JP2012088583A - Optical fiber unit and branching method of optical fiber unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber unit which is capable of surely binding optical fiber strands not to loosen the optical fiber strands and provides good discriminability among them and is superior in workability of branching.SOLUTION: An optical fiber unit 1 mainly comprises optical fibers 3 and an optical fiber binding member 9. The optical fibers 3 are general optical fiber strands, and a required number of optical fibers are bound by the optical fiber binding member 9. The optical fiber binding member 9 comprises cylinder parts 5 and connection parts 7. The cylinder parts 5 are cylindrical and are provided so as to cover all of outer peripheries of the plurality of optical fibers 3. Cylinder parts 5 adjacent in an axial direction of the optical fiber unit 1 are connected to each other by the connection parts 7. Consequently, the cylinder parts 5 are arranged at prescribed intervals in accordance with a length of the connection parts 7 in a state where the connection parts 7 are stretched straight. The cylinder parts 5 and the connection parts 7 are formed on outer peripheries of the bound optical fibers 3 partially in a circumferential direction and are provided substantially linearly in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber unit formed by bundling a plurality of optical fiber strands and an optical fiber unit branching method.

  Conventionally, a plurality of optical fiber strands are bundled, and the bundled optical fiber units are inserted into a protective tube or the like. In this case, each optical fiber unit is identified, and further, identification is made for each strand within the same optical fiber unit, and a desired optical fiber strand is taken out and branched as necessary.

  As such a branchable optical fiber unit, for example, there is an optical fiber unit in which a plurality of strands are roughly wound in two opposite directions with two bundle yarns and bundled (Patent Document 1). In addition, there are optical fiber units in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are bundled and integrated with resin at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction (Patent Documents 2 and 3).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-26534 JP-A-10-160987 JP 2005-234361 A

  However, in the case of using a yarn for bundle as in Patent Document 1, the binding force of the optical fiber is weak in the first place. For this reason, when taking out the optical fiber in the branching operation, the winding position of the bundle yarn is biased in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber may easily jump out of the bundled state. . Further, particularly at the end of the optical fiber unit, since there is no binding force with the bundle yarn, there is a problem that the optical fiber strands are separated. Further, since the bundle yarn is thin, it is difficult to separate from the optical fiber, and there is a problem that the identification property of the optical fiber unit is inferior.

  In addition, as in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, the method of integrating optical fiber strands with resin at a predetermined interval has a strong binding force and the optical fiber strands do not vary. It is necessary to peel off the desired optical fiber from the resin. At this time, there is a problem that an excessive force is applied to the optical fiber, and there is a possibility of local bending or the like. In addition, since the optical fiber strand once branched in the branching operation cannot be bundled again, if the unnecessary optical fiber strand is peeled off from the resin, it cannot be returned to the original state.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem. An optical fiber capable of reliably binding optical fiber strands without causing the optical fiber strands to be separated and having good discrimination and excellent branching workability. The purpose is to provide units.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the first invention is an optical fiber unit in which a plurality of optical fibers are bundled, and includes a plurality of optical fibers, a cylindrical portion that bundles the plurality of optical fibers from the outer periphery, and the optical fiber. A connecting portion that connects the cylindrical portions adjacent to each other in the axial direction, and when the cylindrical portion is slid in the axial direction of the optical fiber, the connecting portion is deformed, and the adjacent cylindrical portions are An optical fiber unit characterized in that the interval can be reduced.

  It is desirable that the connecting portion is formed at a part of the outer periphery of the plurality of optical fibers in the circumferential direction, and the inner optical fiber is visible at the connecting portion.

  The adjacent connecting portions may be provided at different circumferential positions on the outer periphery of the plurality of optical fibers.

  The axial length of the cylindrical portion is preferably 2 mm or more and 50 mm or less, and the axial length of the connecting portion is preferably 20 mm or more and 150 mm or less.

