JP2005321420A - Optical fiber tape unit and optical fiber cable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber tape unit and an optical fiber cable in which optical fiber cores are easily separable from an optical fiber ribbon by hand, the optical fibers are easily identified during and after the separation job, an accidental cut is avoided as much as possible and the optical fibers are easily handled. <P>SOLUTION: An optical fiber tape unit comprises a plurality of optical fiber cores each having an outer diameter of 0.4 mm or more consisting of an optical fiber strand composed of an optical fiber, a primary coating layer and a secondary coating layer, and an overcoat layer formed around the outer circumference of the optical fiber strand, and a member for coupling the plurality of optical fiber cores arranged in parallel. Assuming that a Young's modulus of the overcoat layer is E1, a cross-sectional area A1, a tensile strength TS1 and a tensile elongation TE1 and a Young's modulus of the coupling member is E2, a cross-sectional area A2, a tensile strength TS2 and a tensile elongation TE2, following relations are satisfied: E1A1≥E2A2, TS1≥TS2, TE1≥TE2, E1≥100 (MPa), 20≤E2≤300 (MPa), TS1≥10 (MPa), TS2≤40 (MPa), TE1≥30 (%) and TE2≤40 (%). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber tape unit and an optical fiber cable, and more particularly to an optical fiber tape unit and an optical fiber cable in which a plurality of optical fiber cores having a large diameter are integrated.

  In recent years, FTTH (Fiber To The Home), that is, an optical fiber cable capable of ultra-high speed and large-capacity communication has been introduced in each home or office.

  As this type of optical fiber cable, an optical fiber cable having a structure shown in FIG. 7 has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this cable, four optical fiber dyed wires having an outer diameter of about 0.25 mm are arranged in parallel at a pitch of the optical fiber dyed wire outer diameter, and are coated with an ultraviolet curable resin to form an optical fiber ribbon 9. A plurality of optical fiber ribbons 9 are assembled (tape lamination), twisted together at a constant pitch in one direction, and the assembly is wrapped with plastic tape 22, and a sheath 20 is applied to the assembly. Part 18 is configured. In the sheath 20, two strength members 23 made of steel wire are vertically attached on both upper and lower sides.

On the other hand, the support wire portion 19 is formed by providing a sheath 25 on the outer periphery of a tensile body in which six steel wires are twisted around one steel wire. And the neck part 24 which has a slit with a fixed space | interval is formed between the cable part 18 and the support line part 19 so that the slack rate of the cable part 18 with respect to the support line part 19 may be 0.2% or more. Normally, the sheath 20 of the cable portion 18, the sheath 25 of the support wire portion 19, and the neck portion 24 are simultaneously formed by extruding and covering, for example, a low-density polyethylene sheath that is a thermoplastic resin.
JP 2001-343571 A

  When the conventional optical fiber cable shown in FIG. 7 is laid and the sheath 20 is peeled off from the intermediate portion and an optional optical fiber dye line is taken out (intermediate post-branching process), the optical fiber dye line is about 0. Because it is very thin at 25 mm, a special tool is required for the separation work from the optical fiber ribbon 9 to the optical fiber dyeing wire, and the workability is poor, and an increase in optical fiber loss may occur during the work. there were. In the worst case, the wire may be disconnected. In addition, even after separation into optical fiber dye lines, the optical fiber dye lines are very thin, which makes it difficult to identify the optical fiber when handling the fiber and also causes the optical fiber to be cut by mistake. there were.

  It is an object of the present invention to easily perform separation work from a tape type optical fiber core to a single core one by one easily, and to easily identify an optical fiber even during and after the separation of a single core, resulting in a cutting accident. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber tape unit and an optical fiber cable with good handleability.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 provides an overcoat layer on the outer periphery of an optical fiber comprising an optical fiber, a primary coating layer, and a secondary coating layer, and an outer diameter of 0.4 mm or more. An optical fiber tape unit in which a plurality of optical fiber cores are arranged in parallel and connected by a connecting member, wherein the Young's modulus of the material of the overcoat layer is E1, the cross-sectional area is A1, the tensile strength is TS1, and the tensile elongation is When TE1, Young's modulus of the connecting member is E2, cross-sectional area is A2, tensile strength is TS2, and tensile elongation is TE2, E1A1 ≧ E2A2, TS1 ≧ TS2, TE1 ≧ TE2, E1 ≧ 100 (MPa), 20 ≦ E2 ≦ 300 (MPa), TS1 ≧ 10 (MPa), TS2 ≦ 40 (MPa), TE1 ≧ 30 (%) and TE2 ≦ 40 (%) are satisfied. It is.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, a release agent is mixed in one or both of the overcoat layer and the connecting member.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical fiber is provided with a colored layer on the outer periphery of the secondary coating layer.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the material of the overcoat layer and the connecting member are a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the material of the overcoat layer is transparent.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a colorant is mixed into the material of the overcoat layer.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connecting member is transparent.

