JP2004170445A - Apparatus and method for manufacturing optical cable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing an optical cable with which a high-quality optical cable having soft hardness is manufactured without degrading the optical transmission property by preventing decrease of coated optical fiber drawing force and core movement at a cable terminal. <P>SOLUTION: In the apparatus 30 for manufacturing the optical cable, polyproylene yarns 20 serving as a shock absorbing filler are arranged around the coated optical fiber 18 and its circumference is pressure-wound, and the outer side is coated with a sheath 21. Further, the manufacturing apparatus 30 is equipped with a loosening sections 35 and 36 for loosening the polypropylene yarns 20. The method for manufacturing the optical cable contains a process to arrange polypropylene yarns 20 serving as a shock absorbing filler around the coated optical fiber 18 and to fill the polypropylene yarns around the coated optical fiber 18 while loosening the polypropylene yarns. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical cable manufacturing apparatus and an optical cable manufacturing method in which a polypropylene yarn is disposed around an optical fiber core wire in an optical cable such as an optical fiber cable or an overhead optical fiber cable.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an optical cable in which a polypropylene yarn is disposed around an optical fiber core.
[0003]
FIG. 4 shows a conventional optical cable. In the optical cable 60, the support wire portion 61 and the cable main body 62 are connected by a connecting portion 63 along the longitudinal direction of the optical cable 60. The support wire portion 61 is configured by covering the outer periphery of a steel stranded wire 64 with a sheath 65. In the cable main body 62, the plurality of optical fibers 66 are arranged in a line and collectively covered 67 to form a tape-shaped optical fiber core wire 68. The cable body 62 has a laminated body 69 in which a plurality of the tape-shaped optical fiber core wires 68 are laminated. In addition, the cable main body 62 has a plurality of polypropylene yarns 70 wrapping the outer periphery of the laminated body 69. The outer periphery of the polypropylene yarn 70 is covered with a sheath 71 via a presser winding. In the sheath 71, a tension member 73 and a tear string 72 are arranged at an interval from each other (see, for example, JP-A-2002-90598).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-90598
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, polypropylene yarns used as impact cushioning materials are generally widely used because they are less expensive than fibrous tensile members such as Kevlar (trademark of DuPont). It is desired that such a polypropylene yarn suppresses an excessive stress from acting on the optical fiber core, thereby suppressing an increase in optical transmission loss in the optical fiber core.
However, polypropylene yarns usually have rigidity, which is equivalent to hardness, and when the optical cable is subjected to lateral pressure, the light transmission property is deteriorated due to the reduced shock absorption. In addition, the contact between the optical fiber and the polypropylene yarn is insufficient, and the frictional resistance is reduced. For this reason, there is a possibility that the pulling force of the optical fiber core is reduced or the core is moved at the cable terminal. FIG. 4 shows an unfavorable state in which the texture of the polypropylene yarns is rigid, so that the yarns are not uniformly dispersed in the cross-section and each one is a lump.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to soften the texture, without deteriorating the optical transmission characteristics, to reduce the pulling force of the optical fiber core, and to reduce the cable end. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical cable manufacturing apparatus and an optical cable manufacturing method capable of manufacturing a high-quality optical cable by preventing movement of a core wire.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The object of the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing an optical cable, in which a polypropylene yarn is filled around an optical fiber core wire as a shock absorbing filler, and an outer peripheral side of the polypropylene yarn is covered with a sheath. The present invention is achieved by an optical cable manufacturing apparatus characterized in that an unraveling section for rubbing and unraveling a yarn is provided.
[0008]
According to the above-described optical cable manufacturing device, the polypropylene yarn is rubbed and loosened by the loosening unit, and then the periphery of the optical fiber is filled. For this reason, the polypropylene yarn is separated by the unraveling portion through a larger space in the radial direction of the optical cable (that is, the fibers constituting the polypropylene yarn are separated, and the density within the predetermined range is uniform). By contacting the optical fiber after the texture is softened, the optical transmission characteristics are not degraded and the pulling force of the optical fiber is not reduced and the cable is prevented from moving at the cable end. High quality optical cables can be manufactured.
[0009]
In the above-described optical cable manufacturing apparatus, it is desirable to have a configuration having a guide roller for running a polypropylene yarn.