  According to the first invention, since the plurality of optical fibers are bundled by the cylindrical portion, the optical fibers can be surely bundled and the optical fibers are not scattered. Moreover, since the cylindrical portions are connected by the connecting portion and the connecting portion can be deformed, the interval between the cylindrical portions can be reduced by sliding the cylindrical portion in the axial direction of the optical fiber. For this reason, a branch work area can be secured easily.

  In addition, after the branching operation, the cylindrical portion can be easily moved at a predetermined interval by sliding the cylindrical portion to the original position, and the optical fibers can be securely bound even after the branching operation.

  Further, since the cylindrical portion and the connecting portion are located on the outer peripheral portion of the optical fiber, the optical fiber unit can be easily identified by coloring the cylindrical portion and the connecting portion.

  Moreover, the optical fiber which comprises an optical fiber unit can be easily visually recognized in a connection part by providing a connection part in a part of optical fiber unit. Therefore, it is excellent in branch workability.

  Further, by arranging the adjacent connecting portions at different positions in the circumferential direction of the optical fiber unit, the connecting portions can be surely visually recognized even from different directions of the optical fiber unit. For this reason, the discriminability of the optical fiber unit is excellent, and it is possible to select a connecting part that is easy to cut even when the connecting part is cut in a branching operation.

  In particular, by setting the axial length of the cylindrical portion to 2 mm or more and 50 mm or less, the optical fibers can be securely bundled and the bending of the optical fiber unit is not adversely affected. Moreover, the branch work area | region can be ensured reliably at the time of branch work because the axial direction length of a connection part shall be 20 mm or more and 150 mm or less.

  2nd invention is a branching method of an optical fiber unit, Comprising: A plurality of optical fibers, a cylinder part which bundles the plurality of optical fibers from the perimeter, and the cylinder parts which adjoin the axial direction of the optical fiber are connected Using an optical fiber unit having a connecting part, cutting a part of the connecting part, sliding the cylindrical part in the axial direction of the optical fiber to secure a branching work area, A branching method for an optical fiber unit, wherein after the branching operation is performed, the cylindrical portion is moved to an original position.

  According to the second invention, in the branching work, the optical fiber is not scattered, the visibility is excellent, the branching work area can be easily secured, and the original bundling state is obtained after the branching work is finished. Can be returned to. Therefore, the branch workability is very good.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical fiber unit or the like that can reliably bind optical fiber strands, does not vary the optical fiber strands, and has good discrimination and excellent branching workability.

It is a figure which shows the optical fiber unit 1, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is the sectional view on the AA line of (a), (b) is the sectional view on the BB line of (a). The figure which shows the processing method of the optical fiber binding material 9. FIG. The figure which shows the branch work process of an optical fiber unit. The figure which shows the branch work process of an optical fiber unit. The figure which shows the branch work process of an optical fiber unit. 4A and 4B show another embodiment, in which FIG. 4A shows an optical fiber unit 30, and FIG. 4B shows an optical fiber unit 40. It is a figure which shows other embodiment, (a) is a figure which shows the optical fiber unit 50, (b) is a figure which shows the branch work state using the optical fiber unit 50.

  Hereinafter, an optical fiber unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an optical fiber unit 1, FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the optical fiber unit 1, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1A, and FIG. ) Is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. The optical fiber unit 1 mainly includes an optical fiber 3, an optical fiber binding member 9, and the like.

  The optical fiber 3 is a general optical fiber, and the required number is bundled by the optical fiber binding member 9. The optical fibers 3 constituting the optical fiber unit 1 are colored with different colors and can be distinguished from each other.

  The optical fiber binding member 9 is composed of a cylindrical portion 5 and a connecting portion 7. The cylindrical portion 5 has a cylindrical shape and is provided so as to cover the entire outer periphery of the plurality of optical fibers 3. That is, the optical fiber 3 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 5.

