JP2017156558A - Manufacturing method for optical fiber cable, and manufacturing method for optical fiber tape ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable having excellent manufacturability. A cutting member 25 is used in a dividing portion 16. The cutting member 25 may be, for example, a blade such as a cutter, or may be a plate-shaped member, a rod-shaped member, or the like. The cutting member 25 is inserted between the specific optical fiber strands 23 of the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13 (between every four optical fiber strands 23 and the portion where the adhesive portion 15b is formed). By cutting the adhesive between the optical fiber strands 23 with the cutting member 25, the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13 is divided into a plurality of optical fiber tape core wires 3. [Selection diagram] FIG. 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber cable and an optical fiber tape core manufacturing method capable of efficiently manufacturing an optical fiber cable and an optical fiber tape core.

  An optical fiber cable for transmitting a large amount of data at high speed has an optical fiber tape core in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are arranged and bonded in parallel for easy storage and operation in the cable. It is used. As the optical fiber ribbon, for example, a fiber in which optical fiber strands arranged in parallel are intermittently bonded with a resin in the longitudinal direction is used. Such intermittent bonding of the optical fiber strands has characteristics such as an increase in the concentration density, a reduction in transmission loss due to bending, and a single core.

  Examples of the optical fiber cable in which a plurality of such optical fiber ribbons are accommodated include, for example, an optical fiber cable having an optical fiber ribbon, and resin portions adjacent to each other in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon. Is a cable core portion that is disposed apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and that accommodates a plurality of units in which a plurality of single-core coated optical fibers that constitute the optical fiber ribbon are gathered together; There is an optical fiber cable characterized in that a jacket is provided on the outer periphery of the cable core (Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-8923 A

  However, when manufacturing such an optical fiber cable, it is necessary to install a bobbin around which the optical fiber ribbon to be accommodated is wound. In particular, when an optical fiber cable is manufactured using a large number of optical fiber ribbons, there is a problem that the number of required bobbins increases, a large manufacturing space is required, and time is required for manufacturing preparation.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable excellent in manufacturability.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the first invention is a method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable, in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are formed in alignment, and adjacent optical fiber strands are bonded to each other at a bonding portion. , Using a wide optical fiber ribbon, a dividing step of dividing the wide optical fiber ribbon into a plurality of optical fiber ribbons, an assembly step of assembling a plurality of the divided optical fiber ribbons, And a covering step of covering the outer periphery of the aggregated optical fiber ribbons with a jacket.

  In the dividing step, a cutting member is inserted between specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon, and the adhesive portion between the optical fiber strands is cut with the cutting member. May be.

  In the dividing step, the adhesive force of the adhesive portion between specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon is weaker than the adhesive force of the adhesive portion between other optical fiber strands, You may fracture | rupture the said adhesion part between specific optical fiber strands with weak adhesive force by extending the said wide optical fiber tape core wire to the width direction.

  In the dividing step, specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon may be bent, and the adhesive portion between the optical fiber strands may be broken.

  In the dividing step, each of the portions separated by the boundary with the specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon as a boundary is brought into contact with a step having a different height, and the optical fiber element is separated. You may fracture | rupture the said adhesion part between lines.

  The adhesion between the optical fiber strands constituting the optical fiber tape core wire after splitting is such that the adhesive force of the adhesive portion between the optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon is divided. It is desirable that it is smaller than the adhesive strength of the part.

  The optical fiber cable may be a slot-type optical fiber cable, and the optical fiber ribbon may be accommodated in a plurality of grooves formed on the outer periphery of a slot rod having a tension member at the center in the assembly step.

  The optical fiber cable is a slotless optical fiber cable, and in the covering step, a jacket may be covered so that a tension member is embedded on the outer periphery of the optical fiber ribbon.

  It is desirable that the adhesive portion is intermittently disposed with respect to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a wide optical fiber ribbon is used and divided into a plurality of widths in the width direction to obtain a plurality of optical fiber ribbons. The number of bobbins can be reduced. For this reason, the installation space for the bobbin can be reduced, and the work man-hours for installing the bobbin can be reduced, so that the workability is excellent.

  In addition, the wide optical fiber tape core can be reliably divided into a plurality of parts by cutting the bonding portion between specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon using the cutting member. .

