JP2005227802A - Method and tool for branching coated optical fiber ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coated optical fiber ribbon branching method and tool that can easily and safely branch optical fibers, and also to provide a coated optical fiber ribbon. <P>SOLUTION: In branching optical fibers 11 from a coated optical fiber ribbon (the ribbon) 10 in which a plurality of optical fibers 11 are integrated using a jacket 12, a wire 23 is pressed against the ribbon 10, or the wire 23 is relatively moved in the longitudinal direction of the ribbon 10, thereby scratching/stripping the jacket 12 to branch the optical fibers 11. For instance, the arrayed face of the optical fibers 11 is held from both sides and pressed against the wire 23. Otherwise, the wire 23 may be pressed against the ribbon 10 from one side while the other arrayed side may be fixed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of branching an optical fiber ribbon, a branching tool for an optical fiber ribbon, and an optical fiber ribbon.

As a conventional method for branching an optical fiber ribbon, there is a method in which an optical fiber is branched by cutting a jacket covering the optical fibers collectively by a shearing force (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Further, in the branch tool 100 as shown in FIG. 8, cooperation between the upper blade 101 having the convex blade portion 101a and the lower blade 102 having the concave blade portion 102a to which the convex blade portion 101a is fitted. In some cases, the optical fiber tape core wire 103 positioned between the upper blade 101 and the lower blade 102 is branched into a desired number, for example, one, two, and one by operation.
In addition, there is also a type in which a cutting blade is cut into a jacket, and the jacket is removed by relatively moving the optical fiber tape core wire with the cutting blade and the holding member sandwiching the optical fiber tape core wire (for example, (See Patent Document 2).

JP-A-8-75929 (page 3, FIG. 1) JP-A-8-114713 (3rd, 4th page, Fig. 1)

However, in the techniques shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, the relative positions of the blade and the optical fiber ribbon 103 are shifted, or the pitch of the optical fibers 104 included in the optical fiber ribbon 103 is increased. In the case of being manufactured out of position, the blade may damage the optical fiber 104 and the strength of the optical fiber may be reduced.
Further, if even one optical fiber 104 of the optical fiber ribbon 103 is transmitting a signal, the live line is instantaneously disconnected at the time of branching. Cannot branch.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method for branching an optical fiber ribbon, a branching tool for an optical fiber ribbon, and an optical fiber ribbon that can easily and safely branch an optical fiber.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a method for branching an optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention includes an optical fiber ribbon that branches an optical fiber from an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fibers are integrated by a jacket. A method of branching a wire, wherein a flexible member is pressed against an optical fiber ribbon, the outer sheath of the optical fiber ribbon is scratched or peeled off, and the optical fiber ribbon is applied to the optical fiber. It is characterized by branching.

  In the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon, the flexible member is pressed against the optical fiber ribbon, and the outer sheath of the optical fiber ribbon is scratched or peeled off. The optical fiber can be easily branched.

  Further, the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention is such that the optical fiber ribbon is branched into the optical fiber by moving the flexible member relative to the optical fiber ribbon. Good.

  Further, in the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, the flexible member may be pressed against the optical fiber ribbon from both sides of the optical fiber array surface.

  Further, the method of branching the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention is such that the flexible member is pressed against the optical fiber ribbon from one side of the arrangement surface of the optical fiber and the other arrangement side surface is fixed. Good.

  In the optical fiber tape core branching method configured as described above, the optical fiber can be easily branched while suppressing the occurrence of bending of the optical fiber and suppressing an increase in transmission loss.

  In the method for branching the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, the outer periphery of the optical fiber ribbon may be soaked with an organic solvent to branch the optical fiber ribbon into the optical fiber.

  In the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon constructed as described above, the outer cover swells and softens with an organic solvent such as alcohol, so that it can be easily branched.

  Moreover, the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention may branch the optical fiber ribbon into an optical fiber by holding an organic solvent in the flexible member.

  In the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, it is preferable that the fluctuation amount of the transmission loss of the optical signal at the time of branching is 0.5 dB or less.

  In the method of branching an optical fiber ribbon that is configured in this way, an optical fiber ribbon that includes a live wire can be branched without instantaneously interrupting the live wire.

  In the method for branching the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, it is desirable that the Young's modulus of the flexible member is 100 MPa or more and 2000 MPa or less.

