阅读说明：本技术 光纤带芯线的制造方法及制造装置 (Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber ribbon ) 是由 佐藤文昭 末森茂 石川弘树 石川正彦 吉泽文一 于 2019-01-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种光纤带芯线的制造方法,包括：在多个光纤并排的状态下,为了使得光纤间不被连结树脂粘接,在光纤芯线的纵向方向上间断地涂布防粘剂的防粘剂涂布工序；以及在防粘剂涂布工序后,使多个并排状态下的光纤芯线通过模具以在光纤芯线的周围涂布连结树脂,并且使连结树脂固化的连结树脂涂布工序；从而制造具有连结部和非连结部的间断性连结型光纤带芯线。(A method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon comprising: a release agent application step of intermittently applying a release agent in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber core wire in a state where a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel so as not to be bonded by the coupling resin; and a bonding resin coating step of, after the releasing agent coating step, passing the plurality of optical fiber cores in a state of being arranged side by side through a die to coat a bonding resin around the optical fiber cores and curing the bonding resin; thereby manufacturing an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon having a connecting portion and an disconnecting portion.)

1. A method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon comprising:

a release agent application step of intermittently applying a release agent in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers in a state where the optical fibers are arranged in parallel so as not to be bonded by the coupling resin; and

a coupling resin coating step of, after the releasing agent coating step, passing the optical fibers in a state where a plurality of the optical fibers are arranged in parallel through a die to coat a coupling resin around the optical fibers and curing the coupling resin,

thereby manufacturing an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon having a connecting portion and an disconnecting portion.

2. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to claim 1, wherein the releasing agent coating step is a step of intermittently supplying and coating the releasing agent from the surface of the optical fibers in the plurality of optical fibers in a side-by-side state.

3. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to claim 1, wherein the releasing agent coating process is a process of coating the releasing agent by a screen printing plate having a pattern of intermittently opening holes.

4. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the releasing agent contains silicone.

5. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the releasing agent contains a fluorine compound.

6. The method for producing an optical fiber ribbon according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the anti-blocking agent contains an alcohol.

7. An optical fiber ribbon core wire manufacturing device is provided with:

a release agent coating part for intermittently coating release agent in order to prevent the optical fibers from being bonded by the connecting resin in a state that a plurality of optical fibers are arranged side by side; and

a coupling resin coating portion that passes the plurality of optical fibers intermittently coated with a releasing agent through a die to coat a coupling resin around the optical fibers and cures the coupling resin,

thereby manufacturing an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon having a connecting portion and an disconnecting portion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon.

The present application claims priority to japanese patent application No. 2018-006308, which is filed on 2018, 1, 18, and cites the entire contents of the descriptions described in the above japanese application.

Background

Patent document 1 describes an optical fiber ribbon in which optical fibers of 3 or more cores are arranged side by side, 2-core optical fibers adjacent to each other are connected by a connecting portion, and the connecting portion is provided intermittently in the longitudinal direction of the ribbon core and in the width direction of the ribbon core.

Patent document 2 describes an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon, including: the adhesive coating device includes an application roller having a space inside and a plurality of application holes on an outer peripheral surface thereof, the application roller having a plurality of application holes communicating with the space, a pressure section disposed in the space, and an adhesive member supply section for supplying an adhesive member to the space. Further, there is described a method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon, in which an adhesive member is intermittently applied between a plurality of the optical fiber wires arranged at a predetermined interval using the manufacturing apparatus so that the optical fiber wires are adhered to each other.

Disclosure of Invention

A method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to an aspect of the present invention includes:

a release agent application step of intermittently applying a release agent in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers in a state where the optical fibers are arranged in parallel so as not to be bonded by the coupling resin; and

a bonding resin coating step of, after the releasing agent coating step, passing a plurality of the optical fibers in a parallel state through a die to coat a bonding resin around the optical fibers and curing the bonding resin,

thereby manufacturing an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon having a connecting portion and an disconnecting portion.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon core, including:

a release agent coating portion for intermittently coating a release agent so that the optical fibers are not bonded to each other by the coupling resin in a state where the optical fibers are arranged side by side; and

passing the plurality of optical fibers intermittently coated with the release agent through a die to coat a coupling resin around the optical fibers, and curing the coupling resin at a coupling resin coating portion, thereby manufacturing an intermittently coupled optical fiber ribbon having a coupling portion and an unconnecting portion.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a part of the structure of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of an optical fiber ribbon produced by the apparatus for producing an optical fiber ribbon.