  In addition, the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion between the specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon is weakened, the wide optical fiber ribbon is spread in the width direction, and the specific optical fiber having a weak adhesive strength is used. By breaking the bonding portion between the strands, the wide optical fiber ribbon can be surely divided into a plurality of pieces.

  In addition, by bending the specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon and breaking the adhesive portion between the optical fiber strands, the wide optical fiber ribbon is reliably divided into a plurality of pieces. Can do.

  In addition, with specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon as a boundary, each portion divided by the boundary is brought into contact with a step having a different height, so that the gap between the optical fiber strands By breaking the bonding portion, the wide optical fiber ribbon can be reliably divided into a plurality of pieces.

  Also, by making the adhesive force of the adhesive between the optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon smaller than the adhesive force of the adhesive between the other optical fiber strands, The wide optical fiber ribbon can be more reliably divided into a plurality of pieces.

  Moreover, a slot-type optical fiber cable can be manufactured by accommodating an optical fiber ribbon in a plurality of grooves formed on the outer periphery of a slot having a tension member in the center.

  Moreover, a slotless optical fiber cable can be manufactured by covering the outer periphery of the optical fiber ribbon so that the tension member is embedded.

  Moreover, if the bonding portion is intermittently arranged in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, the optical fiber ribbon can be flexibly deformed (rounded or folded), and the optical fiber cable has a small diameter / Effective for higher density.

  The second invention is a method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon, wherein a plurality of optical fibers are aligned, and adjacent optical fibers are bonded together at an adhesive portion to form a wide optical fiber ribbon. Bonding step, splitting the specific bonding portion of the wide optical fiber ribbon, and dividing into a plurality of optical fiber ribbons, and dividing the plurality of divided optical fiber ribbons, A method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon, comprising: a winding step for winding each of the windings.

  According to the second invention, a plurality of optical fiber ribbons can be manufactured at the same time with the same apparatus.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the manufacturing method etc. of the optical fiber cable excellent in manufacturability can be provided.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an optical fiber cable 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber cable manufacturing apparatus 10. FIG. The perspective view of the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13. FIG. The figure which shows the adhesive strength measuring apparatus 40. FIG. The figure which shows the division | segmentation method of the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13. FIG. (A) is a figure which shows the other division | segmentation method of the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13, (b) is the E section expansion conceptual diagram of (a). (A), (b) is a figure which shows the other division | segmentation method of the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13. FIG. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the other division | segmentation method of the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13. FIG. Sectional drawing of the optical fiber cable 1a. Schematic of the optical fiber cable manufacturing apparatus 10a. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber ribbon manufacturing apparatus 30. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber cable 1. The optical fiber cable 1 is a slotless optical fiber cable that does not use a slot, and includes a plurality of optical fiber tape core wires 3, a presser winding member 7, a tension member 9, a tear string 11, an outer jacket 5, and the like.

  The optical fiber ribbon 3 is formed by aligning a plurality of optical fiber strands and adhering adjacent optical fiber strands with an adhesive. Details of the configuration of the optical fiber ribbon 3 will be described later.

  A presser winding member 7 is provided on the outer periphery of the plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3. The presser winding member 7 is disposed so as to collectively cover the plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3 by vertical additional winding. That is, the plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3 are arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the presser winding member 7 is substantially coincident with the axial direction of the optical fiber cable 1 and the width direction of the presser winding member 7 is the circumferential direction of the optical fiber cable 1. Wound vertically around the outer periphery. In addition, you may wind the rough winding thread | yarn which abbreviate | omitted illustration helically around the outer periphery of the pressing member 7.

  A jacket 5 is provided on the outer periphery of the presser winding member 7. The jacket 5 is a layer for covering and protecting the optical fiber cable 1. In a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber cable 1, a pair of tension members 9 are provided inside the jacket 5 at positions facing each other with the plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3 interposed therebetween. The tension member 9 bears the tension of the optical fiber cable 1. The tension member 9 is made of, for example, a steel wire or fiber reinforced plastic.

