JP2002296468A - Optical fiber tape capable of being separated into single fiber, and method for separating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber tape having a function capable of removing a tape coating in the middle part of the optical fiber tape and easily separating single optical fibers in order to construct a network through optical fibers. SOLUTION: In the optical fiber tape prepared by linearly arranging coated single optical fibers 7 each concentrically coated and covering the fibers with an coverall coating 9, a space or a material 10 having the Young's modulus lower than that of the overall coating is made present between the single coated optical fibers 7 and the overall coating 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a single-fiber separable optical fiber tape mounted in an optical fiber cable used for constructing a communication network, and a method for separating the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, an optical fiber having a characteristic of low loss and a wide band has been introduced into a communication network in order to provide various and wide-band multimedia services. When a network is configured using optical fibers, an optical fiber cable in which a plurality of optical fibers are bundled and mounted and a technique for connecting the optical fibers mounted thereto are important.

In particular, in order to introduce an optical fiber into an access system connecting a customer and a telephone office, a high-density optical fiber cable having several hundreds to 1,000 cores and a high-density optical fiber cable are required. A technology that can be connected is very important.
For this reason, an optical fiber tape in which a plurality of optical fibers are linearly arranged and collectively coated is used. 100
FIG. 3 shows an example of the optical fiber cable. As shown in FIG. 3A, an optical fiber cable in which a groove (slot) is provided on the outer periphery of a plastic slot rod 2 and a plurality of optical fiber tapes 4 are mounted in each slot is used.

This optical fiber cable is provided with a cable jacket 3 and a tension member 1 attached thereto. As the optical fiber tape 4, a four-core optical fiber tape or an eight-core optical fiber tape in which four or eight optical fibers are collectively coated is used. For example, FIG.
As shown in (b), a four-core optical fiber tape 4 in which four single-core optical fibers 7 are arranged in a straight line and collectively covered with a four-core optical fiber tape 8 is used. Each single-core optical fiber 7
The optical fiber 5 is formed by covering a coating portion 6 concentrically with an optical fiber 5.

[0005] Further, as for optical fiber connection, a collective fusion technique for collectively connecting a plurality of optical fibers in the optical fiber tape and a collective connector (MT connector) technique have been developed and used. With the development of these technologies, a plurality of optical fibers can be connected simultaneously and collectively, so that the connection time can be greatly reduced and the efficiency of optical fiber connection can be improved.

[0006]

As described above, the optical fiber tape has a great effect in increasing the number of cores and the density of the optical fiber cable and in increasing the efficiency of the connection. On the other hand, one or two optical fibers are connected to the customer terminal. Therefore, in order to wire to the customer's terminal, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the optical fiber cable 100 on which an optical fiber tape is mounted is wired to the vicinity of the customer, and the optical fiber is collectively covered with a telephone pole near the customer. The tape 101 is separated into single-core optical fibers 102 and connected to a drop optical fiber cable 200 on which single-core coated optical fibers are mounted.

At present, all optical fibers at the end of an optical fiber tape are not used for communication, so that it is relatively easy to separate them into single-core optical fibers. However, when separating the optical fiber tape,
When separating into a single-core optical fiber in the middle portion of the optical fiber tape, the optical fiber in the optical fiber tape 101 may be used for communication, and the single-core coated optical fiber is a hard material, that is, Since it is collectively covered with a material having a high Young's modulus, it is very difficult to separate the optical fiber into a single fiber without affecting the optical fiber during communication.

For this reason, it is very difficult to separate only the necessary optical fiber into a single fiber, connect it to another single-core coated optical fiber, and leave the rest as it is and wire it to another place. Therefore, in order to drop the optical fiber tape to the customer at the intermediate portion, as shown in FIG. 4B, the optical fiber tape 100 is cut once, and the single-core coated optical fiber 1 is cut at the cut portion.
02, and part of the optical fiber
However, in this method, there is a problem that the usage rate of the optical fiber is reduced. The decrease in the usage rate of the optical fiber is remarkable when the demand for the optical fiber is scattered, that is, when the customers who use the optical fiber are dispersed.

If the demand for the optical fiber is scattered, only one or two of the separated optical fiber tapes are used at one place, and the rest is kept at the separated place. This is because To avoid this, consider a method of connecting the reserved optical fiber to a single-core optical fiber and using an optical fiber cable equipped with a single-core coated optical fiber to route the optical fiber to the customer who needs it. However, since the demand is scattered, there is a problem that the distance for laying the optical fiber cable on which the single-core coated optical fiber is mounted becomes long, and the laying cost increases.