Fig. 4A is a diagram showing an apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber ribbons according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of the screen printing plate shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

FIG. 6 is a view showing another example of an optical fiber ribbon manufactured by the method and apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon.

Detailed Description

[ problems to be solved by the invention ]

In the method for manufacturing such an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon, when the connecting resin is intermittently applied, for example, as described in patent document 2, when the connecting resin is applied between the optical fiber cores from an application hole of an application roller or the like, the viscosity of the connecting resin is generally high, and therefore, the connecting resin may swell, or coating abnormality due to accumulation of the resin may occur. Therefore, in the conventional method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon with intermittent connection, it is difficult to apply a connection resin between optical fiber cores with high accuracy.

The invention aims to provide a method and a device for manufacturing optical fiber ribbons, which can efficiently and accurately manufacture optical fiber ribbons with discontinuous connection type structures.

[ Effect of the invention ]

According to the method and apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon, an optical fiber ribbon having an intermittent connection type structure can be efficiently and accurately manufactured.

(description of embodiments of the invention)

First, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

In a method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon according to one embodiment of the present invention,

(1) the method comprises the following steps:

a release agent application step of intermittently applying a release agent in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers in a state where the optical fibers are arranged in parallel so as not to be bonded by the coupling resin; and

a bonding resin coating step of, after the releasing agent coating step, passing a plurality of the optical fibers in a parallel state through a die to coat a bonding resin around the optical fibers and curing the bonding resin,

thereby manufacturing an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon having a connecting portion and an disconnecting portion.

When the coupling resin is intermittently applied, the viscosity of the coupling resin needs to be increased to some extent, and the coating needs to be made thick to some extent in order to obtain good connectivity. In contrast, in the above-described method for producing an optical fiber ribbon, the release agent may be applied to the surface of the optical fiber in a thin and intermittent manner in the release agent application step. In addition, the viscosity of the release agent may be lower than that of the bonding resin.

Therefore, in the above-described method for producing an optical fiber ribbon, the linear velocity of the production apparatus can be increased as compared with the case where the coupling resin is intermittently applied. In addition, the releasing agent can form an intermittent pattern with high accuracy on the optical fibers in a state where a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel, as compared with the coupling resin.

After the above-described releasing agent application step, the optical fibers are bonded to each other with the coupling resin at the positions where the releasing agent is not applied, by applying the coupling resin to the peripheries of the optical fibers through a die, thereby forming the coupling portions. The optical fibers are not bonded by the coupling resin at the position coated with the releasing agent, and become an unconnected portion. In this manner, an intermittently coupled optical fiber ribbon having a coupling portion and an uncoupled portion can be manufactured. Thus, the optical fiber ribbon with the intermittent connection type structure can be manufactured efficiently and accurately.

(2) The releasing agent applying step may be a step of intermittently supplying and applying the releasing agent from the surface of the optical fibers in the plurality of aligned states.

According to the above method, the releasing agent can be intermittently applied by intermittently supplying the releasing agent from the surface of the optical fiber.

(3) The releasing agent coating step may be a step of coating the releasing agent through a screen printing plate having an intermittent opening pattern.

According to the above method, since a mechanism for intermittently supplying the releasing agent is not required, the line speed of the manufacturing apparatus can be further increased. In addition, by forming the intermittent pattern using a screen printing plate in advance, it is possible to easily form the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon core with different intermittent patterns by simply changing the screen printing plate.

(4) The anti-blocking agent may contain silicone.

(5) The anti-blocking agent may contain a fluorine compound.

(6) The anti-blocking agent may contain an alcohol.