  Moreover, the tear string 11 is provided so that it may oppose on both sides of the press winding member 7 in the direction substantially orthogonal to the opposing direction of the tension member 9 as needed. The tension member 9 and the tear string 11 are embedded in the outer jacket 5.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the optical fiber cable 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the optical fiber cable manufacturing apparatus 10. In the present invention, a wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is used.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the wide optical fiber ribbon 13. The wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is formed by aligning a plurality of optical fiber strands 23 in parallel, and adhering adjacent optical fiber strands 23 at an adhesive portion. The number of optical fiber strands 23 is not limited to the illustrated example, but is desirably formed from optical fiber strands 23 that are an integral multiple of the number of optical fiber tape cores 3 used.

  Adjacent optical fibers 23 are adjacently disposed with a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers 23 with an adhesive disposed therebetween. The parts bonded with the adhesive are referred to as bonding parts 15a and 15b. That is, the bonding portions 15a and 15b are provided on the outer periphery of the optical fiber strand 23, and connect adjacent optical fiber strands 23 together.

  Adhering portions 15 a and 15 b between adjacent optical fiber strands 23 are arranged in a staggered manner with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the positions of the adhering portions 15 a and 15 b adjacent in the width direction are shifted from each other by about a half pitch with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 and formed at the same pitch.

  Therefore, the bonding portion 15a between the first and second optical fiber strands 23 from the end is the same as the bonding portion 15a between the third and fourth optical fiber strands 23 from the end and the wide optical fiber ribbon 13. The positions 15a of the first and second optical fiber strands 23 from the end coincide with each other, and the bonded portion 15a between the second and third optical fiber strands 23 from the end is connected to the bonded portion 15a between the second and third optical fiber strands 23. The position of the fiber tape core wire 13 in the longitudinal direction is different.

  The wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is manufactured by a known method (for example, a method described in JP2013-3516A).

  Here, in this embodiment, although the adhesion parts 15a and 15b show the example arrange | positioned intermittently with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13 (optical fiber strand 23), this invention shows this Not limited. For example, the optical fiber strands 23 may be formed over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13. In the following description, an example in which the bonding portions 15a and 15b are intermittently arranged in the longitudinal direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 will be described.

  Here, an adhesive portion 15 b is formed between specific optical fiber strands 23 of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13, and an adhesive portion 15 a is formed between other optical fiber strands 23. The For example, in the illustrated example, the adjacent optical fiber strands 1 to 4 from the end with respect to the width direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 are bonded by the bonding portion 15a, and the fourth from the end. The fifth adjacent optical fiber strands 23 are bonded together by an adhesive portion 15b. Similarly, the fifth to eighth adjacent optical fiber strands 23 from the end are bonded together by the bonding portion 15a, and the eighth and ninth adjacent optical fiber strands 23 from the end are bonded by the bonding portion 15b. The 9th to 12th adjacent optical fiber strands 23 from the end are bonded together by the bonding portion 15a.

  That is, the adhesive portions 15 b are formed at a predetermined interval with respect to the width direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13. In addition, the formation interval of the adhesion part 15b is not restricted to the illustrated example. For example, the bonding portion 15b may be provided in one place in the width direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 or may be provided in a plurality of two or more places. The position of the adhesion part 15b becomes a part to be divided into optical fiber tape cores to be described later.

  The adhesion part 15b has weaker adhesive force than the adhesion part 15a. In order to make the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 15b weaker than that of the adhesive portion 15a, for example, the adhesive length of the adhesive portion 15b is made shorter than the adhesive length of the adhesive portion 15a or is bonded to the optical fiber strand in the cross section. What is necessary is just to make the adhesion area with the part 15b smaller than the adhesion area with the adhesion part 15a. That is, the amount of adhesive in the adhesive portion 15b may be set smaller than the amount of adhesive in the adhesive portion 15a. Moreover, you may use the thing whose adhesive strength is weaker than the adhesive agent of the adhesion part 15a as an adhesive agent of the adhesion part 15b.

  Here, the adhesive strength refers to the peel strength of the adhesive per unit area. That is, the adhesive strength varies depending on the type of adhesive, the surface properties of the optical fiber 23, and the like. Further, the adhesion force refers to a force required when the optical fiber strands 23 are divided. That is, the adhesive force is assumed to be adhesive strength × adhesive area.

  Note that the bonding portion 15b is not necessarily required, and all may be the bonding portion 15a. When all are made into the adhesion part 15a, without using the adhesion part 15b, the adhesive force of all the optical fiber strands 23 becomes the same. Alternatively, the adhesive portion 15 a may be formed over the entire length of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 in the longitudinal direction, and only the adhesive portion 15 b may be provided intermittently in the longitudinal direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13.