In addition to the above-mentioned method, there is a method of connecting to an optical fiber tape in a wiring optical fiber cable, wiring to a position near a customer, and using the same. However, labor for connecting an optical fiber is required. In addition, there are problems that the connection is made a plurality of times in the same manner, the number of connection points is increased, the connection loss is increased, and optical signals cannot be transmitted. Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and efficiently construct a network using optical fibers, an optical fiber tape having a function of removing the tape coating at an intermediate portion of the optical fiber tape and easily separating the optical fiber into a single-core optical fiber. It is desired to be.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a plurality of single-core coated optical fibers are arranged in a straight line and coated collectively to form an optical fiber tape. A structure in which a material having a lower Young's modulus than the void or the bulk coating is interposed between the optical fiber tape and the bulk coating, a plurality of the optical fiber tapes are linearly arranged, and the bulk coating is further applied. Then, to separate the optical fiber tape into individual tapes, the optical fiber tape is split by shearing, and the individual optical fiber tape is further divided into single-core coated optical fibers. Disconnect. By doing so, it is possible to easily separate the optical fiber into a single-core coated optical fiber with high reliability while reducing the optical loss fluctuation at the time of division.

[Effect] By using the optical fiber tape of the present invention, the tape coating is removed even in the middle part of the optical fiber tape, and the optical loss fluctuation at the time of division is reduced with high reliability. To separate into single coated optical fibers. As a result, only the required single-core coated optical fiber can be easily taken out at the separation portion, and the rest can be wired to another place as it is, so that the usage rate of the optical fiber can be increased. Therefore, the laid optical fiber can be used efficiently and effectively.

[0013]

1 and 2 show a single-core separable optical fiber tape and a method for separating the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Shown in The present embodiment relates to a four-core optical fiber tape in which two more two-core optical fiber tapes are arranged on a straight line. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a two-core optical fiber tape is formed by applying a two-core optical fiber tape coating as a collective coating 9 with an air gap 10 interposed between two single-core coated optical fibers 7, and Two two-core optical fiber tapes are arranged in a straight line, and the four-core optical fiber tape is coated as a collective coating 8 on these to form a four-core optical fiber tape.

Here, the single-core coated optical fiber 7 is constituted by covering the optical fiber 5 with the coating portion 6 concentrically. Instead of the space 10 interposed between the single coated optical fiber 7 and the collective coating 9 in the two-core optical fiber tape, a structure in which a material having a Young's modulus lower than that of the collective coating 9 which is a two-core optical fiber tape is filled. Is also good.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the single-core separable optical fiber tape having the above structure is coated in a lump by a method of applying a shearing force to the center of the four-core optical fiber tape.
Is cut, the four-core optical fiber tape can be separated into two two-core optical fiber tapes. Here, by using a material having a lower Young's modulus than the collective coating 9 which is a two-core optical fiber tape as the collective coating 8 which is a four-core optical fiber tape coating, the two-core optical fiber tape can be more easily made. Can be separated. Further, FIG.
As shown in (b), the two-core optical fiber tape can be separated as a single-core coated optical fiber 7 by making notches 11 from the upper and lower surfaces and cutting the collective coating 9.

In the structure and the separation method according to the present embodiment, a notch 11 is formed in the portion of the two-core optical fiber tape at the widest interval between the single-core coated optical fibers 7 to separate the single-core coated optical fiber 7. Therefore, even if the portion where the notch 11 is inserted is slightly shifted from the center of the single-core coated optical fiber 7, the coating portion 6 of the single-core coated optical fiber 7 and the optical fiber 5
Since separation can be performed without damaging the surface, high reliability is ensured. Further, when the two-core optical fiber tape is split into the single-core coated optical fibers 7, no force is applied to the optical fiber 5, so that the splitting can be performed with almost no light loss fluctuation at the time of splitting.

As a prior art, a two-core optical fiber tape is known in which two two-core optical fiber tapes are arranged in a straight line and coated collectively to form a four-core optical fiber tape. During the coating, the structure was filled with the same coating material as in the batch coating. That is, in this four-core optical fiber tape, two single-core coated optical fibers are arranged side by side, coated collectively with a hard tape coating material, and arranged with a slightly softer coating material, that is, a material having a slightly lower Young's modulus. It had a structure in which a core optical fiber tape was collectively covered. For this reason, even in the related art, it has been possible to easily divide the four-core optical fiber tape into two two-core optical fiber tapes by a method of applying a shearing force.