In addition, the manufacturing apparatus of the optical fiber ribbon according to one embodiment of the present invention,

(7) the disclosed device is provided with:

a release agent coating part for intermittently coating release agent in order to prevent the optical fibers from being bonded by the connecting resin in a state that a plurality of optical fibers are arranged side by side; and

a coupling resin coating portion that passes the plurality of optical fibers intermittently coated with a releasing agent through a die to coat a coupling resin around the optical fibers and cures the coupling resin,

thereby manufacturing an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon having a connecting portion and an disconnecting portion.

According to the above configuration, since the release agent can be intermittently applied by the release agent application section, the line speed of the manufacturing apparatus during manufacturing can be increased as compared with an apparatus that intermittently applies the coupling resin. In addition, the releasing agent can form an intermittent pattern with high accuracy on the optical fibers in a state where a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel, as compared with the coupling resin.

Then, a plurality of optical fibers intermittently coated with a release agent are passed through a die so as to coat a coupling resin around the optical fibers of the coupling resin coated portion, and the optical fibers are bonded with the coupling resin at positions where the release agent is not coated, thereby forming coupling portions. The optical fibers are not bonded by the coupling resin at the position coated with the releasing agent, and become an unconnected portion. In this manner, an intermittently coupled optical fiber ribbon having a coupling portion and an uncoupled portion can be manufactured. Thus, the optical fiber ribbon with the intermittent connection type structure can be manufactured efficiently and accurately.

(detailed description of embodiments of the invention)

Hereinafter, specific examples of the method and apparatus for manufacturing optical fiber ribbons according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is represented by the claims, and all changes within the same meaning and scope as the claims are intended to be embraced.

(first embodiment)

Fig. 1 shows a manufacturing apparatus 1A for optical fiber ribbon cores according to a first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as manufacturing apparatus 1A). As shown in fig. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 1A includes: a supply bobbin part 2, a guide roller 3A, a positioning die 3B, a releasing agent applying part 4, a die 5 and a resin curing device 6 constituting a coupling resin applying part, a speed sensor 7, a control part 8, and a take-up bobbin 9.

The supply bobbin section 2 is constituted by N supply bobbins 21, and a single-core optical fiber core wire 11 is wound on each supply bobbin 21. N is the number of optical fiber cores 11 constituting the optical fiber ribbon, and for example, when an optical fiber ribbon with 12 cores is manufactured, N is 12. The optical fiber cores 11 are fed from the respective supply spools 21 so as to be at the same traveling speed (linear velocity).

The guide roller 3A is a roller that aligns and guides the plurality of optical fiber cores 11 fed from the supply bobbin 21 in parallel to the positioning die 3B. The positioning die 3B is a die for determining the traveling position on the route P of the plurality of optical fiber cores 11 conveyed by the guide roller 3A.

The releasing agent applying section 4 is disposed downstream of the positioning die 3B, and is constituted by a plurality of applying devices for applying the releasing agent between the optical fiber cores 11. The "releasing agent" as referred to herein includes a material or the like which can weaken the adhesive force of the coupling resin, and is a generic term for a reagent or the like for preventing the optical fiber cores from being bonded by the coupling resin. For example, a release agent containing silicone, fluorine compounds, alcohols, and the like can be used.

The coupling resin coating section is disposed downstream of the releasing agent coating section 4, and is composed of a die 5 for coating a coupling resin for connecting the optical fiber cores 11 to each other around the optical fiber cores 11, and a resin curing device 6 for curing the coated coupling resin.

The speed sensor 7 is a sensor for detecting the traveling speed of the optical fiber core wire 11 fed from the supply bobbin 21. The speed sensor 7 transmits the detected traveling speed of the optical fiber 11 to the control section 8. The control section 8 controls the amount of the releasing agent applied in the releasing agent applying section 4, the interval between applications of the releasing agent, and the like, based on the traveling speed of the optical fiber core wire 11 transmitted from the speed sensor 7. Further, the control section 8 controls the traveling speed of the optical fiber 11 delivered from the supply bobbin section 2. The winding bobbin 9 is disposed downstream of the resin curing device 6, and is a bobbin for winding the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 thus produced.

