JP2019123633A - Manufacturing device of optical fiber and manufacturing method of optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing device of an optical fiber hardly mixing inks with a plurality of colors and good in discriminability, and a manufacturing method of the optical fiber.SOLUTION: There is provided a manufacturing device of an optical fiber having a coloring die for applying a coloring layer to an optical fiber element wire using inks with a plurality of colors. The coloring die has a fiber insertion hole 53 having a die inlet through which the optical fiber element wire is inserted (illustrated as second die inlet 54), and a die outlet communicated to the die inlet and through which an optical fiber core wire colored by the inks is discharged (illustrated as a second dine outlet 55), an ink supply channel 56 for supplying the inks to the fiber insertion hole, and an ink supply port 58 formed at a connection position between the ink supply channel and the fiber insertion hole, and arranged with facing the optical fiber element wire in the fiber insertion hole. Inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole is set at constant from an opening position of the ink supply port to the die outlet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing an optical fiber and a method for producing an optical fiber, and more particularly, an apparatus for producing an optical fiber having a coloring die for applying a colored layer to an optical fiber using ink of plural colors, It relates to a method of manufacturing a fiber.

In the optical fiber, generally, two coating layers are provided on the outside of a glass fiber forming an optical waveguide, and a coloring layer is further provided on the outside thereof. An optical fiber consisting of a glass fiber and two coating layers is also called an optical fiber strand.
In the past, a colored layer was provided on an optical fiber strand, and the optical fiber in the optical fiber cable was identified by color classification. However, with multicore fiber cable etc., the optical fiber is identified by methods other than color classification. The need is coming out. For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a die capable of forming a mark of vertical streaks on the surface of an optical fiber.

JP 2002-29787 A

  The die described in Patent Document 1 has a fiber insertion hole (insertion hole) for passing an optical fiber strand, and a plurality of ink supply paths (color material supply tubes) for supplying ink toward the inside of the fiber insertion hole. The ink is supplied to the optical fiber from the nozzles of each of the ink supply paths. However, the inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole is expanded at the tip of the nozzle, and the ink from each ink supply path is supplied to the optical fiber after being accumulated in the expanded area (reservoir). Color inks mix and the optical fiber identification is reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber manufacturing apparatus and an optical fiber manufacturing method in which inks of a plurality of colors are not easily mixed and which have good identification.

An apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber according to an aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber having a coloring die for applying a coloring layer to an optical fiber strand using inks of a plurality of colors, and the coloring die is And a fiber insertion hole having a die inlet into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a die outlet communicating with the die inlet and discharging an optical fiber core colored with the ink, and the inside of the fiber insertion hole An ink supply path for supplying the ink toward the ink supply port, and an ink supply port formed at a connection position between the ink supply path and the fiber insertion hole and disposed to face the optical fiber in the fiber insertion hole; The inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole is set to be constant from the opening position of the ink supply port to the die outlet.
A method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to an aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing an optical fiber in which colored layers of inks of a plurality of colors are applied to an optical fiber strand using a coloring die, and the coloring die is A fiber insertion hole having a die inlet into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a die outlet in communication with the die inlet and from which an optical fiber core colored with the ink is discharged, and the fiber insertion hole And an ink supply port formed at the connection position between the ink supply path and the fiber insertion hole and facing the optical fiber in the fiber insertion hole. The ink from the ink supply port is inserted into the fiber insertion hole in which the inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole is set to be constant from the opening position of the ink supply port to the die outlet. Driver comprises providing the insertion hole.

  According to the above, the identification of the optical fiber is improved.

It is a figure which shows the example which forms a colored layer in an optical fiber strand to which the manufacturing method of the optical fiber by one form of this invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a coloring die of Example 1; It is a perspective view of the 2nd die. It is a principal part top view of the 2nd die. It is principal part sectional drawing of a 2nd die | dye. It is a table | surface explaining the evaluation result of identifiability. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a coloring die of Example 2. FIG. It is a perspective view of the 2nd die. It is a principal part top view of the 2nd die. It is principal part sectional drawing of a 2nd die | dye.