  The cylindrical portions 5 adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit 1 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 7. Therefore, in a state where the connecting portion 7 is straightly extended, the tube portions 5 are arranged at predetermined intervals according to the length of the connecting portion 7. The connecting portion 7 is formed in a part of the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the bundled optical fibers 3 and is provided on substantially one straight line in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit 1. That is, the internal optical fiber 3 can be visually recognized at the site of the connecting portion 7.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the optical fiber binding material 9a. For example, an optical fiber bundling material 9a having a tube portion corresponding portion 11 and a connecting portion corresponding portion 13 as shown in FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2B, both ends of the cylindrical portion corresponding part 11 are rounded (in the direction of arrow C in the figure) to the outer periphery of the bundle of optical fibers 3 (not shown) to bundle the optical fibers 3. In the outer periphery, the end portions may be joined together by bonding or the like.

  The optical fiber bundling material 9a may be any material as long as it is flexible. For example, a tape, a film, or the like made of paper, resin, rubber, or the like can be used. In addition, the cylinder part corresponding | compatible part 11 and the connection part corresponding | compatible part 13 do not necessarily need to be integral, and you may join and form the thing of a different raw material. The optical fiber bundling member 9 is not limited to the above-described method, and the optical fiber 3 may be inserted into the cylindrical portion 5 and then the cylindrical portions 5 may be connected to each other by the strip-shaped connecting portion 7.

  Further, it is not necessary that all the cylindrical portions 5 formed in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit are connected by the connecting portion 7. That is, the optical fiber bundling member 9 only needs to connect at least two adjacent cylindrical portions 5 with the connecting portion 7. In the case where the optical fiber binding member 9 is configured by connecting a predetermined number of cylindrical portions 5 with the connecting portion 7, a plurality of optical fiber binding members 9 may be provided in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit 1.

  Next, a branching operation method using the optical fiber unit 1 will be described. 3-5 is a figure which shows the process of a branch operation | work. As shown in FIG. 3A, in the laying state, the optical fibers 3 are bundled at predetermined intervals in the axial direction by the optical fiber bundling member 9 (cylinder portion 5). The outer surface of the optical fiber unit 9 is colored, for example, and the desired optical fiber unit 1 can be easily selected even when a plurality of optical fiber units are laid.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3B, the connecting portion 7 in the vicinity of the branching position is cut to form the cut portion 15. Note that, as described above, it is not always necessary for all the cylindrical portions 5 to be connected to each other by the connecting portion 7. Therefore, if there is a portion without the connecting portion 7 in the vicinity of the branch portion, cutting is not necessarily required. In this case, what is necessary is just to work by making the part which does not have the connection part 7 (namely, between optical fiber binding members 9) into the cutting part 15. FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4A, the cylindrical portions 5 on both sides of the cutting portion 15 are slid in a direction away from each other (arrow D direction in the drawing) with the cutting portion 15 as a boundary. That is, the cylinder part 5 is moved in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit 1. At this time, the cylindrical portion 5 slides while maintaining its shape, but the connecting portion 7 is deformed so as to protrude outward of the optical fiber unit 1. That is, the space | interval of cylinder parts 5 becomes near with respect to a laying state.

  By reducing the distance between the cylindrical portions 5 by the length of the connecting portion 7 to be deformed, a region without the optical fiber binding member 9 is formed. A portion where the optical fiber binding member 9 is not provided is a branching work area 17.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, in the branching work area 17, the desired branch fiber 19 is separated from the other optical fiber 3 bundle and extracted. Next, the branch fiber 19 is cut. At this time, since the length of the branch work area 17 can be set according to the work space, separation / sorting work and extraction work are easy.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5A, the branch fiber 19 and the branch cable 23 (or other branch fiber) that is the branch destination are connected by the connecting portion 21. The connection method may be a known method.

  After the connection work of the branch fiber 19 and the branch cable 23 is completed, as shown in FIG. 5B, the moved cylinder portion 5 is slid to the original position (in the direction of arrow E in the figure). As described above, the branch cable 23 can be branched from the optical fiber unit 1. Even when the cylinder part 5 is returned to the original position, the position of the cylinder part 5 is determined by the connecting part 7, so that the cylinder part 5 is arranged at substantially the same interval as before the branching operation. Therefore, the bundle of optical fibers 3 after branching can be surely bundled.