Next, the structure of the positioning die 3B, the releasing agent applying section 4, and the coupling resin applying section in the manufacturing apparatus 1A will be further described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 illustrates a case where the optical fiber ribbon 10 of the intermittent coupling type is manufactured using the optical fiber cores 11(11A to 11L) of 12 cores (N: 12).

As shown in fig. 2, a positioning hole 31 for passing the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L is formed in the positioning die 3B. The positioning holes 31 are formed at predetermined intervals so that the adjacent optical fiber cores of the passing optical fiber cores 11A to 11L can be spaced apart from each other by a minute gap. The optical fiber cores 11A to 11L having passed through the positioning mode 3B are arranged in the path P with a slight gap between the optical fiber cores.

The releasing agent applying section 4 is constituted by 11 releasing agent applying devices 41(41A to 41k) that apply the releasing agent between 12 optical fiber cores 11(11A to 11L). In this example, the releasing agent applying devices 41A to 41F for applying the releasing agent between the optical fiber cores 11A and 11B, 11C and 11D, 11E and 11F, 11G and 11H, 11I and 11J, and 11K and 11L are disposed on the upstream side (front side in fig. 2). Further, release agent application devices 41G to 41K for applying a release agent between the optical fiber cores 11B and 11C, 11D and 11E, 11F and 11G, 11H and 11I, and 11J and 11K are disposed on the downstream side (the rear side in fig. 2). The releasing agent application devices 41a to 41f may employ, for example, a conventional mechanism for intermittently applying the coupling resin.

The releasing agent application devices 41a to 41f intermittently apply the releasing agents 42(42a to 42f) at predetermined intervals from the upper side (upper side in fig. 2) of the surface of the optical fiber core wire among the respective optical fiber cores. The releasing agent coating devices 41g to 41k intermittently coat the releasing agents 42(42g to 42k) at predetermined intervals from the surface of the optical fiber core wire among the respective optical fiber core wires. The releasing agents 42a to 42f and the releasing agents 42g to 42k are applied in parallel in the direction in which the optical fiber cores are arranged at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber cores. Further, for example, the coating is performed so that the positions of the adhesives 42a to 42f are located between the positions of the releasing agents 42g to 42k in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber core wire. The releasing agents 42a to 42k applied from the front surface flow into the back surface side of the optical fiber core wires through the gaps left between the optical fiber core wires, and are applied at predetermined intervals also on the back surface side.

The mold 5 is used to determine the traveling positions of the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L, and the coupling resin 52 is applied around the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L. The mold 5 is formed with positioning holes 53 for passing the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L. The positioning holes 53 are formed so that there is no gap between adjacent optical fiber cores of the passed optical fiber cores 11A to 11L. The optical fiber cores 11A to 11L coated with the releasing agents 42a to 42k between the optical fiber cores 11 are arranged side by side with no gap between the adjacent optical fiber cores 11 by passing the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L through the mold 5, and the coupling resin 52 is applied.

In the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L, the optical fiber cores 11 are bonded to each other with the coupling resin 52 at the positions where the release agent 42 is not applied, and the optical fiber cores 11 are not bonded to each other at the positions where the release agent 42 is applied. The position where the optical fiber cores 11 are bonded is a coupling portion where the optical fiber cores 11 are coupled to each other. The positions where the optical fiber cores are not bonded are the non-coupling portions where the optical fiber cores 11 are not coupled to each other. For example, an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or the like can be used as the coupling resin 52.

For example, when the coupling resin 52 is an ultraviolet curing resin, the resin curing device 6 is an ultraviolet irradiation device 61, and when the coupling resin 52 is a thermosetting resin, it is a heating device.

Next, an example of the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 1A will be described with reference to fig. 3. In this example, a 24-core intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10A is exemplified and explained.

As shown in fig. 3, the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10A is an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon: in a state where 24 optical fiber cores 11A to 11X are arranged side by side, a coupling portion 12 in which adjacent optical fiber cores are coupled by a coupling resin 52 and an unconnecting portion 13 in which adjacent optical fiber cores are not coupled are provided intermittently in the longitudinal direction. The position where the releasing agent 42 is applied by the releasing agent application device 41 of the manufacturing apparatus 1A shown in fig. 2 is the non-coupling portion 13 in the intermittently coupled optical fiber ribbon 10A of fig. 3. In addition, the position where the release agent 42 is not applied by the release agent application device 41 of the manufacturing apparatus 1A shown in fig. 2 is the coupling portion 12 in the intermittently coupled optical fiber ribbon 10A of fig. 3.