Description of the embodiment of the present invention
First, the contents of the embodiment of the present invention will be listed and described.
An apparatus for producing an optical fiber according to the present invention is (1) an apparatus for producing an optical fiber having a coloring die for applying a coloring layer to an optical fiber by using inks of a plurality of colors, wherein the coloring die is And a fiber insertion hole having a die inlet into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a die outlet communicating with the die inlet and discharging an optical fiber core colored with the ink, and the inside of the fiber insertion hole An ink supply path for supplying the ink toward the ink supply port, and an ink supply port formed at a connection position between the ink supply path and the fiber insertion hole and disposed to face the optical fiber in the fiber insertion hole; The inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole is set to be constant from the opening position of the ink supply port to the die outlet. Since the fiber insertion holes are formed to have the same diameter from the position of the ink supply port to the die outlet, when applying colored layers to the optical fiber at the ink supply port, it becomes difficult for the inks of a plurality of colors to be mixed. The identification of the optical fiber is improved.

(2) In one aspect of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of ink supply ports are disposed to face the axis of the fiber insertion hole. When the ink supply ports are disposed opposite to each other, the inks of a plurality of colors are more difficult to mix. Thus, the optical fiber can be identified reliably.
(3) In one aspect of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the coloring die is provided with a first die into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a first die disposed under the first die and having the fiber insertion hole It is divided into two dies, and the ink supply path is formed between the upper surface of the second die and the lower surface of the first die mounted on the second die. It is divided into the first die and the second die, and the ink supply path and the ink supply port can be easily formed as compared with the case of forming by drilling or the like into a single piece.
(4) In one aspect of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the manufacturing apparatus further includes an ink storage portion, which stores ink supplied into the fiber insertion hole and not supplied to the ink supply port, at a position upstream of the first die. . The ink storage section is provided outside the section from the ink supply port to the die exit, specifically, at a position upstream of the first die, and the base portion of the colored layer can be applied over the entire circumference of the optical fiber As a result, it is possible to eliminate the locations that are not colored with ink (locations where the surface of the optical fiber strands can be seen). Therefore, no color other than ink appears on the surface of the optical fiber core, which also contributes to the improvement of the identification of the optical fiber.

  The method for producing an optical fiber according to the present invention is (5) a method for producing an optical fiber in which a colored layer of ink of a plurality of colors is applied to an optical fiber by using a dye for coloring, A fiber insertion hole having a die inlet into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a die outlet in communication with the die inlet and from which an optical fiber core colored with the ink is discharged, and the fiber insertion hole And an ink supply port formed at the connection position between the ink supply path and the fiber insertion hole and facing the optical fiber in the fiber insertion hole. The ink from the ink supply port is inserted into the fiber insertion hole in which the inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole is constantly set from the opening position of the ink supply port to the die outlet. It comprises providing in the bar insertion holes. Since the fiber insertion holes are formed to have the same diameter from the position of the ink supply port to the die outlet, when applying colored layers to the optical fiber at the ink supply port, it becomes difficult for the inks of a plurality of colors to be mixed. An optical fiber with improved identification can be provided.

(6) In one aspect of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the plurality of ink supply ports are disposed to face the axis of the fiber insertion hole, and the plurality of ink supply ports are disposed in the fiber insertion hole. At the same time supply different color ink through. When the ink supply ports are disposed opposite to each other, the inks of a plurality of colors are more difficult to mix.
(7) In one aspect of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the coloring die is provided with a first die into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a first die disposed under the first die and having the fiber insertion hole The ink storage portion is further divided into two dies, and at a position upstream of the first die, the ink storage portion for storing the ink supplied into the fiber insertion hole, and the ink from the ink storage portion is the fiber The method further includes the step of feeding into the insertion hole. Since the base portion of the colored layer can be applied to the entire circumference of the optical fiber, it is possible to eliminate the portion not colored with the ink (the portion where the surface of the optical fiber can be seen).