  In the method for branching the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, the flexible member may be a plurality of wires.

  In the optical fiber tape core branching method configured as described above, the flexible member is composed of a plurality of wires, so that when the optical fiber tape core is pressed against the optical fiber tape core, the shape of the optical fiber tape core is changed. It can change freely along. For example, it is possible to enter the recesses between the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber ribbon, and the optical fibers can be easily separated.

  In the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, the tip of the wire may have a corner.

  In the optical fiber tape core branching method configured as described above, the end of the wire has a corner. Therefore, when the end of the wire contacts the outer sheath of the optical fiber tape, it is easily damaged or peeled off. The optical fiber can be split efficiently.

  Moreover, as for the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon based on this invention, it is desirable for the outer periphery of a wire to be 0.1 mm-1.5 mm.

  Moreover, as for the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon concerning this invention, it is desirable that the length of a wire is 0.1 mm-10 mm.

  Moreover, in the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, the optical fiber ribbon having a jacket thickness of 20 μm or less may be branched into optical fibers.

  In the optical fiber tape core branching method configured as described above, the optical fiber can be effectively branched when the thickness of the outer jacket is 20 μm or less.

  The method for branching an optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention includes placing the optical fiber ribbon on a flat plate or an arc plate, pressing the optical fiber ribbon, and pressing the optical fiber ribbon. May be branched into the optical fiber.

  Moreover, the branch tool of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention includes a first contact portion that contacts one side of the optical fiber ribbon and a second that contacts the other side of the optical fiber ribbon. A contact portion, and at least one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion has a flexible member.

  An optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention is an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fibers are collectively covered with a jacket having a thickness of 20 μm or less, and the flexible member is pressed against the optical fiber ribbon. The optical fiber tape is branched into the optical fiber by relatively moving in the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and an optical signal transmission loss fluctuation amount at the time of branching is 0.5 dB or less.

  The optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention preferably has an MFD of 10.0 μm or less when signal light having a wavelength of 1550 nm is transmitted.

  According to the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, when the optical fiber is branched from the optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fibers are integrated by a jacket, the flexible member is used as the optical fiber tape. Easily branch the optical fiber by pressing against the core wire or moving the flexible member relative to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber tape core to scratch or peel off the jacket. Can do.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an optical fiber tape core branching method, an optical fiber tape core branching tool, and an optical fiber tape core according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a branching tool for an optical fiber ribbon for executing the method of branching an optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 (A) is a sectional view of the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention. FIG. 2B is a perspective view.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B), an optical fiber ribbon 10 according to the present invention is arranged in parallel by bringing a plurality of (for example, four) optical fibers (colored cores) 11 into contact with each other. The outer side is integrated by the jacket 12 over the entire length of the optical fiber ribbon 10. As the jacket 12, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin, or the like can be used. The optical fiber 11 is provided with a protective coating 14 and a colored layer 15 outside the glass fiber 13 composed of a core 13a and a clad 13b. Alternatively, only the protective coating 14 may be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, in the optical fiber ribbon 10, the ultraviolet curable resin that is the outer cover 12 applied to the outside of the four optical fibers 11 arranged in parallel is between the adjacent optical fibers 11. In the recess 16 formed in the above, it is applied so as not to exceed the common tangent line 17 of the adjacent optical fibers 11. The outer cover 12 in the recess 16 is formed to have a continuous shape with a smooth curve.

  If the outer diameter of the optical fiber 11 is D, the thickness of the jacket 12 is t, and the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon 10 in the recess 16 is G, G is preferably D-50 μm or less. Here, when the outer diameter D of the optical fiber 11 is 250 μm, the thickness G of the optical fiber ribbon 10 in the recess 16 is 200 μm or less. This is because when the thickness G of the concave portion 16 of the optical fiber ribbon 10 is increased, the rigidity is increased, so that the jacket 12 is difficult to break and the branching property is lowered.

  The thickness t of the jacket 12 is preferably 20 μm or less. Further, if the transmission loss fluctuation of the optical signal when the optical fiber 11 is branched becomes larger than 0.5 dB, the communication may be interrupted, so the live line cannot be branched. For this reason, it is desirable that the transmission loss fluctuation be 0.5 dB or less. In addition, the measurement of the transmission loss fluctuation at the time of branching of the optical fiber 11 is performed, for example, by connecting one end face of the optical fiber ribbon 10 to the light source and connecting the other end face to the light receiver. Then, light having a wavelength of 1.55 μm is incident on the optical fiber 11 from the light source, and the power received by the light receiver (for example, a waveform converted into a voltage) is monitored, and loss is caused by disturbance caused by branching. Can be measured by attenuation.