Fig. 3 shows the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon in a state where the optical fiber cores 11A to 11X are opened in the arrangement direction. In the example shown in fig. 3, each core of the optical fiber core wire is intermittently bonded. The manufacturing apparatus 1A may manufacture intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon cores in which a plurality of cores are intermittently connected for every two or more cores by changing the number and arrangement of the anti-sticking agent application apparatuses 41.

The optical fiber cores 11A to 11X shown in fig. 3 are made of, for example: the glass fiber comprises a core and a cladding, and a coating layer for coating the glass fiber. In order to make it possible to distinguish the optical fiber cores from each other, for example, the coating layers of the optical fiber cores 11A to 11X are colored in different colors, respectively.

However, for example, when a connecting resin is intermittently applied to a plurality of optical fiber cores arranged side by side, the thickness of the applied connecting resin needs to be increased to some extent in order to obtain good connectivity. In addition, in order to prevent the flow of the coupling resin after application, it is necessary to increase the viscosity of the coupling resin to some extent.

In contrast, in the manufacturing apparatus 1A, the release agent 42 is applied thinly and intermittently on the surfaces of the plurality of optical fiber cores arranged side by side. Since the applied releasing agent 42 does not require an accumulation property, its viscosity can be lower than that of the bonding resin. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 1A that intermittently applies the releasing agent 42 can increase the linear speed at which the optical fiber core wire travels during manufacturing, as compared with an apparatus that intermittently applies the coupling resin. In addition, the releasing agent having a low viscosity can form an intermittent pattern with high accuracy on the optical fiber core wires in a state where a plurality of the optical fiber core wires are arranged in parallel, as compared with the coupling resin having a high viscosity. Therefore, according to the manufacturing apparatus 1A, the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon can be efficiently and accurately manufactured.

Next, a method for manufacturing the optical fiber ribbon using the manufacturing apparatus 1A will be described. In the manufacturing apparatus 1A, for example, 12 optical fiber cores 11A to 11L from 12 supply spools 21 are caused to travel on the conveying path P at a predetermined travel speed.

(step of applying releasing agent)

The optical fiber cores 11A to 11L are arranged side by side and pass through the positioning die 3B. The optical fiber cores 11A to 11L are arranged on the path P with a small gap between the adjacent optical fiber cores by passing through the positioning mode 3B.

Next, the releasing agents are supplied from the releasing agent application devices 41A to 41F, and the releasing agents 42a to 42F are applied at predetermined intervals between the optical fiber cores 11A and 11B, between 11C and 11D, between 11E and 11F, between 11G and 11H, between 11I and 11J, and between 11K and 11L. Similarly, the releasing agents 42G to 42K are supplied from the releasing agents 42G to 42K, and the releasing agents 42G to 42K are applied at predetermined intervals between the optical fiber cores 11B and 11C, between 11D and 11E, between 11F and 11G, between 11H and 11I, and between 11J and 11K.

The intervals and the application amounts of the application release agents 42a to 42k are controlled by the control section 8. The releasing agents 42a to 42f are applied at the same positions in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber core wires so as to be aligned in the side-by-side direction of the optical fiber core wires. Likewise, the releasing agents 42g to 42k are applied at the same positions in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber core wires so as to be aligned in the side-by-side direction of the optical fiber core wires. Then, the releasing agents 42a to 42f and the releasing agents 42g to 42k are intermittently applied in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber core wire so that the positions of the releasing agents 42a to 42f are arranged between the positions of the releasing agents 42g to 42 k.

The releasing agents 42a to 42k supplied from the surface of the optical fiber core wire flow into the back surface side of the optical fiber core wire through the gap left between the optical fiber core wires, and the releasing agents 42a to 42k are applied to the back surface side of the optical fiber core wire at predetermined intervals.

