JP5737220B2 - Tape guide device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape guide device for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon having a configuration in which a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel and adjacent optical fibers are intermittently coupled.

  In an optical fiber ribbon integrated with a plurality of optical fiber cores arranged in a parallel row, it is easy to separate the optical fiber cores into a single core, and the parallel state of the tape core wires is maintained. An optical fiber ribbon that can be maintained and used for multi-fiber batch fusion connection or the like is known. In this optical fiber ribbon, a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in a parallel line, and coupling portions and non-coupling portions are alternately formed in the longitudinal direction, and adjacent optical fiber cores are intermittently connected to each other. Various shapes and manufacturing methods have been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 does not have a bonding portion to which an adhesive resin or coating resin is applied for a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction between adjacent optical fiber core wires, and an adhesive resin or coating resin for a predetermined distance. A method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon in which unbonded portions are alternately formed is disclosed.
Further, in Patent Document 2, after UV (ultraviolet curable) resin is applied to the entire length of a plurality of optical fiber cores, UV irradiation is intermittently performed in the longitudinal direction, and a cured portion (non-bonded portion) of the UV resin is obtained. And a method of manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon in which uncured portions (bonded portions) are alternately formed.
Patent Document 3 discloses a method for manufacturing an optical fiber ribbon, in which incisions are formed with a cutter blade in the longitudinal direction of the common coating of the optical fiber ribbon, and a coupling portion and a non-coupling portion are alternately formed. ing.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-232297 JP 2010-2743 A Japanese Patent No. 2573632

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1, the method of intermittently applying an adhesive resin or the like between adjacent optical fiber lines has a problem that the resin application control is not easy and it is difficult to increase the production line speed. Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the method of intermittently irradiating UV is not easy to control the driving of the light-shielding shutter that forms the uncured portion, and the light-shielded portion is uncured with a target size. Probability is low, and it is also difficult to increase the production line speed.

  On the other hand, the method using the cutter blade as in Patent Document 3 can form the coupling portion and the non-coupling portion at a constant ratio by controlling the cutting speed of the cutter blade according to the production linear velocity. it can. However, in the method using this cutter blade, it is necessary to make a precise cut between the optical fiber cores of the optical fiber tape. For this, positioning of the traveling optical fiber tape core in the width direction is important. Become.

  On the other hand, when the cutter blade is inserted to make a cut between the optical fiber cores of the optical fiber tape, the thickness equivalent to the thickness of the cutter blade protrudes in the tape width direction, so there is clearance to escape this overhang. Necessary. However, if this clearance is large, the positioning accuracy in the tape width direction is deteriorated, the cutting position of the cutter blade is changed, and there is a possibility that the optical fiber core wire is damaged.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and positioning in the tape width direction when cutting intermittently between the optical fiber wires of the optical fiber ribbon using the cutter blade, and the cutter blade An object of the present invention is to provide a tape guide device that allows the tape width direction to be extended by cutting.

The tape guide device according to the present invention includes a plurality of optical fiber cores arranged in parallel in a row and intermittently disposed in a longitudinal direction by a cutter blade between adjacent optical fiber core wires integrated by a common coating. A tape guide device for positioning for making a notch, wherein the guide surfaces of the guide walls on both sides for restricting movement in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon running at a predetermined linear velocity are the optical fibers. The guide surface is inclined at an angle θ so that the bottom side of the guide surface is narrower with respect to a surface perpendicular to the width direction of the tape core wire, and the inclination angle θ of the guide surface is 10 ° to 40 °. .
Further, the guide wall may guide only one side of the optical fiber ribbon, and a plurality of the guide walls may be installed alternately on both sides of the optical fiber ribbon.

  According to the present invention, in the state where the cutter blade is not inserted between the optical fiber cores of the optical fiber tape core wire, the movement in the tape width direction is restricted by the bottom of the guide wall, and when the cutter blade is inserted, Overhang in the tape width direction is allowed to slide on the inclined surface of the guide wall. As a result, positioning of the traveling optical fiber ribbon can be ensured in the width direction, and stable intermittent cutting can be performed without causing line deflection in the optical fiber ribbon.

It is a figure which shows the example of the optical fiber tape core wire manufactured by this invention. It is the figure which showed typically the example of installation of the tape guide apparatus and cutter mechanism in this invention. It is a figure explaining the cutting operation of the tape guide device and cutter blade by this invention. It is a figure explaining other examples of cutting operation of a tape guide device and a cutter blade by the present invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A to 1C show an example of an optical fiber ribbon manufactured by using the tape guide device of the present invention. In the drawings, 1a to 1c denote optical fiber ribbons (tape cores). Line), 2 is an optical fiber core wire, 3a to 3c are common coatings, 4 is a cut portion, and 5 is a non-cut portion.

