JP2003029051A - Protection member for coated optical fiber and harness using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a protection material for a coated optical fiber, which prevents a resin layer from being broken as well lateral pressure and bending deformation with a small radius of curvature that the coated optical fiber has owing to external factors. SOLUTION: The protection material 10 for the coated optical fiber used to protect the coated optical fiber 20 having its surface coated with the resin layer 22 is formed of a flexible material in a belt shape and has a core fitting-in groove 11, in which the coated optical fiber 20 can be fitted, along the length.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a protective material for an optical fiber core used for protecting an optical fiber core wire in which an optical fiber core wire is covered with a resin layer, and a harness using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an optical fiber core made by using a plastic optical fiber (hereinafter referred to as "POF") as an optical fiber element wire and covering it with a resin layer has been used for data transmission in car navigation systems and car audio equipment. It is starting to be used. Therefore, the optical fiber core wire may be included in many wirings which comprise a vehicle-mounted harness.

In such a case, usually, an optical fiber core wire is directly put into a corrugated tube or bundled together with other wirings and wound with tape to be fixed to form a harness.

[0004]

By the way, the POF which is an optical fiber element is subjected to a bending deformation with a small lateral pressure and a small radius of curvature when the optical fiber core wire is incorporated into a harness or the harness is packed and transported. In some cases, it may appear white and cloudy. In such a case, the transmission loss increases and the signal light is significantly attenuated.

Further, when the optical fiber core wire is inserted from the notch extending in the longitudinal direction provided in the corrugated tube, the resin layer of the optical fiber core wire may be damaged at the cut end, and further such damage may occur. A jig for opening the notch is required to prevent this.

Further, when the optical fiber core wire is inserted into the grommet, the resin layer of the optical fiber core wire may be damaged at its inner edge.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to prevent damage to the resin layer as well as lateral deformation exerted on the optical fiber core wire due to external factors and bending deformation with a small radius of curvature. An object of the present invention is to provide a protective material for an optical fiber core wire which is suppressed.

[0008]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, an optical fiber core wire is protected by a protective material for an optical fiber core wire, in which a core wire fitting groove is provided in a strip made of a flexible material along the longitudinal direction. It is something that is done.

Specifically, the present invention is premised on a protective material for an optical fiber core wire used for protecting an optical fiber core wire in which an optical fiber core wire is covered with a resin layer, and a flexible material. Is formed into a strip shape, and a core wire fitting groove into which the optical fiber core wire can be fitted is provided along the longitudinal direction.

According to the above construction, by inserting the optical fiber core wire into the core wire fitting groove, the lateral pressure exerted on the optical fiber core wire by an external factor is relieved and the deformable radius of curvature is to some extent. Since it is regulated by the size, when incorporating the optical fiber core wire covered and protected with this optical fiber core wire protective material into a harness and packing the harness,
Damage to the optical fiber core wire during transportation is suppressed.

Further, since the optical fiber core wire is covered and protected by the optical fiber core wire protective material, the protection by the corrugated tube is unnecessary, and therefore the resin layer of the optical fiber core wire is damaged at the cut end. Of course, no jig is needed to open the cut. In addition, the resin layer of the optical fiber core wire is not damaged at the inner edge of the grommet.

Further, when the optical fiber core wire covered and protected by the optical fiber core wire protective material is incorporated into the harness, even if tension is applied to the harness, it acts on the optical fiber core wire protective material, The effect on the optical fiber core is alleviated.

Since this optical fiber core wire protecting material can be easily cut with scissors or the like, a required length can be cut out from a long one.

If the protective material for optical fiber core wire is wound on a reel and the protective material for optical fiber core wire is pulled out from the reel winding and is integrated with the optical fiber core wire also pulled out from the reel winding. Since both can have the same curl, the integration of the optical fiber core wire and the protective material for the optical fiber core wire is not affected by the curl of the optical fiber core wire, Good workability.

