JP2002014251A - Reinforcing member and reinforcing method for optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a reinforcing member which is capable of improving the working efficiency in reinforcement of an optical fiber and reinforces the optical fiber as well as a reinforcing method and reinforcing structure using the same. SOLUTION: The center of the optical fiber is housed into a transparent tube 11 which is provided with a segment 15 made thin in its thickness nearly at the center of a longitudinal direction and is housed with a container 12 which is internally sealed with a UV curing resin 13 and pressure is exerted from laterally to this container 12 to extrude the UV curing resin 13, by which the resin is packed into the transparent tube 11 and is cured by irradiation with UV rays from outside.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reinforcing member for reinforcing an optical fiber, particularly, an optical fiber connecting portion, a reinforcing method using the same, and a reinforcing structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional reinforcing member for an optical fiber connecting portion. The reinforcing member of the optical fiber connecting portion of this example has a structure in which a hot melt tube 2 and a tensile strength member 3 such as a metal wire are housed inside a heat shrinkable tube 1. The optical fiber connection part 4 is accommodated in the hot melt tube 2 of the reinforcing member, and the hot melt tube 2 is melted by heating the heat shrinkable tube 1, the heat shrinkable tube 1 shrinks, and the optical fiber connection part 4 is shrunk. The space between the optical fiber exposed portion and the optical fiber coating portion between the optical fiber and the strength member 3 is filled to reinforce the optical fiber connecting portion. In this reinforcing method, there is a problem that it takes a very long time to heat and melt the hot melt tube 2 and it is not efficient.

Another example of a conventional method for reinforcing an optical fiber connection portion is a recoating method. In this method, an optical fiber connection portion is put into a molding die, an ultraviolet curing resin is poured into the molding die, and the resin is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays. In this recoating method, there is a problem that workability is not good because the ultraviolet curable resin is poured into the molding die.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a reinforcing member for reinforcing an optical fiber connecting portion and a reinforcing method using the same, which can improve the working efficiency in reinforcing the optical fiber connecting portion. In addition, a reinforcing structure may be obtained.

[0005]

In order to solve such a problem, a reinforcing member for an optical fiber according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises:
An ultraviolet-curable resin is sealed in an uncured state inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. Also,
The reinforcing member for an optical fiber according to the second aspect of the present invention is configured such that a container in which an ultraviolet-curable resin is sealed in an uncured state is accommodated in a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. . Further, the method for reinforcing an optical fiber according to claim 3 of the present invention provides a method for reinforcing an optical fiber in which an ultraviolet curing resin is sealed in an uncured state inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. In this case, an optical fiber is housed, an ultraviolet curable resin is filled around the optical fiber, and ultraviolet light is irradiated to cure the ultraviolet curable resin. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for reinforcing an optical fiber, comprising: storing a container in which an ultraviolet-curable resin is sealed in an uncured state inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. An optical fiber is placed inside a fiber reinforcing member, an ultraviolet-curable resin is taken out of the container, the ultraviolet-curable resin is filled around the optical fiber, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated to cure the ultraviolet-curable resin. It is. An optical fiber reinforcing structure according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is formed by the optical fiber reinforcing method according to the third or fourth aspect.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail.
The reinforcing member of the optical fiber of the present invention comprises a container in which an ultraviolet-curable resin is sealed in an uncured state inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. The tubular body is provided with a mechanism for introducing ultraviolet light into the interior in order to react and cure the ultraviolet curing resin inside. As an example of the mechanism, an ultraviolet ray introduction window is provided on the side surface of the cylindrical body so that ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the entire ultraviolet curable resin. As another example of the ultraviolet ray introducing mechanism, there is a mechanism formed of a material that transmits ultraviolet rays, such as making the entire cylindrical body transparent.

[0007] The container housed inside the above-mentioned cylinder body is
It has a bag shape and is made of a material that does not transmit ultraviolet light, or is colored so as not to transmit ultraviolet light, so that an ultraviolet-curable resin can be enclosed and stored in an uncured state. In addition, this container is provided with a portion on the optical fiber side of the container so that when the container is externally pressurized, the container is broken and the ultraviolet curable resin inside the container is easily discharged out of the container. The thickness of the part is thin.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views showing an example of a reinforcing member for an optical fiber connecting portion according to the present invention. The reinforcing member 10 of the optical fiber connecting portion of this example is a transparent tube 1
A bag-like container 12 in which an ultraviolet curable resin 13 is sealed is connected to the inner wall of the bottom of the transparent tube 11 and housed inside 1.

The transparent tube 11 has a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter of 3.4 mm and a length of 60 mm, and is made of a material such as polyethylene having a thickness of 0.2 mm that transmits ultraviolet light. It does not break.

The container 12 has an outer diameter of 2.4 mm and a length of 55 m.
m, which is made of a material such as polyethylene having a thickness of 0.2 mm, and is colored black to block ultraviolet rays. Further, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the upper part 15 of the container 12 substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction is provided.
Has become thinner.

As the UV-curable resin 13, a urethane acrylate or epoxy acrylate resin is used. These resins are composed of various additives and a photopolymerization initiator, and are crosslinked by irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

Next, an example of a method for reinforcing an optical fiber connecting portion according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the connecting portion of the optical fiber 14 is accommodated in the transparent tube 11 such that the center of the connecting portion is located at the thin portion 15 of the container 12. Then
As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the bottom portion of the reinforcing member 10 in which the container 12 is stored is
When compressed at 6 and 16, the thin portion 15 of the container 12
Is broken, and the ultraviolet curable resin 13 is extruded from here, and is filled around the connection portion of the optical fiber 14.
Since the thin portion 15 is provided substantially at the center of the container 12 in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 2B, the ultraviolet curable resin 13 moves from the center of the transparent tube 11 toward the periphery. It is possible to prevent air bubbles from being generated in the transparent tube 11 after being filled.

