiber core wire used in the present invention is not limited in any way, and may be appropriately selected according to its use. For example, an optical fiber core wire made of a material such as quartz or plastic can be used. . Further, the diameter of the optical fiber core is not limited at all, and a generally used optical fiber core having a diameter of 0.25 mm or a nylon-coated optical fiber core having a diameter of 0.9 mm can be used. .

  In the present invention, the number of optical fiber cores in the optical fiber structure is not particularly limited and can be set as appropriate. However, when a single-side coated optical fiber structure is easy to manufacture, the optical fiber structure has sufficient strength, and the number of optical fiber ribbons used is a multiple of four For example, the number of optical fiber cores in the optical fiber structure is preferably four.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention, this invention is not limited to these Examples.

  Four optical fiber cores having a length of 300 mm (Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., silica-based single mode optical fiber cores, outer diameter: 0.25 mm) were used. First, the optical fiber structure was applied using the coating apparatus shown in FIG. Produced.

  This coating apparatus includes a substrate 7 having a flat surface 7a on which an optical fiber core wire is installed, a side wall 8, a drive motor 9 and a bearing 10 fixed to the side wall, one end fixed to the drive motor, and the other end to the bearing. A supported ball screw shaft 11, a coating material filling port 12 at the top, a movable unit 13 driven in a uniaxial direction by a control system (not shown), a forming jig 14 attached to the movable unit, and not shown And a coating material supply system. The forming jig 14 has a width of 40 mm, a length of 30 mm, and a height of 40 mm, has a flat bottom surface, and is installed on a movable unit 13 attached to the ball screw shaft 11 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate. Therefore, the movable unit 13 can move the forming jig in the vertical and horizontal directions. The coating material is injected from the coating material filling port 12 provided at the upper part of the movable unit 13, and is shown on the lower surface of the forming jig 14 when the unit is moved in the optical fiber axial direction. It is discharged from a coating material discharge port that is not present, and the upper surface is molded by a molding jig.

  First, the four optical fiber core wires were aligned on the flat surface 7a of the substrate 7 of the coating apparatus. The coating material was discharged from the coating material discharge port onto the optical fiber cores aligned and applied. Coating of the coating material and movement of the optical fiber core wire relative to the substrate were performed manually, and room temperature curable silicone rubber (trade name: SE9186L, manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd.) was used as the coating material. After coating a coating material on one side of the optical fiber core, it was completely cured under conditions of room temperature for 1 hour to obtain an optical fiber structure (see FIG. 2) coated with the first coating. The thickness of the first cover can be controlled by controlling the vertical position of the movable unit. Here, the first cover forms the outer shape of four optical fiber cores. Control was performed so as to cover the optical fiber core line up to the common tangent line of the four circles.

  Next, four obtained optical fiber structures are aligned in parallel so that the first covering is in the same direction, and the same is coated as above, and the optical fiber structure is formed. Covered with a second coating. The material of the second covering was also room temperature curable silicone rubber (manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone, trade name: SE9186L). In addition, the thickness of the coating layer was set to 100 μm by controlling the vertical position of the movable unit. Then, it hardened | cured completely on conditions of normal temperature 1 hour, and obtained the optical fiber tape core wire coat | covered with the 2nd coating body (refer FIG. 1).

  In the obtained optical fiber tape core wire, the thicknesses of the first cover and the second cover were uniform, and the flexibility was good. In addition, this manufacturing method does not require replacement of jigs as required in the conventional manufacturing method even when the number of fiber cores increases or decreases, and the optical fiber cores and optical fiber structures are flattened. Since the above alignment operation can be performed and a continuous coating operation can be performed, it is easy and efficient, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  An optical fiber tape core was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 using two optical fiber structures manufactured in Example 1 and having four optical fiber cores. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the second covering 4 that covers the first covering 2 does not cover the entire length of the optical fiber core 1, but covers the half of the length of 150 mm. The coating operation was performed. The material of the second covering used was the same as in Example 1. The produced optical fiber tape core wire 5 could be used as a branching optical fiber tape core wire for branching 8 cores into 4 cores × 2. If the manufacturing method of the optical fiber ribbon of the present invention is used, not only two branches but also three branches, four branches, etc. can be manufactured easily.

  Nine optical fiber structures having eight optical fiber cores were produced in the same manner as in Example 1, and these nine optical fiber structures were parallel and had the same first covering. They were aligned so as to face each other, and the same was coated with the second covering as in Example 1. The materials used for the first cover and the second cover were the same as in Example 1. The obtained 72-fiber optical fiber ribbon had a uniform thickness of the first cover and the second cover, and had good flexibility. Conventionally, as the number of optical fiber cores increases, control of the alignment of the optical fiber cores becomes particularly complicated. However, in this manufacturing method, even when the number of optical fiber cores is large, a small number of optical fiber cores are used. As in the case of the wire, the optical fiber core wire and the optical fiber structure can be aligned on the plane, and the continuous coating operation can be performed, so that it is simple and efficient, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. I was able to.

It is a schematic diagram of an example of the optical fiber tape core wire manufactured by the manufacturing method of this invention, (a) is a side view, (b) is an AA sectional view. It is a schematic diagram of an example of the optical fiber structure used for manufacture of the optical fiber ribbon of this invention of FIG. 1, (a) is a side view, (b) is an AA sectional view. It is a partially fragmented top view of another example of the optical fiber structure used for manufacture of the optical fiber ribbon of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a coating device when used in the production method of the present invention. It is a perspective view of another example of the optical fiber ribbon manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention. It is the schematic of the conventional optical fiber tape core wire manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the application | coating jig | tool in the conventional optical fiber tape core wire manufacturing apparatus, Comprising: (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a sectional side view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical fiber core wire, 2 ... 1st coating body, 3 ... Optical fiber structure, 4 ... 2nd coating body, 5 ... Optical fiber tape core wire, 6 ... Coating material, 7 ... Substrate, 8 ... Side wall DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Drive motor, 10 ... Bearing, 11 ... Ball screw shaft, 12 ... Coating material filling port, 13 ... Movable unit, 14 ... Molding jig, 15 ... Core wire feeder, 16 ... Core wire aligner, 17 ... Coating Jig, 18 ... curing device.

Claims (5)

  After aligning a plurality of optical fiber structures in which one side of a plurality of aligned optical fiber cores is coated with a first coating body in parallel and with the coated surfaces in the same direction, A method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon, wherein the coated surfaces of the plurality of optical fiber structures are coated with a second coating body to integrate the plurality of optical fiber structures.   2. The method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to claim 1, wherein the material constituting the first covering is silicone rubber.   The method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material constituting the second covering is silicone rubber.   In the plurality of optical fiber structures, a plurality of optical fiber cores are aligned in parallel, and the first covering body extends to a tangent common to a plurality of circles forming the outer shape of the plurality of optical fiber cores. The method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of optical fibers are covered.   The one or more optical fiber structures according to claim 1, wherein a part of the plurality of optical fiber cores are aligned so as to cross each other and the alignment order is changed. 5. The method for producing an optical fiber ribbon according to any one of 4 above.

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