  The adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 15b is desirably 0.1 N or less. By setting the adhesive strength of the bonding portion 15b to 0.1 N or less, division described later becomes easier and the range of selection of the division method is expanded. Further, the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 15b is desirably 0.04N or more. This is because if the bonding strength of the bonding portion 15b is less than 0.04N, the bonding portion 15b is separated before being divided at a specified position, and the separation portion may be caught by a guide or the like in the process.

  In addition, the adhesive strength of the adhesion part 15b can be evaluated as follows, for example. FIG. 4 is a view showing the adhesive strength measuring device 40. The adhesive strength measuring device 40 includes fixed portions 55 and 57, a load cell 59, and the like.

  A wire 53 bent in an annular shape is fixed to the fixing portion 55. The wire 53 is, for example, a steel wire having a diameter of 0.5 mm. End portions of the optical fiber strands 23 and 23 cut in advance from the optical fiber ribbon are fixed to the fixing portion 57. The optical fiber wires 23 and 23 are bonded together at one bonding portion 15b. In other words, the optical fiber strands 23 and 23 are cut to a predetermined length while leaving one adhesive portion 15b. A load cell 59 is connected to the fixed portion 57.

  If the fixing portion 55 is pulled in a state where the bonding portion of the optical fiber wires 23 and 23 and the wire 53 are hooked, the bonding portion is broken when a predetermined load is applied. By measuring the maximum load until the bonded portion breaks with the load cell 59, the bonding strength of the bonded portion is measured.

  The wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is wound around the bobbin 14. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of bobbins 14 are arranged in the optical fiber cable manufacturing apparatus 10, and a wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is supplied from each bobbin 14 (arrow A in the figure). The number of bobbins 14 is not limited to the illustrated example.

  The wide optical fiber ribbon 13 supplied from the bobbin 14 is sent to the dividing unit 16. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of dividing the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 in the dividing unit 16. In the dividing unit 16, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is divided into a plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3 (dividing step). For example, a 12-core wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is divided into three 4-fiber ribbons 3.

  In this embodiment, the cutting member 25 is used in the division part 16. The cutting member 25 may be a cutter such as a cutter, for example, and may be any of a plate-like member and a rod-like member. The cutting member 25 is inserted between the specific optical fiber strands 23 of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 (the portion between the four optical fiber strands 23 and where the bonding portion 15b is formed). Then, by cutting the adhesive between the optical fiber strands 23 with the cutting member 25, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is divided into a plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3 (arrows in the figure). B).

  In the cut optical fiber ribbon 3, adjacent optical fiber strands 23 are intermittently connected to each other at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber strand 23 by an adhesive portion 15 a. Under the present circumstances, the adhesion part 15a of adjacent optical fiber strands 23 is arrange | positioned with respect to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber tape core wire 3 in zigzag form. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the positions of the adjacent adhesive portions 15 a are shifted from each other by a substantially half pitch with respect to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber ribbon 3 and are formed at the same pitch.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of divided optical fiber ribbons 3 are gathered at the gathering portion 17 (a gathering step). Further, the press winding member 7 is sent to the forming device 19 together with the press winding member 7, and the press winding member 7 is vertically wound around the outer periphery of the assembled optical fiber ribbon 3.

  Further, the assembled optical fiber ribbon 3 is sent to the jacket extruder 21 together with the tension member 9 and the tear string 11 (not shown), and the jacket 5 is placed on the outer periphery of the assembled optical fiber ribbon 3. Is coated (coating process). At this time, the tension member 9 and the tear string 11 are embedded in the jacket 5. Thus, the optical fiber cable 1 is manufactured. The optical fiber cable 1 is wound around a bobbin or the like (not shown).

  As mentioned above, according to this Embodiment, in the optical fiber cable manufacturing apparatus 10, in order to divide | segment the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 into the optical fiber ribbon 3, it is only the number of required optical fiber ribbons 3. Bobbins are not required.

  For example, in the case of a 200-fiber optical fiber cable, 50 4-fiber ribbon cables are required. Therefore, in the conventional method, it is necessary to install 50 bobbins for supplying 50 optical fiber ribbons. On the other hand, in the present invention, for example, when the wide optical fiber ribbon is divided into three, the number of 17 bobbins, which is 1/3, is sufficient. For this reason, a bobbin installation space can be reduced and an installation preparation man-hour can also be reduced.