[0010]
According to the optical cable manufacturing apparatus having such a configuration, the guide yarn makes the polypropylene yarn meanderingly run in an S-shape, thereby performing the kneading to soften the texture of the polypropylene yarn. These guide rollers need only be provided along the path (path line) in which the polypropylene yarn runs, and the feel of the polypropylene yarn can be softened without greatly changing the equipment.
[0011]
In the above optical cable manufacturing apparatus, it is desirable that the unraveling section has a polisher that allows the polypropylene yarn to pass through the inner peripheral section. The polisher is a guide die having a cylindrical outer shape and a round hole at the center, and the hole portion is formed of a smooth surface.
[0012]
In this way, when the polypropylene yarn is passed through the polisher, the polypropylene yarn and the inner peripheral surface of the polisher are in sliding contact with each other, so that the kneading to soften the texture of the polypropylene yarn is performed. Since these polishers only need to be provided along the pass line of the polypropylene yarn, the texture of the polypropylene yarn can be softened without requiring significant changes in equipment.
[0013]
In the above optical cable manufacturing apparatus, the unraveling section may be configured so that the polypropylene yarn is sandwiched between the pair of rod rollers and the rod rollers are reciprocated.
[0014]
In this case, since the bar rollers are reciprocated to forcibly rub and unwind the polypropylene yarns, the yarns can be stably and efficiently performed. Further, the hand can be softened without giving an extremely high passage resistance to the yarn made of polypropylene.
[0015]
The above optical cable manufacturing apparatus may have an air cylinder or a cam mechanism that reciprocates the rod roller in the width direction of the polypropylene yarn.
[0016]
By using a relatively inexpensive and simple mechanism and an easy-to-maintain air cylinder or cam mechanism, it is possible to greatly reduce the need for waste oil countermeasures when using a hydraulic mechanism or the like. The kneading and unraveling of the polypropylene yarn can be realized without a large capital investment.
[0017]
It is desirable that the above-described optical cable manufacturing apparatus is provided with a pressing force adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting the pressure for kneading and loosening the polypropylene yarn with the rod roller.
[0018]
In this way, by changing the pressure for kneading and unraveling the polypropylene yarn, the pressure for kneading and unraveling the polypropylene yarn becomes extremely high, the resistance between the polypropylene yarn and the bar roller increases, and the polypropylene yarn is cut or Alternatively, it is possible to prevent the kneading and loosening pressure from decreasing and the kneading and loosening from becoming insufficient.
Since the bar roller is formed in a bar shape, the area where the yarn is rubbed and loosened can be enlarged in the axial direction of the bar roller (the longitudinal direction of the bar portion). For this reason, when the yarn is rubbed and unraveled, the yarn can be properly rubbed and unraveled by the bar roller even when the yarn is displaced in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the bar roller.
[0019]
Further, the above object of the present invention is attained by a method for producing an optical cable, comprising a step of rubbing and loosening a polypropylene yarn and filling a plurality of the polypropylene yarns around an optical fiber core.
According to the method of manufacturing an optical cable having such a configuration, the polypropylene yarn is filled around the optical fiber core in a state of being crushed and loosened. For this reason, the polypropylene yarn is separated through more spaces in the radial direction (that is, the fibers constituting the polypropylene yarn are positively separated from each other, and the density within a predetermined range becomes uniform). ), The contact with the optical fiber after the texture is softened does not degrade the optical transmission characteristics. It prevents the optical fiber from being pulled out and prevents the cable from moving at the cable end. Optical cables can be manufactured.
[0020]
According to the above-described method of manufacturing an optical cable, it is desirable to employ a configuration in which a guide roller for running the polypropylene yarn is used to knead and loosen the polypropylene yarn.
Since these guide rollers need only be provided along the pass line of the polypropylene yarn, the feel of the polypropylene yarn can be efficiently and softened in the same process without major changes in equipment.
[0021]
In the above-described method of manufacturing an optical cable, a configuration may be employed in which the polypropylene yarn is rubbed and loosened by passing the yarn in sliding contact with the inner peripheral portion of the substantially cylindrical polisher.
When the polypropylene yarn is passed through the polisher, the rubbing between the polypropylene yarn and the inner peripheral portion of the polisher is performed so that the texture of the polypropylene yarn is softened. Since these polishers only need to be provided along the pass line of the polypropylene yarn, the texture of the polypropylene yarn can be efficiently softened without significantly changing the equipment.
