JP2003232969A - Optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber whose color is easily identified, even in a dim environment where no sufficient illuminance can be obtained, and with which workability can be improved. <P>SOLUTION: The coating layer 2 of an optical fiber is formed with a coating material in which a luminescent material is mixed. Also, if the coating layer 2 of an optical fiber is multilayered, the outermost coating layer 2b is formed with a colored coating material in which a luminescent material is mixed. Further, if a color painted layer is installed on the whole or part of the outer circumferential face of the coating layer of the optical fiber, the color painted layer is formed with the one mixed with a luminescent material. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber having an identification function on the optical fiber coating itself or on the coating.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical cable for communication is constructed by accommodating a large number of optical fiber element wires or optical fiber core wires in a tape or unit form. The optical fiber used for an optical cable is usually a glass optical fiber having a nominal outer diameter of 125 μm, which is composed of a core and a clad, and has an outer diameter of 2
The optical fiber core is protected by a wire coating of about 50 μm and further coated with a core on the outside. The element wire coating or the core wire coating is an ultraviolet curable resin and is formed in a single layer or a multilayer. In optical cables, the optical fiber coating itself is colored with various colors or the coating surface is coated with colored paint layers or characters of various colors in order to identify and select the connection or separation / branching optical fiber at the time of wiring.・ Symbols may be added.

Operations such as connection, separation / branching, and storage of optical cables in a closure are performed outdoors or at a laying site in an underground manhole. In the work of connecting, separating, branching, etc. of the optical cable, it is necessary to select a predetermined optical fiber from a large number of optical fibers housed in the optical cable. However, the selection of a given optical fiber is not always performed in a bright and identifiable environment. For example, in an environment such as an underground manhole where sufficient illuminance cannot be obtained, or when it is cloudy or dusk outdoors, or even at night, the discrimination power of the coating color of the optical fiber decreases. In particular, when the hue of lightness such as gray or black is low, it is difficult to identify the color.

The work in such a dim environment leads to a wiring mistake because the discriminating ability of the optical fiber deteriorates, and the position of the optical fiber becomes unclear, and the fingertip is accidentally stabbed with the optical fiber. There is a risk of causing accidents such as accidents. For this reason, work requires a considerable amount of attention, resulting in a reduction in workability.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to easily identify an optical fiber even in a dim environment where sufficient illuminance cannot be obtained. It is an object to provide an optical fiber that does not deteriorate the property.

[0006]

The optical fiber of the present invention comprises:
The coating layer of the optical fiber is formed of a coating material mixed with a light emitting material. Further, when the coating layer of the optical fiber is formed in multiple layers, the outermost coating layer is formed of a colored coating material mixed with a light emitting material. Further, the colored paint layer provided on the whole or a part of the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer of the optical fiber is formed of a colored paint mixed with a light emitting material.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Optical fibers for communication are usually
An optical fiber in which a glass optical fiber having a nominal outer diameter of 125 μm composed of a core and a clad is protected by a wire coating is used. Furthermore, a core wire coating or the like is provided on the wire coating to reinforce or aggregate the wires. These coatings are formed in a single layer or multiple layers, and a colored coating material is used for the coating itself, or a colored coating material is applied on the coating so that the optical fiber can be identified by color or the like. The present invention improves the discriminating property of an optical fiber in a dim light by mixing a light emitting material in the coating itself or the colored paint layer.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment, which is an example in which a light emitting material is included in the optical fiber coating itself. Figure 1
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example in which the coating is formed of a single layer, FIG.
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example in which the coating is formed of two layers, FIG.
FIGS. 1C and 1D are diagrams showing an example in which a transparent protective layer is provided on the outermost peripheral surface. In the figure, 1 is a glass optical fiber,
Reference numeral 2 is a coating layer, and 3 is a transparent protective layer.

FIG. 1A shows a coating layer 2 capable of emitting light, which is formed by mixing a light emitting material into the entire coating resin material that directly covers the glass optical fiber 1. As the coating resin itself, an ultraviolet curable synthetic resin which is uncolored or colored with a coloring material is used. The term “light-emitting material” as used herein is used as a general term to mean a fluorescent material or a phosphorescent material that emits visible light when stimulated by light such as ultraviolet rays or radiation. This luminescent material includes
For example, there are an inorganic type in which zinc sulfide or barium sulfide is mixed with an activator of a heavy metal, and an organic type in which a fluorescent dye, a fluorescent whitening agent or the like is used. This luminescent material is mixed with a coating resin material in the form of a pigment to form a coating resin material capable of emitting light, and the coating layer 2 is formed on the glass optical fiber by a coating molding apparatus (abbreviated as point). The same applies to the case where the coating layer 2 is a colored coating layer, and the light emitting material is mixed with the coating resin material by being included in the coloring pigment.

FIG. 1B shows a case where the coating layer 2 is formed of two layers, an inner layer 2a and an outer layer 2b, and a light emitting material is mixed into the coating layer of the outer layer 2b to form the light emitting coating layer 2. It was done. As the coating resin material of the outer layer 2b, the same coating resin material that can emit light as described in FIG. 1A is used. Also in this case, the outer layer 2b may be colorless or colored with a coloring material.

FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D are shown in FIG.
The surface of the coating layer 2 capable of emitting light formed in (A) and FIG. 1 (B) is covered with the transparent protective layer 3. In addition,
The transparent protective layer 3 includes a semitransparent layer and a colored transparent layer. The transparent protective layer 3 suppresses the deterioration of the light emitting function of the light emitting material mixed in the coating layer 2, and also the coating layer 2
If is colored, it prevents peeling.

According to this first embodiment, the coating layer 2
With the light-emitting material mixed in, it is possible to recognize the presence of the optical fiber even in a dim environment such as in a manhole, and to prevent deterioration of workability. When the coating layer 2 is provided with the distinctiveness by coloring, the color can be easily identified and wiring mistakes can be eliminated. Further, since the coating layer itself is colored, it is not necessary to form a colored paint layer, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. Furthermore, the thickness corresponding to the thickness of the colored paint layer (about 5 μm, diameter 10
The outer diameter of the optical fiber can be reduced to about
The thickness of the optical fiber ribbon can be reduced by that amount, which is effective in reducing the diameter of the optical cable.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention, which is an example in which a coloring material is mixed with a luminescent material when the coloring material is applied to the surface of the optical fiber coating. 2A shows an example in which the entire surface is coated, and FIG. 2B shows an example in which a part of the coated surface is partially coated.
2C is a diagram showing an example in which a transparent protective layer is provided on the outer surface. In the figure, reference numeral 4 indicates a color paint layer capable of emitting light, and the other reference numerals are the same as those used in FIG.

In FIG. 2A, a glass optical fiber 1 is coated with a coating layer 2, and a colored coating material mixed with a luminescent material is applied to the entire surface of the coating layer to form a colored coating layer 4 capable of emitting light. It was done. The same luminescent material as that described in FIG. 1 is used as the luminescent material, and it is mixed in the color pigment to form a colored paint capable of emitting light, and is applied to the surface coated with the optical fiber by the application device.

In FIG. 2B, the glass optical fiber 1 is coated with the coating layer 2, and a colored coating material containing a luminescent material is partially applied to a part of the coated surface to emit light. The layer 4 is formed. Partially partially applied means any form other than the entire surface application, and also includes characters, symbols, patterns, lines and the like. The optical fiber is identified by the characteristics of the partial coating shape capable of emitting light and the color of the coloring paint.

2 (C) and 2 (D) are shown in FIG.
The surface of the colored paint layer 4 capable of emitting light formed in (A) and FIG. 2 (B) is covered with the transparent protective layer 3 as in FIGS. 1 (C) and 1 (D). This transparent protective layer 3 is
The deterioration of the light emitting function of the luminous body in the colored paint layer 4 is suppressed, the peeling of the colored paint layer 4 is prevented, and the color peeling which is a problem when the optical fiber tape core wire is separated into a single core is eliminated. be able to.

According to the second embodiment, the light-emissive colored paint layer 4 provided on the coating layer 2 of the optical fiber.
Identifies the optical fiber by the color of its colored paint.
In addition, the luminescent material mixed in the colored paint makes it easy to identify the color and the coating shape of the colored paint even in a dim environment such as in a manhole, and facilitates the selection of optical fibers during wiring. It is possible to suppress deterioration of sex.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the third embodiment. When the coating layer of the optical fiber is colored by itself or with a coloring paint, a part of the surface thereof is partially
This is an example of forming a paint layer in which a light emitting material is mixed. Figure 3
FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a case where the coating layer itself is colored, FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a case where the coating layer is colored by applying a coloring paint, and FIGS. D) is a diagram in which a transparent protective layer is provided on the outer surface. In the figure, 5 is a colored coating layer, 6 is a colored coating layer, 7 is a light emitting coating layer, and the other reference numerals are the same as those used in FIG.

In the example of FIG. 3A, the coating layer itself of the optical fiber is formed of the colored coating layer 5, and a coating material mixed with a luminescent material is applied to a part of the coating surface. Then, the light emitting coating layer 7 is formed. The colored coating layer 5 includes
Although the luminescent material is not mixed in, it is difficult to identify the color in the dark, but the color of the colored coating layer 5 can be identified by the characteristics of the partially applied luminescent coating layer 7. In addition,
Partial application includes characters, symbols, patterns, lines and the like similar to those described with reference to FIG. The luminescent paint layer 7 may be a luminescent paint layer colored with the same color as the colored coating layer, or may be a luminescent paint layer with a different color.

In the example shown in FIG. 3B, a colored paint layer 6 is formed by applying a colored paint on the coating layer of the optical fiber, and the light emitting material is partially mixed in a part of the surface thereof. The luminescent paint layer 7 is formed by applying the above paint. The coloring paint layer 6 contains no luminescent material, so that it is difficult to identify the color in the dark. However, due to the characteristics of the partially applied luminescent paint layer 7 as in FIG. The color of the paint layer 6 is identified.

