JP4894810B2 - Processing device and processing method for upper winding tape for optical cable - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method for an optical cable upper winding tape in which a plurality of optical fiber core wires are covered with an upper winding tape and the outside is covered with a sheath.

  With the recent expansion of broadband services such as video distribution, IP telephony, and data communications, the number of subscribers to home-use data communications services (FTTH: Fiber To The Home) using optical fibers is increasing. In this FTTH, a drop optical cable is used to drop from an imaginary trunk optical cable to a subscriber's house. For example, the optical fiber can be pulled down to the subscriber's home by, for example, branching the optical fiber core from a trunk optical cable laid on a utility pole in a city with a connection box usually called a closure. A drop optical cable is connected to the fiber core using a fusion connection or an optical connector.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the trunk optical cable 1 is made of, for example, a resin in which a tension member 3 (also referred to as a tension member) is embedded in the center and a plurality of SZ-shaped grooves 2a are formed on the outside. It is configured using a spacer 2 made of a rod (also referred to as a slot rod). A plurality of optical fiber cores or multi-fiber optical fiber ribbons 4 are accommodated in the groove 2 a, and an upper tape 6 (also referred to as a presser winding) is wound around the outer periphery of the spacer 2. Covering. And the thing of the shape which coat | covered the outer side of the upper winding tape 6 with the sheath 7 (it is also called a jacket) formed by extrusion molding is common.

In order to draw an optical fiber from a middle portion of the trunk optical cable 1 as described above to a subscriber's house, etc., one to several optical fiber cores are selected from a plurality of optical fiber cores in the cable. A drawing branch operation is performed. In this branching (also referred to as intermediate rear branching) operation, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the sheath 7 at the branching portion of the optical cable is removed by a certain length (about 50 cm). In the portion where the sheath 7 is removed, the upper winding tape 6 is exposed. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (B), the upper winding tape 6 is cut by a cutting tool 10 such as a cutter or a nipper. Cut after forming. Next, the upper tape 6 is unwound and peeled off, and the inner optical fiber ribbon 4 is taken out.
JP-A-8-220393

  The upper tape 6 wound on the spacer 2 holds the optical fiber ribbon 4 so that the optical fiber ribbon 4 does not jump out of the groove 2a, and the heat at the time of forming the sheath 7 affects the optical fiber ribbon 4. It can be made to function as thermal insulation for suppressing the occurrence of water absorption, and further as water absorption for water stoppage in the optical cable. Since there is no particular protective layer between the upper tape 6 and the optical fiber ribbon 4, a cutting tool 10 such as a nipper is inserted into the upper tape 6 to cut the tape. If an attempt is made to obtain the starting end, the optical fiber ribbon 4 may be damaged. Further, the branching operation of the optical fiber core wire is often performed in a poor working environment such as on a power pole or a bucket car, and it is desired to be as simple and as short as possible.

  As a method for improving the above points, as shown in FIG. 1 (A), cuts 8 are made at intervals on the side edges of the upper tape 6, and the cuts 8 are scratched with a fingernail or the like to form a triangular shape. The protruding piece 9 is raised. And the method of cutting | disconnecting by making the cut | interruption 8 into the tape width direction with the gripping tools, such as a hand or pliers, is proposed by making the cut | interruption 8 into the starting edge of a tape tear. 1A shows an example in which the upper tape 6 is formed by open winding having a gap 6a, and a part 5a of the coarsely wound string 5 is exposed from the gap 6a.

  As a method of forming the cut 8 in the above-mentioned upper winding tape, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), in the state of the tape pad 12 in which the tape material for the upper winding tape 6 is wound around the winding core 11, one pad is used. A method has been proposed in which a plurality of cuts 14 a and 14 b are radially formed on the surface 13. When the tape material fed from the tape pad 12 is wound around the spacer 2 of the optical cable, the cuts 14a and 14b that are radially formed are the cuts 8 formed at intervals.

  However, the work of making the cuts 14a and 14b in the tape pad 12 requires labor and takes time. If the pad surface 13 into which the cut is made has irregularities such as undulations, the depth of the cuts 14a and 14b is required to be about 2 mm. Sometimes cutting easily occurs, and it is difficult to ensure a certain quality.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and when cutting in a tape pad state in advance, it is excellent in workability and has a constant depth of cut when cutting the upper end tape for cutting. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing device and a processing method for an upper tape for an optical cable that can be cut.

  An apparatus and method for processing an upper tape for an optical cable according to the present invention is an optical cable that covers a plurality of optical fiber cores with a sheath, is in contact with the inner surface of the sheath, and is wound around the outer periphery of the plurality of optical fiber cores. It is the processing of the top wound tape wound at an angle. Slide means that guides the cutter blade in the radial direction of the pad surface, and a cut that makes the cutting depth of the cutter blade constant to the pad surface. And a cutting mechanism having a regulating means, and a cut having a predetermined length serving as a starting edge of the tape tear is made at a side edge of the upper winding tape.

  The incision restricting means has a position restricting member that makes contact with the pad surface to make the incision depth constant. In addition, a plurality of cutter mechanisms may be installed on a template that covers the entire pad surface. The cutter blade is preferably a disc-shaped rotary blade.

  According to the present invention, when a notch serving as a tear start for cutting a tape is cut into an upper tape for an optical cable, a cut with a certain depth can be accurately formed without variation in a tape pad state. .

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The optical cable targeted by the present invention is, for example, an optical cable 1 similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1A, in which a tension member 3 is embedded and integrated at the center, and a plurality of grooves 2a having an SZ shape or a spiral shape on the outer surface side. This is a structure using a spacer 2 (also referred to as a slot) made of a plastic material provided with the above. In the groove 2a of the spacer 2, a plurality of optical fiber cores or a multi-fiber optical fiber ribbon 4 is accommodated. The outer winding tape 6 that prevents the optical fiber ribbon 4 from dropping out of the groove 2a by winding the coarse winding 5 on the outside is opened, and the upper winding tape 6 with the gaps 8 formed on the gap is opened, for example, with a gap 6a. It is wound by winding.

  In addition, the upper winding tape 6 of the optical cable is formed by open winding, and a part 5a of the coarsely wound string 5 is exposed in the gap 6a, so that it is cut or fused with the sheath 7 by heat at the time of forming the sheath 7. However, when the sheath 7 is peeled off, the coarsely wound string 5 is cut short and easily removed. However, in the present invention, it is not particularly necessary to perform open winding, and it may be formed by lap winding in which the gap 6a is not formed. Moreover, the optical cable of the form which does not use a spacer other than the optical cable using a spacer may be sufficient.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of an optical fiber upper tape processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 (A) shows an aa cross section of FIG. 2 (B), and FIG. 2 (B) shows the processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows an upper surface. In the figure, 20 is a tape processing apparatus, 21 is a template, 22 is a guide rail, 22a is a stopper, 23a and 23b are slots, 24 is a cutter mechanism, 25 is a knob, 26 is a pad fitting portion, and 34 is a cutter blade. Show.

  An optical fiber upper tape processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a tape processing apparatus) according to the present invention has at least one pad surface of a spiral tape pad 12 wound around a winding core 11 as shown in FIG. 13 is for making cuts 14a and 14b of a predetermined depth. The tape processing apparatus 20 is configured to be placed on one pad surface of the tape pad 12, and is configured by a cutter mechanism 24 provided on a disk-shaped template 21, for example. A plurality of cutter mechanisms 24 can be provided radially with respect to the center of the template 21 according to the number of cuts, but may be one. In this case, the cutter mechanism 24 sequentially moves the rotation position of the template 21 and performs a cutting operation for each rotation position.

  The cutter mechanism 24 includes a guide mechanism that moves and guides the cutter blade 34 provided at the lower end along the guide rail 22 provided on the upper surface side of the template 21 from the outer diameter side to the inner diameter side. The template 21 is provided with groove holes 23a and 23b in parallel with the guide rail 22, and the cutter blade 34 protrudes from the groove holes 23a and 23b to the bottom surface side of the template 21 to make a cut in the tape pad 12. It is done. A cutting mechanism for the tape pad 12 and a vertical movement mechanism for adjusting the cutting depth are provided.

  At the center of the template 21, a knob 25 for setting and positioning the tape processing device 20 on the tape pad 12 is provided. The lower end of the knob 25 has a pad fitting portion 26 that is inserted into the center core hole of the tape pad 12 and performs positioning with the template 21. With the template 21 placed on the pad surface of the tape pad 12 and positioned by the pad fitting portion 26, the cutter mechanism 24 is moved in the radial direction. At this time, the cutter blade 34 protruding from the bottom surface of the template 21 forms the cuts 14 a and 14 b in the pad surface 13 of the tape pad 12 as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 1B, a cut 14a reaching the inner end of the tape pad 12 and a short cut 14b extending to the middle are formed. This is because the gap between the tape cuts is reduced on the inner diameter side of the tape pad 12, and this is adjusted. Therefore, in order to correspond to this, also on the tape processing apparatus 20 side, the slot through which the cutter blade 34 moves is a long slot 23a and a short slot 23b. However, the setting of the cut length can also be performed, for example, by providing a stopper 22a on the guide rail 22 that guides the movement of the cutter mechanism 24.