  In consideration of the above-described branching workability, it is desirable that the length of the cylindrical portion 5 is about 2 mm to 50 mm and the length of the connecting portion 7 is about 20 mm to 150 mm. If the length of the tube portion 5 is too short, the binding force of the optical fiber 3 becomes weak. The strength of the cylinder part 5 itself also decreases. In addition, if the length of the cylindrical portion 5 is too long, the takeout property of the optical fiber is deteriorated, the flexibility of the optical fiber unit 1 is deteriorated, and the local bending is performed at the boundary portion between the cylindrical portion 5 and the connecting portion 7. This is not desirable because it tends to occur.

  On the other hand, if the connecting portion 7 is too short, it is difficult to sufficiently secure the branch work area 17 even if the cylindrical portion 5 is slid. Moreover, when the connection part 7 is too long, the binding force of the optical fiber 3 will become weak and there exists a possibility that the optical fiber 3 may fall apart. Moreover, the discriminability of the optical fiber unit 1 is also deteriorated.

  In consideration of the sliding movement of the cylindrical portion 5, the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 5 is the diameter of the minimum outer circumference circle when the optical fibers 3 are bundled (the circumscribed circle when the optical fibers 3 are arranged in the closest packing). On the other hand, it is desirable to be 1.1 times to 2.0 times. If the inner diameter of the tube portion 5 is too small, it is difficult to slide the tube portion 5 with respect to the optical fiber unit 1. Moreover, when the internal diameter of the cylinder part 5 is too large, the binding force of an optical fiber will become weak. That is, the cylindrical portion 5 is arranged so as to be slidable with respect to the bundle of optical fibers 3, and is different from a band or the like that is bound so as to tighten the outer periphery of the bundle of optical fibers 3.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain an optical fiber unit capable of binding optical fibers with certainty. In particular, by alternately arranging the cylindrical portions 5 that are not easily deformed in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit and the connecting portions 7 that are easily deformed, the cylindrical portions 5 can be easily slid to move the branch work area 17. Can be formed. In addition, it can be easily returned to the original position after the work. Therefore, the optical fibers can be surely bundled before and after the branching operation.

  Moreover, since the cylinder part 5 is formed in the outer periphery of the bundle | flux of the optical fiber 3, the color of a cylinder part etc. can be identified easily. Moreover, since the cylindrical part 5 does not fix the optical fiber 3 with resin or the like, the position in the cross section of the optical fiber 3 is somewhat movable inside the cylindrical part 5. Therefore, when the optical fiber unit 1 is bent, a difference in bending radius with respect to the inside and outside of the bending caused by always fixing the position in the cross section of the optical fiber hardly occurs, resulting in an increase in transmission loss and the like. Hateful.

  Further, when the branching work area 17 is formed, it is not necessary to apply an excessive force to the optical fiber 3 because the optical fiber 3 is not peeled off from the resin. Accordingly, local bending or the like does not occur in the optical fiber 3 when the branching work area 17 is formed, and the work area can be easily secured. In addition, if the slide amount of the cylinder part 5 is adjusted, the range of the branch work area | region 17 can be adjusted easily.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, the technical scope of this invention is not influenced by embodiment mentioned above. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various modifications or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs.

  For example, FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an optical fiber unit according to another embodiment. Like the optical fiber unit 30 shown in FIG. 6A, the connecting portions are not arranged in a substantially straight line in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit, and adjacent connecting portions are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the optical fiber unit. May be.

  As for the optical fiber binding tool 31, the cylinder part 5 arrange | positioned at an axial direction is connected by connection part 7a, 7b alternately. For example, the connecting portions 7a and 7b are arranged at positions different by 180 ° in the circumferential direction. Note that the connecting portions do not need to be 180 ° relative to each other, and may be arranged at a desired angle. In addition, the connecting positions of the connecting portions in the circumferential direction are not set at two locations (for example, 180 °), but are set at a plurality of locations (for example, the positions of the connecting portions adjacent in the axial direction are sequentially 120 °. You may arrange | position so that it may become three places of the circumferential direction, changing with a position.