Details of the Embodiment of the Present Invention
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an optical fiber manufacturing apparatus and an optical fiber manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of forming a colored layer on an optical fiber in which a method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

The manufacturing line shown in FIG. 1 includes a delivery bobbin 10, guide rollers 11, 14, 16, 18, a coloring die 12, an ultraviolet irradiation device 13, a capstan roller 15, a dancer roller 17, and a winding bobbin 19.
An optical fiber strand f is wound around the delivery bobbin 10. The optical fiber f is obtained by coating the outer periphery of a glass fiber with a primary resin layer and further covering the outer periphery with a secondary resin layer.

  Glass fiber is an optical waveguide which has a core part and a clad part, and a standard outside diameter is 125 micrometers, for example. This glass fiber is made of quartz glass. The primary resin layer is a coating layer formed of, for example, a soft UV curable resin having an outer diameter of about 190 μm to about 200 μm and a relatively low Young's modulus. The secondary resin layer is a coating layer formed of, for example, a hard UV curable resin having an outer diameter of about 240 μm to 250 μm and a relatively high Young's modulus.

  The optical fiber strand f is fed from the feeding bobbin 10, passes through the guide roller 11, and enters the coloring die 12. A plurality of colored resins can be supplied to the coloring die 12 from a tank (not shown). When the optical fiber f is passed through the coloring die 12, the coloring resin is applied to the outer periphery of the secondary resin layer of the optical fiber f. This colored resin is made of, for example, an ultraviolet curable ink, and is formed to have a thickness of, for example, about 5 μm to 10 μm.

The colored resin is cured through the ultraviolet irradiation device 13 to form a colored layer for identifying the optical fiber.
The optical fiber core wire F having the colored layer is pulled at a predetermined linear velocity through the guide roller 14 and the capstan roller 15, and is wound by the winding bobbin 19 through the guide rollers 16 and 18 and the dancer roller 17. Be

Example 1
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the coloring die of the first embodiment. 3 is a perspective view of the second die, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main part of the second die, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the second die.
As shown in FIG. 2, the coloring die 12 includes an inner sleeve 25, a point (also referred to as a nipple) 30, a first die 40, and a second die 50 in a die holder 20.

The die holder 20 has, for example, a cup-shaped outer sleeve 21, and ink passages 24 a and 24 b penetrating in the radial direction are provided at appropriate positions of the outer sleeve 21. The ink passages 24 a and 24 b are disposed opposite to each other with the axial center of the die holder 20 interposed therebetween.
An upper portion 22 of the outer sleeve 21 is covered with a lid 29. At the center of the lid 29, a central opening 29a is formed to expose a point inlet 34 described later. The optical fiber strand f from the delivery bobbin 10 described in FIG. 1 enters the coloring die 12 from the point inlet 34.

Further, a bottom opening 23a is formed at the center position of the bottom 23 of the outer sleeve 21, and the optical fiber core wire F to which the coloring layer has been applied comes out of the coloring die 12 from the bottom opening 23a.
An inner sleeve 25 coaxial with the outer sleeve 21 is provided inside the outer sleeve 21. The inner sleeve 25 has upper passages 26a and 26b above the positions where the ink passages 24a and 24b of the outer sleeve 21 are formed. The upper passages 26a and 26b are disposed opposite to each other across the axial center of the inner sleeve 25. For example, the ink passage of the outer sleeve 21 is formed via a communication passage (not shown) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner sleeve 25. It communicates with 24a.

  The inner sleeve 25 is thickened toward the bottom opening 23a, and has lower passages 27a and 27b below the positions where the ink passages 24a and 24b are formed. Although the lower passages 27a and 27b are also disposed opposite to each other with the axial center of the inner sleeve 25 interposed therebetween, the lower passages 27a and 27b may be connected via, for example, a communication passage (not shown) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner sleeve 25. And the ink passage 24 b of the outer sleeve 21.

A point 30, a first die 40 and a second die 50 are provided coaxially with the outer sleeve 21 inside the inner sleeve 25. In the present embodiment, an example in which the first die 40 and the second die 50 are divided is described, but it is also possible to integrally form the first die 40 and the second die 50.
The point 30 is located near the lid 29 and fitted on the inner circumferential surface of the inner sleeve 25. At the central position of the point 30, a fiber insertion hole 33 for passing the optical fiber strand f is formed. The fiber insertion hole 33 extends along the axial direction (hereinafter also referred to as the vertical direction) of the outer sleeve 21 and penetrates the point 30.