  3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining an example of the cutter mechanism 24. FIG. 3 is a view as seen from the bb direction in FIG. 2B, and FIG. 4 is from the cc direction in FIG. 2B. FIG. In the figure, 27 is a slide member, 28 is a support frame, 29a is a first spring locking member, 29b is a second spring locking member, 30 is a sliding member, 31 is a sliding rail, and 32 is a sliding frame. 32a is a position regulating piece, 33 is a spring, 34 is a cutter blade, 35 is a clamp member, 36 is an operation member, and 37 is a set screw. The other reference numerals are the same as those used in FIG.

  The cutter mechanism 24 is moved in the radial direction by engaging and guiding the slide member 27 on the guide rail 22. An L-shaped support frame 28 is attached and fixed on the slide member 27, and a first spring locking member 29 a and a slide member 30 are provided on the upper end portion of the support frame 28. A sliding rail 31 is engaged with the sliding member 30 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The sliding rail 31 is fixedly attached to a sliding frame 32.

  A position restricting piece 32 a is integrally provided at the lower end of the sliding frame 32, and when the position restricting piece 32 a abuts against the pad surface of the tape pad 12, the downward movement of the sliding frame 32 is restricted. Is done. The sliding frame 32 is provided with a second spring locking member 29b, and a coiled spring 33 is disposed between the sliding frame 32 and the first spring locking member 29a. By means of this spring 33, the sliding frame 32 is normally positioned upward and can be moved elastically downward.

  An operating member 36 is connected and fixed to the sliding frame 32 by a setting screw 37. A cutter blade 34 is attached to a lower end portion of the operation member 36 by a clamp member 35. The cutter blade 34 is set so as to protrude from the lower surface of the position restricting piece 32 a of the sliding frame 32, and the protrusion amount (d) is the depth of cut into the tape pad 12. The protruding amount (d) of the cutter blade 34 is set by loosening the setting screw 37 and adjusting the vertical position of the operating member 36 relative to the sliding frame 32.

  When a straight blade such as a cutter knife is used as the cutter blade 34, the slit is cut while scratching the pad surface, so that the spiral tape stack is broken, the pad surface is deformed, and the cut amount is not constant. Sometimes. For this reason, the cutter blade 34 is preferably an arc-shaped blade, and more preferably a disk-shaped rotary blade. Since the arc-shaped blade and the disk-shaped rotary blade have a form in which the pad surface is pushed from above, the tape lamination does not collapse and the variation in the cutting amount can be suppressed.

Next, with the tape processing apparatus configured as described above, a predetermined depth of cut is made in the pad surface 13 of the optical cable overwinding tape pad 12 wound in a spiral shape as shown in FIG. A method for inserting 14a and 14b will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the disk-shaped template 21 described with reference to FIG. 2 is placed so that the tape pad 12 is placed on a flat base table and overlapped with the pad surface 13 of the tape pad. Then, the pad fitting portion 26 is inserted and positioned on the winding core 11 at the center of the tape pad 12 by operating the knob 25.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, in each cutter mechanism 24, each setting screw 37 is loosened to adjust the vertical position of the sliding frame 32 and the operation member 36. By this adjustment, the protrusion amount (d) from the position restricting piece 32a provided at the lower end of the sliding frame 32 of the cutter blade 34 is adjusted and set. Normally, the sliding frame 32 is at an upper position away from the tape pad 12 by the spring 33, and the cutter blade 34 is also at an upper position away from the pad surface of the tape pad 12.

  After the protruding amount (d) of the cutter blade 34 is adjusted and set, the operating member 36 is pushed downward with a constant pressing force against the upward biasing force of the spring 33. As a result, the cutter blade 34 bites into the tape pad 12, and the regulating member piece 32 a at the lower end of the sliding frame 32 comes into contact with the pad surface 13 of the tape pad 12. Next, the entire cutter mechanism 24 is moved along the guide means including the guide rail 22 and the slide member 27 from the outer diameter side of the template 21 while maintaining the contact state of the restriction member piece 32a to the tape pad 12. Slide to the inner diameter side. By this operation, the cutter blade 34 cuts the pad surface 13 of the tape pad 12 with a constant cut depth, and forms radial cuts 14a and 14b as shown in FIG.