However, when separating into single-core coated optical fibers, according to the method of notching as in the present invention, the coating material is filled between each single-core coated optical fiber and the collective coating. I had to make a deep notch.
At this time, if the notched portion is slightly deviated from the center of the single-core coated optical fiber, the coating of the single-core coated optical fiber and the surface of the optical fiber may be damaged, and the reliability may be reduced. Further, in the method of dividing the single-core coated optical fiber by shearing force in the same manner as the method of dividing the four-core optical fiber tape into the two-core optical fiber tape, a hard coating material,
In other words, since a material having a high Young's modulus was filled not only in the batch coating but also in the space between the single-core coated optical fiber and the batch coating, it was necessary to apply a large force at the time of division. Is locally bent, and large light loss fluctuation occurs at the time of division.

In the single-core separable optical fiber tape of the present embodiment, since the air gap 10 is interposed between the single-core coated optical fibers 7, even if the notch 11 is inserted into the two-core optical fiber tape from above and below. It is not necessary to insert the notch 11 deep. Therefore, even if the portion where the notch 11 is inserted is slightly shifted from the center of the single-core coated optical fiber 7, the coating 6 of the single-core coated optical fiber 7 and the surface of the optical fiber 5 are not damaged, and the reliability is reduced. do not do. When the material 10 having a Young's modulus lower than that of the collective coating 9, which is a two-core optical fiber tape coating, is filled in place of the gap 10 between the single-core coated optical fibers 7, the two-core optical fiber is sheared. In the method of splitting the single-core coated optical fiber 7 by applying force, since the space between the single-core coated optical fiber 7 and the collective coating 9 is filled with a material having a low Young's modulus, the splitting can be performed with a small force.
Therefore, no unnecessary force is applied to the single-core coated optical fiber 7, and no light loss fluctuation occurs.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the optical fiber tape 101 is cut into a required number of single-core optical fibers 102 without cutting, and is cut through an optical fiber connecting portion 103. Connected with a single-core coated optical fiber
The remaining single-core optical fiber 102 can be easily wired to another place without being separated or cut. In the above embodiment, a four-core optical fiber tape in which two two-core optical fiber tapes are further arranged on a straight line will be described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to an optical fiber tape having four or more cores. Further, the present invention is not limited to a structure in which two-core optical fiber tapes are arranged on a straight line, but can be applied to a case where two or more optical fiber tapes having the same structure are arranged.

[0021]

As described above in detail, by using the single-fiber separable optical fiber tape of the present invention, the tape coating can be removed even in the middle part of the optical fiber tape, so that it can be easily and easily separated. Can be separated into a single-core coated optical fiber having small optical loss fluctuation and high reliability. For this reason, only the required single-core coated optical fiber can be easily taken out at the separation portion, and the rest can be wired as it is to another place, so that the usage rate of the optical fiber can be increased. Therefore, the laid optical fiber can be used efficiently and effectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a single-core separable optical fiber tape according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a single-core separation method using a single-core separable optical fiber tape according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a 100-fiber optical fiber cable.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an access system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tension member 2 Slot rod 3 Cable jacket 4 4-core optical fiber tape 5 Optical fiber 6 Coating part which covered optical fiber concentrically 7 Single-core coated optical fiber 8 4-core optical fiber tape coating 9 2-core optical fiber tape coating DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Material with low air gap or Young's modulus 100 Wiring optical fiber cable 101 Optical fiber tape 102 Single-core optical fiber 103 Optical fiber connection part 200 Drop optical fiber cable

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H001 BB15 DD23 KK16 KK21 2H038 CA03 CA11

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber tape in which a plurality of concentrically coated single-core coated optical fibers are arranged in a straight line, and a collective coating is provided around the single-core coated optical fibers. A single-core separable optical fiber tape, characterized by interposing a material having a lower Young's modulus than a void or the collective coating. 2. A single-core separable optical fiber tape, comprising a plurality of the optical fiber tapes according to claim 1, which are arranged in a straight line, and which are collectively coated. 3. The single-fiber separable optical fiber tape according to claim 2, wherein the collective covering is made of a material having a Young's modulus lower than that of the collective covering according to claim 1. 4. The single-fiber separable optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber tape according to claim 1 is cut into the single-fiber coated optical fiber by cutting notches from upper and lower surfaces and cutting the collective coating. How to separate the tape. 5. The optical fiber tape according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the collective coating according to claim 2 is cut by shearing to separate the optical fiber tape into the optical fiber tape according to claim 1, and further over the optical fiber tape. 2. A method for separating a single-core separable optical fiber tape, wherein the single-core coated optical fiber is divided by cutting the collective coating according to claim 1 by making a notch from a lower surface.