The fiber insertion hole 33 has a point inlet 34 provided near the lid 29 and a point outlet 35 provided near the first die 40, and the point outlet 35 is formed smaller in diameter than the point inlet 34. Ru. The point outlet 35 is mirror-finished by, for example, lapping.
A first ink reservoir 36 is provided between the point 30 and the first die 40, and the point outlet 35 is open to the first ink reservoir 36. The first ink storage portion 36 can store the ink (for example, red) supplied from the ink passage 24 a of the outer sleeve 21 via the upper passages 26 a and 26 b of the inner sleeve 25. The first ink reservoir 36 corresponds to the ink reservoir of the present invention.

  If the first ink storage portion 36 is provided at a position upstream of the first die 40, the base portion of the colored layer described later can be formed over the entire circumference of the optical fiber f, so ink (for example, red) The portion which is not colored (the portion where the surface of the strand f of the optical fiber is visible) can be eliminated. Therefore, colors other than ink do not appear on the surface of the optical fiber core wire f, which also contributes to the improvement of the identification of the optical fiber.

The first die 40 is located below the point 30 and mounted on the second die 50. At the center position of the first die 40, a fiber insertion hole 43 for passing the optical fiber strand f coming out of the point 30 is formed, and it extends along the vertical direction coaxially with the fiber insertion hole 33 of the point 30, The die 40 is penetrated.
The fiber insertion hole 43 has a first die inlet 44 opened to the first ink storage portion 36 and a first die outlet 45 opened at the lower surface 41 of the first die 40, and the first die outlet 45 is a first The diameter is smaller than that of the die inlet 44. The lower surface 41 of the first die 40 is mirror finished, for example, by lapping.

  The second die 50 is located below the first die 40 and is mounted on the bottom 23 of the outer sleeve 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the second die 50 includes, for example, a large diameter collar portion 51 and a small diameter cylindrical portion 52 positioned above the collar portion 51. A fiber insertion hole 53 through which the optical fiber strand f coming out of the first die 40 is formed is formed, extends in the vertical direction coaxially with the fiber insertion hole 43 of the first die 40 and penetrates the second die 50. The fiber insertion hole 53 corresponds to the fiber insertion hole of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fiber insertion hole 53 is opened on the upper surface 52 a of the cylindrical portion 52, and the second die inlet 54 facing the first die outlet 45 shown in FIG. 5 and the lower surface 52 b of the cylindrical portion 52. And the second die outlet 55 opened. The second die inlet 54 and the second die outlet 55 are both circular in cross sectional view and formed in the same diameter. The second die inlet 54 corresponds to the die inlet of the present invention, and the second die outlet 55 corresponds to the die outlet of the present invention. The upper surface 52a of the cylindrical portion 52 and the fiber insertion hole 53 are mirror finished by, for example, lapping.

As shown in FIG. 2, a second ink storage portion 46 having an annular shape in plan view is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the inner sleeve 25 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 52 of the second die 50. The portion 46 can store the ink (for example, blue) supplied from the ink passage 24 b of the outer sleeve 21 via the lower passages 27 a and 27 b of the inner sleeve 25.
The second ink reservoir 46 and the fiber insertion hole 53 of the second die 50 communicate with each other by an ink supply path 56 extending in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the outer sleeve 21 (hereinafter, also referred to as a horizontal direction). There is.

  The ink supply path 56 is provided between the lower surface 41 of the first die 40 and the cylindrical portion 52 of the second die 50 by one step lower than the upper surface 52 a of the cylindrical portion 52, as shown in FIG. . Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ink supply path 56 has a fan-shaped flow path in plan view, the main part of the fan-shape is connected to the groove 56a having a rectangular shape in cross section, and the groove 56a It is connected to the fiber insertion hole 53.