  Further, the branching property and integration of the optical fiber ribbon 10 are related to the physical properties of the resin forming the jacket 12. For example, when a resin having a large Young's modulus is used for the jacket 12, the binding force is sufficient even if the thickness G of the optical fiber ribbon 10 in the recess 16 is small. Conversely, when the Young's modulus is large, it is necessary to reduce the thickness G of the optical fiber ribbon 10 in the recess 16 from the viewpoint of the branching property of the optical fiber 11. The Young's modulus is measured by first producing a sheet using a resin forming the outer cover 12, and using a test piece molded into an IS2 dumbbell in accordance with JIS K7113. The Young's modulus was calculated by pulling at a speed of 1 mm / min.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the branch tool 20 for the optical fiber ribbon is an upper base as a first abutment that abuts against the upper surface 12U of the outer cover 12 that is one side of the optical fiber ribbon 10. 21 and a lower base 22 as a second abutting portion that abuts on the lower surface 12L of the outer cover 12 which is the other side surface of the optical fiber ribbon 10. Many wires 23 as flexible members are provided on at least one of the upper base 21 and the lower base 22 (both in FIG. 1B), and the tips of the wires 23 are located on substantially the same plane. It is arranged as follows.

  As the flexible member, in addition to the wire 23, a plate-like member can be considered. Moreover, as a material of the wire 23, for example, a chemical member such as nylon, PP, vinyl chloride, ester, and connex, and an animal member such as horse hair, pig hair, Hakusan sheep wool, and laver hair can be considered. However, a metal one is not suitable because it may damage the optical fiber 11. The most suitable material at present is nylon.

  As a dimension of the wire 23, a thing with an outer periphery of 0.1 mm-1.5 mm is suitable. If the outer circumference exceeds 1.5 mm, it is too thick and it becomes difficult to scratch the optical fiber ribbons. When the outer periphery is shorter than 0.1 mm, the waist of the wire tends to be weakened and the outer jacket is hardly damaged. The length of the wire is preferably 0.1 mm to 10 mm. If the length exceeds 10 mm, the waist of the wire tends to be weak, and if the length is less than 0.1 mm, the flexibility of the wire is lost and it is difficult to damage the outer jacket. Most preferably, the diameter is 0.20 to 0.30 mm and the hair length is 2 to 6 mm. Moreover, when attaching to the upper base 21 or the lower base 22, if the arrangement of the wire rods 23 is dense, the outer cover can be efficiently damaged or the outer cover can be peeled off, so that it is easy to branch.

  As the wire 23, a Young's modulus of 100 MPa or more and 2000 MPa or less is used, but 200 MPa or more and 1500 MPa or less is particularly preferable. Moreover, it is preferable to provide the corner | angular 24 at the front-end | tip of the wire 23, as shown to FIG. 3 (A). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3B, an acute angle 25 can be provided. Thereby, when the front-end | tip of the wire 23 contact | abuts on the jacket 12 of the optical fiber tape core wire 10, it can be efficiently damaged or shaved on the jacket 12.

Next, a method of branching the optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention using the branch tool 20 described above will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the optical fiber tape core wire 10 is sandwiched between the upper base 21 and the lower base 22 of the branch tool 20, and the wire 23 is brought close to the outer sheath 12 of the optical fiber tape core wire 10. Go. Further, when the branch tool 20 is pressed against the optical fiber ribbon 10, the wire 23 is bent as shown in FIG. 1C, and the corner of the tip of the bent wire 23 is outside the optical fiber ribbon 10. Begin to scratch the cover 12. By repeatedly pressing the branch tool 20 (FIG. 1C) and releasing the pressing, the damage to the outer cover 12 increases, or the outer cover 12 is peeled off. Further, in a state where the branch tool 20 is pressed, the branch tool 20 is relatively moved in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber ribbon 10 (left and right direction in FIG. 1A), and the tip of the wire 23 is attached to the jacket 12. The optical fiber 11 is branched by scratching or peeling. Either or both of the branch tool 20 and the optical fiber ribbon 10 may be moved. Since the wire 23 is flexible, when the wire 23 is pressed against the outer sheath 12 of the optical fiber ribbon 10, the wire 23 warps and the tip of the wire 23 hits the outer sheath 12. In this state, when the branch tool 20 or the optical fiber ribbon 10 is moved, the wire 23 (flexible member) damages the outer cover 12 or peels off the outer cover 12. In this way, the jacket 12 of the optical fiber ribbon 10 is broken and branched to each optical fiber. If the force for pressing the flexible member 23 against the optical fiber ribbon is adjusted, the transmission loss fluctuation amount of the optical signal at the time of branching is 0.5 dB or less, and even if the optical fiber ribbon includes a live wire, It is possible to branch without interrupting the live line.