3 (C) and 3 (D) are shown in FIG.
The surface of the light emitting coating layer 7 formed in (A) and FIG. 3 (B) is covered with the transparent protective layer 3 as in FIG. 2 (D). The transparent protective layer 3 can suppress the deterioration of the light emitting function of the light emitting material in the light emitting coating layer 7, and can prevent the light emitting coating layer 4 from peeling off.

FIG. 4 is a view showing various examples in which the colored paint layer (luminescent paint layer) 4 capable of emitting light is partially formed on a part of the coated surface. 4 (A) and 4 (B) are diagrams showing an example in which characters are added, FIG. 4 (C) is a diagram showing an example in which a ring is added, and FIG. 4 (D) is an example in which dots are added. FIG. 4E is a diagram showing an example in which lines are added, FIG.
(F) is a figure which shows the example given to the optical fiber ribbon.

In the example shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the colored coating layer 4 is formed by letters on the coated surface of the optical fiber. For example, when the coating layer is colored red, a letter such as red or RED that is associated with the color of the coating layer is given, and the color of the coating is red even in the darkness when it is not known whether it is red or brown. Can be easily determined. When adding letters and symbols, it is preferable to use printing such as a stamp. However, it is suitable for a large-diameter coated surface having an area to which characters or the like can be given to some extent.

In the example shown in FIG. 4C, a ring-shaped pattern or line is attached to the coated surface of the optical fiber to identify the optical fiber. It is also an example of forming a pattern or line with a plurality of repeating patterns. In FIG. 4C, a plurality of rings are formed along the outer circumference of the optical fiber. The optical fiber is identified by the number of the rings. Since the ring shape can be seen from any direction on the side surface of the optical fiber, it can be easily identified and can be easily formed by using a ring coating technique.

In the example shown in FIG. 4D, dots are provided on the coated surface of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is identified by the number of dots. It is a pattern that can be formed more easily than a ring shape, can be easily applied to a small-diameter optical fiber, and can be easily identified.

In the example shown in FIG. 4 (E), a line is provided on the coated surface of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is identified by the thickness and the number of the line. The line can be formed without interruption over the entire length and can be identified at any position in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber. In the case of a straight line, it is possible to easily form the line continuously with the coating molding apparatus. The shape of the line is not limited to a straight line, and may be a wavy line or a broken line.

In the example shown in FIG. 4F, characters and the like are provided on the common coating of the optical fiber ribbon. Optical fiber ribbons are often used in optical cables.When selecting and pulling out the optical fiber ribbon from the slot rod when pulling down the optical fiber, pull out the wrong optical fiber ribbon in the dark. It may end up. In such a case, it is preferable that the coating layer 4 capable of emitting light is also provided on the tape core wire coating.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the example in which the coating of the single-core optical fiber is coated with the color paint layer capable of emitting light (light-emitting paint layer). An example is also shown in FIG. 4 (F). The present invention is not limited to the core optical fiber, and is also effective when applied to a multi-core optical fiber coating, as well as to an outer sheath or the like which is a coating for an optical fiber cord, an optical fiber unit, or the like.

[0029]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a specific optical fiber is selected from a large number of optical fibers in a dim environment such as in a manhole, and connection, separation and branching are performed. When performing work such as the above, it is possible to reliably identify the existing position of the optical fiber and the identification color of the optical fiber.
As a result, I accidentally pierced my fingertips in the dark,
It is possible to prevent wiring mistakes from being made by mistakenly selecting an optical fiber, and work can be performed without lowering work efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the light-emitting paint layer of the present invention is partially applied to a part of the coated surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Glass optical fiber, 2 ... Coating layer, 3 ... Transparent protective layer,
4 ... A luminescent coating layer capable of emitting light, 5 ... a colored coating layer, 6 ... a colored coating layer, 7 ... a luminescent coating layer.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber, wherein the coating layer of the optical fiber is formed of a coating material mixed with a light emitting material. 2. The coating layer of the optical fiber is formed in multiple layers,
An optical fiber, wherein the outermost coating layer is formed of a colored coating material mixed with a light emitting material. 3. An optical fiber, wherein a colored paint layer provided on the whole or a part of the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer of the optical fiber is formed of a colored paint mixed with a light emitting material. 4. The optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein a transparent protective layer is formed on the outermost peripheral surface. 5. When the colored paint layer is partially provided, the colored paint layer is formed so as to be distinguishable by any of characters, symbols, patterns and lines. The described optical fiber. 6. The optical fiber according to claim 5, wherein the characters, symbols, patterns and lines are formed by a plurality of repeating patterns. 7. The optical fiber according to claim 6, wherein the repeating pattern is formed in a plurality of ring shapes along the outer circumference of the optical fiber. 8. The optical fiber according to claim 6, wherein the repeating pattern is formed in a plurality of dot shapes on a side surface of the optical fiber. 9. The optical fiber according to claim 5, wherein the line is formed in a linear shape continuous in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber.