JP4091533B2 - Branched optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin and branched optical fiber bundle manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin and a branch type optical fiber bundle manufacture for manufacturing a branch type optical fiber bundle in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are bundled and at least one end is branched into a plurality of ends. Regarding the method.

In recent years, optical fibers are frequently used in information communication as the speed and scale of the information communication increase.
On the other hand, there is a lighting fixture that uses the transmission function and flexibility of an optical fiber.

  This luminaire is called a light guide, and uses an optical fiber bundle configured by binding a plurality of optical fibers.

  The optical fiber bundle can be branched at its end in the manufacturing stage, and the branch type optical fiber bundle manufactured in this way is branched or combined with light, that is, incident from the same light source. In addition to evenly distributing and emitting light from a plurality of emission ends, light incident from a plurality of light sources can be combined and emitted from a single emission end.

  Furthermore, in recent years, branching optical fiber bundles have been applied to various technical fields including stepper technology in semiconductor manufacturing.

  In the branched optical fiber bundle described above, the light is incident from an unbranched end (hereinafter referred to as “non-branched end”) and is incident on the other branched end (hereinafter referred to as “branch end”). In order to make the light quantity distribution of the propagating light uniform, it is necessary to equalize the number of optical fibers constituting each branch end.

  In addition, when a branched optical fiber bundle is produced by simply branching the end face of the optical fiber bundle, for example, when a bifurcated optical fiber bundle is produced by simply dividing the end of the bundle optical fiber into two vertically A first branch end (light exit end) is formed at the other end of the optical fiber located above the non-branch end (light entrance end) where light enters, and the non-branch end A second branch end (light exit end) is formed at the other end of the optical fiber located at the bottom of the optical fiber.

  In this case, for example, when the light source has a light-dark distribution or the like and there is a difference in the amount of incident light between the upper part and the lower part of the non-branching end part, the light-dark pattern of the incident light is reflected in the outgoing light, and the first light Even if the number of optical fibers constituting each of the branch end portion and the second branch end portion is equalized, a difference occurs in the amount of emitted light.

  The effect of such light-dark distribution is, for example, by dividing optical fiber strands of equal length located at the upper part of the non-branching end into multiple bundles, binding and fixing one side, and counting from the lower part of the non-branching end. It can be prevented by picking up several tens of optical fibers from a book, bundling two bundles, and repeating this to form a plurality of branch ends.

The branched optical fiber bundle as described above is manufactured by a method using an optical fiber coupler (for example, see Patent Document 1) or a method using a bobbin (for example, see Patent Document 2) in addition to manual work.
JP-A-5-88042 JP-A-8-121907

However, when manufacturing the above-described branched optical fiber bundle, there are problems to be solved as described below.
First, when manufacturing a branch type optical fiber bundle by hand, there is a problem in work efficiency, resulting in an increase in cost, and also in terms of quality control. .

  In addition, when an optical fiber coupler is used, it is possible to split light evenly, but there are problems in terms of workability and cost.

  When using a bobbin, the optical fiber strand is wound around a bobbin having a fiber guide while traversing the optical fiber strand. Therefore, positioning of the optical fiber strand is performed by the tension applied to the optical fiber strand. Therefore, the position and number of optical fiber strands tend to be biased.

  Furthermore, since the optical fiber strand wound around the bobbin is placed on the outside from the surface of the bobbin, as described above, the upper part of the non-branching end (light incident end) (outside of the bobbin) A first branch end portion is formed by the optical fiber strand positioned at the first position, a second branch end portion is formed by the optical fiber strand positioned at a lower portion of the unbranched end portion (bobbin surface side), and a light source When the light intensity distribution exists in itself and there is a difference in the amount of incident light between the upper part and the lower part of the non-branching end part, the light / dark pattern of the incident light is reflected in the outgoing light, and the first branching end part and the second branching part are reflected. There will be a difference in the amount of light emitted from the branching end.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin and a branch type for manufacturing a branch type optical fiber bundle in which optical fiber strands are evenly distributed and the light quantity distribution can be made uniform. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber bundle manufacturing method.

  The present invention according to claim 1 is a branching type optical fiber in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are bundled and at least one end is branched into a plurality of end portions to produce a branching optical fiber bundle. A bobbin for manufacturing a fiber bundle, a cylindrical main body, and a first protrusion row comprising a plurality of protrusions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body, And a second protrusion row composed of a plurality of protrusion portions provided along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body at a position spaced apart from the first protrusion row on the outer peripheral surface of the main body. Thus, the gist is that a plurality of space portions for winding the optical fiber strands as a plurality of bundles are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the optical fiber according to the first aspect, wherein the optical fiber is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body and wound on the outer peripheral surface. The gist is to provide a bundling groove that defines a bundling position for bundling a bundle of strands.

  The present invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the present invention is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body and wound on the outer peripheral surface. The gist is to provide a cutting groove for defining a cutting position for cutting a bundle of optical fiber strands.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the number of space portions is an integral multiple of the number of end portions of the branched optical fiber bundle to be manufactured. The gist.

  The present invention according to claim 5 is a branched type optical fiber in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are bundled and at least one end is branched into a plurality of end portions, and the optical fiber strands are wound around each other. A fiber bundle manufacturing method, comprising: a cylindrical main body; a first protrusion row comprising a plurality of protrusions provided on an outer peripheral surface of the main body along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body; A plurality of protrusions provided along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body at a position spaced apart from the first protrusion row on the outer peripheral surface of the main body. An optical fiber winding in which optical fiber strands are wound using a branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin in which a plurality of space portions for winding optical fiber strands as a plurality of bundles are wound on the outer peripheral surface of the main body Process and body An optical fiber bundling step for bundling a bundle of optical fiber strands wound on the peripheral surface, an optical fiber cutting step for cutting a bundle of optical fiber strands wound on the outer peripheral surface of the main body, and an optical fiber The gist of the present invention is to have a branch end portion manufacturing step of manufacturing a plurality of end portions by further binding the bundles of optical fiber strands that are bound in the binding step and cut in the optical fiber cutting step.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fifth aspect, the optical fiber winding step further includes a first groove portion provided along a direction perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface of the main body. The gist of the present invention is to use an optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin to define a binding position of optical fiber strands by a first groove in an optical fiber binding process.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the optical fiber winding step further includes a second groove provided along a direction orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface of the main body. The gist of the present invention is to use a branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin and define the cutting position of the optical fiber strand by the second groove in the optical fiber cutting step.

  The present invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein, in the optical fiber winding step, the number of spaces is an integral multiple of the number of ends of the branched optical fiber bundle to be manufactured. The gist of the present invention is to wind the optical fiber as a plurality of bundles by using a bobbin for manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects, in the branch end manufacturing step, after the bundle of one optical fiber is twisted, the other light The gist is to bind the bundle of fiber strands.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the fifth to ninth aspects, in the branch end portion manufacturing step, two adjacent fibers are bundled via a bundle of at least one optical fiber. The gist is to bundle a bundle of optical fiber strands.

  The present invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein a plurality of the bobbin for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle is used, and the optical fiber winding is simultaneously performed in all of the plurality of branch type optical fiber bundles. The gist is to execute the process.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the fifth to eleventh aspects, cutting is performed in the optical fiber cutting step, or a plurality of end portions are manufactured at least at one end in the branch end manufacturing step. The gist of the invention is to have an optical fiber length adjusting step for adjusting the length of the bundle of optical fiber strands.

  In the present invention, a first projection row and a second projection row comprising a plurality of projections are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the bobbin for manufacturing a branch type optical fiber bundle, and a plurality of projections are provided by these projections. A space portion is formed, and an optical fiber strand is wound around each of the space portions, and a bundle of a plurality of optical fiber strands that are wound is bundled and cut. Are further bound to produce a plurality of end portions (branch end portions). For this reason, it is possible to easily equalize the distribution of the optical fiber strands in the branched optical fiber bundle and to equalize the light quantity distribution at the branch end.

  Further, since the bundling groove portion for defining the bundling position of the bundle of optical fiber strands is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body, the bundling operation of the bundle of optical fiber strands can be performed easily and reliably.

  In addition, since the cutting groove for defining the cutting position of the bundle of optical fiber strands is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body, the cutting operation of the bundle of optical fiber strands can be performed easily and reliably.

  Further, the number of the above-mentioned space portions is an integral multiple of the number of ends of the branched optical fiber bundle to be manufactured, and the optical fiber strands are wound and wound as a plurality of bundles by these space portions. Since the branch end is produced by further bundling a plurality of bundles, the distribution of the optical fiber in the branch type optical fiber bundle can be easily equalized, and the light quantity distribution at the branch end can be made uniform.

  Moreover, when producing the branch end, the light-dark pattern of the incident light is reflected in the outgoing light because the bundle of one optical fiber is twisted and then bundled with the bundle of the other optical fiber. Can be prevented, and the light quantity distribution at the branch end can be made uniform.

  Further, when producing the branch end portion, since the bundle of two adjacent optical fiber strands is bundled through the bundle of at least one optical fiber strand, the light / dark pattern of the incident light is reflected in the outgoing light. It can be prevented, and the light quantity distribution at the branch end can be made uniform.

  In addition, since a plurality of branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbins are used and the optical fiber winding is simultaneously performed in all of the plurality of branch type optical fiber bundles, the manufacturing operation can be performed efficiently.

  Further, since the length is adjusted for the bundle of optical fiber strands in which the cut ends or the branch end portions are produced, a branched optical fiber bundle having an appropriate length can be manufactured.

  In view of the above, a branched optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin and a branched optical fiber bundle manufacturing method for manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle in which optical fiber strands are uniformly distributed and the light quantity distribution is uniform are disclosed. It becomes possible to provide.

Hereinafter, the branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin and the branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the present invention, a new function is added to an optical fiber manufacturing bobbin, and by using this, it is possible to manufacture a branched optical fiber bundle in which the optical fiber strands are evenly distributed and the light quantity distribution can be made uniform However, the following examples are merely illustrative of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, those skilled in the art can employ various embodiments including each or all of these elements, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.
In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and the repeated explanation thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which members shown in FIG. 1 are joined. It is.

  The bobbin 1 for manufacturing a branch type optical fiber bundle is manufactured by manufacturing a four-branch type optical fiber bundle in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are bundled and at least one end is branched into four ends (branch ends). It is for winding fiber strands, and has a main body 2, side members 3A and 3B, seven projections 4 and 5, and bundling grooves 6 and 7, respectively. In the following description, the branched end is referred to as a branched end.

  The main body 2 has a cylindrical shape, and a hole for allowing a shaft for rotating the main body 2 to pass therethrough is provided at the center of the side surface.

  The side members 3A and 3B are joined to the side surface of the main body 2 to form the side wall of the bobbin 1 for manufacturing the branched optical fiber bundle. Moreover, the hole for penetrating a shaft is provided in the center like the main body 2. In the following description, the side members 3A and 3B are collectively referred to as “side members 3” as appropriate.

  The seven protrusions 4 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2 along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction (the direction of the curved surface). In other words, a first comb-like portion is formed.

  Similarly, the seven protrusions 5 are provided at positions separated from the first protrusion row on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2 along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body 2. The protrusions 5 form a second protrusion row, in other words, a second comb-like portion.

Due to the side member 3 and the protrusions 4 and 5 corresponding to the teeth of the comb, between the protrusions 4 (5) on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2 and the side member 3 and the protrusions 4 (5). A plurality of (16 in the present embodiment) space portions for accommodating the optical fiber core wires are formed between the optical fiber strands on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2. It is possible to wind up as a plurality of bundles.
The details of the operation of winding the optical fiber will be described later.

  The bundling grooves 6 and 7 are for bundling the bundle of wound optical fiber strands, and the cutting groove 8 is for cutting the bundled optical fiber strands. is there.

  The cutting groove 8 and the bundling grooves 6 and 7 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2, and the cutting groove 8 is used for bundling between the first protruding portion row and the second protruding portion row. The groove portion 6 is disposed at a position facing the cutting groove portion 8 via the first protrusion row, and the bundling groove portion 7 is disposed at a position facing the cutting groove portion 8 via the second protrusion row. Has been.

  The bundling groove 6 is arranged at a position where a line connecting this and the center of the main body 2 and a line connecting the cutting groove 8 and the center of the main body 2 form an angle of about 45 °.

  Similarly to the bundling groove portion 6, the bundling groove portion 7 has an angle of about 45 ° between a line connecting the bundling groove portion 7 and the center of the main body 2 and a line connecting the cutting groove portion 8 and the center of the main body 2. It is arranged at the position that makes.

  The details of the functions of the cutting groove 8 and the binding grooves 6 and 7 will be described later.

  Moreover, the material of the bobbin 1 for manufacturing the branched optical fiber bundle as described above is a metal such as aluminum or a resin such as plastic.

Further, when the optical fiber strand is wound, it is necessary to fix the end portion of the optical fiber strand to the bobbin 1 for manufacturing the branched optical fiber bundle, and means for this can be provided as appropriate. As an example of the above-mentioned means, provided in the side member 3, provided in the outer surface of the hole portion through which the end of the optical fiber strand passes from the outer peripheral surface side of the main body 2 to the outside of the side member 3, And a clip for fixing the end of the optical fiber passed through the hole.
Further, the clip may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2.

Next, a branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing method using the branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin 1 of FIG. 1 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a view showing the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2 shown in FIG. 1 as a plane, and among the space portions, eight space portions formed by the protrusions 4 are 10A, 11A, 12A, 13A. , 14A, 15A, 16A, and 17A, and the eight spaces formed by the protrusions 5 are denoted by 10B, 11B, 12B, 13B, 14B, 15B, 16B, and 17B.

  When winding the optical fiber strand 9, the end portion of the optical fiber strand 9 is fixed as described above, and the bobbin 1 for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle is rotated. 10A is used as a starting point and wound around the space portions 10A and 10B. Next, the optical fiber 9 is moved and wound around the space portions 10A and 11B.

  In this way, by repeating the movement of the optical fiber 9 while rotating the bobbin 1 for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle, the optical fiber 9 is wound from the space 10A to the space 17B.

  Next, by further moving the optical fiber 9, the winding operation is performed with the starting point of the winding operation as the space portion 11 </ b> A and the preceding space portion 10 </ b> A as the starting point. The winding operation is performed starting from all the spaces on the bundling groove 6 side so that the operation is performed. At this time, the optical fiber 9 is wound while intersecting in the vicinity of the cutting groove 8.

The above-described series of operations is repeatedly executed until a predetermined number (predetermined number) of optical fiber strands 9 are wound on all the space portions.
In addition, the above process is contained in the optical fiber winding process as described in a claim.

  In other words, the optical fiber 9 is wound as a plurality of bundles on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2 of the branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin 1 by the above-described operation, whereby the optical fiber element in the branch type optical fiber bundle is wound. The distribution of the lines can be easily equalized, and the difference in the amount of emitted light can be prevented from occurring at the branch end portion, and the light amount distribution can be made uniform.

  When the optical fiber strands 9 are wound, each bundle of optical fiber strands 9 is bound so that the optical fiber strands 9 do not move.

  In the above bundling operation, first, a total of eight bundling wires are passed between the bottom surface of the bundling groove 6 and the optical fiber strand 9, and the eight optical fibers wound around the space portions 10A to 17A. Bundling is performed for each bundle of strands 9.

Further, a total of eight bundling wires are also passed between the bottom surface of the other bundling groove portion 7 and the optical fiber strand 9, and the eight optical fiber strands 9 wound around the space portions 10B to 17B are passed. Bonding is also performed for each bundle.
In addition, said process is contained in the optical fiber binding process as described in a claim.

  In this way, by using the bundling grooves 6 and 7 to define the bundling position of the bundle of optical fiber 9, the bundling operation can be performed easily and reliably.

  When the bundling of the optical fiber strands 9 is completed, the cutting is performed.

In the above-described cutting operation, a cutter or the like is passed between the bottom surface of the cutting groove 8 and the optical fiber strand 9, and the optical fiber strand 9 is moved by moving it upward, that is, in the outer peripheral direction of the main body 2. Disconnect.
In addition, said process is included in the optical fiber cutting process as described in a claim.

  As described above, by defining the cutting position of the bundle of optical fiber strands 9 by using the cutting groove 8, the bundling operation can be performed easily and reliably.

  As shown in 18 of FIG. 4, the one end of the optical fiber 9 is branched into eight bundles 101A, 111A, 121A, 131A, 141A, 151A, 161A and 171A by the above bundling operation and cutting operation, The other end is a bundle branched into eight bundles of 101B, 111B, 121B, 131B, 141B, 151B, 161B, and 171B.

  Next, a procedure for manufacturing a 1 × 4 branching optical fiber bundle from the optical fiber bundle 18 will be described. The 1 × 4 branch type optical fiber bundle refers to one in which a non-branched end is formed at one end and four branched ends are formed at the other end.

  The non-branching end portion (light incident end portion) is produced by binding the bundles of optical fibers 101A to 171A, in other words, by knitting them into one bundle.

  Further, the four branch end portions (light emission end portions) are produced based on the bundles 101B to 171B of the optical fiber strands. The details are shown below.

  FIG. 5 (A) is a diagram showing the end faces of the bundles 101B to 171B of the optical fiber strands in FIG. 4, where “U” in each bundle indicates the upper half portion, and “L” , Showing the lower half.

  When producing the branch end, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), two adjacent bundles are bundled together via three bundles, in other words, one branch end is produced by weaving. Then, this is performed for all the fibers to produce four branch ends.

  More specifically, the adjacent bundle 101B and bundle 141B are bundled via the bundles 111B, 121B and 131B, the adjacent bundle 111B and bundle 151B are bundled via the bundles 121B, 131B and 141B, and the bundle is bundled. The adjacent bundle 121B and the bundle 161B are bundled through 131B, 141B, and 151B, and the adjacent bundle 131B and the bundle 171B are bundled through the bundles 141B, 151B, and 161B.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), one of the two bundles to be bound (in this embodiment, bundles 141B, 151B, 161B and 171B) is twisted and moved to the opposite side. The upper and lower sides of the bundle are rotated and brought into contact with the portion L of the bundle that has been twisted and moved, and the portion U of the bundle that has been twisted and moved, and the portion L of the other bundle To bring them together. In other words, in this figure, the left sides of the bundle before moving and twisting are brought into contact with each other to bind them together.

  By performing the bundling operation as described above, as shown in FIG. 5C and FIG. 5D, the branch end portion 181B is produced by the bundle 141B and the bundle 101B, and is branched by the bundle 151B and the bundle 111B. The end portion 182B is manufactured, the branch end portion 183B is manufactured by the bundle 161B and the bundle 121B, and the branch end portion 184B is manufactured by the bundle 171B and the bundle 131B.

Moreover, the optical fiber strand 9 can be arranged at random in each of branch end part 181B, 182B, 183B, and 184B by performing the above bundling operations.
In addition, said process is contained in the branch end part preparation process as described in a claim.

  In addition, since the non-branching end and the branching end can be manufactured at the same time, the working time and the like can be shortened.

  In this embodiment, a non-branching end is produced based on the bundles 101A to 171A of the optical fiber strands, and four branch end portions are produced based on the bundles 101B to 171B of the optical fiber strands. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a non-branching end portion is manufactured based on the bundles of optical fiber strands 101B to 171B, and four branch end portions are formed based on the bundle of optical fiber strands 101A to 171A. It can also be produced.

  It is also possible to manufacture a 4 × 4 branching optical fiber bundle in which both ends are branched into four.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that a 1 × 4 branch type optical fiber bundle is manufactured and one branch end portion is manufactured by two bundles. The body 2 shown in FIG. 2 has 8 pieces (two times the number of branch end portions to be produced) on the outer circumferential surface of the binding groove portion 6 side and the binding groove portion 7 side, that is, a total of 16 pieces ( The number of the branch portions to be manufactured is shown, but the number of the projecting portions and the number of the space portions formed thereby is the branch end of the branch type optical fiber bundle to be manufactured. It can be arbitrarily changed depending on the number of parts and how many (three or more) bundles of one branch end part are produced.

  That is, the number of space portions may be an integer multiple of the number of branch end portions of the manufactured branch type optical fiber bundle.

  By determining the number of space portions as described above, it is possible to easily equalize the distribution of the optical fiber strands in the branch type optical fiber bundle, and to prevent the difference in the amount of emitted light from occurring at the branch end portion. Can be made uniform.

  Moreover, in the present Example, when producing each of four branch end parts, the case where two adjacent bundles were bundled via three bundles was shown, but it is not limited to this.

  For example, when a two-branch type optical fiber bundle is manufactured and one branch end is made of two bundles, one of two adjacent bundles is twisted and moved through one bundle, It is good also as a structure which produces one branch end part by binding.

  In other words, when producing one branch end, a bundle of two adjacent optical fiber strands may be bundled through a bundle of at least one optical fiber strand.

  As described above, in producing one branch end, one of two adjacent bundles is twisted and moved to the opposite side through at least one bundle, and then turned upside down. The optical fiber strands are randomly arranged by binding them together. For this reason, it can prevent that the light-dark pattern of incident light is reflected in emitted light, and can equalize the light quantity distribution in a branch end part.

  Further, as described above, when the optical fiber 9 is wound on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 2, a difference in length occurs between the inner periphery and the outer periphery.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, there is a difference in length between a portion wound around the space portions 10A and 10B and a portion wound around the space portions 10A and 17B.

Such a difference in length can be eliminated by further cutting the bundle of optical fiber strands 9 and adjusting the length after the above-mentioned cutting or branch end production.
In addition, said process is contained in the fiber length adjustment process as described in a claim.

  Such adjustment of the fiber length can be performed after the completion of the production of the branch type optical fiber bundle, so the length and the time of the branch type optical fiber bundle are selected according to the situation of the installation location, etc. Therefore, it is possible to adjust freely and improve the efficiency of laying work and the like.

  Next, a branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus using the branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus 19 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus 19 includes a work table 20, optical fiber strands 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, and 21E, a reel driving unit 22, and optical fiber guide members 23A, 23B, 23C, and 23D. , 23E, 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D, and 24E, the guide member driving unit 25, and a branching type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin 1A similar to the branching type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin 1 shown in FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E, a bobbin driving unit 26, and a control unit 27.

  Each of the optical fiber reels 21A to 21E winds in advance each of the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E similar to the optical fiber strand 9 shown in FIG. The shaft is penetrated.

  All of the branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbins 1A to 1E pass through a rotation shaft, and this shaft is rotated by the bobbin driving unit 26, whereby the branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin 1A. 1E is simultaneously rotated, and the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E are wound.