[0022]
In the above method for manufacturing an optical cable, a configuration may be adopted in which a pair of rod rollers sandwiches a polypropylene yarn, and the rod roller is reciprocated to rub and loosen the polypropylene yarn.
In this case, since the bar rollers are reciprocated to forcibly rub and unwind the polypropylene yarns, the yarns can be stably and efficiently performed. Further, the hand can be softened without giving an extremely high passage resistance to the yarn made of polypropylene.
[0023]
Further, the above object of the present invention can be achieved by a method for manufacturing an optical cable, comprising a step of kneading and unraveling a polypropylene yarn using the apparatus for manufacturing an optical cable having the above configuration.
According to such a configuration, the process of rubbing and unraveling the polypropylene yarn and the process of filling around the optical fiber core wire can be performed in the same process, while improving the texture of the polypropylene yarn, An optical cable can be manufactured more efficiently.
In the method for manufacturing an optical cable, it is preferable to use a bar roller. In this way, the area of the bar roller for kneading and loosening the yarn is enlarged in the axial direction (the longitudinal direction of the bar portion). For this reason, even when the yarn is displaced in the direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the bar roller when kneading the yarn, the yarn can be properly kneaded with the bar roller. Therefore, the yarn can be efficiently kneaded and loosened.
[0024]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of an optical cable manufacturing apparatus and an optical cable manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an optical cable manufactured using an optical cable manufacturing apparatus and an optical cable manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a pass line portion in an optical cable manufacturing apparatus for performing the optical cable manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a loosening unit used in an optical cable manufacturing apparatus that performs the optical cable manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 1, the optical cable 10 is an aerial laying type in which a support wire portion 11 and a cable main body 12 are connected along a longitudinal direction by a connecting portion 13.
[0026]
The support wire portion 11 has a sheath 15 integrally coated with a cable main body 12 via a connecting portion 13 on an outer periphery of a rope strand 14 formed by twisting a plurality of (seven in FIG. 1) steel wires. .
[0027]
The cable body 12 has a plurality of tape-shaped optical fiber cores 18 in which a plurality of optical fibers 16 are arranged in a line and coated collectively 17 (in FIG. 1, two at a time, two at a time outside the six cores). A laminated layered body 19; and a plurality of polypropylene yarns (hereinafter, also referred to as “yarns”) 20 formed by a kneading and loosening process, filled around the laminated body 19, and pressed and wound with a nylon thread around the outer periphery. , A sheath 21 coated on the outer periphery of the yarn 20.
[0028]
The sheath 21 is provided with a pair of tension members 23 at positions on the outer periphery of the yarn 20 that face each other in the vertical direction in FIG. The sheath 21 is provided with a pair of rip cords 22 that are shifted from the position where the tension member 23 is disposed by 90 degrees.
[0029]
The sheaths 15, 21 and the connecting portion 13 are made of, for example, polyethylene. As the tension member 23, for example, a single steel wire having a small diameter is used. As the tear string 22, a yarn made of, for example, amilad fiber is used.
[0030]
The cable main body 12 of the optical cable 10 is created by the optical cable manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. The illustrated optical cable manufacturing apparatus 30 mainly shows a polypropylene yarn and a pass line portion of a laminate.
[0031]
In the pass line section, a first yarn transport section 31 is disposed on the upper side in FIG. 2 of the laminate 19 conveyed in the center, and a second yarn transport section 32 is disposed on the lower side in FIG. 2 of the laminate 19. Have been. Similarly, the third, fourth and a plurality of yarn transport sections may be radially arranged around the laminate.
[0032]
The stacked body 19, the yarn 20 conveyed by the first yarn conveyer 31, and the yarn 20 conveyed by the second yarn conveyer 32 are gathered at a terminating end by a collecting die 33, and the outer periphery of each of the stacked bodies 19 Spirally wound. The filling form of the polypropylene yarn may thus be a spiral winding.
[0033]
In the first yarn transport unit 31, the yarn 20 wound around the paper core 34 is transported while being wound around five guide rollers 35, and then passes through four polishers 36. The polisher 36 is a guide die having a cylindrical shape and a round hole. Since the holes of the polisher 36 are shifted from each other, the yarn 20 travels in a meandering manner by passing through the inside of the polisher 36. At this time, the guide roller 35 and the polisher 36 function as an unraveling unit that performs processing so that the yarn 20 is substantially crushed and unraveled.