  By arranging the adjacent connecting portions 7a and 7b so as to be at different positions in the circumferential direction of the optical fiber unit 30, the connecting portions 7a and 7b can be reliably recognized even from different directions of the optical fiber unit 30. . For this reason, the discriminability of the optical fiber unit is excellent. Further, when the connecting portion is cut in the branching operation, the connecting portion at the circumferential position that is easy to cut can be selected.

  Moreover, like the optical fiber unit 40 shown in FIG.6 (b), a connection part may be arrange | positioned in the several places of the circumferential direction of an optical fiber unit between the same cylinder parts. That is, in the optical fiber binding device 41, the tube portions 5 are connected to each other by a plurality of connecting portions 7a and 7b. For example, the connecting portions 7a and 7b are simultaneously arranged at positions different by 180 ° in the circumferential direction, and the tube portions 5 are connected at two locations in the circumferential direction.

  Note that the position and the number of connections of the connecting portions may not be two places different from each other by 180 °. For example, the connecting portions may be connected at three locations at intervals of 120 °, or may be connected at four or more locations. Good.

  FIG. 7A is a view showing an optical fiber unit 50 having a connecting portion 53 formed by a slit 55. In the present invention, the internal optical fiber does not necessarily have to be exposed to the outside at the connecting portion, and the slits 55 may be provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction. That is, the optical fiber binding tool 51 is composed of a tube portion 5 and a connecting portion 53 that connects the tube portions 5 to each other, and the connecting portion 53 is formed by forming a plurality of axial slits 55 in the circumferential direction.

  FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a state where the branching operation is performed using the optical fiber unit 50. As shown in FIG. 7B, the cylindrical portion 5 can be slid in the axial direction of the optical fiber unit 50 by cutting the connecting portion 53 in the circumferential direction (in the direction of arrow F in the figure). At this time, the connecting portion 53 can be deformed by the slits 55 so as to protrude radially in the radial direction, thereby narrowing the interval between the cylindrical portions 5. Therefore, a branch work area can be secured. Moreover, it can return to the original state easily after the branching work.

  Note that the above embodiments can be naturally combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 30, 40, 50 .... Optical fiber unit 3 ... Optical fiber 5 ...... Tube part 7, 7a, 7b ... Connection part 9 ... Optical fiber binding member 9a ... Optical fiber binding Material 11 ......... Cylinder part corresponding part 13 ......... Connecting part corresponding part 15 ......... Cut part 17 ......... Branching work area 19 ......... Branching fiber 21 ......... Connection part 23 ......... Branching cable 31 ... ...... Optical fiber tie 41 ......... Optical fiber tie 51 ......... Optical fiber tie 53 ......... Connecting portion 55 ......... Slit

Claims (5)

An optical fiber unit in which a plurality of optical fibers are bundled,
A plurality of optical fibers;
A cylindrical portion that bundles the plurality of optical fibers from the outer periphery;
A connecting portion that connects the cylindrical portions adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the optical fiber;
Comprising
When the cylindrical portion is slid in the axial direction of the optical fiber, the connecting portion is deformed, and an interval between the adjacent cylindrical portions can be reduced.   2. The optical fiber unit according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is formed at a part of a circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the plurality of optical fibers, and the inner optical fiber is visible in the connecting portion. .   The optical fiber unit according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent connecting portions are provided at different circumferential positions on the outer periphery of the plurality of optical fibers.   The axial length of the said cylinder part is 2 mm or more and 50 mm or less, The axial direction length of the said connection part is 20 mm or more and 150 mm or less, The light in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Fiber unit. An optical fiber unit branching method,
Using an optical fiber unit comprising a plurality of optical fibers, a cylindrical portion that bundles the optical fibers from the outer periphery, and a connecting portion that connects the cylindrical portions adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the optical fiber,
Cutting a part of the connecting portion, sliding the cylindrical portion in the axial direction of the optical fiber to secure a branching work area,
A branching method for an optical fiber unit, wherein after the branching work is performed in the branching work area, the cylindrical portion is moved to an original position.

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