As shown in FIG. 5, an ink supply port 58 having a rectangular shape in cross section is formed at the connection position of the groove 56 a and the fiber insertion hole 53, and the ink supply port 58 passes through the inside of the fiber insertion hole 53. It faces the fiber strand f.
Thus, the ink (for example, blue) supplied from the ink passage 24 b of the outer sleeve 21 described in FIG. 2 passes through the lower passages 27 a and 27 b of the inner sleeve 25, the second ink reservoir 46, and the ink supply passage 56. , And in the fiber insertion hole 53.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole 53 is formed so as to be constant from the opening position of the ink supply port 58 to the second die outlet 55. More specifically, in the ink supply port 58, the inner peripheral surface of the first die outlet 45 and the inner peripheral surface of the second die inlet 54 are formed flush with each other, and the second die inlet 54 has a corner For example, it is formed by less than R 0.2 (mm), for example, R 0 (also referred to as a pin angle).

Thus, the optical fiber strand f in the coloring die 12 is fed into the fiber insertion hole 43 of the first die 40 after passing through the fiber insertion hole 33 of the point 30 described in FIG. The base portion covering the entire circumference is applied with the ink (for example, red) from the first ink reservoir 36.
Next, the ink in the second ink storage portion 46 is supplied from the ink supply port 58 described in FIG. 5 into the fiber insertion hole 53 of the second die 50 through the ink supply path 56, and the entire circumference is The optical fiber strand f to which the base portion has been applied is further coated with a half circumference with the ink (for example, blue) from the first ink storage portion 36 to provide a linear colored layer, and a coloring die is provided. 12 go outside.

FIG. 6 is a table for explaining the evaluation results of the identifiability.
When the second die inlet 54 described in FIG. 5 is formed with an angle R of less than 0.2 (mm) (indicated as “no R” in FIG. 6) as in Example 1, the fiber insertion hole 53 supplies ink Since the diameter from the position of the opening 58 to the second die outlet 55 is formed to be the same, the ink (for example, red) and the ink applied in a line shape to the ground portion of the entire circumference of the optical fiber strand f For example, the boundary with blue) became clear, and it became A evaluation.
On the other hand, when the linear velocity and the ink pressure are set to the same value, but the second die inlet 54 is formed at an angle R 0.2 (mm) (shown as "with R 0.2" in FIG. 6), The ink applied to the base portion of the entire circumference of the optical fiber strand f and the ink applied in the form of a line mixed, and the boundary between them became unclear, so the B evaluation was made.

(Example 2)
In the first embodiment described above, the base portion is formed of the ink of a predetermined color on the surface of the optical fiber strand f, and the line portion is formed of the ink of another color thereon. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the base portion of the entire circumference is omitted, and the surface of the optical fiber strand f is formed in the shape of a line of a half color with ink of a predetermined color, and the other half of the circumference is lined with the ink of another color It may be formed in

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a coloring die of Example 2. 8 is a perspective view of the second die, FIG. 9 is a plan view of the main part of the second die, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the second die.
The coloring die 12 of the second embodiment is the same as the coloring die 12 of the first embodiment except for the inner sleeve 25 and the second die 50. Therefore, the description of the outer sleeve 21, the point 30, and the first die 40 is omitted, and the inner sleeve 25 and the second die 50 will be described in detail.

  The inner sleeve 25 shown in FIG. 7 has lower passages 27a and 27b below the positions where the ink passages 24a and 24b of the outer sleeve 21 are formed, and the upper passages 26a and 26b described in FIG. 2 are provided. Not. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, communication passages 28 a and 28 b extending in the vertical direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner sleeve 25. The lower passages 27a and 27b are disposed opposite to each other across the axial center of the inner sleeve 25, the lower passages 27a communicate with the ink passage 24a of the outer sleeve 21 through the communication passage 28a, and the lower passages 27b communicate with the communication passage 28b. It is in communication with the ink passage 24b of the outer sleeve 21 via the same.

  The second die 50 includes, for example, a large diameter flange 51 and a small diameter cylindrical portion 52 located above the flange 51, as shown in FIG. A fiber insertion hole 53 for passing the optical fiber strand f coming out of the first die 40 is formed, extends in the vertical direction and penetrates the second die 50. The fiber insertion hole 53 corresponds to the fiber insertion hole of the present invention.