  The optical fiber strand guide members 23A to 23E define the vertical positions of the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E. Accordingly, the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E can be appropriately wound around the bobbin 1A to 1E for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle.

  The optical fiber strand guide members 24A to 24E are for defining the horizontal position of the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E. All of these are simultaneously moved horizontally by the guide member drive unit 25, thereby moving the optical fiber 9 (9A to 9E) from one space part to another as shown in FIG. With the above configuration, the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E can be appropriately wound around the bobbin 1A to 1E for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle.

  In addition, you may further provide the drive part which vertically moves the said optical fiber strand guide members 23A to 24E simultaneously. Thereby, the movement between the space portions of the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E can be more reliably performed.

  The reel driving unit 22 rotates all of the optical fiber reels 21A to 21E simultaneously by rotating the shaft, and the optical fiber strands after the winding and cutting of the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E are completed. This is used when, for example, the excess of 9A to 9E is rewound onto the optical fiber reels 21A to 21E.

  The control unit 27 automatically controls the guide member driving unit 25 and the bobbin driving unit 26.

  In addition to the above components, a sensor for measuring the number of windings (number of windings) of the optical fiber strands 9A to 9E in the bobbin for manufacturing the branched optical fiber bundle can be provided.

  As described above, the branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus 19 includes a plurality of (5 in this embodiment) branching optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbins 1 (1A to 1E). In order to wind the wire 9 or the like, a plurality of optical fiber bundles 18 shown in FIG. 4 can be produced, and a plurality of branching ends and non-branching ends are produced in each optical fiber bundle 18. The branched optical fiber bundle of the book can be manufactured simultaneously or in a short time, and is excellent in work efficiency.

  A branched optical fiber bundle can also be manufactured by bundling a plurality of optical fiber bundles 18 into one. Also in this case, since a plurality of optical fiber bundles can be manufactured at the same time, the working efficiency is excellent.

  In addition, when manufacturing one branch type optical fiber bundle from the plurality of optical fiber strands 18 as described above, when the number of bobbins 1 for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle is increased, the diameter of the branch type optical fiber bundle is increased. And the probability that the light / dark pattern of the incident light is reflected in the outgoing light increases. Therefore, the number of bobbins 1 for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle, the number of windings (the number of windings), etc. It is adjusted so that the probability does not increase.

  Further, the number of the bobbin 1 for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle may be 2, 3 or 6 or more as long as the reflection probability is not increased.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the optical fiber 9 is wound, the case where the optical fiber 9 is moved in the horizontal direction has been shown, but by moving the bobbin 1 for manufacturing the branch type optical fiber bundle in the horizontal direction, It can also be set as the structure which moves the optical fiber strand 9 from a space part to another space part.

  In addition, since the winding is performed only by reciprocating the optical fiber 9 or the branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin 1 in the horizontal direction, automatic control is easy and the work efficiency is excellent. It is possible to reduce costs such as labor costs.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the bobbin for branch type optical fiber bundle manufacture concerning one Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the bobbin for branch type optical fiber bundle manufacture of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the winding method of the optical fiber strand in the bobbin for branching type optical fiber bundle manufacture of FIG.1 and FIG.2. FIG. 3 is a view showing an optical fiber bundle bundled by the branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin of FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a figure for demonstrating the production method of the branch end part in the optical fiber strand bundle of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus using the bobbin for branch type optical fiber bundle manufacture of FIG.1 and FIG.2.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bobbin for branch type optical fiber bundle 2 Main body 3 Side member 4, 5 Protrusion part 6, 7 Bundling groove part 8 Cutting groove part 9 Optical fiber strand 10A, 10B Space part 11A, 11B Space part 12A, 12B Space part 13A , 13B space part 14A, 14B space part 15A, 15B space part 16A, 16B space part 17A, 17B space part 18 optical fiber bundle 19 branching type optical fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus 20 work table 21 optical fiber strand reel 22 reel drive part 23, 24 Optical fiber guide member 25 Guide member driving unit 26 Bobbin driving unit 27 Control unit 181B, 182B, 183B, 184B Branch end