The optical fiber core wire 2 in the present invention is, for example, an optical fiber strand obtained by coating a glass fiber having an outer diameter of 125 μm with a fiber coating having a coating diameter of about 250 μm. A single-core optical fiber including a colored layer on the outer surface of the optical fiber.
The optical fiber ribbons (hereinafter referred to as “tape ribbons”) 1a to 1c are obtained by arranging three or more cores of the optical fiber ribbons 2 in a parallel row and integrating them with the common coatings 3a to 3c into a tape shape. Thus, the common coatings 3a to 3c are of a form in which cut portions 4 and non-cut portions 5 having a predetermined length are alternately formed between adjacent optical fiber core wires 2.

  The tape core wire 1a shows an example in which the tape surface of the common coating 3a is flat, and the tape core wire 1b shows an example of a corrugated shape in which the tape surface of the common coating 3b follows the arrangement surface of the optical fiber core wires 2. ing. Further, the tape core wire 1c is an example in which the optical fiber core wires 2 are arranged at intervals, and the common coating 3c covers the entire circumference of each of the optical fiber core wires 2 and is connected via a connecting portion 3c ′. An example is shown. In addition, since the tape core wires 1b and 1c have a valley portion between the optical fiber core wires, the cutter blade can be easily positioned in the valley portion, and the cut portion 4 can be formed with high accuracy.

  The cut portions 4 inserted into the common coatings 3a to 3c of the tape cores 1a to 1c are formed so as to penetrate the upper and lower surfaces of the tape core wires, and in the portions where the cuts are made, adjacent optical fibers The core wires are separated from each other and pulled in a direction in which they are separated from each other (a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction), thereby forming a non-bonded portion that can be bent and separated. On the other hand, in the non-cut portion 5 where no cut is made, adjacent optical fiber cores are integrated with each other by the common coating 3 to form a coupling portion that maintains the tape state.

The cut portion 4 and the non-cut portion 5 can be formed in various forms (patterns). The example of FIG. 1A is an example in which adjacent cut portions 4 are all formed at the same position, and all the optical fiber core wires are connected at intermittent positions where the non-cut portions 5 are orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. ing. The example of FIG. 1B is an example in which the positions of the adjacent cut portions 4 are made different so that the positions of the cut portions one distance away from each other coincide. In addition, it can be formed in an arbitrary pattern such as changing the ratio of the cut portion 4 and the non-cut portion 5.
In FIG. 1C, the cut portion 4 and the non-cut portion 5 are not shown hidden, but are formed in the same pattern as in FIG. 1A or FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an installation example of a cutting mechanism (cutter blade mechanism) for inserting the cutting portion 4 into the tape core wire 1 and a tape guide device. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the tape core wire 1 is running from the right direction to the left direction on the paper surface, and the optical fiber core with respect to the tape core wire 1. A plurality of cutter blade mechanisms 8a to 8c (three cutter blade mechanisms when the number of optical fiber core wires is 4) corresponding to the number of wires is prepared. In addition, it can change to the cutting pattern as demonstrated in FIG. 1, or another pattern by controlling the timing which makes the cutter blade mechanism 8a-8c cut.

The cutter blade mechanisms 8a to 8c are shifted in the production line direction (longitudinal direction of the tape core wire) between the tape guide devices 9a to 9d that guide the running of the tape core wire 1 and position the cutting of the cutter blade. The cut portions 4 are formed in the cut lines L at different positions by the respective cutter blade mechanisms.
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the tape guide devices 9 a to 9 d are formed of rollers having guide walls 11 on both sides of the body portion 10, for example. The guide walls 11 on both sides of the roller regulate the movement of the running tape core wire 1 in the width direction so that the cutter 6 of the cutter blade mechanism can accurately cut the predetermined cutting line L. The cutter blade 6 may be cut with respect to the tape core wire 1 by a swing operation, or may be cut with a pushing operation of a rotary blade or the like.

  Further, the tape guide devices 9a 'to 9d' shown in FIG. 2C are examples in which the guide wall 11 is formed only on one side of the body part 10 and the other side is formed by a free roller. However, in this case, the guide walls 11 are installed in a staggered alternate arrangement. By using this installation form, the movement of the traveling tape core wire 1 in the width direction is regulated by two adjacent tape guide devices, and the cutter 6 of the cutter blade mechanism can accurately cut the predetermined cutting line L. Can be included.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a tape guide device according to the present invention. The tape guide device 9 corresponds to the tape guide devices 9a to 9d having the guide walls 11 on both sides of the body portion 10 described with reference to FIG. The guide surface 11a on the inner surface of the guide wall 11 is in contact with the edge of the tape core wire 1 to restrict movement of the tape core wire in the width direction.
In the present invention, in particular, the guide surface 11a of the guide wall 11 is directed from the bottom side to the upper outer side with respect to the surface Y perpendicular to the axis X (that is, the surface perpendicular to the width direction of the tape core wire) . It is characterized by being inclined at an angle θ so as to be wide (that is, so that the bottom side of the guide surface becomes narrow) . The inclination angle θ is preferably about 10 ° to 40 °.

  3A shows a state in which the cutter blade 6 of the cutter blade mechanism in FIG. 2 is not cut, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the cut is made. . As shown in FIG. 3 (A), in the state in which the tape core wire is not cut, the tape core wire 1 has both side edges in contact with the bottom side of the guide surface 11a of the guide wall 11 and the tape width. Movement in the direction is prevented and positioned. Then, traveling is guided so as to be in contact with the body portion 10 of the tape guide device 9 with the tape surface being flat.

However, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the cutter blade 6 is inserted between the optical fiber core wires by a cutting operation, the thickness corresponding to the thickness of the cutter blade centering on the cutter blade 6 is 2 minutes from the tape core wire. And overhang in the tape width direction. Since the protruding tape portion is formed with an inclined surface with the guide surface 11a facing outward, the tape portion can easily run on the inclined surface.
As a result, positioning in the tape width direction can be performed by the guide surface 11 a of the guide wall 11, and the tape core wire due to the cutting of the cutter blade 6 can escape from protruding in the width direction.

FIG. 4 is a view showing another example of the tape guide device according to the present invention. The tape guide device 9 ′ corresponds to the tape guide devices 9a ′ to 9d ′ having the guide wall 11 only on one side of the body portion 10 described with reference to FIG. The guide surfaces 11a on the inner surfaces of the guide walls 11 formed in an alternating arrangement are in contact with the edge portions of the tape core wire 1, and restrict the movement of the tape core wire in the width direction.
Also in this example, as in the example of FIG. 3, the guide surface 11a is located above the surface Y perpendicular to the axis X (that is, the surface perpendicular to the width direction of the tape core wire) from the bottom side. It is configured to be inclined at an angle θ so as to become wider toward the outside (that is, the bottom side of the guide surface becomes narrower) . The inclination angle θ is preferably about 10 ° to 40 ° as in the example of FIG.

  4A and 4C show a state in which the cutter blade 6 is not cut into the tape core wire 1, and FIGS. 4B and 4D show a state in which the cut is made. Show. 4A and 4B show a tape guide device having a guide wall on the left side of the drawing, and FIGS. 4C and 4D show a tape guide device having a guide wall on the right side of the drawing. As shown in FIG. 2C, they are installed in an alternating arrangement.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (C), in the state where the tape core wire is not cut, the tape core wire 1 has an edge on one side at the guide surface 11a in FIG. 4 (A). 4b is prevented from moving in the tape width direction, and the edge on the other side is in contact with the bottom side of the guide surface 11a in FIG. The Then, traveling is guided so as to be in contact with the body portion 10 of the tape guide device 9 ′ with the tape surface being flat.

However, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4D, when the cutter blade 6 is inserted between the optical fiber core wires by the cutting operation, the thickness corresponding to the thickness of the cutter blade centering on the cutter blade 6 is the tape core. Divide the line in half and project it in the tape width direction. The tape portion projecting to the side where the movement in the tape width direction is prevented by the guide wall 11 is formed with an inclined surface with the guide surface 11a facing outward, so that it can easily ride on this inclined surface. Can do. Further, the tape portion protruding to the side without the guide wall 11 is free to move, but the guide wall 11 of the adjacent tape guide device 9 ′ is prevented from moving in the tape width direction and similarly inclined guide surfaces. 11a can be easily boarded.
As a result, as in the example of FIG. 3, positioning in the tape width direction can be performed by the guide surface 11 a of the guide wall 11, and the tape core wire due to the cutting of the cutter blade 6 can escape overhanging in the width direction.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1-1c ... Optical fiber ribbon (tape core), 2 ... Optical fiber core, 3a-3c ... Common coating, 4 ... Cut part, 5 ... Non-cut part, 6 ... Cutter blade, 8a-8c ... Cutter Blade mechanism, 9 to 9d '... tape guide device, 10 ... trunk, 11 ... guide wall, 11a ... guide surface.

Claims (2)

Positioning for cutting intermittently in the longitudinal direction with a cutter blade between adjacent optical fiber cores of an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fiber cores are aligned in parallel and integrated by a common coating Tape guide device for
The guide surfaces of the guide walls on both sides for restricting movement in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon running at a predetermined linear velocity are bottom portions of the guide surfaces with respect to a plane perpendicular to the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon. A tape guide device , wherein the guide surface is inclined at an angle θ such that the side is narrow, and the angle θ of inclination of the guide surface is 10 ° to 40 ° . 2. The tape guide device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide wall guides only one side of the optical fiber ribbon, and a plurality of the guide walls are alternately arranged on both sides of the optical fiber ribbon.

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