  The invention according to an eighth aspect is the invention according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the connecting member is colored by mixing a colorant.

  The invention according to a ninth aspect is the invention according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the connecting member is provided with a striped color band.

  The invention according to a tenth aspect is the invention according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the connection member is provided on both long sides of a substantially rectangular cross section in which a plurality of the optical fiber cores are arranged in parallel. Is.

  The invention according to an eleventh aspect is the invention according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the connecting member is connected to one side of a long side having a substantially rectangular cross section in which a plurality of the optical fiber cores are arranged in parallel. Is.

  The invention according to claim 12 is the invention according to claim 10 or 11, wherein a plurality of the optical fiber cores are arranged in parallel, and the connection members are provided only in the recesses between the optical fiber cores. .

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is an optical fiber cable in which one or more optical fiber tape units according to the first to twelfth aspects of the present invention are assembled into a cable.

  The optical fiber tape unit of the present invention uses an optical fiber core wire having an overcoat layer and an outer diameter of 0.4 mm or more, and a plurality of the optical fiber core wires are arranged in parallel and connected by a connecting member. The Young's modulus of the material of the overcoat layer is E1, the cross-sectional area is A1, the tensile strength is TS1, the tensile elongation is TE1, the Young's modulus of the connecting member is E2, the cross-sectional area is A2, the tensile strength is TS2, and the tensile elongation is TE2. When satisfying the relationship of E1A1 ≧ E2A2, TS1 ≧ TS2, and TE1 ≧ TE2, the overcoat layer of the optical fiber core wire is stronger than the connecting member, so the overcoat layer is destroyed at the time of single fiber separation. Without doing so, it is possible to separate only the connecting members and separate them from each other.

  In addition, when the strength of the connecting member satisfies the relationship of E2 ≦ 300 (MPa), TS2 ≦ 40 (MPa), and TE2 ≦ 40 (%), a large load is applied to the optical fiber tape unit during single-core separation. Therefore, single core separation by hand is possible, and an increase in transmission loss can be prevented.

  Moreover, the optical fiber tape unit is cabled by satisfying E1 ≧ 100 (MPa), TS1 ≧ 10 (MPa), TE1 ≧ 30 (%), and E2 ≧ 20 (MPa) for the overcoat layer and the connecting member. When ringing (cable), it is possible to prevent the optical fiber tape unit 12 from being damaged.

  Further, since the diameter of the optical fiber core is increased to 0.4 mm or more, it is easy to handle and the optical fiber core can be easily identified.

  In addition, the single-core separation property is further improved by mixing the release agent into one or both of the overcoat layer and the connecting member.

  In addition, by using a transparent overcoat layer material, the optical fiber core wire can be easily identified.

  Further, since the color of the overcoat layer is mixed with the colorant, the optical fiber core wire can be easily identified.

  In addition, the use of a transparent material for the connecting member facilitates identification of the optical fiber core wire in the optical fiber tape unit.

  Further, since the connecting member is colored by mixing the colorant, the optical fiber core wire or the optical fiber tape unit can be easily identified.

  Further, by providing the connecting member with a striped color band, the optical fiber core wire or the optical fiber tape unit can be easily identified.

  Preferred embodiments of an optical fiber tape unit and an optical fiber cable according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the Young's modulus described in this specification is a value in normal temperature (23 degreeC).