  Moreover, in the division part 16, since the cutting member 25 is inserted between specific optical fiber strands 23 and the adhesion part 15b is cut | disconnected, an apparatus is simple.

  In addition, since the adhesive portions 15a and 15b of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 are intermittently formed in the longitudinal direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13, the optical fiber tape core 3 after being divided also has an adhesive portion 15a. It is formed intermittently. For this reason, bending and deformation are easy.

  Further, the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 15b is weaker than the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion 15a. That is, the adhesive force of the adhesive portion 15b between the divided optical fiber strands 23 of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is the same between the optical fiber strands 23 constituting the divided optical fiber ribbon 3. Less than the adhesive strength of the adhesive in between. For this reason, division is easy. In particular, by reducing the amount of adhesive in the adhesive portion 15b to be smaller than that in the adhesive portion 15a, it is possible to suppress the generation of adhesive residue generated during cutting.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a method of dividing the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 in the dividing unit 16 according to the second embodiment. In the following description, components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 5, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  In 2nd Embodiment, the cutting member 25 is not used in the division part 16, but the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13 is expanded in the width direction (arrow C in the figure). FIG. 6B is a conceptual diagram in which the E portion of FIG.

  As described above, in the wide optical fiber ribbon 13, the adhesive portions 15 a and 15 b are intermittently arranged in the longitudinal direction of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is expanded in the width direction, the distance between the optical fiber strands 23 is widened.

  Here, the adjacent optical fiber strands 23 are bonded together by bonding portions 15a and 15b. At this time, the bonding portion 15b has a smaller bonding force between the optical fiber strands 23 than the bonding portion 15a. For this reason, the adhesion part 15b breaks preferentially.

  For example, as shown in the drawing, if the bonding portion 15b is formed for each of the four optical fiber strands 23, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is divided into four. That is, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is divided into three four-fiber ribbons 3 (arrow D in FIG. 6A). At this time, since the bonded portion 15a is not broken, the optical fiber tape core wire 3 bonded intermittently by the bonded portion 15a can be obtained.

  According to the second embodiment, an effect similar to that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 can be easily divided into the optical fiber ribbon 3 without using a cutting member.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a method of dividing the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 in the dividing unit 16 according to the third embodiment. In 3rd Embodiment, in the division part 16, the cutting member 25 is not used, but it divides | segments into the optical fiber tape core wire 3 by bending the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7 (b), the alignment direction (substantially linear) of the optical fiber strands 23 between the fourth and fifth ends and the eighth and ninth ends from the end of the aligned optical fiber strands 23. For example, the bonding portion 15b can be broken by bending it substantially vertically. As described above, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 can be divided into three four-fiber ribbons 3.

  If the adhesive force of the adhesive portion 15b is weaker than that of the adhesive portion 15a, the adhesive portion 15b is preferentially broken when the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is bent. For example, if the adhesive amount of the adhesive portion 15b is less than the adhesive amount of the adhesive portion 15a, the bending strength of the adhesive portion 15b becomes weaker than the bending strength of the adhesive portion 15a, so that the adhesive portion 15b is preferentially broken. be able to.

  Further, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 may be bent along the jig so that the bonding portion 15a is not broken and only the position of the bonding portion 15b is bent using a jig not shown. In this case, all the bonded portions may be bonded portions 15a (the same bonding force).

  According to the third embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 can be easily divided into the optical fiber ribbon 3 without using a cutting member.

  Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating a method of dividing the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 in the dividing unit 16 according to the fourth embodiment. In 4th Embodiment, in the division part 16, the cutting member 25 is not used, but it divides | segments into the optical fiber tape core wire 3 using the roller 27. FIG.

  The roller 27 is provided with a step 29. For example, the outer diameter (small diameter portion 27b) on both sides of the roller 27 is smaller than the outer diameter (large diameter portion 27a) of the central portion in the width direction of the roller 27. The width of the large-diameter portion 27 a at the center of the roller 27 substantially matches the width of the optical fiber ribbon 3.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is pressed against the roller 27 (arrow G in the figure), the four optical fiber strands 23 at the center of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 are formed. Is in contact with the large-diameter portion 27a, and the four optical fiber strands 23 on both sides are located on the small-diameter portion 27b. That is, the bonding portion 15 b is located on the step 29.