(connection resin coating step)

Next, the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L coated with the release agents 42a to 42k between the optical fiber cores are arranged side by side without a gap between the adjacent optical fiber cores by passing the optical fiber cores through the positioning hole 53 of the mold 51. Further, the coupling resin 52 is entirely applied around the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L arranged side by side in a gapless state by the mold 5.

Next, the connecting resin 52 is cured by the resin curing device 6. For example, when the coupling resin 52 is an ultraviolet curable resin, the resin curing device 6 irradiates ultraviolet rays with an ultraviolet irradiation device to cure the coupling resin 52. Thereby, the coupling resin 52 adheres between the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L at the positions where the release agent 42 is not applied, thereby forming the coupling portion 12 in which the optical fiber cores are coupled to each other. In addition, the positions where the releasing agent 42 is applied are not adhered by the coupling resin 52, thereby forming the non-coupling portions 13 where the optical fiber core wires are not coupled to each other. Thus, the intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon 10 having 12 cores intermittently including the connecting portions 12 and the non-connecting portions 13 is manufactured.

According to the method for producing an optical fiber ribbon, for the same reason as in the production apparatus 1A, it is possible to form an intermittent pattern of the releasing agent with high accuracy while increasing the line speed, as compared with the case where the coupling resin is intermittently applied. Therefore, the intermittent connection type optical fiber ribbon can be efficiently and accurately manufactured.

(second embodiment)

Referring to fig. 4A, 4B, and 5, a manufacturing apparatus 1B for optical fiber ribbon cores according to a second embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as manufacturing apparatus 1B) will be described. The same components as those of the manufacturing apparatus 1A of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

Fig. 4A is a diagram showing the structure of the manufacturing apparatus 1B. Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 4A. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a screen printing plate used when a release agent is applied to an optical fiber core line. The manufacturing apparatus 1A of the first embodiment is different from the manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment in that: as shown in fig. 5, the manufacturing apparatus 1B uses a screen printing plate 121 having a pattern of intermittent openings 123 when applying the release agent on the optical fiber core line.

As shown in fig. 4A, the manufacturing apparatus 1B includes: the supply bobbin section 2, the guide roller 3A, the releasing agent applying section 104, the die 5 and the resin curing device 6 constituting the coupling resin applying section, and the take-up bobbin 9. The speed sensor 7 and the control unit 8 are not shown. The releasing agent applying section 104 has: a driving roller 111 and a guide roller 113 for running the plurality of optical fiber cores 11A to 11L conveyed from the supply bobbin 2 on the path P, and a running guide belt 112 for guiding the running of the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L. The travel guide belt 112 is configured to be driven back and forth between a drive roller 111 and a guide roller 113 provided on the downstream side of the resin curing device 6.

Further, the releasing agent applying section 104 has: a screen printing plate 121 which is driven in accordance with the running of the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L, and idle rollers 122a to 122c which are driven to guide the screen printing plate 121. The screen printing plate 121 is continuously formed in a belt shape and is configured to be reciprocated between 3 idle rollers 122a to 122 c. The screen printing plate 121 is disposed so as to be superposed on the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L, and is driven synchronously with the traveling speeds of the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L.

Further, the releasing agent applying section 104 includes a releasing agent applying device 131 for applying the releasing agent 42 to the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L on which the screen printing plate 121 is superimposed. The releasing agent coating device 131 integrally coats the releasing agent 42 on the screen printing plate 121 superposed on the optical fiber core wires 11A to 11L.

As shown in fig. 4B, positioning grooves 114 for determining respective positions of the advancing optical fiber cores 11A to 11L are formed on the advancing guide belt 112. By arranging the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L in the positioning groove 114, the optical fiber cores are arranged side by side with a slight gap between adjacent optical fiber cores. As shown in fig. 4B, a groove 115 is formed in the driving roller 111. Then, a rib 116 is formed on the back surface of the travel guide belt 112. The rib 116 passes through the groove 115 to be formed without deviating from a position perpendicular to the traveling direction of the traveling guide belt 112.