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an optical fiber core wire used in the optical fiber tape unit and the optical fiber cable of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber core wire 10 used in the present invention includes an optical fiber 17 composed of a core and a clad, a primary coating layer 16, a secondary coating layer 15, a colored layer 14, and an overcoat layer 13. The outer diameter is 0.4 mm or more. In addition, you may color by mixing a coloring agent in a secondary coating layer, without providing a colored layer. Further, a release agent may be mixed in the overcoat layer.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the first embodiment of the optical fiber tape unit of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the optical fiber tape unit 12 of this embodiment has a plurality of optical fiber cores 10 arranged in parallel and a connection member 11 provided on the outer periphery thereof for connection. The overcoat layer and the connecting member are formed using an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting resin, a thermoplastic resin, or the like. A release agent may be mixed into the connecting member. At this time, the Young's modulus of the material of the overcoat layer is E1, the cross-sectional area is A1, the tensile strength is TS1, the tensile elongation is TE1, the Young's modulus of the connecting member is E2, the cross-sectional area is A2, the tensile strength is TS2, and the tensile elongation is When TE2
E1A1 ≧ E2A2, TS1 ≧ TS2, TE1 ≧ TE2, E1 ≧ 100 (MPa), 20 ≦ E2 ≦ 300 (MPa), TS1 ≧ 10 (MPa), TS2 ≦ 40 (MPa), TE1 ≧ 30 (%) and TE2 ≦ 40 (%)
Satisfy the relationship.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the optical fiber tape unit of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the optical fiber tape unit 12 of this embodiment has a plurality of optical fiber cores 10 arranged in parallel, and a connection member 11 is provided only in the recesses between the optical fiber cores on the outer periphery. It is.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of the optical fiber tape unit of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the optical fiber tape unit 12 of the present embodiment has a plurality of optical fiber cores 10 arranged in parallel, and a connecting member 11 is provided and connected to the outer periphery thereof with substantially the same thickness. .

  FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a fourth embodiment of the optical fiber tape unit of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the optical fiber tape unit 12 of the present embodiment has a plurality of optical fiber cores 10 arranged in parallel, and a connection member 11 is provided only in the concave portion between the optical fiber cores on one outer peripheral surface thereof. Is.

  The optical fiber tape unit of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the Young's modulus of the material of the overcoat layer is E1, the cross-sectional area is A1, the tensile strength is TS1, the tensile elongation is TE1, and the connecting member is Young. When the rate is E2, the cross-sectional area is A2, the tensile strength is TS2, and the tensile elongation is TE2, E1A1 ≧ E2A2, TS1 ≧ TS2, TE1 ≧ TE2, E1 ≧ 100 (MPa), 20 ≦ E2 ≦ 300 (MPa), What is necessary is just to satisfy | fill the relationship of TS1> = 10 (MPa), TS2 <= 40 (MPa), TE1> = 30 (%), and TE2 <= 40 (%).

  FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the optical fiber cable of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the optical fiber cable of the present embodiment includes a plurality of optical fiber tape units 12 of the present invention (tape lamination), twisted together with interpositions 26, and two strength members 23 on both upper and lower sides. A support wire portion having a configuration in which a sheath 25 is provided on the outer periphery of a tensile strength body obtained by twisting six steel wires around one steel wire after being vertically attached and configured with a sheath 20 19 and a neck portion 24 provided with slits at regular intervals so that the slackness of the cable portion 18 with respect to the support wire portion 19 between the cable portion 18 and the support wire portion 19 is 0.2% or more. is there.

  The optical fiber cable of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and any optical fiber cable that uses the optical fiber tape unit of the present invention may be used.

  A plurality of four-fiber optical fiber tape units were used, and a single-fiber separation operation was performed to evaluate the single-fiber separation. The results are shown in Table 1. The single-core separation evaluation “x” indicates that part or all of the overcoat layer of the optical fiber core wire was broken during the single-core separation.

  From Table 1, Young's modulus E1, cross-sectional area A1, tensile strength TS1, tensile elongation TE1 of the overcoat layer of the optical fiber core wire, Young's modulus E2, cross-sectional area A2, tensile strength TS2 of the connecting member 11 of the optical fiber tape unit It can be seen that by setting the relationship with the tensile elongation TE2 to E1A1 ≧ E2A2, TS1 ≧ TS2, and TE1 ≧ TE2, the single-fiber separation operation of the optical fiber tape unit can be performed without destroying the overcoat layer.