  The fiber insertion hole 53 is opened on the upper surface 52a of the cylindrical portion 52 as shown in FIG. 9, and the second die inlet 54 facing the first die outlet 45 shown in FIG. 10 and the lower surface 52b of the cylindrical portion 52. And the second die outlet 55 opened. The second die inlet 54 and the second die outlet 55 are both formed circular in cross sectional view and have the same diameter. The second die inlet 54 corresponds to the die inlet of the present invention, and the second die outlet 55 corresponds to the die outlet of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 7, between the lower passage 27 a of the inner sleeve 25 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 52 of the second die 50, a second ink storage portion 46 having a D shape in plan view is provided. The second ink storage portion 46 can store the ink (for example, red) supplied from the ink passage 24 a of the outer sleeve 21 via the lower passage 27 a of the inner sleeve 25. The second ink storage portion 46 and the fiber insertion hole 53 communicate with each other through the ink supply path 56 extending in the horizontal direction.

  As in the first embodiment, the ink supply passage 56 is provided one step lower than the upper surface 52a of the cylindrical portion 52, and has a fan-shaped flow passage in plan view as shown in FIGS. The fan-shaped main part is connected to a groove 56 a having a rectangular shape in cross section, and the groove 56 a is connected to the fiber insertion hole 53. An ink supply port 58 having a rectangular shape in cross section is formed at the connection position of the groove 56 a and the fiber insertion hole 53, and the ink supply port 58 faces the optical fiber f passing through the inside of the fiber insertion hole 53.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, another second ink reservoir 47 is provided between the lower passage 27 b of the inner sleeve 25 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 52 of the second die 50. The second ink storage portion 47 is also formed in a D shape in plan view and does not communicate with the second ink storage portion 46. The second ink storage portion 47 can store the ink (for example, blue) supplied from the ink passage 24 b of the outer sleeve 21 via the lower passage 27 b of the inner sleeve 25. The second ink reservoir 47 and the fiber insertion hole 53 communicate with each other through an ink supply path 57 extending in the horizontal direction.

  The ink supply path 57 is also provided one step lower than the upper surface 52 a of the cylindrical portion 52. The ink supply passage 57 and the ink supply passage 56 are disposed opposite to each other with the axial center of the inner sleeve 25 interposed therebetween, and the ink supply passage 57 also has a fan-shaped flow passage in plan view as shown in FIGS. The main part of the fan-like shape is connected to the groove 57 a having a rectangular shape in cross section, and the groove 57 a is connected to the fiber insertion hole 53. An ink supply port 59 having a rectangular shape in cross section is formed at the connection position of the groove 57 a and the fiber insertion hole 53, and the ink supply port 59 faces the optical fiber f passing through the inside of the fiber insertion hole 53.

  Thus, the ink (for example, red) supplied from the ink passage 24 a of the outer sleeve 21 described in FIG. 7 passes the communication passage 28 a of the inner sleeve 25, the lower passage 27 a, the second ink storage portion 46, and the ink supply passage 56. It is supplied into the fiber insertion hole 53 through the through hole. At the same time, the ink (for example, blue) supplied from the ink passage 24 b of the outer sleeve 21 passes through the communication passage 28 b of the inner sleeve 25, the lower passage 27 b, the second ink reservoir 47, and the ink supply passage 57. It is supplied in 53.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole 53 is formed so as to be constant from the opening position of the ink supply ports 58 and 59 to the second die outlet 55. More specifically, in the ink supply ports 58 and 59, the second die inlet 54 is formed with an angle R of less than 0.2 (mm), for example, R0 (also referred to as a pin angle).

  As described above, in the case of the second embodiment, the optical fiber strand f in the coloring die 12 passes through the fiber insertion hole 33 of the point 30 and the fiber insertion hole 43 of the first die 40, and then the second die The 50 fiber insertion holes 53 are inserted. The ink (for example, red) of the second ink storage unit 46 is supplied from the ink supply port 58 described in FIG. 10 into the fiber insertion hole 53 of the second die 50 via the ink supply path 56. At the same time, the ink (for example, blue) of the second ink storage portion 47 is supplied from the ink supply port 59 into the fiber insertion hole 53 of the second die 50 via the ink supply path 57. For this reason, the optical fiber strand f is coated with ink (for example, red) from the second ink reservoir 46 for a half turn to provide a linear colored layer, and the ink from the second ink reservoir 47 is provided. A line-shaped colored layer is provided on the opposite half circumference portion (for example, blue color), and it goes out of the coloring die 12.