As described above, when the transparent tube 11 is compressed and the ultraviolet curable resin 13 is filled therein,
The connection portion of the optical fiber 14 is wrapped in the ultraviolet curable resin 13, and the outer diameter of the transparent tube 11 becomes smaller than before filling as shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, when the ultraviolet curable resin 13 is filled in the transparent tube 11, ultraviolet rays 17 are irradiated from outside to cure the ultraviolet curable resin. Then, the optical fiber connection portion is buried in the cured ultraviolet curable resin and reinforced.

As described above, in the reinforcing member and the reinforcing method of the optical fiber connecting portion of this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. Since the ultraviolet curable resin 13 is previously filled and stored in the container 12 inside the transparent tube 11, it is necessary to pour the ultraviolet curable resin 13 into the transparent tube 11 when reinforcing the optical fiber connection portion. There is no. Further, since the container 12 does not transmit ultraviolet light, the ultraviolet curable resin 13
Can be stored for a long period of time without being cured.

When reinforcing the optical fiber connecting portion,
The transparent tube 11 is compressed from the side and the transparent tube 11 is compressed.
Filling the inside with the ultraviolet curing resin 13 and irradiating ultraviolet rays 17 from the outside to cure the ultraviolet curing resin 13,
A reinforcing structure for the optical fiber connection is obtained. Therefore,
In the method of reinforcing the optical fiber connection portion used in the present invention,
Heating of the transparent tube 11 is not required, and work efficiency is improved.

The portion 15 of the container 12 having a reduced thickness is used.
Is not limited to this structure. The structure may be such that when the pressure is applied to the container 12 from the outside, the filling easily leaks due to the internal pressure from the filling in the container 12. For example, a valve that opens and closes by the internal pressure may be used. Good. In addition, the container 12 is previously provided with the transparent tube 11.
It doesn't have to be stored inside. If necessary, when reinforcing the optical fiber connection portion, it may be housed in the transparent tube 11. In addition, the container 12 is not necessarily devised so as not to transmit ultraviolet rays. For example, it is necessary to devise the storage bag of the container 12 or the storage bag of the transparent tube storing the container 12 so as not to transmit ultraviolet rays. Alternatively, it may be possible to take out the storage bag immediately before use. Furthermore, the invention is not limited only to the reinforcement of the optical fiber connection,
The present invention is also applicable to reinforcement of an optical fiber in which a bare optical fiber body is exposed for some reason or an optical fiber whose coating is partially thinned.

[0018]

As described above, the reinforcing member for an optical fiber of the present invention is a member in which an ultraviolet-curable resin is sealed in an uncured state inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. Therefore, when the optical fiber is reinforced, it is not necessary to pour the ultraviolet curable resin into the cylindrical body.

Further, the reinforcing member of the optical fiber of the present invention comprises:
Since a container in which an ultraviolet-curable resin is sealed in an uncured state is housed inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced, an ultraviolet-curable resin used for reinforcing an optical fiber is used. It can be stored for a long time without being cured.

Further, the method for reinforcing an optical fiber according to the present invention comprises:
The optical fiber is placed inside the reinforcing member of the optical fiber in which the ultraviolet curing resin is sealed in an uncured state inside the cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced, and the ultraviolet curing resin is placed around the optical fiber. Since the resin is filled and irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet curable resin, the working efficiency is improved.

The method for reinforcing an optical fiber according to the present invention comprises the steps of:
The optical fiber is housed in a reinforcing member of an optical fiber in which a container in which an ultraviolet-curable resin is sealed in an uncured state is housed inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. Take out the curable resin, fill the circumference of the optical fiber with UV curable resin, and irradiate UV light to cure the UV curable resin, so heat and shrink the transparent tube to reinforce the optical fiber Work efficiency is improved.

Since the optical fiber reinforcing structure of the present invention is formed by the above-described optical fiber reinforcing method, the reinforcing structure can be easily obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a reinforcing member of an optical fiber of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method for reinforcing an optical fiber according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a method for reinforcing an optical fiber according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional optical fiber reinforcing member.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Reinforcement member, 11 ... Transparent tube, 12 ... Container, 13 ... Ultraviolet curing resin, 14 ... Optical fiber strand, 15 ... Thin part, 16 ... ..Compression plates, 1
7 ... UV light

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Noriyuki Kawanishi 1440 Mutsuzaki, Sakura-shi, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Co., Ltd. Sakura Plant F-term (reference) 2H036 PA02 PA14

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A reinforcing member for an optical fiber, wherein an ultraviolet curing resin is sealed in an uncured state inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. 2. A reinforcing member for an optical fiber, wherein a container in which an ultraviolet-curable resin is sealed in an uncured state is accommodated in a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. 3. An optical fiber is accommodated in a reinforcing member of an optical fiber in which an ultraviolet curable resin is sealed in an uncured state inside a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. A method for reinforcing an optical fiber, comprising filling an ultraviolet curable resin and irradiating ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet curable resin. 4. An optical fiber is accommodated in a reinforcing member of an optical fiber in which a container in which an ultraviolet curable resin is sealed in an uncured state is accommodated in a cylindrical body into which ultraviolet light can be introduced. Take out the ultraviolet curable resin from the container, fill the optical fiber around the ultraviolet curable resin,
A method for reinforcing an optical fiber, comprising irradiating ultraviolet rays to cure an ultraviolet-curable resin. 5. An optical fiber reinforcing structure formed by the optical fiber reinforcing method according to claim 3.