5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the cutting state by the above-described cutter blade. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the state of the tape pad, and FIG. It is a figure which shows a state.
As shown in FIG. 5A-A, when the cutting process is performed in a state where the tape pad 12 includes the pad surface 13 in a flat state, it is shown in FIG. 5A-B or FIG. 5A-C. As described above, the tape pad 12 may be cut in a state having a undulation including the pad surface 13.

  As shown in FIG. 5A-A, when the tape pad 12 is flat, the cutting amount by the cutter blade is constant, there is no variation in processing, and there is no particular problem. However, when the tape pad 12 has a undulation as shown in FIG. 5 (A-C), the cutter blade 34 is placed on the surface of the template 21 with respect to the tape pad 12 as shown in FIG. 5 (B-A). If the cutting is performed with reference to, the cutting may not be formed or the specified cutting amount may not be secured.

  On the other hand, by using the cutter mechanism 24 as described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cutter blade 34 is cut with respect to the tape pad 12 with reference to the pad surface 13 as shown in FIG. It can be carried out. As a result, even when the tape pad 12 has undulations, it can be cut into the pad surface 13 of the tape pad 12 with a constant cut depth, and a cut can be made with a specified amount without variation.

  In addition, about the cutter mechanism mentioned above, although the operation which presses and slides with respect to a tape pad was demonstrated manually, you may make it perform by drive control using a motor or an air cylinder. Moreover, you may make it automate using a contact sensor and a distance sensor in order to confirm and maintain the state which the regulating member piece of a sliding frame is contacting the pad surface of a tape pad.

It is a figure explaining an example of the optical cable made into object by this invention, and an example of the tape pad for upper volume tapes. It is a figure which shows an example of the tape processing apparatus by this invention. It is a figure explaining the cutter mechanism of the tape processing apparatus by this invention. It is a figure explaining the cutter mechanism of the tape processing apparatus by this invention. It is a figure explaining the effect of the cutting by the tape processing apparatus by this invention. It is a figure explaining the prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical cable, 2 ... Spacer, 2a ... Groove, 3 ... Tension member, 4 ... Optical fiber tape core wire, 5 ... Coarse winding cord, 6 ... Top wound tape, 7 ... Sheath, 8 ... Cut, 9 ... Projection piece, 10 ... Cleaving tool, 11 ... winding core, 12 ... tape pad, 13 ... pad surface, 14a, 14b ... cutting, 20 ... tape processing device, 21 ... template, 22 ... guide rail, 22a ... stopper, 23a, 23b ... Groove hole, 24 ... cutter mechanism, 25 ... knob, 26 ... pad fitting part, 27 ... slide member, 28 ... support frame, 29a ... first spring locking member, 29b ... second spring locking member, 30 ... Sliding member 31 ... Slide rail 32 ... Sliding frame 32a ... Position restricting piece 33 ... Spring 34 ... Cutter blade 35 ... Clamp member 36 ... Operating member 37 ... Installation A screw.

Claims (5)

An optical tape covering a plurality of optical fiber cores with a sheath, an upper tape processing apparatus that contacts an inner surface of the sheath and is wound around an outer periphery of the plurality of optical fiber cores at a predetermined winding angle. ,
Slide means that guides the cutter blade in the radial direction of the pad surface and is placed on the pad surface of the tape pad spirally wound with a predetermined width, and the cutting depth of the cutter blade to the pad surface is constant A cutting mechanism having a cutting restriction means,
An apparatus for processing an upper-wound tape for an optical cable, characterized in that a cut of a predetermined length is formed at a side edge of the upper-winding tape as a starting edge of a tape tear.   The said cutting control means has a position control member which contacts the said pad surface and makes a cutting depth constant, The processing apparatus of the upper wound tape for optical cables of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The said cutter mechanism is installed in multiple in the template which covers the whole surface of the said pad surface, The processing apparatus of the upper wound tape for optical cables of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The said cutter blade is a disk shaped rotary blade, The processing apparatus of the upper wound tape for optical cables of any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. An optical cable that covers a plurality of optical fiber cores with a sheath, is an upper cable tape processing method that contacts an inner surface of the sheath and is wound around the outer periphery of the plurality of optical fiber cores at a predetermined winding angle. ,
A template is placed on the pad surface of the tape pad wound in a spiral shape with a predetermined width, and the cutter blade is guided in the radial direction of the pad surface by the slide mechanism of the cutter mechanism installed in the template. Cutting with a constant cutting depth of the cutter blade to the pad surface by cutting regulation means,
A method of processing an upper tape for an optical cable, characterized in that a cut of a predetermined length is formed at a side edge of the upper tape as a starting edge of a tape tear.

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