In this embodiment, the guide rollers 35 and the polisher 36 are arranged in series. However, the guide rollers 35 and the polisher 36 may be arranged in a row.
[0034]
Since the second yarn transport section 32 is configured as a pair with the first yarn transport section 31, it has a paper core 34, five guide rollers 35, and four polishers 36.
As described above, the guide roller 35 and the polisher 36 are arranged so that the yarn 20 can meander. In this way, the yarn 20 is actively loosened. That is, the texture of the yarn 20 is improved.
The number of guide rollers and polishers can be set arbitrarily. Further, the guide rollers and the polisher are not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 and can be freely arranged within a range where the yarn 20 can be appropriately loosened.
[0035]
The loosening section 40 using the bar roller shown in FIG. 3 may be configured to be disposed in the pass line of the optical cable manufacturing apparatus 30 described above.
[0036]
The unraveling section 40 includes a pair of first and second air cylinders 41 and 42, a pair of first and second moving members 43 and 44, and a pair of first and second holding members 45 and 46. , A pair of first and second rod rollers 47 and 48 and a pair of first and second pressing mechanisms 49 and 50.
[0037]
The first and second air cylinders 41 and 42 are arranged vertically around the yarn 20 passing through the pass line portion as shown in FIG. Each of the rods 51, 52 attached to the first and second air cylinders 41, 42 has a predetermined range in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the yarn 20 passing through the pass line and in a traveling direction opposite to each other. To reciprocate inside.
[0038]
The first and second moving members 43 and 44 are connected to the distal ends of the rods 51 and 52 of the first and second air cylinders 41 and 42, respectively. Therefore, reciprocating drive is performed in synchronization with the movement of the rods 51 and 52.
[0039]
The first and second holding members 45 and 46 include guide roller holding portions 45a and 46a, and bolts 45b and 46b disposed at the center positions of the guide roller holding portions 45a and 46a. The guide roller holding portions 45a and 46a rotatably hold the first and second guide rollers 47 and 48, respectively. The bolts 45b and 46b are connected to the first and second moving members 43 and 44 via first and second pressing mechanisms 49 and 50 by nuts 45c and 46c.
[0040]
The first and second pressing mechanisms 49 and 50 are torsion coil springs serving as elastic pressing means. The first and second pressing mechanisms 49 and 50 are incorporated between the first and second moving members 43 and 44 and the guide roller holding portions 45a and 46a in a state where elastic repulsion is accumulated. The guide rollers 47 and 48 are urged to be in close contact with each other via the guide roller holding portions 45a and 46a. The biasing forces of the first and second pressing mechanisms 49 and 50 are adjusted according to the thickness and the feel of the yarn 20. This adjustment is performed by changing the tightening and tightening of the nuts 45c and 46c.
[0041]
In the loosening section 40 having such a structure, the yarn 20 having a firm texture is conveyed from the rear in FIG. 3 and is pressed between the bar rollers 47 and 48 by the urging forces of the first and second pressing mechanisms 49 and 50. It is sandwiched. At this time, since the rods 51, 52 of the air cylinders 41, 42 reciprocate in the traveling directions opposite to each other, the bar rollers 47, 48 rotate via the moving members 43, 44 and reciprocate. Massage by loosening the yarn 20 while sandwiching it. As a result, the yarn 20 having a firm texture before being transported is softened by the kneading and loosening process, and is transported to the collective die 33 (see FIG. 2). The yarn 20 is wound around the outer periphery of the laminate 19, and the outer periphery of the yarn 20 is covered with a sheath 21 after being pressed and wound with a nylon thread or the like. Thereby, transmission characteristics and the like are improved.
[0042]
In the loosening section 40 having such a structure, two guide rollers 35 of a pass line section shown in FIG. Good. If the guide roller 35 used as a pass line is used together, the texture of the yarn 20 can be softened without greatly changing the equipment.
[0043]
Further, as the loosening unit, the yarn 20 may be meanderingly driven in the polisher 36 shown in FIG. 2 to perform the massage loosening. If the polisher 36 arranged as a pass line is used in combination, the texture of the yarn 20 can be softened without greatly changing the equipment.
[0044]
Further, the guide rollers 47 and 48 may be relatively reciprocated along the width direction of the yarn 20 using a cam mechanism, or the speed may be arbitrarily changed.