As shown in fig. 5, in the screen printing plate 121, the number of intermittent pattern rows 124A to 124L is formed corresponding to the number of optical fiber cores (12 in this example) of the intermittent connection type optical fiber ribbon 10 to be manufactured. Each of the intermittent pattern rows 124A to 124L is formed with a pattern of intermittently formed holes 123. The pattern of the holes 123 is, for example, formed in a pattern such that the holes 123 in adjacent intermittent pattern columns are in offset positions from each other. The screen printing plate 121 is disposed so that the intermittent pattern rows 124A to 124L are superimposed on the core wires of the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L, respectively. The screen printing plate 121 is formed of, for example, a stainless material or the like.

According to the manufacturing apparatus 1B, since the release agent 42 is applied only to the entire screen printing plate 121 when the release agent 42 is applied, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for intermittently supplying the release agent, for example. This can further increase the line speed of the manufacturing apparatus. In addition, since a desired intermittent pattern can be prepared in advance by the screen printing plate 121, it is possible to easily manufacture an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon having different intermittent patterns by simply changing the screen printing plate 121. Therefore, the intermittent connection type optical fiber ribbon can be efficiently and accurately manufactured.

Next, a method for manufacturing the optical fiber ribbon core wire by the manufacturing apparatus 1B will be described.

(step of applying releasing agent)

The optical fiber cores 11A to 11L fed out from the supply bobbin 2 are arranged in the positioning grooves 114 of the advance guide belts 112 of the releasing agent coating section 104 and advanced. By positioning the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L in the positioning groove 114 formed in the traveling guide belt 112, the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L are arranged side by side with a minute gap between the adjacent optical fiber cores.

A screen printing plate 121 is arranged to overlap between the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L arranged with a minute gap therebetween, and a releasing agent 42 is applied from a releasing agent applying device 131 to the screen printing plate 121 as a whole. The release agent 42 applied as a whole is applied between the cores of the optical fiber cores 11A to 11L according to the pattern of the holes 123 opened in the screen printing plate 121. Further, since the releasing agent 42 flows into the back side of the optical fiber core wire through the gap left between the optical fiber core wires, the back side of the optical fiber core wire may be coated according to the pattern of the holes 123 of the screen printing plate 121.

Next, the coupling resin application step of applying the coupling resin 52 is the same as the method for manufacturing the optical fiber ribbon using the manufacturing apparatus 1A of the first embodiment described above.

According to the method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon, an optical fiber ribbon of a discontinuous connection type can be manufactured efficiently and with high accuracy.

As described above, the apparatus and method for manufacturing optical fiber ribbon cores according to the first and second embodiments can manufacture not only the single-core intermittent intermittently-connected optical fiber ribbon core 10A shown in fig. 3 but also intermittently-connected optical fiber ribbon cores in which a plurality of cores are intermittently connected for every two or more cores, such as the two-core intermittent intermittently-connected optical fiber ribbon core 10B shown in fig. 6.

In the first embodiment, the number and arrangement of the releasing agent coating devices 41 of the manufacturing apparatus 1A shown in fig. 2 are changed, whereby intermittently-connected optical fiber ribbon cores in which two or more cores are intermittently connected can be manufactured. In the second embodiment, the screen printing plate 121 is changed to a different screen printing plate, whereby a multi-core intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon core with two or more cores can be manufactured.

The present invention has been described above in detail or with reference to specific embodiments, but it is apparent that various changes or modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The number, position, shape, and the like of the components described above are not limited to those in the above embodiments, and may be changed to appropriate numbers, positions, shapes, and the like in addition to the implementation of the present invention.

Description of the symbols

1A, 1B: device for manufacturing optical fiber ribbon core wire (manufacturing device)

3B: positioning die

4. 104: releasing agent applying section

5: mold (connecting resin coating part)

6: resin curing device (connecting a part of the resin coating part)

10. 10A, 10B: discontinuous connection type optical fiber ribbon core wire

11(11A to 11X): optical fiber core wire

12: connecting part

13: non-coupling part

42(42a to 42 k): anti-sticking agent

52: bonding resin

111: driving roller

112: advancing guide belt

121: screen printing plate

122a to 122 c: idle roller