Claims (12)

A bobbin for manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are bundled, and at least one end of which is branched into a plurality of ends, the optical fiber strands are wound on each other to manufacture a branched optical fiber bundle,
A cylindrical body;
A first protrusion row comprising a plurality of protrusion portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body;
A second protrusion row comprising a plurality of protrusion portions provided along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body at a position spaced apart from the first protrusion row on the outer peripheral surface of the main body. ,
A bobbin for manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle, wherein a plurality of space portions for winding the optical fiber strands as a plurality of bundles are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body by the protrusions.   For bundling that defines a bundling position for bundling a bundle of optical fiber strands provided on the outer circumferential surface of the main body along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body and wound on the outer circumferential surface. The bobbin for manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle according to claim 1, further comprising a groove.   For cutting, which is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body and defines a cutting position for cutting a bundle of optical fiber wires wound on the outer peripheral surface. A bobbin for manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a groove.   4. The branched optical fiber bundle manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the number of the space portions is an integral multiple of the number of the end portions of the branched optical fiber bundle to be manufactured. 5. For bobbins. A method of manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle in which a plurality of optical fiber strands are bundled and at least one end is branched into a plurality of end portions to manufacture the branched optical fiber bundle.
A cylindrical main body, a first protrusion row including a plurality of protrusions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body, and the outer peripheral surface of the main body; A second protruding portion row comprising a plurality of protruding portions provided along a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the main body at a position spaced apart from the first protruding portion row, and the main body by the protruding portion. An optical fiber winding for winding the optical fiber using a bobbin for manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle in which a plurality of spaces for winding the optical fiber as a plurality of bundles are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the optical fiber. A stacking process;
An optical fiber bundling step for bundling a bundle of optical fiber strands wound on the outer peripheral surface of the main body;
An optical fiber cutting step of cutting a bundle of optical fiber wires wound on the outer peripheral surface of the main body;
A branch end part manufacturing step of manufacturing the plurality of end parts by further binding a bundle of optical fiber strands bundled in the optical fiber binding process and cut in the optical fiber cutting process. A branching type optical fiber bundle manufacturing method. In the optical fiber winding step, using a branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin further provided with a first groove portion provided along a direction orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface of the main body,
6. The branching type optical fiber bundle manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein, in the optical fiber binding step, a binding position of the optical fiber is defined by the first groove portion. In the optical fiber winding step, using a branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin further provided with a second groove portion provided along a direction orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface of the main body,
The method for manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle according to claim 5 or 6, wherein, in the optical fiber cutting step, a cutting position of the optical fiber is defined by the second groove portion.   In the optical fiber winding step, the optical fiber element is manufactured by using a branch type optical fiber bundle manufacturing bobbin in which the number of the space portions is an integral multiple of the number of the end portions of the branch type optical fiber bundle to be manufactured. The method of manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the wire is wound as a plurality of bundles.   9. The method according to claim 5, wherein, in the branch end manufacturing step, the bundle of one optical fiber is twisted and then bundled with the bundle of the other optical fiber. 10. Branching type optical fiber bundle manufacturing method.   The bundled two optical fiber strands are bundled together through a bundle of at least one optical fiber strand in the branch end portion manufacturing step. The method for producing a branched optical fiber bundle according to Item.   11. The branched light according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of bobbins for manufacturing the branched optical fiber bundle are used, and the optical fiber winding step is simultaneously performed on all of the plurality of branched optical fiber bundles. Fiber bundle manufacturing method. An optical fiber length adjusting step of adjusting the length of the bundle of optical fiber strands cut at the optical fiber cutting step or at least one end of the plurality of end portions at the branch end manufacturing step. 12. The method of manufacturing a branched optical fiber bundle according to claim 5, wherein the branched optical fiber bundle is formed.

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