  Also in the second embodiment, when the second die inlet 54 shown in FIG. 10 is formed with the angle R 0.2 (mm) or less (“no R”), the second die inlet 54 has the angle R 0.2 (mm) When the discriminability was evaluated in the case of “with R 0.2”, “with no R” was applied in a line shape of a half circumference to the optical fiber strand f in the same manner as in Example 1. The boundary between the ink (for example, red) and the ink (for example, blue) applied in the form of a line on the opposite side was clarified, and it was evaluated as A.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is indicated not by the meaning described above but by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Delivery bobbin, 11, 14, 16, 18 ... Guide roller, 12 ... Die for coloring, 13 ... Ultraviolet irradiation device, 15 ... Capstan roller, 17 ... Dancer roller, 19 ... Winding bobbin, 20 ... Die holder, 21 ... Outer sleeve 22 Upper part 23 Bottom part 23a Bottom opening 24a, 24b Ink passage 25 Inner sleeve 26a, 26b Upper passage 27a, 27b Lower passage 28a, 28b Connection passage 29: lid, 29a: central opening, 30: point, 33: fiber insertion hole, 34: point inlet, 35: point outlet, 36: first ink reservoir, 40: first die, 41: lower surface, 43: fiber Insertion hole 44: first die inlet 45: first die outlet 46, 47 second ink storage portion 50 second die 51 collar portion 52 cylindrical portion 52a ... upper surface, 52 b ... lower surface, 53 ... fiber insertion hole, 54 ... second die inlet, 55 ... second die outlet, 56, 57 ... ink supply passage, 56a, 57a ... groove, 58, 59 ... ink supply port.

Claims (7)

An optical fiber manufacturing apparatus having a coloring die for applying a coloring layer to an optical fiber using multiple color inks,
The coloring die has a die inlet into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a fiber insertion hole communicating with the die inlet and having a die outlet from which the ink-colored optical fiber core is discharged; An ink supply path for supplying the ink toward the inside of the fiber insertion hole and a connection position of the ink supply path and the fiber insertion hole are formed, and are disposed opposite to the optical fiber in the fiber insertion hole And an ink supply port,
An optical fiber manufacturing apparatus, wherein the inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole is set to be constant from the opening position of the ink supply port to the die outlet.   The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the ink supply ports are disposed to be opposed to an axial center of the fiber insertion hole. The coloring die is divided into a first die into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a second die disposed under the first die and having the fiber insertion hole,
The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink supply path is formed between an upper surface of the second die and a lower surface of the first die mounted on the second die.   The optical fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an ink storage portion that stores ink supplied into the fiber insertion hole and not supplied to the ink supply port at a position upstream of the first die. A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, comprising applying a coloring layer of ink of a plurality of colors to an optical fiber strand using a coloring die,
The coloring die has a die inlet into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a fiber insertion hole communicating with the die inlet and having a die outlet from which the ink-colored optical fiber core is discharged; An ink supply path for supplying the ink toward the inside of the fiber insertion hole and a connection position of the ink supply path and the fiber insertion hole are formed, and are disposed opposite to the optical fiber in the fiber insertion hole And an ink supply port,
Supplying the ink from the ink supply port into the fiber insertion hole into the fiber insertion hole in which the inner diameter of the fiber insertion hole is constantly set from the opening position of the ink supply port to the die outlet A method of making an optical fiber, including:   The plurality of ink supply ports are disposed opposite to the axial center of the fiber insertion hole, and the different color ink is simultaneously supplied into the fiber insertion hole through the plurality of ink supply ports. The manufacturing method of the optical fiber of claim 5. The coloring die is divided into a first die into which an optical fiber strand is inserted, and a second die disposed under the first die and having the fiber insertion hole, and the first die The apparatus further comprises an ink reservoir at an upstream position for storing the ink supplied into the fiber insertion hole,
The method of manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 5, further comprising the step of supplying the ink from the ink storage portion into the fiber insertion hole.

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