Here, as for the optical fiber core wire, the optical fiber element wire may be made of POF or quartz.

Further, the flexible material forming the protective material for the optical fiber core wire is not particularly limited,
Examples thereof include rubber and urethane.

The core wire fitting groove may be provided with a detachment preventing projection which is formed so as to project inside the groove and which prevents the optical fiber core wire from being detached from the core wire fitting groove. According to such a configuration, the detachment preventing projection is engaged with the optical fiber core wire that is about to be detached from the core wire fitting groove, and the detachment from the core wire fitting groove is prevented, so that the optical fiber core wire Is maintained.

The protective material surface may have at least one flat surface extending in the longitudinal direction. According to such a configuration, if the flat surface is provided along the wiring bundle surface or the object to be mounted such as the vehicle body, the optical fiber core wire protective material is provided, so that a large contact area between the two is ensured. The arrangement of the optical fiber cores becomes stable.

In that case, the flat surface may be provided with an adhesive means. According to such a configuration, by adhering the protective material for the optical fiber core wire, it becomes possible to fix the optical fiber core wire to the attachment target such as the surface of the bundle of wires or the vehicle body. Here, the adhesive means is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a double-sided adhesive tape or the like having one surface attached to a flat surface.

In the harness in which the optical fiber core wire is inserted in the core wire fitting groove of the protective material for the optical fiber core wire as described above, damage to the optical fiber core wire is suppressed during packing and transportation. In addition, there is no need for protection with a corrugated tube, there is no damage to the resin layer of the optical fiber core wire at the inner edge of the grommet, and even if tension is applied to the harness, it does not protect the optical fiber core wire. It acts on the material and alleviates the effect on the optical fiber core.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to prevent damage to the optical fiber core wire when the optical fiber core wire covered and protected by the optical fiber core wire protective material is incorporated into a harness, and when the harness is packed and transported.

Further, in addition to the need for protection by a corrugated tube, the resin layer of the optical fiber core wire is not damaged at the inner edge of the grommet.

Further, even when tension is applied to the harness incorporating the optical fiber core wire coated and protected by the optical fiber core wire protective material, the influence on the optical fiber core wire can be mitigated.

Further, the required length can be cut out from the long optical fiber core wire protecting material by using scissors or the like.

If this optical fiber core wire protective material is wound on a reel and the optical fiber core wire protective material is pulled out from the reel winding and integrated with the optical fiber core wire also pulled out from the reel winding. The workability of integrating the optical fiber core wire and the optical fiber core wire protection material can be improved.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows an optical fiber core wire protective material (hereinafter referred to as "core wire protective material") 10 and an optical fiber core wire 20 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

The core wire protection member 10 is formed of a flexible material such as rubber or urethane into a strip shape having a substantially trapezoidal cross section, and is fitted into the core wire having an opening on the upper bottom surface of the trapezoidal cross section. The groove 11 is provided along the longitudinal direction. The core wire fitting groove 11 has a circular shape in which the cross-sectional shape of the groove lower portion 11a is substantially equal to the cross-sectional shape of an optical fiber core wire 20 described later, and the groove upper portion 11b.
Is formed so as to protrude toward the inside of the groove from both groove walls toward the opening of the groove, and the groove width becomes smaller, and this protruding portion prevents the optical fiber core wire 20 from being disconnected from the core wire insertion groove 11. The protrusions 12 and 12 are formed. One surface of the double-sided adhesive tape 13 is bonded to the surface on the lower bottom side having a substantially trapezoidal cross section. The core wire protection material 10 is stored in a reeled state after manufacturing.

The optical fiber core wire 20 includes an optical fiber wire 21 made of POF having an acrylic resin core and a fluororesin clad, and a resin layer 22 such as nylon resin or polyethylene resin for covering the optical fiber wire 21. Consists of. The optical fiber strand 21 is composed of a core 21a having a relatively high refractive index forming the center of the fiber and a clad 21b having a relatively low refractive index provided so as to surround the core 21a.
The optical fiber core wire 20 is also stored in a reeled state after manufacturing.