  In addition, before pressing the branch tool 20 against the optical fiber ribbon 10, an organic solvent such as alcohol may be applied to the jacket 12 (12 U, 12 L) of the optical fiber ribbon 20. Since the organic solvent softens the resin-made outer cover 12, when the branch tool 20 is pressed against the outer cover 12, or when the bifurcating tool 20 and the outer cover 12 are relatively moved, It can be easily scratched or peeled off.

  Alternatively, after the wire rod 23 of the branch tool 20 is immersed in an organic solvent, the branch tool 20 is pressed against the outer sheath 12 of the optical fiber ribbon 10 or the branch tool 20 and the outer sheath 12 are relatively moved. Similarly, the outer cover 12 can be softened and easily branched.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to place the optical fiber ribbon on a flat plate or an arc plate so that the optical fiber ribbon is not excessively bent when the optical fiber ribbon is branched. In particular, it is preferable to use a gripper that can grip the optical fiber ribbon. FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a gripping tool, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a side view. The gripping tool 40 includes a placement part 41 and a gripping part 42 for holding the optical fiber ribbon 10. The mounting portion 41 uses a flat plate or an arc plate having a curvature radius of 30 mm or more so that excessive bending does not occur in the optical fiber ribbon. The gripping part may be formed by simple protrusions, but when performing the branching operation of the optical fiber ribbon, for example, by hand, the gripping part 42 should be a ring shape and a finger is inserted into the ring. It is convenient to hold it. When the optical fiber ribbon is branched, the branch tool 20 is held in one hand and the index finger of the other hand is inserted into the grip portion 41 of the gripper 40. The optical fiber ribbon 10 is placed on the mounting part 41 of the gripping tool 40 and pressed from above with a thumb. By holding and branching the optical fiber ribbon 10, it is possible to prevent the optical fiber ribbon from being bent and to prevent an increase in transmission loss of signal light.

  As described above, according to the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon, the branch tool of the optical fiber ribbon, and the optical fiber ribbon, the optical fiber 11 can be easily and safely branched from the optical fiber ribbon 10. it can.

  When branching the optical fiber ribbon in the longitudinal direction, a part of the optical fiber ribbon (length of about several mm) is branched into optical fibers by the above method, and then a wire rod or the like between the branched optical fibers. The tearing member may be inserted, the tearing member may be moved in the longitudinal direction, and the optical fiber ribbon may be split and branched. The wire for tearing the optical fiber ribbon is preferably stronger than the wire of the branch tool. The diameter of the wire is preferably 0.1 to 0.5 mm and the length is preferably 10 to 30 mm. Nylon or the like can be used as the material. It is preferable to use a tearing jig in which a wire for tearing the optical fiber ribbon is attached to the tip of a rod having a length of about 5 to 20 cm in a brush shape. When the optical fiber ribbon is placed in the closure, it is difficult to move the branch tool in the closure because the optical fiber ribbon is congested. In this case, if a tearing jig as described above is used, it becomes easy to branch the optical fiber ribbon to an optical fiber over a certain length.

In addition, the branching method of the optical fiber ribbon of the present invention, the branching tool of the optical fiber ribbon, and the optical fiber ribbon are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified and improved. It is.
For example, in the branch tool 20 described above, the case where the wire 23 is brought into contact with the upper and lower surfaces 12U and 12L of the optical fiber ribbon 10 has been described. It is only necessary to fix the tape core wire 10.
Moreover, although what bundled four optical fibers 11 as the optical fiber tape core wire 10 was demonstrated, the number is not ask | required.