  Several types of four-fiber optical fiber tape units were prototyped, single-fiber separation work was performed, and single-fiber separation evaluation was performed. The results are shown in Table 2. The single-core separation evaluation “◯” indicates that at the time of single-core separation, single-core separation can be performed using a hand without using a tool, and transmission loss has not increased.

  From Table 2, the connecting member of the optical fiber tape unit has a Young's modulus E2, a tensile strength TS2, and a tensile elongation TE2 satisfying a relationship of E2 ≦ 300 (MPa), TS2 ≦ 40 (MPa), and TE2 ≦ 40 (%). It can be seen that the single-fiber separation operation of the optical fiber tape unit can be performed manually and the increase in transmission loss can be prevented.

  Several types of four-fiber optical fiber tape units were prototyped and the cabling results were investigated. The results are shown in Table 3. The cabling result “x” indicates that an optical fiber tape unit is damaged.

  From Table 3, the Young's modulus E1, the cross-sectional area A1, the tensile strength TS1, the tensile elongation TE1, and the Young's modulus E2 of the connecting member of the optical fiber tape unit are E1 ≧ 100 (MPa), TS1 It can be seen that by setting ≧ 10 (MPa), TE1 ≧ 30 (%), and E2 ≧ 20 (MPa), it is possible to suppress damage to the optical fiber tape unit 12 when cabling the optical fiber tape unit.

  Several types of four-fiber optical fiber tape units were prototyped, single-fiber separation work was performed, and single-fiber separation evaluation was performed. The results are shown in Table 4. The single-core separation time means the time required for one worker to separate the ten tape units.

  From Table 4, it can be seen that mixing the release agent into one or both of the overcoat layer and the connecting member shortens the single-core separation time, that is, improves the single-core separation property.

  The removal power of the prototype optical fiber was investigated. The coating removal test method is shown in FIG. Using an optical fiber core wire 10 having an outer diameter of 0.4 mm and 0.5 mm, and a coating removal blade 28 at 100 mm from the end portion of the optical fiber core wire so as not to damage the optical fiber strand. The overcoat layer 13 was cut in the circumferential direction, and further moved in a direction horizontal to the optical fiber core wire 10 to remove the overcoat layer 13. And the maximum removal force at that time was measured with the tension measuring machine. The results are shown in Tables 5 and 6.

  From Tables 5 and 6, it can be seen that damage to the optical fiber can be prevented by setting the coating removal force of the optical fiber core wire to 9.8 N / 100 mm or less per one.

  Various types of optical fiber cores were created, and the core line distinguishability was examined. In the core identification test, 40 cores (50 cm) of the same core diameter are bundled and both ends fixed are counted by any 15 persons from the age of 20 to 50, and the correct answer rate (identification) The accuracy rate) and the time required (identification time) were measured. The core wire diameter of 0.25 mm is without the overcoat layer. The results are shown in Tables 7 and 8.

  From Tables 7 and 8, it can be seen that the core wire distinguishability is good when the outer diameter of the optical fiber core wire is 0.4 mm or more. Further, from the result when the overcoat layer is made transparent, it is determined that the outer diameter of the optical fiber core wire 10 is 0.4 mm or more and 0.7 mm or less due to the effect of the lens effect due to the transparent overcoat layer. It can be seen that the line discrimination is good.

  In order to improve the discriminability of the optical fiber tape unit at the time of cabling, it is possible to discriminate according to the color of the optical fiber dyed wire by making the connecting member transparent, and all the colors of the optical fiber core wires are In the case where they are the same, the connecting member itself can be colored by mixing a coloring agent to enable identification of the core wire. Further, the connecting member may be provided with a striped color band.

  An optical fiber core wire used in an optical fiber tape unit manufactured as an example will be described with reference to FIG.

  The primary coating layer 16 and the secondary coating layer 15 were formed on the optical fiber 17 having an outer diameter of about 0.125 mm with an ultraviolet curable resin so that the outer diameter was about 0.245 mm. Further, a colored layer 14 was provided on the outermost layer for identification, and an optical fiber strand having an outer diameter of about 0.255 mm was formed.

Next, an overcoat layer 13 made of an ultraviolet curable resin was provided on the optical fiber, and an optical fiber core wire 10 having an outer diameter of about 0.50 mm was formed. The overcoat layer 13 used had a Young's modulus of about 230 MPa, a tensile strength of about 31 MPa, and a tensile elongation of about 38%, and the cross-sectional area was about 0.145 mm ² .

Note that the following two means can be used in order to improve the core line discrimination at the time of single-core separation.
(1) A transparent overcoat layer is coated in a cylindrical shape on an optical fiber, and the discrimination effect is improved by the lens effect. This lens effect is particularly effective when the outer diameter of the optical fiber core is 0.7 mm or less (colored outer diameter / overcoat layer outer diameter ≧ 37%).
(2) The overcoat layer colored with the colorant mixed on the optical fiber is coated in a cylindrical shape to improve the discrimination.

  An optical fiber tape unit manufactured as an example will be described with reference to FIG.

The overall dimensions of the optical fiber tape unit 12 were about 2.05 mm for the major axis and about 0.52 mm for the minor axis, and four optical fiber cores 10 were connected with an ultraviolet curable resin. At this time, the connecting member 11 has a Young's modulus of about 75 MPa, a tensile strength of about 13 MPa, a tensile elongation of about 22%, and a cross-sectional area of about 0.411 mm ² . The relationship between the Young's modulus E1, the cross-sectional area A1, the tensile strength TS1, and the tensile elongation TE1 of the overcoat layer 13 and the Young's modulus E2, the cross-sectional area A2, the tensile strength TS2, and the tensile elongation TE2 of the connecting member 11 of the optical fiber tape unit are E1A1-E2A2≈102.6> 0, TS1-TS2 = 18> 0, TE1-TE2 = 16> 0, and E1 ≧ 100 (MPa), 20 ≦ E2 ≦ 300 (MPa), TS1 ≦ 10 ( MPa), TS2 ≦ 40 (MPa), TE1 ≦ 30 (%), and TE2 ≦ 40 (%).

  As a result of separating this optical fiber tape unit 12 into four (single core) optical fiber core wires 10 by hand, good separation characteristics without destroying the overcoat layer of the optical fiber core wire 10 are obtained. It was. Furthermore, there was no increase in optical fiber loss during the separation operation. In addition, since the optical fiber core wire is as thick as 0.5 mm, it is easy to identify the optical fiber when handling the fiber.

In addition, as a manufacturing method of the optical fiber tape unit 12, the following four means can be used.
(1) A plurality of optical fiber cores 10 are arranged in parallel, and an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin is applied and cured on one side or both sides of a long side having a substantially rectangular cross section (for example, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, 4 and 5).
(2) A plurality of optical fiber cores 10 are arranged in parallel, and an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or a thermoplastic resin is coated with a pressure die, cured, and connected (for example, FIGS. 2 and 4).
(3) A plurality of optical fiber cores 10 are arranged in parallel, and an adhesive resin is applied and cured on one or both sides of a long side having a substantially rectangular cross section (for example, FIGS. 3 and 5).
(4) A plurality of optical fiber cores 10 are arranged in parallel and intermittently connected with an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting resin, a thermoplastic resin, an ultraviolet curable resin, or an adhesive resin.

  An optical fiber cable made as an example will be described with reference to FIG.

  6 optical fiber tape units 12 as described above are arranged in the center and 2 on each side, assembled and twisted together with polypropylene fibers (intervening 26), roughly wound with cotton yarn to cover the sheath 20, and the cable portion It was set to 18. The cable portion 18 has a jacket thickness of 2.0 mm and an outer diameter of 9.5 mm. A steel wire having a diameter of 0.7 mm was used as the tensile body 23, and a polyester fiber string having a diameter of 1.0 mm was used as the sheath tearing string 21. Further, a galvanized steel stranded wire in which seven steel wires having a diameter of 1.4 mm were twisted was used for the support wire portion 19, and a sheath 25 was provided on the outer periphery thereof. And the neck part 24 which has a slit with a fixed space | interval was formed between the cable part 18 and the support line part 19 so that the slack rate of the cable part 18 with respect to the support line part 19 might be 0.2% or more. The sheath 20 of the cable portion 18, the sheath 25 of the support wire portion 19, and the neck portion 24 were simultaneously formed by extruding and covering a low density polyethylene sheath that is a thermoplastic resin. The overall dimensions of this optical fiber cable were 17 mm overall.