  For this reason, when the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is pressed against the roller 27, the adhesive portion 15b is broken by the step 29 and is divided into the optical fiber ribbon 3 as shown in FIG. Can do. For example, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 can be divided into three four-fiber ribbons 3. That is, with the specific optical fiber strands 23 of the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 (adhesive portion 15b) as a boundary, the respective parts divided by the boundary are pressed so as to contact the step 29 having a different height. Thereby, the adhesion part 15b between the said optical fiber strands 23 can be fractured | ruptured.

  Note that, depending on the position of the step 29, the bonding portion 15b may be broken, so that all the bonding portions may be the bonding portion 15a (the same bonding force). Further, a guide or the like for positioning the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 with respect to the roller 27 may be used.

  According to the fourth embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 can be easily divided into the optical fiber ribbon 3 without using a cutting member.

  Next, the slot type optical fiber cable 1a will be described. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the optical fiber cable 1a. The optical fiber cable 1a is a slot-type optical fiber cable using a slot rod 31, and includes a plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3, a presser winding member 7, a tension member 9, a tear string 11, a slot rod 31, a jacket 5, and the like. Consists of

  A plurality of grooves 33 are formed on the outer periphery of the slot rod 31. The groove 33 continues in the longitudinal direction of the slot rod 31. The shape, number of arrangements, and depth of the grooves 33 are not limited to the illustrated example.

  The groove 33 is formed in a spiral shape in one or both directions with respect to the longitudinal direction of the slot rod 31. Therefore, the circumferential position of each groove 33 changes with respect to the longitudinal direction of the slot rod 31.

  A tension member 9 is provided at the center of the slot rod 31. A plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3 are accommodated in the groove 33. In a state where the optical fiber ribbon 3 is accommodated in the groove 33, the presser winding member 7 is wound and covered with the outer jacket 5 together with the tear string 11.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the optical fiber cable 1a will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an optical fiber cable manufacturing apparatus 10a. In addition, about the structure same as the optical fiber cable manufacturing apparatus 10, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  A plurality of bobbins 14 around which a wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is wound are disposed in the optical fiber cable manufacturing apparatus 10a, and the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is supplied from each bobbin 14 (arrow H in the figure). . The number of bobbins 14 is not limited to the illustrated example.

  The wide optical fiber ribbon 13 supplied from the bobbin 14 is sent to the dividing unit 16. As described above, in the dividing unit 16, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is divided into a plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3 (dividing step).

  Next, the plurality of divided optical fiber ribbons 3 are gathered at the gathering portion 17 together with the slot rod 31 in which the separately supplied tension member 9 is built (aggregation process). In the collecting portion 17, the optical fiber ribbon 3 is accommodated in the groove 33 of the slot rod 31. Further, it is sent to the forming device 19 together with the presser winding member 7, and the presser winding member 7 is vertically wound around the outer periphery of the slot rod 31.

  Further, the assembled optical fiber ribbon 3 is sent to the jacket extruder 21 together with the tear string 11 (not shown), and the outer circumference 5 of the assembled optical fiber ribbon 3 is covered with the jacket 5. (Coating process). At this time, the tear string 11 is embedded in the jacket 5. Thus, the optical fiber cable 1a is manufactured. The optical fiber cable 1a is wound around a bobbin or the like (not shown).

  As described above, the present invention can be applied to the slot-type optical fiber cable 1a, and the same effect can be obtained.

  The present invention is also applicable to a method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an optical fiber ribbon manufacturing apparatus 30. In the optical fiber ribbon manufacturing apparatus 30, a plurality of bobbins 34 around which the optical fiber 23 is wound are arranged. The number of bobbins 34 is not limited to the illustrated example.

  The plurality of optical fiber strands 23 supplied from the respective bobbins 34 are gathered at the gathering portion 35 (in the direction of arrow I in the figure). In the assembly portion 35, the optical fiber strands 23 are aligned in a line.

  The assembled optical fiber strands 23 are sent to the bonding portion 41. The adhesive part 41 includes an adhesive application part 37 and a curing part 39. In the adhesive application unit 37, an adhesive is applied between the adjacent optical fiber strands 23 of the aligned optical fiber strands 23. For example, the adhesive is intermittently applied in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 23. The adhesive is, for example, a UV resin.