Then, from the reel winding to the core wire protective material 10
Pull out the optical fiber core wire 20
1 and pull out, as shown by the arrow in FIG.
By inserting the optical fiber core wire 20 into the core wire fitting groove 11 of 0, both are integrated as shown in FIG. After the integration, when the optical fiber core wire 20 tries to separate from the core wire fitting groove 11, the separation preventing projections 12 and 12 engage with the optical fiber core wire 20 to prevent the separation.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical fiber core wire 20 integrated with the core wire protecting material 10 is arranged along the longitudinal direction on the surface of another wire bundle 31, and the double-sided adhesive tape 1 is used.
The other surface 3 is adhesively fixed to form the harness 30. It is also possible to adopt a mode in which the core wire protection material 10 is incorporated inside the bundle of harnesses 30. In this case, the opening between the detachment preventing projections 12 and 12 is naturally closed by the ambient pressure, and the entire circumference of the optical fiber core wire 20 is guarded.

According to the optical fiber protective member 10 having the above structure, by inserting the optical fiber optical fiber 20 into the optical fiber insertion groove 11, the lateral pressure exerted on the optical fiber optical fiber 20 by an external factor is relaxed. Along with this, the radius of curvature that can be deformed is regulated to a certain degree, so that the optical fiber core wire 20 covered and protected by the core wire protective material 10 is incorporated into the harness 30.
It is possible to prevent the optical fiber core wire 20 from being damaged when it is used or when the harness 30 is packed and transported.

Further, since the optical fiber core wire 20 is covered and protected by the core wire protective material 10, the protection by the corrugated tube is unnecessary, and therefore the resin layer 22 of the optical fiber core wire 20 is damaged at the cut end. There is also no need for a jig for opening the cut. In addition, the resin layer 22 of the optical fiber core wire 20 is formed on the inner edge of the grommet.
Will not be damaged.

Further, even if tension is applied to the harness 30, it acts on the elastic core wire protecting material 10,
The influence on the optical fiber core wire 20 is mitigated.

Since this core wire protecting material 10 can be easily cut with scissors or the like, a required length can be cut out from a long one.

Further, since both the core wire protecting material 10 and the optical fiber core wire 20 are reel-wound, and both are pulled out from the reel winding to integrate them, it is assumed that both have the same winding habit. Therefore, the integration of the optical fiber core wire 20 and the core wire protective material 10 is not affected by the curl of the optical fiber core wire 20, and its workability can be improved. .

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 4 shows a core wire protection member 40 and an optical fiber core wire 20 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Since the optical fiber core wire 20 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, it is denoted by the same reference numeral and its description is omitted.

The core wire protection member 40 is formed of a flexible material such as rubber or urethane into a strip shape having a substantially circular cross section, and a core wire fitting groove 41 is provided along the longitudinal direction. . The core wire fitting groove 41 has a circular cross section at the lower part of the groove which is substantially equal to the cross sectional shape of the optical fiber core wire 20. The protrusions are formed so as to form separation preventing projections 42 and 42 that prevent the optical fiber core wire 20 from being separated from the core wire fitting groove 41. The core wire protection member 40 is stored in a reeled state after manufacturing.

Then, the protective material 40 for the core wire is wound from the reel.
Pull out the optical fiber core wire 20
By pulling out and inserting the optical fiber core wire 20 into the core wire fitting groove 41 of the protective material for core wire 40, as shown in FIG. After the integration, when the optical fiber core wire 20 tries to separate from the core wire fitting groove 41, the separation preventing projections 42 and 42 engage with the optical fiber core wire 20 to prevent the separation.