Next, specific examples of the branch tool for the optical fiber ribbon are described.
5A is a side view of the branch tool, FIG. 5B is a side view of the branch tool in a state where the optical fiber ribbon is being branched, and FIG. 6 is viewed from the V direction in FIG. 5B. FIG. 6 is a table showing the result of branching. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the site | part which is common in the site | part mentioned above in FIGS. 1-3, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B), the branch tool 30 connects the upper base 21U and the lower base 22L with an overall U-shaped spring member 31, and in a released state in which the operator does not apply force. The upper base 21U and the lower base 22L are held at a predetermined interval. In this state, the tips of the wire rods 23 provided on the upper base 21U and the lower base 22L are not in contact with each other. The spring member 31 is provided with an interval adjusting screw 32. By turning the knob 32a and adjusting the amount of protrusion of the interval adjusting screw 32, the interval at which the upper base 21U and the lower base 22L approach when the operator presses the spring member 31 can be limited. It has become. Since the upper base 21U and the lower base 22L are each attached to the spring member 31 by screws 33, they can be easily replaced when the wire rod 23 is consumed.

  When the optical fiber 11 is branched from the optical fiber ribbon 10, the optical fiber ribbon 10 is inserted between the upper base 21U and the lower base 22L, the spring member 31 is sandwiched between fingers, and the wire 23 is inserted into the optical fiber. Press against the outer sheath 12 of the tape core wire 10. Then, the spring member 31 is opened to release the wire 23 from the optical fiber ribbon 10. Again, the wire 23 is pressed and released again. The optical fiber 11 is branched by repeating this several times. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the optical fiber ribbon 10 is sandwiched and fixed at a position 5 to 10 cm away from the branch tool 30. In this state, the branch tool 30 is slid about 10 cm along the optical fiber ribbon 10 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6), and the outer sheath 12 of the optical fiber ribbon 10 is squeezed with the wire 23 to remove the optical fiber 11. Branch.

As shown in FIG. 7, the optical fiber 11 was branched by a branch tool 30 using nylon having an outer diameter of 0.21 mm as a flexible member. With the branch tool 30 shown in FIG. 5, the optical fiber tape core wire was sandwiched and then released, and the optical fiber tape core wire was branched to each optical fiber core wire as a condition (1). The condition (2) is that the branch tool 30 is moved in the longitudinal direction while the optical fiber tape core wire is sandwiched by the branch tool 30 to branch the optical fiber tape core wire into each optical fiber.
In either case, the optical fiber 11 could be easily branched within a transmission loss fluctuation of 0.5 dB. The measurement was performed at a base voltage of 11.5 to 12 mV and a trigger level of 11.5 mV.

(A) is a side view showing an embodiment of a branching method and a branching tool for an optical fiber ribbon according to the present invention, (B) is a front view, and (C) shows a state in which a flexible member is bent. It is a side view. (A) is sectional drawing of the optical fiber tape cable core which concerns on this invention, (B) is a whole perspective view. (A) And (B) is explanatory drawing of the angle | corner provided in the front-end | tip of a wire. One Embodiment of the holding tool concerning this invention is shown, (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view. (A) It is a side view which shows the Example of the branch tool of an optical fiber ribbon, (B) is a side view which shows the state which has branched. It is the top view seen from the V direction in FIG. 5 (B). It is a table | surface which shows a branch result. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the branch tool of the conventional optical fiber ribbon.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical fiber ribbon 11 Optical fiber 12 Outer jacket 20, 30 Branch tool 21 Upper base (1st contact part)
22 Lower base (second contact part)
23 Wires (flexible members)
24, 25 angle 40 gripping tool

Claims (2)

A method of branching an optical fiber ribbon in which the optical fiber is branched from an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fibers are integrated by a jacket,
A flexible member made of a plate material is pressed against the optical fiber ribbon, the outer sheath of the optical fiber ribbon is damaged or peeled off, and the optical fiber ribbon is applied to the optical fiber. A method of branching an optical fiber ribbon characterized by branching.   A first abutting portion that abuts on one side surface of the optical fiber ribbon, and a second abutting portion that abuts on the other side surface of the optical fiber ribbon; A branching tool for an optical fiber ribbon, wherein at least one of the second contact portions has a flexible member made of a plate material.

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