  In addition, in the adhesive application part 37, the adhesive part 15b mentioned above can be formed by making the application quantity of the adhesive of the specific position of the width direction smaller than the application quantity of the adhesive of another site | part. .

  In the curing part 39, the adhesive is cured. For example, UV is irradiated to cure the adhesive. By the above, the adjacent optical fiber strands 23 can be adhere | attached by an adhesion part, and the wide optical fiber tape core wire 13 can be formed (adhesion process).

  Next, the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is sent to the dividing unit 16. In the dividing portion 16, a specific adhesive portion is broken, and the wide optical fiber ribbon 13 is divided into a plurality of optical fiber ribbons 3 (dividing step).

  The plurality of divided optical fiber ribbons 3 are respectively sent to the winding unit 43 and wound around bobbins (winding step). By the above, the some optical fiber tape core wire 3 can be manufactured at once.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, the technical scope of this invention is not influenced by embodiment mentioned above. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various modifications or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a ... Optical fiber cable 3 ... Optical fiber tape core 5 ... Outer sheath 7 ... Pressing roll member 9 ... Tension member 10, 10a ... Optical fiber tape core manufacturing apparatus 11... Tear string 13... Wide optical fiber ribbon 14... Bobbins 15 a and 15 b. ... Outer extruder 23 ......... Optical fiber 25 ......... Cutting member 27 ......... Roller 27a ......... Large diameter part 27b ......... Small diameter part 29 ......... Step 30 ......... Optical fiber tape core Wire production apparatus 31 ......... Slot rod 33 ......... Groove 34 ......... Bobbin 35 ......... Assembly part 37 ......... Adhesive application part 39 ......... Hardening part 40 ..... ... Adhesive part 43 .... Winding part 53 ... Gold 55 and 57 ......... fixed portion 59 ......... load cell

Claims (10)

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable,
Using a wide optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are aligned and adjacent optical fiber strands are bonded together at an adhesive portion,
A dividing step of dividing the wide optical fiber ribbon into a plurality of optical fiber ribbons;
An assembly step of assembling a plurality of the divided optical fiber ribbons;
A coating step of coating the outer periphery of the collected optical fiber ribbons;
An optical fiber cable manufacturing method comprising:   In the dividing step, a cutting member is inserted between specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon, and the bonding portion between the optical fiber strands is cut with the cutting member. The method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable according to claim 1. The adhesive force of the adhesive portion between specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon is weaker than the adhesive force of the adhesive portion between other optical fiber strands,
The said division | segmentation process WHEREIN: The said adhesion part between specific optical fiber strands with weak adhesive force is fractured | ruptured by extending the said wide optical fiber tape core wire to the width direction. Manufacturing method of optical fiber cable.   2. The optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein, in the dividing step, specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon are bent, and the bonded portion between the optical fiber strands is broken. Cable manufacturing method.   In the dividing step, each of the portions separated by the boundary with the specific optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon as a boundary is brought into contact with a step having a different height, and the optical fiber element is separated. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein the bonding portion between the wires is broken.   The adhesion between the optical fiber strands constituting the optical fiber tape core wire after splitting is such that the adhesive force of the adhesive portion between the optical fiber strands of the wide optical fiber ribbon is divided. 6. The method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber cable has an adhesive strength smaller than that of the portion. The optical fiber cable is a slot type optical fiber cable,
7. The optical fiber tape core wire is housed in a plurality of grooves formed on an outer periphery of a slot rod having a tension member at the center in the assembly step. 8. Optical fiber cable manufacturing method. The optical fiber cable is a slotless optical fiber cable,
7. The optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein in the covering step, a jacket is covered so that a tension member is embedded in an outer periphery of the optical fiber ribbon. Production method.   The method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bonding portion is intermittently disposed with respect to a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber. A method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon,
Adhering step of aligning a plurality of optical fiber strands, adhering adjacent optical fiber strands with an adhesive portion, and forming a wide optical fiber ribbon;
A splitting step of breaking the specific adhesive portion of the wide optical fiber ribbon and dividing it into a plurality of optical fiber ribbons;
A winding step of winding each of the plurality of the divided optical fiber ribbons;
The manufacturing method of the optical fiber ribbon characterized by comprising.

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