[0045]
Further, a pressing force adjusting mechanism that can arbitrarily adjust the pressing force of the pressing mechanisms 49 and 50 may be used. Then, the pressure for kneading and unraveling the yarn 20 becomes extremely high, and the passage resistance of the yarn 20 increases, and the yarn 20 is cut. can do.
[0046]
According to the optical cable manufacturing apparatus and the optical cable manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the yarn 20 is wound around the optical fiber core 18 after the yarn 20 is rubbed and loosened by the loosening unit 40.
Therefore, the yarn 20 is dispersed in the radial direction through more space by the loosening portion 40, so that the yarn 20 is uniformly dispersed in the cross section as shown in FIG. Since it comes into contact with the wire 18, the optical transmission characteristics are not deteriorated, the pull-out force of the optical fiber core wire 18 can be prevented from being reduced, and the core wire movement at the cable terminal can be prevented, so that the high-quality optical cable 10 can be manufactured. it can.
[0047]
As described above, if the manufacturing method including the step of kneading and loosening the polypropylene yarn using the optical cable manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to more efficiently manufacture the optical cable while improving the texture of the polypropylene yarn. .
[0048]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications and improvements can be made.
For example, instead of the guide roller, a pair of endless belts rotating via a driving roller may be provided, and the yarn may be sandwiched between the belts.
Also, the form of the optical fiber core is not limited to the tape-shaped optical fiber core.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a high quality can be achieved by softening the texture, without deteriorating the optical transmission characteristics, and preventing the pull-out force of the optical fiber core and the movement of the core at the cable terminal. An optical cable manufacturing apparatus and an optical cable manufacturing method capable of manufacturing a simple optical cable can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an optical cable manufactured using an optical cable manufacturing apparatus and an optical cable manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a pass line portion in an optical cable manufacturing apparatus for performing the optical cable manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a loosening unit used in an optical cable manufacturing apparatus for performing the optical cable manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an optical cable.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Optical cable 18 Tape optical fiber core (optical fiber core)
20 yarn (polypropylene yarn)
Reference Signs List 21 sheath 30 optical cable manufacturing device 35 guide roller 36 polisher 40 loosening unit 41, 42 air cylinder 47, 48 bar roller

Claims (13)

An optical cable manufacturing apparatus for filling a polypropylene yarn as a shock-absorbing filler around an optical fiber core wire and coating the outer periphery of the polypropylene yarn with a sheath,
An apparatus for manufacturing an optical cable, comprising an unraveling section for rubbing and unraveling the polypropylene yarn. The apparatus for manufacturing an optical cable according to claim 1, wherein the unraveling section has a guide roller for running the polypropylene yarn. The optical cable manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unraveling portion has a polisher that allows the polypropylene yarn to pass through an inner peripheral portion. The optical cable manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unraveling section sandwiches the polypropylene yarn between a pair of bar rollers and reciprocates the bar rollers. 5. The optical cable manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an air cylinder or a cam mechanism that reciprocates the rod roller in the width direction of the polypropylene yarn. 6. The optical cable manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a pressing force adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting a pressure for kneading and loosening the polypropylene yarn by the rod roller. Arranging a polypropylene yarn as a shock absorbing filler around the optical fiber core, rubbing and loosening the polypropylene yarn, and filling the polypropylene yarn around the optical fiber core. Optical cable manufacturing method. The method for manufacturing an optical cable according to claim 7, wherein the polypropylene yarn is kneaded and loosened using a guide roller that runs the polypropylene yarn. The method for producing an optical cable according to claim 7, wherein the polypropylene yarn is rubbed by passing through the inner peripheral portion of a substantially cylindrical polisher so as to be in sliding contact therewith. The method for manufacturing an optical cable according to claim 7, wherein the polypropylene roller is rubbed by reciprocating a rod roller. The method for manufacturing an optical cable according to claim 10, wherein the polypropylene yarn is rubbed and loosened by reciprocatingly driving the rod roller along a width direction of the polypropylene yarn by an air cylinder or a cam mechanism. The method for manufacturing an optical cable according to any one of claims 7, 10, and 11, wherein the pressure for kneading and loosening the polypropylene yarn is adjusted using a pressing force adjusting mechanism. A method for manufacturing an optical cable, comprising a step of kneading and loosening a polypropylene yarn using the apparatus for manufacturing an optical cable according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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