  An optical fiber cable (also referred to as an optical drop cable) manufactured as a prototype as another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  Two pieces of the optical fiber tape unit 12 described above are arranged in the cable portion 18, the strength member 23 uses a steel wire having a diameter of 0.7 mm, and the support wire 19 uses a steel wire having a diameter of 2.3 mm. A low density polyethylene sheath, which is a thermoplastic resin, was extrusion coated all at once. Further, a notch 30 having a width of 1.2 mm and a depth of 0.9 mm was formed in the cable length direction so that the optical fiber tape unit could be easily taken out from the sheath 20 of the cable portion 18. The width of the cable portion 18 of this optical drop cable was 5.1 mm, the thickness was 3.5 mm, and the overall cable height was 8.6 mm.

It is sectional drawing of one Embodiment of the optical fiber core wire used for the optical fiber tape unit of this invention. It is sectional drawing of embodiment of the optical fiber tape unit of this invention. It is sectional drawing of other embodiment of the optical fiber tape unit of this invention. It is sectional drawing of other embodiment of the optical fiber tape unit of this invention. It is sectional drawing of other embodiment of the optical fiber tape unit of this invention. It is sectional drawing of embodiment of the optical fiber cable of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the conventional optical fiber cable. It is the schematic which shows the coating removal test method of the optical fiber core wire of this invention. It is sectional drawing of one Example of the optical fiber cable of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Conventional optical fiber ribbon 10 Optical fiber core 11 Connecting member 12 Optical fiber tape unit 13 Overcoat layer 14 Colored layer 15 Secondary coating layer of optical fiber strand 16 Primary coating layer of optical fiber strand DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 Optical fiber 18 Cable part 19 Support line part 20 Cable part sheath 21 Tear string 22 Plastic tape 23 Strength body 24 Neck part 25 Support line part sheath 26 Interposition 27 Optical fiber strand 28 Blade for sheath removal 29 Sheath projection part

Claims (13)

An optical fiber consisting of an optical fiber, a primary coating layer, and a secondary coating layer is provided with an overcoat layer on the outer periphery, and a plurality of optical fiber cores having an outer diameter of 0.4 mm or more are arranged in parallel and connected by a connecting member An optical fiber tape unit,
The Young's modulus of the material of the overcoat layer is E1, the cross-sectional area is A1, the tensile strength is TS1, the tensile elongation is TE1, the Young's modulus of the connecting member is E2, the cross-sectional area is A2, the tensile strength is TS2, and the tensile elongation is TE2. When
E1A1 ≧ E2A2, TS1 ≧ TS2, TE1 ≧ TE2, E1 ≧ 100 (MPa), 20 ≦ E2 ≦ 300 (MPa), TS1 ≧ 10 (MPa), TS2 ≦ 40 (MPa), TE1 ≧ 30 (%) and TE2 ≦ 40 (%)
An optical fiber tape unit satisfying the following relationship.   2. The optical fiber tape unit according to claim 1, wherein a release agent is mixed in one or both of the overcoat layer and the connecting member.   The optical fiber tape unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical fiber has a colored layer on an outer periphery of the secondary coating layer.   The optical fiber tape unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the material of the overcoat layer and the connecting member are thermosetting resin or thermoplastic resin.   The optical fiber tape unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the material of the overcoat layer is transparent.   The optical fiber tape unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a colorant is mixed in the material of the overcoat layer.   The optical fiber tape unit according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is transparent.   The optical fiber tape unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connecting member is colored by mixing a colorant.   The optical fiber tape unit according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is provided with a striped color band.   The optical fiber tape unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the optical fiber tape unit is connected by providing the connecting member on both sides of a long side having a substantially rectangular cross section in which a plurality of the optical fiber cores are arranged in parallel.   The optical fiber tape unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the connecting member is provided and connected to one side of a long side having a substantially rectangular cross section in which a plurality of the optical fiber cores are arranged in parallel.   The optical fiber tape unit according to claim 10 or 11, wherein a plurality of the optical fiber cores are arranged in parallel, and the connection members are provided only in the recesses between the optical fiber cores.   An optical fiber cable comprising one or more optical fiber tape units according to claim 1 assembled into a cable.

Images