The optical fiber core wire 20 integrated with the core wire protective member 40 is arranged in another wire bundle 51, as shown in FIG. At this time, the opening of the protective member 40 for the core wire is closed by the ambient pressure, and the entire circumference of the optical fiber core wire 20 is covered and protected.

Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Other Embodiments) In the first embodiment, the optical fiber core wire 2 integrated with the core wire protection material 10 is used.
0 is arranged along the longitudinal direction on the surface of another wiring bundle 31 to form the harness 30, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the harness 60 may be wound in a spiral shape and the extra length is consumed to form the harness 60. The harness is designed in consideration of the extra length, but the extra length processing can be easily performed by the above-mentioned method.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the core wire fitting grooves 11, 41 of the core wire protective members 10, 40 have a groove shape substantially equal to the cross-sectional shape of the optical fiber core wire 20.
It is not particularly limited to this, and for example, FIG.
Even if the core wire protective material 70a has a rectangular groove cross-sectional shape as shown in (a), it is not a core wire protective material 70b having a V-shaped groove cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 7 (b). Alternatively, a core wire protective member 70c having a U-shaped groove cross section as shown in FIG. 7C may be used. When the groove has a V-shaped cross section or a U-shaped cross section, after the optical fiber core wire 20 is fitted, a tape is wound around the protective material for the core wire to prevent the optical fiber core wire 20 from being detached. Good.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the cross-sectional shapes of the core wire protecting members 10 and 40 are substantially trapezoidal and substantially circular, respectively, but the present invention is not particularly limited to this, and triangular, elliptical, etc. Other shapes may be used.

In the first and second embodiments, one optical fiber core wire 20 is fitted in the core wire fitting grooves 11, 41 of the core wire protecting members 10, 40, but the invention is not particularly limited to this. Alternatively, two or more pieces may be inserted. Furthermore, two or more core wire fitting grooves may be provided in the core wire protective material, and the optical fiber core wires 20 may be fitted into each of them.

In the first and second embodiments, the POF is used as the optical fiber element wire 21 of the optical fiber core wire 20, but the POF is not particularly limited to this and may be made of quartz. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a core wire protecting member and an optical fiber core wire according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a core wire protecting material and an optical fiber core wire according to the first embodiment of the present invention are integrated.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the harness according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a core wire protecting material and an optical fiber core wire according to a second embodiment of the present invention are integrated.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a harness according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a harness according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a core wire protection member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 40, 70a, 70b, 70c (optical fiber)
Core wire protective material 11, 41 Core wire fitting groove 11a Groove lower part 11b Groove upper part 12, 42 Detachment prevention projection 13 Double-sided adhesive tape 20 Optical fiber core wire 21 Optical fiber element wire (POF) 21a Core 21b Clad 22 Resin layer 30 , 50, 60 Harnesses 31, 51, 61 Wiring bundles

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Tani             1-23-9 Imaikecho, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture Mitsubishi             Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd. Okazaki Development Center F-term (reference) 2H038 CA33 CA37 CA52

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A protective material for an optical fiber, which is used to protect an optical fiber in which an optical fiber is coated with a resin layer, and which is formed of a flexible material in a band shape. An optical fiber core wire protective material, characterized in that a core wire fitting groove into which the optical fiber core wire can be fitted is provided along a longitudinal direction. 2. The optical fiber core wire protecting member according to claim 1, wherein the core wire fitting groove is formed so as to project inside the groove, and the optical fiber core wire is detached from the core wire fitting groove. A protective material for an optical fiber core wire, which is provided with a detachment preventing projection for preventing separation. 3. The optical fiber core wire protecting material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one flat surface is formed on a surface of the protecting material so as to extend in a longitudinal direction. Protective material for fiber cores. 4. The protective material for an optical fiber core wire according to claim 3, wherein an adhesive means is provided on the flat surface. 5. A harness comprising an optical fiber core wire fitted in a core wire fitting groove of the protective material for an optical fiber core wire according to any one of claims 1 to 4. .